Allana Kristopher, a girl also known as Chalice didn't know what to do with herself.

The Superstate was in dire financial straights, and she herself was in even worse financial straights. The value of S-credits was practically null and so was gold. Like the other heroes, she had invested in A-credits and other stable currencies, only to discover that A-credits belonged to Alexa Terra Nova, the founder of Alexandria and a new financial empire.

In shame, she tried to sell off A-credits only to discover that it was a stable currency with a rule that she could not sell off the investment for the month, only withdraw it to purchase mundane things in small amounts.

Everyone had yelled at her and she yelled at everyone and now was feeling exhausted and broken, twisted up inside. She had no idea where Nonpareil was and if he was still even alive.

What she did know was that Alexa Terror Nova was full of lies, horrible awful lies that destroyed the stability of the Superstate.

Allana looked down at the curvature of the Earth from the window of her superstate ranch and tried not to cry. Just yesterday she was a master of the world, a manager of her own destiny and future, but today she was just a confused, terrified girl with a supersuit that made her physically invincible, but also provided her zero mental stability.

She felt that over the duration of the day, her mind had drifted out of orbit, away from her into some deep, dark void of misery.

She felt an insane, all pulling urge to grab her sword and to find and smite Alexa for her crimes. However, when she demanded information about the villain from Titanomachy the answer that returned was "target not found". Allana had spent the past several hours consulting her precog friends but they also spread their hands in confusion and resignation. It was as if Alexa and her Equalizer assistant Verse 24-19 had vanished off the face of the Earth.

The harder Allana searched, the more her heart sank. It was impossible. Nonpareil wasn't anywhere to be found. Alexa wasn't anywhere. Nobody knew anything and things were quickly falling apart.

"Tu du du," Allana's laptop suddenly produced the sound of the incoming S-meet notification.

Chalice slid her helmet on, shuddering. Whoever it was, it was probably more bad news. She couldn't, didn't want to handle any more bad news today!

The hair on the back of her neck stood up when she saw the logo in the corner of the incoming call.

It was Nonpareil!

Allana smashed into her bed at a full sprint, grabbing the laptop and accepting the call.

"Nonpareil!" Allana yelled, her heartbeat intensifying at the hope that the greatest hero in the world could fix everything that was wrong today. "I'm here! I'm here! Where have you been? Things are spiraling out of control! We need you to..."

"Chalice," Nonpareil's voice sounded nervous and tired. "I..."

"Yes?!" Chalice barked.

There was a noise, a whisper from the other end of the call. Chalice's super-suit picked it up and instantly magnified it for her.

"Go on, you ninny," the female teenage voice whispered. "She ain't gonna bite your head off."

"Chalice," Nonpareil repeated. "I need... your help."

"What? Where? Why?!" Allana sputtered, her heart ready to leap out of her chest. This was an unprecedented occurrence. Nonpareil never asked for help. Hell, he never asked her for anything!

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Take off your helmet," the female voice spoke louder. "Show him what you look like."

Allana choked. She recognized the voice. It was Alexa.

Alexa somehow had Nonpareil hostage!

"Terror Nova!" Allana stammered.

"Relax, Chalice-sama," Alexa said. "Take off your helmet. Show your face to Nonpareil."

"W-why should I?" Allana asked.

"Cus if you don't, terrible things might happen," Alexa said. "In fact, terrible things are already happening. Right now. Nonpareil's power broke. The world is careening towards its inevitable end and only you can help save it."

"You mean you broke his power!" Allana accused.

"I didn't do nothing," Alexa huffed. "Why does everyone think that I break everything everywhere, seriously? Nonpareil broke himself because he chose to fight Agent Three. I already explained this to you idiots. If you take your helmet off, I'll turn on the webcam from our end and you'll be able to see Nonpareil's real face... his human face, stripped of his superpower."

"W-what?!" Chalice gasped. Nonpareil had a face? Allana's mind began to work overtime, trying to imagine what the potentially handsome, enigmatic, staple-shaped hero must really look like.

"Yeah," Alexa said. "Turn off that stupid male robot voice and take off your helmet... nice and slow."

"Where are you?!" Chalice demanded.

"I'm in Nonpareil's apartment, obviously," Alexa said. "Now stop being an idiot and do what I tell you. Bob, tell her to bloody cooperate!"

"Chalice..." Nonpareil exhaled. "Please. Do what she says. She's got a nailgun pointed at my head."

Chalice froze. She didn't want to cooperate, didn't want to answer to a villain.

"I already saw your face, Allana," Alexa said, her voice suddenly cold and distant. "Do what you're told. Billions of lives are at stake here. Everyone on Earth is going to die if you don't help your best friend."

"H-how do you know my real...?" Allana asked, her entire body shaking.

"I control Titanomachy," Alexa replied casually. "Unless you forgot."

Allana believed the mad supervillain. Something inside her snapped.

Her trembling, metal-covered fingers went up to her helmet and unlocked it. She stared at the animated logo of Nonpareil on her screen.

"There," she said.

"Now. Introduce yourself properly," Alexa ordered. "State both of your names!"

"My name is Allana Jill Kristopher," Allana's lips spoke. "I'm Hero Chalice."

"Now you," Alexa said.

The avatar of Nonpareil suddenly flickered off and vanished, instead displaying a very messy apartment. An out of shape, rotund man, dressed in grease-stained shirt stared back at Chalice.

"Introduce yourself to Miss Kristopher," Alexa grinned from beside the fat man in her orange safety jacket, a blue nailgun pointed at his head, silver-blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"I'm... Nonpareil," the man said.

Allana's mouth fell open wide. This couldn't be Nonpareil, it simply couldn't!

"Now your real name," Alexa ordered.

"My real name is Bob Proverra," the fat man said.

"See, was that so hard?" Alexa moved the nailgun away from Bob's head.

"Bob meet Allana, Chalice meet Nonpareil! Ta-da!" She grinned, clapping her hands.

Allana's gray eyes bore into Alexa.

"What?" Alexa wiggled her eyebrows. "I know, he's out of shape, but that's not my fault. This titty has been sitting in his apartment in accelerated time for five years, while the world stood still. He's not normally this fat. You've got some of those special S-drugs right? Ones that'll make him lose weight quickly? Get some. Then come to the top floor of Titan Tower in New New York. Do not wear your supersuit. Come as your civilian identity. Bring one of those all-fitting silver NanoSkin supersuits you've been working on. Feel free to wear one yourself - I know it'll fit under your civilian clothes."

"What?! How do you know about my...?" Allana asked.

"Yet again," Alexa said. "Your projects are listed in Titanomachy records. Bob here won't leave his freaking apartment without a supersuit. You make supersuits. It's a win-win situation. Alexa turned the webcam. "Look at this place. Look at what squalor your hero exists in because he's so scared to go outside."

Chalice looked. The apartment was a horrible, awful mess, a hoarder's paradise filled with mountains of trash and pizza boxes. Her armored fingers nearly crushed the laptop she was holding onto in shock.

"He's got what's that thing called... the fear of goin' outside?" Alexa waved the nailgun in the air with a ponderous look.

"Agoraphobia," Chalice commented.

"Yeah, that's it," Alexa nodded. "Get your ass here ASAP. He really needs you. I'm not kittening around. You're the only person who can save Nonpareil, help him break out of his shell. Top floor of Titan Tower. Nondescript maintenance door. Be there ASAP."

Allana nodded.

"K, thanks bye," Alexa winked and the webcam image showing Nonpareil's pale, sweaty face winked out.

Allana buried her face in her hands. She was having trouble breathing and focusing. In just one day everything she believed in was gone, vanquished by a dastardly villain.

The fingers of her suit were already twitching, typing in an order for a S-transit shuttle to take her from Titanomachy to New New York Citadel.