Toby soared above the hot, moonlit city, scanning an apartment building with his x-ray visor. He swooped down and landed on the roof of the building, his dark stealth suit helping him blend into the night.
"All right, all clear," he whispered.
"Are you sure?" asked a high-pitched, girlish voice over his com link. "I thought Black Bullet would have traps."
"My scanners show no traps," replied Toby shortly, adjusting a dial on the side of his helmet. "Get up here."
"If you say so...."
It was four years later. Alexis, now twenty-two years old, was finishing up her last year at college, having decided to major in genetics. She was due to be home in a few days. Toby was nineteen, and was taking a gap year between highschool and college so he could look after his parents.
A lot had happened in four years. Alexis was studying hard, so she hadn't been home much, even during the summer. Toby hadn't seen her in at least a year. Everyone had been caught off guard when Mr. Brown had suffered from an unexpected heart attack the summer before. He had survived, but his health had been negatively effected, so Toby took a gap year so he could help look after his parents until Alexis got home.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown still loved their children with all of their hearts. They tried to call Alexis, who seemed to be having a great time at college, almost every day.
Unlike his sister, Toby was having a terrible year. He had been looking forward to going to college; it would have been a refreshing change from his present life. Now, he was stuck at home, taking care of his parents. He also somehow ended up leading PM City's team of superheroes. He had become a solo hero the year before, but with Archer taking care of his own family, and all other eligible heroes dealing with various things elsewhere, the role of leader had fallen to Toby.
So here he was, leading a bunch of superheroes who were way too young to be doing this on a mission. His team consisted of himself and three others: Howl, a seventeen-year-old, fun-loving girl who had the ability to control, communicate with, and harness the abilities of any existing animal, Chirp, Howl's small, energetic sidekick with the same powers as her partner, and Brassy Buttons, a polite, well-dressed eleven-year-old who had bowtie boomerangs and exploding eyeglasses. Buttons (as everyone called him) was a bit strange, and Toby had no idea how he even made it on the team.
At the moment, Toby and his team were pursuing a master criminal and hacker, Black Bullet. Bullet had somehow hacked into the team's computers and had stolen information about the heroes. He knew their strengths, their weaknesses, where they lived, everything. He knew their secret identities. No one, not even the members of the team had seen all of those files. The only person that had read all of the files was Boss, the man who was behind the existence of the team. Boss (none of the heroes knew the man's real name) assigned the team to their missions and financed their world-saving endeavors. He was the one who had caught Black Bullet stealing the precious information about his heroes. He knew, just as Toby knew, that if Black Bullet revealed that information to the world, the team would have to be disbanded and the heroes and their families would have to go into hiding. They would be targets for all the villains the heroes had ever fought. And if the villains knew the heroes' weaknesses, who would stop those evil people from killing everyone they loved?
Toby glanced around the top of the building as he waited for his teammates. He agreed with his companions; the lack of traps, Black Bullet's usual defense against heroes, was very suspicious. Suddenly, the hero heard a scratching sound, like a rodent running around in an attic. He whirled around, forming a bright ball of energy in his hand. A small, whiskered head peaked over the edge of the roof, and a rat clambered onto the flat surface. It was followed by a thin, agile form who had evidentially climbed up the wall after it. Toby extinguished his ball of energy and nodded to the newcomer.
"Chirp. Where are the others?"
Chirp shook her poofy, blonde hair away from her face and shrugged.
"I don't know. They were supposed to find their own ways up." She bent over and stroked the rat, whose abilities she had harnessed to climb the side of the building.
"I'm here."
Toby's heart jumped. He turned around to see Howl, a large owl on her shoulder.
"Darn it, Howl! Why do you always have to use a bird with muffled feathers?" he exclaimed.
The heroine smirked. "What, you don't like it when you can't hear me coming? Did I scare you, Volt?" Chirp snickered.
Toby ignored the duo and turned away, thankful they couldn't see him blushing in the dark. "Where's Buttons?"
"Over here, my good fellow!" called a pompous voice from the other end of the roof. Brassy Buttons strode over to them, a sophisticated look on his young face.
"How did you-" began Toby, but he caught himself. He had hoped the annoying Buttons would be stranded at the bottom of the building. How the eleven-year-old had managed to reach the top was a mystery.
"Well, you see, my umbrella has a sort of helicopter-like function," explained Buttons, answering Toby's unfinished question. "If you press this obscure button on the-"
"Great," Toby interrupted. "Now that we're all finally here, let's go. Stand back." His team obeyed, watching curiously.
Toby held out his hands, willing energy to come to him. The power flowed into him, in through his fingers and hands. It coursed into his diaphragm, where it waited to be released. The energy refreshed him; it gave him new strength. How he longed to suck it all in! Just imagine: every particle of energy in the world all gathered to one place until it was just a swirling mass of movement and power with him in the middle. But although that was the one thing Toby longed to do, it was the one thing that he could not. Every time he harnessed more power than he could handle, he began to lose himself. He could not control his emotions, his actions. He became scared of himself and decided to only work with amounts of energy he could control. But he had practiced and trained, and now he could hurl lighting bolts from the sky without losing control of himself.
However, this procedure would not require a lightning bolt. Toby gathered a zapping orb of energy about the size of a tennis ball. He condensed the energy closer together, making the ball tighter and smaller. Then he threw it at the roof. The flat concrete surface exploded into a million bits, causing dust to fly everywhere. When the airborne particles cleared, the group saw that there was a sizable hole into the building.
"Well, if Black Bullet didn't think we were coming for him before, he'll know we are now," Howl commented.
"He'd figure it out sooner or later," Toby replied in annoyance. "Buttons, I need you to watch the perimeter of the building. That's Bullet's only way out. If you see anyone leave, stop them. They may be smuggling the files out of the building. Howl, Chirp, you're with me. We need to do this quickly. Let's go!"
Buttons took to the skies with his propeller-powered umbrella, and the three older heroes jumped into the hole. The room they landed in was empty with the exception of broken furniture. Toby scanned the room with his visor.
"Still no traps. I-" he was interrupted by the sudden rattle of machine gun fire. Armed men burst into the room, brandishing their weapons.
Howl was the first to react. She sprang onto the first guard with the agility of a cat, a few dozen real cats leaping along with her.
Toby zapped the bullets aimed at him with a few well-placed energy charges and shot Skittle-sized lightning balls at the other two guards. The balls shocked the men, and they fell to the ground, knocked out. A gravity-defying kick from Howl downed the third. Without a word, the team rushed out of the room into the hallway.
"We'll never cover this whole building if we stay together," Toby stated. "We need to split up. You two take the odd floors, I'll take the even." The girls nodded in affirmation and ran to the stairwell. Toby kicked down a door and rushed into a room. "Hey, Buttons, how's it going up there?"
The boy's voice sounded strange over the com link. "It's going fabulously, thank you for asking. No one has exited the building. It has just occurred to me that there may be tunnels under the building. Did you research that information?"
"Yes, there are none. Keep me posted."
Toby ducked behind a desk as more guards opened fire on him. He sent a thin wall of energy at them, which knocked them out.
"Volt, Chirp and I are on floor five, and there's an increase in guards," informed Howl over the com. "That may have something to do with the position of Black Bullet."
"Yeah, but it might just be a diversion," Toby argued, leaning against a wall. "Keep looking." He put his head against the wall and took a deep breath. His powers were awesome, but tiring. The constant charging and use of large amounts of energy made him feel like a glass of water: always filling and emptying, refilling and emptying. It was exhausting. And on top of taking care of himself, this mission he was responsible for three other people. Three other people who had to keep reporting to him. Hearing his com link buzz every thirty seconds was pretty annoy-
"Captain Volt, a person has just run out of the building," sounded Brassy Buttons's irritating voice loudly into Toby's ear.
"Did you stop him?" the nineteen-year-old asked.
"No, I was going to inquire-"
"Of course you didn't stop him," Toby cut in sarcastically. "That was one of the only orders I gave you: to stop and search everyone who comes out of the building. Go find him and make sure he doesn't have the files!"
He started running again. They needed to find Black Bullet and the stolen information soon. It was nearly dawn, and people would be flooding into this side of the city on their way to work soon. He rushed down the stairs and onto his next floor to search: floor four. As he expected, there were guards. However, the guards were not expecting him. Toby didn't even have to use his powers. The guards were immobile in a few swift kicks and punches.
"Volt!" a very excited Chirp yelled into the com. "I found him! I found Black Bullet, and he has the files! I'm in pursuit now!"
Toby's heart leapt in excitement. "Great, Chirp! Stay with him! Is Howl with you?"
"No, she's fighting guards, but don't worry! I've got this!"
In a spit second, the excitement Toby felt turned to fear. "Wait, Chirp, wait! Don't underestimate him! Follow, but do not engage!"
"I've got this!" squeaked Chirp. "It's okay!"
Toby cursed under his breath. "Where are you?"
"Floor one. I'm gaining! I can see the files! He has them on a hard drive."
"Don't try to fight him alone, Chirp. We're on our way." Toby looked at the ground, trying to locate his teammates with his visor. "Howl, where are you?"
There were a few grunts and thuds. "I'm - I'm a little busy - right now."
"Chirp found Bullet and the files and is in pursuit. I need you to go after her. She can't fight him on her own."
"I know. I - I heard." There was a loud thud. "I'm on floor - uh - floor one also."
"Can you get to Chirp?"
"Uh, not now."
Toby exhaled in exasperation. "Howl, I need you to drop what you're doing and get to Chirp. Now."
"Well, Volt, I don't know if you've noticed, but you can't just instantly 'drop' thirty guys who are trying to kill you."
"I don't if you've noticed, Howl, but we don't have time for your-" Toby was cut off by an attack from another wave of guards. He pressed himself against a wall as they opened fire.
Fine, he thought. I'll go after Chirp and Bullet myself. But how am I going to lose these guards and get down three floors?
He shot a lighting ball at a guard and ducked back behind the wall. The sound of breaking glass caught his attention. One of the guards had accidentally shot the light bulb in a lamp. An idea occurred to Toby. He rushed over to the opposite wall and pulled the lamp chord out of the outlet, using his remaining energy to make a shield to protect himself from from the bullets of his enemies. He ripped off the outside plastic protector of the outlet. Then he pushed his hands against the bare metal and wires. A surge of electricity flooded up his arms, and he was nearly knocked backwards. The store of energy grew inside him, expanded until he almost could not stand it. Lightning flashed in his eyes. He pulled away from the outlet and stood slowly, facing the guards. They continued to fire, but their bullets didn't even come close to hitting their mark. Toby loved this feeling of power, this feeling that he was at least noticed by someone. His hands spun an orb of energy, growing it until it was the size of a soccer ball. The guards backed away slowly, staring in terror at the ball of lightning. Toby raised his weapon above his head... and threw it straight at the ground.
The explosion was tremendous. The guards were thrown backwards, knocked unconscious almost immediately. Despite his energy shield, Toby was slammed into the wall, dust and tile showering him. His com link buzzed.
"Volt! What was that?" Howl questioned anxiously.
"I - I blew a hole in the floor," Toby groaned, rubbing the back of his head and standing up shakily. "And I don't think I'll be doing it again." He tried to concentrate. What was the mission? "Oh." He turned on his visor, but the blast had broken it. He scowled in disgust and switched it off. "Chirp, how's it going?"
"Bullet locked himself in a room," Chirp reported. "Don't worry; I'll have the door down soon."
"Wait for me to get there." Toby glanced at his watch. Ten minutes until sunrise. This was taking far too long.
He staggered over to the hole he had made in the floor. To his satisfaction, the blast had made an opening all the way down to the bottom level. He jumped in the top hole and floated down to the bottom.
"Chirp, where are you?"
"Outside! Bullet has escaped with the files and is heading towards the northeastern quadrant of the city! I am still in pursuit!"
"Keep with him, but do not engage!"
The northeastern quadrant. That was Archer and Leia's home quadrant. It was also the busiest part of the city. They needed to stop Black Bullet before he reached that quadrant.
"Buttons! Buttons, where are you?" Toby yelled as he burst through the door into the grey morning. There was no reply. "Buttons? Come in, Buttons!"
The com link crackled. "Um, yes, this is Brassy Buttons speaking. How may I help-"
"Where are you? Bullet has escaped the apartment building and is heading towards the northeastern quadrant. I need you to cut him off before he gets there."
"I would be delighted to, but... I'm lost."
"What?"
"I'm not quite sure how it happened. I was following that man who escaped from the building, and we went down an alleyway, and now I don't have the slightest idea where I am."
Toby's head throbbed with pain. "I - You - Find your way somehow; we need your help." He ground his teeth in annoyance and anger. Of course Buttons had to get lost at a crucial time like this when they needed everyone on the team. It was just like him to do that.
Toby lifted off the ground and soared towards the sky. "Howl, I need your help too. You need to help us fight, but if things get too messy, I need you to call Archer. It's his home quadrant we're heading for, and he has the right to defend it."
"Okay, but don't you think I should call Archer now?"
"No, we may be able to stop Bullet before he gets that far."
"Roger. On my way to the northeastern quadrant."
Toby flew over the buildings, his eyes darting through streets and alleyways, searching for Chirp and Black Bullet.
"Chirp, my visor is broken, and I can't find you. Where are you?"
"Just - within - the northeastern quadrant." Chirp's reply came in grunts and quick breaths.
"What are you doing? You sound worn out."
"Have engaged - in combat."
Toby's heart turned to ice. "No, no, no, no," he muttered. Chirp was a good fighter, but she was outranked ten to one if she was fighting Black Bullet. He flew as fast as he could over the city. "Howl, Buttons, we need to assist Chirp. Head to the northeastern quadrant immediately. Chirp, retreat and wait for us to arrive. You can't beat him."
Chirp's reply came in gasps. "Yes - I - EEEEEEE!"
The heroine's scream echoed through the com link.
"CHIRP!" cried Howl in horror.
Toby's gut twisted. What happened? Did Black Bullet kill Chirp? Was she still alive? He continued searching and took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Chirp? Are you there? Do you copy, Chirp? Do you copy?"
Suddenly a harsh voice sounded over the com. "Your friend isn't dead, Volt, but if you or your team tries to stop me, she will be."
Toby mustered his courage. "You aren't going to scare us, Bullet."
Black Bullet laughed. "Of course I'm not. But I could pull the trigger right now, and your friend, all her memories, all her experiences, her sweet personality, will be gone. Keep that in mind."
Toby ground his teeth in frustration and anger. He hated fear. He hated how it made him second guess himself. He hated how it kept him from making the right decisions. He swooped down and landed on the roof of a building.
"Howl, call Archer," he ordered.
"But what's Archer going to do about it?" asked Howl, her voice cracking.
"Do it, Howl," Toby said, his tone stern and warning.
"But-"
"You will call Archer and you will do it now!" Toby snapped. "Don't disobey me."
"Yes, sir," Howl sniffed.
Toby looked to the east, to the ocean, to the rising sun. The day was clear, but there was a storm brewing inside of him, and Black Bullet was going to feel the worst of it.
When Toby finally located Black Bullet, he was on the North Lemond Bridge, heading for Crayfish Island. The villain was walking, Chirp stumbling on before him. Toby was slightly surprised that none of the people driving along the bridge had recognized Bullet and reported him to the police. The villain was very recognizable with his guns and ammo stung all over him like Christmas lights.
Toby landed hard a few feet in front of Black Bullet and Chirp. He glared murderously at his foe, who laughed.
"I knew you would come sooner or later," he bragged. "You heroes are so predictable. You have to finish the mission, you have to save the girl."
"Yet here you are giving me the villain lecture," Toby shot back.
Black Bullet snorted. "I guess I am. Better work on that." He sighed. "I guess you'll want me to give you the files," he waved a hard drive he was holding, "and the girl and turn myself in to the police."
"I guess you'll say no to my requests," Toby retorted.
"Actually, I don't need the files." With a flick of his wrist, the villain tossed the hard drive over the side of the bridge into the ocean below. "I have them all memorized." Toby's eyes widened as he saw the precious hard drive, the object that he had worked so hard to get all morning, fall off the bridge, but even through this shock he did not lower his guard.
Black Bullet was watching him carefully. "Good. Very good, Volt. Or should I say Tobias Brown." He chuckled when he saw Toby's jaw tighten. "Yes, Toby as you like to be called. Your sister, Alexis, is three years older than you. Your mother's name is Natalie, and your father's is Jacob. Oh Toby, I have people who will pay millions for this information, and guess what?" He leaned forward. "Only you will suffer for it." He put his gun to Chirp's head. "Now move. Or she dies."
Toby's mind was a blur of shock and weariness, but one thought was solid: he hated this man. This man, who was holding the key to killing his family. Killing his mother, his sweet, compassionate mother who knitted sweaters for the homeless, who always wore a smile no matter how sick and tired she was, who would go the extra mile to make someone's day just a little bit better. Killing his father, his wise, fun-loving father who saw the bright side to every situation, who would sit for hours and tell stories and jokes, who had spent days building Toby a treehouse so he would be surprised on Christmas morning. Killing his sister, oh Alexis! Toby missed her so so much. She had always been there for him, had always believed in him. Toby thought of these things, and he thought of this man that could take them away from him, and he thought of hate. And he looked into Chirp's eyes and saw that she was terrified, and that she was pleading with him to please, do something.
"Well?"
Toby looked back up at Black Bullet.
"Are you going to move?"
There was a pause. Then, in a quiet, firm voice, Toby made his answer.
"No."
Black Bullet leaned forward in surprise.
"I'm sorry, what? 'No'? Are you sure?" He adjusted the gun's position on Chirp's head. She whimpered in fear.
"Even if you kill her, I will not move."
The villain whistled. "Woah, boy. Brighten up a bit. Are you saying you don't care about this girl's life at all?"
Toby hesitated, considering his answer. "I care very much about her life, but I care more about the many other lives that will end if you deliver the information you have memorized. So I will not let you cross this bridge."
Chirp was sobbing silently. She knew this was the end for her, but through her tears she nodded at Toby to let him know that he had made the right decision.
"Aw, don't cry, girlie," Black Bullet mockingly comforted. "It will all be over soon." He checked his gun to make sure it was cocked and loaded.
Chirp let out a despairing sob.
He pulled the trigger.
Chirp fell flat on the ground, her face slamming into the hard pavement. Her eyes were glassy with tears, her mouth open in her final cry, her chest still... but only for a moment.
She blinked in confusion. She was still breathing. Why? She had been knocked flat onto the ground by something, but that thing had not hit her head, it had hit her back. Then she felt strong hands lifting her up and turning her around and she was staring into the face of her savior: Archer. And then her world was back in full color.
"Hey, you're okay. You need to get up," Archer was saying as he pulled her to her feet. Over his shoulder she saw Volt and Black Bullet fighting fiercely. The crack of electricity and bang of guns flooded her hearing. She could smell the salty air and the coppery blood that flowed out of her nose. And then she was pushed to the end of the bridge and Howl was nearly tackling her. But she turned as Archer ran back onto the bridge because there was only one person she wanted to see at that time, and that person was Toby.
Toby skillfully deflected bullets as he advanced towards Black Bullet. It was hard to describe what had just happened. He had not seen Archer take his place at the end of the bridge behind Black Bullet. He was ready to let Chirp die for the good of others. Of course, that was not originally the plan, but the thing about plans is that they change. When Bullet pulled the trigger, Toby thought his fellow hero was dead. But he did not know about Archer's punching fist arrow. Thanks to perfect timing by Archer, the arrow had knocked Chirp down before the bullet had hit her head, saving her life and allowing Toby to attack. Before, there had been an extra factor in the fight, Chirp, but now it was only Black Bullet and Toby's hate. The hero threw orbs and bolts of lightning at his enemy, but Bullet somehow dodged and blocked all of them. That was fair, as Toby was nowhere close to being hit by a bullet.
The energy swirled and exploded, Toby spinning it artfully. With every bolt he threw, he took a step closer to Black Bullet, drawing slowly nearer. The villain was very calm. He continued to work magic with his weapons, firing rapidly, trying to find Toby's weak spot.
Then Archer joined the fight. Toby was slightly annoyed by this; this battle was between him and Black Bullet. It was a personal battle: one will against another. Archer's joining upset the balance. All the same, Archer was on his side, so they had to work together if they wanted to beat Bullet.
While Toby faced the villain, Archer circled him, firing his arrows at possible weak spots. Black Bullet, however, was too good at his job. He dodged with amazing speed, returning fire at the two heroes. After a few minutes of this stalemate, Archer had an idea.
"Volt!" he yelled, firing an arrow up into the air. "Head's up!"
Toby understood. He flashed into the air, watching Archer's arrow as it fell, heading straight for Black Bullet. He gathered his energy and shot it from his fingers. The bolt whizzed right into the arrow, passing through it's conductive material. The streak flew off the head of the arrow, compacting into a tight stream of energy. There was nothing Black Bullet could do about it. A sharp crack sounded through the city as the lightning hit its mark. The villain was thrown across the bridge, which had thankfully been evacuated of all civilians. Toby landed and strode over to him, accompanied by Archer.
Bullet was stunned, his eyes opened wide in surprise. He was smoking from the blast of lightning. Slowly, he rolled over and smirked at Toby, who tore the guns off of his harness.
"You've got promise, boy. Keep up the good work, and you may be able to take me down someday."
"I won't have to," Toby snarled, the heat of his hate still burning inside of him. "You're going to prison, and you're never coming out."
Black Bullet chuckled as Archer pushed him into a kneeling position and handcuffed him. "Do you really think I'll never come out? I have my ways. And even if I never escape, I still tell every prisoner your secrets. Face it, Tobias Brown. You'll never be safe."
Toby began to shake with rage. He hated this terrible man, despised him with every molecule in his body.
The villain's smile widened when he saw he had struck home. "You and your family? You'll have to hide. You will never be able to have a normal life again. If you try, bam! There goes your mommy, your daddy, and your big sister. And you know what? It will be your fault. Your fault for thinking that you could ever hide from me and the information I carry."
Toby felt energy begin to flow up his arms, adding power to the hatred he felt for the villain.
Archer noticed that something was wrong. "Volt," he said warningly. "Let's get this guy to prison."
Toby didn't move. He stood still, glaring daggers into Black Bullet and unconsciously sucking more and more power out of the air.
The villain stood so that he was face to face with Toby. "I read all of the files, you know. And do you know what they said your weakness was?" He paused, waiting for an answer, but Toby remained silent. "Your weakness is your love for your family. That's the thing that's going to wreck you, boy. Your love for your family will destroy you. And it will destroy them too." He laughed and took a step backwards.
Toby was boiling with rage. He was consumed by that sharp, fiery feeling, and it blurred his reason.
"Volt, what are you doing?" Archer asked sternly as his companion began to throb with a vibrating energy. "You need to stop."
Black Bullet laughed again. "What are you going to do, boy? Kill me? I know you heroes don't do that stuff."
Lightning flashed in Toby's eyes. "Watch me," he growled, and began to slowly rise off the ground.
Twenty miles away, in the suburbs of the city, Mr. Brown was listening to the radio while sipping his coffee. He glanced out the window. The sun was rising over the city, the city his son was fighting to protect. He smiled proudly. He loved Toby so much, that focused, sarcastic son of his. He sighed and looked distastefully at his coffee cup. The coffee was a bit weak this morning.
The radio was playing old songs, and this one was one of Mr. Brown's favorites. His father had always sung it to his mother if she was having a rough day. Now, Mr. Brown sang it to his wife when she was feeling down. He hummed the verses and was just about to break into the chorus when the song suddenly stopped. He looked around in confusion as the lights flickered and went out. The air conditioning, which had been blowing at full force, halted. Mrs. Brown came downstairs, her hair dripping from her shower.
"I was using my hairdryer, but it stopped working," she stated.
"Yeah, it looks like the power has gone out," Mr. Brown said. He walked over to the front window and glanced at the other houses lining the street. "The neighbors seem to have the same problem."
"Oh dear. Is there anyway you think we could fix-" Mrs. Brown began, but she halted when the lights flickered back on.
"There we go. It didn't need any fixing." Mr. Brown walked back over to his chair and sat down. His song was playing on the radio again, having only skipped the first chorus. The sun continued to shine through the window, and the peaceful morning continued.
With the heroes, it was a different story. Toby rose into the air, glaring down at Black Bullet. Energy flowed from his arms into his chest. It flooded into his head, circulated through his legs and feet, filled every cell of his body. The energy formed an orb around him, tiny bolts of lightning jumping from the air to the ground.
Archer knew exactly what was happening. The lights in the city flickered, cars stopped in the middle of the street, and no one could turn on their cell phone. The older hero notched an arrow and stared at Toby.
"Volt!" he yelled. There was no response. "Toby! You need to stop! You can't control it!" Toby ignored him. Archer pulled back his bow and aimed at the boy. "I don't want to shoot you, Toby!"
That caught Toby's attention. He turned his head sharply towards the older hero. The two locked eyes for a moment, and what Archer saw in Toby's eyes was not the nineteen-year-old boy he knew. He saw a raging monster consumed by hate and drunk with power. He looked down the shaft of his arrow and saw a face twisted in anger.
"Don't do this," Archer called over the sound of zapping electricity.
"I need to do it," Toby yelled back. "If I don't, he'll kill us all. Don't try to stop me."
Archer was not one for following orders. He let his arrow fly. The steel head pierced the orb of energy... and immediately disintegrated.
Toby watched the particles of the arrow fall to the ground. He glared at Archer. "I said don't try to stop me!" The older hero tried to jump out of the way, but was caught by the wave of energy that was thrown at him. He was hurled into the air and smashed onto the bridge, knocked out.
With that distraction out of the way, Toby turned back to Black Bullet. For the first time that day, the villain was visibly afraid. He cowered speechlessly under the growing sphere of lightning. Toby stared down at him.
"If you die, the file information will go with you," he said. "That will keep me and my family safe." He condensed all the energy into an orb in his hands. "You dared me to kill you. I accept that dare."
A massive bolt of lightning flew out of his hands and swallowed Black Bullet. A thunderous boom shook the bridge. Toby fell to the ground, completely drained of energy. He heard someone walk over to him. The sound of a gun being cocked sounded right behind his head. Turning, he saw Leia, Archer's wife, standing behind him, pointing a gun at his skull.
"Get up," she snarled.
Toby obeyed, his mind numb. Leia marched him towards the end of the bridge. He looked to where Black Bullet had been standing to see the vein-like scars of his lightning bolt. They arrived at the end of the bridge, where Howl, Chirp, and Brassy Buttons were keeping the civilians from wandering into the battle scene. The three other heroes avoided eye contact with Toby, and he knew they had seen the whole thing. He stood by Chirp, who was speaking to an old man. She glanced in his direction, and he saw in her eyes the same look of terror that had inhabited them when she was at the mercy of Black Bullet. He stood, looking out at the bridge where Leia was helping her husband to his feet, and his mind did not register what he had done. Archer limped over to him, examining his bow. He stopped in front of Toby and shook his head.
"What did you do, Toby?" he asked.
It was in that moment that the hero fully grasped what he had just done. He sat down on the pavement with a thud.
"I - I killed him," he stammered. He put his head in his hands and groaned. "I killed him. Oh gosh, I killed him. What did I do?"
Archer smiled sadly and crouched down next to the young hero. "Hey, it will be okay. We'll work this out."
Nothing could be farther from the truth, Toby realized as he rode in silence in Archer's car on the way back to the base. Fear spreads in people's minds like wildfire. Once he had lost their trust, once he had killed a man, he could never fully gain it back. He closed his eyes and sobbed. What was he going to tell his family? What was he going to tell his parents?