Emmett and Max worked through the day in the cramped workroom on the second floor. Even when they took a break for lunch or finished their list of jobs for the day, they were still working—

Albeit on different projects.

“Dude, you need rocket boots.” Max was standing between the desk and a stack of boxes, miming flying with his arms outstretched. “Swinging around the city is so outdated.”

Emmett laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, because I can make rocket boots with the things we have lying around.”

“Okay, maybe not. But it would be super cool. Then you could fly around with Clara.”

“What about you?”

“Duh. I’ll be riding on your back—third wheeling it.”

Emmett turned, and TINA was already bringing up schematics on one of the corner screens. There were three different sets:

The first was an advanced set of thrusters that would emerge from his feet. These were rated for extended flight and clearly needed a power source that Emmett wouldn’t have access to unless he went back to the lab. The other two schematics were far more promising.

There was a second set of thrusters that were rated for short bursts. TINA had helpfully labeled these as theoretically possible with current materials, though they still needed supplemental power.

The final set of schematics was even more interesting. They weren’t thrusters. In fact, they were simple additions to his prosthetic lower legs, and labeled Gait Enhancement.

Emmett’s curiosity was momentarily eclipsed by how impressed he was that TINA had put together schematics without him asking. She’d even listed dimensions, several metals and their accompanying strengths and weights.

He could see why she was so valuable to Dr. Venture… and also why he was so concerned with her developments.

Max, however, was peering intently at the screen. “Alright. For my birthday, I want robotic legs and an A.I. assistant.”

“...When is your birthday?”

Max leaned back, feigning offense. “I can’t believe you would ask that. We’re clearly not on that kind of level. What are you going to want to know next, my social security number? My browser history?”

“We already have those,” TINA said through the TV.

Emmett was frozen. Max looked like he’d died of fright.

“That was a joke.”

Only Emmett found it funny.

Max shivered. “TINA, when you take over the world, just nuke us. Also nuke my browsing history.”

~

Emmett tabled the enhancements for now, and the duo killed a few hours watching Full Throttle Heart before their sparring match with MCGUIRE’S FRIENDS. He’d talked his roommate into watching the original series and then they’d gotten Clara to join in on a watch party. They synchronized episodes and kept in touch via text.

The afternoon flew by, and soon it was time to cross the rooftops.

They were supposed to meet Cherry and Larian on the edge of South Side. But even though they’d settled on a meeting place, that didn’t mean that was where they would be.

Emmett and McGuire jogged across the roofs and met up with Clara before starting their true approach—all the while, Emmett tried not to call McGuire by his real name. It was tougher than he thought, even though he’d known him as McGuire first.

In the distance, the silhouette of a giant crow passed in front of the moon. It was circling high, no doubt scouting for them. If not for Emmett’s enhanced vision, he would have trouble seeing it against the darkness.

Emmett pointed out the crow, and the three of them quickly formulated a plan. Clara and McGuire snuck across the last two blocks on the roof while Emmett skulked through the alleys and flanked their left side. The three kept their earpieces open for communication.

“You see them yet?” Emmett asked.

“Not yet…” McGuire said. “Wait, yep there they—oh shit!”

Pop. Pop.

Instinctively, Emmett pressed up against the alley wall and looked up—just in time to see Clara and McGuire hurtle through the air. Emmett couldn’t see where they landed, but a moment later, a smoke cloud appeared to his left.

After seeing how handy Emmett’s smoke pellets were, McGuire had spent several nights trying to duplicate the effects with his own powers. The final design didn’t have the same coverage range and if McGuire moved too far away, the smoke would dissipate, but the effects were close enough.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

It also didn’t stink—unlike McGuire’s super potent stink bombs.

“I see you have your own smoke bombs now, McGuire,” Cherry called out. “Or did Mod let you borrow some?” From the sound of her voice, Emmett was now positioned in between the two groups.

That was fine by him. He’d sneak closer, past Larian and his shadow beasts, then ambush Cherry while she was focused on Emmett’s teammates.

That was the plan, anyway, until a black jaguar stepped into the alley and blocked his path.

One of Larian’s new creations.

It stalked forward through the alley in complete silence, its dark fur shimmering like oil on top of black water. The hair on the back of Emmett’s neck stood up. Even with super strength, there was something primal about coming face-to-face with a predator… Especially since this shadow creation was similar to the crow.

Emmett wasn’t sure how big jaguars were normally, but this one felt as big as a bear—its shoulders were up to his chest.

“Not today,” he muttered. He’d rather get blasted by Cherry than fight a giant jaguar.

The jaguar looked like it could leap up and get him if he tried to swing overtop of it. So, Emmett slung his whip up high behind him and gripped a third-floor ledge. Hopefully, he could circle around. Even if the jaguar chased him, Emmett was confident in his speed and climbing ability. No matter how fast it was, it wouldn’t easily be able to follow him up to the rooftops.

Emmett swung through the alley and spared a glance backward. The jaguar was indeed chasing him—

And running on the walls.

It bounded after him, completely unaffected by gravity, even leaping from one wall to the other as it rounded the corner.

“Shit.” He really needed to figure out how Larian’s power worked.

Clara whispered into the mic. “Mod, we could really use a distraction.”

Emmett was vaguely aware that Cherry was still firing off pops, but he couldn’t spare a thought.

“Sorry. I have my own jaguar problems.”

Still swinging, Emmett ran along the wall. Then he disengaged the whip and leapt across the alley—changing direction just in time for the shadow cat to go sailing past him.

It didn’t buy him nearly enough time. Instead of skidding or falling as if it were bound by normal gravity, the creature just dug its claws in and turned after him.

McGuire said, “Mod, I didn’t copy that. Say again.”

“It’s exactly what you heard.”

Suddenly, a giant wall of ice appeared in the alley, completely blocking off Emmett’s path. He glanced up to see a blue-haired girl peeking over the roof.

“There you are!” she said.

Emmett had sparred with enough ice-based supers in the lab to know he couldn’t just break through the wall—

He’d have to go over it.

Emmett swung his whip again, grabbed the roof, and pulled as hard as he could. He hurtled straight up into the air above the rooftops.

For the first time in the battle, Emmett saw the layout of his enemies. Two supers stood on the rooftop beside him: Larian wore a bodysuit that looked like dark green snakeskin. He was concentrating hard on controlling the shadow jaguar and crow. Beside him was an ice super that Emmett had never seen before. She was dressed in dark black clothes like goths used to wear, but her hair was bright blue and draped over her shoulders. She was looking up in concern at Emmett as he reached the apex of his jump. Meanwhile, Cherry was further away, taking an overwatch position from a higher nearby roof.

But Emmett didn’t have much time because the jaguar was leaping upward after him.

Since his near-death experience at the hands of Lock, Emmett had switched around his loadout. He now had storage compartments in each limb, which cut down on the time he used swapping between weapons.

He grabbed his collapsible bo staff out of his upper left arm compartment and extended it with a flick of his wrist. It was one of the last things he’d commissioned from TINA since he’d left the lab.

Most bullets and weapons passed harmlessly through the shadows created by Larian. The one exception was when they were imbued with energy. Emmett still hadn’t gotten an internal battery, but his staff had one built into it.

As seamlessly as Emmett controlled his prosthetics, he electrified the staff. And when the jaguar reached the apex of its jump, Emmett swung.

A crack echoed over the roof as the metal and electricity impacted the jaguar’s head. The force sent them both in opposite directions—the jaguar back down into the alley, and Emmett onto the roof alongside Larian and the blue-haired super.

“I’ve got Larian and the new girl,” Emmett said.

Larian frowned and continued gesturing with his hands to direct his summons. Meanwhile, the new girl smirked. She leveled her black gloves and sent a wave of cold at Emmett.

He had no idea the extent of her powers, but she was no slouch. Even with the cold resistance mutagen flowing through his veins, he still felt the chill.

But clearly the new girl expected it to do more. She quickly backed away, took a fighting stance, and began lobbing ice balls. It looked like she was using a modified martial arts technique—short, quick punches and kicks, each sending a barrage of baseball sized hail at him.

From behind Emmett came several of Clara’s kinetic blasts and two bolas shots from McGuire’s slingshot. All missed—some narrowly—but they forced ice-girl to change tactics. She conjured narrow walls to take cover behind while still hurling ice at Emmett.

They were at an impasse—Emmett couldn’t flank too far around without coming into view of Cherry’s high vantage point. Meanwhile, Larian and the new girl maneuvered to keep Emmett between them, and Clara and McGuire, rendering Emmett’s teammates null.

All the while, Larian’s crow circled overhead and the jaguar was hiding somewhere below. Emmett knew they were about to spring a trap.

On the other roof, a jaguar growled, and McGuire cried out in surprise. Emmett glanced back quickly to see McGuire and Clara backpedaling. The jaguar was caught in a makeshift net which could only have come from McGuire. The net wasn’t big enough to completely immobilize the jaguar, but it was enough to halt it. The crow dive bombed, narrowly missing Clara, and was circling back again.

“Sonic on me!” Emmett shouted.

Clara didn’t hesitate.

She turned her sonic blasters on Emmett’s roof, drowning the area in a high-pitch whine. Emmett grit his teeth and forced his eyes open. As painful as it was for him, it dropped Larian and the new girl to their knees.

Emmett jabbed his bo staff into Larian’s stomach and shocked him. Larian doubled over onto the roof, and his summons dissipated..

Then Emmett smashed the two ice walls in front of the new girl, then stepped out of the way just as a bolas wrapped around her.

He was about to draw his pistol on Cherry, but her hands were already up and she was about to fire.

THUMP THUMP. .

Cherry toppled over from Clara’s kinetic blasts, her own power fading before she could release it.

Emmett breathed deep and retracted his bo staff. McGuire and Clara joined him on the roof, the gadgeteer cackling like a madman.

McGuire asked, “You guys want to go again?”

~ ~ ~