Pro-now wasn’t kidding when he'd told me to settle in for a long ride.

The bigger chunk of Newtown was formed out of the former southern region of Ogun state. The arrangement meant that the tropical rainforests of the latter bordered the independent city to the north. It also meant that to reach Ogun, our convoy had to travel the dual carriageway up to Maintown, then continue to the controlled-access highway connecting both regions.

Pro-now explained the plan from behind the wheel. “We are striking simultaneously at three of the syndicate's strongholds. Our team is tasked with securing YamaYama’s base of operations. Rabidor's going after a weapons cache, and Dia Mater's hitting a training camp further into the hills. She got a lot more soldiers as a result.”

I squirmed in my seat. “YamaYama wasn't in any of the slides. Am I right in assuming we have no intel on him?”

“You are,” Pro-now confirmed. “He is a virtual unknown, but his brutal reputation precedes him. I handpicked this team so we can have a bit of everything. Between Odim and me, unconventional power types shouldn't be a problem. You kids are here to provide long-range support.”

“Kids?” All Mine soured. “I am a Special Warrant Officer, sir, with hard years spent at the Defense Academy. Do not call me a kid.”

“My apologies,” Pro-now said. “I will keep that in mind.”

All Mine responded with a curt nod. She settled into her seat and fiddled with buttons on her helmet.

Yeesh, she was so full of herself. But this close to her, I could also see why. Her military armor stood a notch above our costumes: built from thick padding reinforced with ceramic plates. She tapped armored fingers against her thigh and bopped her full-face helmet in time with a beat.

The SRA benefitted from a humongous security budget, but I hadn’t expected them to use that money qualitatively. Their organizational efficiency paled in comparison to the Hero Council’s, however. Which was good because I hated being on the losing side.

Odim cleared her throat. “Our powers don’t exactly synergize, Volley. But it’s probably best if you learned what your teammates can do.”

“I know yours,” I said. “And Pro-now’s. What about All Mine? What’s her power?”

All Mine sighed. “I am sitting right here, you know? You can just ask me directly.”

“My bad,” I mumbled. “What does your ability entail?”

All Mine leaned in, too close for comfort. She ran a thumb across her throat. “If I told you, I'd have to kill you.”

“She’s a Bishop,” Odim said. “Manipulates shockwaves. We consider her a Bg5.”

I raised an eyebrow. A rating of Five meant the power in question had a wide area of effect. Seeing as she also held a gamma for dangerous, didn't that make her a little too formidable?

I inched away from her, lost in my thoughts.

All Mine inched closer.

“Where are you going?” she whispered. “I was hoping we could take the time to learn more about each other.”

“Can you stop all of this?” I hissed. “You’re making me uncomfortable, and I really don’t like it.”

All Mine cocked her head. First to one side, then the other. “You don't need to be an ass about it. It's not like I am being serious.” She turned away with a huff.

Pro-now's eyes twinkled in the rearview mirror.

We drove in silence for another hour.

“Look sharp,” Pro-now warned.

I peeked through the window. Sometime during the journey, our vehicle had moved to the head of the convoy. The afternoon sun dimmed, hiding behind darkened clouds. Large swaths of rainforest framed both sides of the expressway, interspersed by giant billboards that pointed directions to a forestry reserve.

We hit a gas station, and Pro-now swerved past it, taking us onto a wide, dirt road. We passed a mostly empty rural market and then continued down to the village it serviced.

“YamaYama chose to house himself this far out?” I murmured.

“Smart,” Pro-now said. “The lack of proper infrastructural development means fewer eyes on his activities.”

“I see. I guess that explains why we are driving a bunch of old vehicles?”

“Correct. Anything fancier will draw too much attention.” He spun the wheel, navigating the terrible dirt roads like a Formula One veteran.

“Surveillance results are in,” Odim said, handling a flip phone.

Pro-now tapped his visor. The transparent surface switched to a deep black. “Hmm. The data matches what we were told. YamaYama isn’t big on security. A handful of household troops. Not much else by way of defenses. This should be easy.”

He jerked his head at us. “Here’s the plan: We stagger our assault in three waves. At T-zero, the first wave—which is me—will advance and scope out the grounds. T plus thirty, the SRA soldiers will circle in from the rear. At my signal or T plus ninety, you three—the cavalry—will knock on the front door. If I haven't apprehended YamaYama by then, your goal will be to utilize shock tactics and press inward to assist me.”

“And if YamaYama isn't present?” I asked.

“Then we secure the premises and alert the local authorities. The goal is to cripple the Four-oh-Four beyond a chance of regrouping. But there are many ways to do so without decapitating the head of the snake.”

“Dog,” All Mine corrected. “The Four-oh-Four is made up of dogs.”

“Odim,” Pro-now said, “grab the gear.”

Odim grabbed a backpack from between her legs. She plunked it on the center console, revealing its contents.

“Helmet,” she said, handing me military-issue protective headgear.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

I slipped it on and clasped the straps around my gaiter.

“Tactical radios,” Odim continued. “Standard SRA model. They are triple-hop and provide coverage for about two kilometers. The CAH can do better, of course, but these should serve our purposes.”

I grabbed a radio and slipped the earpiece into my ear. Odim and All Mine did the same, though the latter simply tapped a button on her helmet.

“It goes without saying,” Pro-now said, “that the radios should be used sparingly. Don't give away your position unless the situation calls for it. We are dealing with Supers; all kinds of tricks come into play.”

He drove the car deep into a thicket. “This is our stop,” he said, unbuckling his seatbelt. “The manor is a ten-minute drive down the path. The soldiers would clear the armed sentries before you move in. But, ensure you take nothing for granted.” He glanced at his colleague. “Odim, status report.”

Odim punched buttons on a flip phone. “Rabidor’s team is in position. Dia Mater’s is still thirty minutes out.”

“Then we wait. We can't risk any of our targets being forewarned.”

Behind us, the SRA vehicles rolled into the bushes. Eight soldiers alighted, each armed to the teeth. Their woodland camouflage blended in with the greenery, and their combat arsenal consisted of knives, carbines, grenades, and just about anything they could use to dismember. One soldier lugged a recoilless rifle over his back.

They hid around the bushes, and a pit opened up in my throat. We were doing it. Really doing it. In a few minutes, I would be fighting for my life once again opposite the Four-oh-Four.

“You're nervous,” All Mine said, watching me through that eerie visor of hers.

“‘Doesn't matter,” I rasped.

“It does if I must trust you to watch my back.”

“It doesn't matter.”

All Mine stared at me a moment longer, and then she gestured. “Fingers.”

“Huh?”

“Your fingers are shaking,” she said, pointing at my hands. “Squeeze one of those shells of yours for five seconds, release, and repeat ten times on each hand. Should help.”

My fingers indeed shook something fierce, and it had nothing to do with the power flooding down my arms. I glared at the Judas appendages, and then I swallowed my pride and did as All Mine suggested.

The Warrant Officer returned to looking out of her window.

She was a strange one, what with how she seemed so unfazed. Odim squirmed every few minutes in her seat, tweaking her utility belt. And Pro-now coordinated the soldiers, prowling about like an irritable leopard. In contrast, All Mine looked set for a day at the beach. Her posture curved loose and sloppy, one arm propped beneath her chin.

She didn’t sound much older than me. What kind of life had she endured to end up so disaffected by danger?

“This you checking me out?” All Mine asked, gaze fixed on the window. “I thought you weren't interested.”

Ugh. I turned in the other direction.

Odim waved Pro-now over. “Dia Mater's set, sir.”

“Then we commence action now,” Pro-now said. “I'm moving out. Proceed as planned.”

“Good luck,” Odim said, crossing over to the driver's seat.

“Same.” He dipped a hand into a sheath on the side of his pants and withdrew a baton. Without another word, he stalked off into the bushes.

I knew Pro-now was a Player-type—probably, the most versatile Super with that Class on our roster. But he was no Dia Mater either. Where did all of his confidence come from?

“Hmm, that's the Civet for you,” All Mine said, watching Pro-now disappear. “I guess he is in his element on missions like these.” She hummed. “Players rarely excel on the frontlines, at least not without some kind of augmentation. But he’s in a league of his own, eh?” She glanced at me. “I doubt even you people know the full extent of his abilities.”

“And you do?” Odim asked.

“Of course. That’s why we fear him.” All Mine chuckled. “It's in the name anyway. Pro-now is good at any task he sets his mind to, albeit with caveats. But he keeps those caveats very close to his vest. Uncover them, and you just might get the drop on him.”

“Hey,” Odim started.

All Mine waved her away. “I mean, we know some of his weaknesses. He can’t switch between too many skills in a given timeframe. And muscle mass plays an important factor. But he’s practically a jack of all trades made flesh. Master of all. He’s also hiding a second rating.”

Odim sighed. “I see the SRA hasn’t stopped being busybodies.”

“We haven’t,” All Mine said, beaming like she'd been complimented. “But don’t act like the CAH isn’t worse. You pretend to be all noble on the outside, and then you wage cyber warfare on the government from within. The secrets the Council is privy to can and will break the nation. We intend to stop that.”

“How patriotic,” Odim said. “I suppose it is too much effort to focus on those burying the nation beneath said secrets.”

“It isn't. Secrets exist for a reason. You can't run a country without them.”

“And you can't preserve one with them. Not when your secrets consist of bad choices that are the equivalent of a WMD targeted from space.”

“And you think the Council is any better?” All Mine sprang off the window, shoulders squared like ice. “All you have done is shift the detonator from the government's hands to yours. But it remains a detonator. And you leverage it to gain more power.” Her tone hardened. “Two groups of people hold the populace hostage. But one of them is you.”

“And you want me,” Odim said, “to ignore the fact that had the Hero Council not intervened, the SRA would be an uncontrollable tool of oppression used to suppress political dissent?”

“The SRA is what happens when governments do what they do: govern. The CAH? Well, there is a reason many countries with independent superhuman organizations eventually devolved into civil war.”

“Nine years ago, the government threw Supers into concentration camps!”

All Mine leaned forward. “And nine years later, the CAH is doing same. Don’t tell me you didn’t see the terror in Volley’s eyes. And don’t give me that crap about the legal age of Supers. How many months of training did he get—did any of them get—before they were shoved onto the battlefront?”

“You’re in the same position with the SRA.”

“And I know what I signed up for,” All Mine said. “Did he? Because, the CAH might have saved Supers from being dehumanized. But you are doing exactly what the Federal Government did: Use Supers to further your causes and treat them as nothing but weapons.”

Odim swiveled in her seat. Her mechanical eyes narrowed. “I don't care one bit for your opinion, All Mine, but we are on a mission. Are we going to have a problem?”

“I should be asking you,” All Mine said, a smirk all but coloring her words.

The two women held each other’s gazes for one nerve-wracking moment.

Odim returned to the wheel. All Mine faced the window again, relaxing her posture.

I stopped imitating a wallflower and frowned at the argument I had witnessed.

I liked the CAH. I was grateful for all they had done for me. But a suspicion I had erstwhile suppressed stirred again at All Mine’s words. I hated the freaking syndicate. I would fight them alone even if I had to. But did the Hero Council really have my best interests at heart?

I glanced at All Mine. The SRA were government stooges and attracted Supers to their roster via promises of prestige. However, All Mine sounded passionate? Like she truly believed what she was saying. Was that how a majority of her colleagues felt? That the CAH was in fact the bad guy?

The seconds ticked by in agony. The mood in the vehicle worsened as a result of the debate. I flexed my palms, using the trick All Mine had taught me.

Pro-now's distorted voice rasped through the radio. “G-three, G-three, this is G-one. Over.”

Odim jumped upright. “G-one, this is G-three. Go ahead. Over.”

“G-three, this is G-one,” Pro-now said. “Hostiles spotted. Armed and Dangerous. I say again. Hostiles spotted. Armed and dangerous. How copy? Over.”

“G-three. Copy loud and clear. Over.”

“G-three, this is G-one. Roger. No eyes on Priority. No eyes on Supers. Mission to proceed as planned. Over.”

“G-one, this is G-three. Copy. Over.”

“G-one, Roger. Out.”

“What did all that mean?” I said.

“He means he's infiltrated the manor,” Odim said. “No sighting of YamaYama yet. But we best prepare for a hard fight.”

Of course. I returned to calming my fingers.

Odim stared at me. “You might be an adult by superhuman parameters, Volley. But best believe I am not letting you get shot at—”

Gunfire went off in the distance.

Odim cursed. “That is too early.”

“All stations, all stations,” an unfamiliar voice yelled on the radio. “This is G-two. We have made contact with the enemy. I say again. We have enemy contact. Over.”

More gunshots followed.

“G-two, G-two, this is G-one,” Pro-now said. “Engage all hostiles—”

An explosion resounded in the distance and over the radio. A baby’s scream pierced through the network. It drowned out our teammates, breaking up the transmission.

“G-three—” Pro-now's voice warbled.

I clicked off the radio before the noise hurt my ears.

“Damn Fabricators,” All Mine swore, tapping the side of her helmet, “they are using some kind of jammer.”

“That’s our cue then,” Odim said. She started the engine and shot off toward the road.