The room was dim and just a little bit cold, unusual for an El Puerto summer. Large, pale blue bricks made up three walls, while a two-way mirror dominated the one behind. The predominate sound was that of the whirring air conditioner and the breeze which passed through it. There also was buzzing from the naked bulb overhead, but that one had faded into the background.

Pulse had no idea why this meeting had to be conducted in an interrogation room, especially when there were plenty of other places to choose from in the police HQ. Perhaps for privacy, but that wasn't a good explanation. It wasn't necessarily odd to see superheros walking around, and no one would dare disturb them if they all sat in a conference room. This level of caution seemed unnecessary.

She looked to her right and met eyes with Alloy, who gave her a little shrug. Flechette and Kindle were also in her field of view. Both leaned up against the wall, the latter with her arms crossed. Everyone had assembled. Her entire team, except for the intel branch, was stuffed into the little room. They were there in spirit, though, present over the comms. An alert came through at six in the morning telling the team to gather at eight. Both Bronze Knight and Flashbang had to cancel their classes.

That the alert hadn't told them what this whole shebang was about bothered her. Pulse knocked on the table once. Every eye turned to her, some more surreptitiously than others. She tapped the side of her nose, then slowly tilted her head partway back. To her left, Cooper took a big slow sniff. Pulse glanced at him, nothing more than a shift of here eyes. Bronze Knight shook his head. Pulse looked back forward and gave a sigh under her breath. There was no one on the other side of the two-way mirror. They weren't being watched. She felt a little bit better about things, now.

They sat in silence for a few minutes more. From what vibes Pulse could gather, none of them—including herself—really wanted to be there. It was a waste of time, plain and simple. Kindle and Flechette could've been on patrol. Ayda could've been dong literally anything else. But, no. They all were stuck here.

Eventually, Cooper raised his head and put his nose in the air.

"Hold on," he said, taking a shallow sniff. "Amanda's coming."

"Good," Flechette said. "At least she's talking to us in person, and not making one of her lackeys do it."

"I don't think the officers would appreciate being called lackeys," said Alloy.

"Hey, if the shoe fits," shrugged Flechette.

"Guys, come on," interjected Ayda. "I think a little friendly bickering is healthy, but don't do it in front of the cops."

"Sorry, Pulse," Alloy said. Frank said nothing.

After what felt like a half-minute, the door behind Ayda opened and in strode Captain Amanda Barnes. Her grey-streaked red hair was done up in a messy bun, the kind that looked as though it hadn't started out that way. She wore a brown pantsuit with a white shirt and no tie. The jacket was longer than necessary. A manila folder occupied her left hand. She walked around the right side of the table, closest to Alloy.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," she said as she walked.

"We had plenty of time," snarked Frank. Kindle gave him an elbow to the ribs, which did absolutely nothing through his metal latticework armor.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that." Amanda stopped at the opposite side of the table from Ayda. "Something came up, and I had to be sure this matter had the proper care. I'm sure you can figure out it's sensitive."

"Of course, Captain. You wouldn't have brought us here if it wasn't important,"Alloy said.

"So, what can we do for you?" Ayda attempted to bring the conversation back on track.

"We have a situation we think requires hero intervention." Amanda placed her folder onto the table and slid it to Ayda. The hero caught it, but left it where it lay.

"Something serious?" Ayda asked.

"We don't know. There are a lot of gaps, which is part of the reason why you're here," Amanda said.

"Well, start at the beginning," said Ayda.

"There's not much to say, unfortunately. We'd received two separate calls from concerned family and friends about the Hanson family. They own a farmhouse outside the city. They hadn't been answering their phones, emails, or instant messages, and hadn't been online for about a week. We sent officers to investigate, but they immediately went off the grid; no chatter, no reports in, no response to radio hails. That was three days ago."

"You suspect Neo involvement?" Kindle interjected.

"I don't have the first goddamn idea what's going on, and that's exactly why I can't risk any more officers. I need you to go there and assess the situation. If it's a threat, Neo or otherwise, neutralize it. If it's something else, radio back to me and we'll go from there."

"Understood, Captain." Ayda said. "Do you guys have any questions?"

"Seems pretty straightforward, to me," Flechette began. "Go out there, unfuck it, come back. Simple."

Ayda gave him a nod. His phrasing could've been better, but Frank did an excellent job simplifying the situation. She allowed a moment for her teammates to voice their own concerns, but they were silent.

"Ok, then. Flechette, Alloy, and Flashbang will come with me to the farmhouse as Team A. We'll investigate and keep you in the loop," Ayda said to Captain Barnes. "Bronze Knight and Kindle will be Team B."

"Wait, shouldn't I go with you? If there's a mystery, I'll literally sniff it out," argued Bronze Knight.

"Normally I'd agree with you, but with Silver acting up the way she is, I need the people with the highest chance of beating her to stay here. That's you and Kindle," said Ayda.

"That... makes a lot of sense. Okay, I'll help hold down the fort."

"Any other objections?" Ayda gave her team another chance to speak up, which they missed. "Alright, then. Team A, meet at the parking garage in ten. We'll take one of the patrol vehicles out there."

"I'll send the address to your intel team," Amanda said.

"Thank you, Captain. Team B, split your patrols. One of you goes out, the other remains on standby in the bunker. Alternate every eight hours until we return."

"If you're even gone that long," said Kindle.

"Of course. Let's get this done, people," Ayda said.

The team had been working together long enough to know this was the end of the conversation. Pulse led the way out of the interrogation room. Team A turned right, while Team B and Amanda turned left. They had their separate tasks to focus on, their own objectives to achieve.

…

When Amanda said "outside the city," Pulse expected something relatively nearby. What she got instead was an hour and a half of driving. It technically wasn't in El Puerto jurisdiction so far from the city limits. The city just had the closest major police department. That's probably why the case was given to them, instead of the few small towns closer to the location.

The drive wouldn't have been so bad if the scenery were at least interesting. Living in the city like she did, Pulse often forgot just how empty everything west of it was. Mostly flat plains and dull scrubs dominated the landscape. There were no hills, nor rock formations, and hardly any trees. There weren't even any animals. Ayda lived in Texas for eight years, and had never seen a buffalo. Talk about a raw deal. At least she didn't have to drive. Frank volunteered do so, a decision he probably regretted now that they approached the end.

Thanks to the empty flatness of the land, the farmhouse came into view long before the GPS told them their destination was on the left. It was an aging split-level home made of dark wood. Two dormer windows poked up from either side of the ceiling, which itself was supported by a quartet of wooden columns connected to the porch. Slightly faded red paint adorned the narrow front door.

In front and to the left of the house stood a small barn. Some of the red paint remained in random splotches, but it mostly had worn to brown. Behind that was a small silo which lorded over a field of some leafy green crop crowned with purple flowers.

There was also an abandoned cop car sitting in the long driveway a good distance from the barn. Flechette pulled up next to it and switched off the SUV. The four occupants exited. Ayda and Flechette moved immediately to inspect the cop car, while Alloy and Flashbang took a scan of the property.

"I didn't expect this place to actually be a farm," Flashbang remarked.

"Me neither," agreed Alloy. "I wonder what they're growing?"

"Tobacco," called Flechette as he peered into the cop car's passenger window.

"When did you learn horticulture?" Joked Alloy.

"I didn't." Frank moved down a window. "When I was a smoker, I bought a brand that had a picture of tobacco plants on the front."

"I forgot you used to smoke," said Flashbang.

"Yeah, well, that's because I replaced the cigarettes with booze. One evil for another."

"The car seems clean," Ayda said, standing up straight from the driver's window. "What do you think, Flechette?"

"Yeah, the car's fine," he agreed. "I don't like that it's still here, though. That means the cops are also probably still here."

"I was thinking the same thing," Alloy said, walking over.

"All the more reason to look around, then. Let's start with the barn," Ayda said. She started toward the barn, and the others fell in behind her.

The tall structure was rather well intact for the assumed age of it. The double doors were held closed by a big padlock fed through each of the brass handles. Alloy activated her strength-and-defense power, indicated by the green shimmer that ran once down her form. She crushed the padlock in her right hand while the screeching crumple of ruined metal filled the air. An overturned hand dumped the shreds onto the ground a second before she pulled open the doors.

"Oh my God,"Alloy covered her mouth and nose.

The smell of death assaulted all four noses. Flashbang wretched and turned away, holding his nose. Alloy turned green and took a big step back. Ayda blinked behind her sunglasses, silently holding her breath. Flechette gave no outward response. As a former Marine, he'd probably seen—and smelled—far worse.

The scene inside was just as stark as it smelled. The most obvious sight was that of a butchered horse still in its stall. Its head flopped loose against the straw floor, neck cut deeply in the middle from one side so it hung on by a thread. Many jagged gashes carved meaty rivers into its brown hide.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

In the middle of the barn lay a border collie with similar wounds. The poor dog's fur was matted with dry blood. Red stained what used to be white and began to turn brown. Its most prominent wound was a wide slash in its spine, one that cut through more than half of the animal.

"You two stay here," Ayda said. "Flechette." She jerked her head toward the barn.

The pair of them entered. Ayda took the left side, leaving Frank to handle the right. The heroine stopped to inspect the horse. The stall was in perfect shape, and the straw remained relatively undisturbed save for the dry blood all over it. The lack of a struggle suggested the blow to the neck had been for the kill, and the rest were administered post-mortem.

Ayda was glad she hadn't brought Kindle. She paled to imagine the unyielding rage such a scene would inspire in her.

The next stall down was empty. Some of the horse's blood had spilled over into it, but otherwise there was nothing to see. Either this family had more horses at one time, or there were others out and about. A trivial detail, in all likelihood.

"I found the cops," Flechette called.

Ayda's heart dropped at his words. Approaching where he stood in the far corner only confirmed her suspicions. The two officers lay in a heap, covered in gruesome cuts, bodies already decaying in the hot Texas sun.

"Fuck," Ayda swore.

"There's no signs of struggle, so they weren't killed here, and there's no drag marks, so they must've been carried," said Flechette.

"What are you thinking?"

"That someone strong enough to carry full grown men did this."

"You think it's a Neo?"

"That or a really big guy. Either one is trouble."

Ayda let that sit in her mind for a moment. She'd been afraid of finding the officers dead ever since Amanda briefed them on the situation. Even if she'd prepared mentally for it, finding them here amongst the animal corpses filled her with dread and disgust. She didn't want to look at it any longer.

"Come on, lets go." She walked out of the barn with Flechette a step behind. They exited to rejoin Alloy and Flashbang.

"Are they..." Alloy began.

"Cops are dead," Flechette said.

"Dammit."

"I know it sucks, but there's nothing we can do for them, now," Ayda said. "We need to find out who did this."

"Whoever they are, they're probably not here anymore," said Alloy.

"I know," agreed Ayda. "We should focus on finding the family, and then look for evidence. Anything we can use to figure out who's responsible."

"I have a bad feeling about this," menaced Frank.

"Me, too. Let's hope we're wrong." Ayda hesitated for a moment. "We should check the house, and then the silo."

There were no complaints, so the four of them walked toward the house. Ayda and Frank led the way, while Rio and Dominick held back. Ayda couldn't help but overhear them talking.

"Are you okay?" Rio asked.

"I... I don't know. I mean, I've seen dead things before, but that-" Dominick didn't finish his thought.

"It's okay if you're not okay. You never really get used to something like that."

"I know." Flashbang paused. "I want to focus on the mission, I think. That's more important, right?"

"If you wanna talk about it later, my door is always open."

"Thanks."

The conversation fell away as they reached the house. Ayda let the hint of a smile creep onto her face. She was proud to be the leader of such a close knit and supportive team. It almost made her forget how grim this scene was, how hopeless it already seemed.

Pulse took the lead through the door. Inside the house was exactly the same color as the outside. On one side rose a staircase to the second level. On the left were three open entryways. Between them, a narrow hallway with a gold-trimmed red rug running along the wood floors. Directly ahead sat the large dining room.

"Alright, split up," Ayda said. "We're looking for anything obvious; signs of a struggle, foreign objects, evidence of power use, that sort of thing. Alloy and Flashbang, you guys check the upstairs. Flechette and I will check down here. We'll meet up and search the basement afterward."

"Why do we have to meet up to check the basement?" Flashbang asked.

"Ever seen a horror movie? The murderer is always in the basement. I'd rather be safe than sorry," Ayda explained. Flashbang shrugged. "Okay, guys, break."

At her order, the two teams split off. Alloy led Flashbang upstairs, while Frank hung back with Ayda.

"You get the far room and the dining room, and I'll get these first two?" Proposed Ayda.

"Sounds good to me," agreed Frank. He began on his way down the hall.

Ayda entered the room closest to the front door. It was a living space. Northwest of the door sat a beige leather couch behind a simple wooden coffee table. A broad ovular rug in a similar pattern to the one outside lay beneath it. A matching stand supported a large flat screen television on the opposite wall. Behind the couch a computer, desk, and chair rested against the wall.

Other than that, there wasn't much to see. It was completely spotless, not a single speck of dust out of place. The Hanson family clearly liked to keep a clean home. Ayda doubted she'd find much of interest in here, so she moved on.

The next room was remarkable if only for its complete lack of theme. There was another computer at a smaller desk in the far left corner. In the opposite, an acoustic guitar. A few children's toys littered the large square rug, mostly cars and action figures, including two separate Bronze Knights. A red and black tool chest occupied a space not far from the guitar, something which Ayda thought probably shouldn't be in the same room with a kid. Lastly were two purple beanbag chairs next to a laptop plugged in on the floor.

Again, this room held nothing of significance. All it really gave away was that at least one person in the family played guitar, and they had a young son, both of which Ayda read in the file on the way there. Whatever happened to these people clearly didn't happen in this room, either. The house was starting to feel like a lost cause. Hopefully the others were having better results.

To that end, Ayda decided to go find Frank. She checked the next room down to see if he was there. This was the kitchen. Where the other two rooms were warm and homey, this one was all modern. White cabinets topped with black granite ringed the surprisingly large space, broken up only by appliances made up in silver and black. There were pots and pans piled in the sink, one of them still caked with black residue. An open pizza box with three remaining slices of pepperoni told the story of a failed dinner. Ayda smiled at the humanity of it.

On her way to the dining room—the final area on this level—she took notice of a door behind the stairs. From what she could remember from studying the floor plan, this was the basement. She'd find out when everyone else gathered. She didn't want to be alone when Jason Voorhees jumped out.

Upon entering the dining room, Pulse discovered why the pizza box was open. Flechette was making a lap around the table, halfway through a piece. He met Ayda's eyes when she entered, chewing slowly. She cocked her stance to one side.

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow.

"What? I was hungry." Flechette swallowed. "Besides, they're not using it anymore."

"It's evidence!"

"And there's still three pieces of evidence left," reasoned Flechette before taking another bite. Ayda rolled her eyes at him. Nothing she could do about it now.

"The other rooms are clear," Ayda said. "There's no signs of a struggle, or of anything really."

Flechette swallowed. "Yeah, I noticed. The only sign anyone ever lived here is the mess in the kitchen. Must've been dad's night to cook."

"Maybe. It's hard to say without any hard evidence."

"You want me to start going through stuff?"

"No, forensics can do that after we've cleared the place. I wouldn't want to misplace anything. I think we're better off making sure it's safe."

"Whatever you say, Boss," Flechette said before continuing on his lap.

Ayda gave him a hard look, one of mostly annoyance at the word boss. She dropped it a moment later and put a finger on the communications device in her ear to signify she was talking to someone on the other side. The comms devices were little more than wireless earbuds with a small antenna that wrapped around the ear.

"How are you guys doing up there?" She asked.

"Same as you, unfortunately," Alloy said through the device. "The kids's rooms are a bit messy, but there's nothing here."

"I thought you'd say that," remakred Ayda. "Why don't you come down here and we'll search the basement?"

"On our way," Alloy said.

Ayda used the thumps of them walking on the floor above to track their movement. They came from opposite ends, met in the middle, then walked toward the stairs. Ayda continued to listen as they made it down to the first floor and approached the dining room. Dominick led the way, with Rio right behind.

"You guys good?" Ayda asked, gazing at each of them in turn.

"I'm good," Alloy said. Flashbang just nodded.

Together, they trod the short distance over to the basement door, their leader out in front. She grabbed the knob but hesitated in turning it. A quick glance over her shoulder. Alloy shimmered, indicating the activation of her super strength. Since Flechette already had armor on, and Flashbang could literally disappear, they did nothing. The four of them would never be more ready.

Ayda opened the door. Immediately, the acrid stench of death washed over them yet again. She recoiled and turned her face away. The others did the same, except for Flechette. A second later, shock replaced revulsion. Ayda's eyes widened behind her sunglasses. Her stomach dropped through the floor.

"No," she blurted.

In flash of motion, Ayda rushed down the stairs, her team not far behind. She didn't even make it to the concrete before stopping in her tracks.

"Fuck!"

There next to the stairs we three decaying bodies. Their skin had just began to turn color. Atop the pile was an older man, bald on top and blonde hair flecked with grey. Beneath him lay a teenage girl, Latina in complexion and straight hair long enough to brush her shoulders. The last was a little boy, no older than eight or nine, who took more after his father with light skin and hair. Each of their faces were twisted in fear, the last screams before the end came.

Deep gashes marked their mutilated forms, at least a dozen on each. Even with the state of their bodies, Ayda knew who they were. They matched the descriptions of Robert, Clair, and Dennis Hanson: The father, teenage daughter, and young son of the Hanson family.

Alloy took off her masked hood and rubbed her pale blue eyes. Flashbang slowly made his way back up the stairs. Flechette pushed past the girls to go inspect the scene. Ayda stayed where she was. She gripped a support beam at the base of the stairs. Fingernails dug into the wood, while her hand glowed purple. Her breaths came in slow puffs through her nose.

"No drag marks," Flechette said, kneeling next to the pile. "No signs of a struggle. They were carried here, just like the cops in the barn."

Ayda barely heard him. If this truly were the work of a Neo—which seemed more likely with each minute—then she'd failed in her job. It was the job of every superhero to defend the powerless from those who wished to do them harm, especially those with extraordinary abilities. If a Neo somehow managed to slip under the radar, then that mistake was on her. As the closest hero team to this farmhouse, it was their responsibility to watch over it. A little boy was dead because she couldn't do her job.

She ripped her eyes away, unable to stare upon her failure any longer. Whoever did this would face justice, either by sentence or by staff.

"Come on, we need to search the silo," said Pulse.

Ayda pushed back past Alloy, who put her mask back on in the corner of her eye. The taller heroine followed her up, joined shortly by the slightly jangly steps of Flechette. Silence loomed as they ascended. Ayda could only guess how her team dealt with such tragedy. She hoped they would hold together long enough to see this through. They never gave her any reason to doubt before.

Flashbang waited for them in the hall, around the corner toward the front door. With his power blanking out his face, it was impossible to read him as he stared into her sunglasses. Ayda gave his shoulder a light squeeze and gently tugged him along. She didn't trust herself to speak, lest her anger and frustration show through her voice. Dominick seemed to get the message. He fell in behind her, taking the second spot in line from Alloy.

Ayda muscled her way through the door, but stopped short only one step through it.

"Careful, everyone. Steady and slow," she all but whispered back to her companions. Ayda followed her own directions, taking cautions strides toward the disturbance.

Several feet from the front door stood a woman. Pretty despite her middle age, the resemblance to the murdered teenage girl was uncanny. They had the same skin tone and straight black hair, though this person's stretched halfway down her back. She wore a simple lavender dress, laces at the neckline undone. Both her clothes and bare feet were splattered with dirt and dry blood.

She stood still, swaying slowly left and right, head slightly inclined as she watched the heroes approach. A fire axe dangled from her right hand, the blade and upper portion of the wooden haft caked in blood long dried. She made no movement nor outward notice of the four individuals creeping toward her. She just stood and watched.

Perhaps worst of all, was that she matched the description of the fourth member of the family.

"Mrs. Hanson?" Ayda called out to her. No response. "Julia!" Still nothing.

Ayda descended the stairs, all the while keeping a close eye on Julia Hanson. The older woman remained the same, unmoving and uncaring.

"Mrs. Hanson, can you hear me?" Ayda said. Nothing. "Just drop the axe and turn yourself in. No one else has to get hurt."

The heroes continued their creeping approach. All the while, Julia was perfectly still, like a heavily armed tree.

"If you won't submit, we'll be forced to take action, and that won't end well for you," warned Ayda. "It's in your best interest to stand down."

Closer and closer they came. Only a few feet now until Julia was in staff range, then this would all be over. Either they would find the culprit in Julia, or they'd be able to get evidence from her which may point in the right direction. Both were acceptable outcomes, as long as the family found justice. As long as little Dennis Hanson was avenged.

"Pulse! Guys, behind us!" Flashbang interrupted her introspection. Ayda glanced over her shoulder, and saw something that gave her pause indeed.

What could only be described as robotic hyenas came into view from the back of the house. Their hunched forms were made of metal and wire arranged like the sinews of muscle and tendon. Large heads on long necks molded into maws with jagged teeth. They had no eyes, nor anything which could be interpreted as such. Growls and high-pitched cries issued forth from them at irregular intervals, their voices warbling with mechanical distortion. Six in total, they stalked toward the heroes.

"What the hell are those things?" Alloy said.

"I don't know, but something tells me they're not friendly," Flechette said.

"Stay focused," Ayda ordered.

She drew her staff from the slim holster on her left thigh. Tiny purple bursts on either end extended the weapon. She held it out in front of her at an angle from right shoulder to left hip, knees slightly bent, her favorite fighting stance.

With Julia Hanson in front, the robot dogs behind, and a desert all around, the heroes were well and truly cornered. Isolated from civilization, they had nowhere to go. The only option left was to fight.