=== KARI ===

Mom was fussing over me. It was really annoying. By the time I had gotten Chuck to a hospital, I had already stopped feeling the burns. There was little blood. Apparently, that woman's, Lady Blade, sword had cauterized the wound as it slashed through. Who the fuck carries a katana lightsaber around? She's a fucking psycho. I thought. Then I shook my head. Obviously. She killed two people right in front of me. And I couldn't do anything. Mom pressed hard on one of the burns, and I winced. "What?"

  "You didn't listen to a word I said, did you?"

  "No, I was thinking about something else."

  "This superhero business is getting dangerous. You are getting hurt." She sat down next to me. "I'm worried, Kari. I . . .”

  "Mom, there were bound to be things that could hurt me. After all, I can hurt the Grignau, so it only stands to reason."

  "Yeah, and it also stands to reason that you don't need to be doing this. What if someone stronger comes around? Or more ruthless."

  "I don't think there is anyone more ruthless. Lady Blade was going for the kill." I considered that. It was a lot to consider. I shook my head again. "But I can't stop. I can fight her. Chuck was almost killed tonight. Someone has to stand up to these people."

  "What about Bion?"

  "Bion isn't as fast as I am. Or as strong." She looked at me and sighed.

  "Just . . . Be more careful. You're not much of a fighter as fast and strong as you are."

  "Yeah. Who would've thought I'd need to be."

  "Yeah. Even Curt knows how to fight, apparently. Though, I guess he'd have to." I frowned at her words and got up, crossing the room to turn on a TV. I didn't want to think about Curt. Chuck had been right; I had been stewing in my anger against him. I flipped through and found the news; There was a live feed of armored police storming into a large home. I stopped and watched for a moment. It took me a couple of minutes to realize that I recognized that house. I had been there; that was Marcelli's house. The police were raiding Marcelli!

  "Oh my God! They're actually trying to take him down. I . . . I wonder . . . Curt might be there."

  "Curt? Right. He's working for that man, right?"

  "Yeah, so he might help Marcelli escape. And if he does, I can catch both of them. I can get these criminals off of the street." Mom stared at me with her mouth twitching down into a frown. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. But it didn't matter. I ran into my room and changed in a literal flash. Then I was on my way, leaving mom to stand there.

  I flew the fastest I could. I could feel the air around me crack. I didn't have a face shield anymore, so the entire time I flew, my mouth was blubbering in the air. I got to Avalare and flew as high as I could and still breathe easily to not disturb the buildings, dodging planes, and I arrived in the suburbs and slowed down. I reached Marcelli's place, and much to my surprise, he was being carted away by the police. He was so large that he had to be loaded into an SUV instead of one of the squad cars to be comfortable. I followed them to the station and watched the media swarm around Marcelli and the officers taking him in. I wasn't an officer, so I had no way of knowing what was happening. Or I wouldn't have, had I not had super-hearing. I landed on a nearby building and closed my eyes, focusing entirely on Marcelli when I located him. It was weird and echo-y and distant. I had never focused on something so specific, and I felt a pressure build up behind my eyes.

  "Lawyer," Marcelli said immediately. The chair creaked under him.

  "Oh, you'll need a lawyer. After your little event the other day, we have so much on you."

  "Lawyer," Marcelli repeated irritably. The cops sighed. There was little they could do. A while later, a tall thin man arrived in a very expensive car. He didn't hesitate at all when walking through the police station. He didn't ask where he was going. He told the person at the front why he was there and started walking, assured that he would find his way. And he was right. After a moment or two, he opened a creaking door and walked in. "Jones, finally!"

  "Yes, well, I have other clients, Mr. Marcelli."

  "That pay as well as I do?" The large man asked with a chuckle.

  "My rates are the same for all my clients, sir." He paused as the door opened, and two more sets of footsteps trailed in. "Why is my client being detained here? I demand his immediate release."

  "Hah. No. We have a warrant to search your client's place, and I'm sure we'll find something," one of the cops said, loathing coloring the word. I could hear both Marcelli and his lawyers' heartbeats speed up.

  "Let me see the complaint," the lawyer demanded. There were several minutes of papers rustling and deafening silence otherwise. At least there. There were sounds all around me that I was carefully tuning out. After a few minutes, I could hear the sound of the file being put down. "Possession of deadly weapons, public endangerment, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon. Is this what you plan on charging him with?"

  "That and any other things we find while going through his home, businesses, and anywhere else we think he's had his grubby fingers."

  "I see," the lawyer said. "I need to speak to my client alone. Turn the cameras and mics off when you leave, please."

  The cops left, and the lawyer shifted in his chair. I think he leaned in closer to Marcelli and spoke in a low tone. "What can they find at your house?"

  "Not much," Marcelli said confidently. "I don't keep anything there. And I had the things disposed of after Mister Reese got me out of the firefight."

  "And the businesses?"

  "It depends on which businesses. Which ones are they at?"

  "It lists thirty properties."

  "Let me see that," Marcelli demanded. He pulled the files over to him. The sound of papers rustling became more and more violent. His pulse quickened even more. "How did they get this information?"

  "I don't know. Think someone flipped?"

  "I'm not sure. The warrant doesn't list an informant, but that doesn't mean they don't have one."

  "What about Mister Reese? Think it might have been him?"

  "No, he'd never risk Buck Cherry's life like that," he'd said the name with a lot of disdain. Wait, Buck Cherry's life? I thought back to what Curt had said during our fight.

  "It's not me."

  Marcelli must have been blackmailing him. That's. . . concerning.

  "I don't think I can get every charge cleared. It looks like they've discovered half your enterprise." Jones said in a confiding tone.

  "Mm," Marcelli responded thoughtfully. "What should I do?"

  "You'll never get bail; you're way too much of a flight risk," the lawyer spoke matter-of-factly. "You've been a public face of the organization for too long, and people have a grudge against you. Maybe it's time you return to the shadows. At the very least, they're going to freeze your assets. Is there a way you can get out of the city? Nevermind. Don't tell me. But that's my legal advice. You'll probably see at least some time, and you have a lot of enemies everywhere. There's no guarantee you'll be able to hold onto power if you go down."

  "I'll get away. I have other connections. Ones that they haven't discovered. I think I'll go back home. It's been a long time since I've visited them. Give me your phone. I need to make a call. And they took all my shit when I was arrested."

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  I could hear the sounds of dialing. After a few rings, someone picked up, and there was a weary voice. "'Lo?"

  "Mister Reese. Your vacation is over. I need your special brand of assistance." My blood boiled. Curtis. I found my fists clenched into tight balls.

  "Right. What's up?" He sounded like he was just getting up.

  "I've been arrested."

  "Oh. That's unfortunate."

  "Yes, it is, and you're going to help me escape."

  "That sounds like a 'you' problem. Not an 'us' problem."

  "You might have a point. You could be busy cleaning up the blood of Ms. Drei." There was a long silence. I thought that he may have hung up. When Curt spoke next, his voice was strained. He was furious.

  "Where are you?" Marcelli gave him the precinct number and cross-streets. Then there was silence. A shift. That's when I noticed someone next to me, and I jumped up and fell off the ledge I was sitting on. Fortunately, I remembered how to fly before I went too far. I came back up and glared at him.

  "Oh, you finally noticed I'm here." Chuck looked bored. "I've been sitting here for ten minutes."

  "You have?" I asked. Then I reconsidered my line of thinking. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

  "There's nothing they can do for me there. Mild cuts and burns will heal." He didn't look at me when he said it. But I could sense there was a finality to this subject. I shook my head.

  "Go home. I can deal with this."

  "Deal with what? Breaking into a police station?"

  "Stopping a prisoner from escaping." He perked up at this. “Marcelli just called Cur- . . . Esvanir. He's going to help him escape. I'm going to stop him."

  "You're going to fight one of your oldest friends?"

  "We're not friends anymore."

=== CURT ===

I spent a few minutes stripping myself of the bandages and looked at myself in the mirror. I was still a little bruised. But I could snap again without a lot of pain. And I was on some mild pain killers to deal with the leftovers. And besides. This was an excellent opportunity. I looked up the station's layout from local records and determined where they'd probably keep the detainee's effects. I slipped on my gear, pressed my middle finger and thumb together, and was about to go when Cindi called out from behind me. "And just where do you think you're going?"

  "Apparently, Marcelli got pinched. I'm going to go get him out. And get the dead-man switch while I'm at it."

  "Without me?"

  "Yeah, kind of. I'll be in and out. No biggie."

  "Your no biggies have almost gotten you killed like five times in the last month."

  "Yeah, well, that's also not much of a biggie."

  "The man who is terrified that he's going to go to prison is going to break into a police station and smuggle out someone."

  "After I do this, it won't matter if I get caught. You'll be fre-"

  Cindi crossed the room and smacked me. "I'm so fucking sick of you saying shit like that. It does matter if you are in prison. Or are dead. I would miss you, damn it! And this self-loathing suicide-by-cop or suicide by Smash Gal is not fucking cute."

  "That doesn't change the fact that I am going," I said. I refused to hold my cheek, but it did sting.

  "Yeah, and you're going to have backup. Me. I'm your backup."

  "Police stations have lots of cameras. They might see your face."

  "They've already seen yours, and you're going." She sighed. So did I.

  "I'm not talking you out of this, am I?"

  "Nope. Get used to it." I shook my head and grabbed her hand, and snapped. The world dissolved, and the Avalare skyline spread out before us. Tall buildings. Thin spirals of metal supporting strange art structures. It was colder here than where we had come from. Cindi had chosen a really tropical spot. Somewhere where fewer clothes were expected. Lots of water and sun. I had gotten a sunburn while indoors, but it was beautiful. This was my home, though. I walked up the steps and opened the door. The police station was loud and busy, and we snapped behind the counter. Someone looked up, but Cherry gripped the person's neck, I felt a buzz circulate throughout her, and the person was out. I shivered and snapped somewhere else. I found the room where they kept the stuff taken from detainees. There were several people there, but Cherry made quick work of them. I was preoccupied. I found his wallet, keys, phone, and the detonator. I grabbed them all and teleported the detonator away to a safe place.

  In the next moment, we were in the hallway connecting all of the interrogation rooms. I peeked into the rooms until I found Marcelli. I walked into the room with the large man with two officers staring him down. They stood up, and one started to shout. "What are you doi-"

  Cherry took one of them out, and I took the other. I just uppercutted him. He went down. Damn it. I hate to admit it, but Cherry has a point. She made this way more manageable. Marcelli looked up from the table and raised his palms. He was shackled to the table. "It's about damn time."

  Wordlessly, I put his stuff down on the table, grabbed the keys off of one of the cops, and unshackled them. Then the roof exploded. "Stop right there!"

=== KARI ===

I slammed my way through the ceiling onto the three of them. Chuck was right behind me. I couldn't convince him to go away. That I could handle this. My hands were shaking. "Esvanir. Cherry. You're going down. Just like him."

  Curt looked up with an annoyed expression on his face. Not scared. Not angry. Just annoyed. He's so smug! I charged down, preparing a haymaker. Buck Cherry stepped in between us, caught my arm, spun, and threw me through the mirror in the back, which shattered. I could hear Professor Mind slam down one of his psychic constructs. The dust and the debris fell back to earth, and I saw that Curt had grabbed onto both Cherry and Marcelli. They disappeared. But I heard someone yelp outside; they were there. I launched myself into the air and found them immediately. He had just teleported them outside; there was a large, spinning portal. I concentrated on hearing them.

  "I can't help but notice you have not returned all my things, Mister Reese."

  "That's because this is the end of the line, Marcelli. She's free. I no longer work for you. If you ever come near either of us again, I will kill you without a second thought."

  Marcelli seemed to consider this and then nodded. "Fair enough. But why not let me rot in prison."

  "The bomb's not gone yet. You get shanked in prison, then I still have the problem. At least for a little while longer. But now, without the direct threat, I can work on finding a safe solution to that."

  "Ah. And where's this?"

  "Country with no extradition. You hid some of your money there. Some of your early accounts. Should be safe. And if not, it's not my problem." I charged down, but before I could reach him, Marcelli dived through the portal. I slammed down where he was, cracking pavement. I stood up and glared, my fists shaking.

  "You let him go!"

  "Yep. And now I'm going to go." Curt reached for Cherry's hand, and I sped towards them. I cut in between them and kicked Curt in the stomach, and he went flying. He crashed to the ground and tumbled head over heel a few times, and I was about to go after him when I felt Cherry grip my arm and zap me. My skin buzzed, and I went down to my knees. But I gritted my teeth and spun on her. My fist passed right through her face, and she slammed her fist into my stomach and groaned in pain. But she sent another jolt of electricity through me, and I convulsed. I reached out for her, but she danced away. Her clothes fell to the ground, and she took a low martial arts stance.

  "God, you're such a slut!" I yelled as I charged at her. She grinned, and I passed straight through her. She grabbed my cape and yanked hard. It clutched at my throat, and I hit the ground. But it wasn't hard enough to do anything. I jumped to my feet and started throwing punches. Cherry dodged a lot of them, deflecting a few, and let some pass through her.

  "I might be a slut, but at least I'm honest about what I want. And what I want is Curt. He's mine, now." I glanced to the side, and Curt was charging for me. Professor Mind flew down and created a wall between us. I heard Curt curse. My opponent took this opportunity to kick me in the head and shock me simultaneously. My head spun, and my vision blurred.

  "And we're coming to you live at the scene of Smash Gal, Esvanir, Professor Mind, and Buck Cherry fighting in the middle of the street." I heard a newscaster say from somewhere. I stumbled back, and Cherry was behind my defenses. She threw several quick jabs, each punctuated with a jolt of energy. I stumbled back further.

  "You know, Jessica, I've always thought about having a four-way in the middle of the street. But I would have never done it like this." David Thrawn's voice echoed out from somewhere far away. Then I caught her arm and punched her. I felt the air leave her lungs, and she fell to her knee. I backhanded her, and she flew into PM's shield. It fell down suddenly.

  "David, you're such a pervert." The other newscaster said from what seemed like miles away. I needed to focus. I clenched my jaw and refocused my eyes. I saw Curt and Chuck wrestling. Curt threw him around and opened a portal to blast him with water. He slammed a knee into PM's ribs, and I heard them break. Again. I heard his ribs break for the third time this week.

  I saw red. I charged forward and was about to slam my fist straight through Curt's head, but Cherry grabbed me and pulled me to the ground. Then into the ground. Dirt and cement filled my mouth, and my eyes and I tried to cough, but I couldn't. I felt her slip away, and I screamed. I slammed my fists into the earth around me, and it exploded. I burst forth from the ground and roared with rage. I blasted down to her, flew straight into the ground, and spun on a heel, sweeping out my leg. It went through her. She was good; she was an experienced fighter. But I am a fucking superhero; I am Smash Gal! I thought.

  I sped up. A lot. My fists would create cones of air around them. She dodged them admirably at first. Which just pissed me off more. I caught her with a hard right, and she crashed to the ground. She feebly tried to get up, but I grabbed her stupid, naked ass by the throat and throttled her. My hands were shaking with so much rage. How dare she! How dare she fight me!? How dare she stand up to me!? How dare she corrupt Curt!? Another voice in my head asked: Had she? I ignored it and squeezed. She struggled against me, trying to pull free of my hand. Try all you like, bitch. But I'm mother fucking Smash Gal. She went limp, and I dropped her to the ground. She collapsed like a sack of potatoes. I heard a cry.