"What's going on?" shrieked the female customer that had been complaining to the manager. Ryker could hear as she complained, but he couldn't hear the manager's more subdued response. He saw them both, along with the cashier, as they scrambled toward the front of the store.

Electricity crackled up Gary's arm. It was much more than he displayed a moment before. The muscles in Gary's arm and face tensed up, and the electricity lessened in intensity. His hand stayed resting on the phone, though.

Ryker had no way of knowing that he was secretly sending a message to other people in the store who worked for Gary.

"Who told you those things about me?" Gary demanded. "You seemed to be listening to someone, but I can't sense an electronic signal coming from you. Are you communicating with an Esper?"

Ryker thought that was an excellent question and wondered why he hadn't thought of it. A super with ESP abilities should have been able to do everything to Ryker that he had been experiencing, other than his already enhanced physicality.

Ryker would be in a seriously precarious position if it was an outside influence. He had to trust that it was his power and that it was strong enough to see him through.

"I'm really going to have to take some time to figure this out after this is all over," Ryker said.

Before Gary, or Circuit Board, could ask him what he was talking about, a piercing yell wailed from the front of the store.

"Get us out of here! I can't believe how useless you are!" The female was utterly apoplectic as she shrieked.

The cashier, manager, and the woman were all frantically pulling on the security gate to try and lift it. With a growl and clenching of his jaw, a surge of power shot down Gary's arm, touching the store's phone. The same blue electricity danced around the gate a split second later while the three people thrashed around violently.

They continued writhing and intensely jerking, unable to let go. That much electricity was liable to kill anybody caught in it.

"Stop, you're going to kill them," Ryker yelled.

"If I'm done, then they're done, too," Gary yelled without looking away from Ryker. "Who sent you here to find me?"

"No one sent me," Ryker yelled, hoping that his answer would appease Gary and he would stop.

"You know what?" Gary asked rhetorically. "It doesn't matter anymore. It's time for me to move on." Gary bellowed incoherently and the power surging from his body into the networked store surged again.

The people grabbing the security gate started jerking even more wildly. The lights in the store had stopped flickering. Instead, they exploded with showers of sparks and glass that fell everywhere. Ryker ducked and covered his head in protection as the debris fell.

Silence fell over the store as the broken lights stopped sparking, and the glass finished falling. Ryker stood back up. Gary was standing on the desk, his breathing exaggerated and face furiously glaring at him. The smell of burnt hair drifted over from the front of the store.

"Why would you do that?" Ryker asked.

"Because you exposed me!"

The crunch of glass broke the tension between Ryker and Gary. Both looked over as Tall Katy walked out of the back room. She was followed by three others.

Ryker was about to tell her and the others to run, but they seemed much too calm walking into the area.

"Is he the only one left, boss?" Tall Katy said while pointing with her chin.

"Yes."

"You want us to take care of him, too?"

Circuit Board looked down onto Ryker.

"What will it be, Ryker? It seems like you only have two choices. I've always liked you. I don't know who sent you here to question me or who told you about me, but you don't have to die." Circuit Board tried to remain calm as he tried to reason with Ryker, but his demeanor was betrayed by his manic visage.

"Manic visage," Ryker chuckled. His power tried so hard to be eloquent or creative with its descriptions. "You look like a psycho! Plain and simple." Ryker spun to Tall Katy and the others. They hadn't stopped moving and were trying to surround him. "And you guys are stupid for following a psycho like this. And if you think I'm going to let you surround me, then you can all just kiss off!" The group momentarily paused as Ryker addressed them, but when he turned back to Circuit Board – he refused to call him Gary anymore – they continued fanning out.

"Take care of him," Circuit Board ordered. He jumped down behind the desk, making it difficult for Ryker to attack him. Then he reached over to the wall and placed his hand over the electrical outlet. Electricity started visibly flowing out of it and up Circuit Board's arm.

Ryker turned to the approaching threat of Circuit Boards henchman. He needed to take care of them quickly, so Circuit Board didn't have more time to power up.

"Shit, you're powering up?"

"Hurry up and kill him," Circuit Board yelled. "He shouldn't know that. Someone is feeding him information."

Tall Katy was right in front of Ryker, and she didn't bother to reply. What she did do was get taller. She was already tall, but her size instantly shot up another foot. She used her extra reach to lunge forward and make a grab for Ryker.

Ryker stepped outside her grasp and delivered a solid left hook to her temple that sent her stumbling away. However, her increase in size must have also increased other aspects of her physiology. Normally, a blow like that would knock someone out. She didn't even drop to a knee.

In the years that Ryker….

Ryker spun as one of the others rushed him from the side. Thankfully, the enemy yelled when he rushed forward; he clearly wasn't well-versed in fighting. Ryker stopped his charge with a straight right to the nose. When Ryker's fist smashed into the man's nose, a spray of blood gushed from between the two meeting objects. The opponent fell back and landed hard on his rear. Ryker thought he would be out of the fight, but he could see as the man's broken nose started to fix itself.

Ryker didn't worry; he could handle a few supers. In the years that Ryker had been training…

Ryker was tackled from the side. The offending person was Tall Katy. Her weight had definitely increased with her size because she easily pushed Ryker sideways. However, before he was pushed too far, he turned to the side and pitched her over his back. Katy went flying in the air before smashing into a computer-covered display table.

Ryker spotted another henchman trying to sneak around from the side, who stopped like a child caught stealing cookies when spotted. One was still recovering from his nose breaking, and he threw another. He tried to spot the last one but couldn't.

Ryker had the training, though. In the years…

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

An invisible hand slammed into Ryker's left cheek. Ryker jabbed out in front of him with three consecutive blows but didn't impact anything. Another punch landed at the back of his head, then sent him kneeling on the ground. Fortunately, hitting the back of someone's head without protection could seriously damage the puncher, too.

The invisible attacker screamed in pain. Ryker's head was swimming, but he had enough presence to know he couldn't miss the opportunity to strike back. He pushed himself off the ground while spinning and rushed toward the sound. The pain of his broken hand must have been too much; the combatant had lost control of his power and became visible.

Ryker speared him and slammed the man into the ground. He quickly dug his knees up into the man's armpits and wailed on his face. Ryker was going to make sure that this one wouldn't get back up.

In all his training to be a super…

A massive foot slammed into Ryker's arm, sending him rolling sideways.

Never effin' mind!

The roll made Ryker even dizzier, and when he came up, he had to take a second to focus his eyesight. While he was getting his bearings, the opponent he hadn't engaged yet, was sneaking up behind him. He bent low and prepared to put Ryker into a chokehold.

Ryker sprang to his feet as fast as he could, slamming the top of his head into the man's chin. The sound of teeth shattering and grinding together, coupled with a bloody gurgle, crackled in Ryker's ear.

"Two down," Ryker thought. He waited for his power to talk about his martial training, but it didn't say anything. It was a good thing, too, because…

A fist the size of his head was hurtling at him. It was easy to dodge, though. Ryker ducked under it and then jumped a few paces back to get some distance so he could have more time to recover. With an increase in her size, Tall Katy may have been tougher and stronger, but there was definitely a downside. He could pick her apart without worrying if he was careful and stayed nimble.

Ryker began to bounce on the balls of his feet. He glanced over to the guy who could heal to make sure he wouldn't be joining in the fight. The guy looked ready but unwilling with Tall Katy taking up most of the space. Ryker also couldn't forget about Circuit Board, who was still powering up.

Tall Katy's power would be more than the average person could handle, but Ryker wasn't intimidated. Technique and skill meant more in a fight than raw power, plus he wasn't without a superpower of his own.

Ryker closed the distance, throwing a series of quick jabs to get Tall Katy to open up her defenses. She blocked his initial flurry, but he could see she was already getting angry and frustrated at his attacks. She may have been large, but Ryker wasn't a slouch. He continued to jab but also started circling her the best he could in the confined space. He wanted to keep her off balance and continue frustrating her.

Tall Katy had finally had enough and swung a wide haymaker at Ryker's head. He ducked and then darted in, throwing a vicious combo of body hooks into her torso. He put all his power into the punches, but Tall Katy barely flinched. She used the extra durability that came with her size to absorb the punches with minor issues.

Ryker tried to move back before she could react, but he wasn't fast enough. Ryker could barely block as Tall Katy's massive fist smashed into his crossed arms. It sent him flying back into a locked shelf full of the latest Bracers. Pain erupted in a line across Ryker's lower back from the wooden shelf, but he didn't have time to react with more than a wince.

Tall Katy had closed the distance on him. With a shelf at his back, he was unable to retreat farther. With her giant fists, Tall Katy started raining down blows as fast as she could.

Ryker dodged one punch, ducked another, then managed to turn a third into a glancing blow, but the size and density of her fists meant it still hurt. Tall Katy's fourth and fifth swings connected with tremendous force. Ryker was knocked back into the shelf again. His ribs ached from the force of the blow, and he wondered if they were cracked.

Ryker gritted his teeth and tried again to go on the offensive. He threw an uppercut with all the power he had left, his body twisting to increase the force. Ryker was too close, though, and he wasn't used to fighting females. His uppercut slammed into the underside of Tall Katy's breasts.

His opponent grunted in pain, but it wasn't the devastating knockout he had hoped; Tall Katy had barely been knocked back. Ryker's heart spiked in panic as Tall Katy lunged forward with both arms toward his neck before he could recover enough to dodge or block. Her enormous hands wrapped around his throat, and she heaved him into the air.

Tall Katy squeezed, and Ryker got the uncomfortable sensation of what it was like to be a tube of toothpaste. The air was being squeezed out of him, and he gasped for air. He could only be glad that she didn't have much training, or she could have turned the air choke into a blood choke, and then he would already be unconscious.

Ryker slammed his arms down on the crook of her elbow to try and break her grip, but it barely worked. He managed to take a small wheezing breath before she reasserted her grip. He tried the same maneuver two more times, but it didn't work again. His panic was starting to rise as he struggled in vain.

Suddenly, Ryker was dropped to the ground. Tall Katy's grip slackened, and when Ryker looked, he noticed she wasn't as tall as she had been. She was still taller than normal but not anywhere near her earlier size. It appeared that she had a limit to her power, and it had been reached. Tall Katy seemed to realize it at the same time as Ryker, and her eyes widened as she sharply inhaled.

Ryker didn't miss his chance. He struck out with an uppercut into her gut. He pushed through the resistance her body offered, knocking the air from her and pushing her back.

Tall Katy bent over in pain and immediately started wheezing as she tried to recover. Ryker knew not to let her, so he moved forward to finish the fight. He unleashed a series of powerful strikes that Tall Katy attempted to block, but she had no chance without the skill. Each brutal hit drove her back. Her weakened yet still functional power was the only thing keeping her from the punches obliterating her.

After Ryker finished his devastating combo, Tall Katy was dazed. One more punch would put her out of the fight; she had shrunk even more. Ryker reared back to deliver a final right hook to finish her off. Before he could, his body erupted in uncontrollable spasms of pain.

Ryker and Tall Katy both fell to the floor at the same time. While Tall Katy was still, likely from falling unconscious, Ryker continued to spasm as a current of electricity rippled through him. It felt like the pain lasted hours, but it was only a second or two before it stopped.

"Finish him off before he gets up," Circuit Board yelled.

Ryker didn't know where the final member of Circuit Board's team was, but he wasn't going to wait for him to follow orders. Ryker didn't know why Circuit Board stopped electrocuting him. He also wasn't going to let him start it up again.

Ryker rolled to the side as fast as he could until he was to a row of shelves. He scrambled up and into the row, making sure that Circuit Board didn't have a line of sight on him.

"You idiot! You were too slow!" Circuit Board raged. "He's in that aisle. Go get him."

Circuit Board pointed to the isle Ryker was in as the final henchman reluctantly walked over. Even though the henchman had a low-level healing ability, it didn't negate the pain. Ryker had hurt him badly, and he didn't want a repeat of the situation. While he walked over, he looked around for anything he could use as a weapon.

"If you grab a weapon, I'm going to make your next beating even more painful than the last time," Ryker hollered. He had to make his extra knowledge work for him.

"Boss, the guy is doing that weird knowledge thing again. You sure he ain't a super?" The henchman paused and waited for Circuit Board's answer. He had seen Ryker a few times, but the henchman hadn't worked at the store for that long; he was new to Circuit Board's team. The supervillain was pretty lowkey and didn't show off his abilities, so at the moment, the henchman had a larger amount of fear for his opponent than he did for his boss.

Ryker smiled. "You're right to be scared."

"Shit, boss," the henchman hesitantly said.

"Idiot," Circuit Board yelled. "I told you someone is feeding him information. He's just a normal person. If he had a power, he would be using it constantly. Now hurry up, I'm almost done powering up, and I have to find the super who is here."

Ryker got the small rest he needed and planned to take the henchman out quickly so he could make it to Circuit Board before he powered up. He didn't know what would happen but didn't want to find out. While the henchman and boss talked, Ryker had duck walked down the aisle. He managed to peek out and see the man a few rows down without being spotted in turn.

Ryker sprang up and out of the aisle, sprinting directly at the henchman. The man was looking at Circuit Board and hadn't noticed his speedy approach.

"Look out," Circuit Board yelled.

It probably would have turned out better for the henchman if the villain hadn't said anything. The henchman's head whipped to face Ryker just as he reached him. While he ran, Ryker cocked his fist back, and just as the man turned, his arm shot forward, straight and accurate.

Ryker's fist pounded directly into the henchman's recently recovered nose. It broke with an impact that put the last punch to shame. Blood splattered everywhere, and the man's head rocked back. With the additional force from running, Ryker didn't pull his punch back or stop his body's forward momentum; he just pushed through.

The henchman's feet lifted off the ground as his body rose into the air. He had gone rigid from the impact, and as Ryker pushed through with his hit, the man resembled a floating table for the moment he was suspended in the air. Then, the henchman crashed into a row of shelves knocking over the packaged items dangling from their hooks.

Ryker jumped and ducked into another row of shelves for protection against Circuit Board. All the henchmen were down, but he needed a moment to catch his breath and plan. Unfortunately, he didn't have a moment to spare with the villain powering up.