All Mine kicked the grenade a second after it hit the ground. It exploded midway into its arc and shockwaves washed across my face.

Exhaust twisted away. Two more grenades bounced in our direction, skittering past my feet. All Mine tackled me. We tumbled over a tree root, jamming our helmets against each other's. A second later, twin explosions went off, showering us in dirt. A soldier screeched and flopped across the ground. I turned away, unable to look.

“We need to scatter,” corporal Lawal said, even as the wounded man fell silent. “She’s stronger, faster, and difficult to predict. If she doesn’t do us in, we’d kill each other with friendly fire.”

“That’s exactly what she wants,” All Mine snarled. “She prefers us isolated.” She untangled herself from beneath me and waved her hands. A perimeter of sigils blazed around our team. They rotated through colors at a dizzying speed and exploded, bringing chaos down around us.

All Mine hauled me to my feet. “Everyone. Move!”

I bolted, paying little heed to formation. The soldiers retained enough brilliance on their part, flowing in an organized structure. Shock mines went off around us, but if that did anything to deter Exhaust, I couldn’t tell.

A carpet of moss caught me unawares, and I reached for a tree trunk to steady myself. Exhaust appeared out of thin air, knife at the ready. She vanished soon after. Bullets riddled the space she had been in.

“She’s stalling,” I said, more to myself than anyone. “She doesn't need to finish us . . . just buy enough time for Wicker to ring us in.”

“We'll get her,” All Mine said.

How? I wanted to yell. How could we defeat an enemy who took no harm yet dished it out with ease?

“Someone’s transmitting!” a soldier said.

I clicked my radio.

“G-three, G-three, this is G-one,” Pro-now said. “Status—” The audio broke. “I’ve established contact with Odim, but we are under attack. I say again. I have found Odim, G-three. Find a way to—” The transmission dissolved into babble.

Shit.

“Oh no,” All Mine said.

I looked in the direction she pointed. Flames engulfed most of the wall behind us. They tore through the electric fence, melting lamp posts to slag. Fire leaped from wall to leaves to branches, sending smoke curling toward our group.

“Double time,” All Mine yelled.

I smothered a cough, falling in step behind her. We were about a hundred meters away from our goal, but what was the point? Exhaust could continue chasing us into the bushes. Running like this only delayed the inevitable.

All Mine collapsed a sizeable portion of the fence. The soldiers picked up the pace. I lagged after them, slipping out of formation. My stomach rolled as the distance between us widened. Exhaust would see this. She would certainly take the chance to appear.

She did!

I ducked beneath her knife swing and skidded onto my side. Exhaust followed after me, diving through the air like substance discarnate. I loosed a shell into her torso. She didn’t slow down. Her knife came down for my skull.

A bright sigil appeared between us. It spun, going from red to orange. Exhaust burst into smoke.

All Mine clenched her palm, and the shock mine slowed, spinning in a counter-clockwise direction. It changed from yellow to orange to red and fell apart. The ghostly motes of its remains drifted onto my forehead, cool to the touch.

Lawal helped me to my feet. The rest of the team slowed enough for us to catch up.

“I know you weren’t trained for this,” All Mine said. “But don't tell me this is the best a Council rookie can do.”

I didn't answer, shivering from my near miss with death.

We reached the ruined wall.

It hadn't gone down neatly. A treacherous field of rubble obstructed us, rife with dust hanging over its surface. We scrambled across the field, sending fearful looks over our shoulders.

The jagged edges of the stones bit into my palms, but anything was better than cold steel running through my face. I landed beside All Mine on the other side of the wreckage and buckled at the sight that awaited us.

Fire. The entire valley beyond the manor sat bathed in it. It roiled in a wave from left to right: a hungry maw, devouring all in its path. Someone squatted in front of the conflagration. A man—if man was even the right term.

Soot blackened his form, rendering his clothing indiscernible save for a dirty gas mask. Ashen eye lenses stared bleakly at us, unbothered by the flames licking at his heels.

“H-how?” All Mine said. “He ought to be at the other side of the fence. He can't . . .” She slapped her visor. “Of course. Exhaust is helping him. He isn't burning everything himself.”

“C-can we take him?” I asked, backing away as Wicker took a tentative step forward.

“We can,” All Mine said. “But I don't feel comfortable duking it out. Not with Exhaust playing whack-a-mole.”

“We can't cross that hell even if we beat him, ma,” a soldier commented. “We’ll get roasted in minutes.”

“I hear you,” All Mine said. “Hell in front. Thick smoke behind.” She cursed. “We've been had.”

“There's one route left,” Lawal said. “The wall we breached should be undefended.”

I glanced at the anterior wall over two hundred meters away from our position. It wasn’t ablaze yet, but the wide stretch of smoke-ridden land separating us promised a journey we wouldn’t return alive from.

“That's not an escape route,” All Mine said, echoing my thoughts. “That's a killing field.”

Wicker screamed. Flames like a blistering sea surged up from him. All Mine reacted and sigils appeared in a line atop the ground. They detonated, raising a barrier of dirt to shield us.

“The mansion,” I said. “Let’s fall back to the mansion!”

All Mine snorted. “You can't be serious.”

“Pro-now's still there,” I said, “and Odim. If anyone can think of a way out of this mess, it’s him.”

“That’s too optimistic, Volley.”

“Yet you admitted to knowing what Pro-now was capable of?” I peeked at the mansion, sitting at the center of the grove. It stood untouched by the inferno—a temporary oasis in a desert of fire. Once the blaze hit the trees, we were as good as dead.

“Look, I know it doesn’t make sense,” I said. “But this is YamaYama’s hideout, yeah? The YamaYama. He’s bound to reserve a way to escape in situations like these.”

Lawal adjusted his helmet. “I’d rather take my chances across the forest than get trapped in there, ma’am. The Villains won’t even need to chase us. We walk into that building and we might as well give them the firewood to start our pyre.”

“How many men have you lost to her already?” I fired. “Three? Exhaust will chase us all the way down the village. Want to guess how many will make it?”

“Calm down,” All Mine said.

“Please,” I pressed her. “Let’s fall back. At the very least, we can come up with some plan together with Pro-now.”

All Mine stared at me through her faceless visor. She sighed. “Form up, bastards. We're heading for the house!”

Wicker broke into a run at that moment. We fled in the opposite direction, scrambling back down over the fence. Exhaust appeared beside us, but the soldiers responded with a startling ferocity. Gunfire peppered the air, hitting nothing.

“All Mine,” I said, “Can’t you secure a perimeter around us? With your sigils?”

“They aren’t mobile,” All Mine said. “I can only fix them to a point in space.” She gestured at the mansion. A single shock mine appeared, caving a section of the wall. We squeezed through the entrance and emerged into a large parlor.

“Barricade!” Lawal said.

The soldiers hefted couches and cabinets to the wall, blocking off the hole.

“That's not going to help much,” I huffed, catching my breath.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Well, we aren’t going to make it easy for them,” All Mine panted. She managed to regain her poise despite the long distances she’d run while covered in armor. “Which way do we go?”

Lawal looked around. “Down that corridor. I can see signs of fighting. Best we follow it.”

A soldier coughed and waved the air.

“Smoke,” All Mine hissed. “I’m done with this game, corporal. The next time that bitch appears, I want a bullet planted in her skull.”

“Consider it done, ma’am,” Lawal growled, switching out a cartridge. “She killed our boys. I promise she won’t leave here alive.”

I squashed the images before they could resurface. Of missing limbs, knife-punctured eyes.

Two men had died in front of me. Killed in the cruelest ways possible. We were fighting a battle, I knew. Both men had done their fair share of killing today. But neither deserved to die in such gruesome manners. This was so unfair.

The building walls rattled. Someone screamed far into the house.

All Mine held up a sign and the soldiers fanned out in silence.

I scurried after them, keeping my hand coiled around a shell.

The corridor beyond the parlor sat devoid of life. Cabinets lay scattered across the floor and an entire dining table hung by a window. Holes had been punched in the walls at intervals and long sections of wooden flooring lay uprooted. Whatever it was Pro-now was dealing with, he didn’t seem to have it any easier than we did. The building rumbled again.

All Mine gave a second signal.

Two soldiers advanced down the hallway, carbines at the ready. A trio of rooms stood off to the left, and they checked each of them in turn.

“All clear,” the larger soldier said as they returned. “More signs of fighting, but the combatants have since moved on.”

One last room stood at the end of the corridor—a kitchen if I’d read the layout correctly. Its door had been blown clean off its hinges, but the wood remained upright as if propped up on purpose.

All Mine stepped forward and ate a kick to the face.

“Hostile!” Lawal screamed.

Exhaust careened out of thin air. She slammed a knife into Lawal's elbow, forcing him to drop his gun. The soldiers opened fire, and she blurred out of sight. Bullets whizzed through the smoke.

Steel glinted near my face. I ducked, much too slow for comfort. Exhaust’s knife raked across my throat. The neck gaiter saved me from mimicking a fountain, and I fired a shell in retaliation. She dissipated, covering our group in smoke.

The haze condensed into images, all Exhaust-like in shape. The soldiers panicked, and a gun went off a short distance from my ear. I leaped aside, covering my head with my arms.

“Stop shooting,” Lawal cried. “Stop.”

Exhaust didn't get the memo. She appeared upside down beside a soldier, Lawal’s gun poised in her grip.

“No,” I yelled.

Blood splattered the wall.

Exhaust sprang behind a second soldier. Gunfire erupted beneath his chin. She disappeared before the two men finished falling—gun, mask, and all.

“Get down,” All Mine warned.

A trio of tiny, shock mines exploded over our heads. The shockwaves dispersed the haze, knocking some of my balance off with it. My head and eardrums throbbed.

“This was a bad idea,” Lawal said, holding his wounded arm. “We are too vulnerable clustered indoors like this.”

“Get up, corporal,” All Mine said. She glanced down the hallway, and missed Exhaust appearing beneath her, carbine at the ready.

I launched a shell. The missile zipped through the Villain’s head, but the burst had already gone off. All Mine crumpled to the ground.

Exhaust vanished, taking the gun with her again.

My blood ran cold. “All Mine?”

All Mine gurgled some nonsensical words. A crack ran down the length of her visor. Dents riddled the side of her helmet. She moaned, twitching on the floor.

My gosh, what had I done? Within a few seconds, Exhaust had halved our number.

I’d made the call to enter the mansion. I’d killed these people.

A loud noise resounded down the way we came. A second later, the parlor ignited, drowning in a sea of fire. Heat seared the air, singing my eyebrows over ten meters away.

Right. We were still in the thick of battle. No time for defeatism.

“Grab her,” I said to the soldier beside me.

He frowned, then scuttled over to All Mine and hefted her over his shoulder. The only other survivor, Lawal, unclipped a pistol from his holster.

“It is finished,” he said.

“It is,” I agreed, though not in the way he meant.

The battle had drawn to a close because I knew now how to fight back.

The CAH had tagged Exhaust a dual King-Rook, but that rating made no sense. Exhaust produced smoke, but she didn’t become smoke. She moved parts of her body around in the haze and filled in the rest with simulacrums.

Her nifty trick explained why the stuff she grabbed appeared and disappeared alongside her. It also explained why our bullets phased through her because she could choose to manifest separate parts of her body—including just the eyes.

The murderous bastard was a Knight.

Lawal and his colleague limped for the kitchen, leaving me to bring up the rear. I held on to a shell. Exhaust was bound to come for me. I could almost feel her breathing down my neck, licking her lips in anticipation of the kill. But if she could just attempt to strike the soldiers first . . .

A gas mask appeared near the ceiling, complete with half a torso and a gun.

The world slowed.

Pro-now had called me a tactile imparter of momentum because I could alter the speed and direction of objects. I’d focused mainly on the former, taking care to line up my shots.

This time, I didn’t bother aiming. I applied a precise direction to the missile, and let it fly along the path of the force.

The plastic shell zoomed from my palm and punched the gun’s trigger before Exhaust could fire on the burdened soldier. She dropped the gun and teleported down to it.

“Hand,” I yelled.

Gunfire rang clear as day, severing Exhaust’s fingers. She screamed and exploded in an agony of smoke.

We didn't bother celebrating. Lawal lowered his pistol and barreled through the kitchen door. The flames bore down on us, illuminating an exit behind the counter. We took it—Lawal first, his colleague second—and raced down the flight of stairs into a darkened basement.

A grotesque creature squirmed at the bottom. Beady, yellow eyes turned to meet us, framing a gap-toothed grin. The creature roared and its large sledgehammer fists—pale as maggot skin—brushed against the ceiling.

Lawal slipped at the sight.

Pro-now darted out of the corner, twin batons thrumming with energy. The batons scraped the creature’s ankles, forcing it to kneel. Rainbow-colored beams slammed into its back. Pro-now climbed its tottering shoulders and tossed an item into its mouth.

A second later, the giant head exploded.

“Err,” I said, making an effort to recover my voice. “What was that?”

“A trap,” Pro-now said. “One of many.” He leaned against the basement wall, stabilizing his breathing. His tactical suit featured rips in places. One sleeve hung shredded on his arm.

“What do you mean?” I asked, helping a blood-covered Lawal to his feet.

“He means YamaYama anticipated our arrival,” Odim said, limping onto the scene.

Around the basement, three more of the grotesque creatures lay slain. One, in particular, massed twice as big as the others.

“Good to see you made it in one piece, Volley,” Odim said. “We planned to help your team, but we weren't sure how far you had gone.”

“You should never have left them,” Pro-now said, causing Odim to flinch. He turned to me. “Exhaust?”

“Taken care of,” I said. “I hope.”

“She’s taken care of,” Lawal repeated. “Your ward here saved us. The bitch kept coming into melee distance. ‘Only reason we stood a fighting chance. I’m sure she’s enjoying her just desserts wherever she is.”

Pro-now sheathed his batons. “She’s a thrill killer. The kind that gets off on terror. We would be foolish to rule her out while she still draws breath.” He glanced up the stairs. “Fire?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Wicker’s here.”

“Then the mission is officially terminated. We fall back now.”

“And go where? The entire forest has become an incinerator.”

All Mine stirred. The soldier carrying her let her down to her feet. She swayed, heaving erratically.

“Volley, get her helmet,” Pro-now said.

I pulled the helmet off her. Vomit splattered the floor.

“Get away from her,” Lawal roared, lunging at me.

“Stand down, soldier,” Pro-now said. “Unless you want her drowning in her filth.”

I held All Mine as she retched, rubbing slow circles on her back.

“Not fair,” she whispered, wiping her mouth. “You got to see my face first.”

“My eyes are closed,” I whispered back. “Focus on clearing your head.”

“Oh?” She squirmed in my grasp. “You’re right. That's, err, awfully kind of you.”

“Feeling better?”

“Not sure. I’m not as dizzy as I was though. Throwing up might have done the trick.” She steadied herself with deep breaths. “Thank you.”

“It’s the least I can do. You’ve saved me countless times today.”

“Heh. True.”

Our fingers brushed, and she stiffened. I took that as a sign to let go. She staggered a few steps and replaced her helmet.

Pro-now spoke, tone dry. “Glad to have you back with us, All Mine.”

“Pro-now, sir,” All Mine said. “Volley promised you’d have a plan to get us out of here.”

“I don't.”

All Mine sputtered.

“But I am sure we can come up with one,” he said. “No kingpin builds a basement in their hideout if it can't double as an escape route in times of crisis. We just need to find the entrance.”

“Are you sure about this?” Odim asked.

Pro-now pointed at the stairs. Fiery hues brightened the kitchen above us.

He took off down the basement, and we followed after him as one. The temperature in the room rose the farther in we traveled.

Smoke wafted up my nostrils, but I managed to keep my feet on course. Exhaust could still appear. But even if she did, we had superpowered backup now.

All Mine stumbled. “Dammit. I don't know how I feel about leaving this place without YamaYama.”

“He’s not here,” Pro-now said. “We can’t do anything about it.”

“You mentioned a trap,” I said. “How did that happen?”

Pro-now shot me a glance. “Ambush. The monsters were waiting in the master bedroom when I broke in. More were hidden in strategic locations throughout the ground floor.”

“But what were they anyway?”

“Crimes against humanity,” Odim spat. “Whatever they were, they weren't alive. They bore the initials A.M carved onto their body parts.”

A.M?

“We'll talk about this later,” Pro-now said.

We reached the end of the basement which terminated in a solid brick wall.

Pro-now threw himself at the barrier. “Search the walls for any hidden mechanism. Quick!”

We did as he commanded, spreading out across the dead end. I flew across the cold expanse of stone, pounding and beating on the bricks. The soldiers withdrew flashlights to aid us, but if that made any difference, I couldn’t tell.

An explosion rocked the ceiling.

“We're running out of time!” Odim said.

Fire bathed the path behind us, belching smoke into our faces.

Pro-now tapped his baton against the brick wall and repeated the process at the adjacent walls on each side.

Flames surged down the corridor, igniting Lawal's pants. He patted it down, though not without muttering a curse.

Pro-now tapped a brick, and a trapdoor swung open beside him. “Got it.”

We pushed through the tiny entrance, crying out in relief. Pro-now went last, sealing the entrance behind us. We poured down a damp, inky tunnel, as fast as our feet could carry us.

“Does anyone know where this leads?” I asked.

“Waterfall,” Pro-now said. “Short distance away. If I am guessing correctly, this opens up into one of its caves.”

“And how are we sure,” Lawal chipped in, “that this doesn’t end in another trap?”

“We aren't.”

I slowed my pace, falling beside Pro-now.

He sensed my intention and matched my stride. The rest of the group pulled on ahead.

“You have a question?” Pro-now said.

I nodded, though it was too dark to see. “I don't like the idea that we were expected by the syndicate. Especially considering the measures you took.”

Pro-now grunted. “I don't like it either, Volley. But think the situation over for one moment. The Four-oh-Four acted a little too prepared. The radio jammer was probably a given, but the manor was also emptied of all valuables beforehand. A bunch of non-combat staff should have been on standby, but all we met were private militia, some mutants, and two Supers who excel in this kind of warfare.”

He paused to catch his breath. “I have been on numerous operations like this one, and the defenses emplaced here reek of foreknowledge.”

“But how?” I said. “What tipped them off? Evans was barely gone four hours.”

“I do not know, Volley. Stranger incidents have happened when superpowers are involved. The question you should be asking isn't what, however. It is who.” He said nothing after that, saving his breath for the sprint.

I focused on the flashlights ahead of us, wielded by the men in SRA camouflage.

His meaning was clear.