After track practice, Devon walked with Tanya towards the school gates. He was glad for a chance to catch up, since they hadn't been spending as much time together lately.

"So how's the special ability training going?" Devon asked. "Yuh picking up any mad hero skills from the lessons?"

Tanya laughed. "Well, we still on the basics for now. Lots of history and ethics stuff, you know? But I love imagining how I'll be using these shape-shifting powers out there one day."

She swung her book bag playfully. "How about you, star athlete? You seem busy these days too."

Devon replied, "Yeah man, Coach Adams have us training double time for the National Championship meet next month. So mi hardly have life outside of school and track nowadays."

"I feel that," said Tanya. "We gotta make time for each other still. I miss those days we used to laugh and share dreams on the beach."

Devon smiled nostalgically. "For sure, T. Too much hassle out here distracting us both from what matters." He meant the conspiracies and night time heroics occupying his mind, unknown to Tanya still.

As they exited campus, Tanya brought up some recent news. "Yo, you hear how them police shut down some crazy illegal Coco artefact auction last night? Was all over the news today."

"Oh yeah?" Devon responded, trying not to sound too interested. He couldn't reveal to Tanya yet that he and Cain had been responsible for that daring warehouse disruption.

"Right? Apparently some mystery heroes crashed the place and mash it up," Tanya went on enthusiastically. "JPCU picked up a dozen criminals on the scene trying to escape. But nobody know who the two heroes were that uncovered the whole operation."

"Hmm, interesting," Devon pretended to hear this for the first time. "Well whoever them be, nuff respect for helping shut down those crooks." He hoped nobody had caught a decent glimpse of either himself or Cain last night. Their exploits had to remain off official records still.

They had reached the point where Tanya's route home diverged from Devon's. "Catch yuh later D," she said, giving him a quick hug. "We definitely gotta link up again soon. Don't be no stranger, alright?"

"For sure, one hundred percent," Devon promised. He watched her head off, feeling a twinge of guilt over keeping secrets recently. But he could make it up later. Right now duty called.

Devon's phone buzzed urgently with a text notification. It was from Cain: "Yo, my juiced-up roach just got back online spying those poison freak sisters. I'm trailing them now, meet me ASAP at the abandoned warehouses near the meat plant. Don't keep me waiting, speedy man."

Devon sighed but took off jogging towards the rendezvous point. When dealing with the arrogant Cobalt, patience wore thin quickly. Ducking behind a quiet business to don his Blur costume unseen, Devon was soon racing through the streets utilizing Hyper Rush to reach the shady industrial area.

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Skidding to a stop amidst the warehouses, he found Cobalt leaning casually against a brick wall sharpening the glowing Dread Spire they had confiscated. He twirled the energized lance deftly.

"There you are. I found those crazed chicks' new lair thanks to my enhancer bug," Cobalt updated, sounding pleased with himself. "Was harder to track them all the way out here but this juicehead beetle I spliced together stayed locked on their location relentlessly."

The Blur was admittedly impressed. "Great work, Cobalt. Where's the Toxic crew hiding out then?"

"Follow me and see for yourself." Cobalt led the way deeper into the industrial sector. Soon, they arrived at a stretch of rocky coastline dotted with broken stone piers and seaside warehouses.

"The signal ends somewhere below this area," Cobalt said, crouching to place his armoured palm flat against the salty ground. His helmet's visor displayed scanning metrics.

The Blur observed the surroundings pensively. "An underground location? That explains why finding them was tricky before." He pointed to a faded shipping facility situated conspicuously off from the others. "Let's check that warehouse first. Could be a hidden access point nearby."

Approaching cautiously, the pair swept the decrepit building and perimeter for activity. But no guards or surveillance were visible externally. Cobalt pointed out slanted doors built into the slope of land fronting the facility.

"Smuggler's doors, my bet is our freaky friends slipped inside through there," Cobalt shared. He tried forcing them without success. "Locked up tight. Think you can phase us through, speedy?"

The Blur considered it briefly but shook his head. "Too risky not knowing what's inside or who's home. We need intel first."

Cobalt huffed impatiently but stood guard while the Blur searched for alternative entry points. Circling carefully, he discovered storm drain grating leading down into darkness. Easy entrance for the resourceful duo.

"Jackpot," The Blur whispered upon regrouping with Cobalt. "I'll crawl in first and scope it out. Be ready to follow quickly."

The infiltrating pair soon dropped into a dank access tunnel, relying on Cobalt's AR display for navigation through the gloomy passageway. They crept onwards, hearing the echoes of activity ahead grow louder.

Eventually, the cramped drainage pipe opened into a larger chamber shrouded in shadows. Voices of the Toxic gang drifted from across the expansive space cluttered with processing equipment. The Blur gestured for Cobalt to hang back while he stealthily advanced closer along the perimeter. Slipping behind heavy tanks, the Blur observed the illegal facility and its occupants while remaining undetected.

The Toxic sisters were currently arguing fiercely over efforts to analyse and reverse engineer unstable vials of the azure mutation drug known as Loki-7, clearly desperate to resume the halted distribution operations.

"...this useless batch is fizzling out just like the last three!" shouted Tess in frustration as a test tube of blue liquid boiled over in her clenched fist. "Face it Toxica, we're screwed unless we find that snake Cain and force more Sapphire Dust out of him!"

Nearby, her pale twin slammed a clipboard down angrily. "Don't lose your temper again sis. We just need to keep refining the chemical balance." She was scribbling chemical notes anxiously.

From the sidelines, Poison Dart watched the brewing quarrel with an amused smirk while idly twirling loaded darts between her fingers. "Such fascinating team dynamics you two have. Please, continue providing free entertainment."

Toxic Tess spun with neon fists raised as if to brawl the snarky dart-wielder. But suddenly a concealed door on the far wall flew open and Lord Skull himself emerged looking furious. Instantly, all three villains shrank back in terror. The temperature of dread spiked sharply.