Back into the kitchen. Levi led Amythest out behind the kitchen, into the store room, right next to the refrigerator. He pulled up a chair and helped Amythest to a sit. She slumped in the chair, exhausted.

Levi patted her on the shoulder. “Deep, slow breaths, okay? It’s okay to sleep. Lean against the cold wall and cool off.” Reaching into the freezer, he grabbed a frozen bag of vegetables and handed them to her to hug. “You should take that velvet off, if you can.”

Amythest nodded numbly, not really comprehending.

Clapping her on the shoulder, Levi stood and dusted himself off.

“That’s an unexpected side to you,” Fira muttered, leaning in the door.

Levi whirled, startled. He grinned at Fira. “I’ve got all kinds of sides you haven’t seen yet. There’s more you haven’t seen than that you have seen.”

Fira snorted. She shook her head. “I’m not sure if I should stick around or not.”

“Not, almost certainly not,” Levi said. “Oh, but at this point, it might look suspicious if you leave. So stick around, I guess.”

“If you’re here, my brother might show up. He hasn’t shown up for just me, yet. But he has showed up for just you. And if you’re doing something big, it’s more likely he’ll show up. So…yeah. I think I should stay,” Fira reasoned aloud.

“Huh. That is weird. Why hasn’t he appeared before you?” Levi asked, frowning at Fira.

She put her hands in the air. “I don’t know.”

“And he has appeared before me. A picture of him, anyways. Huh. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he’s not a siscon.” Levi frowned, thinking hard to himself.

Fira cleared her throat. She looked meaningfully at the dazed Amythest. “Maybe we shouldn’t discuss this here…?”

“What’s wrong with discussing a brother’s love-or-not for his sister?” Levi shook his head at her, but nonetheless exited the room, leaving Amythest behind.

Fira shut the door behind her, then looked at Levi. “What are you guys doing? Drugs in the snacks? Hijacking the cameras? Won’t you at least tell me what the goal is?”

“The goal is to kill Blasterman. You know. That bastard that ki…badly injured me unto death, and almost killed you,” Levi said.

“Oh.” Fira paused, not sure how to react.

“So, yeah. Don’t worry too much about it.” Levi gave her a reassuring smile.

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“But what if Alpha comes?” Fira asked, suddenly nervous.

Levi nodded. “Already ahead of you. That’s why we hijacked the cameras.”

Fira frowned, then nodded to herself. “It does all make sense, I guess…”

Distantly, the sound of crashing echoed down the hall. Levi’s head snapped up, and he grinned. “Sounds like the party’s getting started. Let’s go!”

He ran toward the gala’s main room, digging a black mask out of his bag as he went and strapping it on. Glancing over his shoulder, he nodded at Fira. “Mask up. You don’t want your face on national television, do you?”

“Eh? I thought you hijacked the cameras,” Fira asked, startled.

Levi rolled his eyes. “Have you never heard of mistakes? Better to be too prepared than not prepared enough.”

“That’s…remarkably reasonable,” Fira said.

“Why are you so surprised? I’m an evil mastermind, come on. I have to think of these things.” Levi shook his head at her, tutting under his breath.

“Did you really just tut at me? Like a grandma?” Fira asked.

He waggled his finger at her, turning back and running backward for a few steps to be sure it had full effect. “Never be afraid to dismiss someone as aggressively as you can, even if it makes you sound like a grandma.”

At the end of the nondescript hallway, a black door barred their way. A loud crash came from the far side of the door, followed by a strange buzz, almost like a giant bee. Levi pushed the door open and peeked out, then shut it again.

“What? Is it that bad?” Fira asked, concerned.

Levi lifted his foot and kicked the door open. It smashed against the opposite wall with a fierce bang, and he ran in, charging past a super who hefted a row of chairs and batted them at another super, who drunkenly wallowed in the air, flying back and forth like a bumblebee.

Fira followed him in, a little confused. “Why’d you do that?”

“Always make an entrance, Fira. Always.” Levi put his hands on his hips, staring nobly into the center of the room.

A crying man ran past him, chased by a hazy-eyed woman with long, mobile hair that jabbed after him like blades. Two flying supers jabbed attacks at a wobbling chandelier, while another tossed rings of blue energy at the crystals raining down from the chandelier. All around them, chaos and madness. The few unaffected supers tried to calm down their friends, and in the process, only made things even messier. One or two of the weakest supers, or maybe invited ordinary people, simply ran for the exit.

“I don’t think anyone noticed your entrance,” Fira pointed out.

“Exactly. That’s why I made an entrance. Never make an entrance if someone’s going to care about it.” Levi dropped his pose and looked around, searching for Blasterman. “We don’t have long before someone shows up. There’s always a few people who skip the parties. Let’s get Blasterman killed, before someone shows up to stop me.”

“Aren’t you supposed to make a speech and grandstand, or something?” Fira asked.

“Where’d you get that from? Kids’ shows? I mean, in kids’ shows, sure. But in kids’ shows, the villains lose. I’m not here to lose. I’m here to take home that W.”

Levi’s eyes widened. He ran off, hurdling over a row of chairs, then leaping up onto the backs of them. Jumping from chair-back to chair-back, he sprinted toward the front of the room.

“Hallucinogenic kicked in too soon!” Arsenic shouted, as Levi passed him. He grappled a man with a lion’s head, barely keeping the man’s muzzle away from his throat.

“It’s fine. As long as Blasterman’s fucked up, the plan’s still a go!” Levi shouted back.

Arsenic gestured. “He’s up front. Might be another thirty seconds before they kick in. Go for it!”

Levi tossed him a thumbs-up and sprinted on. Leaping off the final row of chairs, he ran past the tables, closing in on one of the tables closest to the front, where a distinctive silhouette stared into the crowd, backlit by bright stage lights. His eyes narrowed.

Stay right there, Blasterman. I’ll make you pay for your crimes! Especially your worst crime of all—killing me!