Heroes are virtuous. They do what’s right for the greater good, no matter how difficult. Or at least, that’s what they’re supposed to do. For too long, Jay has noticed cracks in the perfect masks of heroes. He sees their cruelty, the lack of care, and the ever-present, deep-seated narcissism. Of these Heroes though, Alphaman seems to be one of the worst ones. He’s the most brash, the most bold, and the most uncaring of the fallout of his battles. So the fact that he’s here to challenge Stygian is making Jay sweat bullets.

Stygian seems to be thinking the same thing. His shadows quickly demolish the poor picnic, erasing all evidence of their romantic rendezvous. Next up is Jay, who’s quickly bundled up in constricting dark ribbons as the dome cracks like an egg. It’s wrenched open by Alphaman’s ominous, red-hued tendrils, only giving Stygian a few precious seconds to strike a villainous pose.

Finally, the dome dissolves, revealing the three heroes who’ve come to apprehend the S-Class:: Pixamena, Scoops, and, of course, Alphaman. Stygian darts his eyes to all three of them rapidly like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Hey, uh—”

“I’m not listening to another one of your dumb-ass monologues, Gannet! Let him go!” Pixamena yells, fairy wings buzzing in anger.

“Hey! My monologues are top-tier!”

“They’re really not! Not to mention, kidnapping my sidekick over and over is getting old. Be more original!”

“Hey, he's not your sidekick anymore, he's a Dawnbreaker. Remember?”

“Just give up, okay? You’re outnumbered!”

Stygian darts his eyes to Alphaman nervously. Jay understands instantly the risks he’s weighing. An S-class fighting a normal villain is one thing, but two S-classes duking it out? It would be another Calamity day. The only chance for Stygian to get out of this was to use Jay as a hostage and—

“I surrender!” Stygian yelps, holding his hands up as he releases Jay.

Shit!

“Look, I was just trying to ruffle some feathers. This is,” Stygian looks down from the skyscraper. Down below a crowd has formed, phones pointed skyward to see the rare deployment of Alphaman. “This is a populated area. Let's not put innocent lives on the line.”

Jay stumbles forward, shoved by Stygian’s shadows and handed over to the heroes. He wants to scream out loud at what a mistake Stygian’s making, but before he could even try, Alphaman is suddenly moving. He falls from the sky with raw power, landing in a crater of concrete on the roof. Jay falls back from the impact’s shockwave, only saved from falling completely off the roof by Scoops swiftly coming to the rescue with a firm hand to Jay’s back.

Stygian takes a step back, hands still up in a placating gesture. “You got what you wanted, okay? It’s not a trick—”

Stygian gasps as Alphaman raises his hand and in an instant, ominous red-tinged shadows shoot forward in a wall of black. It fractures into shards, deadly sharp, and zooms straight for his head. It's only by the grace of his fast reflexes he avoids impalement, darting to the left, wings flexing just in time to shield himself from another attack.

Pixamena and Scoops take the initiative to join the fray. While Stygian is distracted, Pixamena starts her transformation in the air as Scoops swoops down from the sky. He flies through the barrage of Alphaman’s shadows, bursting through the other side to tackle Stygian to the ground.

He cries out in outrage, eyes molten red. “You assholes! I surrendered!”

“You don’t look like you’re surrendering!” Scoops gasps, attempting to pin Stygian down. He chokes suddenly as a purple-tinged shadow grips him by the cape. He’s violently ripped off Stygian, flung directly into where Pixamena is finishing her transformation. Both heroes plummet out of the sky comedically. However, things aren’t over yet. Stygian flies into the air, quickly pursued by Alphaman. He cries out as Alphaman grabs him by the ankle, swinging him viciously at the next door skyscraper.

Jay gapes as Stygian crashes through the building, going through in one shot. He comes out the other side, a cascade of glass shards and steel rebar falling down to the crowd below. It's only thanks to Stygian’s shadows that several innocents are spared, as a dark net spreads out below to catch the debris.

Jay is enraged. He turns to Alphaman, fists clenched. “Idiot, be more careful!”

He jolts as Alphaman’s head snaps down to stare intensely. Before he has time to react, though, Stygian returns like a bolt of dark lightning. Alphaman zooms up high in the air before turning downwards in a nosedive abruptly. They collide head-on, Alphaman catching Stygian’s fists and causing a shockwave that carries across Houston with a resounding boom! Jay stumbles again from the sheer energy of an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force.

Stabilizing himself with his staff, Jay watches the aerial combat helplessly. Stygian is fighting ferally, all claws and animalistic energy as he attempts to swipe at his opponent mid-air. Small chunks of Alphaman’s suit come flying off with each successive swipe, but it’s not enough to expose a weakness. Alphaman is too fast for Stygian to land a substantive blow, and though they’re both matched in strength, it's clear that the decades of being a superhero have given Alphaman an edge. One false move and Alphaman again knocks Stygian back with a fierce punch, followed by a massive red shadow that nicks Stygian in the side. Even after hitting its target, however, it continues on. Stygian gapes as another nearby building is assaulted by Alphaman, causing more debris to fall down. This time, Pixamena and Scoops come to the rescue, swooping in at the last moment to save the clueless citizens below.

“Stop!” Jay screams, “you’re going to tear the city apart!”

Stygian glances down, looking frightened. Alphaman notices the slip up, grabbing Stygian by the shoulder and throwing him down. He lands like a falling star, crashing back into the rooftop with concrete going flying. Jay has to grit his teeth, resisting the urge to run to Stygian’s aid. He needs to think of something, and quick. He eyes the edge of the rooftop, heart pounding. He has an idea.

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Alphaman comes down right on top of Stygian, fist aimed for his face as he grips him by the bicep. A flurry of dark shadows whip around them as Stygian catches the brutal punch, it swirling around them like a dark tornado. Jay takes the opportunity to enact his plan. With Alphaman’s back turned, Jay walks to the edge. He takes a deep breath as he meets Stygian’s gaze for a split second.

“Push me” he mouths.

Stygian’s eyes go wide. He shakes his head.

“Trust me!” Jay mouths.

Stygian grimaces. Right as Alphaman pulls back for another punch, Stygian's shadows push Jay right over the edge. Jay's screams as loud as he can as he begins to freefall.

“Help!

The air whistles in Jay’s ears as he plummets downward, like a roar of an oncoming train. Panic swells in his heart as the ground rushes closer and closer with each passing second. His doubts swirl chaotically in his mind. He questions the wisdom of this harebrained scheme. Would Alphaman be so careless to let his own team member die? Maybe Pixamena or Scoops would notice Jay—but no, they’re too busy down below, making sure the citizens are safe.

Jay’s eyes flicker to his reflection. The fear in his eyes is reflected back at him. More than that, however, he sees something else—people. Not the people inside the building—thousands and thousands of eyes looking right at Jay. Watching him fall. They range in age and demographic. Some look worried, some look excited, and most insultingly, some look bored. Jay gapes. Is this a hallucination? A visual manifestation of the voices in his head?

Three individuals stand out from the crowd: a woman with twin braids, a man with short curly hair, and an androgynous person with long dark hair and dark hazel eyes. They’re not just watching Jay, they’re seeing him. Like they’re looking right through him. Like he’s a bug under their microscope to dissect and play with.

He darts his eyes away for just a second, to the fast-approaching death below, and then back. Now, Jay is alone, left with only his mirror image. He would laugh at the insanity if he wasn’t currently falling to his doom.

However, just as Jay gives up hope and accepts his fate, a blur of something metallic twinkles in the corner of his eye. Alphaman crashes into him just before he splatters against the pavement, knocking the breath out of him violently. Jay holds on for dear life, hands scrabbling against cold, hard metal, before the world fades to darkness.

When he awakens, it’s to a soft hand patting his face and sun reflecting off armor. Pixamena is kneeling next to him, eyes creased with concern, as Scoops and Alphaman look down at him. Jay’s swimming vision latches onto Alphaman first for some reason. Even though the helmet is covering his expression, a shiver goes down Jay’s spine.

“What happened?” Alphaman grunts, voice coming out rough and modulated by synthesizer.

Jay jumps at the question. He’s never heard Alphaman speak before. “I fell. Did you catch him?”

“He had to let him go to save you,” says Pixamena, helping Jay to his feet.

“So he got away?”

“Yes, but it’s okay. You’re safe now. I can’t believe he would push you like that.”

“It might’ve been an accident. Things were getting really heated up there.”

Alphaman advances, startling Jay with the uncomfortable proximity. “Why were you up there in the first place? You should’ve relocated.”

“I’m a Dawnbreaker too. I had to stay and at least try to help. Not all of us can fly.”

“If you get in my way, I won’t hesitate.”

“Just what are you implying?”

“Don’t you have enhanced intellect, common sense man? Use some of it.”

With that Alphaman is in the sky again, already soaring away from the lesser heroes with a few strokes of his massive wings. Jay glares at the eyesore he makes for, marring the pristine blue sky with his gaudy armor.

“Damn, is it me or is Alphaman kind’ve a dick?” Scoops says.

“Scoops!” Pixamena scolds.

“What? We’re all thinking it! He was so reckless, we were basically reduced to being his janitors as he tore shit up!”

Jay dusts himself off, searching for his phone. “I agree with Scoops. He was completely reckless up there.”

Pixamena crosses her arms. “Alphaman is the oldest superhero in the city. If anyone knows what they’re doing, it’s him.”

“Are you serious? He just threatened me!”

“He was telling you that he has to prioritize the mission. That’s something all superheroes have to accept, Quickwit.”

“That’s not what he was implying.”

“You’ve misinterpreted before. Remember?”

“Whatever. If we’re done, I’m calling my car and heading back to HQ.”

“Quickwit, hey, don’t get upset—”

Jay is already walking away, looking over his texts. He’s about to call and make sure Gannet is calmed down when a new text comes in. It's from Razzmatazz.

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Alana: Guess what I’ve got!

Jay: I don’t have time for this Razz. I almost died today.

Alana: When aren’t you dying, hero?

Jay: Just spit it out, Razz.

Alana: …image sending…

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Jay looks at his phone as the image loads. It’s him, holding up a medication bottle of AEBIZIFY, 60MG. Or at least, it looks like him.

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Alana: I got your drugs!

Alana: The doctor said based on your symptoms, you should try 60. After a few months if it's not working, they want you to try a higher dose.

Jay: Did you make sure you weighed the same as me?

Jay: Thats how they calculate dosage.

Alana: Yes, dork. I’m not dumb.

Jay: Thanks Razz. I’m ready for things to go back to normal.