Golden limbs drifted through space, forever moving away from the planet. Oil spilled from Golden God’s many wounds. His body was covered in dents and cuts, and sparks flowed over the robot's metal flesh.
Max Lightning stood on an orb of air he had created, and even in space, his powers allowed him to create and control enough wind to breathe. His arms were folded as he stared the villain down.
Victorian floated forward slowly. She was still flawless and untouched, her golden barrier keeping her safe from all damage. Her sword followed after her flying through the air. The golden blade was coated in so much oil she had to wonder just how much Golden God had left in him. “Why are you doing this?” The woman asked.
“Would you believe that we are trying to save the world?” Golden God’s voice was still bland and flat despite all the damage he took. He didn’t seem bothered by his wounds.
The golden woman snorted at the golden robot's remark. “You? Save the world?”
"Well, maybe that isn’t the right way to put it.” The machine admitted. “Fifteen years ago, you bore witness to my master's loss. Do you believe he died?” The machine cocked his head to the side, and his question made the number one hero tense up. “It is a thing widely debated amongst heroes, villains, and even civilians. My master's body was never found.”
“That’s because Full Monarch turned him into ash and scattered his remains through space.” Max Lightning said bluntly.
“That’s right.” The Victorian seemed to calm down. “The Emperor is dead, and he isn’t coming back.”
“Maybe.” Golden God admitted. “You could be right. Not even I know for sure if the master survived or not. But... If there is even a single chance that he is alive and that he is out there, I will do everything in my power to set the stage for his return. And I’ll start by removing the thing that can threaten him. Down below in Oleander, a monster awaits. One that, if left unchecked, could even leave its fangs in your flesh, Ruby.”
The Victorian frowned for a moment. “You should go ahead and give up.” Her lips formed into a sly smile. “Boy Genius and Old Dog will be arriving soon. You’ve already lost, so why don’t we stop this silly fighting?”
“For once, it would seem that you are right.” Golden God had only a single arm left attached to his body. “I doubt the target is down there anymore. And Intake has lost. I have no reason to remain.” He raised his remaining hand up.
“Stop him!” Max Lightning yelled, his eyes making out the dozens of Paths that he could see. He fired a bolt of lightning towards the robot, and Victorian threw her sword, but both of them were too late. “Damn it...”
“Until next time, dear Ruby.” Their attacks hit empty air, as in a flash of golden light, the machine was gone.
Max Lightning grumbled and folded his arms. “Guess he got away. We really need to get a teleporter or two for the good guys. Why is it that teleporters always seem to be on the bad guys side?”
The Victorian ignored her fellow Enforcer member. A frown was back on the number one hero's lips. “A threat that could even harm me.” Slowly, she gave another smirk. “I’m getting a little excited. Just what is going on in Oleander exactly?”
***
The sun steadily set, and the moonlight cast everything in an ominous silver glow. Snowdawn did his best to cheer up several kids, as did BB, the two showing off their powers and playing with the children. While the two heroes did that, many Hero Branch officers were busy tending to the injured, all the while Oleadern’s most ‘famous’ newswoman was getting ready.
The newswoman gradually finished doing her hair and gave a fake look of concern for the many drones that were flying around the city recording everything. “My name is Alice Ward, and I’m currently on sight of the most recent tragedy to happen in Oleander City." Nearly one hundred people were killed during a mass villain attack, and triple that have been injured. Dozens of buildings have been torn down, and I’m currently standing in front of a hospital that had been built by Mr. Avalon to be Super proof, and I have to ask. Why didn’t the heroes do more-”
Hope did her best to ignore the news lady who spoke. She wasn’t the only one who was voicing their thoughts on the matter. The streets were filled with cops, the Hero Branch, doctors, and civilians.
Dozens of heavily armored vans had appeared and were loading up the villains. Red Panda, Ghost, Black Crow, and Intake had been caught. Four bad guys. Just Four. So many people died, so many people were hurt, so many people lost their homes, their jobs, or their lives—all so four bad guys could be caught.
Money Tree stood in front of several reporters, as well as police officers, alongside Myth, the two talking and giving their statements. The skies above were filled with nearly one hundred drones that kept scanning the city, looking at all the damage around them. Battery and Whisper were off to the side, talking to several members from the Hero Branch. Many ambulances had appeared and were loading patients. She stood in front of one ambulance in particular. Poseidon stood next to her, and Wasp Nest was there as well, holding his girlfriend’s hand. Ocean Empress also quietly stood, her dress flowing wildly.
Metal Ronin was in a different ambulance watching Oxide get loaded on. She felt bad. She hadn’t even known Oxide had been hurt, but at least Oxide seemed like she would recover if given enough time. As for Paragon...
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” She asked, wincing a bit.
Oxide and Paragon were being loaded into an ambulance Harrison Avalon had created for the heroes. It had state-of-the-art supplies, was operated by drones, and would take the two girls to the nearest Super hospital. Sadly, the nearest Super hospital in Oleander was currently rubble, so it would have to actually take them to the next best thing, which was in Lillian.
“This happened once before. Well, it hadn’t been this bad.” Ocean Empress sighed. “Her body is almost like a glitch. Her powers are strong, almost as strong as her sisters. Her body, though, is just a human’s. It’s like trying to run advanced computer software on the first PC. She nearly fried her brain. She’s still breathing, and I’m going to make sure she gets the best help she can. Boy Genius might not be the best healer in the world, but he saved her life once, and I pray he can do so again.”
She nodded her head dully. “I-” Her throat closed up as she struggled with what to say. What do you even tell someone who is going through something like this? Her ears twitched slightly as she heard Poseidon mumble something. “D- Did you say something, Poseidon?”
“Why didn’t you stay put?” Poseidon said it louder. The girl’s eyes were turned to the floor, and she gripped her boyfriend’s hand tighter. “I asked you to watch her. I asked you to make sure she was safe. Why did you leave the mall? Why didn’t you just do what I told you to?” Her voice raised slightly. “If you had just stayed where you were supposed to, then...” The girl bit her lip hard enough to draw blood—black blood, which dripped down her chin.
“Hey, let’s not do this now, okay?” Wasp Nest winced slightly and tried to pull Poseidon away. “No one could have seen this coming-”
“No, she’s right.” She felt her fingernails dig into her palm from how hard she squeezed. “I should have been more careful. I wasn’t strong enough. I’m still too weak.” Her words didn’t seem to make Poseidon better. If anything, the hero turned her nose up and finally walked away with her boyfriend. “I’m sorry.” She mumbled quietly.
“So am I.” Ocean Empress felt her dress come to a stop as it settled on a shape. “I broke my promise to you for a second time, Full Monarch. I hope you can forgive me.” The ambulance that held Oxide began to pull out and leave, and Paragon’s began to follow it. “I’m going to try and wrap things up here. Would you like me to contact you when Paragon wakes up?”
“If you wouldn’t mind.” She nodded.
Chatter was all around her as heroes talked and people grieved. She stood there by herself, watching flashes of lights and cameras as people recorded them or took pictures of them. No doubt she would be on the front page. Or rather, Ocean Empress, who she stood next to, would be. She really didn’t pay attention to anything.
The others were handling it, though every now and then, a member from the Hero Branch, or one of the drones, would approach her for a statement.
“-and you said you fought how many villains-”
“-exactly how many buildings do you think were destroyed-”
“-what was your name again, and your powers-”
“-which team are you in-”
“-the force you used against Intake was vital; you are certain of this-”
She did her best to answer them, but it was all so numbing. She nearly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “You alright, kid.” Mr. Larison asked.
“Yeah.”
“It looks like everything is done here. The others are giving their last few statements and speaking to the officers. Let’s get you home and out of this suit. You need a good night’s rest.”
“Is it really okay if I just leave?”
As she was pondering this, another drone appeared, buzzing loudly. “Your name is Cinder, correct! One of our drones caught you standing next to the Victorian! Did the woman say anything important-”
Battery’s hand came down on the drone as he flicked it and sent a wave of golden energy through it, causing the thing to shake a bit and fall to the ground motionless. He had done the same to every other drone that approached him. Each machine always asked the same question, ‘Why are your powers golden like the Victorian's?’ and each time the man refused to answer and simply broke the machine. Reporters were likely not going to speak very kindly of the hero that called himself Battery.
“Do you want to go home, kid?” Battery asked again.
She couldn’t help the small smile that came onto her face. “Yeah. I’d like to go home.”
“Alright, then.”
Her and Mr. Larison jumped as high as they could and landed on the roof of an apartment away from everyone. They moved with a bit of speed and soon left the crime scene, finally getting out of sight. When they were able to, they ducked into an alleyway and finally got undressed and out of their costumes.
She walked alongside the man slowly. He wobbled slightly and was breathing kind of funny but managed to stay standing. “I’m guessing you didn’t get Paragon to heal you when you went and got her.”
“Nah. Made sure I never made skin-to-skin contact with her.” He pulled one of his cigarettes out, taking a drag on it. “How are you holding up?”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
“I’m fine. I got healed by the Victorian and Destiny-”
“That’s not what I meant.” She went silent at his words, and for a moment the flicker of her fight with Intake went through her mind. The beating she took. The way her bones had broken, the state of near death she had been put into. How Destiny had almost died. That fear began to rise back up inside of her. She had been helpless, only able to think about the faces of her family. That was the closest she ever got to death. “How are you holding up?” The man asked again. “Really.”
“I… I’m fine. Seriously-”
“It’s okay to admit you aren’t happy. That you’re scared or mad about what happened today.” The man took another drag on his cigarette and blew out a bit of smoke. “Heroes are allowed to be emotional. You can tell me what happened.”
“W- Why do you think something happened?”
“Because you’re crying.”
Her hand came up to her face, and she felt a wetness on her cheek. Her lip quivered for a moment, but she clenched her fist and tried to fight down the rush of emotion that was hitting her. “I almost died.” The words left her coming out hollow. “I fought Intake, and he was going to kill me. I was going to die, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.” She wiped at her eyes and let out a soft growl. “I feel so useless. There was nothing I could have done, and I wasn’t able to save Destiny or Sky. I fought a villain all on my own and lost. I failed to save anyone, not even myself. I- I don’t think I’m strong enough to be a hero.”
Mr. Larison stopped walking and dropped his cigarette, stomping it out. “I almost died, you know. Myth did too, I bet. Snowdawn and Whisper were there when Oxide got badly hurt. How do you think they feel about the fact they failed to save her? What about the other heroes that watched the civilians get hurt or die?”
She looked back at him and tried to fight back the tears. She hadn’t even considered how the others might have felt. That just made her feel worse about herself. What was Armin going through? “What do I do about it then?” She asked quietly. “It feels like I’m not ready for any of this.”
Jack placed his hands in his pocket and looked up to the sky. “I told you, didn't I? When we first started this job, how hard it would be. How you would lose, fail, and sometimes be unable to do something about it. You almost died, so you’re scared. You failed to save Sky, so you’re mad. You didn’t put up a better fight, so you think you’re weak.”
“I am weak though-”
“You’re just a kid. A stupid, stupid kid.” She almost snorted at his words. “I’m not expecting you to suddenly save the world. Anyone who does is an even bigger idiot. Instead, they should be happy for what you did. You did stop Intake, you did save Destiny, you did stop Sky from drowning, you did make progress from when you first started off as a hero, and you will learn from these mistakes and figure out how to grow.”
“I still failed to save Sky or beat Intake on my own!” She said, shaking her head. “Looking at the positive side of things doesn’t change that fact!”
“You’re right, it doesn’t.” She clenched her fist into a tighter ball and glared down at the ground, feeling even mad at herself. “You can’t change the past. But you can change the future.” Jack placed his hands in his pockets and looked up toward the moon. “We all make mistakes. Some of those mistakes are huge, world-shattering ones. Some of them cause other people to pay the price. Some of them end lives. Some of them hurt more than others. Some people can’t accept the fact that they made these mistakes. They try to ignore them. They repress it and pretend like it didn’t happen. Those people waste their lives. They spend fifteen years not doing anything. Not moving. Not going anywhere. Not trying. The fact you feel sad, angry, or hateful toward yourself means you’re focusing on this mistake that you made. Sky is in the hospital. Nothing you do now will change that. Intake nearly killed you. You can’t do anything about that. Not anymore. But you can make sure something like that doesn’t happen again. You save people like Sky a hundred, or even a billion more times if you want. And you can try and become stronger so that something like Intake never happens again. You can still grow Hope.”
Tears flowed down her face, and she bowed her head. “I want to get stronger.” She finally said. “I don’t want to feel this way ever again. I want to be a hero that can save everyone! Please! Help me, Mr. Larison.”
She looked back up at the red-haired man just in time for him to flick her on the head. “Then grow. Keep getting stronger. Keep pushing forward to save lives. Don’t stop moving because of one little bump. Become so strong that you can even rival the strength of Giants.”
“Giants?” Why Giants?” She asked curiously.
The man cracked a smile and rubbed the back of his head. "When I was a kid, I used to want power that could rival those creatures from legends. I told you what my energy is right.” For a moment a flicker of blue light crossed over his hand. “My power is Imaginary energy. Energy that doesn’t exist and, as such, can be changed into other forms of power. As a kid, I used this power to give it the strength from legends. I used the imagined power of Giants. I thought that those guys were what I needed. They were the tallest, the strongest, and above all, they were the rivals to the goal I wanted to strive for.”
He could still remember what Nick said.
Less than two years left.
“What was your goal?” His head jerked back down, and he looked down at her. “I don’t think I ever asked who you used to be, Mr. Larison.”
“My goal?” Jack rubbed his neck and hummed. “The same thing you want. I just wanted to be so strong I could keep everyone I cared about safe.”
“And you failed at that goal?” She still remembered when he brought up his wife. He didn’t seem like the person who would be divorced. Mr. Larison was a kind man. Someone who would have a kind wife.
“Only because I ignored my mistake.” She jumped a bit as he placed his hand on the top of her head. “You’re not like me at all, though, kid. We’re going to make you strong. So strong, even someone like the Emperor won’t hope to sink his fangs in you. So strong you’ll surpass the ruler of Giants.”
She looked down at her hands and watched as her fingertips ignited with her orange fire. “Do you think Paragon knew what was going to happen to her? Do you think she knew her body would be left in that state?” She asked quietly.
Jack removed his hand and turned away from her. A sly smile came onto his face. “Well, I know a lot of things, but people can sometimes confuse me. Still, even if she did know, I don’t think she’d have backed down. She’s a real hero, that’s for sure.”
She felt something land on her shoulder, and her eyes went wide when she saw Destiny. The bird quietly crouched down and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
“I don’t think Sky regrets what she did for even a moment.”
She smiled softly and ran her fingers through the birds’ feathers. “It’s going to be hard explaining this to Mom.”
The rest of the walk was mostly quiet. Mr. Larison took her home, and she waved as he began to head down the street leading to his own apartment. She took a moment to look up at the building. She could see that on the top floor, the place where she and her mother stayed, the lights were still on.
She’d likely get a talking-to. Her mom would demand to know why she didn’t come home on time. Plus, she now had to explain why this bird was riding her shoulder. Destiny had seemed content to stay with her the entire time and not leave.
She walked up the set of stairs and rubbed at the back of her neck. Slowly, she pushed her glasses further up her nose. This was likely going to be it. She didn’t think she could hide it anymore. Her mom would find out.
“I’m back.” She called out as she pushed the door open and entered their apartment. “Sorry I’m late, but I can-”
Her heart stopped when she saw her mother resting on the couch, dozens of metal blades pointed at the woman’s throat. “Ahh, you’ve finally arrived.” Polaron cocked his head as he rested on the couch next to her mom. “Why don’t you have a seat, Hope?”
That memory played out through Polaron’s mind. The one in which he had been saved by Full Monarch. His armor was shaped in the image of Mars King, and he could no longer sense his friend. Demonica had been captured, as had Ghost. That left the few remaining monsters to get their revenge.
Dozens of razor-sharp chains and blades were pressed to her mother, getting dangerously close to the woman’s flesh. “If you even think about hurting my mom, I’ll kill you!” Hope yelled, bringing her arm back and about to throw her fireball.
“Now, now, do that, and she dies.” Polaron’s voice was strained and broken. “Even if you managed to get me, do you think you can stop him?”
She turned and felt her eyes widen when she saw the second member of the Bad Timers. Ears stood with his cloak finally off, revealing his body. He looked mostly human, save for a few things. He had a regular mouth, though he didn’t have eyes; rather, a set of ears were where his eyes would be. Not just there either; all along his body, from his stomach to his hands to his arms, hundreds of ears were placed on him. All of them dripped yellow ear wax, and when it touched the floor of their home, she could hear a sizzling and bubbling sound as it worked like an acid and began to eat away at everything.
She focused her senses, checking for any others, but saw none. These were the only two here. The fire in her hand didn’t go out, and she could feel part of her head heat up as the strands of her hair almost seemed to turn a blondish color and ignite. “You made a mistake coming here.” Smoke rose from her palm as the orb of fire heated up, and the fire alarm to their building was set off.
Ears growled and raised his arm in the direction of the alarm. The sound seemed to make him uncomfortable. In the center of his palm, an ear rested, which blasted out a stream of wax that ate through the alarm, putting it out. “Don’t do that again.” Polaron warned. One of his metal blades lightly pierced her mother’s neck, causing a slow stream of blood to drip down. “Last warning. Sit.”
She gritted her teeth, and the fire around her died out. She walked forward with her eyes not leaving the man as she finally took a seat on the couch next to her mom. She felt her mom’s hand on hers, and she gripped it tightly. The image of the bank kept flashing through her mind. She was just as powerless back then as she was now.
He had known her name, her slip-up from the very beginning coming back to haunt her at this moment. She had assumed he wouldn’t use it. That he’d play fair. In one day, her failures just kept coming at her.
“Are you okay?” She asked softly.
“I’m fine.” Her mother winced a little. “You have...”
“Yeah. I have powers. I- I was going to tell you, but—”
“Now isn’t the time for that.” Her mother said, shaking her head. “Just do whatever they tell us to do.”
Polaron stood up and crossed his arms. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she could tell he was glaring at her. He paced back and forth, and she was reminded of a mad animal. A beast that had nothing left to lose. “What do you want?” She did her best to keep her cool.
Polaron stopped pacing and turned to face her. His eyes bore into her, and finally he asked his question. “Mars King. What happened to Mars King?”
“Huh?” That caught her off guard and ceased her thoughts. She stared up at Polaron with a frown. “What do you mean?”
“What the hell happened to my best friend?” The metal man demanded.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about-”
“Don’t lie to me!” Polaron yelled, and his voice boomed around the room, causing Ears to wince. Polaron’s metal teeth ground against one another and sparks hissed off his armor. His sword formed together into his palm, and her eyes stared into where his should have been. “I no longer sense his life force. He’s dead. A being I knew since I was first created is dead. Did you kill him? Or was it that Paragon girl?”
Her thoughts raced a million miles an hour. Mars King was dead? Did Paragon actually kill him? If so, what was Polaron’s plan once he found out? “Hope.” Her mother shot her a pleading look. “What’s going on?”
She made up her mind. “Okay.” She finally said. “You want to know what happened?”
“Yes! Tell me!”
She took a deep breath and prepared herself. Then, in a flash, she struck. Her hands went over her mother's ears, and she blocked them out. Polaron sprung up, but she ignored him and instead screamed in the direction of Ears. She didn’t hold it back and yelled as loudly as she could. It was enough to cause her mother to yell, and Polaron was even hit with pain.
Ears had it the worst. The monster screamed in agony, and his ears exploded across his body with a trail of black blood. He dropped back, and her own ears felt like they exploded. Every window for miles exploded into a hail of glass, and most of the city block had likely heard that scream. It had been so loud though, echoing out, that it would be impossible to tell what direction it began and ended. The same Super yell she had used after beating White Lamb.
Polaron was back on his feet, and the metal around her mom stabbed down, but it never made it to the woman’s flesh. A golden barrier formed around her mother, keeping her safe. The window exploded as Jack came crashing in. The bird on his shoulder flew off and landed on Hope's, giving her hearing back, and then fixed her mother.
She didn’t slow down and easily ripped the metal and blades off the barrier around her mom, getting the woman out of danger. “You should have paid more attention, Polaron.” She taunted. She had created smoke, which wasn’t to block out the alarm but rather was to hide Destiny and allow him to escape. The bird had gone straight to Mr. Larison, and once she was sure he was ready to act, she unleashed her sonic scream.
Ears twitched on the ground, more blood leaking out of him. Polaron roared, and all the metal in the house blasted their way. “Run, kid!” Mr. Larison yelled.
“Right!” She scooped her mother up in her arms, causing her mom to let out a loud yelp. She jumped out of the window Mr. Larison had crashed through and began to free fall down the balcony. Fire erupted from her feet, shooting her higher into the air.
“Y- You can fly?” Her mom asked with wide, shocked-filled eyes. The woman clutched onto her daughter as they soared through the air, metal firing after them.
“Not exactly.” She sheepishly giggled as they began to fall through the air at high speeds once more.
Polaron ripped his way out of their home, and it wasn’t just their building that was affected, but dozens of others, the walls and roofs, came apart as the man threw everything he could at them. Mr. Larison fell through the air and fired a beam of energy towards the metal monster, shaking the man as the villain’s nerves lit up.
Jack then ran, not going at his full speed but instead keeping pace with her, as she did her best to keep launching herself in the air with her fire. He stayed under her, running alongside. “We don’t need to beat him; we just need to either stall until a hero notices us or we make it back to the base.”
“Can you call for help?” She yelled down towards him.
“Nope.” Jack shook his head. “He fried our phones. He’s frying everything around us with his power.”
“Damn.” Despite the tense situation, she couldn’t help but smile slightly as she held onto her mom. She landed on the ground and took off running. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe. I promise. Because I’m a hero, mom!”
And with that, she finally revealed herself to her mother.