A roaring inferno raged across Oleander, tearing down everything in its path, be it building or person.
The sound of battle cries, cursing, and screams almost seemed louder than the rumble of collapsing buildings or the roaring of the invading Beast that went out of its way to attack anything that moved.
Children wailed in their parents' arms as they were carried across the last bridge that stood, the only way left out of the city.
Cinder did her best not to groan. The Beast had hit her only a single time, and yet she was sure this was the worst pain she had ever felt in her short life. She quietly fastened the straps to the silver shield that hung on her arm.
"You, okay?" The voice of Poseidon almost caused her to jump.
Cinder nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm fine." As far as she knew, it was just her and Poseidon that were left standing.
"Good. Because here he comes." The water twisted and formed, rising out of the river beneath the bridge they guarded. It developed into a large trident, which Poseidon gripped tight enough to turn her knuckles white.
Cinder felt part of her life leave her when she finally saw the Beast as he ripped past another building. Bigger than any human had a right to be and covered in molten metal, even the nearby stone beginning to melt from the heat he radiated. He approached slowly, not even bothering to look at the two of them, his eyes focused on the group of fleeing civilians behind them.
"We have to win," Poseidon stated, pointing her trident forward.
Cinder nodded and gripped her shield tighter. Smoke rose from her skin, and her costume ignited as she became a blazing inferno, much like the Beast. "Then I guess we'll win."
And with that, their battle began...
***
One months earlier...
"It's been a while since we've all been back here." Ocean Empress muttered. She had to crane her neck as far back as she could to gaze up at the large stone tower that resided within Rose city.
Rose city was sometimes called the city of the rich. It was placed inside a large glass bubble, one that stopped the outside world from reaching it, and only a select few were able to get in and out. Of course, some villains, such as the remnants of the Organization, were able to get in, but they only popped their heads up on a few occasions and were dealt with by the city's protector.
The city had been built as a last resort. A way to keep all of humankind safe should shit hit the fan so to speak. The streets were primarily barren, with everyone at work or school. All the buildings were massive towers made by the late Sini and upgraded by Avalon. Well, all of them save for one.
Enforcer Tower stood out like a sore thumb. It was crafted from old stone covered in moss, an ancient monolith. So ancient, the words carved in the stone had been long forgotten. It was around before the city, and even should the world vanish, it would remain. They say it had been the home of the first four Lords. The tower they defended to the very end during their battle with the Shadow.
"Quit daydreaming." Ocean Empress jumped at the voice and was reminded of the fact her father was with her. Old Dog was seated in a wheelchair, dozens of machines hooked up to him. He didn't look thrilled to be here. Neither did Boy Genius, who stood next to the old man, unable to play any of his games.
"Your father is right. My guess is the others are already here. We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer." The child said, pushing his glasses further onto his face and messing with his suit.
"Yeah." Ocean Empress sighed, her dress flowing in a chaotic fashion. She grabbed her father's wheelchair and pushed him forward. "Let's get this over with."
Dust spilled out, and the ground rumbled as part of the tower rose up, forming a door. The inside was dark, and she had to do her best not to sneeze. Statues lined the walls. There were hundreds of them all scattered about. Some she knew, and others she didn't. She took a moment to look at the statue of Sini, and Full Monarch, which stood side by side. Even in the stone the hints of a smile still played out on Monarch's face.
Whenever a Lord would die, a new statue would be found the next day within this strange tower they called their base. No one really knew how this strange place operated. Even amongst Supers, this tower seemed to follow its own code and rules.
Behind the statues, a large stone ramp curved its way all around the building, heading to the top. This front room was scattered about with dozens of other things besides the stone men and women, namely things the Victorian had placed down at the foot of each statue to pay respect. This tower served as the closest thing she had to a home.
Going up the large stone ramps, the sides were covered in graffiti, some drawn by markers, some by spray paint. Some had been carved in by a knife. All of it, however, had been caused by Whisper. Ocean Empress often found herself disliking this tower. It was cramped and dusty, the noise from outside constantly bouncing around wildly. She sometimes wondered how the young girl hadn't gone insane, growing up alone in this tower, left by herself in the dark, while her mom and dad would be out fighting crime.
There were sections along the ramp where they could exit and find themselves in one of the dozens of rooms that would serve as a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, or a bathroom, but their destination was all the way at the top. There were sections of the tower that had been torn down or tinkered with, a small attempt to give it power or air conditioning, and parts of it were successful, while other parts weren't. At the very top of the tower, after climbing up that damn ramp for nearly a minute straight, it opened up into an ample open space.
The air was thankfully fresh up here, and it was clean. It was the most modern space in the tower, with several rooms serving as a place for Victorian to crash or for her daughter to sleep. The main hall of the tower had a large metal table placed in the center, and already seven people stood, all of them staring at her and her dad, as well as Boy Genius, when they finished their journey up the ramp.
"Finally! I thought they were never going to show!" A woman huffed and rolled her eyes. She was dressed in a bright gold costume with various silver designs going along it, all taking the symbol of a clock. Her hair was long, and snow white and her iris glowed with a faint golden tint, much like the Victorian she wore a long flowing cape.
Lady Time.
"Now, now. I would think you, of all people, would be patient, you old hag." A man sighed, taking a long drag on an old-fashioned cigar. He wore a long brown trench coat and wore a cowboy hat, an expensive-looking revolver at his waist. He didn't really look like most heroes, but he did cover his face with a domino mask.
Mister Man.
"Who the hell are you calling an old hag!" Lady Time gritted her teeth and jumped to her feet but was stopped when she felt something wrap around her waist.
"We shouldn't fight in such a sacred place as this." A calm and collected voice stated in a blunt tone. It was a woman, one who was seated next to Lady Time. She was young, the second youngest one there, besides Boy Genius, and she had long red hair tied back into a ponytail, and a red tail stabbed out from behind her, which wrapped around Lady Time. She was dressed in a simple hero outfit, wearing only an essential red tracksuit. A few dozen scales covered her pale skin.
Wyvern.
"Will the three of you just shut up?" A fourth voice piped up. He had his head down on the table and was practically half asleep. He was the most prominent man in the room, standing at nearly ten feet tall, and his body was covered in bulging muscles caked in scars. He was dark-skinned and had a large lion cloak over his form, a heavy great bow resting on the ground next to him.
Fable.
"Should I make a report of this and send it into the Hero Branch?" In the back, their strangest member was seated. It spoke in a male voice, though it wasn't human. It had metal skin and the outline of a human, a single glowing red eye in the center of its head, no mouth visible. It wore a long black trench coat and carried a prominent case in its hands.
Beta.
"That won't be necessary." The Victorian sighed. She was dressed in her usual outfit, that being a black military style uniform, a long red cape tied around her. A massive golden greatsword the size of a car floated behind her, and she leaned against it lazily, not actually taking a seat. Ready to bolt at the first sign the world was in danger. "He's been threatening us more and more, think you could take a look at him, Genius?"
"Yeah, I'll see what I can do." Boy Genius said, sighing. He was dressed in his standard suit and round glasses, his arms folded. He had dark skin, and messy brown hair, and plain brown eyes.
"I notice we seem to be missing one." Old Dog hummed, turning around the room slowly. He was the oldest member there, with messy grey hair and a scruffy beard. His eyes were set with heavy bags, and he barely wore his hero costume, wearing only the first part of it as a shirt.
"Max Lightning didn't come?" Ocean Empress asked, raising an eyebrow. Her long blue hair was tied back, though the strands would bend and flow, like her dress, which was formed out of water. Her eyes were plain green, and her pale skin, mixed with her gown, caused light to reflect off of her, making her look like how you would expect a princess to.
Founded by Full Monarch after the battle with Lucifer, filled with the best of the best, made of the ten most vital legends in the world, ready to save the human race. Victorian, Boy Genius, Fable, Max Lightning, Wyvern, Lady Time, Mister Man, Beta, Ocean Empress, and Old Dog. The Enforcers.
"Max Lightning never shows up to these meetings." Mister Man said, rolling his eyes. "He thinks his sight will let him figure out what we discussed."
"To be fair, it usually does." Lady Time snorted. "You're just jealous you don't have the power to see the future like the two of us do."
"Eh. Fuck you."
"I'll consider."
"Can we just get this over with?" Fable sighed. His eyes were already closed, and he looked like he was moments away from drifting to sleep.
Wyvern pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm surrounded by idiots. All of them."
"Should I send that in to-"
"No!" They all yelled, cutting Beta off.
The Victorian rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Why don't we start already? Genius, if you would."
"Right." Boy Genius, with the help of Ocean Empress, got up onto a highchair. He reached into his backpack and fished out a small square metallic device, which he rolled across the table. "I'll start with the basic point. Oleander, Rose, Gladiolus, Lillian, and Daisy were all attacked by dozens of teamed villain attacks simultaneously. Each city took a heavy hit; however, it was Oleander I would like to point to—the villain. Golden God. is likely behind all of this, as he was spotted above the city and engaged the Victorian in combat. He didn't do this in any other city."
"Golden God's back." Lady Time rubbed at her head. "That guy's a pain. Mine and his powers always end up clashing, and it never ends well for me. Him appearing would cause so much chaos, from both the people and the villains. I'm not surprised so many cities were attacked all at once."
"It's going to cause some issues." Boy Genius nodded. "Even as we speak, I fear something is happening in our city. Because of this, after the meeting, I'd recommend focusing on getting your area back under total control. We're all going to be held up, so don't expect any help unless it's an emergency."
"Surely you wouldn't call us all together for just that, right?" Fable grumbled the words out, practically half asleep. "Last time we all came together, it was because the third Lord of the Sea, Poseidon, had been found. How are the things with the Lord's currently going?"
Boy Genius gave a somber look. "Well, I personally spoke to several of the heroes that fought the wave of crime, the ones that were able to take down the villains during Golden God's attack. All of them claimed the same thing. The villains were looking for the Lord of Life. They were all also certain the Lord was tied to a villain group. Lillian believed the Crimson Devils had the Lord, while Oleander believed the Wandering Coin had the Lord, and Daisy claimed the Metal Gears had them. My guess is Golden God told each group that a rival group had the Lord, causing the other villains to go on a rampage in an attempt to jump each other, causing widespread chaos. Whether any of these groups have the Lord, I'm unsure about as of now, but I'll be keeping tabs on all of them. The Lord of Land and Life is especially dangerous. As for the Lord of the Sun, we still haven't gotten anywhere on that."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Ocean Empress muttered. Several of the heroes shot her a look. "There was someone. I didn't think she was the Lord when I first met her. She was far too weak for that, yet just a few hours ago, I watched her in battle, and she grew once more. I'll have a talk with my daughter. She was the closest."
"If there is even a chance of there being another Lord, we should just go grab them now." Mister Man argued.
Victorian shook her head. "I agree with Ocean. Besides, I saw that same girl, and she wasn't impressive at all. My father was a billion times stronger than her at that age. My guess for who the Lord could be is a new upcoming hero that popped up in Gladiolus. Max told me about him. A young boy with powerful fire-based powers. Max said he would speak to the boy and keep me in touch once things settled down."
"Well we at least have a lead on where the Lord of Life could be." Beta piped up. "After all if Golden God was in Oleander, then that likely means the Lord really was in Oleander, while the other cities were just used as a distraction."
"So then it's simple." Mister Man tilted his hat and shot Old Dog a look. "You get off your ass and find that Lord."
"Hey!" Ocean Empress glared at the man but he didn't back down.
"What? Daddy too old? Okay then you do it. It doesn't matter who. One of you two find the damn Lord. I got half a mind to come in Oleander and fix the place up myself."
"Let's move on to our next topic." Boy Genius said before an argument could break out. He snapped his fingers, and the metal cube he had thrown earlier ignited. A picture appeared in front of all of them—one of space, showing a strange metallic structure that rested in the center of Mars. "Avalon and I have been keeping an eye on the Beast from space. So far, it hasn't budged an inch. The same can be said for the walls of Chrysanthemum." The image changed, this time showing a city that had been long abandoned, covered by a massive metallic sphere keeping everything inside. "As of now, there are no Calamity level threats we need to worry about."
That caused the mood to brighten up a bit. There were three significant things considered life wipers. The Emperor's return, the Beast from space, and the walls of Chrysanthemum breaking to unleash the full force of the true Dead Virus.
"That said," Boy Genius held his hand up, and the image changed. This time, it showed a long, slender man dressed in a priest outfit, clutching a book close to his chest, with hair as black as tar and eyes the color of gold. "It is getting near that time again, so Lucifer will likely arrive soon."
"How long?" Beta asked this question while cocking his robotic head to the side as he scanned the image of the villain.
"December Twenty-Fifth." Boy Genius stated. "He attacks every few years, and if we follow his M.O it'll be on that day. As it stands, there are four main cities that could be hit however only one of them will be. The four are Lillian, Oleander, Rose, and Dandelion. We'll need to up our security around those four before December Twenty-Fifth, which is in less than three months. Also, as a reminder, Lucifer is considered leagues stronger than Golden God. We're not to engage him in battle unless there are at least three of us or the Victorian is there. I'd also like to discuss his team, the Immortals. As the name implies, everyone in his gang has a means of cheating death. Because of this, do not fight to kill, rather fight to restrain or seal the members. But above all else, don't let him touch you with his palm."
Old Dog felt his bones crack as he pulled his fingers into a fist. "Well. This year, we're going to stop that bastard."
Wyvern stared at the image of the villain. She had never actually seen him. She had joined the Enforcers only recently. "Yeah. We'll take him down for sure."
"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Ocean Empress asked.
"Just the typical stuff." Boy Genius smiled. "Things like files and territory. Feel free to tune this all out."
Ocean Empress did. She found herself gazing out a window in the Enforcer Tower, watching the clouds slowly trickle by as the moon cast its silvery light onto the street below. No world-wiping threats had been spotted yet, and even Lucifer was something they could deal with. Still. She couldn't help the feeling in her stomach, one that screamed that something was really, really bad.
***
Jack grunted as he brought the large hammer down. The stone block didn't stand a chance and shattered instantly. "Clear." He shouted out.
"Got it!" Another Cleanup Squad member stepped forward carrying a large shovel. She used it to scoop up the scattered rocks that he had created and dropped them down into a bucket. "Man, at the rate we're going, we'll have this hospital cleaned up in no time!" The squad member said happily.
"Yeah," Jack muttered quietly. "Looks like it." It had been about a week since Golden God pulled his little stunt. A lot of buildings had been destroyed, so naturally, it was the job of the Cleanup Squad to get rid of the mess. There were dozens of workers going back and forth, and the road was filled with trucks carrying tools and debris.
To top it all off, it was super early in the morning, and he didn't get a lot of hero work done this week; too busy with his actual paying job, so he hadn't gotten to speak with Whisper or Myth and discuss the gang issues. That was fine by him, though. Not a whole lot was really going on at the moment.
After the death of Polaron, as well as the capture of several high-ranking Bad Timers members, the villain group hadn't so much as made a squeak. If they were lucky, Bad Timers would fully break apart from this. They weren't the only ones, though. Zoo had gone almost entirely silent as well. They didn't take as big a hit as Bad Timers had, but they lost some members and would presumably take some time to lick their wounds.
There was one group, though, that was doing just fine.
Jack's grip grew tighter around his hammer, and he smashed it down onto another large boulder, shattering it. "Clear."
"So, how long have you been in this job now?" One of the new recruits asked as they scooped up the rocks. She was an older woman, one who had recently joined this job a few days ago. A lot of the other boys had been ogling her. Women didn't join this kind of work every day, after all. He had to admit she wasn't bad-looking. She had long black hair, which she tied back, and simple sea-blue eyes. Her skin was fairly pale, but her body was toned and muscular. Even with the baggy suits they wore, he could tell she worked out.
"Dunno. Few years I guess. Reckon this will be my last year, though."
"Oh, you find a new job or something?"
"Or something."
"Well, I hope it's something good." The rookie said, giving him a large smile. She nudged his sides. "You've been looking excellent lately, sir!"
"Hmm?" Jack glanced down at himself with a slight frown. Only about two months ago, he had been shaggy, with a large beer gut and heavy bags under his eyes. Now, though, his hair had been cut shorter, and he was making a point to shave every few days. He still had some bags under his eyes, but his gut was practically gone now. Pretty soon, he might even start to have abs. "I guess. Wait, what did you mean lately? That implies you've seen me before?"
"Oh, uh, well. You know it was just a figure of speech." The woman said sheepishly. "That said, are you doing anything later?"
"Not really."
"In that case, would you maybe like to go out and see a movie sometime?"
"Not really."
"What? Why not?" The woman asked, frowning.
He brought his hammer down once more and lightly wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I'm married."
"Oh. Yeah, okay- Wait, what!"
Jack tossed the hammer onto one of their trucks as it drove by, and he turned away from the woman. "Yo, Sir, I finished my workload. I'm heading to go get something to eat." He called out to their boss.
"Yeah, okay." Mr. Moore waved back from the side of the road that he stood on.
He placed his hands in his pockets and began to head out of the work zone, leaving the woman standing all alone. He looked up at the rising sun, his eyes squinting slightly. Cars began to fill the road, and people walked the street. Everything was so ordinary. So simple.
Part of him had never expected to still be here. To be working and helping out. He definitely didn't expect he would be a hero someday.
"Feels like it was yesterday since 'she' gave me this job."
His mind trailed back to nearly fifteen years ago. It was shortly after the battle with the Emperor. His arm was in a cast, and he wore whatever expensive suit Nick had on hand for him. He was seated in a wheelchair, Nick standing behind him, slowly pushing him into the office.
"After reviewing your final battle and considering the words of Full Monarch and Mr. Sini, I've decided it would be best if you simply vanished off the face of Earth." The office was messy, with knocked-over bookshelves and scattered papers everywhere. Seated behind a desk covered in documents was an older woman. She had short brown hair that was starting to fill with greys from years of stress, and heavy bags were under her eyes. She was dressed professionally in a costly suit.
Her name was Luna Laps. Ms. Laps was the head of the Hero Branch in Oleander city. In other words, she was crucial to keeping the order of the city in check. Whenever a hero got too big of a head, she would be the one to pay them a visit and remind them why the Hero Branch was in charge.
"You'll be given a job in the city, and as long as you behave and don't make any scenes, I can keep the rest of the Branch off your back." The woman never bothered to look up at him. She was too busy signing off on the hundreds of stacks of paperwork she still had to complete.
"Got it." He said softly. "I have the perfect job in mind already."
"Oh really?"
"If given the chance, I would like to work for the Cleanup Squad. I would like to help fix this city."
"That's rich." Ms. Laps let out a dark chuckle. "If I had gotten it my way, I would have thrown you into Nightshade at the first chance I could. Though I guess it is a good sign you feel remorse. Full Monarch's gift must be working on you." She waved her hand at Nick. "Get him out of my sight."
"Yes, Ma'am." Nick began to pull the wheelchair out of the room.
"Actually." Ms. Laps looked up, meeting his eyes. "One more thing before you leave, Sir. You'll need a new identity. Have you settled on a name yet?"
"Yeah." Jack nodded. "I have the perfect name in mind."
He scratched at his chin as the memory began to fade suddenly. He was back in the present, heading down the street once again. It had been a while since he thought of Ms. Laps. He wondered how she was doing. She would undoubtedly have more paperwork to deal with after everything that happened this week.
"Mr. Larison?" His thoughts were suddenly shattered when he heard a familiar voice. He looked up, finding Hope standing at the same crossing line he stood at, waiting for the light to change so she could finally cross. "Hey, Sir, it's been a bit," She beamed, giving a large grin.
"I guess it has," Jack said awkwardly. "How ya doing, kid?"
"Ah, we're doing fine." A second voice piped up. Standing next to Hope was her best friend, Armin. The boy had a goofy smirk on his face and held a bag over his shoulder. Now that he looked at both kids closely, they were both dressed for school. "It's about time we head back to class. It's starting back up now that the city has calmed down." Armin explained.
"Ah."
"Well, what about you?" Hope asked.
"I'm getting food."
"Oh, alright. Do you know when Mr. Thaddeus will call us back to the base? It feels like he's been avoiding everyone after the villain incident." She huffed.
"I haven't heard anything from him either." He sighed. "I'll try to get in contact with Lois and see if she heard anything."
She was about to say more, but the light suddenly changed, and the flow of traffic slowed to a stop. "Well, we got to go. We're already running late to school because of Armin. Later, Mr. Larison." She waved at the man as Armin dragged her across the street so they could get to school on time.
Jack watched them leave, standing there in silence. He was completely alone once more, cars and people drifting away in the distance. Despite that, though, he didn't feel like he was by himself. He hadn't truly felt alone in a while. And it was all because of a lone voice that had started to follow him around. 'So, that's the current Lord of the Sun you told me about, right? I don't think you've said anything about that boy with her, though.' The voice asked.
"That's Armin. He's on the same team." He explained. "He's a rookie, but with a bit of polishing, he could be even stronger than me someday. Right now, the kid's only good for making snowmen at birthday parties."
'Oh, that's pretty cool.'
"Don't tell me you're making puns as well." He sighed.
'Hey, I had no idea he had ice powers until you thought about it.'
"Whatever, just shut up. People are going to start staring if they see me talking to myself." He would sometimes see the owner of the voice out of the corner of his eye if he wasn't paying attention. Full Monarch would always be scattered around, either seated or leaning on a wall. He never got a good look at the man; the voice would always go silent when he tried to glimpse at the hero. "So be honest. You real or did I go batshit crazy?"
'I dunno.' The voice snorted. 'You're the one seeing and hearing things. You tell me.'
"Yeah." He rubbed at his chest, feeling the heart beating softly within him. "I think I went insane."
***
They arrived at school earlier than She expected. "Alright, we still have time to hit my locker." She fist-bumped Armin and hurried over to try and get some of the things she owned before class started.
"I told you we would make it in time."
"No, you didn't." She rolled her eyes at her friend and opened her locker. "This is the last time I agree to stay up all night playing a new video game with you on a school night."
"No, it's not."
"Yeah, you're right. Let's do it again." She giggled.
Armin's goofy look suddenly faded as he folded his arms. "So." He spoke quietly now. "Have you heard anything yet?"
She winced a little. "No. I mean, I don't really have a way to get in contact with them, but Ms. Ocean said she would let me know when Sky was moving around again. It's been silent all week, though. I'd like to go up there, maybe, but with the Wandering Coin, I'm sort of afraid to leave in case they pull some stunt."
"Yeah, they've been pretty busy lately. They basically won that battle. Made out without getting harmed in the least." Armin agreed. "That said, though, I'm sure we could survive a day without the mighty Cinder. No offense."
"I guess. I'll ask Thaddeus about it when I see him again." She shrugged. "I just feel bad about the situation. I can't help but wonder if it's my fault she got hurt. I mean, Sky is sort of a jerk at times, but I don't want her to die. I think I made Poseidon mad at me as well, which totally sucks." She sighed in defeat.
"It's the same with Oxide." Armin nodded. "I wish I knew what Ghost had been planning. I hate how badly she got hurt. I've been chatting with Rowan. He gave me his number after the battle; thankfully, she's doing better now. She'll be back on her feet in no time."
"That's good. Oxide is pretty cool." She was a little glad there was some good news at the very least.
"I've also been trying to spy on Poseidon's Hero Hub. See if you said anything about Sky or Oxide since they're both at the same hospital in Lillian where Poseidon is. The girl usually posts about the city and all the deeds she's done or people that were helped, but this week, it's been totally silent. Rowan got a little spooked by it when he told me. Apparently, Wasp Nest hasn't been able to get ahold of Poseidon, and I guess the two of them are dating or something, so it sounds really bad."
And just like that, the good news vanished. She frowned and rubbed at her chin, trying to think. "Maybe I will pay Lillian a visit just to check-in. I'm sure the others did as well, but if it's my fault Poseidon is avoiding everyone, I should try to apologize or something."
For a moment, the words of Max Lightning came back to her. The hero had called Poseidon a monster. Said she was no longer human. What did he mean exactly by that?
She went to say something but never had the chance. "Just leave me alone! I said I'm fine!" The slamming of a locker accompanied the shout.
"Seriously, what is your problem, man?" A second voice yelled. "Dude, you've been acting insane all week."
Further down the corridor, one of the more popular boys was shouting at his friends, who were trying to calm his nerves. The nearest students retreated before turning back to watch. When it all came down to it, a hallway full of students was the same no matter what school you were in. If something interesting happened, say a public meltdown, everyone stopped to watch it. Like a bad car crash, it was hard to look away.
"Wait, I know them." She stared at the boy who was having a meltdown. It was one of Kevin's goons. A member of the football team. Not just that, though. The flashes of a dog went through her mind. He had been one of the boys who attacked and kicked the puppy that had been hit by a car.
"I heard he got kicked off the football team around the time Kevin went to prison," Armin explained. "It's just a rumor, but Hannah said he got caught shooting up."
"Hannah?"
"She's one of Ashley's friends. My lab partner, though I say that loosely."
She watched the boy thrash around a bit, his friends all jumping away from him. He looked angry, that was for sure. The football team was basically the only thing Oleander had that mattered to many of the kids. If he had gotten caught shooting up drugs, she didn't think he would be at school anymore. Then again, this place was almost as shady as Spider Street. She wondered why he was really kicked off of the team.
It certainly wasn't because of his size, as the young man was huge. He almost looked over-inflated, Six feet plus, and built like a brick wall. He had been smaller than Kevin when she last saw him, but now he was much more prominent. Drugs were clearly at work.
"I'm just tired! Now if you- if you- I-" he trailed off, his words slurring together as his arms began to tremble. His hands curled as the trembling spread across his body, getting more violent as they went. His friends tried to catch him as he collapsed, but the best they could do was slow his fall.
She was there before he hit the floor. Everyone was so focused on the show that no one noticed her rocket forward. She managed to whip her backpack off and throw it under him just as he crashed to the floor. It cushioned his crash and protected his skull, but the rest of his body began to thrash around.
She had seen something like this before with Mr Larison. A seizure. Her mind raced as she tried to recall what you do when someone was going through this. His arms and legs were kicking around, and one of his arms slapped out at one of his friends, who was doing his best to help him. The hand smacked into the boy, and he screamed as he was sent crashing into a locker and hit the ground, groaning in pain.
That caused yells to go through the hallway. One of the other boys tried to move away, but the thrashing kid kicked him on accident, and it was enough to snap the boy's leg and cause him to scream in pain as he dropped to the floor.
She didn't even have time to help anyone, as seconds later, the boy's arm thrashed up and smashed across her face. She had taken worse strikes. Despite that, though, she kicked off of the ground as the hit slammed into her and threw herself back, crashing head first into a locker, making it look as if he had thrown her back as he had done the others. The last thing she wanted was anyone wondering how she was fine after two other boys were severely injured from the same hit.
"Hope!" Armin yelled, running towards her.
She made a show of groaning a bit. She didn't have to fake the pain as it had really hurt. He had super strength, enough to negate her durability. That meant one thing was at play.
"Someone call an ambulance." Kyle's voice boomed down the halls, and he was followed by several teachers. Kyle shot her a look, and she nodded back at him. "This guy is in serious trouble."
Already, people were pulling out their phones. Some actually did what they should have done and called for help, while others did what most kids did in a dangerous situation and began recording everything. She made sure to duck out of there with Armin quickly leaving to the back of the crowd when he helped her up. She had already caused a bit of a scene by being slapped and would just have to hope no one else realized just how strong the boy really was.
"You should go to Myth and let him know what happened." She whispered.
"What about you?"
"If he ends up smacking a person, he could badly hurt them or even kill them. I'm going to stay behind just in case." She explained.
"Got it. Good luck." He ran down the hall, and the teachers didn't bother to stop him, finally reaching the scene.
Kyle walked over to her and made a show of helping to keep her standing up. The sirens were already in the distance, and the teachers were yelling at everyone to stand back and stay calm. However, that just made everything far worse. "Wandering Coin?" Kyle asked.
"Yeah." She nodded. She fixed her glasses, which had become a bit crooked from the slap she had received. "They're selling to kids." She balled her hand into a fist and felt a fire begin to pump in her veins. "I'm going to stop them."
***
"So, how much do you know?"
"Why do you think I know anything?" Thaddeus questioned.
"I can see your paths," Lois smirked. "In a few seconds, you're going to ask me how long I knew about it."
They stood in his library. As usual, it was empty. The place would have shut down long ago if not for the mayor. Thaddeus was dressed professionally and leaned behind the counter, typing away at the computer. She was dressed in simple winter wear as the weather was starting to get cold. She sat on his counter, reading a random book she had stolen from one of the many shelves.
Thaddeus played with a set of glasses he wore and finally let out a deep sigh. "How long have you known what Hope really is?"
"Called it." She closed her book and leaned back on the desk, practically lying down. Despite that, though, her joking tone soon faded. "Well, to be honest, I didn't know how you would react when you found out."
"You thought I would react negatively to having a Lord on the team?"
"I thought you'd react negatively to having a weak Lord on the team." She looked up at his roof and closed her eyes. "I'm not as good as my dad. Mom and him never really bothered to explain how my powers work. They were always way too busy. I don't see all the Paths. Just how they can affect me. Sometimes, they're wrong, or they change, or the Paths just end and break. Then you have weirdos like my mom or Jackson, their paths are blank. Yours change a lot, though. Constantly. I've never seen anyone shape their own destiny quite like you do. In fact, the first time I saw you, your Path ended two years ago when the Beast from space returned. Yet here you still are."
"My loyalty is to this team above all else." Thaddeus finished typing and folded his arms. "I created Pantheon because I saw how the Sub Enforcers, and even the Enforcers, can drop the ball sometimes. This group was made to take care of kids who had nowhere else to go to as heroes. I would have liked to know that I was dealing with a Lord ahead of time. That said, I'm not going to throw her under the bus. She's just a kid. This makes me wonder what else you and Mr. Larison have been hiding from me."
"To be honest, that was really just it." She opened her eyes and squinted as the lights above burned down. "He knew she was a Lord from the beginning, I think. I don't know a lot about him. No one does. I trust him, though. He reminds me a lot of Ocean Empress in a way. I think he has a bad hand, and he's been trying to play it well. Hope, though? Yeah, she had no idea. I knew thanks to my Paths and Jackson came to me and asked me to keep it underwraps which I did cause I ain't a snitch."
"I see." Thaddeus nodded slowly. "It will take time for trust to be reestablished. I still feel as if it would have been best if I was brought in on it from the get-go."
"You mean like how we should have been brought in on the fact that the Lord of Life is likely the leader of the Wandering Coin. At the very least, they're working together." She shot back. That caused him to go silent, and she gave a slight smirk. "Yeah. Jackson told me. He figured it out, too. All that talk about stopping the Wandering Coin. Be honest with me; was it all so that you could get your hands on a Lord."
Thaddeus pursed his lips together into a line. "The Wandering Coin is a dangerous group. I would have taken them out, no matter what."
"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes and slowly sat up. "Let's just agree that we both hid information from each other regarding Lords. Oh, and that we should keep a closer eye on Jack. I'm tired of him knowing all this stuff and not telling anyone."
"I'm fine with that. For what it is worth, I am glad you're on our team." Thaddeus finally stated.
She smiled and nodded. "Oh, by the way, Armin is about to show up." As if on cue, the door burst open as Armin ran in. "What are you doing here on a school day?" She said mockingly. "By shame-" She stopped when she saw the serious look in his eyes.
Armin made his way over to the desk and banged his fist down on the wood. "No more sitting around, Thaddeus. We have to get back out there. A student at our school was doped with something that gave them super strength. We have to stop the Wandering Coin. They can't keep doing this!"
Thaddeus slowly stood up and took his glasses off. "I had been told to hold off on doing anything for a while." He admitted.
"Who told you?" Lois asked, frowning.
"The one person that can order any hero around, in Oleander city." He folded his arms and frowned. "Ms. Laps, head of the Oleander Hero Branch, has stated she wished to view our team before we move forward. In other words, Pantheon doesn't exist right now. Not until she gives the go-ahead."
"Seriously," Armin said with wide eyes. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I've been attempting to fight back her claim," Thaddeus admitted. "The mayor had been greatly helping keep us afloat but has now suddenly pulled away and stopped backing us. As it stands, we're more alone than ever."
"And." They turned when Lois spoke. She gave a sly grin and a golden twinkle in her eyes. She flipped her golden hair back smugly. "Since when do we care what the Hero Branch thinks? They might have control over the Enforcers and the Sub Enforcers, but Pantheon doesn't work for them."
"Are you saying we go in with zero funding?" Thaddeus snorted. "Our costumes, your drones, building repairs, and base funds are all provided by either the mayor or the Hero Branch. The last thing we want is to get on their bad side."
"Well, that's just the thing. There's another group that has been getting a ton of funding but has done literally nothing for months now." Lois grinned.
"Who?" Armin looked between the two, confused.
"The Watch Dogs." Thaddeus snorted and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. I guess it's about time Pantheon pays them a visit."