“Why would you do something like this?” Mr Universe asked, pointing at the pile of wrecked cars on the ground.
“Because I want you, Mr Universe.” Gauss cackled. “I want you to die.” The air buzzed with electromagnetic energy, as every unrestrained metal object sailed into the air around Gauss. “But most of all, I want you to suffer.”
“Well then?” Mr Universe said, as he cracked his knuckles. “Let’s do this.”
“You’re going to regret that.” Gauss said.
“You’re doing a lot of talking, but not a lot of fighting.” Mr Universe taunted.
“I didn’t say all this was for fighting.” Gauss laughed.
“What?” Mr Universe asked.
“No. I said I wanted to make you suffer. All this shrapnel, this isn’t for you.” Gauss said.
“Then what’s it for?” Mr Universe asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.
“Well, some of it’s for you. The rest… Well, you see the crowd gathering on the street, don’t you?” Gauss laughed, as Mr Universe’s eyes got wide. “And the people in the windows of all those buildings.” Gauss pointed at the windows lined with people. “You see, in a few seconds, all of this is going to be going everywhere.”
“You’re insane.” Mr Universe said, as he tried to figure out if he had the power to stop all of the debris from striking the onlookers.
“That’s the general consensus, but I beg to differ. My plan is completely sane. This is the best way to make you suffer. Their lives are your responsibility. They have faith in you. If you’re not strong enough, if you’re not fast enough, their blood is on your hands. I am going to break you before I’m done today boy.” Gauss said.
“Over my dead body.” Mr Universe said.
“That’s the plan.” Gauss cackled, as the metal exploded in every direction.
Mr Universe acted fast, using the brunt of his powers to catch the metal raining down on the crowd of panicked onlookers. At the same time he sent an electromagnetic wave through the shrapnel that was rushing to hit the occupants of the buildings, praying that it would slow it down enough that the glass windows would be able to stop it.
In the rush to protect the innocents, Mr Universe forgot to protect himself. He cringed, as he felt the metal pierce his left hand, before flying out the other side. He stumbled in midair, almost hitting the ground, before catching himself.
Before flying back up to Gauss’ level, he looked at the awestruck civilians. “Don’t just stand there you idiots. RUN!” He shouted. The crowd didn’t budge. “I’m not joking around. I don’t care if you all want to see this fight. You need to understand, I can’t win here. And that means he’s going to kill you all. The best I can do is buy you time. Get out of here.” Concern began to appear on the faces in the crowd. “I’m not going to be able to stop the next blast. RUN!”
Finally the crowd understood, and they began to disperse, as Mr Universe sailed back up, clutching his bleeding hand. “Now, where were we?”
“I believe I was ruining your life.” Gauss said. “Before ending it, of course.”
“Of course. You’re going to have to do more that stick metal through my hand. We folks of Jewish descent tend to be pretty resilient against stuff like that. Three days later, good as new.” Mr Universe said.
“Your arrogance never ends. First you start calling yourself the Master of Magnetism, you seek to usurp my legacy, and now you would compare yourself to the so-called Son of God? When I’m done, you’re going to wish I had just crucified you.” Gauss said.
“You talk a big game, but I don’t see you acting on it.” Mr Universe said, bracing himself for the inevitable onslaught.
“And you try to taunt me into attacking you. Look at you, trying to put up a barrier against my attacks. You should know by now you can do nothing to stop me.” Gauss said. “Face it, you’re already beaten.”
Mr Universe shook his head. “Actually, I just won. Do you see any civilians around?” Gauss looked down at the ground, and then through the windows. “No, I didn’t think so. I bought them time to evacuate. It’s just you and me now. And I don’t care what you do to me.”
Gauss laughed. “This is Los Angeles, you fool. There are millions of people within a minute’s flight. There’s nothing you could do that would stop me from levelling a dozen city blocks right now. I could kill thousands, and you would just have to watch me. You saved a few dozen lives. So what? I could kill you right now, and then finish off this worthless city, while the Boomers are in San Francisco stopping the prison breakout.”
“You won’t kill me. You’re having too much fun. And besides that, you’re not powerful enough.” Mr Universe said, ducking to the side just in time to dodge the twisted metal spear that shot at him.
“I’ll show you power!” Gauss screamed, as the spear was joined by two more.
“Struck a nerve, have I?” Mr Universe taunted, as he deflected two spears, before twisting to narrowly avoid the third.
“No, but I’m about to.” Gauss said, as a fourth spear rocketed through Mr Universe’s stomach, narrowly missing his organs, and sticking out the other side.
Mr Universe screamed out in pain, as he fell to the ground. He was a quivering, bleeding mess, when Gauss picked him up, using the same metal attachments in Mr Universe’s costume that allowed the hero to fly.
“Not powerful enough? Look at you. You’re on death’s door. Too bad I’m not through with you.” Gauss laughed, as he lifted Mr Universe through the air, before crashing him into the side of a building, knocking the wind out of him, and crushing his ribs. Moments later, he sent him careening into the side of another building, before sliding him down the wall, grazing his entire body along the brickwork, tearing at costume and flesh alike.
“I’m going to enjoy this.” Gauss said, as he levelled his spear at Mr Universe’s head.
The last thing Mr Universe saw was the spear racing towards his head, before he blacked out.

During his daily walk to the bus stop, Charlie Phillips paused to look at the television in the window of the Radio Shack on 7th Street. The screen showed Alcatraz, where a prison riot was erupting. The text on the screen said that dozens of prisoners had escaped, and that the West Coast Boomers were now arriving on the scene. Hire-A-Hero had also been called for backup. The report urged people in San Francisco to remain in their homes, but to not panic.
Charlie shrugged. It wasn’t his problem, San Francisco was hundreds of miles away. Let those supers take care of each other, out of his city. He had bigger problems on his hands, like just how he was going to afford his house payments after his latest pay cut, and how he was going to tell his wife.
When the car crashed into the ground in front of him, he never saw it coming. He leaped backwards, landing on his rear. “What the hell!” He exclaimed.
“Oh damn. Looks like I missed.”
Charlie looked up into the sky and saw a man floating above him. He was wearing the orange jumpsuit of an Alcatraz inmate.
“You… But how… No way anyone could fly that fast.” Charlie was completely taken aback by his attacker.
“Unprotected, no. But as you’ve seen, I have control over metal. It’s easy enough to build up a defensive shell, and break Mach 3. You see, there is nowhere I’d rather be than here in Los Angeles.”
Charlie was taken aback. “What? Why Los Angeles? Who are you?”
“Surely you’ve heard of me. I’m Gauss.”
Charlie’s eyes widened and he gasped.
“Oh good. You have heard of me. Then you know what you’re in for.” Gauss laughed, as Charlie began to cry.
“Oh, do be quiet. We’re going for a ride.” Gauss began to lift Charlie from the ground, grabbing on to his belt, zipper and the various other metal fastenings in his clothes.
<><><>
Matt sighed as he heard his phone begin to play “Adrienne” by The Calling. He paused his movie, and picked it up. He spent a few moments debating answering the call, but realised the quicker he answered, the quicker it would be over.
“Adrienne, I told you to stop calling me.” He said.
“Is that how you greet your girlfriend?” The voice on the other side.
“I’m sure she’d have something to say about me calling her ‘Adrienne’.” Matt quipped.
“Come on Matt, your friends aren’t around now, you don’t have to pretend.”
“I’m not pretending. We’re through. I love Hannah.”
“No you don’t. You’ll see. She’s just another fling. What we’ve got is going to last forever.”
“You’re a complete psycho, aren’t you?”
“No. I just know that Hannah isn’t enough for you. That’s why you were with me in the first place.”
“See, the operative word in that sentence is ‘were’. What we did was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“But you loved every minute of it.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
“I didn’t hear a denial.”
“I wasn’t denying it. But I’m passed that. You were a phase. I needed help getting through some stuff, and I needed to blow off some steam.”
“And the time will come when you’ll need it again, and Hannah still won’t be able to satisfy your every need. And you’ll come crawling back.”
“Are you listening to yourself? Hannah is more than enough for me now. I love her.”
“Does she do that thing I do? With my tongue?”
“No. She doesn’t need any tricks.”
“Funny, because that’s where she’ll be when you’re through with her. Turning tricks on some New York corner.”
“You’re insane. This conversation is over.” Matt hung up his phone.
He sat down on the couch for a moment, before deciding that he really wasn’t in the mood to watch a movie, and turned to CNN instead.
“Oh no…” He said, as he saw the events unfolding in downtown Los Angeles.
<><><>
“And look at this one. There’s a whole family in there.” Gauss pointed at the car that was floating next to them.
“No… Please don’t.” Charlie whimpered.
“I didn’t listen to you the first five times, why would I now?” Gauss pointed at the pile of car wrecks on the ground below them.
“Please… Those people have lives to live… You can’t-“
“I can’t? I can do anything!” Gauss closed his fist, and the car compressed itself into a cube, completely destroying everyone inside.
“You… You monster. There were children inside. How can you live with yourself?” Charlie was openly crying now.
“So their lives are more important than the people I just threw down there to their deaths?” Gauss cackled. “Aren’t people all supposed to be equal?”
“No! They’re children! They had their whole lives ahead of them!” Charlie shouted.
“Then if I was to crush you, it would be perfectly fine? Because you’ve already lived at least half your life?” Gauss waved his hand, and two cars sailed up to their level, and began drifting towards Charlie.
“What? No! Please don’t!” Charlie screamed.
The cars stopped in place, floating mere yards away from Charlie.
“You fools and your double-standards.” Gauss laughed. “You say that the lives of children are so important, but when it comes to your own… That’s the only one you truly care about.”
“And what about you? You only care about yourself, right?” Charlie demanded.
“Oh, you’re finally growing a backbone, are you?” Gauss chuckled. “Of course I do. But I don’t pretend otherwise.”
“You’re a monster.” Charlie said, before spitting at him. “I’m tired of your games. Kill me if you want.”
“Now that would be too easy. I’m having fun.” Gauss said, as the two cars he was suspending began to plummet. “I like watching you watch them. The pain in your heart, as they crash to their doom, knowing there’s nothing you can do.”
Charlie started to laugh, before pointing at the two cars on the ground. The occupants had emerged from their vehicles and were running away.
“What?! How?!” Gauss demanded.
“There may be nothing I can do, but he’s another matter.” Charlie said.
“What?” Gauss asked, as Mr Universe tackled him in mid-air, the two magnetic masters tangled up into a ball as they hurtled towards the Earth.
Charlie felt himself falling, as Gauss lost concentration momentarily, but as the hero and villain untangled themselves and regained their composures, Mr Universe caught him, and lowered him the to the ground.
“I was really hoping you’d be the first one here boy.” Gauss said.
“I’m going to put a stop to you once and for all Gauss.” Mr Universe said. “What you’ve done here today is inexcusable.”
“But it was all for you.” Gauss laughed. “I knew this was the best way to get your attention, while the Boomers are away in San Francisco, stopping the prison riots I started.”
“Why would you do something like this?” Mr Universe asked, pointing at the pile of wrecked cars on the ground.
“Because I want you, Mr Universe.” Gauss cackled.
“I want you to die.”

Dane Bromwich, better known to the world at large as EmCee, winced, as the needle punctured his skin.
“Bro, that stings.” Dane complained, as he fought not to jerk his arm away.
“Listen kid, I’m not your bro.” John Wilson, aka Scalpel, didn’t even look up from his work. “I didn’t realise you were under the impression that this was going to tickle.”
“It’s not that. It was just a shock, you know. It’s my first time.” Dane said.
Wilson pulled the needle away from the twenty year-old’s arm. “Did you hear that boys? It’s his first time!” He shouted, to the other two men sitting in the room.
“You’d best be gentle then Scal’, it’s gotta be special.” The largest man in the room, Jack Beck, formerly known as Seizure, laughed, clapping the other man on the back.
“Yeah, a girl always remembers getting her cherry popped.” The fourth man, James Wood, aka Jamais Vu, added.
“Th… That’s not what I meant!” Dane insisted, his eyes going wide as he started to stammer.
“Of course not. Now do you want me to finish this or not?” Wilson demanded.
“Of… Of course. Everyone else on this rock has ink, I want it too.” Dane said.
“Then hold still and stop your whining.” Wilson continued tattooing the young criminal’s arm, as the other two convicts continued sniggering.
“How do you even get this stuff in? I mean, I know the needles are contraband. How come you’re not in The Hole?” Dane asked.
“Half the guards here have tattoos. Free, because they let me keep doing what I’m doing. I’ve got a good business going here. Which reminds me. You’ve got my payment, right?” Wilson stopped his drawing for a moment.
“Of course. Ten boxes of cigarettes. They’re all in my bunk right now. Kinda hard to move all at once, they’re wise to that, you know?” Dane replied.
“The guards don’t know as much as you seem to think kid. They don’t know about my guy who works the mail room, and the guy in the laundry. Between the two of them, I can get anything I want. Ink is easy. One of my guys has connections in LA, he’s an ex-Rocksteady guy. You’ve heard of them?” Wilson paused for a moment. “Anyway, he got caught in his first few months, so the drugs hadn’t kicked in past the point of no return. He’s practically normal, that’s why they allow him to work laundry. Anyway, he knows a guy on the outside, gets me all these homemade inks. Nothing too high-quality, it’s all full of impurities. It gets the job done.” Wilson continues his tattooing. “Beck, go to the kid’s room and get me my cigarettes, I need to get them to Sun Shi Quan before he throws another tantrum.”
“You got it.” The giant replied, heading straight out the door without another word.
“Sun Shi Quan? Wasn’t he on Blackblood’s crew?” Dane asked, between winces.
“I owe the guy a favour. You won’t ask any more questions if you know what’s good for you.” Wilson said, holding his needle in Dane’s arm a little longer than he needed to.
“Got it.” Dane said.
Before the conversation could continue, Beck was back in the cell, empty handed.
“What are you doing back?” Wilson asked.
“Guards’ orders boss, everyone has to be in a cell. They’re moving someone through.” Beck replied.
“I wonder who that could be.” Woods muttered underneath his breath, as the guard walked past, pulling the cell door shut, as he counted the inmates.
“Who else?” Wilson replied, not even looking up from his work.
The door from the maximum security wing opened up, and a pair of guards walked through, armed with their state-of-the-art carbon-fibre tazer guns. Behind them two more guards dragged the motionless body of a man, dressed in the same prison jumpsuit as all the other convicts in the cells overlooking the main walkway. Behind walked two more guards, armed the same as the first.
“Damn! Is that…?” Dane trailed off.
“Yes. It is. They parade him through here every few weeks on some trumped-up excuse. He’s drugged up to the eyeballs, can barely breathe on his own when he’s like that. They think that he’s an example to us. If we step out of line, they’ll do it to us too, that kind of thing.” Wilson explained.
“But still, that guy is the hardest of hardcore. I can’t believe he’s right there, and he probably doesn’t even know it.” Dane said.
“He was supposed to be in Gitmo weeks ago. Guess that’s off the cards though. Turns out it was his old crew that did the breakout there. Maybe they’ll come here next.” Woods said.
“Gauss doesn’t have a crew, James. He uses people. He doesn’t have allies, he has servants. Most of them don’t live to tell the story.” Wilson said.
“Then how do you know?” Dane asked.
“What did he tell you about asking questions?” Woods smacked Dane on the back of the head.
“No. It’s fine. I’m done with his tattoo anyway.” Wilson said, pulling away, revealing a stylised image of a microphone. “You want to know how I know about the way Gauss treats the people he works with?”
Wilson opened up his jumpsuit, revealing his bare chest below. The flesh was puckered, criss-crossed with scars. “We worked a couple of gigs together. I liked to cut people up, he like to hurt them. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Then he decided we were through. Just like that. So he started cutting on me with my own scalpels. If someone hadn’t called the cops, and had anyone but the Boomers shown up, I’d have been dead in a gutter, instead of dragged up into court, and then brought here.”
“Woah. That is so messed up. Worst thing I ever did was boost a couple of stores man.” Dane said.
“Fascinating.” Wilson said drily.
<><><>
Hours passed, as Gauss lay in his cell, waiting for the drugs to wear off. As time progressed, he found himself gaining more and more strength. First, he could move under his own strength, then he could sit up. Once he could stand, he also felt his powers coming back to him. His mastery of magnetism was what defined him, without that, he would just be another human.
Of course, in this cell, he was little better than another human. Built entirely from plastic, and furnished with plastic and rubber blends. Everything they had put in this cell for him was completely useless to him. The cell was encased in an electromagnetic field, that disrupted his abilities, stopping him from being able to affect anything outside of the field. Just outside the field, in the passageway leading to the cell, was a guard station with a metal detector, to stop anyone from taking any metal in. Foolproof. Or so they thought. But Gauss had a secret.
Gauss had metal.
As he felt his powers return, he reached out, searching for his one beacon of hope. One tiny fragment of iron, barely the size of a pea, was all he had. It sat, hidden, inside his mattress. Those idiots had brought it to him. For months, the guards had been coming to him, to feed him, to beat him, to do whatever it was that struck their fancy. And with them had come the precious, precious metal. They brought it in, those arrogant fools. Tiny traces went unnoticed by the metal detectors, but not Gauss. Gauss could feel it inside their bodies. Under their skin, in their tattoos.
It had been easy to extract the iron, the tattoos were always fresh, so the guards didn’t notice the stinging pain, as Gauss slowly but surely drained every molecule from the ink, everything he could use, and carefully moved it from within the guards’ clothes, into Gauss’ ball. For months he had been biding his time, building his ball. Building his weapon. It was time for his revenge.
He looked up, as the door swung wide open, a pair of guards stepped through, tapping their plastic batons into their open palms menacingly.
“Is it three o’clock already gentlemen?” Gauss mocked.
“Damn right it is. Time for another beating, you sick son of a bitch.” One of the guards said, as he lunged forward.
Gauss didn’t move, didn’t even flinch. He let the guard hit him in the solar plexus with his baton, knocking the wind out of Gauss.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” Gauss taunted, as the guard began to pummel at the villain’s body. “Surely a big strong man like you can hit me harder than that.”
The second guard dragged his partner away, before giving Gauss a beating of his own. The second guard wasn’t as careful as the first, allowing himself to take a few swings at Gauss’ head, where someone might see the marks. He didn’t care, the lowlife deserved it. Another hard swing to the head, and Gauss was on the floor.
“Not so clever now, are you?” The guard asked.
Gauss struggled to his feet and looked the second guard in the face, before spitting at him, the combination of saliva and blood dribbling off the guard’s face. “My turn.” Gauss said.
“Wh-“ The guard didn’t finish his sentence, as he felt his flesh begin to tear, as the tiny metal projectile ripped through his body, before continuing on its path, and straight through his partner.
“Lock him in!” The second guard shouted, as the ball of metal split into two, the projectiles slicing through the guards like they were meat in a blender.
“I guess I win.” Gauss said, as the two guards dropped to the floor in pieces.
He looked to the doorway, where another four guards were rushing to get the door shut. He smiled, before destroying the hinges with his iron balls.
The guards rushed at him, but were again thwarted by the shrapnel that Gauss controlled so well. Within moments, they were all shredded on the ground.
Gauss dropped his projectiles, as he stepped through the electromagnetic field around his cell.
“Now the fun begins.” Gauss said, as he tore the metal detector from the ground, and began to break it into smaller fragments.

To the untrained eye, Ben Mosley was your average teenager, precariously on the cusp of adulthood. In the coming weeks, his high school career would be coming to an end. The future beckoned to him. For most young men his age, it conjured shades of college and a vocation. Though slightly blurred, love and marriage loomed beyond those specters. More and more avatars of things to come waited behind those phantoms—each one more indistinct than the last: two-point-five children, late night feedings, mortgages and—God willing—early retirement.
Ben Mosley didn’t think about many of these things, mostly because Ben Mosley didn’t think about the future—or at least, he tried not to. Few would have suspected that the young man was, in fact, a member of the team of super-powered teens collectively known as the Brat Pack. Since donning the identity of Firestorm, he had fought giant apes, ninjas, Arachnophobia, sea serpents, the Order of Darkness, intoxicated jocks, pirates and Gauss…
Still, he would hardly be considered the hero in the family. Though he and the Brat Pack had done so much good since banding together almost two years ago, there was no denying that his reputation was overshadowed by his father’s: to the world, James Mosley’s alter ego—Napalm—was a legend; to his son he was an angry old man who had long ago crawled into a bottle and never came out.
Despite the issues he had with who his father was, Ben Mosley was oblivious to his slow descent into his father’s shoes. He had anger issues of his own and was slowly developing a taste for the spirits. He didn’t have many friends and he kept his teammates at arm’s length with his increasingly-hostile attitude. Kevin and Mosley were perpetually at each other’s throats and Matt seemed to be indifferent to anything concerning the hotheaded hero. Though Katie and Ally were both able to see the path their teammate was on, both were terrified of confronting him about it. Ironically, despite being the one Mosley got along best with, Fisher was most apathetic towards the youth’s metamorphosis into his father. In the end, Mosley’s teammates allowed him to further become the thing he loathed most in this world…
Still, none of them could argue that over the course of the last week, his temper had flared to unparalleled heights…
“What the hell!?!” Firestorm thundered as he looked down at the next wave of figures to be released in the Brat Pack’s likeness. “Would someone explain to me please why my figure turns into a motorcycle?”
“Action figures that, uh… transform into vehicles are very popular,” explained Stan Tuffentsamer nervously. The man was a representative of Kung-Fu Grip, a toy company that put the Brat Pack on toy store shelves across the nation. The middle-aged man knew Firestorm was the Brat Pack’s resident loose cannon. He had been educated the hard way: the last time he had met with the group, the teen’s temper flared and Stan had been forced to sprint down the hall to grab a fire extinguisher to slay the immolation threatening his desk.
That was the catalyst behind his insisting he met them in their home: the stately manor they had dubbed the Brat Cave.
“The idea is that the Firestorm figure turns into a motorcycle and then…” Stan seized another prototype at random. “…one of your teammates could ride you!” The man said it as if it were something for Firestorm to get excited about.
Firestorm did stare at the coupling thoughtfully: the figure Mister Hale had taken up with Belle’s figure from the upcoming “Water Warriors” line of figures that would be hitting store shelves in time for summer. “Belle can ride me any time,” Firestorm said, grinning smugly at his teammate and tossing a playful wink her way.
Belle rolled her eyes but his flirtation earned him the ire of both Mister Perfect and Mister Universe. At present, Mister Perfect was Belle’s boyfriend and Mister Universe was her next-door neighbor and best-friend. “I guess in order to put a ‘Mister’ in front of your codename, you have to trade in your sense of humor?” Firestorm asked, sensing their glares. He chuckled to himself as he turned his back on the other men of his team. “‘Mister Firestorm’? Nah, sounds kinda fruity…”
“Oh, cool,” Pixel said. “I turn into a helicopter!” With her index finger, the youngest of the group idly spun the rotor blades adorning her figure. “Get to ze choppa!” she exclaimed in her best Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation.
“Seriously?” Firestorm asked as he picked up another figure, only to let it fall from his hands onto the table. Stan gasped at the sight; he was terrified the youth might have broken one of the prototypes. “This makes about as much sense as the figure where I have a freakin’ backpack and arm cannon that shoots water! What about the ‘Battle Damaged Firestorm’ that was sold last year at Comic-Con?” the teen asked. “That one was totally badass!” Most importantly, there hadn’t been a Battle Damaged Mister Perfect or a Battle Damaged Mister Universe. It was a convention exclusive honor given only to him. “Why can’t the new lines of figures be like that?”
“There reaches a point where it becomes hard to come up with new gimmicks,” Stan said. He gathered the figure Firestorm had let fall—it was a figure of Mister Perfect that transformed into a sports car. “After the first wave of figures, we were able to market the ‘Combat Ready’ figures—like the Firestorm that had a spring-loaded mechanism that allowed the toy to eject plastic fireballs?”
That was another figure Firestorm had liked. Mister Universe’s ‘Combat Ready’ figure was magnetic and came with magnetic accessories that could stick to his chest and hands. Mister Perfect’s figure had a ‘rocket uppercut’: when the button his back was pressed, a spring forced his arm to swing upwards. Belle’s figure came with light-up eyes while Pixel—whose powers were difficult to depict in an action figure—simply came packaged with a rocket launcher.
“I fail to see the necessity for my likeness to be forever immortalized in a six-inch-scale piece of plastic,” Fissure said, turning the action figure made in his likeness over. Pressing the button on the back resulted in his conjuring a faint stream of water from the figure that spritzed him in the face. “In my time, children occupied their time with not dying, rather than spraying each other with water…”
“Whatever,” Firestorm growled. “Are we done here? Some of us have places to be…”
He didn’t bother waiting to be excused; he simply marched out of the room and vanished further into the manor.
Mister Perfect rolled his eyes. “It’s good to know that with graduation looming on the horizon, he’s starting to mature.”
“Be still my heart,” Pixel giggled. “You’ve developed a sense of sarcasm!”
“Great,” Mister Perfect grumbled as he turned his back on the youngest member of their group, “he’s corrupted you.”
Belle put down the figure she had been idly toying with and proceeded to follow the trail Firestorm had blazed. “I’m going to go talk to him,” she said.
“You mean waste your breath,” Mister Perfect grumbled as he watched his girlfriend’s back retreating from him.
Belle hurried up the stairs and soon found the room Firestorm had claimed. Her knuckles wrapping on the door caused it to creak open further; in his haste, the teen hadn’t shut the door behind him. “Ben?” she asked as she poked her head in. She cringed at the state of his domicile: purchasing the mansion had siphoned the last of the income she gained from her “Belle-Bottoms” endorsement. The ceiling was singed—no doubt from her teammate’s frequent flare-ups—and the carpet was obscured by dirty laundry, empty soda cans and precariously stacked take-out boxes.
Mosley still didn’t have a proper bed: instead a mattress lay on the floor, under the window. No sheets or blankets adorned his bed—only a pillow sans its case rested on the box springs.
“Be it ever so humble,” the girl muttered before Mosley’s lithe form stumbled out from behind the closet door. He was shirtless and garbed only a pair of black slacks. Immediately, Belle’s face turned crimson and she began to pull back. “S-sorry,” she said. “I was just… your door was open…”
“It’s okay,” Mosley said as he slipped his arms through a white dress shirt. “Lemme guess: Jockstrap is pissed that I left without curtseying to our guest?”
“Kevin,” Belle growled, emphasizing her boyfriend’s name over the soubriquet Mosley had bestowed on him, “didn’t send me up here.” After removing her gloves, Katie pried off her mask. “I was worried about you. You haven’t been yourself lately… Now I come upstairs and you’re wearing this!?!” She picked up the black jacket that was hanging from the doorknob. “I didn’t even know you owned a suit…”
“My dad used to say every man should own a black suit,” Mosley said as he started to do up the buttons on his shirt. “He called it a marry ‘em and bury ‘em suit—only times you need to wear it is for weddings and funerals.”
“See, now I know something’s wrong: I think that might be the most you’ve ever voluntarily told me about your dad.”
“Eh, Oscar Wilde had this saying: ‘The less said about life’s sores, the better.’”
“You don’t strike me as the kind who reads Oscar Wilde.”
“I’m not the kind who reads anybody,” Mosley said as he seized a black tie. “I heard it once—dunno where—and thought it sounded cool.” He draped the tie around his neck and then frowned down at it. “How in the hell do you tie these things?” he asked.
Katie rolled her eyes before walking over to stand before him. She tiptoed through his room as if she were traipsing through a minefield: with all of the litter that congregated on his floor, each step she took was a careful one. “So which of them is it?” she asked as she took the tie in her hands.
“Huh?” Mosley asked, unsure what she meant.
“You said you only wear a black suit to a wedding or a funeral. Which is it?”
“The kind without a cash bar,” Mosley grumbled.
Katie nodded in understanding. “I hate funerals,” she confessed.
Mosley chuckled. “You can’t spell ‘funeral’ without ‘F-U-N’.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “Every funeral I’ve ever been to, the priest or minister or whatever they have stands up and reads from Ecclesiastes. You know: the chapter that the Byrds used for that one song? God, every time I go to a funeral and they read that chapter, I have to fight the urge to sing, ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’” The brunette chuckled softly and then swept a rogue strand of hair out of her face. “So, whose funeral are you going to?”
“His name is Gavin Eichenlaub; I met him on my first day of junior high. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that was only six years ago—it seems like such a lifetime now… Anyway, I wasn’t always the total badass you see before you. I was shy and awkward and… well, twelve-years-old. Anyway, my first day wrapped up with me walking home and this van pulls up… This grey thing that creaked as it went down the street and screeched when it made a left-hand turn pulled up alongside the road and this kid from my class—Gavin—sticks his head out the window and smiles. His brother, Eddy, was driving and… when Gavin pointed out that I was in his class, he pulled over to offer me a ride.
“I didn’t know who the hell the guy was and… well, you know how we’re conditioned from an early age to not talk to strangers? I took off at a run; I was terrified they were going to grab me and stuff me in the back of the van and I’d never be heard from again.
“After a few weeks of school, I got to know Gavin and… well, one day he invited me to his house after school. I told him I needed to ask permission and that night, I got it. The next day… I walked out of Chester A. Arthur Junior High School and stepped into the van of Eddy Eichenlaub.
“Eddy turned out to be pretty cool. He had graduated high school the year before and was taking college classes during the day. He got home around one—just in time to pick his kid brother up from school. Their dad died a year before and Eddy did everything in his power to keep Gavin from dwelling on what they’d lost. He was always so cool…” Mosley started laughing then and Katie pulled back. She wasn’t used to him expressing pleasure—at least, not when he wasn’t lighting things on fire.
“What?” she asked as she raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
“God, I just remembered this thing that Eddy used to do to girls…”
“Eww,” Katie said.
“That’s not where I was going.”
“I hope not.”
“He would come up to them with a handkerchief, right? And offer it out to them and ask, ‘Does this smell like chloroform to you?’”
“That’s… not a vast improvement over what I was thinking, Mosley.”
“Whatever. Thing is… he did it to creep girls out. He never had any problem getting girls, y’know? He knew he could get any girl he wanted so… when he got bored he would just do stuff like that. He was my hero. I didn’t exactly have a great family life but… Gavin’s family sort of took me in as one of them. Hell, they even took me with them on vacation once. Eddy said he was too old to enjoy Disney World and gave his seat to me. Gavin and Eddy were like the brothers I never had and now… Gavin’s gone.”
“I’m sorry,” Katie said.
“Why?” Mosley asked. “Are you the one that got him drunk off his ass and then let him drive home?”
“N-no,” she stammered. The very mention of alcohol hit a little close to home for the young woman. “I’m just… I’m sorry that you lost someone so precious.” She adjusted the newly tied Pratt knot and smiled sweetly at her teammate. “There,” she said as she patted the breast of Mosley’s jacket. “Now you look dapper.”
Mosley stared at her with his mouth agape. Katie looked up at him and he immediately shut his maw so as not to seem so dopey. Instead, his hungry eyes fixed on her with an intense gaze. Katie turned away and Mosley gently caught her chin in his hand and steered her face back to his. “Mosley…” she said exasperatedly.
“You know how in The Breakfast Club, Molly Ringwald ends up giving her earring to Judd Nelson and not Charlie Sheen’s less successful brother?”
“Don’t forget that Emilio Estevez kicked Judd Nelson’s ass in the movie…”
“Until Judd Nelson pulled a knife.”
“Kevin’s impervious—he’d shrug off a knife.”
“Good thing we’re talking about Emilio Estevez and not Jockstrap then, huh?” Mosley asked.
“Mosley, the metaphor is… Hell, you don’t have to read minds to see what you’re saying…”
“You also don’t have to read minds to see that right now, he’s terrified of who you’re becoming. C’mon, Katie… After we got our asses handed to us by the Assembly, Kevin poured himself into trying to be more perfect and you started…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it—not to her face—so he made a substitution: “You started to become more like me.” That accusation put a scowl on her face and Mosley continued, unaware of the dangerous territory he was encroaching on. “It’s weird how… he dealt with it all by trying to better himself and you dealt with everything by getting worse. You two started to pull apart. All that’s holding you together is a physical attraction—you don’t get each other! I get you though and you… Heh, you’re the only one here who gets me…
“Shouldn’t you be with someone who understands you?”
Katie stared angrily at him. “I love Kevin,” she stated. “He loves me. End of story.”
Mosley moved past her and snatched up his jacket. “Yeah, well, if life’s repeatedly pounded any lesson into my head, it’s that nothing lasts forever.”
Mosley swung the jacket around his body and slipped his arms through the sleeves as he descended the stairs. At the base stood Mister Perfect; his arms were folded across his chest and his foot was tapping impatiently. “Where do you think you’re going?” the paragon asked.
“Out,” Mosley said as his feet touched down on the ground level. “Don’t wait up.”
“You’ve got some nerve storming out of that meeting!” Mister Perfect barked at him. The youth proceeded to walk backwards, ensuring that with each step Mosley took, he was in his face. Mosley didn’t take it that way though: he smirked at the realization that Mister Perfect was backing away from him. “Mister Tuffentsamer didn’t come all the way from La Jolla to have you go slamming doors like a thirteen-year-old girl who’s daddy won’t buy her that pony she wants!”
Mosley stopped and glared at him. “Can I ask you a question, Jockstrap?”
Mister Perfect narrowed his eyes and glared suspiciously at his teammate. “What, Ben?”
“What kind of shampoo does Katie use, because upstairs when I was smelling her hair-”
Mister Perfect swung and Mosley flinched. When he realized he didn’t feel anything connect, he opened his eyes and took in the sight of Fissure’s armored-hand closed around the intercepted punch. “Perhaps I was wrong,” Fissure said slowly, “but I was under the impression that we were teammates and not enemies.”
“Try telling that to him!” spat Mister Perfect.
“Says the guy who threw the first punch?” Mosley asked.
“You wanna start something, Mosley!?!”
“You already started something, Jockstrap, but I’d be more than happy to finish it!”
“Enough!” Katie shouted. The Brat Pack turned and took in the sight of her standing midway down the stairs. “For God’s sake, I am so sick of this endless cycle! You goad Kevin and he goads you and it just keeps going back and forth! For the sake of everyone around you, just stop!”
Mosley adjusted his tie and smoothed the lapels of his jacket. “Whatever,” he grumbled. “I’ve got places to go and people to do.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Mister Perfect snapped.
“Mommy? Daddy?” Mosley looked from Katie to her beau; his voice was a mock-child’s voice. “Can I be excused from the table and go over to Timmy’s house to play?” He scoffed at them as he pranced past Fissure and Mister Perfect.
Soon enough, Mosley was on his motorcycle, flying down the road towards Jurwicz Funeral Home. There, he tried his best to navigate the labyrinth of faces he didn’t know. It seemed the Eichenlaub extended family was here in full-force. He knew a few of them from the various birthday parties and graduation ceremonies he had been to. Eventually, Mosley’s eyes settled on Gavin’s mother—Amanda Eichenlaub.
As he watched her, Mosley found himself transfixed by his late friend’s mother. Even closing in on fifty, the woman was as attractive as ever. More than anything, Mosley was enamored with her eyes: her tilted, almond-shaped eyes that found him as easily as he found her.
A man in his mid-twenties stepped up to her and offered out a bottle of water. Mosley couldn’t help smile at the sight of Eddy Eichenlaub. His hairline had receded back a bit but he was still everything Mosley remembered—even if he looked out of place in his marry ‘em and bury ‘em suit.
The grieving woman whispered to her son and the man leaned from side to side in an attempt to get a clear view at Mosley. Finally, Amanda motioned for Mosley to abandon his self-imposed post at the back of the room and join them at the front.
As he neared them, Mosley’s eyes picked out the small things he had missed from across the room: Eddy’s face had a hollow appearance and his eyes were red from crying over his baby brother.
“Ben,” Eddy said, as he offered out his hand. Mosley took it and before he could shake it, Eddy pulled the youth towards him and slipped his other arm around the man’s back. “I’m glad you came, Ben,” he said as he hugged him longingly. “I knew you would…”
“Sit with us, Ben,” Amanda said, motioning to the front row that had been reserved for Gavin’s immediately family.
Mosley opened his mouth to protest but Eddy quickly silenced that. “You were always like my little brother,” he said. He quickly corrected himself: “My other little brother…”
“You’re a part of our family, Ben,” Amanda said, ending all further remonstrations. Mosley accepted their invitation and sat down with Gavin’s mother and elder brother and watched as the chaplain emerged and proceeded to begin the memorial service.
“To every thing there is a season,” he said as he began reading from Ecclesiastes, “and a time to every purpose under the heaven: / A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; / A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; / A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance …”
It took reserves of self-restrain Mosley didn’t know he possessed to keep from laughing and he made a mental note to hurt Katie for putting such thoughts in his head. In the end, he let out a small chortle that he quickly covered his mouth to reign in. He looked to his right—towards Eddy—to ensure he hadn’t disrespected their fallen brother; Eddy’s attention wasn’t on the minister… but on someone standing at the back of the parlor. “Eddy?” Mosley whispered, unsure what had so ensnared his hero’s focus.
Eddy bounded to his feet and turned towards the young man in the back with murderous intent shimmering behind his veil of tears. “You son of a bitch,” he growled. A collective gasp rippled through the mourners while the chaplain simply stared at Eddy with his mouth agape. If anything, Mosley realized this meant he wouldn’t have to endure anymore scripture. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here…”
“Eddy,” the man’s mother said, standing and trying to steer her surviving child back to his chair. “Let it go…”
“What’s going on?” Mosley asked, trying to make sense of everything unfolding around him.
“No, mom—I won’t let it go!” Eddy’s tears flowed freely now. “That son of a bitch shouldn’t be here!”
Mosley’s attention went to the man in the back. He seemed about the same age as Mosley and his teammates—likely approaching his own high school graduation. Little stood out about him—he was dressed like the other mourners and wore the same sad look the rest of the Eichenlaub family wore. Still, Mosley thought he saw something more there than just grief: remorse and guilt and anguish were evident on his face.
Suddenly, Mosley pieced it together…
“Edward, just… just sit down and let the preacher finish…”
“It’s not the time to cry!” Eddy snapped. Mosley looked back to his hero and was stunned to see the tears stop—literally stop halfway down his face. “It’s a time to kill…”
Eddy’s tears shot from his body like bullets and the man in the back leapt clear to avoid being hit by them. As Mosley wondered what sort of damage tears could cause, his ears registered the sound of breaking glass. Though the tears had missed their target, they had pierced the window behind him.
Mosley’s head whipped around when he caught something out of the corner of his eye: Amanda screamed as the water left her bottle and wavered like a serpent above her. Realizing that Eddy had abilities of his own, Mosley sprang to his feet in an effort to keep this from unfolding into the sort of drama he and his teammates regularly descended into. “Eddy, don’t do this!”
“He’s the one!” Eddy snapped. His tears were now floating from his face and joining their brothers in forming a halo that rotated around his head. “He’s the guy who got Gavin the booze! He got him drunk and let him get behind the wheel!
“He’s the one who killed my little brother!”
The halo flattened and became a disc. Immediately Mosley’s eyes sprang open wide. “Not good,” he said as he watched it fly from its master.
It was like a saw blade flying across the room, navigating around those Eddy discerned as innocent and seeking out the one destined to receive his vengeance. Mosley struggled to catalogue his available options: without his costume on hand, he couldn’t risk exposing his identity as Firestorm—not when Gavin’s immediately family were so intimate with Ben Mosley. He wondered if there could be a discreet way to use his powers to stop this chaos from transforming into a catastrophe but dismissed it knowing that water would beat fire every time. For a brief flicker of a moment he lamented that he wasn’t Matt, as the young genius could have formulated a plan that would have saved the day by now…
If he were Katie, he’d know exactly what to say to calm Eddy down—after all, she was usually the one who reasoned with Mosley…
Suddenly, Mosley knew exactly what to do: “Enough!” he shouted. In his mind he could picture the brunette beauty gripping the railing of the stairs, partway between the ground floor and the next level of the Brat Cave. “Don’t you get it, Eddy!?! You’re just going to create an endless cycle!”
Mosley breathed easier when he saw the disc hover in the air, mere feet from shredding through the frightened young man’s flesh. “So what!?! He’s responsible for Gavin’s death so you’ll be responsible for his!?! How long before his big brother comes hunting for you, Eddy!?! Hell, he’d have to beat the Brat Pack or the Boomers to you. Revenge is such a petty thing—it’s not worth this!” He waved his hand towards Gavin’s casket. “Your mother’s buried your father and your brother—don’t make her bury you too!”
“He killed Gavin!” Eddy cried. “He shouldn’t have come here!”
Mosley nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty tasteless, but Eddy… look at him! He obviously came here because he feels terrible for what happened! He wasn’t trying to kill Gavin! He was his friend! He made a mistake and… and Gavin made it with him! This kid didn’t make Gavin drink with him! Gavin made a choice—a really stupid one—but he made a choice! You wanna start going after anyone who ever made a bad decision? Might as well kill me next; trust me—I’ve made plenty!”
Eddy sobbed hysterically and Mosley watched as the water—both the writhing serpent rising from Amanda’s water bottle and the spinning disc forged from Eddy’s tears—fell to the floor of the funeral parlor.
Mosley turned to survey the damage. Most of the mourners had fled at the first sign of trouble. The double doors they had rushed through to escape opened once again—only this time, to admit the Brat Pack into the chamber.
Mister Perfect scanned the room and glanced over Mosley in the process. He was enough of a professional to not expose his teammate’s identity by showing signs of recognition. “Where’s the fire?” he asked, emphasizing the last word for Mosley’s benefit. Mosley understood what his rival meant: their fearless leader likely blamed him for this incident.
“Wow, the Brat Pack,” Mosley said, trying to feign awe to keep his cover. “You guys got here quick…”
“One of your fellow mourners called 9-1-1,” Mister Universe said. “Lucky for you, Fissure was listening in on the police scanner…”
Fissure shrugged. “It’s not as if I have a social life…”
Pixel watched as the lights from police cars and ambulances spilled through the windows and swept over the walls of the parlor. “Is anyone hurt?” she asked, seeing an opportunity to get Mosley away from everyone else. “Everyone should get checked out just to be safe…”
Mosley watched as the Eichenlaub family made their way out first. Eventually, the young man Eddy had tried to kill left.
Alone with his teammates, Mosley allowed himself to relax. “You mind telling us what the hell you started this time?” Mister Perfect demanded as he watched his teammate tear off his tie and slide out of his jacket. “As soon as I connected Fissure’s ‘disturbance at a funeral home’ and Belle’s ‘Mosley went to a funeral’, I knew you’d be right in the middle of it.”
“You know me,” Mosley grumbled as he slung his jacket and tie over his shoulder. He strode past the rest of the Brat Pack to head out to where the ambulances were waiting for him. He knew that if he was going to keep up the appearance of an ordinary citizen, he’d need to “I cause problems everywhere I go…”

“I’m telling you, this isn’t possible!” Mr Universe shouted, as he dove out of the way of the giant moth’s gaping mouth.
“Well, there’s a thousand ton moth here that would like to argue with you.” Mr Perfect said, as he started pounding the beast’s wings.
“The Square-Cube law says it’s not possible.” Mr Universe argued.
“Well, you can arrest this dude in the name of the Square-Cube for all I care. We need to stop this giant moth-fo.”
“Ugh, terrible pun. And seriously, how am I supposed to beat this thing if the laws of physics don’t apply?”
“You’ll miss my puns when you’re in Boston.” Mr Perfect gave up on the wings, instead flying around the giant moth’s head.
“Pretty sure that’s the last thing I’ll miss.” Mr Universe said.
“Surely the Assembly will be the last thing you miss.” Mr Perfect said.
“Your puns are more annoying than them.”
“Remember when they were our arch-enemies?”
“They still are. Redemption is stronger than you, and he hates you. Helix still tortured Ally, and tried to torture Katie. Anna still hates Mosley and Katie. And Fisher is pretty set on taking down their boss.”
“Yeah, but remember when they were our worthy opponents?” Mr Perfect punched the moth in the eye, eliciting what sounded like a scream. “Weak spot.”
“Why is it always the eyes? And yeah, they were worthy opponents when they had Gauss in their line-up. That guy gives me nightmares.”
Suddenly the moth shot upward, taking both heroes by surprise as it tried to make a getaway.
“Wow, it’s really not that intelligent, is it? I mean, it’s way slower than you, let alone me.” Mr Perfect said.
“Yeah, we should probably catch it. The dumbass is heading inland.” Mr Universe said.
“Good point. By the way, you never know, The Assembly might become worthy opponents again after you guys leave.” Mr Perfect said, as the two followed after the moth.
“I think you guys are going to have to hold auditions then, to find our replacements.” Mr Universe said, as he used his powers to tear a length of fence from the side of the highway they were flying over.
“Dude, hundreds of people crash on the PCH every week, taking away their fence isn’t going to help.” Mr Perfect said.
“Hey, you can punch it, but all I’ve got is the magnetism thing. If you’ve got something better for me to hit it with, then let me know.” Mr Universe said, as the fence began to crumple into a ball.
“I’m just saying… Anyway, I still can’t believe you guys are leaving. We’re screwed without you.” Mr Perfect said.
The ball of metal streaked through the air, striking the moth in the back, right between the wings. The moth dropped momentarily, but just kept flying.
“I’m sure you’ll be just fine, and we’ll be back over the summer anyway.” Mr Universe called the ball of metal back towards him, readying it for another strike.
“Dude, you’re like, the most powerful teenager in the world, and Katie’s a psychic. Or team is like, half as strong without you. Why can’t you guys just go to school in California?”
Mr Universe sighed, as he struck the moth again, barely getting a reaction from the giant insect. “Look, I don’t know about Katie, but I’m not just going because I like MIT. I wanted to go to Stanford.”
“Then just go to Stanford. It’s not that difficult.” Mr Perfect had caught up with the moth by now, and had proceeded to kick it in the face.
“It’s not just about the school man. I have to get out of California, and MIT is the next best thing to Stanford, and it’s on the same coast as Hannah.” Mr Universe struck the moth in the wing with his ball of road-barrier, causing it to do a barrel-roll, as it tried to correct its flight.
“And it’s further away from Tide?” Mr Perfect asked.
“Katie told you huh? I’ll admit; it took her longer than I expected. Yeah, that’s another reason. I mean, I broke it off months ago, but we still talk, and there are still some feelings.” Mr Universe said.
“How can you have feelings for her? What about Hannah?”
“Look, I love Hannah more than anything in the world, but Adrienne… She’s so cute and shy around me… And she’s not like normal girls, you know? And she wanted me, not the other way around.”
“If you don’t want her, then what’s the problem?” Mr Perfect gave the moth another kick in the face, directing it away from the nearby suburbs.
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, you know what it’s like to have girls chase you all the time, Katie made the first move on you and all… I’ve never had that. I mean, before Hannah, girls didn’t even give me the time of day. Even with Hannah, I had to make the effort, I had to ask her out, and convince her I was worth a long-distance relationship. Adrienne pursued me. She convinced me. And she was right there. There was no long-distance.”
“And then we lost to the Assembly.” Mr Perfect said.
“Yeah. Then we lost to the Assembly. Suddenly we were nothing again, and Adrienne, I mean, her sister is Nymphette, so she knows what it’s like to be nothing, when there’s that comparison right there. And she was there, and I was weak. I guess she took advantage, but still. I let her. I’ll never forgive myself, but I went back for more. I initiated it after that.”
“Look, I’m not saying I condone it, but I understand man. We were all hit pretty hard by that loss, and having that douchebag Captain Awesome be the one to pull us out, that was even worse.”
“You still have issues with Awesome?”
“Well, the comparisons are inevitable. We have the same powers, his are just better.”
“At least he’s on our side. Sort of. I’ve got a guy out there with my powers, who is out to hurt people. Gauss can cancel me out, and then kill me without batting an eyelash.” Mr Universe shot his all of metal straight through the moth’s wing, sending it crashing to the ground.
“He is in Alcatraz though.”
“Yeah, but for how long?”

“You promised your mom you wouldn’t be stoned for your graduation dude.” Tom said, smacking Mac on the back of the head.
“Dude, I’m barely buzzed. I’ll be fine.” Mac said.
“No, you promised.” Tom said.
“Fine, I’ll just get a teacher stoned.” Mac said.
“Get Mr Earl, he tried to flunk me last year.” Tom laughed.
“As soon as I see him, he’s going to be baked.” Mac laughed, as Tom stopped the van.
The two stepped out, almost tripping over their robes as they headed to the auditorium, following the crowd that was milling around the entrance. They weren’t late… Yet.
Lucky for Mac, Mr Earl was standing on the door, checking tickets, and supervising the students. The air between Mac and Mr Earl shimmered momentarily, as Mac transferred his mental state on to the science teacher.
“That’ll teach him.” Tom laughed, as they approached the door.
Mac laughed along, but cut off suddenly, clutching his head.
“Woah dude! Did you just see something?” Tom asked.
“Yeah… I’m gonna need another smoke.” Mac said.
<><><>
“Tom and Mac just walked in.” Matt said, pointing to the door.
“Oh, they made it? I’m a little shocked really.” Katie said.
“Yeah, I thought they’d be passed out on Tom’s living room floor.” Matt agreed.
“Still no sign of Mosley though. Surely he’s not going to miss graduation.” Kevin said, looking around the crowded auditorium.
“Wouldn’t put it past him.” Matt said.
“He’ll be here.” Katie assured them.
“Oh hey, it’s Dylan. I didn’t know he was a senior.” Kevin pointed.
<><><>
“Can’t believe Katie talked me into this.” Mosley muttered, as he sped along the streets on his motorbike. “It’s just some stupid ceremony. I graduate either way.”
He rounded the corner, approaching the school. “I could have been out hitting some douchebag criminal in the face. Instead I’m here. Oh well, there’s always tonight.” He continued, as he reached the parking lot.
”It’s going to be a long day.”
<><><>
“And know that this is not an ending, but a beginning…” Principal Holmes droned on, as the students fought to keep from falling asleep.
“I think I’ve heard this speech before…” Matt whispered, and Katie laughed. “It was totally on a TV show.”
“I know, but which one? Everyone has a graduation episode.” Katie agreed.
“I know, it’s kind of overdone. And then they play “Don’t You Forget About Me” or “Good Riddance” or something similar, and then the show is never as good as it was.” Matt said.
“Yeah. Remember The OC after they graduated?” Katie said.
“Ugh. Remember: Season 4 never happened. What about One Tree Hill?” Matt laughed.
“Everything went downhill when they killed off the one sane adult. That was before graduation.” Katie argued.
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Kevin asked.
“Do you watch any TV?” Matt asked.
“I watch SportsCenter.” Kevin offered.
“Ugh.” Matt groaned. “Never mind.”
“… And though we have been through so much this year…” Principal Holmes continued.
He never finished his speech, as the roof tore open, and Redemption flew through the opening, Helix close behind.
“The year’s not over yet boss-man!” The Basher yelled from the main entrance.
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.” Matt said.
“We’re going to make it simple. We want the Brat Pack to reveal themselves, and nobody gets hurt. Much.” Firefly stood by the side entrance, a fireball in her hand.
“We need costumes. Now.” Kevin said.
“Helix is scanning for us. He’ll find us any second. I can’t cover us from that.” Katie said.
“We need to move. There’s got to be another door, right?” Kevin asked.
“Yeah, behind the stage. But we’ll get caught sneaking back there for sure.” Katie said.
“Dude, everyone is running everywhere. We’ve got cover.” Matt said, as he started to make a beeline for the stage.
“Mosley’s already on his way.” Kevin jerked his head in the direction of their teammate.
“No, he just ducked into the bathroom. What the hell?” Matt asked.
“He said he was going on patrol with Fisher after… Maybe his costume is under his robe?” Katie asked.
“At least something is turning out right for us.” Kevin said.
<><><>
“I hope nobody is trying to call for help. We’ve cut the phonelines, and Redemption here can intercept any cell phone transmissions. No-one is coming to help you.” The Basher laughed, as people bombarded him in the doorway, trying to escape.
“Hurry up Helix, I can’t see them in this crowd.” Redemption ordered.
“What have I told you about ordering me around?” Helix asked. “I’ve almost got a lock.”
“Hurry up.” Redemption ordered.
“I’ll find them when I’m good and… Did it just get all blurry in here?” Helix asked.
“What? Are you an idiot?” Redemption demanded.
“Man, chill out. Why do you have to be so angry all the time?” Helix asked.
“Are you high?”
“Maybe. Isn’t that one of the Brats’ power? I mean, he’s not as great as me, but it’s a pretty effective power.”
On the ground, Mac laughed. “Well, that’s my part done. You guys had better move your asses.”
<><><>
“The door’s just through here.” Katie led Matt and Kevin backstage… Directly into Principal Holmes.
“What are you doing here?” Principal Holmes asked.
“We were… trying to escape.” Matt stammered.
“You were getting an academic award, and you’re this dense? Come on Appleby, I know what those guys want.” Holmes said.
“Sir?” Katie asked.
“I put the five of you in detention, and there’s a super-battle. Last time these guys attacked the school, Pixel was on the scene before I called the police. I’m not an idiot. Why aren’t you up there fighting them?” Holmes said.
“… We’re grabbing our costumes. Secret identities and all that.” Matt said.
“Of course… Hurry up then, who knows how long they’ll take to start killing people.” Holmes unlocked the back door and ushered them through to the parking lot.
<><><>
“Ok, that’s it. I’m going to start frying cheerleaders.” Firefly said, as she lobbed her fireball into a crowd of shrieking graduates. The girls ducked, covering their heads with their hands, but the fire never hit them, instead dissipating in midair.
“You’re a one-trick pony, aren’t you?” Firestorm was leaning against the wall, in full costume, a smirk on his face.
“Oh, I was hoping you’d be the first one to show his face.” Firefly said. “We’ve got a Brat! Let the hostages go!”
“Oh hell yes!” The Basher started charging forward.
“Crap.” Firestorm said, as he dove out of the path of the charging powerhouse.
“Now who’s a one-trick pony?” Firefly asked, as Redemption started divebombing Firestorm, who was forced to duck and weave to avoid being hit.
“Pretty sure it’s still you.” Firestorm said, as Redemption was tackled out of midair by Mr Perfect. “Cutting it a little close, aren’t you jock-strap?”
“I could just leave you to it if you’d like.” Mr Perfect quipped back.
“Not a chance in hell, freak.” Redemption flew directly at Mr Perfect, the two clashing in midair.
“The Fog has hit Helix already, I can take him. Have you got The Basher?” Belle asked.
“No problem.” Mr Universe replied. “Firestorm, have you got Firefly?”
“Does the Pope crap in the woods? I got her.” Firestorm said, advancing on his niece.
“Alright then. Let’s do this.” Mr Universe said, as he started gathering up the rows of seats with his powers.
“Do your worst.” The Basher said, cracking his knuckles.
“Will do.” Mr Universe said, as he began bombarding The Basher with chairs. The Basher, however, just shrugged off the attacks.
“Is that the best you can do?” The Basher laughed, before lowering his shoulder and charging at the hero.
“Have you been taking lessons from Rama?” Mr Universe asked, as he levitated upwards, well out of The Basher’s path, sending the villain crashing into the wall.
“Can Rama do this?” The Basher asked, as he leapt into the air, leaving a shallow crater where he kicked off the ground. He sailed up about ten feet, grabbing Mr Universe by the legs and pulling him to the ground, where he got him in a bear hug.
“I don’t know. I’ll ask him next time I’m in New York.” Mr Universe gasped, as he felt his ribs begin to crack.
“I don’t think you’re going to make it that far.” The Basher said.
“You’d be surprised…” Mr Universe said, as he used his powers to force the metal in his costume to push against The Basher’s arms, relieving some of the pressure.
“I wonder who can last the longest?” The Basher taunted.
“I’d say it’s going to be me.” Mr Universe said.
“And why is that?” The Basher asked.
“Because, despite your best efforts, I can still breathe.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” The Basher demanded.
Mr Universe forced a smile, as he used his powers to disconnect the pipe to the fire sprinklers, pointing it directly into The Basher’s mouth, causing the villain to begin coughing and spluttering, before letting go of Mr Universe, in order to block the water.
“And of course, I’m not about to be struck by lightning.” Mr Universe added, as he flew into the air again.
“Huh?” Was all The Basher managed, before Dylan unloaded at least 50,000 volts into his body, rendering him unconscious.
“Ok, get out of here.” Mr Universe ordered, and Dylan nodded, running out the side door.
Mr Universe turned to see Firestorm drop his niece with a punch, before turning the other way and seeing Belle do the same to Helix.
“Where’s Perfect?” Mr Universe asked.
Belle pointed to the sky. “They went that way.”
“I guess I’d best go help him, huh?” Mr Universe said, as he began to fly up.
Suddenly, there was a crash, as a tangled mess of bodies rocketed into the ground, sending concrete and floorboards flying.
When the dust cleared, Mr Perfect was standing over the broken form of Redemption.
“How’s that for a graduation episode?” Mr Perfect asked.

Kevin exhaled slowly, as he stood up from his squat, his shoulders bearing a weight-bar. Sweat beaded on his forehead, as he struggled to hold it up without using his powers. There was no point being able to augment his strength if he didn’t have a decent baseline strength.
“Ok, you’re done.” Coach Milne said, helping him carry the bar over to the rack. “I don’t know why you’re pushing yourself so hard, you’ve got months until college starts, you should be resting.”
Kevin smiled, as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “I’ve gotta look good for graduation Coach.” Kevin laughed. “Besides, if I get lazy over summer, I’ll end up looking like you.” Kevin pointed at Coach Milne’s paunch.
“Watch it kid, you haven’t graduated yet.” Milne smiled. “You’d best hit the showers if you’re going to be in your next class on time.”
Kevin looked up at the clock. Ten minutes until the next class! He hurried into the locker room, leaving Coach Milne chuckling to himself. “Damn teenagers.”
Neither of them noticed the dark shape hovering at the window.
<><><>
“Are you sure you don’t want a ride home?” Katie asked, as she kissed her boyfriend goodbye.
“No, I’ll be fine. I need the exercise.” Kevin said between kisses.
Katie ran her hands over his torso, feeling his abs through his shirt. “I think you’re already in pretty good shape.” She teased.
“But I can always be better.” Kevin said.
“You can’t get better than Perfect.” Katie said.
“I can try.” Kevin said, breaking their embrace. “I should probably start my jog, before you use your feminine wiles to trick me into skipping it.”
Katie laughed. “Ok, call me tonight?”
“Of course.” Kevin said, before blowing her a kiss and jogging off in the distance.
A shout from Matt caused Katie to turn around and miss the flicker of something moving after Kevin in the shadows.
<><><>
Kevin jogged slowly on the spot, not wanting to lower his heart-rate as he checked the mailbox. Only one letter, from the school, addressed to him. He opened it as he jogged up the driveway, slowing down to a walk as he reached the doorway. Inside were tickets to his graduation ceremony for him and his parents. He tossed them on the kitchen counter before heading upstairs for a shower.
Moments later, the front door opened again, as a metal orb floated through the doorway, a thin arm with a claw-like hand dangling below it, and a camera on top of it. It sailed across the room to the counter, where it picked up the graduation tickets, the camera zooming in and focussing on them.
A noise from upstairs caused the drone to drop the tickets, before flying out the door, closing it behind.
Kevin headed down the stairs. “Huh.” He muttered. “Could have sworn I heard something.”
<><><>
Kevin laid back on his bed, as he talked on the phone. “Yeah, mine came today too. I can’t wait. Just one week and we’re out of there.”
The microphone that sat on his windowsill, almost invisibly, couldn’t pick up what was said on the other end.
“Yeah, Tom forgot to order tickets, so Ally’s gonna have to sit this one out. Fisher hasn’t been born yet, so he can’t really give the school ID to buy tickets, and we can’t pass him off as a relative… Him being black and all.” Kevin laughed. “So really it’s just the Power Trio… And you, of course.”
Again silence, as Katie spoke on the other end of the line. “I don’t know, it’s just what Matt calls us. Something about some website. But yeah, only the graduates are going to be there from the team. You, me, Matt and Mosley.”
More silence, before Kevin spoke again. “As soon as we graduate, we can go to full time heroing. We’re going to be the next West Coast Boomers, I promise.” Kevin paused as Katie spoke. “I know you’re moving to Boston. It was just an example.” Kevin rolled his eyes, as Katie started arguing.
The microphone retracted back into the drone, it didn’t need to hear this.
<><><>
Redemption laughed, as he mentally ordered his drone to return to him. The cybernetic enhancements his new Master had given him were coming in handy for more than just brute force. The same brain augmentations that allowed him to control his strength and flight gave him access to the control units in the drones, allowing them to act as his eyes and ears.
For days Redemption had been watching his enemy. Watching and waiting. Waiting for the moment Mr Perfect dropped his guard and showed a weakness. And that day was finally upon him. He finally knew when to strike.
“And you’re just going to do it alone?” Helix startled Redemption, causing the villain to spin around suddenly, to face his teammate.
“What?” Redemption asked.
“Just because they put a computer in your brain, doesn’t mean I can’t read your mind.” Helix said.
“I’ve warned you about that, freak.” Redemption stood up, towering above Helix.
“Sit down before I put you down. I’m here to help. You can’t take down the Brats alone, even if they’re not all there. You need the Assembly. And you need a plan. Fortunately for you, I have both.” Helix said.
“Why would you help me get my revenge?” Redemption asked.
“Because The Boss wants the Brats taken down, and we need to do it soon, before they can be full-time heroes. They’re too powerful for us to allow them free rein. They need to be put down.” Helix said.
“Well now. That sounds like a plan.” Redemption laughed.

Matt rushed down the stairs. Surely today was the day. It had to be there. There was no way they were going to make him wait any longer.
He charged out the door and down the driveway, running as fast as he could to the mailbox. He opened it up, and shouted out in joy. It was there. Amazing that one little envelope could hold all his hopes, dreams and fears. One little envelope, with the words “Massachusetts Institute of Technology” on it.
“You got one!?”
Matt looked up from his mail to see Katie standing by her own mailbox a few yards away.
“Yep. How about you?” Matt asked.
Katie opened the mailbox. “Oh my god! There’s one from Brown!”
“Wow… I don’t want to open mine.” Matt said.
“Me either.” Katie said.
“But we have to. Right?”
“You first.”
“No way.”
“Both at once then?”
Matt nodded in agreement.
“1…2…3!” The two counted together, before tearing the envelopes open. They both rushed to read what was inside, their eyes skimming over the letters, before looking back up at each other.
“ACCEPTED!”
<><><>
“Kev, there’s something in the mail here for you!” Kevin’s dad shouted up the stairs. “It’s from UC Irvine, I think it’s your scholarship information pack.”
“It’s about time. I was starting to think they gave it to someone else.” Kevin joked, as he wandered down the stairs. There wasn’t really much doubt at all as to where Kevin was going to college.
“You know, if you’d come to Berkeley with me, maybe I could convince your mother to move north, so I can spend more time at home.” His dad said.
“Dad, she likes her job, she doesn’t want to leave. Besides, I like it here in Newport, and Irvine is close enough to drive every day, I won’t have to move out.”
“I know. It just would have been good to have the best point guard in the state playing for me. We’d make the Final Four, the father and son team.”
“I’d rather not have to rely on my dad as coach though. I want to get there because I earned it. And by staying out of the Pacific 10, I don’t even have to put up with people always associating us. I can be my own person.”
“I understand son. What about Katie, is she going to UC Irvine too?”
“She applied, I don’t know if she’s been accepted or not.”
“She’s a smart girl, any school would want her.”
<><><>
“I got accepted by an Ivy League college! You don’t just turn that down.” Katie shouted.
“But what about us? We’ll be on opposite coasts.” Kevin argued.
“You’re saying you couldn’t have gotten a scholarship on the East Coast?” Katie asked.
“Of course I could have, but I took the people around me into consideration! I’m staying here.”
“You took everyone into consideration, did you? Except for me. I applied for all the UC campuses as fall-backs, but you knew as well as I did that Brown was always my first choice, but with you it was always about the University of California. At least there was a chance I’d be here with you. You were never going to be over there with me. Why should I give up my dream school so you can go to yours?”
“I never told you to give up your dream, but can’t you live it all out here? Can’t you stay here with me, go to UC Irvine, stay on the team with us, live with your dad. It’s just so much easier.”
“Kevin, I’ve wanted to go to Brown to study since I was a kid. That’s where my mom went. I grew up wanting to be just like her, all my life. I’m sorry, but I’m not giving up on that now. You know how hard I’ve worked to reach this point. All those nights studying. All the extra-curriculars. I’ve worked myself to breaking point. I can’t just throw it all away.”
“And the team? You’re just going to throw away what we’ve built? We rely on each other. We’re practically a family now. You’re just going to break it up, leave us here to pick up the pieces? You think Ally can handle losing her big sister after what she’s been through? You’re the only one who knows how to keep Mosley in line. And what about Matt?”
“What about Matt? He’s going to MIT. I’m not the only one leaving the team. The difference is, he’ll probably keep up the job in Boston, but I’m going to take some time off. And Ally has her real family, and the band, and the rest of the team. She’ll be fine without me. Fisher can keep a lid on Mosley, and honestly, if you couldn’t cope without me in a fight, we’d probably all be dead, because I’m usually the first one down.”
“You’re both leaving? I can’t believe this.”
“Matt is moving closer to his girlfriend. He was going to go to Stanford, he wanted to go there for years. It was an amazing school, and close to home. But he’s compromising. He’s travelling across a continent to be closer to the girl he loves.”
“And you’re travelling across a continent to get away from the guy you love.”
Katie took a step back, she looked like she’d been hit in the face. She opened her mouth, but all she could do was stammer.
“Look… That came out wrong… We could still be together. The long-distance relationship thing worked for Matt and Hannah this long, surely we can pull it off.” Kevin explained.
That brought Katie back. “Right up until he decided he needed someone, and decided that Tide was more convenient.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Matt has been sleeping with that tramp Tide from D13 for months. Matt was feeling down after the Assembly beat us, and she was there for him. I don’t know if he’s broken it off, but I think he’s going to MIT to get away, and to try to make up for it.”
“I didn’t see that coming.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“What’s the point? Every time one of us comes up with an argument, it gets countered. Neither of us is going to budge, I’m going to Irvine, you’re going to Brown. We’ve gotten to the point where we’re using our own arguments against ourselves. It’s crazy. Either we’re going to do the long-distance thing, or we’re going to break up. Those are our options.”
“I don’t want to make the decision now… Can we figure it out later?”
“Yes babe, we’ve got all summer. I’m not going anywhere.”

Sweat poured down Matt’s face, as he struggled to lift the weight pushing down across his chest.
“No man, I’m done.” He breathed. Kevin grabbed the bar and lifted it up onto the rack one-handed.
“You said no powers.” Matt complained, as he regained his breath.
“I wasn’t using my powers. You’re just a wuss.” Kevin teased.
“Yet you continue to try to get me to work out.” Matt said.
“I figure eventually I’ll make a real man out of you.” Kevin replied.
“I thought you’d given up on that.” Matt said.
“No, you gave up on it.” Kevin argued.
“And you let me. So what’s this really about? Why did you want me here?”
“Straight to the point. You don’t screw around, do you?”
“Stop dodging the question.”
“See what I mean?”
“It’s about Katie, isn’t it?”
Kevin sighed. “Yeah…”
“The party?”
“Yeah. Not just that party. Every party. She gets wasted. Every time. Not just regular wasted either. Frat boy wasted.”
“It’s a party. Isn’t that what people do at parties?”
“Sure, out in the kitchen or living room or backyard, but not alone in the bathroom, with a bottle of vodka they’ve snuck in.”
“Sounds to me like she just doesn’t want any of your drunk friends taking her vodka.”
“Don’t be an idiot. Stop making excuses, you know as well as I do that she’s got a problem.”
It was Matt’s turn to sigh. “I know. Just trying to cover for my best friend. You know how it is…”
“I know you’re thinking it’s just a phase, but that’s how these things start out.”
“It’s not just at parties.”
“What do you mean?”
“I meet her in the morning, she drives me to school. She used to pick me up at my door, but lately I’ve been having to go wake her up of a morning.”
“She studies pretty late, and works really hard. Are you sure she’s been drinking?”
“Headaches, can’t stand bright lights or loud noises. Sounds like a hangover to me.”
Kevin shook his head. “It’s worse than I thought.”
Matt sighed again. “I’ve tried to talk to her about it. She just argues and storms out every time.”
“What are we gonna do?”
“What can we do? If she doesn’t want help, we can’t help her.”
“We have to do something. How long before she hurts herself? Or someone else? She can’t use her powers when she’s been drinking. How long until she makes a mistake and costs us?”
“I don’t know. And that scares the crap out of me.” Matt admitted.
<><><>
Mosley’s motorbike screeched to a halt and his passenger leaped from the back, completing a hand-spring as she dismounted.
“THAT WAS AWESOME!” Ally shouted.
“I thought you’d like it.” Mosley said, as he climbed from his seat.
“We were like zoooom, and then it was like screeeeeeech and wow!” Ally continued, her hands whirling around in front of her, as she tried to recount the motorcycle journey.
Mosley just shook his head and smiled.
“Seriously, that was sooo cool!” Ally said.
“It’s good to see you all excited again kiddo, you had us scared for a while.” Mosley said.
Ally stopped suddenly. “I kinda scared myself.”
“You totally kicked Helix’s ass last time though.”
“I had to. He was going to do the same thing he did to me to Katie. I just kinda snapped, you know? And when we beat them, I kind of faced my fears, and I guess I just realised I didn’t have to be worried about him. He’s beatable.”
“It’s good to have you back. Between me and Fisher, there’s enough brooding going on around here.”
“Yeah, I can’t pull it off like you guys can. And you saw how yucky my black hair was.” Ally ran her fingers through her hair, it was pink this week, and smiled. “Not to mention my outfits. I’m glad I got over that phase.”
Mosley rolled his eyes and ruffled Ally’s hair.
“I hate it when you guys do that.”
<><><>
“I can’t believe how much better the shopping is here!” Katie said, as she stepped out onto the street, bags from a dozen different stores in her hands.
“If there’s one thing New York can do, it’s shopping.” Hannah laughed, following her out, carrying almost as many bags herself.
“How’s the coffee here?” Katie asked, jerking her head towards the Starbucks across the street.
“It’s Starbucks, it’s the same everywhere.” Hannah replied.
“True.” Katie darted across the road, weaving between the afternoon traffic, which was, as usual, at a standstill.
“Anyone would think you were a born New Yorker, it took Matt months to get into the whole ‘crossing whenever the hell you want’ thing.” Hannah was hot on her heels.
“Matt’s never been one for breaking rules, he was probably worried about getting caught for jaywalking.” Katie laughed.
The girls ordered their coffee, and sat down at a table, their shopping in a pile around them.
“Speaking of Matt… Has he seemed… weird to you at all lately?” Hannah asked.
“No, not really. Why?” Katie replied.
“I’m not sure… He’s been kind of distant lately. I mean, he still visits, but he doesn’t call me as often. Has he been busy lately?”
“Well, we’ve been getting hit with a whole bunch of homework and stuff, and he’s got all his appearance contracts and whatever to fulfil. We’re back at the top, and there’s a lot of work that goes along with it.” ’Not to mention that skank he’s seeing on the side.’ Katie added silently.
“Tell me about it. I think I’ve been on TV more this month than all three Kardashians combined. Maybe our schedules just don’t line up like they used to…” Hannah said.
“That must be it.”
“Mmm…”
“Anyway, how’s the new job?”
Hannah brightened a little. “It’s great. It’s like everything Matt told me about you guys, only cranked up to eleven.”
“Sounds awesome. How are the others?”
“Everyone has been great. Except Jasmine of course, she’s still a bitch.”
“Yeah, that seems to be genetic. It comes with the blue eyes and water powers.”
“Really? Matt seems to like Adrienne…”

Katie slammed the door behind her, as the tears streamed down her face. She locked the door and sat down on the lid of the toilet.
“Katie. Come out babe.” Kevin banged on the door.
“No!” Katie yelled back, as she pulled her bottle of vodka from her purse and began to drink.
<><><>
That morning, Katie had been looking forward to the End of Spring Break Party at Logan Cooper’s house. One last night of fun on the Saturday night before school returned on Monday. She had completed her assigned homework the night before, and was pumped for the night ahead.
It had taken all of five minutes to convince Kevin to take her; he was itching to do something, anything. His Spring Break had been relatively quiet, the Brats had decided as a team to take the week off, for the well-earned rest. While kicking back and relaxing was easy for most of his teammates, Kevin found himself restless. If not for her homework, Katie probably would have felt the same.
All Katie needed was an outfit for that night’s festivities, so she jumped in her car and headed to Fashion Island.
<><><>
Katie swore as the mouth of the bottle slipped from her lips, spilling vodka down her brand new dress.
“Are you ok? What happened?” Kevin asked, banging on the door again.
“Nothing.” Katie muttered, before taking another mouthful.
<><><>
Kevin picked her up at exactly eight o’clock, just like he said he would. Just like always. That was one of the millions of things Katie loved about him, he was always reliable. When he said he would do something, he did it. No questions.
A quick kiss and away they went, covering the distance between Katie’s house and Logan Cooper’s house in five minutes, as “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey played on the radio. Kevin sang along, and Katie rolled her eyes, his taste in music one of the few things she didn’t like about him. Not even Kevin was perfect.
They arrived at the party, just as the radio transitioned into a commercial for some TV show on NBC. Katie ignored it, instead checking the cars parked all around the house.
Primrose Middleton’s BMW was already there, as were half the basketball team’s various trucks and convertibles, which meant half of the cheerleaders were probably there too, as well as Anna Chapman. All the cars were almost brand new, to the point of being conspicuous. After the showdown between the Brat Pack and the Assembly of Evil at the high school, dozens of the students’ and faculty’s cars had been destroyed by Mr Universe or Gauss. Naturally, the children’s parents were more than happy to buy new cars for them, the teachers weren’t so lucky.
Kevin parked the car, and the couple headed up the driveway, passing the captain of the water-polo team’s Mercedes without giving it a glance. Unfortunately for Johnny Mays, he was a good player on a terrible team, his placing as captain was the only thing that even warranted an invitation to the party. Johnny went to most of the big parties, but was little more than just another face in the crowd. If it had been a Newport Union party on the other hand, he’d have swapped positions with Kevin. The politics of high school popularity were staggering, even to a seasoned veteran like Katie.
The couple entered the party, and Kevin was instantly waved over by his teammates, who were standing in the kitchen, surrounding the keg. He broke away from Katie, who searched out Primrose in the crowd. As she scanned over the room, she didn’t notice the hurried glances and hushed whispers.
<><><>
“Come on, let’s just go home.” Kevin shouted through the door.
Katie didn’t answer, as she kept sobbing. She couldn’t go out there. She couldn’t face them. She’d just have to keep drinking until they all went away.
<><><>
“So how’s college? Are you happy to be back home for Spring Break?” Katie asked.
“UCLA is awesome, you’re going to love college. All the drama is toned way down, the people are awesome. You won’t have to deal with all this crap there, everyone has their issues, and nobody cares.” Primrose said.
“Issues? What issues?” Katie asked.
“Your little drinking thing. Don’t worry, in a few months, you’ll be in college, and everyone has a drinking thing, or a drug thing, or a sex thing, or anything. Nobody will care.” Primrose said.
“I don’t have a ‘drinking thing’.” Katie said.
“Oh… Then why are all the girls talking about it?” Primrose asked.
“What have they been saying?”
“Nothing major. They just say you’ve been getting trashed at every opportunity and embarrassing yourself. It’s no big deal.”
“What?”
“Yeah. They think you sit at home drinking all night alone. Crazy high school stuff.”
<><><>
Sobs racked Katie’s body, as she took another drink. How could they know? Who could have told them? Matt was the only one who thought she had a problem, and there was no way any of them would talk to him. Kevin might have put two and two together, but he would have talked to her about it.
Who could it have been?
Katie dropped the bottle, her eyes wide as realisation dawned.
Anna.
It fit perfectly. She had a grudge with Katie. She worked for Carmichael, who had pried information about the future from Fissure. Information that Fissure still hadn’t revealed to the team. He could have known anything.
It had to be her fault.
“What was that noise? Did you break something?” Kevin asked, as Katie stood up, toddling her way over the broken glass, barely able to stand in her heels.
She pulled the door open, and ducked under her boyfriend’s outstretched arms.
“Babe, what’s going on?” He asked, as he followed after her. “Where are you going?”
Katie ignored him, her eyes darting all around the party, ignoring the stares. She reached out with her powers, but found nothing. Her powers had been dulled by the alcohol again.
Not that it mattered. She spotted Anna standing in the kitchen, the centre of attention, just like she always wanted.
“Awww, did the Princess run out of vodka? I think there’s more in the cupboard.” Anna joked, getting a giggle from the girls surrounding her.
Katie screamed, as she tackled Anna to the ground. A crowd gathered, mostly boys, as the girls rolled around on the floor, clawing and scratching at each other.
Kevin forced his way through, and lifted Katie from on top of Anna. “Babe, we’re going.” He said.
“Over my dead body.” Anna said, climbing to her feet.
“Don’t try to stop me. You know you can’t do a thing.” Kevin said.
“I don’t have to stop you. Just her.” Anna smiled.
“You wouldn’t dare try. Not here.” Kevin bluffed. He hoped Anna wasn’t crazy enough to use her powers in front of that many witnesses.
Anna scowled. “Fine. You take Passed-Out Beauty home. We don’t want her here anyway.”
“This isn’t over.” Katie said.
“No. It isn’t. But I’m winning.” Anna laughed.