Kevin woke up on the sofa. He could feel the sting of his wounds, but the pain he had suffered was just a memory. It took him a moment to realise where he was. The mansion. The Brat Cave.
“Praise Liberty.”
Kevin jumped, startled, but sat back down when he realised Fisher was standing in the doorway. “How long was I out?”
“I’m not sure sir.” Fisher said. “We woke up and you were right next to us.”
“Us? What’s going on?” Kevin asked.
“I’ve been trying to piece it together myself. I was attacked by Miss Liberty. My Miss Liberty.” Fisher said.
“She got sent back too?” Kevin asked.
“I don’t know. But that’s not all. Verona was attacked by her brother, in the middle of a night club… She killed him.” Fisher continued, and Kevin closed his eyes, worried about his teammate. “And Ally…” Fissure paused again.
“What happened to Ally?” Kevin demanded. “Is she ok?”
“Ally was attacked by Gauss sir.” Fisher said.
Kevin fell backwards onto the couch. “How is she?”
“She’s fine. I think.” Fisher said. “Just tired. I found her passed out on a rooftop, with Gauss looking for her. She said she fought him this time.”
“She’s awake?” Kevin asked, sitting back up.
“No. We woke up an hour ago and swapped stories. The girls are in their rooms, sleeping again. I couldn’t sleep.” Fisher said.
“I can understand that.” Kevin replied. “I crashed because I was exhausted, but I’m not going to be able to sleep again.”
“Sir, may I ask what happened to you? Who could possibly have wounded you?” Fisher asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“Matt and Katie.” Kevin said softly.
“What?” Fisher asked, not sure of his leader’s answer, because it couldn’t possibly be what he said it was.
“Mr Universe and Belle. Matt and Katie.” Kevin said, louder this time.
“Sir? How? Why?” Fisher asked.
“I don’t know…” Kevin trailed off. “Fisher, West Wing.” Kevin stood up.
“Sir?”
“Walk fast, talk fast.” Kevin headed up the stairs, Fisher following close behind. “I’m heading back to LA.”
“Why sir?” Fisher asked.
“Because we need the team back together. If Blackbird and Mosley have been attacked, they’re going to head to the Penthouse.” Kevin explained, as they reached his room. He gestured for Fisher to stop, half-closing the door behind him.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if I earth-ported?” Fisher asked.
“No.” Kevin said, as he dug out his spare costume. “I want you as strong as possible. This is going to turn into a huge mess, and I need you close to full power. The girls too.” Kevin began pulling his clothes off. “If you take us all in that state, you’ll be fried. I’ll fly ahead, you get some rest.” Kevin started to pull his costume on. “In two hours, wake the girls, everyone gets into costume, and you ‘port to the Penthouse. I should be there by then.”
Mr Perfect stepped out of his bedroom. “Try to get some sleep too.” He added, before pulling the nearest window open and launching himself out of it.
Fisher stared out the window, as Mr Perfect disappeared into the night. He couldn’t help but notice that Mr Perfect wasn’t flying anywhere near as fast as he was capable of.
<><><>
The Blackbird fought to catch his breath. Just ten feet away, The Shadow did the same.
“You’re good.” The Shadow conceded.
“You too.” The Blackbird replied, panting. The two had been fighting back-and-forth for over an hour, too evenly matched for there to be a clear winner.
“Looks like you’re worse off than I am.” The Shadow taunted. “I’d best end this.” The masked vigilante charged forward, preparing for his final blow.
“No.” The Blackbird said. “I’m just tired of playing.” Too late, The Shadow realised what had happened, as The Blackbird threw a concussion grenade in front of him, the wave of force knocking him to the ground, unconscious. It wounded his pride to know that he had to resort to cheating, but a victory was a victory. The Shadow had to be stopped.
The Blackbird lifted his opponent to a sitting position, leaning him up against the same streetlamp that he had been hanging from not that long before. He pulled The Shadow’s arms up behind the post, wrenching them upwards so far that his shoulders popped out of their sockets, and his forearms were almost parallel, before using a series of cable-ties to bind his arms together. Both The Blackbird and The Shadow knew that all you needed to do to escape handcuffs was to break your thumbs and slip them out, a feat easily accomplished by The Shadow. However, it was another matter to pop one’s own shoulder back into place, while one is bound completely to a post. It would hold until The Blackbird could regroup with the Brat Pack.
Satisfied that The Shadow was bound, The Blackbird shot a grappling hook into the air, ensnaring a nearby antenna, before using the winch in his utility belt to carry himself up to the rooftop. Once there, he collapsed on the ground, catching his breath. He couldn’t do it on the ground, in case The Shadow woke up and got in his head again. What was he even doing there?
He shook his head, dispelling the questions. He didn’t have time. He had to find the rest of the team. He needed help. He sprang back to his feet and began sprinting across the rooftop, leaping the alleyway and continuing on his way, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, getting ever-closer to the Penthouse.
He caught a momentary glimpse of someone laying in an alleyway as he jumped over. He stopped, he had to help someone in need. He dropped into the alley and saw the man’s face. It was Mosley. Battered and bruised, but it was still his teammate.
“What the hell happened to you?” The Blackbird murmured, as he hefted his unconscious teammate over his shoulder, using his grappling hook to get back up to the rooftop.
<><><>
“Uncle Sam? Are you kidding?” Mr Perfect asked.
“Do I look like I’m kidding? Who else could have done this to me?” Firestorm said, pointing at the bruises his mask barely covered. “And you can hardly be surprised. I mean Matt and Katie?”
“Something’s up.” Mr Perfect said.
“Obviously.” Firestorm scoffed.
“This all isn’t possible.” The Blackbird said, standing in the doorway.
“Obviously it’s possible. Maybe it’s mind control?” Firestorm said.
“No. It’s not possible. There’s something bigger at work here.” The Blackbird said.
“And how do you know?” Firestorm asked.
“I fought The Shadow.” The Blackbird said.
“The Shadow? I haven’t heard from him in months…” Firestorm said. “He’s completely off the grid.”
The Blackbird bowed his head. “Because The Shadow is no more.”
“What?!” Firestorm moved forward, grabbing The Blackbird by the collar. “What the f*** are you talking about?”
“I…” The Blackbird paused. Firestorm’s hand moved up to his throat.
“You what?” Firestorm demanded, fury in his eyes.
“I-“ The Blackbird was cut off, as he melded into the tiles, appearing on the other side of the room with Fissure.
“What is going on here?” Fissure asked.
“That bastard killed The Shadow!” Firestorm shouted, as he burst into flames.
“Impossible.” Fissure said, as the tiling erupted, surrounding Firestorm, keeping him from attacking The Blackbird.
“He said The Shadow is no more.” Firestorm roared. “He killed Kurt!”
“No…” The Blackbird whispered.
“What then? How can you be sure The Shadow is gone?” Firestorm asked.
“It is a pretty big claim.” Mr Perfect agreed. “Tell us.”
“I know because… I…” The Blackbird struggled to say it.
“Go on.” Fissure reassured his teammate.
“I am The Shadow.” The Blackbird said.
Firestorm’s flames disappeared. “Kurt?”
The Blackbird nodded. “Ralph took me under his wing. Pun not intended. I had to give up The Shadow persona for something greater.”
“Fissure?” Mr Perfect asked.
“He’s telling the truth. At least, in my timeline, The Blackbird was the same man as The Shadow.” Fissure said.
The Blackbird reached up under his chin and unbuckled his mask, pulling it up off his face. Firestorm’s eyes went wide. “You see? So there’s no way I could have been attacked by myself. Something weird is going on.”
“Everyone fought impossible opponents. And for all we know, they’re coming back for more.” Mr Perfect said. “We need a game plan.”
“Gauss and Matt? It had better be a damn good plan.” Firestorm said.
“It is.” Mr Perfect smiled.
“Sir?” Fissure asked.
“Switch opponents. Take out the other players first.” Mr Perfect said.
“What?” The Blackbird asked.
“Dean Mitchell doesn’t have any physical powers, and Uncle Sam and Miss Liberty are just humans. Katie can’t really take a hit. We take them out of the mix, and we’re left with Gauss, Matt and The Shadow.” Mr Perfect said.
“Dean’s dead.” Ice Princess whispered.
“And The Shadow’s tied up in a street somewhere.” The Blackbird added.
Fissure shook his head. “Miss Liberty couldn’t have escaped. She was encased up to her knees in concrete. She’s not strong enough to get out, and even if she could, there would be a huge mess.” Fissure pointed to the balcony, which looked exactly like it always had. Not a scratch on the surface.
Suddenly the floor-to-ceiling windows shattered, as Uncle Sam, The Shadow and Miss Liberty came crashing through, having seemingly swung down from the balcony above. Moments later, the elevator made a ringing sound, as Dean Mitchell stepped out. Mr Universe, Belle and Gauss all sailed in through the empty windows.
“Katie can’t fly.” Pixel said.
“She did once. After Gauss attacked you at the school.” Mr Perfect said.
“Oh. And now she’s working with Gauss. And so’s Matt.” Pixel said.
“Just more proof someone’s screwing with us.” Firestorm said.
“Ok guys. Ice Princess, Fissure and Firestorm, keep those guys busy.” Mr Perfect ordered.
The Blackbird had already landed in front of Dean Mitchell. “I’ve been waiting for this.” Mitchell laughed, as he reached out with his powers, to crush The Blackbird’s fighting spirit.
“And in that time you forgot that I’m immune to your powers?” The Blackbird asked, as he delivered a roundhouse kick to Mitchell’s head, spinning him a full three-sixty, before he crashed to the ground, unconscious.
He turned to see Pixel and Mr Perfect struggling against two generations of Carpenters, and rushed to their aid, hitting Uncle Sam from behind with a flying kick, and tossing a shuriken at Miss Liberty, who dodged it. She wasn’t fast enough to dodge the punch from Mr Perfect that sent her flying across the room, and left her sliding down the wall, completely knocked out.
Uncle Sam recovered and threw The Blackbird straight at Pixel, the two ending up on the floor in a heap. Mr Perfect was back for his counterattack, and not even Uncle Sam could compete with the younger heroes reflexes and strength, as he moved to block Mr Perfect’s assault, Mr Perfect’s fist just broke his arm, before a knee to the abdomen ruptured his kidney and left him on the ground.
“Guys!” Firestorm shouted, as he barely managed to disintegrate the television that was flying towards his head.
“Firestorm! Hit The Shadow with everything you’ve got!” The Blackbird said.
Firestorm nodded, and unleashed an inferno, directing all its might at The Shadow, who didn’t get the chance to avoid the blast.
“That should do it.” The Blackbird said. “Burns take forever to heal.”
“You were out for like, a day after I blew up that drug lab.” Firestorm said.
“Exactly.” Blackbird nodded.
“Clever, aren’t you?” Mr Universe asked, as he used his powers to grab every piece of metal on The Blackbird’s costume, and tossed him out the window.
Firestorm unleashed another fireball at Mr Universe, catching the genius powerhouse in the torso, breaking his concentration and causing him to drop to the ground, screaming.
Firestorm jumped on top of Mr Universe, punching him in the face and knocking him out.
“MATT!” Belle shouted, as she stopped using her powers on Ice Princess, who collapsed in a heap, instead turning them onto Firestorm.
Firestorm screamed as his head exploded in pain, Belle attacked his mind directly. He curled up into a fetal position, as he tried to ignore the agony.
The Blackbird put an end to it, swinging back through the window on his grapple, knocking the girl unconscious as he crashed into her.
“And then there was one.” Mr Perfect said, as he flew forward and punched Gauss in the face, finishing him off.
The heroes stood, tired, but victorious. “Now what?” Firestorm asked.
The sound of giggling filled the room, the Brats looked all around but couldn’t see the source.
“I guess you mortals passed the test.” A voice said.
“Who are you? Come out!” Mr Perfect said.
There was a faint popping sound, as a small man with pointed ears appeared in the middle of the room. “Ta-da!” He said.
“You?” Mr Perfect asked, the Brats were taken aback. “From the bank?”
The elfin man giggled again. “Who else? You have provided entertainment for me, for that I am grateful.”
“Who the hell are you?” Firestorm asked.
“Of course, how rude of me. I am known by many names, but by far my favourite is Puck.” Their tiny adversary said.
“As in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?” Pixel asked.
“The very same. Now, before I bid you adieu, one more thing. Your punishment for insulting me.” Puck said.
“Punishment? This wasn’t enough?” Fissure demanded.
“No. Now I’m going to tell you exactly why tonight was a Pyrrhic victory for all of you.” Puck said. “Mosley. You know you’re always going to be compared to your father, and now you know exactly how you measure up. Uncle Sam found you wanting. And to make things even worse, Kevin was the one who defeated him.”
Firestorm flared up. “You little…” Firestorm stopped mid-sentence, as he realised his flames had disappeared again.
“Now now, you wouldn’t want this to happen all over again, would you?” Puck said. “Now, Ally? You think you’re over your fear of Gauss, you think you can hold up your own, but you still needed Fissure to save you. You’re always going to be the baby.”
Pixel bowed her head, a faint sigh escaping her lips. Firestorm placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Kurt, now your team knows your secret. They know your past. And you’ll never be able to leave behind the things you did as The Shadow, and maybe your teammates will never trust you again.” Puck laughed, as The Blackbird’s jaw set stubbornly. “Fisher, you’ll never see the love of your life again, and she really does miss you.” Fissure’s face was emotionless. “Verona… You’ll always be overshadowed by your family. You’ll never strike out on your own. Not fully.” Tears were streaming down Verona’s face.
“Enough.” Mr Perfect said. “You’ve said your piece, now get out.”
“What’s wrong Kevin? Don’t want to hear your part?” Puck laughed. “Yours is the most fun. Your girlfriend ran to the other side of the country to get away from you. She abandoned you, even though she had the option to stay. She chose herself over you. And you did the same to her. You’re destined to fail. And your best friend did the same thing. You need Mr Universe to tell you what to do, he’ll always be smarter than you. And he’s much, much more powerful than anyone else on your team. Without those two, you’re not half the hero you were.” Puck said, leaving Mr Perfect speechless.
“And on that note, I’m going to let you think about what you’ve done!” Puck said, before disappearing, along with the various unconscious foes the Brat Pack had fought that night.
The Brats looked at each other, not quite knowing what to say.

Fissure tried his phone again. Still nothing. There was something afoot here, and he couldn’t quite work it out, which just made things worse.
Why was Miss Liberty here? Had the Rebels sent her back to him? How could they have, if he had diverged the timelines? What had happened to his phone? Where were his teammates?
Too many unanswered questions. He shook his head, to try to get his thoughts straight. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a spot of colour, just by chance. He looked again, and realised what it was. “Pixel.” He said, and earth-ported down onto the rooftop next to the unconscious teen. “What on earth happened to you?” He asked, scooping the girl up in his arms. Then he saw him. He saw Gauss, heading towards them.
Knowing there was nothing he could do against the Master of Magnetism, Fissure muttered a quick prayer to the original Miss Liberty, before melding into the earth, just hoping to get away and not concentrating on a particular destination.
He emerged from the tiled dancefloor, still carrying Pixel’s motionless form. Ten feet away lay Verona Mitchell, sobbing on the floor, surrounded by what looked like pink snow. “What the hell is going on here?” Fissure muttered to himself, as he scooped up his other teammate. He had to get the girls to safety, but where? The Penthouse was too close to Gauss, and he didn’t want to have to deal with Miss Liberty. The mansion was his only option, but could he make it?
He had to try. He took a deep breath, before melding back into the tiles.
Moments later, the three emerged on the patio of the Brat Pack’s mansion, which Mr Universe had once affectionately named the Brat Cave. The hero didn’t even know he had made it, as he collapsed next to his teammates, completely drained.
<><><>
The Blackbird felt the shock go through his body, jolting him awake. That was nothing compared to the electricity that went through The Shadow’s body, dropping the masked vigilante in seconds, leaving him smoking on the ground. The Blackbird had installed the failsafe into his costume for just such an occasion. Should an enemy render him unconscious and try to search him, his costume would administer a slight electrical charge to him, waking him up, while at the same time, delivering another shock ten times more powerful to his assailant.
His body still sore from the shock, The Blackbird moved quickly, pulling his body up and untying his feet, crashing to the ground, landing on top of The Shadow, who began to stir. The Blackbird climbed to his feet, as The Shadow rolled across the ground and leapt back up.
“That was a dirty trick.” The Shadow said.
“You shot me.” The Blackbird replied. “And hit me while I was tied up.”
The Shadow grinned. “So how are we going to do this?”
The Blackbird cracked his knuckles. “No guns. No gadgets. One on one.”
“Man to man?” The Shadow replied, twisting his neck, cracking the cartilage.
“A fair fight. It’s about time.” The Blackbird said, taking a fighting stance, fists forward.
The Shadow charged forward to meet him.
<><><>
Firestorm had only been down for a few moments when he woke up again. Uncle Sam was still standing over him, waiting. Firestorm took his shot. A fireball, full force in the face. Uncle Sam clutched at his eyes, taking a step back as his face burned.
Firestorm rolled over onto his front, putting one knee under himself, as he tried to get back up. He stayed in that position for a moment, his entire body wracked with pain from the beating Uncle Sam had given him. He got his other knee under him, and raised to a kneeling position, groaning under the pain. It was almost too much to bear. He got one foot under himself. He was almost there. The other foot was next, as the pain shot through him again. He finally stood up.
Uncle Sam was waiting. “Weak fool.” He swept Firestorm’s legs out from under him with one kick. Firestorm went crashing to the ground, almost losing consciousness again.
“Pathetic.” Uncle Sam said, standing right over Firestorm again.
Firestorm tried to throw a fireball at his assailant, but didn’t have the energy. Uncle Sam sneered. “You’ll never be your father.”
Firestorm spat in Uncle Sam’s face. “I never wanted to be.”
Uncle Sam’s face contorted into rage, as he wiped the spittle from it. The last thing Firestorm saw was Uncle Sam’s boot stomping on his face, before everything went black.
<><><>
Mr Perfect screamed in pain, as the razor blade cut through his skin, leaving a long, thin scar across his chest. Mr Universe floated before him, eyes alight with glee.
“No wonder Gauss does this to everyone he comes across.” Mr Universe said. “It’s just so much fun.”
Belle nodded her agreement. “And it’s even better for me.” She said. “I can actually see the pain in his mind. I know exactly what it’s doing to him. And I’m making it worse.” Belle’s laugh chilled Mr Perfect to the bone, and it was worse than anything Mr Universe had inflicted on him.
“How has he lasted so long without us?” Mr Universe asked, as his razor made another score across Mr Perfect’s body, bringing a scream from the hero. “He’s just so weak.”
“He needs the others to make up for his faults, just like he needed us.” Belle said.
“Oh, of course.” Mr Universe said, slicing his former leader again and again.
“They’ll be next, of course.” Belle laughed again. That laugh.
“NO!” Mr Perfect said, struggling against Mr Universe’s bonds.
“Oh, we hit a nerve, did we?” Belle asked.
“Perhaps you’d like to hear what we’re going to do?” Mr Universe taunted, as he cut Mr Perfect again, the pain amplified tenfold in his mind, thanks to Belle’s ministrations.
“That bimbo you replaced me with will be first.” Belle said. “I’m going to take her all by myself. But I’m not going to kill her… No… I’m going to drive her insane from within.”
“No…” Mr Perfect was losing his willpower. The pain was taking away his conscious thoughts. He was barely awake.
“Then the man with all the secrets. The Blackbird.” Mr Universe said. “I’m going to turn all those gadgets of his against him. I’m going to make him wish he’d never taken the job. And then, when he’s at his lowest, I’m going to kill him.” He punctuated each sentence with another slash.
“And then there’s Ben…” A sultry smile appeared on Belle’s lips. “I might just give him what he always wanted…” A flirtatious giggle escaped her throat. “And then I’m going to boil his brain out his ears.”
“You can’t…” Mr Perfect could barely muster a whisper, as the razor crisscrossed his skin, sending wave after wave of agony straight to his brain.
“Oh, we can.” Mr Universe said. “You know, I always wondered who was better. Me or Fissure?” Mr Unvierse shrugged, as he drew the razor across Mr Perfect’s face. “I mean, I’m smarter, and more powerful… But he’s got an experience edge. It should be interesting, at least for a while. I’ll have to kill him in the end, of course.”
Mr Perfect hung his head. He couldn’t fight it. He just had to give in and try to block out the pain.
“And last but not least, we have Pixel.” Belle said.
“Don’t you dare.” Mr Perfect said.
“After you failed her last time with Gauss and Helix, she’s going to be able to take what you’ve been getting. We’re going to have to step things up a notch. And it’s all going to be your fault again.” Mr Universe said. “You can’t protect her if you can’t defeat us. Because you’ll be dead.”
“Not yet…” Mr Perfect said.
Mr Universe laughed. “I’m bored now. You’re done.” Only Mr Perfect’s super-speed allowed him to follow the razor’s path, as it streaked towards his throat. With one last display of superhuman strength, Mr Perfect wrenched his arm to deflect the blow, using his metal restraints to knock the razor away harmlessly.
In the moment of confusion, Mr Perfect took off, hitting his top speed before his opponents had any idea what was happening. All he could think of was to find a safe place. To go home.