Volume 3

***Volume 3*** is the third installment in the *Anna* storyline.

The third volume follows Anna after her near-fatal injury at the top of the FuturTech facility. Recovering, she takes a step back to be with those she loves most and to appreciate the life she's been given. However, evil still lurks in the shadows, and a new threat is emerging from the darkness that Anna will need all her strength to defeat.

Chapters began releasing weekly on October 17, 2018 and concluded on January 16, 2019.

## Story

### Chapter 1: A New Day in the Old Town

August 23, 2017.

“We’re losing her!” Claire took off her jacket and pressed it onto Anna’s wound.

“No!” Matthew yelled. “She can’t die!”

Then, in the distance, they heard blaring sirens, getting closer and closer. Albert, seeming to struggle with letting go of the woman’s hand, ran over to the ledge and looked out, before turning back with a broad smile spread across his face.

“Backup! At last!”

Matthew stood up. “Is there an ambulance?”

Albert looked again. “Yeah there is!”

Spinning around, Matthew bolted towards the door. Throwing it open, he saw that the staircase had been destroyed by the grenade. Going back several paces, he ran forward, jumping through the door and over the gap and onto the landing, nearly twenty feet below. His knees buckled as he hit the metal before quickly pulling himself up on the railing.

The guards that hadn’t been blown up had run down to combat the police officers that had arrived, leaving his path clear. Crashing down the stairs, he descended floor after floor, sweat forming on his brow, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was saving Anna.

Finally reaching the bottom floor, he ran forward through the corridor. Up ahead he could hear gunfire echoing down the hallway, signifying that his fellow officers were now combating the FuturTech soldiers. He pulled his pistol from its holster and cocked it. The only problem was that he didn’t know how to get to the front from where he was, and he didn’t have much time.

Reaching the end of the long corridor, he turned to his left and saw several armed men standing in front of the elevator, firing at an unseen combatant.

He was about to move forward when a loud crack sounded out as a flash bang grenade went off in the hallway. Matthew saw that the soldiers were disorientated before he heard several footsteps down the corridor as the Police officers ran forward to apprehend them.

“This is the Alberta and New Hampton Police! You will lay down your arms and surrender to us!” he heard a voice ring out from a speaker which he recognized as Commander Sharon Raydor’s, head of New Hampton’s Special Operations Bureau.

Running forward, he struck a soldier who was trying to get back up on the back of the neck, felling him before placing a pair of handcuffs on him.

A moment later the Commander appeared around the corner, with her gun trained on him.

“Detective Weaver,” she said lowering her gun, her eyes narrowed. “Just the man I wanted to see.”

“There’s no time, Commander Raydor,” he stood up. “There’s a civilian on the roof who’s been stabbed and is bleeding out. She needs medical attention.”

She looked at him before pulling out her radio.

“We’ve got a civilian who requires medical assistance on the roof.”

There was a click followed by a slightly distorted voice.

“Copy that Commander. On our way.”

Matthew breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Commander.”

“Now. You’re going to come outside with me and wait until your partner is free,” she looked at him through her rectangular glasses. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

He sighed before nodding. “Yes ma’am.”

“Helicopter!” Albert yelled as he saw the arial vehicle flying towards them.

“Thank goodness!” Nicole said, standing up as the generated wind whipped them.

A large spotlight ignited on the front of the helicopter as it approached, bathing them in a blinding light. Albert waved his arms in the air, signaling them to come down. Slowly, the vehicle came down on the roof and landed. The door slid open and two officers ran out with a stretcher towards them. They arrived and fell down next to Anna, checking her wounds.

“What happened?” one of them asked, taking over from Claire.

“She was stabbed by that man,” Nicole replied, pointing to the bald and shirtless man lying on the ground.

“Alright,” he said. “We’ll have to be quick. She doesn’t have long.”

Helping Mark up, Nicole and the others moved out of the way as the two moved Anna onto the stretcher and picked her up, running back towards the helicopter. The group followed, watching as they hoisted her up into the vehicle. One of the two looked back at them.

“We can take one of you with us.”

Nicole turned to Mark.

“Go.”

Nodding, he climbed into the helicopter as one of the officers slid the door closed. Nicole, Albert and Claire backed away as the areal vehicle lifted into the air and turned away from the compound, disappearing into the morning light.

“Do you think she’ll make it?” Albert asked, a tone of desperation in his voice.

“I don’t know,” Nicole said breathlessly.

Claire looked around. “We need to get off this roof.”

“What’s that fire over there?” the man pointed to a plume of smoke that was billowing off the edge of the roof.

Running across, they looked over the ledge and saw that there was a large pad with a large pile of burning wreckage in the middle.

“Well, that explains the explosion we felt,” Nicole said.

“There’s a ladder here,” Albert gestured to a ladder that led down to the platform.

Swinging themselves over the ledge, they descended down onto the helipad, looking around. Against the building was a door, which presumably would be their way out. While Albert and Nicole moved to the door, Claire knelt down on the concrete, inspecting something.

The male journalist looked at her.

“Claire, let’s get moving!”

“Hang on a minute,” she said.

“What is it, Claire?” Nicole asked, brushing the hair out of her face.

She picked up something. “It’s a pair of glasses.”

Albert and Nicole came over to her.

“What?” the woman asked. “Whose?”

The detective held up the broken pair of spectacles.

“If I were to wager, I’d say they’re the Professor’s.”

Albert took them from her. “Well, if they are, there where is he?” he looked around.

She cast her eyes to the flaming wreckage. “I’d say there.”

“The Professor’s dead?” Nicole gasped.

“I guess so,” Claire took the broken glasses back and slipped them in her pocket.

“So your brother’s avenged, then?”

The woman managed a weak smile. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

She walked past them, Albert and Nicole exchanging puzzled looks before following the detective as she pulled the door open and came into a corridor. Holding their weapons at the ready, the trio moved through the narrow passageway before they came to a wooden wall. Finding a single button to the right of it, Claire pressed it before the wall slid away into an office.

Slowly entering, they found that the wall had actually been a bookcase, and that the corridor was evidently a secret escape route, most likely known only by the Professor himself.

“Nice to know that he was a coward,” Albert quipped as they walked to the other side of the room.

The group emerged from the office and walked down the corridor. After a while they turned the corner, making their way through the maze of hallways in this building. Eventually, they managed to make their way back to the destroyed passage where they had encountered the Professor earlier.

Quickly crossing the chasm in the laboratory again, they walked towards the double doors of the elevator when suddenly it dinged and the engine came to a stop. They were moving to ready their weapons when the doors slid open to reveal several S.W.A.T. officers led by a woman in a black suit and trench coat with rectangular glasses.

“Detective Darrel,” she said.

Claire was surprised. “Commander Raydor. Good to see you again, ma’am.”

“Is there anyone on this floor?” the Commander asked, looking to the chasm behind them.

“Not that we know of, ma’am,” the detective replied.

“And these are Albert Clarkson and Nicole Weaver?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Nicole gave a small wave while Albert just stood there, one hand in his pocket.

“The Professor is dead, Commander,” Claire added.

She raised her eyebrows. “How?”

“We don’t know. And there’s another man on the roof. He’s the one who stabbed Anna Brail.”

“And who killed him?”

“Detective Weaver, ma’am. But we also believe him to be the man who Anna fought in New Hampton and the one who killed mister Anderson.”

Sharon Raydor held her forehead as she looked down.

“Alright. You three are coming down with me,” she looked to the officers. “Clear the floor.”

“Yes ma’am,” rang out as they all moved past the group.

The Commander turned and walked into the elevator, looking back at them.

“Well come on, then.”

Glancing at each other, Nicole, Albert and Claire strode into the elevator alongside Commander Raydor. She hit the button for the bottom floor and watching the doors slide closed, they descended.

“Are you hurt at all?” she asked the group.

“No, ma’am,” Claire shook her head, with the other two repeating the action.

“And mister Brail? Is he okay?”

Nicole nodded. “He went with Anna to the hospital.”

She sighed. “Well at least you guys didn’t screw up as much as you could of. That’s nice to know.”

“Ma’am if I can explain-,” detective Darrel began but the Commander waved her off.

“No. You and detective Weaver will have plenty of time to explain yourselves later.”

The man clapped his hands together as the other two men lifted the girl into the back of the van. “That could not have gone better. Ravager, Jameson and my pathetic father are all dead, and Alexandra is in prison. Of course, the Brail girl being incapacitated and John Arwin being apprehended are a bit of a setback, but she’ll be fine and we can get him out.”

One of the men climbing into the back with Jessica Sapphire, the doors were slammed shut and the other man and Ezra Jacobs went around to the front, the man with the suit and glasses taking the passenger seat.

A moment later the engine roared into life, the headlights illuminating the forest ahead of them. Stepping on the gas pedal, the vehicle rolled forward, bouncing as they went over the uneven ground before breaking through the foliage and onto a highway.

“Take us home,” Ezra Jacobs said, looking back at the unconscious girl laying on the floor of the van. “We’ve got work to do.”

Nodding, the driver rode forward, the rising sun blinding them as they drove towards it.

“It’s only a matter of time until the beginning has reached its end,” he smiled. “It’s only a matter of time until an ancient wrong has been righted.”

Again, he looked back at Jessica.

“And she’s the key to open the door.”

“Sir,” Assistant Chief Burrows came into the room. “The FuturTech facility is secure.”

Chief Dillon breathed a sigh of relief. “And our people?”

“All of them are fine except one: Anna Brail. She’s been stabbed and was taken to a hospital in Alberta. We don’t know her status; she’s still in surgery.”

He rubbed his brow. “What happened?”

“The man she fought with the day before last stabbed her and was about to execute her when Detective Weaver shot him in the head,” William Burrows replied.

“And the Professor?”

“Dead, as well as Ravager.”

John Dillon looked up at him. “Ravager? And John Arwin?”

“He’s been apprehended.”

“Good, good,” he said before he realized something else.

“Where is Jessica Sapphire?”

His second-in-command hesitated to answer. “We… don’t know, sir.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that we didn’t locate her at the facility. That doesn’t mean that she wasn’t there, it just means that she was gone before we arrived.”

“She probably ran away,” Dillon said.

“Most likely, sir.”

Standing up, the Chief of Police winched as he eased his arm off his chair.

“Of course I would like an eye kept open for her. She’s a valuable asset and she’s been gone for far too long.”

“Yes sir.”

“Now,” he walked over to the Assistant Chief. “It’s time to speak to miss Jacobs again.”

Together, the two men walked out of the office and down the hallway. Arriving at the elevator, the two stepped inside and began to descend to the holding cells below.

Eventually the lift came to a stop, and leaving the elevator, they walked between several cells before coming to one at the end of the right-hand row. A guard stationed in front of the bars nodded at their approach and moved out of the way, allowing the two leaders of the Department to look inside.

Lying on the bed was a woman in her early forties, her dress torn in places and her hair a mess. She looked up at their arrival, hatred shinning in her blue eyes.

“You will let me out of here,” she demanded. “Now.”

Dillon let out a laugh. “I’m going to have to say no to that one.”

“I am the Mayor of this city!” she got off the bed, moving towards the bars of her cell. “You cannot keep me in here like some kind of animal!”

“The City Council has been informed of your recent actions and is finding a new interim Mayor to replace you,” the Chief replied. “You’re no longer in charge.”

Both the officers could tell that something broke inside her.

“You… you’ve ruined me!”

“Oh, quite the contrary, Alexandra,” John Dillon leaned against the bars with his good arm. “You’ve ruined yourself.”

She looked down at the floor. “That girl… She brought everything crashing down around me...”

“And who made it that way?” William Burrows stepped forward. “Your father.”

“My father is a fool!” she yelled, causing both of them to take a step back. “All he ever did was knock up a lab assistant! I had never seen my father until he got in contact with me a year ago!”

“That still doesn’t justify your attempting to kill the Chief of Police!” Burrows retorted. “Or the fact that you covered up your father’s actions.”

“So,” Alexandra looked at both of them. “This is how it ends? This is how my life comes to a close?”

Dillon looked her in the eye. “Every criminal I’ve ever met has asked that question, and I’m sorry, but you’re the one who made the choices that led to this. It’s all up to the justice system now.”

He turned and walked away, followed by the Assistant Chief, who, with one last look at the former Mayor of New Hampton, trailed after the Chief.

August 24, 2017.

“Ma’am, with all due respect, as I’ve told you for the past day we know our actions were wrong, but they were completely justified-,” Matthew tried to say before he was cut off again by the Commander.

“No!” she slammed on the table. “You endangered the lives of four civilians and yourselves. You’re lucky Anna Brail pulled through surgery and has recovered enough to be transferred to St. Peter’s.”

“They chose to go with us!” Claire protested. “We didn’t ask them to join us on what we knew was a suicide mission!”

“You will watch your tone when addressing a superior officer! That will not bode well with you during the Internal Affairs investigation!”

The two detectives looked at each other. “Why are you talking to us, then? If we’re Internal Affairs’ problem?” Matthew inquired.

“Because I was in charge of I.A. and I helped set up the system that they use today, and you need to be ready for what is to come,” she said, sincerity in her voice.

He looked at her a moment before nodding. “Yes ma’am.”

Suddenly the door opened and two men dressed in suits entered the room. Sharon Raydor sighed and stepped out of the way as they both took a seat across from the detectives.

“That will be all, Commander Raydor,” one of them said to the woman, who nodded, and with one last look at the two, left the room.

“Who are you?” Matthew asked, obviously confused.

“We are your lawyers,” one of them replied, looking through documents that he had just pulled from his briefcase while the other was doing the same.

“Lawyers? Why do we need lawyers?” Claire inquired.

“Because you are being charged with insubordination and reckless endangerment of civilians,” the other replied.

“Are you kidding?”

“I’m afraid we’re not,” the one across from Matthew looked up at him.

“So is there going to be a trial?” the woman asked, concerned.

Her attorney’s face told it all. “If it comes to that.”

Looking at each other, Matthew grabbed Claire’s hand and held it.

August 30, 2017.

“I just hope she’s okay,” Anna looked down at the sheets of her hospital bed, contemplating what happened to Jessica.

“She can handle herself,” Nicole assured her. “I mean, she broke out of that facility and somehow found her way to New Hampton on her own.”

The woman tilted her head to the right slightly. “I suppose.”

“The good news is, though,” Mark smiled. “You’re okay.”

His daughter returned the smile. “Moving the crap out of my apartment is going to be a pain, though,” she winced.

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Albert said. “We took care of it. And the bodies were taken on the twenty-fourth.”

“You guys did that for me?” Anna was shocked.

“Actually,” Nicole smiled and looked sideways at the man. “Albert took care of it. All of it.”

She looked at the journalist to her right. “You moved all my stuff into my new place?”

“Well, Nicole gave me the address, but yeah, I did.”

“That’s sweet of you,” Anna’s hand was close to his. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he smiled.

“So when can I get out of here?” she asked the others.

“The doctor said that you’d be able to go home on the seventh, but you’ll have to take it easy and do physical therapy,” her father replied.

“Not really my cup of tea.”

He chuckled. “I know. But you have to if you want to get better.”

“I know,” she muttered.

“We’ll let you get some rest,” Nicole said, standing up, followed by the others.

“Thank you,” Anna replied, looking at Albert in particular.

He nodded. “I’ll see you soon.”

“I hope so,” she smiled.

Albert returned it before following Nicole and Mark out of the room, all of them looking back at the woman as they left. She looked after them, even as they pulled the door closed. Looking down at her hands, she breathed a deep sigh, slumping farther back against her pillow.

“Let me out of here!” she screamed, grabbing the bars of her cell.

“You cannot keep me in here!” Jessica yelled, her eyes glinting blue.

A voice rang through the darkness. “Actually, I can.”

From the shadows emerged the man that had captured her on top of the FuturTech facility, his mouth curved into a broad smile and his glasses reflecting the dim light in the room.

“Hello again, miss Sapphire.”

Her face became even more contorted with rage. “You’re no better than your father. You know that!”

Ezra Jacobs laughed. “I am leagues better than that old fool! I am carrying out the true mission.”

“And what would that be?” Jessica raised an eyebrow.

“To right a wrong. To release one who was unjustifiably imprisoned.”

It was the girl’s turn to laugh. “Someone unjustifiably imprisoned? I think I can relate.”

“Oh no no no,” he replied. “You are needed. You are a key component in completing the mission.”

“How am I a key component?” she asked. “What do you want?”

“All in due time, miss Sapphire,” he turned to leave.

“No!” she yelled, outstretching her hand before a violent shock of electricity ran through her body from her collar, felling her instantly.

Ezra turned and looked down at her. “We’ll talk again soon.”

As her vision blurred the darkness enveloped her, she heard the door thud close, leaving her alone as she fell into unconsciousness.

“Commander Raydor,” he said, walking into the room.

“Chief,” she nodded, gesturing to a chair for him to sit in.

John sat down, followed by the woman in a chair opposite to him. “What’s the word on Matthew and Claire?”

She sighed. “Internal Affairs is still questioning them.”

“They’ve been doing that for days now. Usually it doesn’t take this long.”

“Well, this is the first case of its kind.”

“I suppose,” the Chief stroked his chin.

Sharon looked at him. “I tried to prepare them the best I could.”

He nodded. “I know you did.”

“Chief, can I speak freely?” she asked.

“Go ahead,” John replied.

She took a deep breath. “I know that the mission uncovered a massive conspiracy right under our noses, and that the perpetrator is now dead, but to accomplish it, we went against everything we believe in. A civilian even nearly died.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“And I know you originally headed the mission before Jessica attacked City Hall,” Sharon said. “And you called it off once that happened, so Matthew and Claire taking it on themselves wasn’t your fault.”

“It is, though,” he looked down. “I encouraged it.”

“All we can do is hope that they can pull through this. At the very least they’ll lose their badges.”

“They’re good officers, you know,” John said to the woman.

She nodded. “I know.”

### Chapter 2: Home

September 7, 2017.

“Finally,” she said as they came out of the building.

Albert raised an eyebrow. “Finally what? Finally that you’re cleared to go home?”

“Of course,” Anna replied. “Sucks that I have to ride around in this wheelchair, though,” she rubbed her hands on the arm rests.

“You just don’t like needing help,” Mark said as he pushed her.

The woman ran her hand through her hair. “That’s probably true.”

Stopping, everyone stopped and looked at the girl. She looked around at them.

“What?”

“Who are you and what have you done with Anna?” Nicole asked.

“Yeah I think the morphine hasn’t all left your system yet,” Albert said.

Anna rolled her eyes. “It’s just that… nearly dying has made me realize that I can’t keep going on by myself, because that’s how I’ve gotten myself into all the trouble I have. And I’m sorry for pushing you all away.”

Silence filled the air.

“I’ve,” Nicole finally said. “Waited so long for you to realize that.”

“Yeah don’t push it,” she replied.

“Alright let’s get you home,” Mark nodded, pushing the wheelchair forward again.

They came into the parking lot and arrived at Mark’s SUV. Anna pushed herself off the chair with Nicole and Albert helping her into the passenger side. Once she was in Albert folded up the chair and set it in the trunk, he and Nicole climbing in the back while Mark started up the car.

Moments later they were driving down the streets of New Hampton. The woman rolled down the window and felt the wind rustle through her hair.

As they drove, she expected them to take the familiar path to her apartment building when they began taking a path that was vaguely reminiscent to her when she remembered that all her things had been moved to her new apartment and that her rent for the other place was up.

*Just as well*, she thought. She probably couldn’t step foot in that place again after what had happened there just two weeks before.

Eventually coming to an apartment building on the other side of town, they pulled into the parking garage and came to a halt. Albert, Nicole and Mark got out and helped Anna out of the passenger seat and back into her wheelchair.

Now that she was firmly seated, the group, with Albert pushing Anna this time, went towards the elevator which sat next to the stairwell. Stepping in as the doors opened, they hit the key for the fourth floor.

Rolling out onto her new floor, they came to apartment 423. Nicole pulled out Anna’s keys and found the one for the door.

Anna smiled. “That’s where my keys went.”

Nicole laughed. “Well how else were we supposed to get in to set your furniture up?”

“I know.”

Pushing the door open, Albert pushed Anna inside, followed by the others. The new apartment was roughly the same shape and size as her previous one, but a lot less dingy than it. The walls were white and the floor was carpeted, something her old apartment did not have. The kitchen was tiled and not as nasty as her other kitchen. The rent was also only a bit more expensive than her previous apartment.

“Oh,” Albert said. “And one more thing.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

“Happy birthday!” the three of them said at once, taking her by surprise.

“Oh,” she looked at them. “I was hoping you’d forget.”

“We figured that,” Mark smiled. “But we thought we should celebrate it regardless.”

“Also because yours, Nicole’s and my birthdays all fall in the same week,” Albert said.

Anna chuckled. “I guess that makes sense.”

“His birthday’s actually today,” Nicole patted Albert on the back.

Blushing a little, he shrugged. “Yeah that’s true.”

“Well happy birthday, I guess,” the woman in the wheelchair shrugged.

“Thanks.”

“How old are you, by the way?” Anna inquired. “I never actually asked.”

“I’m twenty-four now,” the man replied.

She was surprised. “So you’re only a year older than me? I could’ve sworn you were older.”

“I get that a lot,” he laughed.

“No you don’t,” she said. She then looked at her father and two friends. “This is all very thoughtful. Thank you.”

Nicole stared at her. “Okay really. Who are you?”

Anna chuckled again. “I told you. I’m tired of flying solo. I’m done pushing everyone away.”

“I know,” Nicole smiled. “I’m just so happy you finally realize that.”

“Want some cake?” Mark asked, moving tot he fridge and pulling out a chocolate cake.

She smiled. “It really is my birthday.”

He looked up as there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Chief Dillon replied.

The door opened and Commander Sharon Raydor entered once again.

Setting down his glasses, he got up and came over and shook her hand.

“Commander,” he greeted. “What can I do for you?”

“One of my old contacts in I.A. just gave me this,” she held up a folder.

John took it in his hands. “What is it?”

“The report from the investigation of Detectives Weaver and Darrel,” Sharon replied.

Flipping it open, he grabbed his glasses from his desk and read through it, tracing over one line in particular.

“I see,” he said finally, handing it back to the woman, who tucked it under her arm. “Of course, if I’m being honest, I’m not entirely surprised.”

“Neither am I, Chief,” the Commander said. “But that’s not the only reason I came up here today.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And what’s the other reason, Sharon?”

She took a deep breath. “I’m worried that the whole thing is going to be traced back to you, sir.”

Nodding, he leaned against his desk. “I agree, Commander.”

“And you know that if it’s discovered, it’ll be one of the first things to be on the new Mayor’s desk as soon as they sit down.”

“Of course I did nothing illegal,” Dillon said.

“That is true, but you sanctioned an operation that two of your subordinates enacted without your approval. While that sounds like it’d work in your favor, it could be spun another way by the media.”

The Chief of Police chuckled. “They’ve been after me for years. They’d spin anything against me.”

“Exactly!” Sharon threw her arms out. “That’s why this needs to stay quiet. Otherwise you’re not going to be Chief much longer.”

He looked down at the ground, taking in her words. Finally, he looked up at her.

“Understood.”

“Thank you, sir,” Commander Raydor nodded, before turning to leave the room.

“Oh, and Sharon.”

She turned back to look at him.

“Thank you for letting me know about Matthew and Claire before everyone else.”

The Commander smiled. “You’re welcome, Chief.”

One of the few things he had done since he had gotten here was stare at the ceiling. Not that there was much else he could do here, anyway. They had returned him to one of the holding cells designed, ironically, by FuturTech.

He had been locked in this cell for the past two weeks. Of course all his needs were met, one way or another. But he had been locked in a cell such as this one once before and he wasn’t particularly keen on repeating the experience.

But, here he was again, in the New Hampton Police Department’s custody. The last few weeks had not been what he had planned on accomplishing when he had come to this wretched city. He had hoped to finally settle with Anna, one way or another. But instead he had been stopped at every turn. How that was possible he did not know.

The door at on the other side of the room slide open and three figures came in: two men and a woman. Approaching his cell, the three of them stopped short of a yellow line that was placed four feet from his cage. Since they were now closer he could see that the woman was a Lieutenant, one man a plain officer and the other an attorney.

John chuckled. “You remember what happened the last time you brought me an attorney, right?”

“Yep,” the Lieutenant said. “That’s why Officer Marcos is going to be stationed here. And if you manage to somehow break out, he won’t hesitate to splatter your brains across the glass of that cage. Understood?”

He glared at her a moment before rolling his eyes. “Fine.”

“Good, I’ll leave you three alone,” the Lieutenant smiled before walking out of the room.

Watching her go, the lawyer set down his briefcase and turned towards his client.

“Hello, mister Arwin. I am Deputy City Attorney Christopher Abrams. I will be representing you in court.”

“You know that last guy who said that got his head burned off, right?” John said darkly.

“I am quite familiar with you case,” he replied. “So yes, I am aware.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “And you’re still here?”

“Well I believe that everyone deserves a fair trial, and I doubt a lot of people want to give you that,” Christopher Abrams replied. “So I decided I’d take up your case.”

“Then you’re insane,” the man in the cage spat.

Smiling, the Deputy City Attorney chuckled to himself. “That may be true. But if I’m crazy, then you’re nuts.”

John glared at him. “I thought you were supposed to help me.”

“Yes, but it’s hard to help someone when they act like you,” he replied.

“How dare you.”

“My point exactly.”

He hesitated for a moment.

“So what do you want to know?”

“Start at the beginning,” Christopher smiled again.

The door opened. Looking up, Matthew and Claire saw the man they knew as Captain Marks, head of the Internal Affairs Division, walking into the room, a folder in his hand.

“Detective Weaver and Detective Darrel,” he said, sitting down across from them, his file sliding to a stop on the table.

“So you guys have finally finished your investigation, huh?” Claire asked, an irritation ringing through her voice.

He looked up at her. “Indeed.”

“And?” Matthew inquired hesitantly.

“You’ve both been suspended indefinitely,” he replied swiftly, an icy tone to his voice.

Claire and Matthew looked at each other.

“Well, we can’t really say we’re surprised,” Matthew replied.

The man raised an eyebrow. “Did you expect this to happen when you committed your crime?”

“It was a risk we were willing to take,” he said.

“Your careers here are effectively over, you know,” Captain Marks replied. “And through this entire investigation, I can’t possibly understand why you thought it was worth it.”

“We saw a need, a wrong, that needed to be righted,” Claire put her hands on the table. “Surely you can understand that? Surely understand the feeling of being so utterly convicted about something that you have no other choice *but* to act on that impulse?”

He stared at her. “Yes, I do. I feel utterly convicted that you are both wrong and unworthy of being on the police force. Now, hand me both your badges and your firearms.”

The two partners looked at each other before pulling their gleaming badges and black firearms off their belts and setting them in front of the Captain, who smiled.

“Thank you for your cooperation. If you could now clear out your desks that would be much appreciated.”

Standing up, and slid the file under his right arm and took their badges and guns in his hands and left the room, leaving both of them alone again, shaken to the core.

An hour later they were walking to their cars in the New Hampton Police Department’s parking garage, cardboard boxes in hand. They held everything that had been on their desks, all their reminders of home when working late into the night or not knowing if they were going to see the ones they loved again.

Popping his trunk, Matthew set his box in the back of his car. In the next stall over, Claire did the same, but almost dropped hers on the concrete floor due to how badly she was shaking.

“Hey,” he placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”

Without warning, she hugged him, crying into his shoulder. Taken by surprise, it took him a moment to wrap his arms around her, hugging her back.

“It’s okay,” he said, trying to calm her. “It’s okay.”

“But it’s not,” she sobbed. “We lost our jobs, our credibility. And for what? Taking down a man through illegal means instead of having the justice system do its work? It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault.”

“It’s not your fault, Claire-,” he tried to say.

She looked up at him, tears streaking down her face. “It is, though! I’m the one who let their emotions get the best of them! I’m the one who continued on this mission and brought you and the others down with me!”

The woman hugged him tightly again. “I’m so sorry, Matthew.”

He looked at her. “No, it’s not your fault. I wanted to do it to. And I’m as much to blame as you are.”

“What?” she met his gaze.

“You’re my partner, and I know that when you have your mind set on something, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop you,” Matthew said. “And I knew that you were going to need backup, and I’m always willing to provide that.”

Claire held his cheek in her hand before kissing him passionately, Matthew kissing her back just the same. After a few moments, they broke apart, holding each other closely.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” she whispered, looking into his eyes.

He smiled, caressing her cheek. “I suppose there’s an upside to getting suspended. We don’t have to worry about anyone approving us going out.”

She chuckled. “Who said we’re going out?”

“Oh? Didn’t I tell you? We’re going out Friday night.”

“Remind me,” she held his hand. “Where are we going?”

“I was thinking Don’s,” he replied.

“Ah yes, I remember now,” she grinned. “What time did you want me there?”

He dramatically looked up as he thought about it. “Around seven. Or whenever the lady’s free.”

Smirking, she placed her hand on his chest. “I think that’ll work, mister Weaver.”

At that moment Matthew’s phone buzzed, and looking into each others’ eyes for a moment longer, he pulled away from Claire, who leaned against her partner’s car, crossing her arms. He smiled at her and held the phone up to his ear.

“Hey sis,” he said. “What’s up?”

“*If you’re not busy I was wondering if you wanted to come over to Anna’s new apartment for a little birthday party for her, Albert and I,* Nicole said on the other side.”

“Anna’s out of the hospital?”

“*Yeah she just got out today.*”

Matthew looked at Claire. “I think I can make it.”

She sounded relived. “*Oh she’ll love that. And Claire can come if she wants.*”

“Alright. I’ll see you there. Love you.”

“*Love you too. I’ll text you her new address.*”

His sister hung up and he shoved his phone back in his pocket. Walking over and leaning on the car next to his partner, looking into each others’ eyes again.

“So, do you want to head over to Anna’s for a little party?”

“Well my schedule just cleared up a bunch.”

“Then I’ll take that as a yes?”

“I suppose.”

Smiling, they kissed again before going to their separate cars, Matthew opening up Nicole’s instructions on his phone. And with Claire following her partner, they drove off from the Police Station and into the city of New Hampton.

“Can I ask you something?”

Anna looked up at Albert as he stood by her, asking permission to sit on the couch next to her.

“Sure,” she smiled.

He returned it and sat down next to her, placing his soda on the table to his right. Pivoting, he looked her in the face.

“I know you’ve been more willing to let others in since you were stabbed, and that’s great, but I’ve noticed other changes in you as well.”

She cocked her head. “Oh? How’s that?”

“Well,” he rubbed his hands together. “One of the glaring ones is the fact that you’re wearing jeans and shirt instead of a dress.”

She unconsciously looked at her attire.

“Yeah, so?”

He chuckled. “I suppose it could be nothing. It’s just that I’ve never seen you anything that didn’t have a skirt.”

“Well, to be fair, you haven’t known me very long.”

“That’s true. But you’ve never seemed like the kind of person to wear anything other than a dress,” he replied.

“And how do you know that?”

“I mean, I did move several boxes worth of dresses here.”

Anna blushed and he did the same. Seeing this, they both laughed before looking at each other, eyes locked together.

“Basically,” he said, still staring at her. “I think you’re changing. Whether in a good way or a bad way, we’ll see.”

She smiled. “We?”

A moment later there was a knock on the door and they broke their gaze to look at the door as Nicole opened it. Matthew and Claire entered, and for a brief moment, it looked like they were holding hands before they moved them away.

“I’m so glad you could come!” Nicole hugged her brother.

“Glad to be here,” he said, looking around the room at the other three.

“Hey Matthew,” Anna waved from her wheelchair.

“Hey Anna,” he replied. “You’re looking better.”

She chuckled to herself. “Still feel like crap, though.”

“I was shot once,” Claire said, gesturing to her side. “I know exactly what that’s like.”

“Does it still hurt?”

The woman chuckled. “Sometimes.”

Mark came over to them. “Is that investigation into your conduct going anywhere?”

The two looked at each other before looking at the man. Matthew took a deep breath.

“We were suspended indefinitely,” he said. “And you know that means that we’re effectively fired.”

“They took our guns and our badges,” Claire continued. “And they had us clear out our desks, so it’s pretty official.”

“I’m so sorry, guys,” Anna rolled forward slightly.

Albert stood up. “That sucks really bad.”

“What are you going to do now?” Nicole asked, worry in her eyes and voice.

Matthew shook his head. “I don’t know yet,” he looked at Claire, who smiled. “But we’ll figure it out.”

“There’s always the private detective route,” Anna suggested.

“Isn’t that what you were going to do?” he inquired.

“Yeah but it’s not like I’m going to be able to do it anytime soon,” she replied. “Plus I kind of stopped caring about that career.”

He chuckled. “I guess there’s always that.”

“Well,” Mark said, holding up a glass. “Whatever the future holds, we can make our way through it, because that’s who we are.”

Nicole handed Matthew and Claire glasses of punch. They all held their glasses up with the man.

“To the future,” Mark said.

“To the future,” they replied, before drinking from their glasses.

As the day slowly turned into night, Anna couldn’t help but feel that she was finally at home.

There were… flashes. Flashes of a life. A life that had been long-since over. Flashes of a life that had been stolen.

She saw her mother, and her father, and her brothers and sisters, all happy. All full of life. They laughed and smiled as they gathered around the table, ready for dinner. They laughed and ate, none of them ready for what was coming next.

The picture faded, and a new one appeared to fill the void. She saw her family sitting down to watch a movie; just a mundane thing. If only she had known that it would be the last time…

Gunfire exploded in her ears. She felt herself running; her heart thumping inside of her chest. Sweat formed on her brow, her breathing ragged. But she pushed on.

A second later she was caught. The next, she was being carted down a hallway. Then, the Professor’s face loomed before her, a wicked smile across his face.

Then there was darkness before a sliver of light appeared. It was pure white, like freshly-fallen snow. It pulsated softly, floating in the black. It then began to grow, expanding wider and wider before it began to consume everything around it.

Jessica awoke as she hit the floor of her cell. Looking around, she saw that she had fallen out of her bed in her sleep. She was breathing heavily and her heart was racing. Sitting against the bed frame, she ran a hand through her black hair as tears streaked down her face.

### Chapter 3: A Breath of Fresh Air

September 29, 2017.

Ever since she had gotten back home, Anna felt that her life had been on the upswing lately.

She had begun using crutches, since her balance was much better now. This meant she could take a lot more care of herself, since she had previously needed a lot of help in doing so. She was happy to have the independence again.

They had said that some nerves for her legs had been damaged when she had been stabbed, but how fast she was recovering, was, quite frankly, a miracle. Both her doctor and physical therapist were amazed.

The doctor theorized that whatever gave her her abilities could also be regenerating her cells, which would explain how she had recovered from a lot of her other injuries. Of course, it didn’t remove the scars.

Another thing that had been happening that was that her friendship with Nicole had been revitalized to the level it was back when they were teenagers. She had been helping Anna so much during the last couple of weeks with all the things required for her recovery, and she was thankful for that.

Her father had also been largely involved with her care, and she was glad that she had finally let the wounds of their past heal, and she had never felt more connected with him.

And there was also Albert to keep her spirits up. He had been coming over most days and helped Nicole and Mark with taking care of her, and she was glad that she had found a friend in him. But, she couldn’t help but feel that she felt something more for the man, something she hadn’t felt for many years.

“Anna!” her father called from the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready!”

She brushed her hair out from under her collar. “I’ll be right there!”

Checking herself over in the mirror one last time, she turned and walked towards the door. Pulling it open, she walked out into the dining room, leaning on her crutches.

There she was greeted by Nicole, who helped her to the table. She handed her her crutches and sat down.

“Thanks,” she said to her.

“No problem,” Nicole replied.

Anna looked around the table and saw that Albert was sitting there, looking at her.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

She smiled unintentionally. “Better.”

“When do you think they’re going to let you off the crutches?”

“Hopefully soon. I’m recovering much faster than they originally thought.”

Albert grinned. “Well that’s always good to hear.”

They looked over as Nicole brought over a large pot. As she set it down, Albert inspected the contents, seeing that it was a type of pasta.

“Looks good,” the man said.

After they all had their food, said grace and had been eating for eating for a while, Anna looked to Nicole.

“Hey, do you know how Matthew and Claire are doing?”

She stroked her chin. “When I last talked to them they were working on trying to get a business license for their private detective agency.”

The woman was surprised. “So they’re actually doing what I suggested?”

“I mean, it’s not like there are a lot of other options for them,” Nicole shrugged, continuing to eat.

Albert looked up at Anna. “You said you wanted to be a private detective, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Why don’t you want to do that anymore?”

“Mainly because it was reckless,” she replied. “Like sure, it made sense after the trial, but I’m frankly sick of pointlessly risking my life. Plus, I’d probably end up getting requested by a lot of shady people for shady things.”

“So what? You’re done using your powers?” Nicole asked, obviously not believing her ears.

Anna waved her hand. “Oh no. Of course not. I know I’m supposed to use my gift, but not like how I was using it or wanted to. If I’m going to use my abilities, it’s to genuinely help people. Within the confines of the law, preferably.”

“You mean like for the police department?” Albert inquired.

It was her turn to shrug. “If they were to ask. Of course that’s incredibly naive of me to think.”

“Actually I doubt it’s as far fetched as you would think,” the male journalist said.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re a valuable asset. The police force would be overjoyed to have a Super on their side.”

Nicole nodded. “I bet they would.”

“Wait, Nicole,” Anna shook her head as if she was trying to clear it. “You’re actually agreeing with that?”

“Well, working with the police would be a lot less reckless than going on at night and beating people up.”

Anna tipped her head in acknowledgment. “I suppose.”

“Chief Dillon,” the man said, shaking his hand.

“Mayor Grayson,” John Dillon replied.

He led them to his desk, where he took his seat in front of the large round window while the Chief of Police took a seat across from him.

“So,” the new interim Mayor of New Hampton smiled. “How are you doing, Chief?”

John knew he meant his arm. “I’m doing well. Thank you, sir.”

“Good, good.”

The Chief decided to get to the point. “Why did you want to see me, mister Mayor?”

“Ah yes,” he said, leaning down and opening a drawer on his desk before reemerging with a folder. He handed it to Dillon, who opened it and began to look through it.

“This is a proposition I’ve put together for the police department to add a Super as a member of the Special Operations Bureau,” the Mayor leaned back in his chair.

Reading through, the Chief looked up at him. “Where are we going to find a Super?”

“I believe Anna Brail has a knack for crime fighting.”

“Well, yes, but she’s recovering from a very bad injury.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Very bad? I heard it was almost fatal. But I also understand she’s recovering very quickly.”

“Yes, I suppose she is,” John replied.

“Anyway, I want you to work with Commander Raydor on developing this position and offering the job to miss Brail,” the Mayor leaned back in his chair.

“Of course, sir,” the Chief said. “Although I’m not sure when miss Brail will be ready to go back into action again, if at all.”

The man chuckled. “Well, if her file is worth anything, she’s definitely a stubborn woman.”

John chuckled himself. “That is very true.”

“So you think this is feasible?”

“Absolutely, sir,” he nodded. “I just have one concern.”

The Mayor of New Hampton raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s that?”

“I’m just concerned about how legal this all is.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already cleared it with the City Council,” he assured the Chief.

He looked over the contents of the folder again. “Alright. I’ll give this to Commander Raydor and work with her and creating the position. If miss Brail is up to it, of course.”

“Excellent,” Mayor Grayson stood up, promptly followed by John Dillon.

“Thank you, Chief,” he outstretched his hand.

The man took it. “No problem, sir.”

“He wants me to do what?”

“Is… that a rhetorical question?” he asked uncertainly.

She looked up from the folder. “Of course it is, Chief.”

“That means you understand what he wants you to do?” John Dillon said.

“Indeed I do,” Commander Raydor turned a page in the file. “And I hardly approve of it.”

He sighed. “Neither do I. Well, not entirely, anyway.”

“You’re actually considering this?” she gasped. “Why?”

“Having a Super on the force could be a valuable asset to have!” the Chief explained. “The world is getting more dangerous. I mean, the city only really survived Ravager because Anna Brail threw him off that tower.”

“I suppose,” Sharon replied.

“So, you’ll consider it?”

The woman exhaled. “There really isn’t a choice for me, is there?”

John shook his head. “Unfortunately not.”

“Great,” she snapped the file shut. “I love being forced into doing things I don’t want to do because of some government bureaucrat.”

“Look, Sharon,” he said turning towards her and leaning forward. “I think in the end this will be beneficial to the Department. Plus it’ll be better for Anna to be fighting for us as opposed to as some vigilante.”

“And what if she doesn’t accept the job?”

The Chief shrugged. “Then nothing will change. Well, I guess Wyatt will be disappointed.”

She smiled. “He’s always disappointed.”

“That true,” he chuckled.

“Alright,” the Commander said, standing up, followed by the Chief. “I’ll get to work on creating the position.”

“Thank you, Sharon,” John said.

“Hello, mister Arwin,” the woman greeted him, setting down her briefcase. “I’m Deputy District Attorney Jenna-Louise Nolan. I am in charge of prosecuting your case.”

The man in the cage raised an eyebrow. “’Jenna-Louise’? What are you, twelve?”

She chuckled. “Unfortunately for you, I am not.”

His smug expression faded.

“Anyway,” Jenna continued. “I am here to discuss and clear up a few concerns I have about your statement.”

“Shouldn’t my lawyer be here?” the man asked, irritated.

The woman looked at her watch. “Oh he should be here soon. Must be running late, is all.”

And as if on cue, the metal door slid open and Deputy City Attorney Christopher Abrams came rushing in, straightening his tie as he joined the woman.

“DDA Nolan,” he nodded.

“DCA Abrams,” she replied.

“You haven’t been questioning my client without me, have you?” Christopher inquired.

She smiled playfully. “Oh come on, Chris. You know me better than that.”

He smiled back. “I suppose I do.”

John narrowed his eyes at them. “Isn’t being on friendly terms a violation or something?”

“If it doesn’t interfere with how we preform our jobs, then there isn’t much of a problem,” Deputy City Attorney Abrams replied.

“My only concern with your case is for justice to be dealt,” Jenna reached down and picked up her briefcase, reaching in and pulling a few papers.

As she did this, John noticed that she had a silver wedding ring on her left hand.

“You’re married?”

The woman looked up at him and then down at her ring.

“Oh, yes.”

“Who’s the unlucky sap?”

Jenna laughed. “Actually I’m the unlucky sap. He’s the most wonderful man I’ve ever met.”

“Are you sure?”

“I mean, he’s a lot more wonderful than you.”

Even Christopher couldn’t stop himself from chuckling at this remark.

John scowled. “You’re a tramp, you know that?”

“Mister Arwin,” she said. “We’re not going to get anywhere if we keep on like this.”

Abrams nodded. “DDA Nolan is right.”

Glaring at them, he rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Fine. What do you want to know?”

She looked to her colleague, who nodded, and she began flipping through her papers. “One of my main questions is about your relationship with Anna Brail.”

“I don’t have a relationship with Anna,” he replied stiffly, causing his attorney to sigh.

The Deputy District Attorney raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have a relationship with her yet you call her by her first name?”

He stared blankly at the woman.

“You do know what I mean when I say ‘relationship’, right?” she asked.

His eyes burned with rage. “I haven’t dated her for years!”

Jenna-Louise rolled her eyes as she realized what he was talking about. She rubbed her forehead and looked at him again.

“When I say ‘relationship’, I mean who well you know her and how well you get along. No whether you two are romantically involved.”

“Oh,” he said while his attorney held his head in his hand. “Well, uh, we met at Salem University and began dating. I was, am, a year older than her. But we broke up after she threw me into a wall during a fight.”

The Deputy District Attorney raised an eyebrow. “Did you attack her?”

“Well… maybe. Not on purpose, of course,” he added quickly.

“Alright,” she looked at her notes. “And then what happened?”

“After we broke up, my friends and I broke into her apartment and tried to burn the place down, with her inside.”

“You tried to murder her? Because she broke up with you?”

He snapped forward, spitting on the glass. “Because the freak threw me into a wall with her powers! She had to be put down!”

She was shocked. “Get on with your story,” Christopher Abrams suggested.

“But when we were about to do it, she overpowered us and threw me out a window, which led to me being hospitalized for several months. And by the time I got back she had moved back to New Hampton, and I thought I’d never see her again until this year.”

“And you came here to use them to… get even with miss Brail?”

“Yep.”

“How did you acquire your powers, mister Arwin?” Deputy District Attorney Nolan asked.

“I… don’t know. One night I woke up and my apartment was on fire. Thought it was a fluke,” he replied. “But it kept happening… and I realized that I was the one causing it. Eventually I learned to control it.”

“You don’t have any idea to how you got them?”

“They just appeared,” he shrugged.

“One last question: how did you get to New Hampton?”

John groaned. “As I told the previous lawyer: I went through the mountains.”

“That must have been really difficult, considering that they’re pretty dangerous to get through.”

He shrugged. “I managed.”

At that moment her phone buzzed and she pulled it from her pocket and looked at it, frowning. She then looked up at him.

“Looks like that’s all the time we have today. Thank you, mister Arwin. Your insight will be most helpful in my case.”

Reaching down, she picked up her briefcase again and placed her files back inside. She looked to the Deputy City Attorney and nodded, him returning it. The woman turned and walked towards the door, leaving the two men alone.

Christopher turned to his client.

“She’s going to be a major problem if you want to be free.”

“No, she won’t. She’s just a woman. I’ve dealt with many of them before. They’re easy.”

“Evidently not,” Abrams sighed, checking his watch. “I’ll be back later, mister Arwin.”

And with that, he turned and left the room as well, the door closing behind him.

October 12, 2017.

He stared at the sodium lights as they entered the tunnel. The passage had been returned to its original state after Ravager had blown it up and Jessica Sapphire had cleared away the rubble. Now he could enter the city of New Hampton.

The man had no idea why he was drawn to this place. One day he had just felt an urgent pull to the city. An unexplainable, overwhelming desire. It had been a long time since he had been so sure of anything. A long time since he had felt so strongly about something.

Unconsciously checking his watch as they exited the tunnel, he noted it was around seven in the evening. He knew it wasn’t much longer until they were into the city. Looking out the window, he could see New Hampton coming into view.

Twenty minutes later they were in the city itself. They passed under street lamps and by cars and buildings. He was in awe of how magnificent the city was. It was utterly beautiful. But as they drove, he saw the remnants of Ravager’s invasion, buildings vandalized and damaged.

Eventually, they came to a stop at a street corner. Grabbing his bag, he swung it over his shoulder and walked down the aisle along with several of his fellow patrons.

Descending the stairs, he stepped onto the concrete and looked around. Towering buildings surrounded him, their lights illuminating the night.

Finally, he was here.

Taking off down the street, he kept his head low, hidden in his hood as his hands rested in his pockets. He didn’t want to bring too much attention to himself. At least not yet. Right now he just needed to find out why he was here.

As he walked, people passed by him, barely noticing him. While he was glad that they weren’t noticing him, he wasn’t happy that they were all crowding around him, pushing in on him. He began to get twitchy, panic beginning to rise within him.

Looking around, he saw an alleyway coming up on his left. Moving as fast as he could, he dove into the entrance and off the street.

Falling against the wall, he breathed in and out, calming himself down. He had never done well in tight spaces. All his life he had been claustrophobic. He considered it his greatest weakness. But his abilities made up for all that.

Deciding to make his way to his destination through the alleyways, he took off down the darkening passage. The man’s footsteps echoed as his feet fell on the pavement. The sounds of the city still surrounded him, but were muffled, which made him glad.

Turning a corner, he barely had time to react when a man flew out from the dark, striking him in the chest. He stumbled backwards and hit a wall. Regaining his balance, he saw that there were four figures approaching him, three armed with knives while the last held a revolver.

“Wallet. Now,” the one with the gun, obviously the leader, ordered.

He glared at him. “No.”

“No?” the gangster replied. “Alright then.”

In the blink of an eye, the silver gun was pointed at his head, light glinting off of its surface. Pulling back the hammer, his finger wrapped itself around the trigger.

“Try again. Give me your wallet. Now.”

Again, he refused.

“No.”

“You must be a newcomer, because everyone in this city knows that when we ask for your wallet, you’ll regret not giving it to us when we say so.”

“Well, where I come from,” the man said, looking out from under his hood. “We don’t have to answer to street trash like you.”

Enraged, the gangster leveled his gun again.

“Then make your peace-.”

Suddenly a block of stone flew out from the wall behind him and struck him in the head, cracking his skull and knocking him to the ground. Blood pooled on the concrete as his gun clattered away. The others, in a blind panic, pointed their blades at their captive.

“What did you do?!”

The stranger smiled.

“This.”

Punching his fist forward, another chunk of brick detached itself from the wall behind him and soared at the gangsters. They dove out of the way as it shattered against the opposite wall. Terrified, they charged at the man.

When the first one reached him, they swung their blade at him and he jumped out of the way as it narrowly missed his torso. Thrusting the knife forward, he grabbed the gangster’s arm and threw him towards the wall. He narrowly caught himself before he crashed into it and turned to charge at the man when suddenly he brought his hand up and block of concrete flew form the ground and struck him under his chin, snapping his neck backwards.

Charging together, the last two remaining of his adversaries ran at him, knives ready to pierce. They both reached him at the same time and he barely dodged the first one’s attack while the second sliced his arm. Holding it in pain, he kicked his foot up. Another piece of the ground shot up and struck one of them in the chest, winding them and knocking them away.

Now with only one opponent to fight, he moved out of the way as their blade was thrust at him. As it passed him, he grabbed the man’s arm and brought his hand down on his thumb. Crying in pain, the gangster lost his grip on his weapon and it clattered to the ground.

Smiling, the newcomer began to strike the man repeatedly with his fist, blood streaming down his face. He beat him to the point where he could barely resist when he was grabbed by the collar and swung around, smashing face-first into the stone wall. Falling to the ground, he didn’t move again.

The last gangster looked up at the man as he walked towards him.

“What… are you?”

“Your death,” he said.

Stretching his hand out, the largest block of stone he had pulled from his surrounding lifted into the air and he let it hover in his palm before it suddenly flew at the gangster and killed him instantly.

Breathing deeply, he fell against the wall, looking around at his handiwork. Realizing that he needed to make it look more natural than it did, he stepped into the center of the alleyway, and clenching his fists, all the blocks of stone flew back into their original places, blending in as if they had never left.

Seeing that his work was finished, he adjusted his hoodie, and grabbing his backpack, he set off into the cold night, leaving the gangsters dead on the ground.

### Chapter 4: To Serve and Protect

October 14, 2017.

Things had mostly returned to normal.

She had been cleared to stop using her crutches a week ago, which made her extremely happy. Her doctors and physical therapist were still amazed at how quickly she had recovered, especially considering the severity of her wound. Anna could only think to thank God for this miracle.

Nicole, Albert and her father still insisted on helping her, of course, but they agreed to back off a bit, now that she could take care of herself much better now. She was still incredibly grateful for their help, and the support from her church.

The woman had been washing dishes when there was a knock on the door. Setting down what she had been doing, she crossed her apartment and, looking through the peephole, was surprised by who it was.

Opening the door, she saw Chief of Police John Dillon and Commander Sharon Raydor standing there.

“Ah, miss Brail,” Chief Dillon smiled. “You’re looking well. Can we come in?”

Her shock at their being here lasted a few seconds before she replied. “Oh yes. Of course,” she beckoned them inside.

They traveled to her living room where she gestured for them to sit down. “Have a seat.”

Accordingly, they each sat in a chair while Anna placed herself on the couch across from them. There was a moment of awkward silence before the woman decided to break the ice.

“So, what’s up?” she asked, putting her hands together.

Clearing his throat, the Chief glanced at his subordinate before returning to Anna.

“We have a proposition for you.”

“A proposition?” she said, surprised. “For what?”

“We’d like to offer you a job, miss Brail,” the Commander replied.

Her eyes widened. “A job? What kind of job?”

“The new interim Mayor wants us to create a position for a Super asset on the Special Operations Bureau. We’ve found that you are the perfect fit,” Dillon said.

“You want me to be an asset?”

The man nodded. “Indeed.”

She was flabbergasted. “What would I be doing as an asset?”

“The main duties of your job will be helping on police operations, such as gang busts, drug busts, if we have another Ravager situation. You’d also be a consultant on Super-related matters.” Commander Raydor explained.

“Police operations?” Anna asked. “Like fighting and all that?”

“Probably..”

The woman took a deep breath. “Well, I don’t know how long it will be before I’m ready to fight again. But I can do the consulting bit.”

“Oh, of course,” the female officer said. “We don’t want you risking your life for anything you don’t want to do.”

“Thank you,” Anna nodded.

“So...” Dillon looked around the room. “You’ll take the job?”

“I mean,” she said. “I do need a new job. Believe it or not, it’s pretty hard to get a job when everyone knows you’re a Super.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose it is.”

Standing up at the same time, the Commander and Chief watched the woman stand up quickly as well. The man held out his hand towards her, and she took it.

“Welcome to the force.”

Anna didn’t know what to say. “Thank you, sir.”

The Chief let go of her hand and Commander Raydor quickly held out hers, which she took.

“Of course there are a lot of details to still work out, but nonetheless, welcome to the force.”

At that moment Dillon’s phone rang, and after a second he pulled it out of his pocket and held it to his ear.

“Chief Dillon,” he said.

There was silence in the apartment as the person on the other end of the line spoke.

“What?” the man asked, disbelief in his voice. The two women exchanged glances.

He listened some more.

“Alright, I’ll be right over,” Dillon ended the call and stuffed the phone back in his pocket. He looked at at the two.

“That was Detective Meraz with Homicide. They’ve discovered the bodies of four gangsters that seemed to have been killed by a Super.”

Both law enforcement officers turned to Anna. She looked at them with confusion.

“I didn’t kill them,” she said quickly.

“No,” Sharon Raydor said. “I think the Chief’s thinking that this is a perfect trial for you.”

The SUV pulled to a stop outside an alleyway, where several other Police cars were parked while many officers walked around. Following the Chief and Commander as they stepped from the vehicle, Anna saw that the alley was closed off with crime scene tape.

Leading her under the yellow barrier, the two walked in front of Anna as they entered the alleyway, where several more officers walked about. As they approached a turn, a female detective walked up to them.

“Chief Dillon. Commander Raydor,” she said, greeting her two superiors. She then saw Anna standing there.

“Who’s this?”

“Anna Brail,” Dillon replied. “She is going to be our consultant on matters concerning Supers. We thought this would be good for her to get a feel of the job.”

She nodded before outstretching her hand for the woman, who took it.

“Detective Emma Meraz. Homicide Division. Welcome to the force.”

“Thank you,” Anna returned.

“Where are the bodies?” the Chief asked.

“Right over here,” she said, turning and leading them around the corner.

Turning, they were met by four bodies laying on the ground, all of them with parts of their heads bashed away and blood and brain matter surrounding them. A few knives and a gun were accompanied by a police marker. Anna covered her nose with the edge of her hand at first.

“I know,” Emma noticed. “Not a pretty sight.”

“What happened?” she asked, before looking to the Commander and Chief. “I can ask that, right?”

Sharon Raydor nodded. “Someone’s got to.”

“And that’s why I called you down here,” the detective replied, turning towards the crime scene. Walking into the midst of it, they followed her as she showed them the evidence.

“You see,” she said. “Although they were all killed with brutal blunt-force trauma to the head, everywhere where we find the blood is inconsistent with the wounds.”

Dillon raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean this,” Emma pointed to an oddly-shaped splotch on the wall. “While this is from one of the victims, it’s impossible that one of them was killed here.”

“And look at the blood,” Anna said. “It just ends in a straight line. That can’t happen, can it?”

“No, it can’t,” Commander Raydor answered before turning back to the detective. “What do you think led to these four deaths?”

“We haven’t found any formal ID yet, and their faces are pretty messed up, but from the knives, gun, tattoos, and the way they’re dressed, we’re speculating that they’re gangsters. Most likely from the Cold Steel gang.”

“So most likely they were trying to jump whoever did this,” the Chief nodded.

“That’s what we’ve concluded.”

“Could it be a Super?” Anna asked. “Like, I don’t think this would be as puzzling if it wasn’t.”

Sharon smiled. “Glad to see the job suits you well.”

“What do you think, miss Brail?” Detective Meraz inquired.

Making her way over to the wall, she inspected the odd marking. “You know I’m just spit-balling here, but, I think to get this kind of pattern, you would have to take this chuck of the wall out.”

“Very good,” Chief Dillon replied. “Could it be a Super, then?”

“I don’t see how it could be anything else. I mean, you can barely tell the difference other than the blood.”

“So we’re looking for a Super who can manipulate rocks and stone?” Commander Raydor asked.

Anna nodded. “I believe so.”

“Then how do we find them?” Emma looked around.

Killing those gangsters had not been part of the plan.

After what had happened, he had run as far as he could from the scene, never looking back. He had painted a target on his back. Granted, they had attacked him and he was only defending himself, but that would be no different than murder to the gangs.

For now, he would have to keep moving.

Having run to the other side of the city, he still wasn’t sure why he had been drawn here. What was so important that he had been summoned here?

Whoever, or whatever, had drawn him here was not making it apparent why they had done so.

A police car drove past him as he walked down the alleyway. Subconsciously he pulled his hood a little tighter around his head, obscuring his face.

Not that he anything to worry about. They had no idea who he was, and he could probably explain what had happened. He wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. Sure, he was known to lose his temper at times, but he would never kill someone without a good reason.

People brushed past him as they went on their daily commutes, completely unaware of who he was and what he had done.

Of course, they probably wouldn’t believe him if he told them. The ability to manipulate earth? Quite the fairytale. Granted, there were others who could manipulate elements. Anna Brail was one of those.

Could that be why he was here? Because of her? He didn’t know, and he wouldn’t until he got some answers.

Resolving that finding her was his only solid course of action, he continued deeper into the city of New Hampton, intent on finding the one they called ‘Breeze’.

“I knew running a business wouldn’t be easy,” Claire groaned. “But I apparently sorely underestimated how hard it would be.”

“Harder than getting shot at all day?” Matthew grinned.

She rolled her eyes. “No, but we’re going to need some clients soon.”

Walking over to the woman sitting at the desk with her legs propped up, he sat next to her feet and put a hand on her.

“Give it time. We’ve barely been open three days.”

She placed her hand on his. “I know. I just don’t want to lose this just when we’ve started.”

Matthew nodded. “I know.”

“Granted, the thought of two ex-cops who were fired because they were too vigilant at their job investigating for you is very appealing,” the woman chuckled.

“That’s the spirit,” he said, leaning over to kiss her when there was a knock at the door.

Pulling her feet off the desk and both standing up, they turned to see the door open and were very surprised to see who it was.

“Emma?” Claire said, surprised.

“Hey Claire,” the detective replied. “Hey Matthew.”

“Not to be rude or anything,” the man began. “But what are you doing here?”

She looked around the small office that they were renting. “Just wanted to see how you guys were holding up after your suspension.”

“Firing,” Claire corrected.

Emma looked at her. “Don’t do that to yourself.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, walking over to Matthew. “It was one of the best things to ever happen to me.”

The woman grabbed her partner’s hand, and the detective smiled.

“About time, huh?”

“Long overdue, if I’m being honest,” Claire replied.

“So, what’s new with you?” Matthew inquired.

“I’ve picked up a new case. Four gangsters found dead in an alleyway, with wounds suggesting extreme blunt-force trauma.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “I mean, they were gangsters. Finding them dead isn’t that unusual.”

“Well, I called the Chief and he came down with Commander Raydor and Anna Brail.”

“Anna? Why was she there?” Claire questioned.

“She’s being brought onto the force as a consultant and an asset,” Emma replied.

“Maybe finally she’ll feel settled,” he leaned against the desk.

Emma nodded. “She is incredibly intuitive.”

“So what, do you think the gangsters were murdered by a Super?” the other woman asked.

“That’s what they think, and I’m fairly convinced of it myself.”

“Another Super in New Hampton?” Matthew said. “We’re going to have to start a special club for all of them if they keep showing up at this rate.”

“Why have so many been showing up lately?” Claire asked. “I mean, I know Supers have been around for a long time, but why so many recently? Or at the least the revelations of them? We’ve had Anna, Ravager, Jessica Sapphire, John Arwin and now this new one.”

“It is very suspicious,” Matthew stroked his chin.

“Yeah, but what does it mean?” Emma crossed her arms.

“Let me out,” she said through the bars. “Or you’re going to regret ever having been born.”

He smiled. “Is that supposed to intimidate me?”

She glared at him with her blue eyes. The man chuckled and paced around the outside of her cell.

“Because, if you are trying to intimidate me, I would recommend trying a different tactic, seeing as you cannot do anything physically to me.”

“What do you want from me? To experiment on me?” Jessica asked. “Because I’ll tell you something. That monster of a father you has done enough of that.”

“Oh no, my dear girl,” Ezra Jacobs waved her off. “I do not intend to further your powers in terms of experimentation. The way I see it, you have access to all the power you could ever want. You just need to know how to harness and control it.”

“I’ve only been able to control objects-.”

He slammed his hand on the bars. “Don’t play me for a fool!” he snapped. “I know you can do more than just telekinesis! How do you explain how you got to my father’s facility in a matter of moments? Telekinesis is only one of your many, many abilities.”

Jessica looked down at the ground before looking up at him again.

“What do you want me to do?”

Ezra smiled broadly.

“As I have said before,” he said. “You are the key to greatness.”

She looked at him through the bars. “And what does that mean?”

“I mean, Jessica, that you are the key to the other side.”

There was a knock on the door.

“Well someone’s popular today,” Anna muttered as she got up from her couch and walked over to the door.

Pulling it open, she was surprised to see her attorney Alex Nolan standing there. Usually when she saw him, he was dressed in a sharp suit, but today he was dressed very casually.

“Hello, Anna,” he greeted.

“Alex? Is someone suing me?” she smiled.

“No, no one is suing you again,” he rubbed his hands together. “Can I come in?”

She brushed the hair out of her face. “Oh yes. Come in,” she gestured for him to enter.

“Thank you,” he said, walked in. Anna closed the door and followed him. He walked to her table and sat down, the woman sitting down opposite him.

“So, what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked.

“Well, first off; how are you doing?”

“Very well, thank you. I mean, my wound still stings a little, but I am much better than I was at the end of August.”

He nodded. “That’s very good. Jenna and I were very worried when we heard.”

“How is Jenna, by the way?” Anna inquired. “I haven’t had a chance to speak with her in a while.”

“She’s doing good,” Alex replied. “She’s just been very busy with this case she’s prosecuting. I’m sure you’re very familiar with the defendant?”

“Let me guess: my old boyfriend from Salem University?”

“That’s the one.”

Anna ran a hand through her hair. “I feel very sorry for her.”

“Since everything she’s told me is covered by privilege, both from her case and her marriage to me, I can’t say much, except that he’s quite the piece of work.”

“Oh yeah,” she said. “He’s nuts. He tried to kill me because I wouldn’t sleep with him, you know.”

“Indeed,” he replied. “And because of your previous relationship with him and your recent encounters, you’ll probably be called to the stand during his trial.”

She nodded solemnly. “I was afraid of that.”

“At least, if he is found guilty, which he will, he’ll be going to jail for the rest of his life. He’s assaulted multiple people, including officers. He’s tried to kill you several times. He even killed a City Attorney. In my professional opinion: he’s screwed.”

“That’ll be nice.”

They laughed before Alex put his hands on the table.

“Now the real reason I stopped by.”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “Which would be?”

“I heard that the New Hampton Police Department has offered you a job as a consultant and asset.”

“Not only offered,” she replied. “I’m taking it.”

“While they’re in their right to give you this job,” he inhaled. “I don’t know if it’s a good fit for you due to your… physical condition.”

“’Physical condition’? What is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean you were stabbed with a sword. You nearly died. Not to mention everything you’ve gone through before that.”

“What else have I gone through, Alex?” she said.

He sighed. “Roll up your sleeves.”

“Why?”

“Anna, please,” he insisted.

Reluctantly, she grabbed the end of her left sleeve and pulled it up. As she did, she revealed a number of scars from the various bullet and knife wounds she’d suffered over the last several years. Her right arm sported the same marks.

“That’s what I’m talking about, Anna.”

“But Alex, I need this job. They’re the only people who will actually hire me.”

“Yeah, but if you go out on Police operations, which I know you will, they can’t guarantee your safety.”

“Of course they can’t. They’re cops,” Anna replied. “Plus, Commander Raydor said potentially. They’re taking my health record into account.”

“You really want to run that risk after everything that’s happened-?” Alex said when there was another knock on the door. The two looked at each other before Anna stood up and walked over and opened the door to reveal Nicole, her father and Albert.

“Hey Anna,” Nicole said, before spotting Alex at the table. “Oh, hello Alex.”

“Hello Nicole,” he waved from the table before standing up.

“Where are you going?” Mark asked.

“Oh, I have to get home. I just wanted to see how Anna was doing.”

“Alright,” the man nodded. “Will we see you at John Arwin’s trial?”

He straightened his jacket. “Well, my wife’s the prosecutor, and I do love seeing her in action, so yes.”

Mark chuckled. “I know how that is.”

“Anyway,” he turned to Anna. “I will talk to you later, Anna.”

She nodded. “See you later, Alex.”

He nodded in return before walking out the door, closing it behind him. Everyone turned to face each other.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not wearing a suit,” Nicole said.

“Who’s his wife again?” Albert asked.

“Deputy District Attorney Jenna-Louise Nolan,” Mark replied.

Albert clapped his hands together. “Oh yes. I’ve done a few stories with her in it. She’s quite the lawyer.”

“Hopefully she’ll manage to stick John where he belongs,” her father said grimly.

“I mean, he’s attacked Anna a bunch of times, assaulted a bunch of other people and killed a Deputy City Attorney and who knows who else,” Nicole said. “He’s going down.”

“That’s what Alex said,” Anna replied.

“Anyway,” Albert interjected. “I think we should head to dinner.”

“Oh yes,” Nicole put her hands together.

“Good, because there’s something I want to talk to you guys about,” Anna said as they headed out the door.

### Chapter 5: Here We Are Again

October 26, 2017.

“All rise for the Honorable Judge Nina Harris.”

Standing, the courtroom watched as a middle-aged woman in black robes ascended to the bench. She sat down and looked across the room.

“You may be seated.”

Taking their seats, she grabbed the gavel and struck it.

“This court is now in session.”

The bailiff moved and handed a file to the judge.

“Case 2543: the People versus John Arwin,” he said.

Looking over the file, she looked to the two tables across from her on the right and left.

“Is the Defense ready?”

Christopher Abrams stood up.

“Defense is ready, your Honor.”

“Prosecution?”

Jenna-Louise Nolan stood up.

“Prosecution is ready, your Honor.”

Satisfied, she returned her attention to the Defense, where John Arwin looked up at her.

“And how does the Defendant plead?” she asked.

Christopher Abrams and John Arwin stood up. “Guilty, your Honor.”

Nodding, she turned to the Deputy District Attorney at the opposite table.

“The Prosecution may give their opening statements.”

Jenna-Louise Nolan stood and nodded.

“Thank you, your Honor.”

She walked to the center of the floor and looked around the room, her clasped hands together in front of her.

“Your Honor. Honorable Counsel. Ladies and gentlemen of the Jury. We are gathered here today to try one man. This man is John Arwin,” she gestured to the Defense, where he glared at her. “Because he has committed several atrocious crimes in his time.

“He’s charged with several counts of assault, several attempts of murder and the murder of Deputy City Attorney Marcus Jonson. In my discussions with him, I have found that he shows little remorse for his actions, seeing them as justified. He believes that those he harmed deserved what he dealt, because he sees them as having crossed him.

“You will hear the testimonies of several people whom mister Arwin has assaulted, as well as one whom he has attempted to murder, as well as the autopsy of Marcus Jonson. Of course, the ultimate decision of his fate is up to you, ladies and gentlemen of the Jury, but I recommend you take his reluctance to see what he did as wrong into account. Thank you.”

The woman stepped away and back to her desk with her fellow city official, who nodded her approval as she sat down.

“Thank you, miss Nolan,” Judge Harris nodded. She looked to Christopher. “The Defense may give their opening remarks.”

Christopher Abrams stood up and straightened his suit. “Thank you, your Honor.”

He walked to the same place where the woman had been standing.

“Your Honor. Honorable Counsel. Ladies and gentlemen of the Jury. As my colleague stated, we are here to try one man. A man who has suffered much hardship in his life, and has obviously been traumatized by his experiences. A man who is having a hard time adjusting to his mental condition-.”

“I’m not crazy if that’s what you’re saying!” John Arwin yelled from the Defense table.

Judge Harris struck her gavel. “Mister Arwin! Please be silent!”

His attorney looked back at him and gave him a warning glare. Seeing this, he rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

Clearing his throat, he continued.

“As I was saying, my client is a deeply troubled man. He lost both his parents in a house fire. He has struggled through life, never finding a stable foundation. He couldn’t find one in his grandmother, in his friends, not even a stable relationship. And his becoming a Super has only exemplified his instability, and should be the main blame for his actions.

“Therefore, ladies and gentlemen of the Jury, I plead that while he has undoubtedly committed horrific crimes that cannot be excused, I beg you to take into account his mental condition, and that you would judge him as a man who has lost so much in his life, and cannot tell right from wrong, for he has had no one to teach him such. Thank you.”

The man returned to his table and Judge Harris straightened the papers on the bench.

“Thank you, mister Abrams,” she turned back to Jenna Nolan. “The Prosecution may call their first witness.”

The woman stood and nodded.

“The Prosecution would like to call miss Anna Brail to the stand.”

Walking out of the door adjacent to the Jury box, Anna was led towards the witness stand when the Bailiff came up to her holding a Bible. He held it out with his left hand.

“Place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right and repeat after me.”

She did as she was told.

“Do you swear to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

“I do.”

Nodding, he led her to the witness stand. Anna sat down and Jenna approached her.

“Hello, miss Brail,” she greeted.

“Hello, miss Nolan,” Anna returned.

The woman smiled. “Could you please describe for us your relationship with mister Arwin?”

“Yeah, sure,” she nodded. “We met in 2013 in my first year at Salem University in Seattle. We started dating a few weeks after that. Probably too soon, in retrospect,” she glanced at the man glaring at her from across the way.

“Anyway, at first he was really charming. All our dates were really great, and I honestly thought that John was going to be the one I was going to marry and have children with. But then… then it all fell apart.”

“Fell apart how?” Jenna-Louise asked.

Anna took a deep breath. “I’m a Christian. I always have been and I always will be. And I guess after a few months John decided that it was time for us to…” she looked to the Judge. “Can I say ‘consummate’?” she whispered.

She nodded. “Yes, that’s alright.”

Anna turned her attention back to the courtroom.

“After a few months he decided that it was time for us to consummate our relationship. But, I don’t believe in having those kind of relations until you’re married. Call me old-fashioned, but I just feel it’s wrong. And John... John did not like this at all. During our last fight, he tried to force himself on me. Either that, or kill me. Anyway, I was forced to use my powers to push him back.”

“You feared that he would rape or kill you?” the Deputy District Attorney asked.

The woman nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was on his mind. He was choking me, either to make me pass out or kill me.”

John’s eyes burned as he glared at her, boiling hatred flickering in his orange eyes.

“And you only used your powers for self-defense?”

“Yeah. I know it’s not ideal, but it was the course of action that made the most sense to me at the time.”

Jenna nodded and glanced back at the courtroom. “I doubt that anyone would condemn you for defending yourself. Anyway, please continue.”

“So, naturally, we were broken up. But a few days later he got together with a couple of his friends and broke into my dorm. They knocked me out and poured gasoline all over the place. Then, as I came around, he told me that I was a freak, and that I should be executed. Then he lit my place on fire.”

“What did you do then?”

“I managed to break free and fight them. I knocked his two friends out and blasted him out the window. The next thing I did was call 911. After the end of term I left Salem University and moved back to New Hampton. John was in the hospital during that time and I didn’t see him again until the beginning of August when he attacked Albert Clarkson and I in the parking lot of Top Discount.”

Jenna-Louise leaned on the edge of the box. “Why do you think he came here to New Hampton?”

Anna shrugged. “Revenge? I’m not really sure what goes on in his head. Probably obsessing about getting a new girlfriend or something.”

“Miss Brail you will not answer questions with insults,” the Judge said sternly.

“Yes ma’am. Sorry,” Anna replied.

“Have you encountered mister Arwin since he was arrested that day?” the Deputy District Attorney asked.

“At the FuturTech facility where he and Ravager tried to kill me again.”

“So,” she turned and looked around the courtroom. “I gather that mister Arwin has sought to kill you on multiple different occasions. And all these incidents stem from those fights you had at Salem University?”

The woman nodded. “I believe so.”

“No further questions, your Honor,” she said to the Judge before walked back to her table.

Nodding, Judge Harris turned to Christopher Abrams. “The witness is all yours, mister Abrams.”

The Deputy City Attorney stood up. “Thank you, your Honor.”

He walked over to Anna, smiling.

“So, miss Brail, you sound like quite the fighter. Taking on three men on your own.”

“I mean, I’ve fought a lot more than three men at once. Had to do that a lot during Ravager’s invasion,” Anna answered.

“Now, in any of your encounters with my client, were you the first one to attack?”

She shook her head. “Never.”

He acted disingenuously surprised. “Never? That’s incredible restraint for someone who he’s supposedly attempted to murder multiple times.”

“’Supposedly’? What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t believe that he tried to kill me?”

“I mean, in the heat of the moment, things can seem as they aren’t-.”

“The man tried to strangle me after I wouldn’t sleep him with,” Anna cut him off. “He then tried to burn me alive. And then he tried to use his powers to the same thing. Then he tried again and again. Why would I possibly make that up?”

Christopher shrugged. “Maybe you’re jealous? Maybe you made a mistake breaking up with him and you’re just trying to get him back?”

Anna’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious.”

“People have done more for a lot less. Heck, you even have an attempted rape allegation in there-.”

“Objection!” Jenna Nolan shot up. “Deputy City Attorney Abrams is badgering the witness.”

“Sustained,” Nina Harris replied.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Christopher apologized. “I’ll move on.”

He smiled again. “Do you believe that my client is indeed capable of murder?”

“Well, Deputy City Attorney Marcus’ head didn’t just burn itself off, did it?” Anna said. “And as I’ve said repeatedly, he has tried to kill me multiple times.”

“So, with that knowledge,” he said. “What do you think mister Arwin deserves?”

“Well, I’d say the death penalty,” the woman glanced at Nicole and her father who were sitting in the gallery. “But honestly, that’s too good for him. So I’d say life imprisonment.”

At his table John shot up, his collar crackling. “How dare you!”

The Judge struck her gavel. “Order in the court! Mister Arwin, this is your second warning-.”

“I should have killed you when I had the chance!” he ignored her. “I’ve always knew that you would be a problem for me!”

Suddenly his collar flashed as his body was covered in electricity. John screamed in pain as he fell on the desk.

“Get him out of here!” Judge Harris yelled as several guards came and dragged him out of the courtroom.

“This court will reconvene in one week on November 2nd, 2017 at 2:30 PM,” she said. “Hopefully by then you can talk some sense into mister Arwin,” the Judge looked at Christopher, who was rubbing his brow.

He looked up and nodded. “Yes, your Honor.”

The woman struck the gavel again and left the room. The Deputy City Attorney left for his desk while Jenna-Louise came up to Anna as she was stepping out of the witness stand. She was smiling very broadly.

“Great work, Anna,” joy bled through her voice. “Your testimony coupled with this incident will surely help with convicting this psycho.”

She nodded. “Glad I could help put him away. Finally.”

“I might not even need half the witnesses I have lined up.”

“Who else did you have, or are you not at liberty to say?” the woman inquired.

“Well, I was going to bring in a number of his old girlfriends that I’ve found.”

Anna chuckled. “Oh, so I was only one of many?”

“Unfortunately,” Jenna replied.

“Well, at least keep three,” the woman said.

“I’ll have to see how this week goes. Bottom line is, though: John Arwin is going to go to jail for a long time at the least.”

Smiling, Anna took her hand and shook it. “Thank you, Jenna. You have no idea what this means to me.”

“It’s just my job,” the Deputy District Attorney replied before walking over to where her husband stood.

Now that she was alone, she walked over to where Mark and Nicole were standing. As she was, Albert entered and joined them.

“Albert? Where have you been?” Anna asked, realizing that he hadn’t been there the entire time.

“Oh, I was just doing something,” he said casually. “Apparently I missed the trial. What happened?”

“I was testifying when John started shouting and apparently attempted to use his powers when he was zapped,” the woman replied. “It was quite refreshing.”

“When’s the next court session?” he inquired.

“Next week,” Nicole answered.

The man crossed his arms. “Hopefully Abrams can restrain John enough for them to convict him.”

“Jenna was saying that if he keeps this up, her job is going to be a lot easier,” Anna said.

“And it’s about time, too,” Mark nodded. “After all he’s done, to you and to everyone else, he deserves to spend the rest of his life in a prison cell.”

“I dated John for about a year,” the blonde-haired woman said. “It was great. He was really charming and he was really good to me. Honestly I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.”

Deputy District Attorney Jenna Nolan tapped her index finger on her lips. “You thought you were going to get married?”

“I was hoping so,” she replied.

“Well. This next question may seem odd, but I feel I need to ask it. Another witness who had dated John Arwin said that he tried to pressure her into sleeping with him. Did he ever pressure you into doing so?”

The woman blushed, obviously embarrassed by the question. “Well, um...”

“Answer the question, miss Loclen,” the Judge said.

“Well, no,” she answered. “I mean, we did do it after our eighth date, but I felt it was the right time.”

“So you had a full relationship with mister Arwin?” Jenna asked.

“Yes ma’am.”

“When, and how, did it all fall apart?”

She took a deep breath. “It was July 12, 2015. I had woken up at his place again. He must have left before I woke up, so I took a shower and got dressed when he came back. I told him I had to go to work, but he stopped me and said that he wanted me to stay. I told him that if I didn’t show up, I would be fired.”

“What happened next?”

“I then tried to force my way past him but he grabbed me by the arms and threw me against the wall, saying that I couldn’t leave. He slammed my head into the wall and gave me this scar,” she drew back her long blonde hair to reveal a long mark along the hairline. “He then began beat me while I tried not to fall unconscious.”

Jenna leaned on the edge of the box. “How did you escape?”

The woman let her hair go. “I remember grabbing something off the floor. What it was I can’t be sure, but I struck him in the head. It knocked him out long enough for me to get up and run from his apartment. I then called 911 when I fell unconscious. The next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital room with my mom.”

“And that was the end of your relationship with mister Arwin?”

“Yes.”

“No further questions, your Honor,” Jenna-Louise turned to the Judge.

“Thank you, miss Nolan,” Judge Harris replied. She then turned to Christopher, who had his face buried in his hands.

“Mister Abrams?” he looked up at this. “Do you have any questions for the witness?”

He looked to his client, who was glaring at him with his hands cuffed to the desk. Looking back, he shook his head.

“No, your Honor.”

“Very well,” she shrugged. The woman then turned to the Jury, looking over her glasses at them.

“You have heard the testimonies of six witnesses: Anna Brail, Albert Clarkson, Chief of Police John Dillon, Emily Farren, Jackie Burk, Doctor James Mullen, and Rachael Loclen. You have been presented with evidence of the allegations of physical abuse and the murder of Deputy City Attorney Marcus Jonson. Consider these carefully as you decide John Arwin’s fate.”

They nodded.

“This court is adjourned until the Jury has reached a verdict,” Judge Harris struck the gavel.

At this, they stood up, and Anna turned to Alex Nolan.

“What do you think his chances of weaseling out of this are?”

“On a scale of one to ten?” he said. “About negative three.”

“Well now I’m jinxed.”

Jenna was approached them. Kissing her husband quick, she turned to Anna. “In all honesty, I think we’ve got this guy down for the count.”

“Now all we have to do is wait,” Albert said.

It didn’t take long.

About two hours after they had left to reach a verdict, the Jury had come back into the courtroom.

“This court is now in session,” Judge Harris said. “Please stand,” she said to the courtroom.

Everyone stood accordingly. Two guards unlocked the chains that held John to the table and made him stand up, holding him by the arms in case he tried to act out again. All eyes fell on the Judge.

“Has the Jury reached a verdict?”

A man closest to the bench stood up, holding a piece of paper in his hands. “It has, your Honor.”

Despite the room having already fallen very silent, it seemed to become even quieter.

He cleared his throat. “We, the Jury, find the Defendant,” there was a pause. “Guilty on all charges.”

“What?!” John yelled, struggling against his restrainers. “How could you let this happen?” he spat to his attorney, who was packing up his things.

“Get him out of here,” Christopher said to the guards, who nodded and began dragging him away, kicking and screaming.

“You’ll regret this! You’ll all regret this! I will find all of you!” he yelled as he was pulled through the door and out of sight.

Everyone had watched him go, and once he was gone turned to leave.

“Great work, Jenna,” Alex leaned over the railing towards his wife.

“Thanks, Alex,” she smiled before looking to her opponent. “I’ll be right back.”

She walked over to Christopher Abrams who was finishing packing up his briefcase. He saw her approach and turned as she outstretched her hand.

“Good job, Christopher,” the Deputy District Attorney said.

He smiled and shook her hand. “Same to you, Jenna. Although, I knew he was a lost cause anyway. He was going to be convicted regardless. Now I guess I just need to make sure he doesn’t get the death penalty.”

“That’ll be another day, my friend,” she replied.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Anyway, I must get going.”

“See you around.”

Deputy City Attorney Abrams nodded. “Farewell, miss Nolan.”

He turned and left, leaving her alone. Sighing, she turned and walked back over to her husband.

“I am so glad that psychopath is going to be behind bars for good,” Anna said as they walked down the steps of the courthouse.

“I’m glad I won’t have to fight him in a parking lot ever again,” Albert nodded.

“I’m glad he won’t be going after my daughter again,” Mark added.

Claire looked at all of them. “I would say something but I didn’t really know the guy, so.”

“We’ve seen his handiwork, though,” Matthew said. “So that’s enough.”

“Just another villain off the streets,” Nicole stepped onto the street.

As they were walking, Albert came up to Anna.

“Hey Anna, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Anna said, stopping as he did.

“So I was wondering,” he rubbed the back of his head anxiously. “Are you free for dinner tomorrow night, around six?”

She was surprised. “Yes. Definitely. I’m free tomorrow night.”

He seemed overjoyed. “Alright. It’s a date, then.”

With one last look at her, he turned and left for the parking lot. Anna watched him go, a feeling of happiness inside her. Deciding that she should rejoin the others, she took off after them.

Catching up to them, she found that Matthew and Claire had already left, leaving her father and Nicole. When she came up to them, Nicole looked worried.

“Anna? Is something wrong?”

“What? Nothing’s wrong,” she replied, confused.

“It’s just that… you’re smiling.”

“Mister Jacobs,” the man walked into the room. “The Master of Water… she’s requesting you.”

He turned to him. “What?”

“Yes sir. She wishes to speak with you.”

Standing up and straightening his tie, he walked past his subordinate and down the hallway, turning several corners before he came to a steel door. Pressing his hand to a scanner, the door slid open. Striding in, he looked at the large containment unit situated in the middle of the room.

Walking up to the glass, he looked at the woman trapped inside.

“You wanted to see me?”

She started at him a few moments before nodding. “Yes.”

“What is it? What do you want?”

“I have...” she began weakly. “A warning for you...”

Ezra cocked his head. “A warning? About what?”

“Her.”

His eyes narrowed.

“What about *her*?”

“When… when you release her… back into our side… she will destroy everything… You know that...”

“You do not know what you’re talking about. She’ll help us. She can change the world.” Ezra replied. “Destroying it all is the furthest from her mind.”

“You’re wrong… and you can’t use the other Masters to release her…” she breathed. “They know that something is wrong… All four are in New Hampton now… And it’s only a matter of time before they find their true destiny.”

The man chuckled. “You really think that she will destroy everything? If so, then you’re horribly mistaken. The world will be changed for the better, and you and the other Masters will be glad to help her.”

Smiling, he turned and walked away. She watched as he disappeared through the doorway and watched as the metal barrier slid close once again, locking her away from the rest of the world.

### Chapter 6: The Ones Who Matter

“Chief Burrows.”

The man turned to see Emma Meraz walked towards him, file in hand.

“Detective Meraz,” he greeted. “How can I help you?”

“It’s the case I’ve been working, sir,” she began, handing him the file. “It’s been over two weeks and we haven’t even found a suspect to fit the profile. I don’t know how to proceed.”

William looked over the file. “And there isn’t much flex room for suspects either, since this one appears to be a Super.”

She nodded. “Exactly. I’m afraid if we don’t find them soon, we’ll never find them.”

“I’ll talk to Chief Dillon,” the Assistant Chief said. “Maybe he knows how to proceed, because you’re right; if we can’t find them soon we never will.”

“Thank you, Chief,” Emma replied and turned to leave when he called after her.

“Oh, and Detective Meraz.”

Emma looked back at him. “Yes sir?”

“Good work thus far,” he said.

She smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

The woman left him and he looked at the file one last time before leaving himself. Emma walked to the door of the Homicide Division and entered, walking back to her desk. Sitting down, she began looking through a copy of the file that she had given Chief Burrows.

Anna Brail was undoubtedly correct in suggesting that it had been a Super who had killed those gangsters, and while their deaths were a crime, no one had really any sympathy for them and that their killer would be treated as a hero.

And the fact that the case seemed destined to be left unsolved, she would have to move on to one of the fresh cases that had come in.

Her phone began to ring at that moment, and checking the caller ID, she saw that it was her boyfriend, Michael Nelson. She answered.

“Hey Michael, what’s up?”

“*Hey Emma. When are you getting off work tonight?*”

She smiled. “How soon do you want me to get off work?”

He chuckled. “*I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight. I’ve got something I want to ask you.*”

Emma’s eyes widened. “I can leave at four.”

“*Alright. I’ll pick you up. See you later.*”

“I love you.”

“*I love you too.*”

As she hung up the phone and dropped it down on her desk. She leaned back in her chair, a smile on her face.

Anna stood in front of the mirror, getting ready for her first date with Albert.

It had been nearly four years since she had last had a date with anyone, and four years since she had last fallen in love with anyone. And, obviously, that had ended in disaster.

But she was glad Albert had asked her out. He was one of the first people in a long time whom she felt at home at, and someone whom she felt she related too more than Matthew or Nicole. Or even John back when they were together, for that matter.

She was looking at her attire in the mirror when at that moment the doorbell rang, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Grabbing a black hat from on top of her dresser, she walked across her apartment, and taking a deep breath, opened the door.

Albert was standing there, dressed in a suit. His hair was slicked back, changed from his usual hairstyle. He looked at the woman in front of him.

“Wow...” he said. “You look beautiful.”

“You’re not looking too bad yourself,” she smiled.

He returned it before scratching the back of his head. “So… are you ready?”

“Absolutely,” Anna replied, stepping out of her apartment and locking the door.

Together, they walked down the corridor and to the elevator, descending into the parking garage. He led her to his car and opened the door for her. She ducked inside and he closed it and came around and ducked into the driver’s seat.

“So where are we going?” the woman asked.

“There’s this place over by the park that has really good pasta. You like pasta, don’t you?” Albert added.

“Yeah, I do,” she smiled.

“Alright,” he smiled back. “Here we go.”

He pulled out of her parking garage and drove out onto the street.

An hour later they were seated at Francesca’s, a small Italian restaurant near the park. For it’s size, it was quite an impressive space, with a wooden dance floor set out along with all the tables. String lights were hung across the ceiling, giving it a warm and homey feel.

“So,” Albert said, setting his fork down. “Is this your first date since John? If you’re comfortable talking about it, of course.”

“It is,” Anna replied. “I guess after that whole thing, well, burned, I kind of shut myself off, both in terms of friendship and romance.”

“You dated Matthew, right?”

“For a little bit, but obviously it didn’t go anywhere.”

“And he’s with Claire now,” Albert shrugged.

“Yeah, I was wondering when that was going to happen.”

Both of them chuckled. Anna looked up at him.

“Have you been with anyone else?”

“I’ve been on several dates, but they were all just one-time things,” he replied. “I haven’t really found anyone that I’ve felt was *the one*, you know.”

Anna took a sip from her drink. “Well, so far, I’d say a second date isn’t too far out of the question.”

He smiled. “Glad to hear it.”

“So how are things at the Daily Post?”

“A bit more crazy than since you left,” Albert said. “Having a bunch of Supers show up after an invasion generates a lot of news.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Oh it’s fine. Means I get paid a bit more.”

“Is Thomas still there?”

He nodded. “Yep. He’s a creepy guy, isn’t he?”

“Definitely. Did you know he totally had a crush on me back when I was working in IT?”

“Really?” he said. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. You are quite attractive.”

Anna blushed as he said this. He smiled.

“I did enjoy working there for the most part, and I do feel bad about blowing parts of it up,” she took another bite of her pasta.

“You didn’t know it at the time, but I was up there on the second floor during the attack. I saw Ravager bring you up there. I felt the explosion from below. But I saw you save lives that day.”

Her eyes widened. “I didn’t see you there.”

“There were a lot of people there,” he chuckled. “But that’s not the point. The point is that you’re a hero.”

“I suppose.”

“No,” he shook his head. “I mean it. You’ve probably saved more lives than anyone in this city.”

“All I want to do is help,” Anna said. “I don’t want the credit. I don’t want the fame. That’s part of the reason I kept my identity secret. Yeah I guess I also did it to protect those around me, but at the time it wasn’t like there were that many people I cared about. But now, now that everyone knows that I’m Breeze, it’s become increasingly difficult to live here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I can’t work anywhere other than the Police Department because I’m a Super. They fired me from the Daily Post. I can’t even work at a retail store anymore because everyone knows.”

“Yeah but you’re pushing past it,” Albert put his hand on hers. “You’re landing on your feet after almost being thrown off two buildings, getting stabbed, and who knows how many fights with Ravager. Not many people can say that.”

Anna smiled. “That’s one way of looking at it.”

“You’re extraordinary, Anna Brail,” he said. “Honestly, you’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.”

She blushed again.

“Well, for a man who hasn’t had a girlfriend before, you’re certainly very good at flattering a girl.”

“It’s a gift.”

They laughed again. The two looked at each other when suddenly a band began playing at the end of the dance floor. Several couples began going out and dancing. Albert, mustering up his courage, turned to his date.

“Hey, do you want to dance?”

She turned to him. “What?”

“Do you want to dance with me?”

“I don’t dance,” she replied.

He looked slightly disappointed when Anna smiled.

“But I’ll make an exception for you.”

Albert grinned and stood up, extending his hand towards her. Smiling, she took it, and with him pulling her up, led her to the dance floor.

Stepping onto the wood, the two faced each other, Albert holding her left hand in his right, and hesitantly putting his on her lower back, she placed her right hand on his shoulder. A moment later they began moving to the music, slowly, back and forth.

“So,” Anna said. “Do you dance often?”

“Not very,” he answered.

“Really? Because you’re very good at it.”

He turned a little red himself.

“My dad tried to teach me how to dance many years ago,” she continued. “I sort of got the hang of it. Apparently he’s really good. Or at least that’s what my mom used to say.”

“Did he steal the show at the wedding?”

“That’s what they tell me,” Anna chuckled.

Albert smiled. “Well, you’re not too bad a dancer yourself, miss Brail.”

“Thank you, mister Clarkson,” she returned.

As the music continued, they danced as the evening turned to night, holding each other closely.

“I’m not going to lie,” Anna said. “You do know how to show a girl a good time.”

He casually shrugged. “I try.”

They had left the restaurant, and had decided to take a walk through the park, hand in hand. The city of New Hampton glowed around them, illuminating the night. Anna shivered as the cold wind blew gently. Noticing this, Albert took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders.

“You’re too kind,” she grinned at him.

“Just doing what my mom said would be polite.”

She laughed. The two reached a bridge that went over a stream that passed through the park. Stopping at the peak, they leaned on the railing and looked at the city around them.

“Thank you, Albert,” Anna looked over.

“For what?” he returned her gaze.

“This has got to be the best date I’ve ever been on.”

“Well, I mean, not having some lewd freak try to kill you probably helps,” Albert replied.

“Probably,” she chuckled.

The man looked at her, and she at him, the wind gently blowing her hair. Suddenly he leaned in and kissed her, taking her by surprise. A moment later he pulled back, looking at her with uncertainty as if he thought he shouldn’t have done that. They stood there, staring at each other.

“You know you’re not supposed to kiss on the first date,” Anna managed to say.

His expression turned to one of concern when she grabbed her collar and pulled him in for a proper kiss. They closed their eyes and embraced each other.

Several moments later, they broke apart, both smiling and still holding each other close. Albert was about to say something when at that moment several flakes of snow blew past them. Looking up, they saw it descending from the night sky, blowing all around them.

“Well,” Anna looked back to him. “If this isn’t romance, then I don’t know what is.”

Albert smiled at her before kissing her again, Anna returning it.

Neither them cared that it was freezing out.

Later than night, Albert was walking Anna back to her apartment. When they reached her door and she unlocked it, she turned back to him.

“Thank you again, Albert,” she said. “This really has been great.”

“You’re very welcome, Anna,” he smiled.

“I’ll call you tomorrow. Is that okay?” Anna asked.

“Oh yeah, sure. It’d be weird if you didn’t,” Albert chuckled.

She grinned. “Alright. Goodnight, boyfriend.”

He raised his eyebrows. “So we’re already calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“I mean,” she said. “We did make out a little on the bridge.”

“True. Alright, goodnight, girlfriend.”

Albert pulled her in for another kiss before they broke apart and they looked at each other before he decided it was time to leave. He turned, looked at her, and walked back down the hallway. She watched him go from her doorway before retreating inside.

Kicking off her shoes, she walked into her room and changed into some pajamas and laid down in her bed and pulled the covers over herself, smiling as she drifted off to sleep, a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest.

“So this is what love really means...” she muttered as she fell asleep.

It was a good thing that the next day was Saturday, because Anna didn’t wake up until about noon. At that point she managed to drag herself out of bed, take a shower, get dressed, and eat some food.

Around three there was was a knock on the door.

Getting up from her couch, she walked over to it and saw that it was Nicole. Opening the door, she saw that her friend had a smile on her face.

“What? What is it?” Anna asked.

“How was your date?”

“Ah,” she replied, beckoning Nicole inside.

She nodded and they walked over to the couch, sitting down. They faced each other, Nicole obviously dying for details.

“So?”

A smile broke across Anna’s face as she thought about the previous night. “Best date I’ve ever been on.”

“It was that good?” Nicole sounded surprised. “You hardly smile about anything.”

“What can I say? Albert’s a really great guy.”

“Do you know if you’re going to go on another date?” she asked.

Anna chuckled. “Well, we kissed, so I’d hope so.”

“You kissed? On the first date?” Nicole exclaimed. “Isn’t there a rule against that?”

“I guess so, but it felt so right. I mean, I’ve never felt this way about a guy before,” she said. “Not with Matthew, not with John. I don’t know, but Albert could be the one.”

“Now I’ve got to tell Matthew you never really loved him,” her friend grinned.

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant. I did love Matthew, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Plus, he has a girlfriend now.”

“Yeah and she’s so good for him,” Nicole nodded. “And I do think Albert is so good for you, too.”

“Thanks, Nicole.”

“It just makes me so giddy to see that you’re happy for once. I was getting worried that you were just going to be a very sullen person for, well, ever.”

“So did I,” Anna replied. “I think things are changing, and hopefully for the better.”

“How’s the business going?”

Matthew and Claire looked up to the door to see Mark standing there.

“We’ve got one client,” the man replied, walking over and shaking hands with the new arrival. “How are you doing, mister Brail?”

“You know I’ve told you before that mister Brail was my father,” he chuckled. “But I am doing quite well.”

He smiled. “How’s Anna doing?”

“Good. She went on a date with Albert last night and apparently it went very well.”

“Wait Anna’s dating a guy who works at a place she used to work at?” Claire said from the desk. “Now that’s awkward.”

Mark nodded. “Perhaps, but she says that it was great, so who am I to question it?”

“I’m just surprised she’s dating again. I mean, it’s been four years since she last dated anyone,” Matthew stroked his chin.

“Yes, 2013 was definitely a very troublesome year for her. And me,” the man looked down sadly.

“Oh I’m sorry for bringing it up, Mark,” Matthew put his hand on his shoulder.

But he waved him off. “No it’s fine. I shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it.”

“Talk about what?” the woman asked hesitantly.

Her partner turned towards her. “2013 was the year Anna’s mother and brother, Rose and Andrew Brail, were killed a car crash outside their home.”

She covered her mouth in shock. “That’s horrible I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you,” Mark replied. “In a sense, I not only lost my wife and son, but my daughter as well. But at least I’ve been able to get her back.”

“Rose was a good woman,” Matthew said. “And Andrew was a good kid.”

The man wiped a tear from his eye. “Andrew was a good kid. And Rose...” he took a deep breath. “She was the most perfect woman I had never met.”

“It’s terrible what happened to them.”

“Yes, but I’ve stopped letting it control me. That’s how I lost Anna before, and I never intend to lose her again.”

Sniffing, he straightened up. “Anyway. How are you two doing?”

They looked at each other. “We’re doing great, actually.”

“Do you see yourselves running this place for a long time?”

“Yeah,” Claire said. “It’s really fun. We just need to wait for it to really pick up.”

“You’ll get there. You’re both talented. I believe in you.”

“Thank you, Mark,” Matthew nodded. “That means a lot.”

“Ah, Chief Dillon,” Wyatt smiled as he shook hands with John. “Good to see you again.”

“Likewise, Mayor Grayson,” he replied.

He gestured for them to sit down at his desk, and the Chief sat as Wyatt returned to his seat across from him. Resting his elbows on the desk, he cut to the chase.

“So?” Wyatt asked. “What do you have for me?”

John handed the file he had been carrying to the Mayor, who took it and flipped through it. As he did, a smile crossed his face.

“I see you’ve put together a position for miss Brail,” he said, looking up. “And she’s willing to fill it?”

“Absolutely. She’s been cleared by all her doctors, and she believes that she’s up to the challenge,” the Chief answered.

“Terrific!” he set the file down and clapped his hands together. “Give my thanks to Commander Raydor for doing this. It means a lot.”

“Just trying to make New Hampton a safer place, mister Mayor,” John replied.

“Glad to see our interests are aligned,” Wyatt smiled again.

Standing up, the two men shook hands again.

“Thank you, Chief Dillon. I look forward to working with you more in the future.”

“No problem, Mayor Grayson.”

“Oh, and also give my thanks to miss Brail,” he added. “This wouldn’t be possible without her.”

John smiled. “Of course, sir.”

She leaned against the wall of her cell.

No matter what she did to get free, it seems that she was trapped, forever being forced to jump from one cell to another and to another. First she had been captured and experimented on by the Professor. When she had managed to escape his clutches, she had been arrested and placed inside another cell designed by that man.

And now, she was stuck here, held by the son of the very man who had set her on this path to begin with.

Jessica had been told that she had some part in a Prophecy by both father and son. One said that the Prophecy could not be fulfilled while the other seemed to be trying to do the exact opposite of that.

Who she was to believe, she could not know. All she wanted to do was be free.

But, this Prophecy seemed to be part of the reason she had been given her abilities to begin with. The least she could do was learn why she had been tortured and her entire family slaughtered.

At that moment the door to the room opened and the figure of Ezra Jacobs entered. He walked over to the cell. She stood up to face him.

“So?” he asked.

The girl looked at him for a second.

“Tell me more about this Prophecy.”

### Chapter 7: The Master of Water

Ten seconds.

She reached the door. Putting her back to it, she grabbed the handle. It was unlocked, just as she had been told it would be.

Seven seconds.

Anna took a deep breath, her grip on the doorknob tightening. Granted, she realized that this wasn’t unlike anything she had done in her time as a vigilante. She was even wearing a slightly modified version of her ‘vigilante costume’. But, working with the police, she knew she was making a real difference.

Three seconds.

“Here goes nothing, then,” she muttered to herself.

Turning the knob, she threw the door open and rushed in. Upon her arrival in the corridor, a guard who had been stationed there turned to see her when she landed a gust of air to his face. He was thrown to the ground with a thud.

Having heard the commotion, three more gangsters rushed into the corridor and pointed their guns at the woman. They were about to fire their weapons when she knocked their weapons out of their hands with her abilities. Surprised, they charged at the woman, swinging their fists at her.

Ducking under one, she jabbed the other in the back. He fell forward as she spun around and struck the first man in the gut with her foot, causing him to keel over. She then hit him over the head with her fist, knocking him down to the ground.

The other man pushed himself off the wall and swung at her with his fists. One hit her in the shoulder and launched her into the opposite wall. She bounced off and fell to the ground. The man came over her when she kicked her feet upwards and unleashed a blast of wind to his chin, throwing him into the air where he hit his head on the ceiling and crashed to the ground.

Getting up, she ran over the bodies, pressing onwards. More gangsters had heard the commotion and were coming to investigate when she burst into the large main warehouse from the corridor.

Immediately, upon seeing her, they realized what was happening.

“Breeze!” presumably the lead one shouted, drawing his weapon. “Kill her!”

Anna was quickly thrown back into the dodging game as she jumped behind crates to avoid being sprayed by the gunfire. Chips of wood flew into the air as they were blown off the boxes by the bullets. A cloud of dust was formed, obscuring the area around her. She coughed as she accidentally breathed in some of it, covering her mouth to avoid any further inhalation.

Standing and swinging her hand out, a powerful gust of air shot from her hand, parting the billowing cloud of dust. The gust rippled through the air knocked her attackers off-balance. Seizing her window, she flipped over the crates and ran at the men.

Reaching the first one, she knocked his rifle out of his hands, sending it clattering to the floor. Landing a swift jab to his jaw, he tumbled to the ground. Another one pointed his gun at her and opened fire. She jumped out of the way as the bullets flew towards her and sent him flying backwards as she sent a gust of air at his chest.

By this point the other gangsters had recovered and were training their weapons on her again. Seeing this, she swung her arm through the air. A blast of wind flew from her hand and knocked their guns from their to the ground.

Now disarmed, they charged the woman. One reached her and swung his fists at her, but she landed a kick between the legs and slammed her own closed fist into his jaw, throwing him to the floor.

Anna was forced to duck down as another man threw a powerful punch at her head. She swung her foot at his leg and knocked him onto his back. Flipping out of the way as one came at her with a knife, she blocked his arm as he swung the blade at her, striking him in the face and gut, grabbing his arm and tossing him to the concrete.

Five more moved to attack her when she unleashed a massive whirlwind on them, blowing them all to the floor.

As the dust cleared, she saw that the leader was the last one left, trying to get away. Using her abilities, she caused him to trip and fall face-first onto the ground. She approached as he pushed himself off the hard floor.

Raising her wrist to her mouth, she spoke into a small receiver embedded in her sleeve. “Warehouse secured. Move in.”

There was a buzz before a female voice replied. “*Moving in.*”

Footsteps echoed down the hallway she had entered as several armored individuals came into the room, surrounding the men on the ground who were beginning to come around.

Amongst them was a woman who saw Anna standing over the leader of the criminal operation. She joined the woman, looking down as the man looked up at them. A smile spread across her lips as her eyes lit up.

“What is this?” he demanded.

“This, mister Roland,” the new arrival said. “Is a sting. I am Commander Sharon Raydor of the New Hampton Police Depart and this is miss Anna Brail,” she gestured to the Super.

“You’re working with freaks now?” his eyes darted to the younger woman.

“Yes, we are. And also, I have to inform you of your rights,” Sharon replied calmly. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state. Have you heard and understood these rights?”

The man glared at them. “Do you really think this is my first time being arrested? Of course I understand my rights!”

“Good,” she nodded to an officer standing by, who pulled out a pair of handcuffs. “That clears that bit up.”

Walking away, Anna followed the woman as the other officer restrained the gangster. Around the room the Police were taking the other thugs into custody.

“Solid work, miss Brail,” the Commander said as they walked down the corridor.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Anna replied.

“I bet it felt good to get back into the field and take out a squadron of gangsters,” Sharon smiled. “Like the old days?”

The woman chuckled. “Yes, Commander. It’s been a while.”

“And it’s a good thing we got you certified so soon. I don’t know if this operation would have been as successful without you. They probably would’ve packed up and left as we were striking.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” she flushed a little. “The cops usually have it pretty well handled, from what I’ve seen.”

Sharon looked at her. “Then why did you become a vigilante? Seems kind of pointless to risk your life time after time if we were doing our job just fine?”

“All I wanted to do was lend a helping hand,” Anna said.

“Really? I see it as we were slacking, and you were picking it up. But, with how we’re doing things since the Ravager invasion, and with hiring you, I think we can really make a difference in this city.”

“I hope so,” the young woman replied.

Four months had come and gone since her first date with Albert, and she had never been happier in her life. This past Christmas had been the best one since her mother had died, and she felt closer with her father and friends than ever before.

Anna felt as if Albert was bringing her something none of her previous boyfriends had been: stability. When she was recovering from her near-fatal wound, he was right there helping her. She felt she could lean on him for support more than anyone else, and she liked that.

There was something very different about him, and she loved it.

Her phone buzzed as a text came in. Picking it up, she smiled as she read it: *On my way over. Will be there soon.*

Typing in a response, she hit send: *Can’t wait.*

She didn’t have to wait long as a few minutes later there was a knock on her door. Walking over with a spring in her step, she pulled it open to reveal the man.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked.

“Sure,” she smiled, reaching for her coat.

“How does the job go?” Albert asked as they walked down the street. “Do anything exciting?”

“Been fighting a lot of Cold Steel thugs,” she replied.

“Are you staying safe?” he said worriedly.

His girlfriend smiled. “Of course. It’s not the first time I’ve taken on these gangs.”

“Yeah, but the last time you were in action, you got a sword through the stomach,” he responded as they turned a corner. “It’s still a miracle you didn’t die.”

“Glad I didn’t, too,” Anna said, grabbing his hand. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have you.”

Albert grinned. “I don’t think I could’ve handled it if you had died.”

“Had a crush on me for that long, huh?”

“Since the moment I met you in that parking lot.”

The woman looked at him. “Where my psycho ex-boyfriend tried to kill me?”

“That’s the one,” he replied.

“Well, I guess I had a bit of a crush on you back then, too.”

He chuckled. “Well, it’s a good thing you told me, because it’s kind of hard to tell with you sometimes.”

She blushed slightly, absently brushing her hair from her face. “Yeah I’m sorry about that. I know I can be really cold sometimes.”

“Nah that’s fine. I like a little mystery in a woman.”

“Of course,” she smiled. “I bet you also like having a woman.”

The man shrugged. “That too.”

“I’d say she’s doing very well in the field,” Commander Raydor sat down, next to Chief Burrows and Chief Dillon. “You can’t even tell she’s had to have been rehabilitated.”

William nodded. “Yes. She’s proven herself to be quite the valuable asset. Miss Brail has come a long way from being that vigilante we were trying to arrest.”

“While I agree that she has been very helpful for us, I do want to make sure of the girl’s safety. I know she’s ready for whatever comes her way, but I don’t want to needlessly risk her life again,” John said.

“True, but this is our job, Chief,” Sharon replied. “She knows what she’s signed on for. We all do.”

“You’ve got a point, Commander,” John nodded. “I just feel responsible for what happened in Alberta in August.”

“She chose to do that,” William leaned forward in his chair. “They all did. Even if it did end a couple of careers,” he added in a mutter.

“How is everyone else from the group holding up?” Dillon inquired.

Sharon cleared her throat. “Well, miss Brail is currently dating mister Clarkson. Mister Brail is still working IT. Miss Weaver is still working at the Daily Post. And mister Weaver and miss Darrel have opened their private detective business, and, last I checked, were also dating.”

“And still no word on miss Sapphire?”

The Assistant Chief shook his head. “I don’t think we ever will. She most likely jumped ship after the FuturTech incident. I would too if I killed Ravager and the person who had tortured me and slaughtered my entire family.”

Leaning back in his chair, the Chief stroked his chin.

“Is there something bothering you, Chief?” the Commander asked.

“There’s something we’re missing. Something hidden in plain sight.”

“Well, we know FuturTech isn’t doing anything. They’re as bankrupt as they come. Apparently no one wants to deal with the company that’s been preforming illegal human experimentation.”

“Did we ever catch that supposed Super who killed those gangsters back in October?”

They shook their heads. “No sir.”

Standing up, the Chief looked out the window over the city of New Hampton. “There’s just something going on. Something in the shadows.”

“I’m getting sick of this.”

He closed the door after her as she set her bag down. “I know.”

“Like, don’t get me wrong, I love being an attorney. It’s everything I ever wanted,” Jenna glanced at him. “Well, career-wise, anyway.”

Alex smiled.

“But, I feel that I can’t do this job anymore without painting a huge target on my back.”

“That’s why I’m in private practice,” he followed her as they walked to their bedroom, taking off his jacket and slinging it over a chair.

“Maybe I should get into that. After my term is up, of course,” she took off her own jacket.

“It’s fun. That’s for sure,” he took off his dress shirt and pants, putting on a pair of pajama bottoms and leaving his undershirt on.

Jenna chuckled. “That’s what I’ve heard.”

She finished taking off her dress suit before putting on a nightgown. Climbing into bed, they pulled the covers over themselves and Alex turned off the light. The woman rolled over, laying her head on his chest while wrapping her arms around him. He subsequently put his arm around.

His wife sighed. “I just want to be done with this and have our baby.”

“I know, Jenna,” he said. “I know.”

“But I don’t know if we should. Not with all the dangerous things going on right now.”

“There’s always going to be danger,” Alex replied. “We just have to trust that we’ll be taken care of.”

She nodded. “You’re right. I just don’t want to lose you. Or the baby.”

“Neither do I.”

“I love you,” Jenna said.

Alex smiled. “I love you too.”

“Sir,” the man walked into his office. “The Master of Water… she’s asking for you. Again.”

Ezra Jacobs ran his hand through his hair, sighing. “Very well.”

He stood up, walking towards the door as he followed the man down the corridor. They took several turns before coming to a gray steel door. Pressing his hand on a pad on the side of the barrier, he watched as it scanned his print before sliding open. Walking inside, the guard stood on the outside as the door slid closed.

Unbuttoning his jacket, he walked towards the containment cell. The woman inside lifted her head, looking at him through her ragged hair.

“What is it this time?” he sighed, sitting across from her in a steel chair set in front of the unit. “More about an ancient evil that I’ll be unleashing?”

“As I’ve been telling you,” she said, pain echoing through her voice. “You have no idea what you will be letting free.”

“And as I’ve been telling you,” Ezra shot up, his voice rising with him. “That I know *exactly* what I’m doing!”

She glared at him. “You only know half the story. The one you want to hear.”

“Think of what could happen if I accomplish my goal. Think of the lives that could changed, for the better!”

“I can think of the lives that will be changed for the worst. I think of the lives that will be destroyed if you let her back in,” she said.

He approached the glass, staring at her. “You’re just harboring the same mentality that your ancestors did when they sent her to that place.”

“They did it for the good of our world.”

“That world has been nothing but cruel to her. All she wants is to come back home.”

“I don’t give a damn what she wants!” she spat, several spots appearing the glass. “It is my duty to make sure that she never returns to this side of reality!”

Slamming his fist on the glass, he looked her dead in the eyes, she staring back at him. Her blue eyes were cold and full of hate.

“This is what I’ve been looking for my whole life! This is my life’s work! You cannot keep me from fulfilling my destiny!”

Looking at him, the woman smiled. “At least your father understood that she’s not meant to exist in our world.”

“It’s rich that you’ll defend him,” he growled. “Especially since he’s the one who put you in this cage!”

“While you’re the one who keeps me here.”

He stared at her before turning away. The man’s footsteps echoed in the large room as he made his way back to the door. His hand reached for the wall-mounted pad when she called after him.

“Wait,” she said. “Please. Hear me out.”

“I’ve heard enough from you,” he replied over his shoulder.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” the woman called. “At least your father understood what the consequences of this would be.”

Ezra laughed. “You’ve already used my father as a chip, my dear. We’re done.”

Putting his hand on the pad, it scanned his hand print and the door slid open. He moved to step through it when she stopped him yet again.

“The Master of Earth is in New Hampton.”

He turned back towards her. “What?”

“I felt him arrive. In October.”

The door closed as he walked back towards her.

“We know that the Master of Earth is in the city. If you’re going to help us, we need you to help open the portal when the time comes.”

“I know you knew.”

He was confused. “Then why are on Earth are you telling me?”

“Because I needed you to come back,” the woman smiled.

The man narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“I needed you to come back because I need to kill you,” she flexed her hands in her restraints.

“You’re in a cage. There is no possible way you’d be able to kill me,” he spat.

“Try this,” her hands glowed with energy. Electricity crackled in the containment unit. His eyes widened as he realized what she was doing. Ezra turned to run away before water splashed from her palms. There was a flash of blue light as the water soaked the electronics and mixed with the electricity.

And then it exploded.

The blast consumed the woman and flooded the room, catching the man as he tried to escape. On the outside the guards turned as they heard the sound when the door flew outwards, a figure crashing on the ground beside it. They ducked as the flames shot out of the room before subsiding. Alarms rang and lights flashed.

Recovering themselves, the men rushed over to the figure and saw that Ezra Jacobs was badly burned and wasn’t responding.

“We need a med team now!” one of them yelled as he tried to resuscitate the man.

Inside the room, a glimmer of blue energy hung above the destroyed containment cell before vanishing.

Sometimes she could see why Anna had never really liked working at the Daily Post.

Nicole had been caught up at the office a little later than usual, writing a story, and she still wasn’t done, so she had to bring it home and try to finish it there. It was especially difficult because she wasn’t very keen on the subject she was writing for.

Her editor had tasked her with writing a piece about the increase in the number of Supers and the threat they pose. Anna was to be included in the list, especially since she was now employed with the New Hampton Police Department. He seemed to have forgotten that Anna used to work there and actually saved them when Ravager had attacked the building a year ago.

After getting home, she hung up her coat, kicked off her shoes, poured herself a glass of water, sat down at her desk with her laptop, and pulled up the word doc which she had shared from her work computer. She sighed. She knew she had to write this article otherwise she would probably lose her job, but Anna was her friend. Her best friend.

Yeah, she could write about Ravager being a threat, about John Arwin, Jameson and even Jessica, who had tried to kill Alexandra Jacobs and had killed Ravager and the Professor in the same night, but not Anna. Admittedly, she had had some rough patches with her, but in the end, she was one of the people she trusted the most.

She took a sip from her glass and set it down. Sitting upright, she placed her hands on the keyboard and began typing.

Maybe she could leave the Daily Post. Find a job elsewhere. The only thing that made the job enjoyable had been having Anna there. Sure, Albert was also there, and he was her friend, but she could live without seeing him at work everyday.

Plus, Thomas had taken to flirting with her. His crushing on her was probably another reason Anna had not been keen on working there.

Nicole was a few paragraphs in when she heard a loud noise behind her. Swinging around, she saw a glimmering blue light floating in the center of the room. It cast a sapphire glow around the room, burning into her retinas.

Slowly, the woman got up and, without thinking, outstretched her hand towards the energy. Walking around it, it seemed to follow her movements, like it could see her.

“What-?” she said when it suddenly flew from its dormant position and rocketed into her chest.

The force of the impact picked her up and threw her across the room. Nicole crashed into one of her chairs and fell over in it. She hit her head on the floor and felt her senses went awry. As she looked up, everything spun around her as her head felt like slush.

Steadying herself, she pushed herself up and grabbed onto her coffee table. Her legs wobbled. Everything in her body felt wrong. Very wrong. She looked at her hands and they felt like they were shimmering, like they weren’t solid.

Dizzy, she stumbled across the room and came to her desk. Nicole shuffled through her notes in search of her phone when she knocked her glass of water off the edge. Reflexes kicking in, she grabbed for it, but missed. It shattered on the floor, but that was the least of her concerns.

She watched as her outstretched hand radiated with the same blue light that the floating ball of energy had. But what was more horrifying was what her palm was pointing at.

Above the smashed cup was a shifting, glistening ball of water, floating in midair. She watched as its form changed and moved through the air. The woman stood still as she thought she… felt it move.

Moving to get a closer look, the light from her hand faded and the water lost its shape, dropping out of the air and splashing over the glass shards.

Having watched it fall, Nicole shifted through her notes and found her phone. Quickly scrolling through her contacts, she found Anna’s number, and dialed.

The phone rang for what seemed like an eternity when she heard someone pick up.

“*Nicole? What is it?*” Anna asked.

“Anna,” she looked at her hand, which glimmered. “I have a problem. A really big problem.”

Prison did not suit her.

Sure, she had not been born into wealth. Her mother could barely make ends meet when she and her brother were growing up. And it became even harder when she had died in that car crash, leaving her and Ezra up to the foster system.

And after they had turned eighteen and went their separate ways, Alexandra could barley get by. She worked as a waitress most of the time, and not making good wages. Several of the boyfriends she had lived with over the years helped her out, but apparently she had a poor choice in men, because they all abused her, and she was forced to leave them.

Since then she had dedicated herself to her work, which ended up being politics, and vowed to never be in any sort of relationship again.

Then she moved to New Hampton and had entered the public eye, eventually becoming Deputy Mayor under Franklin Wilkes. And when he died, she was appointed Interim Mayor. That was around the time her father got back in touch with her.

Having never met the man before, and never hearing her mother talk about him other than that he was a very charming and smart man, she knew nothing about him. So, when she finally met him, she was swept up in his obvious charm.

And thus, she started covering up his illegal activities, while he helped secure her spot in the next election. It was almost a girlish obsession, wanting to help the father she had never met in any way she could, like a child fetching tools for her dad while he worked.

Everything was going well until that Sapphire girl showed up.

Now she was in this prison cell, sentenced for attacking a police officer, fraud, aiding and abetting known human experiments. And for what? Finally meeting the man who got her mother pregnant four decades ago? That was hardly losing everything for.

At that moment one of the guards came and unlocked her cell door.

“You have a visitor,” she said.

The prisoner looked up at her.

“The Chief again?” Alexandra asked stiffly.

She stared at her, holding the door open. She sighed and stood up, walking out of the cell. The guard closed the door and followed her as she walked down the hallway, the women in the cells on either side of her staring at or booing her.

Eventually she was led through a door to the familiar visitors’ area, with the wall lined with stalls with glass separating them from the outside world. The woman was led to stall seven. Sitting down, she looked through the glass at the aging man with whitening gray hair and spectacles in a Police uniform with four stars on each shoulder.

Reluctantly, she picked up the receiver. “What do you want, John?”

He waited a moment before replying. “It’s my regret to inform you that your brother, Ezra Jacobs, was involved with a laboratory accident that has hospitalized him.”

Shocked, she stared at him a moment. “What?”

The Chief nodded. “Yes. He was preforming a routine experiment before it went wrong-.”

“No, it’s not that,” Alexandra interrupted him.

John looked at her, confused. “Then what is it, Alexandra?”

“My brother doesn’t work in a laboratory.”

### Chapter 8: More Than Meets the Eye

“Nicole? Tell me what’s wrong.”

They had been sitting on her couch binging one of Albert’s favorite shows when her phone rang. Instinctively, she went for it and saw that it was Nicole calling. Picking up, what she thought would be a typical phone conversation turned into an emergency.

“*Just get here. Now,*” she replied.

Albert, who had been watching from the couch, got up as Anna threw on her jacket. He grabbed his and did the same.

“What is it? What’s going on?” he asked as they moved towards the door.

“I don’t know,” she grabbed her keys. “But we’ve got to go.”

Not a moment later, they were rushing down the stairs to the parking garage. Quickly, they made their way to her car and got in. The woman started the engine and they were off.

“Did she indicate what was wrong?” Albert inquired as they worked through the city.

She shook her head. “No. She just said to get over there as fast as we could.”

“That makes it sound pretty serious,” he said.

“Call Matthew. Tell him to meet us at her place,” Anna turned the corner.

Nodding, he pulled out his phone and dialed his number. As he held it to his ear, Anna felt that she couldn’t get to her friend fast enough.

“What do you mean that your brother doesn’t work in a laboratory?” the Chief leaned forward towards the glass.

“I mean that he was pursuing the same thing our father was,” she said. “Only with a little something extra.”

“But I thought you didn’t know your father until recently?”

Alexandra nodded. “Well, Ezra was always into science and that sort of thing. I guess somehow, he followed in the footsteps of Marcus.”

“Did he know Marcus Williams was your father?” John Dillon asked.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “It’s entirely possible.”

“So he was working to make Supers of his own?”

“Yes, as well as trying to fulfill a certain prophecy,” the woman leaned forward as well. “One that my father was terrified of.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What was this prophecy about?”

“I’m not sure of the details,” she said. “But it was about the unleashing of an ancient evil force into the world by four enhanced individuals.”

“Supers?”

She shook her head in affirmation. “Indeed. Four who had control over the four elements.”

“Four elements.”

“You know, Aristotle and all that. Fire. Water. Air. Earth.”

“Hang on a minute… That sounds like-.”

“Anna Brail,” she finished for him. “John Arwin.”

“Miss Brail said that Jameson had gained the ability of the Master of Water,” John said.

Alexandra raised her eyebrows. “Then that must mean that my father had the Master of Water in his possession.”

“Thank you, miss Jacobs,” he stood up, still holding the phone to his ear. “Thank you for your help.”

“What? You think that prophecy is true?”

“You’ve got to admit,” the Chief said. “It’s one hell of a coincidence.”

“A fantasy, John,” she replied. “Don’t go chasing dreams.”

“Then why’d you tell me about it?” he hung up the phone and left. She watched him go before setting hers down and getting up and being escorted back to her cell.

Anna pounded on the door.

“Nicole?! Nicole?! Are you okay? Nicole?”

The door opened and she was pulled away by Albert as a wave of water shot through the entrance, hitting the opposite wall and floor. Anna nodded to her boyfriend before they looked in the door. Kneeling on the glistening floor was Nicole, looking up at them, tears streaming from her eyes.

Her eyes glowed blue. “Anna… help… me...”

Rushing into the room, they stopped as their feet squelched on the soaked carpet. The entire apartment seemed to be cover in water, yet Nicole was dry. Anna crouched down beside her friend while Albert looked around the room.

“What... what happened?” Anna said as the woman’s hands flashed again.

She sniffled. “I.. don’t know. I was writing on my computer,” she looked at the short-circuited laptop. “When… I heard a bang behind me. I turned around and there was this blue light hanging in the middle of the room. And when I went to check it out… it flew into me.”

“It flew into you?” Albert crouched down.

Nicole nodded. “And now… I feel wrong. Like everything in my body is wrong.”

Suddenly her hands flashed and water shot from them, splashing on the already drenched carpet. Anna looked at Albert, who was just as bewildered as she was.

At that moment, Matthew appeared in the doorway. He saw them and rushed in, stopping as he feet skidded in the flooded floor. Looking up at his sister, and then at Anna and Albert, he was obviously confused.

“What is going on?”

“I don’t know...” Nicole began crying again. “I don’t know what’s happening.”

Anna was looking at the ground before her eyes lit up. Looking around at them, her eyes widened.

“I think I know,” she said.

Everyone turned to her.

“What?” Albert asked.

She looked to Nicole, who had tears streaming down her face again. “I think… I think you’re a Super.”

“You’re seriously taking the word of the woman who *shot* you?” William said. “Are you insane?”

He shook his head. “I wish I was. But what she said… it makes some kind of sense.”

“It’s also probably a bunch of horse crap,” the Assistant Chief replied. “You know what she’s like.”

“But so far we have seen all four of these abilities, to some extent. Miss Brail. John Arwin. Seemingly the killer of those gangsters in the alleyway. And mister Jameson possessed water manipulation.”

“John. Be reasonable. Aristotle? Are you serious?”

The Chief stood up. “After everything we’ve seen recently; is anything too crazy to rule out?”

“I suppose...”

Just then there was a knock on the door. The two looked at each other before John answered.

“Come in.”

The door opened and his secretary came in.

“Chief Dillon,” she said. “We have a situation.”

He raised his eyebrows. “What situation? What happened?”

“There’s a new Super in New Hampton.”

Having really no other options, they had taken Nicole to the hospital. Not that medicine could fix her condition. Though it was hard to fathom, Anna believed that Nicole had inherited some kind of supernatural ability.

She had taken a step outside once Nicole’s parents had arrived. Anna was sitting on a bench against the wall when Albert came out of the room to join her.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

The woman sighed. “No.”

Nodding, he put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him.

“I just don’t know what to do, Albert,” Anna said.

“There isn’t much you can do,” he replied. “They’re running the blood tests now, and they’ve given her some medication that’ll hopefully subdue her powers until she can master them.”

Anna looked at him. “But she’s my best friend. There has to be something I can do for her.”

“Just being there for her is all you can do right now,” Albert replied.

Letting this soak in, she nodded. A moment later they heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Alex and Jenna-Louise Nolan walking towards them.

“Alex. Jenna,” Anna stood up, followed by Albert. “I’m so glad you came.”

“What happened?” Jenna asked, looking in through the window.

“Nicole seems to have well… how do I put this... become a Super?” she answered.

Both their reactions were how she had expected them to be.

“A Super? How?” Alex gasped.

“We don’t know,” the woman replied.

Albert suddenly looked up.

“Maybe she got them the same way John got his?”

They all looked at him, obviously not following his train of thought. He looked back at them and smiled.

“You know how he said they just came to him?” he continued. “Nicole’s came to her. Literally. They came *to* her. And Mark said that your grandmother,” the man turned to Anna. “Didn’t get her powers by hereditary means like you and your mother did.”

“It makes no sense,” Alex said. “But it makes the most sense out of the ones than don’t make any.”

“That makes no sense, babe,” Jenna looked at her husband.

“I suppose that was the point.”

His wife rolled her eyes before turned back to Anna. “What do you want us to do?”

“This is probably a lot to ask of you two,” she began. “But you’re literally the only people I would trust with this.”

“And you can,” Alex nodded.

She smiled before returning. “I need you to find out as much as you can about my, Nicole, and John’s abilities.”

“Aren’t these just abilities?”

“Yes, they are, but I also think that there’s something much deeper connecting them. Jameson said that he had the powers of the Master of Water, and he called me the Master of Air.”

“So you think they’re connected?” Jenna asked.

“Along with John’s powers.”

The man stroked his chin. “Hm. Air. Water. Fire. Why does this sound so familiar?”

“I know!” Albert again lit up. They looked at him again.

“What?” Alex and Jenna asked in unison.

“Fire. Water. Air. It’s Aristotle. His theory of the elements. The only thing that’s missing is-.”

“Earth,” Anna finished for him, looking up in realization. “The Master of Earth. He’s in New Hampton.”

“That case with the gangsters in the alleyway? That’s a cold case,” Jenna replied. “You think he’s this supposed Master of Earth?”

“It makes the most sense, and none of this makes sense.”

“So you’re saying Aristotle had something to do with the creation of these abilities?” Alex inquired.

“Anything’s possible.”

“You know,” a new voice echoed down the corridor. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that two people mention Aristotle in the same day.”

They turned to see Chief Dillon, Assistant Chief Burrows and Commander Raydor walking towards them.

“Chiefs, Commander,” Jenna-Louise said. “What a welcome surprise.”

“Deputy District Attorney Nolan, mister Nolan, miss Brail, mister Clarkson,” he greeted them. “How is miss Weaver?”

“Unsure,” Anna replied. “She isn’t dying, but she’s far from well.”

“Have her powers manifested themselves yet?” Chief Burrows asked.

Anna nodded. “She seems to be able to control water.”

John sighed. “That means that Alexandra was right.”

“Wait, you were talking to Alexandra Jacobs?” she gaped. “The woman tried to kill you, Chief.”

“First off; don’t tell me who I can and can’t talk to, miss Brail. That is not your place,” he said sternly. “And second, she gave us some information that we might want to look into.”

“What, about the Aristotle thing?” Albert crossed his arms.

“She said that there was a prophecy, and that Aristotle’s four main elements were the centerpiece of it. And then this happens. It can’t be just a coincidence.”

“Alex and I can look into this prophecy and the history of these abilities,” Jenna said. “Miss Brail already asked us to look into it.”

“I’m sorry,” William stepped forward. “But why are two lawyers looking into this?”

Alex chuckled. “We look into things all the time, Chief Burrows. Why do you think we’re such good attorneys?”

“He’s got a point,” Sharon replied.

“I’ll have Emma Meraz help you as well. She’s a pretty good detective,” the Chief chipped in.

“The more the merrier,” Jenna smiled.

Behind them the door opened and Claire Darrel and Mark Brail came out. They saw the group and came over. They nodded to the three law enforcement officers and the two attorneys.

“Good to see you all,” Mark said.

“You too, mister Brail,” John replied. “And you, miss Darrel.”

“What’s going on here?” Claire crossed her arms.

“Just trying to work out what happened to Nicole,” Anna answered. “So far we’ve got Aristotle as a lead.”

She rose an eyebrow. “Aristotle? Really?”

“Really,” Albert said.

“Well, instead of wasting any more time here,” Alex stepped forward. “We’ll get to work. Send detective Meraz to my offices when you get the chance,” he added to the Chief.

Jenna nodded. “We’ll be in touch.”

Together, they turned and walked off down the corridor. They watched them go before turning back to each other.

“So what now?” Claire asked.

Mark sighed. “We wait.”

Boom.

That was the last thing he remembered before everything went dark. Even now, he knew he wasn’t really awake, just falling through his subconscious.

He had grossly underestimated the Master of Water. Her abilities were incredible. Whether she had actually generated the water or had enough sweat buildup to draw from was yet to be observed. Of course, he had to find the next host, the next Master. It would be a while before they tracked her down, which would be a setback, but it had to be done.

Suddenly light flooded into his eyes as he shot up, breathing heavily. A moment later there were several people surrounding him and trying to calm him.

“Mister Jacobs! It’s okay!” he heard one of the nurses say.

“What is going on? Where am I?”

“You were in an accident. You’ve been taken to the medical bay. Please, calm down!”

Eventually, his breathing became less erratic and he was laid back down. Looking around, he saw that he was indeed in the medical bay of his facility and found that his body hurt all over. Painfully, he raised up his hand and saw that it was viciously burnt.

“What… happened?”

One of the nurses turned towards him. “The Master of Water manged to generate enough water to fry the electronics in her cage and caused it to explode. You’re lucky to have survived, sir.”

“Survived, yes, but not unscathed, it seems,” he groaned.

“We are already working on that, mister Jacobs,” she replied.

“Get me commander Shaw,” Ezra ordered.

The nurse nodded. “Yes sir.”

Stopping what she had been doing, she turned and left the room. Several minutes later she returned with his right-hand man. He walked up to his bed and nodded.

“Sir, it is good to see you awake. What can I do?”

“We need to start searching for the next Master of Water,” he looked up at the man.

“Already on it, mister Jacobs,” Shaw replied.

“Good. It is paramount that we find her.”

“We have also issued a statement to the press saying that you were injured in a laboratory experiment.”

“Yes. That is wise. They’ll wonder why I’ve abandoned my routine.”

As if on cue, a man entered the medical bay, carrying a tablet. The two looked towards him. He stopped and nodded.

“What is it?” the commander demanded.

The soldier held out the tablet.

“The next Master of Water, sir,” he said. “She’s at New Hampton General Hospital.”

Shaw took it and looked it over. He looked at his leader.

“According to this, a woman named Nicole Weaver showed up exhibiting hydrokenetic abilities.”

Handing it off to Ezra, he took it in his scarred hands and looked at the DMV photo of the blonde-haired woman. Her blue eyes glistened in the photograph. The man smiled.

“There we are, then.”

“Indeed, sir,” he concurred. “What do we do?”

Ezra looked up at his second-in-command. “We activate protocol seven. Round them up.”

“But sir, we haven’t yet located the Master of Earth,” the commander said. “Do you really want to activate it when we don’t know where he is?”

“We’re losing time, Shaw,” he replied. “If we acquire the other three, the last one is bound to come along soon afterward.”

Shaw nodded. “Yes sir.”

He turned and walked away, the other man following him. Ezra watched them go before laying back in the hospital bed and looking at the tablet. Swiping his finger across, the profile changed to that of John Arwin, his unnatural orange eyes glaring at him from the mugshot.

“You’re going to be a fun one to toy with, mister Arwin,” he muttered.

Swiping again, the photo changed to a young woman with long black and brown hair and piercing green eyes. A faint smile appeared across his face.

“Well, well, well,” Ezra chuckled. “I understand why my father was so interested in you. You truly are a beauty. Maybe if we weren’t on opposite sides, you’d make a valuable addition to the team.”

The tablet turned off as he set in the bedside table.

“Fortunately, we’ll soon be on the same side.”

His footsteps echoed as his feet landed on the cement. Since he was essentially broke, except for the money coming in from the fast food restaurant went to pay for his crappy motel room, he had to walk home every day.

Five months and he still didn’t know why he was here. He had given up everything to come to this wretched city, and the reason behind his sudden urge to do so was still unclear to him.

But what was still more mysterious was why he felt he couldn’t leave. Every time he considered abandoning this place, he felt a pull to stay. It was an irrational, undeniable, urge to continue living in New Hampton.

So, he carried on, doing the same routine over and over: get up early, walk five miles to the fast food joint, work nine hours for minimum wage, and then walk back.

He had had a good life before he came here. He had had a good job, a good home, a great girlfriend, and an amazing life. Now that was all gone, for forces he couldn’t explain.

Could it have to do with his powers? It definitely could. Frankly, he didn’t know that much about them, except that he had had them for his entire life. His father had possessed them as well, right up until he died.

Well, whatever it was, he hoped it would make itself known soon, because he might finally break free of its bonds and leave this town, once and for all.

Turning down an alleyway he usually used as a shortcut, he walked under a yellow streetlamp. Bugs flew around it as it buzzed incessantly. His footsteps echoed still in the narrow passage.

Passing by a dark entryway, he could barley react as a figure appeared from the shadows. They grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him against the wall. He moved to retaliate when heard the click of a gun. Looking up, he saw a man standing there, a silver firearm in his hand, pointed directly at his head.

“Don’t even think about it,” he spat.

Seeing that he really didn’t have a choice this time, with barely any room to move, he raised his hands. The man smiled.

“What do you want?”

“Your bag. Your wallet,” the man replied.

“The last time a gangster said that to me, they ended up with their heads bashed in,” he replied.

He demonstratively lifted his gun a little higher. “I’m not a gangster, you frickin’ idiot. I just want your money! And if you try anything, I’ll put a bullet in your head!”

Narrowing his eyes, he sighed before reaching into his jacket and pulling out his wallet. He held it out before it slipped out of his hand. It fell to the ground and the man’s finger wrapped around the trigger.

“Are you kidding me?!”

“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I’ll get it.”

Reaching down to get it, his attacker suddenly stopped him.

“Nothing funny, okay? I will kill you!”

“Alright,” he held up his hands. “Calm down a little.”

His fingers wrapped around at the wallet, and then instinct kicked in. Taking a deep breath, he sprung into action. In the blink of an eye, he shot up, bringing his arm up with him. He struck the hand the man held his gun in, knocking it into the air. It went off and a bullet struck the wall.

Seeing that he had wasted his one shot, he punched him the stomach and then the jaw, sending him to the ground. The gun clattered away, its form reflecting off the streetlight. The man tried to crawl for it but his attempted victim stopped him. He manipulated the concrete and made it wrap around his leg, holding him in place.

“You really thought this was a good idea?” he taunted, walking around him. “I’m not so easily toyed with. Carsons are not so easily toyed with.”

He was looking between him and the concrete that had trapped him. “You’re… you’re one of them!”

“Yes, I am. And I’m the one who’s going to kill you.”

“Hey!” a voice shouted down the alleyway. “What’s going on here?”

They turned to see an officer standing at the entrance, a flashlight shining on them. He froze, unable to decide what to do.

“Help me!” the man on the ground yelled. “He’s a Super! He’s trying to kill me!”

The officer drew his gun and pointed it at them. “Alright. Everyone hold still.”

Being snapped out of his faze, he jumped into action. Springing up, two pillars of stone shot out of the ground under his feet and propelled him several feet into the air.

“What the-?” the policeman said, following the man with his gun and flashlight.

He chuckled as he headed for the roof when suddenly a gunshot rung out. This was followed by a searing pain in his leg, which distracted him from everything else. The man looked down and saw a trail of blood coming from his thigh.

Losing his concentration, he missed the ledge and fell back down to the ground. He smashed into a dumpster just a few feet from where he had been standing and his head swam before the darkness engulfed him entirely.

Seeing that both were subdued, with his gun still trained on them, the officer grabbed his walkie-talkie.

“Yes, this is officer James,” he said. “I need backup at my location.”

### Chapter 9: Full Disclosure

Six hundred years ago.

“We have to talk,” one of the two women said, stepping into the room.

He looked up at them as they entered, an eyebrow raised.

“About what?”

One of the two men shook his head. “Don’t play dumb with us. You know exactly what we’re talking about.”

Standing up, he nodded. “Yes. You’re right. I know what you’re referring to.”

“It was a mistake making her a Master, Charles,” the other man said.

“She isn’t ready for this kind of power,” the other woman replied.

“No, you’re wrong,” he walked up to them. “I know what I’m doing, and I know that she’s capable of handling this power.”

“You’re a fool, then,” the first man walked forward, causing the older to step backwards.

“How dare you!” he spat. “I didn’t give you this power to defy me!”

The man grabbed something off the table and swung it at him, but he was blasted back by a gust of air as the first woman thrust her hand forward. He fell into the chair and slid across the room, crashing into the wall. The four surrounded him, their fists clenched.

“Charles, please,” the other woman said. “Victoria is dangerous. She has to be stopped.”

“What do you mean, ‘be stopped’?” he asked, worriedly.

“Take her powers away,” the second man suggested.

The old man shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. When I gave you your powers, they bonded with your very being. You, and the power, are one. Nothing but death can separate it from you.”

“We have to do something,” the first man paced around the room. “Because she’s out of control.”

“I don’t think there’s any way to stop her,” the first woman answered.

“Well, we can’t kill her,” the other man retorted. “That’s not our way.”

“Plus,” the second woman replied. “She’s probably try to crush us.”

At that moment a voice came from the doorway.

“You’ve got that right.”

Before they could turn around, they felt as if the weight of the world was forced on their bodies, and came crashing to the ground. They tried to push themselves up, but found that they were pinned down. A soft, mocking, chuckle came from the entrance.

“Now,” the new arrival said, her hand outstretched and purple energy flickering between her fingers. “What was that about stopping me?”

She sighed. “How is she doing?”

They looked up at her standing in the doorway. They smiled.

“Come in, Anna,” Natalie Weaver said.

Nodding, she entered the room and sat down in one of the chairs, laying the bokay of flowers she had brought with her on the table. The steady beep of Nicole’s heart monitor sounded through the room. Anna looked at her sleeping friend.

“She’s asleep, which is better than she has been,” her mother answered her previous question.

“I’m sorry about this,” Anna replied.

Jackson and Natalie looked at each other. “It’s not your fault, Anna.”

“But I couldn’t help her get through this,” she said. “All I did was bring her here and get her put on the Registry.”

“Nicole getting put on the Registry was going to have to happen at some point,” Jackson responded. “I mean, you’re on it now, too.”

“Yeah, but I wish she wasn’t. She’s my best friend, and I want what’s best for her, which is for her to not be on the Registry.”

“You’ve done so much to help her already,” Natalie said.

“And there’s nothing more I can do,” she rested her chin on her hands. “Nothing more.”

“I know you’ll find something,” Jackson smiled.

She smiled back when there was a knock on the door. They turned to see Albert standing in the doorway.

“Anna, they have something.”

“Who are you?”

“Why do you want to know?”

Detective Mace slammed his fist on the table. “This is not a game! You had no identification on you when we picked you up. So what is your name?!”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Of course you can. Why on earth would you not be able to?”

He shrugged. “I don’t want to?”

“We ran your prints and they came back with nothing,” Mace said. “We searched you and the hotel room you’ve been staying in and found no ID. Cash, but no ID.”

“I’m a very private person, officer,” the man replied. “I have a right to that, don’t I?”

“You do, but you’re under arrest, and I need to know which name to charge you under!”

“No.”

The detective was at his wit’s end. Walking behind the man, he pulled up his sleeves before grabbing the back of his head and slamming his forehead on the metal table. There was a clang and he yelled in pain before coming back up, squinting through the pain.

“I don’t want to have to do it this way,” the officer said, walking back around. “But you’re really giving me no other choice. Now,” he leaned on the table. “What is your name?”

Shaking the pain away, his head still throbbed. “Michael. Michael Carson.”

“Michael Carson,” Mace smiled. “See? Now wasn’t that a lot easier?”

He glared up at him. “Not really.”

“Believe me, kid,” he replied. “This could’ve been much worse.”

“What do you want?”

“I want to know what you were doing with that gangster in that alleyway, and why you tried to run from our officer once he showed up.”

Hesitating for a moment, Michael sighed. “Because I was afraid that you’d find out who I am, and what I’ve done.”

“And what have you done?” he raised an eyebrow.

“That man wasn’t the first gangster I encountered in an alleyway.”

The detective sat down across from him. “Oh? So you’ve had similar scuffles in the past?”

He nodded. “When I first arrived.”

“When did you first arrive?”

“October 12,” Michael replied.

“October 12?” Mace repeated, before his eyes widened. “Wait a minute...”

“I’m sorry,” the man said before tugging his arms up. This action was followed by the officer’s seat being launched into the air by a chunk of the floor that had shot up. The officer crashed to the ground, caught in a daze.

Pulling his arms up again, a block of stone broke off the chunk that he had brought up and flew directly into his handcuffs, breaking them. He stood up and shook them off. Moving towards the door, he reached out for the handle when Mace shot up and grabbed him by the shoulders, throwing him back towards the table.

He bounced off of it and turned, rage in his eyes. Thrusting his fist forward, a block of the wall behind him followed it, directly at the officer. Dodging it, he charged forward. Not having enough time to defend himself, Michael was tackled onto the table by the detective.

Gaining the upper-hand, Mace began to strike Michael repeatedly, and Michael, being held down to the table, couldn’t do much to protect himself against the detective’s blows.

A moment later the door burst open and Mace was being pulled off the man by other officers. Seeing this as his window, he jumped off the table and ran for the door when he felt a searing, burning pain course through his body. He fell to the ground, spasming violently. Then it suddenly stopped, and he blacked out again.

An officer stood above him, taser in hand. Rubbing his arms, Mace looked down at the fallen man.

“Chief Dillon’s gonna want to hear about this.”

“Thank you all for coming,” Alex said as they sat down in the conference room in the New Hampton Police Department building.

“What do you have for us?” Dillon asked.

Jenna picked up the file that had been sitting on the table in front of her. She flipped it open and looked up at them.

“After a week of research, we’ve uncovered some interesting information relating to Anna, Nicole, and John Arwin’s abilities.”

“Lay it on us, miss Nolan,” Sharon Raydor said.

She nodded and turned to her husband. He returned it and turned to the room.

“Okay. So, as we all know, the concept of people having unnatural abilities has been around since probably the beginning of time. There are dozens upon dozens of characters who have exhibited supernatural powers. From super strength, to healing, to prophetic powers. Of course, these were all miracles. There was also a few cases of mountains moving and even the sea parting.

“Now, the first documentation of people with the ability to manipulate the elements the way these three can appeared around the fifteenth century, where four individuals are said to have been given the power over water, earth, fire and air. They were called the Masters, and were some of the most revered people of their time. They were heroes, protectors.”

“What happened to them?” Albert asked.

“Well, when they died, it seems that their power transferred to another host,” Jenna replied. “A bit freaky, I know.”

“That’s what happened to Nicole. And John,” Anna said.

“And your grandmother,” Mark added.

“Yes,” Alex continued. “It’s also said that when a Master dies, their power is transferred randomly to another host of the same gender. So Masters of Fire and Earth have always been male and Masters of Air and Water have always been female.”

“But Anna and Rose Brail didn’t inherit their powers like that,” William leaned forward. “They were born with them.”

“Indeed. It seems that, if a Master has children, their power is split and inherited by their offspring. So, sometimes, there are two Masters of the same element at one time. But it seems it balances itself out.”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, ‘balances itself out’?”

He took a deep breath. “The power isn’t meant to be split two ways, and if this happens, the half in the older Master, around middle-age, leaves their body and is absorbed by the younger. But this process is fatal to the original, and they die.”

Mark’s eyes widened, and so did his daughter’s. “Rose…”

Jenna nodded solemnly. “We believe that her death was a direct result of this.”

“I remember feeling a rush of energy that day,” Anna said, looking down at her hands. “But I thought it was just like, adrenaline or something.”

“Rose’s mother, Rachael,” Mark said. “She died a few months after we got married, from apparent heart failure.”

“She was also most likely a victim of this,” Emma replied.

“So the Masters weren’t supposed to have families?” Sharon asked.

“They were meant to be dedicated to their work, which was protecting the world.”

“Sounds lonely,” Albert muttered, glancing at his girlfriend.

“Wait,” Anna said. “I’m supposed to protect the world?”

“That’s what we’ve found,” Alex nodded.

“I knew I was supposed to protect New Hampton,” she looked around the room. “But I couldn’t have imagined protecting the whole world.”

“And if miss Brail and the other Masters have to devote their lives to protecting the world,” Chief Dillon said. “What is it that they’re protecting it against?”

“We looked into that,” Jenna picked up another folder. “It seems, that around the same time that they came into being, there was another Super, who was extraordinarily powerful. She was a threat to the whole world, her power, quote, ‘powerful enough to shatter the plates that held the sphere together’.”

“Do you know her name?” Sharon inquired.

“No,” the district attorney shook her head. “It seems that was lost to history.”

“What happened to her, then?” Anna asked.

“It isn’t clear, but it’s implied that the Masters killed her.”

“But there is a prophecy, saying that, one day, she will return, and once again wreak havoc on this world,” Alex added.

“The one Ezra Jacobs is apparently trying to fulfill,” the Chief said.

“And if these are the same prophecies, then he must be trying to release this fifth Super,” Mark replied.

“Most likely,” Dillon nodded.

The room fell silent.

William decided to speak up. “How come we’re not hearing about all of this until now?”

“Because it’s ancient, Chief,” Emma replied. “All this information we’ve gotten dates back to the mid 1400s to the early 1700s. Most of it resides in the backs of libraries or the corners of the internet. It was common knowledge back in the day, but it was dismissed as folklore as time went on.”

“And, with Supers starting becoming a bit more frequent, I doubt anyone ever considered to make the connection.”

“I think a few did,” Anna said suddenly.

Everyone looked at her.

“What do you mean?” Mark asked.

“Ravager. He mentioned a prophecy. The Professor, too. He kept mentioning a prophecy.”

“They had to know, then,” Albert replied.

“I can understand the Professor knowing,” the woman said. “He’s been researching Supers for decades. But I don’t understand Ravager.”

“From what we know, Ravager got his powers from the Professor, so he might’ve filled him in,” her father responded.

She looked at him. “That’s right.”

“Too bad both of them are dead,” Jenna-Louise interjected. “Then maybe they could tell us more.”

“Jessica Sapphire’s to thank for that,” William rolled his eyes.

“We have to find Ezra Jacobs,” John said. “He’s our only chance at understanding all of this.”

“I thought he was in the hospital?” Albert inquired.

The Chief shook his head. “He’s a very powerful businessman. They issued a press-release saying that he had been involved in a lab accident and was hospitalized. But when I went to inform Alexandra Jacobs of this, she said that he didn’t work in a lab, and that he’s pursuing the same thing his father was.”

“So where is he?” Alex asked.

“We don’t know. He’s in the wind.”

At that moment the door opened and a detective emerged. The three officers stood up at his arrival.

“Detective Mace?” Dillon asked. “What is it?”

“Sir, you know that incident on October 12 that potentially involved a Super?” he began.

“I do,” he asked, while Anna and Emma looked at each other.

“Well… I think we’ve found him.”

“All teams are ready to engage,” the man walked into the room.

“Excellent,” Ezra’s eyes lit up behind his glasses. “Give the order, Commander Shaw.”

Shaw nodded. “Yes sir.”

Pulling out his walkie-talkie, he smiled as he was about to give the order when suddenly another soldier came running into the room. They both looked at him as he skidded to a halt in front of them.

“What is it, soldier?” the commander demanded.

Collecting his breath, he held up a tablet, showing it to his two superiors.

“The Master of Earth,” he panted. “They found him.”

Both their eyes became wide. “What?! How?” Ezra exclaimed.

“He, Michael Carson, was arrested in an alleyway last night along with a gangster. Nothing unusual until he used his powers to try and escape. His profile just came in.”

“And they’ll probably be bringing him to Chief Dillon,” the hospitalized man stroked his chin. “Which is where miss Brail is. Captain, I need you make sure that unit three knows this.”

“It’s already been sent over to them, sir,” the soldier said.

“Great work,” Ezra smiled.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Shall I give the order, then?” Shaw asked.

“Indeed.”

Smiling, he held up the walkie-talkie once again and spoke into it. “Engage.”

The soldier nodded, before walking out, almost followed by his commander when Ezra called after him.

“Wait.”

Turning back, the commander looked to his superior.

“Is the exo-skeleton prepared?” the man in the hospital bed asked. “It’s humiliating being confined to this place.”

“Yes sir, but I don’t know if you should be up and about just yet-,” the commander said before he was cut off.

“I’ll decide what I’m to do,” Ezra snapped.

“Of course, mister Jacobs.”

“Ready the suit to be activated,” he ordered.

“Yes sir,” Shaw bowed his head before departing, leaving him alone again.

“It won’t be long now,” the man muttered as he smiled broadly.

New Hampton Penitentiary.

Every single day since he had been put here, he had loathed Anna Brail more than he had ever before. First, she had nearly killed him at Salem University. Then, when he had tracked her down again and nearly killed her, that idiot got the upper-hand on him. He had then been arrested, but managed to escape briefly, and then got captured again.

Then, he had been taken by that lunatic, the Professor, to some base where they had taken his DNA and created their own Super. However, he did manage to escape again, and this time teaming up with Ravager. Just as they were about to escape, Anna showed up, and they fought, but this time they beat her.

Bringing her to the roof, they were about to kill her, when another girl showed up. Then everything went downhill from there, both of them getting defeated, Ravager being killed. He was taken back to prison and put on trial, and sentenced to this place.

He tugged on his collar as he walked outside in the yard, a small current of electricity humming through his fingers as he did. They had upgraded the shock collar that restricted his powers, preventing him from using them to escape as he had done before.

Sitting down on a bench, he watched as his fellow prisoners either played basketball, worked out, or simply sat around, just as he was. To his left, he heard the sound of several footsteps coming towards him. Sighing, he turned to see a group of seven men approaching. These seven were gangsters who had had it out for him ever since he had arrived in this forsaken place.

“Hey little Johnny,” the lead one said, a large, bald man. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“What does it look like, idiot?” he retorted.

“It looks like you’re not showing proper respect for me.”

“Wow, I’m surprised a brain actually fits in there, especially with all that fat.”

His face contorted with rage. “What did you say?!”

“Huh, I guess I’m wrong,” John smiled. “You don’t have a brain either.”

Furious, he charged the man, and before John could react, he was picked up by his collar and thrown through the air, crashing and rolling across the concrete. His head spun as he tried to push himself off the ground, but found that he couldn’t.

Evidently, he didn’t have to, as he was grabbed from behind and pulled up, a second later a fist connected with his jaw. He fell down again, his entire body aching.

“You think you’re so smug and clever?” he spat, as his cronies stood on the sidelines laughing. “I know what you are. You’re a freak, and you don’t deserve to breathe the same air as we do. None of you.”

Instinct working faster than his conscience, he thrust his fist upwards at the man, a spark of fire flaring before his collar buzzed and electricity shot through his body, him screaming in pain. His attacker smiled as he watched him be electrocuted. As it stopped, he slumped on the ground, barley conscious.

“Defeated by your own power,” the thug said. “How poetic.”

Looking over to one of the barbells that lay to the side, he walked over and picked it up. Walking back over, he lifted it above John. A look of pure hatred washed across his face, his eyes blazing.

“I think it’s time I removed one of you freaks for good.”

Pulling it back, he readied to strike when suddenly a blast came from one of the walls surrounding the yard. The smoke clearing, six men dressed in black battle gear came sweeping into the area, rifles at the ready. As guards came to approach, they were shot down with bolts of energy, the projectiles have much the same effect as the man on the ground’s collar.

“What the hel-,” the inmate said when a bolt struck him in the chest. His body was covered in electricity and he screamed as he flew to the ground.

As the other prisoners tried to charge the men, they were quickly shot down, falling to the ground screaming in pain. Watching from below, John’s vision blurred in and out of focus as the men swarmed above him. The next thing he felt was being lifted off the ground by his arms and being dragged across the yard.

Then he fell unconscious.

“It’s good to see you up, Nicole,” Claire said as she and Matthew entered the room.

She nodded. “It’s good to see you two.”

“How are you doing?” Matthew asked.

Nicole looked at her hands. “I’m… not really sure.”

“I don’t mean your powers,” he said. “I mean; how are *you* doing?”

“Fine, I guess,” she shrugged. “Still feel a little weird inside.”

“You’ll get through this,” her father smiled, holding her hand. “You always do.”

A smile broke across her face before she turned to her visitors. “But enough about me. How’s the private detective business going?”

“Pretty good,” Claire replied. “I mean, it could be better.”

Matthew put his hand on her shoulder. “It will get better.”

“So,” Natalie said, looking to Matthew and Claire. “How are you two doing?”

“We’re doing good,” the woman replied.

“And how’s the relationship?” she asked.

They both blushed as this, causing the other three to chuckle.

“Mom. I’m twenty-six,” Matthew said. “Can you please not treat me like I’m sixteen?”

“I’m sorry,” Natalie nodded. “But I’m just so happy you two have found each other.”

“Thank you, miss Weaver,” Claire replied, still blushing.

At that moment, a loud noise grew outside the hospital. It was a whirling sound, not unlike a helicopter. Claire and Matthew looked at each other as it drew closer, while the other three seemed unconcerned by it.

“What is it, Matt?” Nicole asked.

“That helicopter… it shouldn’t sound this close...”

“Maybe they’re transporting someone to the helipad?” Jackson suggested.

He shook his head. “No. It shouldn’t be this close to us.”

“There has to be some rational explan-,” Natalie was saying when the windows suddenly went dark and the roar of an engine deafened them.

Not even a second later, one of the windows shattered and a small, gray, canister came flying into the room. Matthew had barely registered what it was when two jets of dark gas shot out of either end.

“Look out-!” he yelled when he, and everyone else, was overcome by the gas, being knocked out instantly.

Above their unconscious forms, the wall began to glow before it vaporized in a flash of light. The whirlwind created by roaring blades of the black helicopter tossed objects all around the room. Two men, both wearing black and heavy packs, jumped from the side of the aerial vehicle. As soon as they did, twin jets on their packs ignited and they soared right into the hospital room.

“Quickly!” one of them yelled over the roaring noise.

Coming to the bed, they unhooked the medical machinery from the unconscious woman they had been attached to. Pulling the IV, one of them picked her up. Walking to the edge of the room, they ignited their jetpacks again, and flew back to the helicopter.

The door closed, and turning away from the hospital, flew off into the setting sun.

“*You’re* the Master of Earth?” Emma gasped.

“I don’t know what that means, but sure,” Michael replied.

“How did you get your powers?” Anna asked.

He looked up at her. “I got them from my father.”

“I got mine from my mother,” she replied.

“You have powers too?”

She held out her hand and made a small whirlwind in her palm.

“That’s so weird,” the green-eyed woman muttered.

“Wait. Guys,” Albert said. “Do you know what this means?”

Mark’s eyes widened. “It means that all four Masters are in New Hampton.”

“My goodness,” Jenna covered her mouth. “You’re right.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean ‘four Masters’? What does that mean?”

“It means time is running out,” Chief Dillon said. “If this prophecy is true – which is starting to look like it is – then it means that this fifth Super is coming.”

“And that will be devastating,” Chief Burrows looked around. “We have to be ready. Now.”

“Ready for what?” Michael asked.

“Ready for war,” Commander Raydor replied.

“With whom-?” the man was about to finish when he was drowned out by a massive whirling coming from outside.

“What is that?!” Anna called over the noise.

“It sounds like a helicopter!” Albert called back.

The Commander shook her head. “Impossible! There aren’t any helicopters scheduled to come back right now!”

A moment later, a helicopter appeared in one of the windows, it’s sleek black form glinting in the diminishing light. The Chief grabbed his radio to call for help when a man appeared in the side of the vehicle with a launcher on his shoulder. He launched something, and a gray canister came crashing through the window an instant after.

“Gas!” Mark yelled as two jets of the substance came billowing out of either end.

As it reached them, they were instantly knocked unconscious. Anna thrust her hands forward, using her powers to create gusts of wind, desperately trying to propel the gas away. It worked for a few moments, but it quickly overwhelmed her.

Her vision faded as she fell over. Falling, her head struck the table and she bounced back and crashed on the ground. Blood trickled through her hair as the wall evaporated and two men appeared...

### Chapter 10: Together or Not at All

Seven hundred years ago.

“I expected this from the four of you,” she said as she stepped into the room, purple energy still swirling around her hand. “But not of my father. After all, he’s the one who gave me these powers.”

“This isn’t what I meant you to use them for!” the man cried, still pinned the floor by an unseen force.

“Oh, but I am using them for so much more than what you ‘intended’, father. I am going to change the world!”

“You’re insane,” one of the women said.

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t faze me. I will change this world,” she replied.

“How?” one of the men asked.

She frowned. “Look around. Poverty is everywhere. Corruption spreads. I can end it. End it all.”

The other man tried to push himself off the ground. “What? You’re going to kill kings and rulers?”

“If that’s what it takes to balance out the scales.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” the other woman muttered.

With great effort, she kicked her leg outwards at the woman. A gust of air shot from her foot and struck her in the chest, knocking her across the room. Her concentration broke, the weight on the five of them ceased, and they got up.

The four approached the woman, their hands glowing, each with a different color. One man had red and the other amber, and one woman had blue and the other green. Their opponent looked at them, smiling.

“Fools,” she said before her hands flashed with purple again and they were thrown across the room by an unseen force.

Crashing into the opposite wall, they slumped to the ground, rendered unconscious by the trauma. Charles, who had been cowering in the corner, watched in horror as his daughter approached him.

“Victoria, please-,” he tried to say before he was picked up and shoved against the wall, the woman’s glowing hand outstretched towards him.

“Seriously, father? You’re going to beg for your life?” she spat. “You gave me this power, and you’re afraid of it!”

“I never...” he gasped. “…meant for this!”

“Then you’re ignorant for not seeing this as the only possible outcome for this,” Victoria replied. “You’ve given me the most power of all the Masters, and yet you want me to stop.”

Her father struggled in her telekinetic grip, gasping for air as she progressively tightened the force around his throat. The woman’s eyes grew darker as she continued, tinges of purple sparking in her pupils. A smile was even creeping across her face when she heard a voice behind her.

“The Masters were meant to protect the world,” said a male voice. “And you’ve done the exact opposite of that.”

Dropping Charles to the ground, she turned around to face the other four, who were standing at the ready.

“William, Master of Fire” she said to the lead one. “Clara, Master of Air” she said to one of the women. “Joseph, Master of Earth,” she said to the other man. “And Mary, Master of Water,” she said to the last.

“Just because you are the four Masters, does not mean you can beat me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Clara replied.

Flexing their fingers, energy began to flicker in their palms. Thrusting their hands forward, blasts of fire, air, water and earth shot from them. Raising her own hand, a bubble of purple energy appeared around Victoria just as their attacks hit. She smiled as they battered against the barrier.

“I am more powerful than you will ever be!” she declared.

Another flash of light, the four were suddenly ripped off the ground and into the air, their attacks ceasing. The woman’s barrier disappeared and she walked towards them, her hand flickering with energy. They tried to call upon their abilities, but were restrained from doing so by the force of her power.

“Now, you’re the ones who are wrong,” Victoria said, her eyes darkening.

“Andrew, over here!” Rose called, waving her hand in the air.

The thirteen-year-old boy saw his mother from the steps and smiled. He waved in acknowledgment before making his way over to the car. She came over from the other side and gave him a hug.

“How was it?” she asked, her smile broad.

“Mom, it’s just band class. It’s nothing special,” Andrew said shyly.

“Oh come now,” she replied. “Band was my favorite class back when I was your age.”

He put his case in the backseat. “Yeah, but you’re actually *good* at it.”

“And you can be too. I wasn’t an expert right off the bat. I had been practicing for several years when I got good at it,” she said as they got into the car.

Rose put her hand on his knee and looked into his eyes. “You’ll be great someday. Probably even better than me.”

Andrew chuckled. “I don’t know about that.”

She smiled at her son before starting the car, the radio springing to life. The clock above it displayed 2:28 PM.

“Oh, I love this song!” the boy said, turning the dial up.

The song changed several times as they made their way across the city of New Hampton back towards their home. The sun shown brightly down on them from the clear sky. Andrew looked up at the infinite blue, looking in awe.

“Mom?” Andrew asked after a while.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I’ll ever have powers like you and Anna?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know, sweetie.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean our powers are… complicated. I don’t know how they work.”

“Oh,” he replied, obviously disappointed. “Okay then.”

“But,” she said. “You don’t need powers to benefit the world. You can just be yourself.”

He smiled. “Thanks, mom.”

They turned onto their street as the clock hit 2:42 PM. Rose continued driving when suddenly she felt an intense pain in her chest. Taking her right hand off the wheel, she clutched her heart, her breathing becoming ragged.

“Mom?” Andrew asked, fear invading his eyes. “Are you okay?”

She looked at her son as her vision blurred, and her left hand drifted down the wheel, the car following. The boy screamed in terror as she fell into the black. The car hit the curb, and flipped.

A few moments later.

Boom.

She had been laying on the floor, but as soon as the car flipped, her eyes opened and she shot up, breathing heavily and looking around frantically.

“Whatthehellwhatthehellwhatthehell?!” she exclaimed, panicking. “What the hell was that?”

A hand gripped her shoulder.

“Anna! Calm down! What was it?”

The woman turned to see Nicole there, her hands bound in shackles. Looking down at her own hands, she found that they were the same, a chain connecting them together and to the floor. She also saw that they each had one of those shock collar around their necks.

“Nicole?” she asked, taking a deep breath. “What is going on?”

“I… don’t know,” her friend replied. “One minute, I was in my hospital bed with my parents, Matt and Claire by me, and then I was here, in these,” she looked down at her clothes, which were no longer a hospital gown but her own clothes.

“What is this place?” said a voice to their right.

Turning, they saw the other Master – Michael – getting up. Next to him was John Arwin, still unconscious.

“What is he doing here?” Anna asked, backing away to the wall.

“Isn’t it obvious?” said a woman’s voice from the darkness.

They looked to see a young woman with jet-black hair and sapphire eyes looking at them from behind a cell door.

“Jessica?!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, I’m here,” she said. “Thanks for noticing.”

“It’s just-,” Anna began when she was cut off.

“How come you didn’t come looking for me?” Jessica replied.

“We did,” Nicole answered. “But we couldn’t find you. We thought you had run off.”

“Why would I run off?”

Nicole didn’t know how to respond. “Because you had killed Ravager and the Professor? I don’t really know.”

“Those two got what they deserved,” Jessica snapped. “Especially the Professor. He got everything he deserved.”

“Anna!” said voice to the left.

John had come around, and was on his knees, his orange eyes blazing.

“You put me in that prison! You’re the one who turned everyone against me!” he yelled.

Anna had gotten to her own knees. “I turned everyone against you? You’re a psychopath. Nobody was on your side to begin with!”

“I’m going to kill you!”

“That would be unwise.”

They turned to see a man entering the room, a strange, mechanical clanking coming from him. As he came into the light, they saw that he was wearing an exo-skeleton, which was not dissimilar to the one the Professor had worn during the battle in Alberta.

His features were also very similar to those of Marcus Williams, even down to the spectacles and the smile. His skin, however, was extremely scarred, as if he had been badly burnt.

“Who the hell are you?” Michael spat.

The man smiled. “I, am Ezra Jacobs.”

“Alexandra Jacobs’ brother,” Nicole said.

“And the Professor’s son,” Anna finished.

“I see you’ve done your research. And I know that you were also looking into the history of the Masters,” he replied. “Interesting that we have such similar hobbies.”

“That’s not how I would have phrased it.”

“Oh, I guarantee you; once we are done, you will realize how aligned our interests are.”

“Is this about the fifth Master that the original ones defeated?” Anna asked. “I know there’s a prophecy you want to fulfill.”

He smiled again. “What do you know about this fifth Master?”

“I know that they were dangerous enough for the other four to fight and defeat them,” Anna replied. “And I’m going to assume they weren’t the most mentally stable person on the planet.”

“You’re… partially right.”

Ezra began to pace around the room.

“Seven hundred years ago, a couple years after the original four Masters were given their powers, a fifth one was added. The fifth Master was named Victoria, and she was given the gift to control gravity.”

“Wait,” Anna said. “So the original four were air, water, earth and fire, and then gravity?”

“Indeed.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“The ability to manipulate gravity made her the strongest of the five Masters, and gave her a natural leadership. Of course, the other four saw her as a threat, and decided to cast her out; banish her from our world.”

“So what?” Anna asked. “They killed her?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Quite the contrary: they tore open a portal in the fabric of the universe.”

Everyone was dumbfounded. “*What?!*”

“With the combination of their powers, they managed to punch a hole in the time-space continuum.”

Anna gaped at him. “I’ve heard a lot of really insane things in my life, and this takes the cake.”

“No crazier than your powers being passed on from person to person?”

“Fair point.”

“Anyway,” he continued. “This world – this universe – is only one of an infinite number of possible alternate universes. The walls between these worlds are incredibly strong and hard to break through, but, seven hundred years ago, the walls were broken by the four Masters.

“You see, when they battled Victoria, their combined power tore a hole in the fabric of our world, and she was pulled into it. They thought they had killed her, when instead they had sent her to a parallel universe.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because, the walls between our worlds are now fractured, and are blurring together. I have received transmissions from the other side.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Michael said.

“And yet, here we are.”

“So what, you want us to open another portal and bring her back? That’s what the prophecy was all about?” Anna asked.

“Precisely.”

“We won’t help you!” Nicole protested.

“I’m afraid that’s simply not possible,” Ezra smiled again. “You see, this is the first time all four Masters have been in one place in hundreds of years. Your very being here has already caused a shift. Now, if we get you to one of the weak points in the world, we will be able to create another portal.”

“We’re not your slaves!” John spat.

“No, you’re not, but your ancestors did a grave wrong, and we are here to make it right.”

“Why do you want to bring this Victoria back?” Nicole said. “I mean, if the original Masters were fighting her, don’t you think it was for a good reason? What do you gain?”

“A better world. She was part of the original experiments that gave you and her your powers. Imagine what could be achieved in the modern era? Imagine what revolutions in technology, medicine, and military forces could be made? This could change the world!”

“You sound just like your father,” Anna said.

In a blur of motion, the man struck her in the face with his fist, slamming her to the ground. Nicole pulled at her bonds as she tried to attack him. There was a flash of blue in her palms before she was covered in electricity, screaming as she fell to the ground.

“How dare you compare me to my father!” Ezra roared. “He was a monster! He abandoned my mother! I am not my father!”

Anna pulled herself up, wiping the blood from her mouth. “This is exactly what the Professor was doing, though. He was trying to create his own Supers for his own gain.”

“No, I don’t want to gain from this,” he replied. “I am trying to better the world. Our borders could be more secure, our technology decades ahead of where it is now. No more innocent lives lost due to illness,” his voice shook with this last part, his right thumb and index finger twisting a golden ring on his left hand.

“Your wife,” Nicole said. “Oh my gosh your wife, Meredith. I’m so sorry.”

“Meredith had a tumor,” he said, his voice trembling. “It wouldn’t have been a problem if it hadn’t been in a place where they couldn’t operate. There was nothing that could be done by the technology of the time. We had been married nearly twenty years. I didn’t want to let her go… but… I couldn’t do anything...”

He turned to them, tears shining in his eyes.

“You see? This is why I need her. If I can understand the science that went into creating your abilities, I could make it so no one else has to lose their wife, their husband, their son, their daughter, their father, their mother, to any medical condition ever again.”

“How do you know it’ll help with medical conditions?” Michael asked.

“You Masters have a unique property in your DNA that allows you to heal more rapidly than regular Humans, or other Supers, for that matter. That’s why miss Brail recovered from her fatal stab wound so quickly.”

Anna looked at the ground. “I know what it’s like; to care for someone and lose them. I know what it’s like, to love someone, and to never want them to go away. I lost my mother and brother a few years ago, and it broke me.”

She looked up at him. “It’s made me want to hang on to the ones I love, like my father, and Albert. But, if the Masters locked Victoria away, I doubt it was for the heck of it. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to open a portal.”

“I was hoping it wouldn’t have to come to this,” he muttered. Pulling a small device out of his pocket, he looked at the woman before pressing the button.

Immediately, the collar around her neck activated and electricity surged through her body. She screamed as blue light flickered around her.

“NO!” Nicole screamed.

A second later he let go of the button and the collar switched off. She slumped to the ground, smoke trailing from her body.

“Now,” he said grimly, pocketing the device. “You’re either all together, or not at all. I cannot have any of you refusing to fulfill the prophecy.”

“And what if we do refuse?” John sneered.

“You’ll deeply regret it.”

Pushing herself up, Anna, along with the other three, glared at the man.

“What… what happened?” Albert asked, another officer helping him up.

“We were attacked,” the Chief replied, rubbing his head. “Gassed.”

They all got up and looked around the room. Several officers had come up after the helicopter had flown away. It was a few moments before they noticed that something was very, very wrong.

“Anna? Where’s Anna?” Mark asked, looking around.

Realizing that she was gone, Albert began to walk around the room, seemingly searching for clues.

“There has to be some trace of the people who took her!” he said.

“Michael Carson is also gone,” Commander Raydor winced as she held her side.

“We’re currently trying to find the helicopter, but we’ve come up with nothing yet,” a female sergeant replied.

“Keep looking!” Albert nearly yelled.

“Of course we are,” she said, slightly irritated.

“Forgive him,” Emma came up to them. “Anna Brail is his girlfriend.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the sergeant responded.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry for lashing out,” Albert leaned against the table. “It’s just...”

“You love her?” Emma asked.

“Yeah.”

“I know how you feel,” she leaned on the table next to him. “If I lost Brandon – my fiancee – I don’t know what I would do,” she twisted the engagement ring around her finger.

On the other side of the room Chief Dillon, Chief Burrows and a lieutenant were inspecting the outside wall. They ran their hands over it, looking for sides of damage.

“There’s nothing here,” William said. “Not even a scratch.”

“However they got in,” John replied. “It’s got to be extraordinarily advanced.”

“Ezra Jacobs,” Albert pushed himself off the table, walking up to them. “It’s got to be him!”

“It’s possible, but we have no evidence that he did,” Jenna said.

The man swung around. “It was him, I know it! Isn’t it obvious?” Albert snapped, approaching her.

Alex stepped between them, a dark look in his eyes. He stepped up to him, putting his hand on his chest and pushing him back.

“Don’t you *dare* yell at my wife.”

Everyone in the room had turned to look at them, silence hanging between them. Albert, realizing what he had done, stepped back. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” he muttered, his eyes glinting slightly. “I’ll… be outside.”

Without another word, he swiftly crossed the room to the door. Everyone watched him as he disappeared through it, before turning back to each other. Silence still hung in the air.

The Chief decided to break the silence.

“Now, we have to locate miss Brail and mister Carson before it’s too late.”

“If Anna and Michael were grabbed,” Mark said. “What about Nicole and John?”

As if on cue, another officer, a man, came running into the room.

“Chief Dillon! John Arwin was just taken from New Hampton Penitentiary!”

The three senior officers looked at each other when another officer, a woman, came in after the other.

“Sir! New Hampton General Hospital was just attacked and Nicole Weaver was taken!”

“Someone’s rounding up all the Masters,” Emma said.

“Correction,” Sharon replied. “Someone *has* all the Masters.”

“But for what purpose?” William asked. “Why kidnap four Supers?”

“The prophecy,” Jenna looked up. “Someone’s going to fulfill the prophecy!”

“What does that mean?” detective Mace said, completely bewildered.

Mark’s expression became grave. “It means it’s too late.”

“What’s happened?” Wyatt asked as the aide came into the room.

“It appears that four of our Supers have been kidnapped, mister Mayor,” he replied.

His eyes widened. “*What*?”

“Reports are still scarce,” the man continued. “But the police station, the hospital, and the penitentiary were all hit by an apparent military force and the four captured.”

“Who was taken?”

“Anna Brail, Nicole Weaver, John Arwin, and Michael Carson.”

“Who’s Michael Carson.”

“He’s a new Super who’s turned up.”

“Did anyone get hurt?”

“No sir. Chief Dillon is currently working on the case.”

“Get him on the line. I need to be briefed.”

“Yes, Mayor Grayson,” he nodded before ducking out of the room.

After she was gone, he turned and looked out the large circular window of his office at the police station across the way. The sun was set now, and it was illuminated by the lights of the city.

“I don’t like the feeling of this...” he muttered to himself as his aide came back into the room.

“Chief Dillon is on the line, sir.”

“Thank you,” he said, picking up the phone.

“Chief Dillon. What’s happened?”

### Chapter 11: The Other Side of the Coin

Seven hundred years ago.

The side of the building exploded as the combined forces of their elemental powers clashed. Skidding out onto the street, the four faced off against the fifth. Looking up at them, hatred burned in her purple eyes.

“Look at the destruction you’re causing!” she chuckled. “I mean, that seems quite ironic.”

“Enough, Victoria!” William snapped. “It’s over! You’re outnumbered and outmatched!”

She held out her hand, which flickered with purple energy.

“Do you really think you can beat me? My power is crushing. Literally.”

Closing her fist, the four were at once dragged down to the ground. Again, it felt as if the weight of the world had suddenly been concentrated on their bodies. The dirt road actually cracked in a few places under the intense weight.

They themselves cried in anguish at the force. They felt as if their bones would turn straight to dust any moment. Blood trickled from their noses, ears, mouths, and even eyes.

Victoria laughed manically. “Give in! You can’t win this! This is death!”

Increasing the force of her attack, they sunk into the road. Pain tore through their bodies like a tornado. They tried to call upon their elemental powers, but they couldn’t move under the woman’s iron grip. Energy sparked in their palms, but was quickly extinguished as more pain rippled through their bodies.

Stumbling from the building, Charles observed the scene. Looking down, he picked up a block from the structure that had been blown out. Turning to his daughter, he approached her from behind, the block held above his shoulder. Closing his eyes, he swung it forward.

It struck her in the back of the head. At once, her power ceased. She fell forward onto the ground as the Masters groaned with relief that they were free from the crushing force. Charles fell down over his daughter as blood trickled from the back of her head, crying.

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered between sobs. “I’m so sorry.”

Managing to pull themselves off the ground, the two men helped the two women up, supporting each other as they approached the man and woman on the ground.

“Charles,” William said, finally.

He looked at them, tears pouring down his face.

“You know what has to happen now,” Clara wiped the blood from her nose.

Sadly, he nodded. “It’s just… she’s my daughter...”

James nodded. “We know, but she’s too dangerous.”

“She has to be put down,” Mary concluded.

“No,” said a voice suddenly. “No I won’t be put down.”

A fraction of a second later they were blasted through the air, smashing into other buildings on the street. Rushing out to see the commotion, several villagers stopped a the sight of Victoria floating into the air. Her form radiated purple light and pure energy swirled around her as her eyes were glowing bright white.

“I cannot be put down! I am your god! You will all bow before me!”

Flexing her fingers, everyone around her was lifted into the air. The five suddenly shook, waking from their temporary unconsciousness. They struggled to free themselves from the telekinetic grip, but to no avail. The woman chuckled darkly at the sight.

“Goodbye, my companions. You served your duty, but your time has come. My era has begun.”

Using her power, everyone cried out in pain as they were crushed by her abilities. Through their pain, the Masters saw the villagers suffering at Victoria’s hand. They weren’t going to be able to take much more of her assault, and even though they were at death’s door themselves, they knew they had to do something.

Looking at each other, they nodded, and closed their eyes. Focusing, they reached down inside of themselves. They didn’t know what they were looking for, nor what they would find.

A moment later, something sparked within them, and ignited. Their eyelids snapped open, their eyes blazing white, just as Victoria’s. Looking down, their bodies glowed with their respective colors, energy swirling around them.

The woman turned to see this just as this raw power exploded from their forms. With no time to react, she was caught in the full force of their united energies. Her power immediately ceased, and she was knocked out of the air. She crashed the ground, all her captives following. Clara, energy still radiating from her body, created a cushion of air for everyone as they landed.

Victoria, recovering herself, looked up at the four approaching her. Energy swirled around them, their eyes blazing.

“You’re a threat to humanity, Victoria,” William said, his voice echoing. “And you must be neutralized.”

Energy began to circle around her again before her eyes lit up.

“No! I will not fall to the likes of you!” she roared.

Thrusting her hand forward, a massive wave of gravitational disruption flew forth. The four dodged it and charged at her. William, jumping forward, landing and slammed his fists forward. Massive twin jets of flame shot from them, casting the entire area in a bright orange glow. Using her powers, she created a gravity well to redirect the fire towards Joseph.

Bringing his arms up, a slab of earth came from the ground just as the flame hit. He ducked behind it as fire sprayed around him. Ceasing his attack, William charged at the woman. Calling upon her powers once again, she blasted him backwards through the air.

From the side, Mary thrust her hands forward. Powerful streams of water shot from her palms at Victoria. This caught her off-guard and she was knocked across the street. She slammed into one of the other buildings, crashing through the wall.

As the dust settled, the four looked into the darkness beyond when she came shooting outwards. She landed on the street and unleashed a blast of energy that knocked them backwards. Skidding to a halt, they each looked up at her, the power crackling around them growing more intense.

Slamming his foot on the ground, another slab of stone came out of the ground in front of Joseph. Punching his fist forward, it shot forward at the woman. Using her abilities, she grabbed hold of it and lobbed it at Mary. She thrust her hand forward and a jet of water shot from her palm. It cut clean through the rock and created two halves that went to either side of her.

Jumping forward, Clara and William unleashed blasts of their respective elements. They struck Victoria with explosive force, sending her flying backwards.

She rolled to a halt on the dirt road, the glow faded from her. Her clothes were dirtied, her body bruised, lip bleeding. She looked up at her opponents. They approached, still glowing brightly, energy sparking around them as they grew closer.

“No… no...” she muttered, trying to get up, but found that she was too hurt to do so.

They continued their approach, stopping in a circle ten feet around her.

“Please… don’t do this…” she pleaded. “Don’t kill me...”

“You are a threat to the world, Victoria,” William said, leveling his hands at her. “You must be neutralized.”

The others did the same, energy glowing in their palms. She watched, panic in her eyes and splashed across her face. Their hands glowed brighter, and brighter…

“NO!” she screamed.

Intense, powerful blasts of pure energy shot from their palms directly at the woman. They consumed her in an instant, submerging her in a blinding white light. Her screams echoed before there was a massive crack that shook the very ground.

Through the glare, they saw a black schism appear in the air above where Victoria had been. It stood still for a moment, before suddenly widening. It consumed the white before snapping shut a second later, another crack shaking them.

Pulling their hands back, the energy ceased, and their forms stopped glowing. They looked at one another before looking at the spot where the girl had been.

The light was gone, the schism closed.

And Victoria was nowhere to be found.

Somewhere else.

There was a splash as her feet hit the ground. Her knees buckling, she fell into the marsh. Another splash. Victoria looked around, confused. A moment ago she was in the middle of a village, surrounded by the other four Masters. Now she was in the middle of a marsh, clothes soaked and covered in mud.

Pushing herself off the ground, water ran from her hands and garments. Her eyes scanned around. Night was falling, the sky was overcast, and fog surrounded her.

“Hello?” she called out into the unknown. “Anybody there?”

Was she dead? She didn’t know if this was Heaven – or Hell, for that matter. The water sloshed as she strode forward, climbing onto one of the islands.

From what she could tell, there were no signs of anyone, or anything, anywhere. The landscape seemed vaguely familiar, but she didn’t know any place that was flooded like this.

“Hello?” she called again. Her voice echoed back to her.

Where was she? How did she get here? What had happened to the others? What about her father? She didn’t know.

Suddenly, a wave of pain surged through her, unlike any she had ever felt. The woman fell to the ground, her body shaking. It was as if every fiber of her being was on fire, her entire body in flames. She managed to catch a glimpse of her hands, which were glowing with blue energy.

And then, as soon as it started, it stopped. Victoria lay there, the pain flowing away like water. As it vanished, she pushed herself off the ground, looking at her hands. They flickered again, her eyes widening. This was different from the glow generated by her elemental abilities.

“What is this?” she said as the glow faded.

She looked around the marsh again when she heard something sloshing through the water. Swinging around, she was knocked the ground, hitting her head. As she fell into unconscious she heard someone muttering.

“Witch...”

Present day. New Hampton General Hospital.

“Jackson! Natalie!” Mark said as he and the others entered the room.

They turned towards him. Natalie’s eyes were red from crying, while Jackson looked incredibly stressed.

“Oh Mark,” she sighed with relief. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

“What happened?” the Chief said, looking around.

“I don’t know,” Matthew replied. “A helicopter appeared outside the window. They shot a gas grenade into the room and knocked us out. When we came to, Nicole was gone.”

“Just like what happened to us,” Chief Burrows turned to Dillon.

Claire raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“What happened to you?” Jackson asked, holding his wife close.

Commander Raydor looked to her superiors, and sighed. “Miss Brail, along with another enhanced person, were taken from the police station by the same group who abducted Miss Weaver.”

“John Arwin was also taken,” Chief Burrows added.

“Who are these people?” Matthew asked.

“We don’t know,” Chief Dillon replied. “But we believe that they’re connected to Ezra Jacobs.”

“The businessman?” Claire questioned. “Why him?”

“That’s another thing we don’t know,” Sharon answered. “The list keeps growing.”

At that moment, Albert, who had been hanging towards the back the room stepped forward. “Yeah, and the more that list grows, the longer it takes us to find Anna!”

John turned towards him. “I know you want to find her, but we have to keep a level head, or we’re going to make things much worse.”

“I know, but we still have to find her. If everything we’ve learned is true, that means that the end is near.”

Matthew and Claire looked at each other, and then at the man.

“The end of what?” Matthew asked.

Albert, his expression grave, looked at them. “Everything.”

“Then we’ll find them,” John said, looking around at all of them. “We’ll find all of them.”

At that moment his phone began to ring. Glancing around the room, he pulled it off his belt and held it to his ear.

“Chief Dillon.”

“*Chief! This is Mayor Wyatt*,” the man on the line identified himself. “*What’s happened?*”

“Mister Mayor,” he replied. “The police station was attacked, and Anna Brail was taken.”

“*Attacked? Taken? By whom?*”

“We don’t know for certain yet, but Nicole Weaver and John Arwin were also taken.”

“Three *Supers were taken?*” Wyatt gasped. “*Who would have the means to do such a thing?*”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, mister Mayor, but we’re currently investigating. I’ll get back to you once we know more.”

There was a pause before he responded. “*Alright. Thank you, Chief Dillon. Keep me posted.*”

“Yes, mister Mayor,” John replied before hanging up.

The Chief looked at the group. “We have to find them. Now.”

They jumped as the truck hit another bump.

After having met their captor, Ezra Jacobs had ordered them be loaded into a large semi-truck. They were all chained to the floor of the trailer, along with Jessica. While they were being brought to the truck, Anna briefly entertained the idea of trying to escape, but felt that it would get her, and most likely her companions, into even deeper trouble.

So now, they were being driven off to who knows where. Of course, if she were to guess, she would assume that it was to fulfill the prophecy.

“Jessica, do you know where we’re going?” Anna asked, pulling against her restraints.

“No,” she said simply.

“He didn’t tell you in all that time he had you captive?” Nicole replied.

“Of course not,” Jessica answered sharply.

“What about the Professor? Did he mention it at all?” Anna pressed.

The girl sighed. “During the battle at the FuturTech facility. He said that his giving me powers was only part of a bigger portrait, a portrait of something ancient and deadly, and that you, and the others,” she looked to the other three people in the vehicle. “Would bring.”

“The fifth Master,” Anna said.

Michael’s eyes widened. “Is that why I’m in this hellscape of a city? To fulfill a stupid prophecy? That’s why I abandoned everything – my home, my job, my girlfriend – all for a stupid prophecy no one even knows is real?”

“It’s pretty real,” Jessica replied.

“You believe in that multiverse crap?” John spat. “You’re quite the idiot, then.”

Jessica’s pupils flashed with blue energy. “You’re the idiot, you dog.”

“That’s it!” he tried lunging at her when his collar activated and electrocuted him.

“See,” she said. “Idiot.”

“Anything else about that morning?” Anna inquired.

“Just that Ezra kidnapped me and you didn’t come and find me,” she replied.

“And I’m really sorry about that,” she nodded. “But we had a lot on our plates that day. I fought Ravager, John, and Jameson, as well as a handful of guards.”

“Plus she got stabbed with a sword,” Nicole added. “She almost died.”

“I have spent two years in captivity,” Jessica growled. “Why would you let me spend more?”

“Anna was *dying*,” the blonde woman said angrily. “I’m sorry, but if I could have done it again, I would still save Anna.”

“Does my life mean nothing to you?”

Nicole shook her head. “I didn’t say that, but you’re acting like your life is more important than Anna’s. Plus you’re the one who got yourself captured.”

“I was kidnapped!” she snapped.

“I know, but you’re the one who put yourself in that position! And maybe you getting captured again was retribution for all the lives you’ve taken since you escaped the Professor, you brat!”

“Nicole!” Anna exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, but she’s saying that she’s more important that you are, and I can’t have that,” Nicole replied.

“When all this is said and done – and when we escape – I don’t want to see you again,” Jessica said.

“Good,” she turned away from her.

“Come on, guys,” Anna pulled the hair out of her face. “We have to stick together if we want to survive.”

“I’ll help us get out,” Jessica replied. “But after that, it’s over.”

There was silence except for the rattle of the truck.

“All of you are the same, aren’t you?” John got up, spitting on the metal floor. “All of you don’t give a crap about the rest of us. Only yourselves.”

“That’s wildly sexist,” Anna said. “Glad to see prison hasn’t dulled you down.”

“Once we get out of here,” his eyes flickered. “I’m going to end you. Permanently.”

“You’ve tried that already. Several times. You know how it’ll end.”

He nodded. “Yeah. It’ll end with me turning you to a pile of ashes.”

“I don’t even know what I saw in you all those years ago,” she leaned against the wall of the trailer. “Whenever I see you, I feel like I physically have to vomit.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have ruined our relationship, then,” he replied. “We had a perfect thing going.”

“No, we didn’t,” Anna shook her head. “You just wanted to get in my pants half the time.”

“Because I loved you!”

“And I loved you too,” she said. “I really did. But your lifestyle… your beliefs… they’re just too different from my own.”

“So that’s why you broke up with me?”

“There’s also the fact that you tried to kill me,” she replied. “At least now I’m with someone who respects me, who loves me for me, and who I know won’t kill me.”

His expression was of utter shock. “Wait, you’re dating someone?”

Then she realized her mistake.

“Uh, yes, I’m dating someone. Albert,” Anna said.

She could see the rage billowing up inside of him like smoke from a fire.

“SLUT!” he yelled, pulling on his chains to try and lunge at her.

“Again, incredibly sexist,” she replied. “It’s this kind of stuff which is why I find you revolting.”

“Guys,” Michael said, breaking up the fight. “I think we’re slowing down.”

Indeed they were. The truck shook as they came to a stop, the engine dying outside their box. They heard doors slam before the two on the back of the trailer swung open. Light flooded in, blinding them. Through the glare, Anna could see the shape of Ezra Jacobs and several armed men.

“Well, here we are,” he said, his voice echoing around the inside of the metal container.

“And where is ‘here’, exactly?” she asked.

He smiled. “Come. Let me show you.”

Climbing into the trailer, the armed men unhooked them from the floor of the container and ushered them outside. The light from the midday sun blinded them as they stepped out onto the grass. As the glare faded, Anna saw that they were standing in a large field, presumably far outside the city.

“So,” Nicole said. “You kidnapped us to bring us to a field?”

Ezra chuckled. “You’re a very funny one, miss Weaver. But no, I did not simply bring you to a field.”

The man turned and walked away from them. The guards, lifting their weapons, pushed them forward to follow. Together, the five Supers trailed after the man as he walked deeper into the field. After about half a mile, he came to a stop, and they did the same.

“You see,” he said, turning to them after a few moments of looking around the area. “When the Masters cast Victoria out of our world, they tore a hole in time and space. This tear spread like a hole punched in glass, fracturing every point of both worlds. So, occasionally, there are soft spots; points where the different dimensions intersect.”

“And let me guess,” Anna said. “This is one such point?”

“Clever girl,” he smiled his winning smile.

Michael looked up at him. “How is this Victoria even still alive? It was centuries ago. Surely she would be dust by this point?”

“For you or anyone else, yes,” Ezra nodded. “But, after being thrown through the very fabric of reality, she gained immortality.”

“Great,” Anna muttered.

“And, she had been trying to make her way back to her home world every since, but has been unable to. Until now,” he said, stepping backwards.

“Right here, in this spot, is one of the weakest spots in the world. She knows this, and is waiting on the other side,” he explained. “If you tapped into your inner power, you’ll be able to open the rift and release her.”

“’Inner power’? What does that mean?” John asked.

“Well, you won’t be able to open the portal just by throwing fire, water, air and earth at it. You have to call upon your inner power to activate it.”

“If I had an inner power, I would’ve noticed,” the man replied.

“No, you wouldn’t’ve,” Ezra shook his head. “Because you can only access it when all four of you are together, and channel your abilities.”

“This is insane,” Nicole said. “All of this is insane!”

“And yet, you received your powers out of nowhere!” he turned to her. “Come on, miss Weaver. I’ve read your work. You’re very smart. Open your mind a little.”

“So,” Anna brushed the hair out of her eyes. “How long until we have to open this rift?”

Another smile broke across his face before he pulled out his phone.

“Just three minutes,” he grinned.

Somewhere else.

“Come on!” the woman barked. “The rift will open in under three minutes!”

The group of six made their way across the field, the overcast sky hanging over them. The time was close now.

For seven hundred years, she had been trapped in this forsaken place, hunted like a wild animal. She was the most powerful being in the whole universe and yet they treated her like a common criminal. Why? Was it because she had abilities? There were plenty here who had powers. Why was she being singled out?

But, it didn’t matter. Soon, she would leave this place, and take her rightful place as the supreme being.

After a while, they came to a stop. Looking around, the woman nodded.

“Yes,” she smiled. “This is the place. I can feel it.”

“How long until the portal opens?” one of her followers asked.

“Not long… they’re there already… they’re here...” her hands flickered with a strange white light.

One of her other followers spoke up. “How do we know that this Ezra Jacobs is reliable? How do we know they won’t just kill us?”

“Because he believes in me and my cause,” she replied.

“But his father is the Professor, one of the frontrunners in crusading against us!” another said.

“Yes, but if his father is anything like our Professor, he will despise him just as we do.”

Reluctantly, he nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

“Now,” she began turning around, her hands glowing again. “The time is close...”

“How do we even activate this ‘inner power’?” Anna asked.

“Well, the original Masters activated it most likely from increased adrenaline while fighting Victoria. But since I doubt anyone here could take you in a fight, and that alone won’t trigger the adrenaline needed, we’re going to try something different.”

He turned to Jessica, who had been standing on the sidelines.

“Miss Sapphire, would you please come here?”

After a moment, she obeyed, joining him as his side.

“You believe in my cause, correct?” Ezra asked, his voice moist with severity.

She nodded. “I do.”

“Good. And you remember what I discussed with you?”

“Yes.”

Another smile broke across his face as he held up the small device that was linked to their collars and clicked it. There was another click as the girl’s collar disengaged. She pulled it from around her neck and handed it to one of the guards, who had his hand outstretched. Jessica then turned to the four.

“While my father was a truly despicable man, he did have one crowning achievement: miss Sapphire’s abilities.”

He began walking around them, his mechanical exo-skeleton hissing.

“As you’ve seen, miss Sapphire’s abilities are quite extraordinary. While they are telekenetic in nature, they are so much more. She possesses the ability to manipulate energy, and since you all have energy within yourselves, she can manipulate that, too.”

“You’re awfully sure that that’s how her powers work,” Anna said.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t believe it, my dear,” he smiled. “Now, we’re wasting time. We have a prophecy to fulfill.”

“We’re not doing what you want,” Michael replied.

Ezra held up the device, his thumb over the red button. “You have no choice.”

“You’ll have to kill us, then,” Anna stepped forward, pulling against her chains. “Because if you think we’re going to let some super villain back into our world, you’re wrong.”

“You have no choice,” he repeated.

She chuckled. “Then you might as well shoot me now. Or electrocute me. Whichever you prefer.”

“No,” he shook his head. “That would inefficient and a waste.”

Having expected him to punish her somehow, she was surprised to see him hold up the remote and press the black button. At once, all four of their collars clicked as the blue lights shining on them went out. They looked around in confusion before John took advantage of the opportunity.

Thrusting his fist forward, his knuckles were red hot when suddenly he became still, like he was bound in place. As the others tried to move, they found that they were similarly restrained. Anna and Nicole immediately looked to Jessica, who was standing with her hands outstretched. Energy flickered in her palms as her eyes glowed.

“Jessica,” Anna said. “You don’t want to do this.”

“My family died because a crazy man wanted to experiment on me so I could act as a defender against the fulfillment of some prophecy. You honestly can’t expect me not to see what this crap is all about?” she replied.

“That’s the spirit!” Ezra smiled before looking at his phone again.

“Just under a minute. Let’s get to it. Just as we discussed,” he turned to Jessica.

She nodded. Using her abilities, she took hold of the four and made them walk a little ways into the field. Stopping, she made them form a wide circle, a large patch of ground between them. Next, she clenched her fists and rotated her hands.

“And… Here. We. Go,” Ezra said.

The next thing Anna felt was as if someone was reaching inside of her, their hand pushing through her insides like they were playing with clay. She yelled in pain as she felt it grab hold of something and pull. A second later it was like a match was dropped inside of her, and a fire erupted. And then exploded.

Energy shot from them, their bodies glowing each with a separate color: Anna with green, Nicole with blue, Michael with amber, and John with red. Their eyes were bright white, shining like the moon would in the night sky. Raw power was surging through them, more than they had ever experienced in their lives.

Having lost control, Anna could only feel the power roaring through her before energy of all colors began sparking in the space between them.

“YES!” Ezra yelled. “YES!”

The sparks began to grow in size and frequency, slowly becoming like fireworks. Suddenly a ball of raw energy appeared, its glare as bright as the sun. Everyone outside the circle was forced to shield their eyes from the blinding light. Even Jessica turned away, using her hands to shield herself. Of course, she no longer needed to control them. They were at the mercy of their powers now.

An instant later, the ball of light began to widen vertically, becoming a rift. Energy sparked all around them. The raw power could be felt in the air, like the pressure of a storm. The rift continued to widen when it began to pulsate, streaks of energy jutting from it.

Everyone was about to look at it when suddenly it exploded. A shockwave rippled from it as they were covering in a blinding white light.

There was silence.

As the light faded, the four fell to the ground. They felt as if all their energy had been drained from them like water from a bathtub. They barely had enough strength to look up when they heard someone chuckling above them.

“After all these years,” said a female voice, a strong Scottish accent ringing out.

Managing to pull her head up, Anna saw a woman standing in the middle of the circle surrounded by five uniformed figures. The woman’s black hair rippled in the wind, her purple eyes contrasting with her pale skin.

Victoria took a deep breath.

“After all these years.”

### Chapter 12: Long Live the Queen

Everything shook as the shockwave hit. They were forced to grab onto something as they were nearly knocked off their feet by the tremor. Lights flickered as objects fell to the ground, some shattering.

The quake subsiding, they got up, looking around.

“What was that?” Claire exclaimed, running a hand through her hair.

“Felt like an earthquake,” William replied.

“I lived in California,” Jackson said. “That was no earthquake.”

“Then what was it?” Matthew asked.

The man shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

Albert looked up suddenly. “Oh my. I know what it is!”

Everyone turned towards him, eyebrows raised and heads cocked.

“What?” Sharon asked.

“The Master. That must’ve been them fulfilling the prophecy,” he said grimly.

“That means...” Mark trailed off, his eyes widening.

He nodded. “It means she’s free.”

Claire had no idea what was going on. “What are you talking about? What prophecy? Who’s free?”

“Does it have anything to do with Anna and Nicole?” Matthew looked around.

“It means that there’s another Super in New Hampton,” Albert answered. “One more dangerous than Ravager or John Arwin combined.”

“*More* powerful than those psychos?” Claire asked in disbelief. “Are you sure?”

“That’s why they were kidnapped,” he said. “That’s what this whole thing is about. Ezra Jacobs wanted Anna and the others to fulfill a prophecy.”

“This is actually insane,” Matthew put his hands on his hips. “Like, more insane than a girl with elemental abilities or a guy with lightning powers or a girl who can vaporize the rocks in a caved in tunnel.”

“But it’s true! It has to be!” Albert argued. “Anna, Nicole, John, and Michael were all taken. And then a massive quake ripples through the city? It has to be connected.”

Dillon stepped towards him. “Calm down a little, son.”

“We don’t have time for calm!” he said. “The Master’s free, and it’s only a matter of time before she comes here.”

He looked around the room.

“We’re out of time.”

The air grew cold as she stood there, as if her very breath was colder than everything else. Her clothes blew in the wind, her hair trailing behind her.

Pushing himself off the ground, Ezra surveyed the woman before bowing. “My queen. You have arrived.”

She looked at her hands, which flickered with light. “Yes, I have.”

“It is an honor-,” he began to approach her when one of her followers pulled out a staff and swept his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. He groaned as he rolled over, looking up at the man.

“Please!” Victoria said to him. “If it weren’t for his efforts, we would still be trapped on the other side. We are in his debt.”

Looking at her a moment, he sighed and reached down and helped Ezra up. He glared at his attacker as he dusted himself off. The woman then turned from him and looked at the men and women and the ground around her.

“So you must be the Masters,” she said. “I knew the first Masters, you know.”

“I figured that out,” Anna groaned as she pushed herself off the ground.

“Clara, I presume,” Victoria nodded to her.

“Anna,” she corrected.

“But your ancestor was named Clara, and you are her successor,” she looked around them again. “It’s been a long time since I saw another Master.”

“They never existed on the other side?” Nicole asked.

“Nope. One of the many differences from this side.”

Anna flexed her fingers, pulling against her chains. “Then I guess it’s been seven hundred years since you last fought a Master.”

“You would be correct in that assumption.”

Anna smiled before she launched up and thrust her arms out when she was covered in electricity. She screamed in pain before she fell back to the ground. To her left, Ezra stood with the remote in his hand, a smile on his face.

“Nice try, miss Brail,” he chuckled. “But no.”

Victoria laughed. “I like this one. She’s definitely a keeper.”

“The only thing that’s going to be kept is your hands off of her,” Nicole spat.

“Ah! Another one with spirit!” she turned to the woman on the ground. “Tell me your name.”

“It’s none of your business,” the woman replied. “You don’t belong here.”

“This is my home! I was born here. This is my world. The other side isn’t.”

Anna pulled herself off the ground, wiping the hair from her face. “You were there for almost a thousand years. It’s more your home than this side ever was.”

Victoria shook her head. “They never acted like it was my home. They never treated me like I was one of them. They only tried to kill me, because I was a freak to them,” her hands flickered again. “They *hated* me.”

She walked around them, before crouching down in front of the woman, her purple eyes shining.

“Let me tell you about the place you call my home,” she smiled. “Let me tell you about the place where they tried to murder me time and time again.”

Seven hundreds years ago. Somewhere else.

She jolted awake as the bucket of water was dumped over her. Panting, she looked around, water flying from her hair as she whipped it around. Her hands were bound behind her back as she found herself tied to a stool

“What is this? Who’s there?” Victoria yelled.

“Be silent, witch,” said a rough voice behind her.

Looking around, she saw a man come into view. He appeared to be a farmer, his clothes and beard dirty. Crossing to a bucket in front her, he sat down.

“Who are you-?” she asked when suddenly he struck her across the face.

“I said be silent!” he snapped.

Anger burned in her purple eyes. “You have no right to treat me like this!”

His own face contorting with rage, he got up and struck her in the face again. The force of this knocked her over on her stool. With her hands bound, she could not brace herself and hit the dirt floor hard. Above her, the man stood over her, breathing heavily.

“I saw you in the marsh,” he said. “I saw you come out of nowhere. I saw a bright light. And I saw your hands glow. You’re a freak, you know that.”

Victoria struggled to look at him. “You’re wrong.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m not. You’re a witch. I saw it with my own two eyes.”

Walking away, he came back with a pitchfork. Its dull form glinted in the torchlight.

“You do not want to do this,” her purple eyes flashed.

The man raised it in the air, readying to strike.

“Yes, I do.”

His grip firm, he brought it down on her. The prongs came at her, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the blow. As it came close to her, energy flickered. Then, as it barely touched her body, there was another flash before a massive blast of energy shot out. It consumed them in a blinding white light following by a massive shockwave.

The light fading, she pushed herself off the ground, her bonds mysteriously gone. Her head ached as she looked around. To her surprise, the building they had been in was completely gone, as if it had never been. Only a few pieces of shrapnel remained, everything else disintegrated; evidently including her captor.

Getting up, she dusted herself off, before looking at her hands. They flickered once again from within, her bones silhouetted against her skin.

“What is this?” she muttered to herself, before stumbling forward.

Eventually managing to find her way out of the marshland, Victoria stumbled upon a village. Holding her sides, she approaching. Each step brought her pain, especially in her head. Her vision blurred in and out of focus as she approached the settlement.

Crossing the threshold, she stumbled along the dirt path. As she made her way through the village, she got several strange looks from the villagers.

Reaching the village square, she fell to the ground amongst several of the inhabitants. Her head spun and her limbs burned. It felt as if her insides had been lit on fire.

Above her, a woman emerged from the watching villagers.

“Are you okay, my dear?”

Victoria looked up and saw the elderly woman. She was holding out her hand for her. As she looked the pain subsided, and she managed to reached up and take it.

Getting to her feet, she felt something move in her hand. Looking at it, which was still grasping the woman’s, she saw it begin to glow from within again.

“No, no, no,” she muttered to herself.

The woman saw it too, and she began to panic. She tried pulling away from the younger woman, but found that she couldn’t. Victoria also found that she couldn’t let go.

“Let me go, witch!” she yelled, desperately tugging on Victoria’s hand.

A second later there was a flash, and the woman managed to break free of her grasp. However, as she stumbled backwards, she looked at her hand and screamed. Her fingers began to dissolve into dust, spreading along her arm. Victoria and the others could only watch in horror as the woman faded away into nothingness, her ashes flying into the air.

With the elderly woman gone, the other villagers turned to Victoria, who was looking at her hands as they dimly flickered from within. Besides the overwhelming sensation of horror welling up within her, she felt something else. She felt a surge of raw power inside of her, like nothing she had ever felt.

One of them pointed their finger at her. “WITCH!”

Looking around, she saw them beginning to converge on her. Even people from the outer parts of the village had come to see the commotion. She began backing away, too shocked to reply.

“I’m...” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I’m sorry. I… didn’t mean to.”

“WITCH!” they yelled again.

“No...” she said when suddenly two men grabbed her arms. Instinct kicking in, her eyes flashed before a wave of gravitational disruption rippled from her. It hit the villagers, sending them flying backwards.

As they fell to the ground, most were knocked unconscious, but some were not so lucky. Looking around at the carnage she had caused, she fell to the ground, sobbing. Once again, her hands flickered.

“What… what is this?” she muttered. “What is this cup that has been passed to me?”

Getting up, she ran towards the outskirts of the village. From there, she ran into the forest, and into the darkness.

Several weeks had passed since the incident.

She had to know what she had done to that woman. Her very touch had turned her into nothing but ashes. She had to know how she could control it.

At first, she had tried to recreate the results of that night with animals; mostly with rats, birds, rabbits and other small beasts. The outcome was similar, with the creatures turning to ash when she touched them with her illuminated hands, but she didn’t feel the surge of power within her.

Then, she had realized that perhaps the main ingredient was something else. Something… human.

A lone man walked down the road. His footsteps were the only noise for miles around. The trees swayed silently as he progressed. The sun was beginning to set, and he hoped to be home before the night fell.

He had a shovel heaved over his shoulder, bouncing slightly with each step. Usually he worked in the fields of his farm, but today he had been called to one of the neighboring farms to help the owner plow he field. He was an old man, and he needed the help.

Usually he wouldn’t do anything that took him away from his farm for so long, but he had compassion on the man, and felt that it was felt that it was worth it.

But, his act of compassion would prove to be a mistake.

In the brush along the side of the path, a pair of purple eyes peered out at him. Behind the bushes, Victoria crouched down, flexing her fingers. Energy flickered between them.

Her plan was to use her native abilities to restrain him, before she tried to conjure her new abilities. Then, she would repeat the experiment, and perhaps then she would get the results she wanted.

Passing her hiding place, the man continued on. The sun was setting lower now, and it wouldn’t be much longer until nightfall. Seeing that this was her time to strike, Victoria, as quietly as she could, rose from her hideaway. Slowly, she stepped foot on the road, her feet barely skimming the dirt floor as she made her way towards him. As she closed in on him, her foot struck a rock, creating a noise loud enough to catch the attention of the man. She stopped her tracks just as he did.

Turning around, their eyes met, and she knew it was time.

“Who are you?” he asked, lowering his shovel.

Thrusting her hand forward, purple energy shimmered in her palm. A second later, he was lifted off the ground and into the air. His shovel came clattered to the ground as he struggled against her telekenetic grip.

“What is this?” he gasped.

A smile on her face, Victoria walked forward towards him, flexing her fingers. Drawing closer, she used her power to lower him towards her. Once more, he struggled against her grip, but it was useless.

Bringing down to within her reach, she raised her other hand and flexed it. She smiled as it flickered when it went out. Again she flexed it, and nothing happened.

“No,” she muttered, trying again. “No.”

Distracted, she lost her concentration and her grip on the man slackened. Realizing this, he swung his foot forward. He struck her in stomach, sending her stumbling backwards. This destroyed her grip completely, and he dropped to the ground. Picking up his shovel, and ran towards her. As she recovered herself, she looked up just as he swung his weapon. It smashed against her face, sending her crashing to the ground.

Her head spun wildly, blood trickling from the gash in the side of her down her face. Above her, the man approached, the shovel still gripped in hand. Rage was splattered across his face.

“You’re a witch,” he spat. “You thought you could kill me? Big mistake!”

Looking up at him, Victoria saw that he was leveling the shovel at her again, readying to strike. Her hands flickered again, and she smiled. As he swung down, she thrust her hand forward. A wave of gravity rippled out and struck the man. The shovel shattered into nothing but splinters as he was violently lifted off the ground.

Standing up, she approached him. Her hands glowed brightly, white light illuminating her skin.

“You people call me a witch,” Victoria said. “I say that I am a god.”

The man struggled as a wave of horror washed across his face. Coming up to him, she smiled before grabbing his throat. He screamed as it burned his flesh, spreading across his body. All at once, his form began to disintegrate, just as the old woman’s had done.

She felt an incredible rush of power, just as she had before. He continued to vanish, only part of his torso and head left. As he disappeared, she looked him in the eye, her purple irises glowing. The next second he was gone, leaving her all alone.

Lowering her hand, the glowing ceased, but she felt incredibly powerful. Looking up and down the road, she took off into the night.

Six hundred years ago. Somewhere else.

The power she had received when she first arrived here seemed to allow her to absorb the life-force of a person. A hundred years had passed and she had not aged, nor had she weakened. She actually seemed to be getting stronger.

Victoria had realized this a few years after she had begun experimenting with her new-found abilities. Every few weeks, she would ambush a lone traveler and use her powers on them. Every time she experienced a rush of energy, which flooded every part of her being. It had become an addiction, even though she didn’t know it.

Of course, the disappearance of several people did raise some attention, and she had been declared a witch. They hunted her, trying to kill her. People had become afraid to travel, worrying that she would ambush them.

Perhaps they were right.

Nonetheless, she knew she had to survive, and she had a way to do it. She wanted to return home, even though her father and the others were likely long dead by now. She had to return.

Victoria traveled from area to area, trying to find her way back home, but to no avail. When she asked, no one had even heard of her town, which she found bizarre. Hers was one of the largest settlements in the land. Why hadn’t anyone heard of it? Were they just that ignorant?

But she knew, even if she never made it back, she would strive on, continuing her mission; to balance the world.

Recently, she had come across a particularly large settlement, far larger than her own. However, it was much poorer than hers. The people lived in absolute filth, much more than she had ever seen, while their Mayor lived in luxury in his mansion.

He lived well while his subjects perished in their own scum. He was the kind of person she hated. The kind of person she had vowed to destroy. She had to do something.

The man sat in the throne, leaning on his hand as he looked idly around the grand room. He was the Mayor of this town, but he never had anything to do. Most of the time, he was up in his mansion, removed from the day-to-day operations. Come to think of it, he had never even left the house. His father had been Mayor, and he had inherited it from his after his death.

What was it like down there? This was something he would ponder from time to time, and even question his advisers about. But they would assure him that it was a prosperous down there as was up here, and there was no reason to worry.

So, here he was, idling in his throne, with nothing to do. There were several artifacts placed around the room, but he had already memorized what they were a long time ago.

Eventually, as night began to fall, he decided it was time to retire. Perhaps tomorrow something interesting would occur, and he would have something to do.

Getting up, he began to walk across the room, followed by two servants. He was about halfway towards the door when suddenly the wall to his left exploded. Splinters of wood and artifacts flew at him as he and the others were knocked to the ground.

As the dust cleared, he saw a woman in dark clothing approaching him. Some kind of purple light flickered in her hands, her eyes doing the same. The wind blew her hair, making it appear as if her head was lit with dark fire.

“Who are you?” he asked, pushing himself backwards across the floor. He saw that both servants had been killed in the blast.

“You have neglected your people. You have left them to die in their own filth,” her voice boomed. “You have failed in your duty to protect them, and for that, you shall suffer!”

“What are you talking about?” the man replied, continuing to back up before he hit a wall. “My people are prospering!”

“Liar!” she roared, thrusting her hand forward. An instant later he was pushed against the wall, sliding to his feet. He tried to pull forward, but found that he was bound to the wall by an unseen force.

Walking towards him, her hands flickered from within. Her eyes blazed.

“Your people are starving, living on nothing but their own scum! You say they’re prospering? I say they’re dying!”

He struggled again. “You’re insane! I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

She looked him in the eye. “Either you’re lying, or you’re too ignorant to realize that your people are starving while you have more than enough to eat.”

“My advisers tell me that the city is fine! I didn’t know!” he said, sweat dripping down his face. “I didn’t!”

“Where are your advisers now?” she said when she heard movement from the doorway.

Turning, she saw four men standing there, taking in the scene. They were all dressed in red and gold robes.

“Who the devil are you?!” the lead one exclaimed. “Unhand the Mayor, right now!”

Rolling her eyes, she thrust her hand towards them. At once, they were slammed against the wall, restrained just as their leader was. She turned to the Mayor.

“I’ll be right back.”

Walking towards the men, she flexed her hands as they glowed again. They watched in horror as she came up to them.

Her eyes blazed. “So. You’re the ones who are starving your people. You make me sick.”

“We’re not starving them-!” one of them tried to say when she put her hand around his throat. At once his skin turned black and his body began to turn to dust. The others watched in horror as he disappeared.

The woman turned towards them, looking strangely refreshed. She smiled.

“So. You’re starving them. Why?”

“They’re… they’re just peasants!” another said. “They’re used to that sort of thing! It’s just the natural order!”

“Wrong answer,” she grabbed his throat. He cried in pain before his body disappeared a moment later.

“Please!” the next exclaimed. “It’s just how things work!”

“It’s shouldn’t be,” she replied before wrapping her hand around his neck. He screamed as he vanished.

After he was gone, she turned to the last one, who had a look of utter terror painted across his face.

“Don’t kill me. If you wish to take over the town… I can help you! I can be an ally!”

She smiled before grabbing his chin, scrunching up his face. Energy tingled his skin, slowly burning.

“I don’t want to take this place. I want to set it free. Set it free from scum like you, and from fools like him,” she gestured to the other man against the wall behind her. “And it starts with your deaths.”

“You witch-,” he muttered before he began to fade to ashes, and soon, just as the others, he was gone.

The Mayor gulped as he watched her turn towards him. She walked slowly towards him, energy flickering around her hands. Her purple eyes glowed brightly as she grabbed his throat.

“No… please… no...” he said weakly. “I didn’t do anything wrong...”

“You didn’t do anything, either,” she replied. “And that’s even worse.”

Activating her power, energy spread through the man’s body, beginning to separate his form into dust. As he disappeared, he looked at her.

“Who are you?”

“I am Victoria, and I the cure.”

Tightening her grip, he disintegrated into nothingness, as if he had never been at all. At his disappearance, she felt a massive surge of power. Looking at her hands, she saw that they were glowing brightly. As the surge subsided, she turned towards the hole in the wall. Walking towards it, she saw several of the villagers were looking up at it.

Seeing this as an opportunity, she jumped from the hole, and used her powers to lower herself to the ground. The peasants saw this and gasped, taking several steps back.

“There is no need to be afraid,” Victoria said. “The tyrants that deprived you of so much are gone. I have punished them for their sins, and they can no longer harm you. I have cured your town of the illness that had seized it!”

Silence hung in the air at these words, before an old woman stepped forward.

“You’re no cure,” she said. “You have no right to play God! You’re no better than those men who ruled over us!”

At this, several of the other villagers nodded their heads. Anger flooded her eyes.

“Foolish woman,” Victoria spat. “I am your savior! You no longer have to live in your filth! You can be free!”

The woman chuckled dryly. “Do you honestly believe we can govern ourselves? Take care of ourselves?” She gestured to her fellow villagers, who were filthy and diseased. “All you’ve done is doomed us.”

Her eyes trailed along the gathered, and indeed, they did not look like they could take care of themselves unless they were governed. Yet, she could not simply allow them to fall under the rule of another tyrant.

“I know it doesn’t seem it now, but this is better for you. Now you’ll be able to rise up, and reach your true potential.”

“No. You’re just a witch. An abomination,” the woman thrust her finger towards her.

Together, the crowd began to sneer at her. They moved to seize their liberator, their grime-covered hands grasping her arms. She struggled against their grip, but found that it was very difficult. Energy flashed up and down her forearms to her hands. A second later the hands of the people grabbing her became dark and began to disintegrate. But, it didn’t stop at them, spreading outwards to the ones around them, as they were making contact with the inner row.

As the energy rippled through them, they recoiled as their bodies began to turn to ash. They looked at her and screamed before fading to dust.

Once again, she felt an incredible surge of power. As it subsided, she opened her purple eyes to see the remaining villagers looking on in absolute terror. The old woman looked as if she wanted to say something, but her voice seemed to have vanished.

Seeing the last pieces of the villagers she had killed still floating through the air, and the horror on the remainder’s faces, she turned and ran from the village. Her footfalls were the only sound as she crossed the threshold and into the forest beyond.

“Wait,” Nicole interrupted. “So you’re saying your whole thing is that you killed a bunch of people and people got mad at you? That is literally one of the most arrogant things I have ever heard.”

Victoria turned away from Anna towards her, her purple eyes contrasting highly with her pale skin. A sly smile appeared across her dark red lips.

“That’s not always how it went,” she said. “After that… incident, I continued on my quest; I continued to free villages from their tyrannical leaders. Some accepted self-government, while others were like the first I encountered. But, of course, I became hunted by those who did not appreciate my actions. Eventually, my followers and I were labeled as terrorists, after the term emerged in popular culture. They even dubbed me the ‘Queen of Anarchy’.”

“Is that why you came back here?” Michael asked.

“Yes. As technology developed, scientists realized that there were rifts in the fabric of the world, blurring the lines between our world and another. This is when I discovered I had come from another universe – this universe.”

“Sounds convenient,” Anna muttered.

“Quite,” Victoria nodded.

John raised an eyebrow. “How are you still young? Aren’t you like… really old?”

“Ancient, actually,” she smiled, looking down at her hands, which flickered with white light. “I don’t know exactly how it works, but I believe that when I broke through the barrier between the worlds, I was given… abilities.”

“In addition to the abilities you already had?” Nicole asked.

“Yes. While my original ability was to manipulate gravity, my new one, as I later found out, was the ability to-.”

“Turn people to dust,” Anna said.

“It’s quite more than that, but that is a great part of it,” Victoria replied. “It’s the ability to absorb one’s life-force.”

This took them by surprise. She saw their expressions and chuckled.

“I know. It sounds quite nutters if you think about it.”

“You can… suck the life right out of someone?” Anna said slowly.

“That’s what I said,” Victoria smiled.

“And it keeps you young?” she continued.

She rolled her eyes. “Obviously. Except for the paling skin, of course.”

“But you keep doing it, despite the fact that it is absolutely one of the most horrific things that anyone could do to another human being?”

“I needed to survive,” Victoria growled. “It’s basic human instinct. What else was I supposed to do? I was cast out from my home by people I had thought friends. I was hunted by people who saw me as a freak. I couldn’t just wither up and die. I had to survive.”

Anna chuckled. “I don’t give a damn what you think is right. All I care about is stopping you from doing it to anybody else.”

“Me too,” Nicole nodded.

“And me,” Michael replied.

“I thought Anna was sick, but you’re a hundred times worse,” John spat.

Victoria looked around them, smiling sickly.

“You act like you have any say over what I can and cannot do. I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” she put the flats of her hands down. “But you’re at my mercy.”

A moment later they were shoved to the ground by an unseen force. They struggled against it, but found that they were nothing more than an ant caught under a boot.

“What are your wishes, my queen?” Ezra stepped forward.

“You’ve said you have a facility, correct?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Take me there.”

He bowed. “As you wish.”

Letting her grip go slack, Victoria walked forward with her disciples as the man led them towards one of the black vehicles parked a few paces away, the woman stepping over the dark-haired girl. As the Masters tried to get up, several men came and pulled them back towards the semi-truck. Their hands being bound and the inhibitor collar around their necks, they couldn’t do much in the way of making an escape.

Ezra led Victoria and her followers to a black SUV, showing them inside. Anna watched as they disappeared into the vehicle, before she was forced into the back of the semi. The four of them were tied to the floor again, just as they had been when they arrived.

Outside, Jessica looked at them, her bright blue eyes cold. Anna met them, her own eyes full of confusion, and a little hate. The black-haired girl looked at her before disappearing from sight. The guards stepped out of the trailer and closed the doors, submerging them in darkness.

After a moment of silence, Michael spoke up.

“What did we just do?” he said.

Anna remained silent. Nicole looked at her.

“Why was Jessica helping him? I thought she was on our side?”

“She’s on her own side,” Anna replied. “She’s damaged. Like, irreparably damaged. And I don’t blame her. Everyone she loved is dead.”

“But helping him...”

“Was her choice,” she said, before turning to them. “And now we have a choice.”

“Oh,” John growled. “And what’s that?” She ignored his tone.

“We either lay down and be her lapdogs,” Anna said. “Or we rise together, and send her back to wherever she came from.”

Silence hung in the air again, before they nodded.

“Well, obviously we’re taking her down, right?” Nicole replied, looking at the others. “Right?”

“I came here because I felt I had to. Like a divine calling. I didn’t know what it was until now,” Michael said. “I’m fighting.”

The last was John, who was looking silently at the floor.

“What about you?” Anna asked him.

He looked up at her.

“Well, I guess being somebody’s pet wouldn’t be too fun,” he said. “So I suppose I’ll help.”

“That settles it, then,” Anna smiled. “Get ready to rock and roll.”

### Chapter 13: The Day We Died

“Come on!” Albert yelled as they came out of the hospital. “We have to move!”

“Slow down!” the Chief barked. “You have to get a hold of yourself, man!”

He skidded to a halt and swung around. “No! I can’t! Anna’s in danger, and we have to rescue her! Nicole and the others, too!”

“But rushing in there guns-blazing is going to get them killed,” Commander Raydor said. “We have to have a plan! We don’t even know where we’re going!”

“Then let’s come up with one! We’re running out of time to save them!”

“Albert,” Matthew grabbed his shoulder. “Calm down. I’m just as worried about Anna as you.”

After a moment, he looked at the man and nodded. “Okay.”

“So,” Chief Burrows put his hands on his hips. “What are we going to do to find them?”

John Dillon rubbed his chin. “Well, the obvious route to take is to go to Ezra’s facility and wait for them there, because I suspect they’ll have to return there at some point. The only problem is: we don’t know where his facility is.”

“I imagine Alexandra would have an idea,” Sharon replied. “I mean, she obviously knows something.”

Burrows nodded. “Indeed. I say we go question her.”

“Well, if that’s settled,” the Chief clapped his hands together. “Let’s get going.”

“I’ll put in a request,” William said, pulling out his phone.

“What will we do if she gives up the location of his facility?” Claire asked.

“Storm it with the full force of the NHPD. They’ll never see it coming.”

Albert spoke up. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Together, they walked towards the vehicle they had arrived in. As they came to it, the Chief turned to Natalie and Jackson.

“I promise you: we will get your daughter back.”

He then turned to Albert, Mark, Matthew and Claire.

“You four know the drill. You’re staying here. I don’t care if three of you were once cops; this is not your fight.”

“But Anna-,” Albert began when he was cut off.

“-Is very important to you, I know,” the Chief said. “But after the incident in Alberta, we can’t go bringing civilians on potentially dangerous operations.”

“I have to do something-,” he continued to argue.

“No. You don’t. You just have to wait for us to bring her back safely.”

Albert stared at him. “And what if you don’t?”

The Chief returned his gaze before replying. “We’ll bring her back. I promise.”

And with that, he opened the door to the vehicle, got in, and drove off with his fellow officers, leaving the six behind. Watching them go, Albert turned to the others.

“We have to do something.”

“You heard the Chief,” Claire said. “We have to stay out of this.”

“If the legends are true, then Anna and the others need help.”

Mark looked to him. “I first met John Dillon when he was a Deputy Chief. Great cop. One of the best out there. If anyone’s going to bring Anna home, it’s him.”

The man nodded before sitting down on the curb. “I just feel so… helpless.”

“We all do,” Mark nodded, sitting down beside him.

They were nearly blinded as the doors of the trailer opened, filling the space with light. Squinting through the glare, they saw a handful of guards climbing into the trailer and walking towards them. Unhooking them from the floor, they pulled them up, leading them towards the doors. Naturally, they struggled, but quickly found it to be useless.

Stepping down from the back of the trailer, Anna saw that they were in a large warehouse-like room. Victoria, her followers, Ezra Jacobs and Jessica came out from the other side of the truck and walked towards them.

“Welcome back,” the man smiled. “In case you hadn’t figured out; we’re back at my facility.”

“Yeah,” Anna said. “Not impressed.”

“But you will be,” Ezra replied. “Once you’ve seen my equipment. There just wasn’t… time, before.”

One of Victoria’s followers stepped forward. “I’m sorry, but what is the plan here?”

“Ezra is going to inform us of what this side is like compared to the other, and we’ll formulate a plan from there,” Victoria answered.

“And for that,” he grinned. “We’ll start with a tour.”

“How about you just kill me instead?” Anna’s eyes flashed. “I mean, I already hate your voice. Kill me before I have to listen to a whole tour’s worth of it.”

“Anna...” Nicole muttered, grabbing her friend’s arm.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, miss Brail,” he replied. “You’re far too valuable.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you have more potential than you realize,” Victoria answered.

“That makes me uncomfortable,” Anna replied. “Please, don’t talk to me again.”

“You’re cute,” she smiled, her purple eyes glowing.

Suddenly Anna felt the weight of the world fall upon her again. She was forced to the ground, her legs buckling underneath her. The woman struggled on the ground as the others watched. Victoria knelt down beside her, purple energy flickering around her hand.

“I remember when I was naive and feisty like you. But when you ancestor helped send me to the other side… I lost that. I had to fight to survive. Soon, you’ll learn the same.”

Rising to her feet, she released her grip, and the pressure on Anna lifted. Nicole bent down beside Anna and helped her up.

“Well then,” Victoria clapped her hands together. “On with the tour.”

Ezra smiled. “Let’s get going.”

“When I started in this field,” he said as they walked down the corridor. “I had nothing. It wasn’t like I had a father or mother to help me out. Not even my own sister was there. I was forced to build from the ground up. And I did. But it was hard. Very hard. Everywhere I turned, I faced opposition; I faced those who wished to put my dream in the ground.

“But, I met a girl who shared the same passion I did. She had the same dream I did; the same vision for a better future. This girl would eventually become my wife. And together, we built this up. We put together an institute for science and the advancement of technology. It was groundbreaking. But, not all good things last.

“In July of 2007, we discovered that she had a tumor in her brain. An inoperable one. She died in January of 2008, just a few days before her thirty-second birthday. If she was still alive, we would have been married for twenty-six years.

“Anyway,” Ezra wiped his eyes as they came to a set up double doors. “While researching a cure for her, I discovered the Masters, and their story and the legends surrounding them. I discovered they could heal faster than anyone else. But I was too late. After her death, I closed the institute; stepped away from the public eye. But, I devoted all the resources of our dream to building this place.”

Pulling the doors open, they stepped across the threshold into a wide, white room. Dozens of tables were laid out with thousands of scientific instruments and apparatus upon them. A least two lab techs worked at each table, using the devices with obvious expertise.

“And here’s what I made of our dream,” he smiled, spreading his arms in grand fashion.

“Where did you get all these people?” Nicole asked, looking around in awe.

“A lot of them are leftover from the institute,” Ezra replied. “But there are several new hires.”

“What are they doing?” Michael inquired.

“Have none of you been paying attention?” he groaned. “They’re researching your genetic makeup. They’re trying to better understand your abilities!”

“You took our blood?” they gasped.

He chuckled. “Is it really that great a surprise? You lot are very naive.”

“You can’t do that!” Anna said. “Genetic experimentation is illegal!”

“And yet my father was enabled by the Federal Government to create Supers to serve as soldiers. I believe that when it comes to the Supers Act, it’s very… flexible.”

“This is all very fascinating,” Victoria said, inspecting some of the apparatus. “There’s nothing like this on the other side. Well, none that I’ve seen, anyway.”

Ezra smiled again. “Then you’re in for a treat. Come,” he gestured with his hands, “this way. I have something that will be of interest to all of you.”

There was a buzz as her cell door opened and the corrections officer stepped in. The woman looked up at her.

“What is it?”

“You have a visitor.”

Alexandra sighed. “Is it Chief Dillon again?”

“Yep,” the corrections officer replied simply.

Ruining her hands through her hair, and she got up and walked past the officer out into the hallway. They walked for a while before they came through a door into the visiting room. As she was led to a stall, she saw Chief Dillon, Chief Burrows and a woman she recognized as Commander Raydor on the other side.

Sitting down, she grabbed the phone.

“What do you want?”

The Chief held the phone in front of him so his two inferiors could hear as well. “We want to know where your brother’s facility is.”

This took her by surprise, but she did her best to mask it. “I don’t know where Ezra’s facility is-.”

“Alexandra, please,” John said. “I think we both respect each others’ intelligence enough not to perpetrate such an obvious lie.”

She nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”

“So,” William leaned on the divider. “Where’s the facility?”

A smile crept across her face.

“You want to know my brother’s facility is?” Alexandra grinned. “Then I want a deal.”

The three looked at each other, shocked.

“That’s not happening,” Sharon said. “You aided and abetted your father, who was doing illegal human experimentation, and you shot the Chief of Police!”

“Well, I guess you’re not getting to my brother’s facility,” she leaned back.

“What do you want?” the Chief said suddenly.

“Chief,” William said. “You’re not actually considering this?”

“The whole city is potentially in danger,” he set down the phone so the former Mayor couldn’t hear and turned to the two. “This is much bigger than my getting shot in the arm.”

“But her father’s experiments resulted in the creation of Ravager, who nearly destroyed the city,” Sharon said.

“I know,” he replied. “But we really don’t have any options here.”

William shook his head. “I’m not sure how I feel about this. If she walks...”

“I’ll make sure she won’t. But call DDA Nolan and tell her to get down here. Now.”

His deputy looked at him for a moment before sighing. “Yes, Chief.”

John nodded and turned around, picking up the receiver. He looked at the woman, her green eyes glinting. Behind the Chief, William pulled out his phone and called someone, looking at the inmate as well.

“We’re calling DDA Nolan. She’ll make you a deal.”

“Oh good,” Alexandra smiled even more broadly. “I hope it doesn’t take too long.”

Anger boiled inside him.

“Don’t you dare play games with me,” he said. “Because, if you stall, and if one person dies because of it, I will make sure your deal goes away and you spend the rest of your days in this place. Do you understand?”

She returned his glare.

“Loud and clear.”

“What?” she gasped, standing up from the couch. “Are you serious?”

“*Unfortunately, I am,*” Assistant Chief Burrows replied on the other side of the line.

“That’s insane!” Jenna exclaimed. “She aided and abetted her father, who preformed countless illegal human experiments!”

“*I know, but she knows where her brother is, and, by extension, Anna and the others. We need to make this deal.*”

She grabbed a pair of shoes from her closet. “What does she want?”

“*Alexandra won’t discuss terms until you’re here.*”

“That’s insane,” she repeated. “Like, she’s actually a lunatic.”

“*Perhaps,*” he replied. “*But right now, she’s our only lead on where Ezra could be.*”

Jenna pulled on a jacket. “Alright. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“*Thank you, DDA Nolan,*” Burrows said.

“Yeah,” she replied, her irritation bleeding through her voice. “Don’t mention it.”

The call ended, and she tossed the phone into her bag. All the while, her husband had been watching her conversation go down.

“What’s the matter?” Alex asked his wife.

“Alexandra Jacobs wants a deal in exchange for the location of her brother’s facility,” she replied, walking towards the door.

“Are you serious?”

“I really wish I wasn’t,” Jenna said, grabbing her keys. “But, this could be the only way to save Anna and the others.”

He grabbed her hand, covering with his opposite. “Do what you’ve got to do.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. They kissed before she pulled out.

“I gotta go.”

“Yeah,” he said, letting her go. “Be safe.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

“This,” he said as they entered the room. “Is my crowning achievement. My magnum opus, if you will.”

The area was rather large, with the walls lined completely with computer banks and equipment, all blinking with colorful lights and showing displays of various readings. In the center of the room was a circular console, with breaks so someone could walk into the center and man it. There were many electric noises generated by the equipment. Several technicians were manning the devices. Even Anna couldn’t deny how impressive the setup was.

Victoria was looking around in awe. “What is all this?”

Ezra smiled. “When I first began receiving your transmissions from the other side, I dedicated a receiver to track it. When more and more of the transmissions came through, I expanded it to several. When I finally got in contact with you, and you told me what you needed, I researched everything about you. When I believed it was true, I built this to keep an eye on everything.”

“Like your father,” Anna said.

“In a way, yes,” he nodded. “But I only used this to track the four Masters and find the rifts.”

“The rifts? Like the one we opened?” Nicole asked.

“Yes. They give off a distinct energy signature which we are able to track. They don’t last very long, however, so that’s why we had to move quickly.”

“I shouldn’t’ve come to this city,” Michael muttered.

“You actually had no choice,” the pale woman said.

“Because of you?”

Victoria shook her head. “No. That was these two,” she gestured to Anna and John.

“Us?” they said together, which caused them to look at each other.

“Yes. It’s been hundreds of years since any of the four Masters were in the same place. That kind of energy is bound to attract the others.”

“And I had the previous Master of Water here,” Ezra said. “But she blew up the containment module, which led to this unpleasantness,” he indicated the wild scars on his face.

“It’s *your* fault I became a Super?” Nicole gasped.

“I underestimated her. She managed to conjure enough water to short-circuit the unit, which caused it to explode,” he replied. “Your becoming a Master was just a… side-effect.”

Nicole’s eyes flashed with anger. “A ‘side-effect’? I’ll never be the same as I was!”

“Your powers are a blessing,” Victoria stepped towards her. “A gift. Can you not see that?”

“So far, all it’s brought me is pain and regret.”

“Then you are a fool.”

Her rage boiling over, she thrust her hands forward, and was immediately covering in blue light. She screamed in pain as she fell to the ground. Anna reached down to help her up.

“When will you not fall for that?” Ezra muttered as he turned towards his guards. “Escort the Masters to the cage. Victoria and I have some important business to get to.”

“Indeed,” she nodded.

“Yes sir!” the guards said in unison before grabbing the four by the shoulders and leading them away towards the door. As they went, Anna looked at Jessica, who was being allowed to stay behind.

“Jessica! Please!” she pleaded. “You can end this!”

The blue-eyed girl merely glared at her before the doors of the room closed and they were led down the corridor.

“She is really on there side, isn’t she,” Nicole said.

Anna merely stared at the ground, unable to respond.

“DDA Nolan,” the Chief said as she arrived.

“Chief Dillon,” she replied, shaking his hand. “What’s the deal?”

“We’re about to find out,” John turned and began walking down the corridor. “Follow me.”

They walked for a while, passing several doors and guards. Of course, Jenna knew very well where they were going. It wasn’t like this was her first visit to this jail. Eventually, they came to a door. The Chief opened it, and they walked into an interview room.

By the walls were Commander Raydor and Chief Burrows. They nodded to the woman as she entered. At the table sat a man and woman; Alexandra Jacobs and her lawyer, Marvin Wilson. They looked up at the deputy district attorney.

“About time,” Alexandra said.

“Good to see you again, miss Jacobs,” Jenna replied, not trying to hide her annoyance.

The lawyer stood up. “Ah. DDA Nolan. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“You too, mister Wilson,” she smiled and shook his hand. “I’ve always found you more polite than your client.”

Alexandra gave a dry smile.

“Shall we get the proceedings started?” he asked.

The officers of the law and the officer of the court looked at each other.

“Alright,” Jenna said, taking a seat across from them, joined by the Chief. “Let’s get started.”

“Excellent,” Marvin smiled, reaching down to his bag and pulling out a folder. Opening it up, he began reading it off.

“In exchange for information on her brother, mister Ezra Jacobs, miss Alexandra Jacobs wants a reduced sentence and early parole-.”

“How reduced of a sentence are we talking?” Jenna interrupted.

“One year,” he replied.

“You can’t be serious!” Sharon gasped. “Your client shot the Chief of Police!”

“An unfortunate event, yes,” Marvin nodded. “But if the information my client possesses is so valuable, then it is worth anything.”

“I’m sorry, Marvin,” Jenna said. “But this is too much-.”

He interrupted her. “Oh, and there is more.”

“*More*?” she raised her eyebrows, looking to Alexandra. “You can’t possibly be serious?”

“I am quite serious, missus Nolan,” Alexandra replied. “Especially if you want your information.”

Marvin looked at his paper again. “My client also wants full compensation for the damages to her person done by the New Hampton Police Department as well as for the time she has already spent in prison.”

She looked to the Chief, who was as stunned as she was. He looked to the two.

“Your client is already serving a far-less grave sentence than she should be. Miss Jacobs should be in supermax for what she did. You can’t hope to squeeze more out of the city of New Hampton.”

“But if you want the information you seek, you’re going to have to agree to my client’s terms,” the lawyer said.

“We’re making a *deal* here, mister Wilson,” Jenna leaned forward. “This is not your client’s ‘get out of jail free’ card.”

“Well, I suppose you’re not getting what you want, then,” Alexandra said smugly.

Chief Burrows walked forward, slamming his hand on the table. “Wipe that damn grin off your face!”

John looked at him. “William, back off.”

He looked at his superior before nodding. “Yes, sir.”

“Look,” the Chief turned back to them. “Lives are on the line here, and your client is the only one who can help us save them.”

“And I’m sorry to hear that. But I’m not going to let my client be duped.”

“The city is potentially at risk, Marvin,” Jenna said. “If innocent people die because of your client’s reluctance to help us, I guarantee you I will do everything in my power to make sure she is added as an accessory.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Alexandra growled.

“I can and will,” she retorted. “Unless you give us the information.”

The two looked at each other, and Marvin leaned over to Alexandra and whispered something in her ear.

“No!” the woman exclaimed. “I will not compromise on this! I will get what I want!”

“Alexandra, you have no choice if you want your deal,” Marvin replied. “And if lives are indeed at stake here, it is your civic duty to tell them what they want.”

She looked up at the four, pure rage in her eyes. Finally, she sighed.

“What did Ezra do?”

“As you know,” he said. “One of my main interests in bringing you back here is your knowledge of alchemy and mysticism.”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Well,” Ezra said. “I believe your knowledge can change the world.”

“It already has,” Victoria replied.

He chuckled. “I suppose it has. But I believe that it can change the world even more.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“The Masters have a unique property in their DNA that allows them to heal quicker than other humans. Anna Brail, for example, has sustained several wounds that should have been fatal; yet she survived with merely scars.”

“You want me to replicate the process-?”

“-Only to recreate the healing factor,” Ezra said for her. “Imagine if there were a way for cancer patients to be completely cured of their aliment in an instance? Imagine a child with a hearing disability to have their hearing restored in full. That is what your knowledge can do.”

“And what do I get out of it?”

“You want to change the world, right?” he asked. “This will change the world.”

She looked at her hand as she curled her fingers, energy flickering between them. “That’s… not what I had in mind.”

“But this will make a real difference. A real change. While there are a lot of dictators out there that definitely need to be removed,” Ezra stepped towards her. “This could change everything.”

“How does that benefit my cause?” she narrowed her eyes.

“You’ll be seen as a hero,” he said. “You will be honored above all.”

“When I contacted you and explained to you my cause, I thought you knew what my objective was. You never said anything about recreating my father’s initial experiment.”

His kind eyes flashed with anger. “I’m the only reason you’re here! I have invested millions of dollars into finding you! You cannot treat me this way-!”

Suddenly he was thrown against the wall, being suspended there several inches off the ground. He held his throat as a purple energy flickered around it. Victoria approached him, the same light glowing around her hand.

“When I contacted you, and you proved I was who I said I was, you agreed to what I wanted. Everything. Even things I could want. I did not agree to your terms.”

“I thought we were a partnership,” he gasped.

“No,” her eyes glowed. “You are my servant.”

His eyes widened as she grabbed his throat with her bare hand. It was like being grabbed by ice. He cried in pain.

“Now,” Victoria said. “You *will* do as I say.”

She then let go, and he fell to the ground, the metal of his exo-suit clattering as he hit it. He rubbed his throat as he looked up at her.

“Yes, my queen,” he said reluctantly.

Victoria smiled.

“He took me there once, a couple years ago,” Alexandra began. “He wanted to recruit me to his cause.”

“What cause?” Jenna asked.

“My brother believes that there’s this Super that has lived for centuries trapped somewhere outside our world,” she said. “He believes that he can bring them back and change the world.”

“Change the world how?”

“Ezra said something about revolutionary medical advances. He said that no one would die from disease ever again, just like how his wife had died from cancer a decade ago.”

“He wanted to make sure no one died like Meredith did?” John asked.

She nodded. “Her death broke him. He acts like it didn’t, but I can see it. It tore him apart inside.”

“But why all this?” Jenna inquired.

“Before she died, Ezra began researching into all kinds of things to save her. Science, pseudoscience, witchcraft, you name it. He tried everything to save her.”

“And that’s when he came across the Masters,” William said.

“Yes. He learned that there were five individuals who had power over five forces of nature. They could heal rapidly, unlike anything in the natural world. He thought they could save his wife. So he began searching for them.”

She looked down. “But time ran out. She died.”

“He kept researching, though,” John looked at her.

“It was all he had. He closed the institute they had founded and redirected its funds to a secret research base, dedicated to finding these individuals. That’s when he found her.”

“Who?”

“The Queen.”

“The fifth Master?” Sharon asked.

“He became obsessed with finding her. Legend had it that she was part of the original group; that she was part of the original experiment which gave them their powers. He believed she was the answer.”

“But he had no idea how to find her,” the Chief said.

“He didn’t,” Alexandra nodded. “But then he received a transmission.”

They all looked at each other. “A transmission?” Jenna’s eyes widened.

“A radio transmission from a woman claiming to be this fifth Master. She said that she was trapped and needed help returning here.”

“What do you mean, ‘here”?” John inquired.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He never told me. All he told me was that he wanted me to help him. But I refused.”

“He never told you because you didn’t join him?” the deputy district attorney asked.

“Why spill your secrets to someone who isn’t joining your side?” Alexandra said. “Even if I am his sister.”

“Was this the last time you saw your brother?” Jenna asked.

“Yes.”

“Well,” John leaned forward. “Miss Jacobs, we’ll need the location of that facility, because we believe that Ezra has indeed been able to bring the fifth Master back from wherever she was, and now the city of New Hampton is potentially in danger. Please. You’re the only one who can help us.”

She looked at him, their eyes locked. It was as if they were both looking into each others’ souls.

“Alexandra,” John said. “I know there’s good in you. You’re just the victim of society. You lost your mother and you didn’t know your father. You grew up without a stable foundation. You’ve made mistakes. We all do. But please, now, do something good. Do something to save the people of New Hampton.”

After a moment, she broke his gaze and looked to her attorney, who nodded. She turned back to them.

“Okay.”

“I can’t believe that actually worked!” Jenna exclaimed as they made their way out of the prison, her eyes shining with excitement. “I can’t believe she gave us what she wanted without that big of a fight!”

“William,” John said to his second-in-command. “Call the station. We need all officers to converge on that location. Everyone. We need to apprehend the Super before it’s too late.”

He nodded and pulled out his phone and held it to his ear, stepping away from the three.

“Do you think Anna is okay?” Jenna asked the Chief.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “But she’s tough as nails. If anyone’s to survive, it’s her.”

She put her hand on his shoulder. “Well, when you do find her, please call me and Alex. Please.”

“Of course, miss Nolan,” he nodded. “Of course.”

The woman smiled her gratitude before turning to walk away. As she did, Commander Raydor nodded to her, and she returned it. After the lawyer had returned to her vehicle, Sharon walked up to the Chief.

“Chief,” she began. “If this Super is as powerful as the legends say she is, I don’t know if the entire police force will be able to handle it.”

“We have to try, Sharon,” he said. “New Hampton is potentially at stake, and after the Ravager invasion, I will not have it be put in that kind of danger again.”

“I know, John,” she replied. “But we can’t just send countless officers to their deaths.”

He looked at her. “We’re officers of the people. Our duty is to serve and protect. This is the kind of risk we’ll have to take. For them.”

She nodded. “Yes sir.”

At that moment, William got off the phone and returned to them.

“Alright. The order is out. We should get going.”

“This is it,” John nodded. “Let’s do our duty.”

“Albert,” Claire said, looking at the man seated on the curb with his phone in his hand. “What are you doing?”

“Police radio app,” he replied.

“Why do you have that?”

He looked up at her. “I’m a journalist. It comes in handy.”

She rolled her eyes. “What are you doing with it?”

“Seeing if they’ve gotten what they need out of Alexandra yet,” Albert answered. “If they did, there ought to be a huge roll-out order about now.”

“You can’t do this to yourself, Albert,” Matthew said.

“But I have to know.”

“I know you do,” he nodded. “And it’s only natural. But you’ve got to know that the Chief’s going to do everything he can to bring Anna back.”

“And what if the Super’s too powerful?” he asked.

He didn’t have an answer to it, and before he could, static began to play from Albert’s phone. Tuning it, a voice came into clarity.

“*Attention all units. Attention. All units have been ordered to converge on the following displayed location*.”

His phone buzzed and a set of numbers – latitude and longitude – appeared on his screen.

“No,” Matthew shook his head. “Nope. Absolutely not.”

Albert stood up. “Yes! We have to! That’s where Anna is! We have to help her!”

“The last time we did something like this, we lost so much. Anna almost died, Jessica disappeared, Claire and I lost our jobs. These kinds of missions only result in death,” Matthew replied. “We can’t.”

“You don’t understand! She’s the only person who makes me feel whole! I can’t let her safety be up to chance!”

“I do understand,” he said, glancing at Claire. “And you can’t let this compromise your judgment!”

“But I have to help her,” he said quietly.

Matthew put his hand on his shoulder. “I know. I know.”

“He’s right, though,” Mark stood up. “We have to help her. She’s my daughter, and he’s her boyfriend. We can’t abandon her. And you can’t abandon Nicole. She’s your sister.”

“Mark,” Claire said. “You know we can’t.”

“I know we can’t, but we have to,” he replied. “We probably can’t help the police fight Ezra’s forces, but we can at least be there for Anna and Nicole when they get them out of there.”

Albert nodded.

“That could get you arrested, though,” Jackson said. “You were a cop same as I, and you know we would never stand for this.”

Mark nodded. “You’re right. But she’s my little girl. She’s all I have left. I have to be there.”

“Of course you do,” Jackson managed a weak smile. “And that’s why I’m coming with you. My little girl’s out there too.”

Natalie turned to him. “No. You can’t.”

“Yeah, dad,” Matthew nodded. “You can’t.”

“It’s my duty,” Jackson replied. “And it’s Mark’s duty to save Anna. Once you have kids, you’ll understand.”

Matthew, his head pounding, held his forehead. “DAMMIT!” he yelled, slamming his foot against the tire of his car. Claire came over and grabbed his arm.

“Calm down!” she said. “It’s okay.”

He ignored her, swinging around to his father, Mark and Albert.

“There is so much that could go wrong with going to that facility with the police. We have no idea what’s waiting for us there. We have no idea what that fifth Master can do. For all we know, they can wipe us all out with a snap of their fingers! We can’t run that risk!”

“But we have to,” Jackson replied. “We have to.”

“Well, I’m not coming with you,” he took a step back. “I already lost my job over this sort of thing. I’m not losing my life.”

“That’s fine,” Mark said. “You’re a free man. You can do whatever you like.”

He nodded. Behind him, Claire raised her hand.

“Can I come?”

Everyone turned on her, Matthew’s eyes wide.

“Claire...”

“Well,” she looked at him. “If you can have a choice, then I can too, right?”

He walked up to her, holding her hands. “I can’t let you do this. I can’t let you pointlessly risk your life.”

“Anna saved my life during the Ravager invasion,” Claire replied. “I think I owe her for that still.”

“She did that because she loves helping people,” Matthew said. “She doesn’t want you to risk your life for hers.”

Claire nodded. “That’s probably true, but I want to risk my life for hers.”

He looked into her eyes. “I love you. I can’t lose you.”

She smiled and kissed him. “Me too,” she replied as they broke apart.

Seeing that there was no way to talk her, or any of them out of it, Matthew turned to Mark, Albert, and his father.

“Fine. I’m coming too. Wherever Claire goes, I go.”

Claire smiled at him.

“Well,” Natalie looked around at them. “If you’re all going, then I guess am I, too.”

Jackson turned to his wife. “No. I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You really think after all these years I’m going to let you go without me?” she smiled. “You’re my husband. We’re meant to be together, through thick and thin.”

He reached over and held her hand. “Okay.”

“So,” Albert looked at them. “If we’re ready; let’s go!”

She tugged at her restraints, and once again, to no avail. The others did the same, but came out with the same results.

“It’s no use,” Michael said, leaning against the wall. “These things aren’t coming off.”

“We have to do something to get out of here, though,” Anna replied. “Otherwise something very bad is going to happen.”

“Why is that crazy chick so…?” John trailed off.

“Crazy?” Anna finished for him.

“See,” he chuckled. “You even finish my sentences.”

She stared at him. “Why are you the way that you are?”

“There has to be a way out of these chains,” Nicole said, interrupting them before they got into another argument. “There has to.”

Anna and John glared at each other for a moment before they turned to Nicole.

“Well, if I had my powers,” John said. “I could melt my way out.”

“If we had our powers,” Anna replied. “We wouldn’t be in this mess, idiot.”

“Anna!” Nicole snapped. “This is not helping us get out of here!”

“Yeah, Anna,” John smirked.

“Shut up,” the two women said in unison.

One the other side of the cell, Michael held his head in his hands. He rocked back and forth, muttered to himself.

“Michael?” Anna asked. “Are you okay?”

“I should never have come here,” he said, fear drenching his tone. “This was a mistake...”

“You couldn’t help it,” Nicole put her hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at Anna and John. “This is your fault. You’re why I was drawn here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for not knowing about the ancient magical powers of my abilities,” John spat.

“And I live here. It’s not like I purposely came to New Hampton,” Anna replied.

“However we ended up getting into this situation,” Nicole cut them off. “We’re in this together, and that’s all that matters. We need to get out of this cell and stop Victoria from doing whatever it is that she came here to do.”

They looked at her, and then at each other. Anna nodded.

“Yeah. You’re right,” she said.

“We still have to get out of these chains, though,” John pulled at his shackles. “Figure that out, blondie.”

“For the love of all that is good-,” Nicole began when Anna cut her off.

“I know how to get out of here.”

All eyes fell on her.

“How?” Michael asked.

“You know what Jessica made us do to release Victoria? That surge of energy?” she smiled. “What if we used that to break out?”

“Do you even know how to conjure that?” John said.

“We can try,” she replied. “We have to. Because I can’t see another way out of this cell.”

“Thanks for the bode of confidence,” he muttered.

“I think,” Anna looked at them. “If we really focused, and I mean *really* focused, we might be able to conjure it ourselves.”

Nicole nodded. “That could work. But what are we focusing on?”

She thought about it for a moment. “Try to remember what it felt like, having that much energy surge through you.”

“Who wants us to think about our feelings?” John rolled his eyes.

“Actually, that might work,” Michael perked up. “I mean, it’s really our only option at this point.”

“Alright,” Anna smiled. “Let’s get to work.”

She folded her legs, the others did the same. John continued to look skeptical, but Anna didn’t really care. All that mattered right now was getting out of this cell and defeating Victoria. Looking at the others, they nodded, and they closed their eyes. All around them was darkness; nothing else.

They focused, focused on the power they had felt as they had been forced to open that portal, the raw energy that had surged through them to rip open a hole in the fabric of reality. They focused on the pain, the agony, the absolute power.

As she did, Anna felt something well up inside of her. In the darkness, she saw flashes of green light. She felt energy begin to rush through her, like a river through a desert. More flashes of energy lit her eyelids, as if the light was swirling around her

Opening her eyes, she was blinded by swirling energy. Looking at the others, she saw that the same was happening to them, their eyes blazing. At that moment, their bonds glowed with energy before disappearing, turning to dust. The light faded, and they looked at each other, astonished. They rubbed their wrists as they got up.

“It worked,” Nicole smiled. “It actually worked!”

“Terrific thinking,” Michael nodded. “I’ll give you that.”

John created a ball of fire in his hand. “That was clever. But that doesn’t mean we’re even.”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “I’ve still got quite a few up on you.”

His eyes flashed before Nicole walked between them, coming to the door. She grabbed it and pulled on it, finding that it was locked. She turned back to the others.

“John,” she said. “Can you stop trying to show your masculinity for five seconds to blast down this door?”

“You mean...” he raised an eyebrow. “You actually want me to blow down that door?”

“That is what I said.”

He smiled and rubbed his hands together, orange light flickering between them. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

Stepping out of his way, the other three watched as he stretched his hands towards the door. His palms began to glow before twin jets of flame shot from them. The cell was immediately filled with heat and light as the fire struck the door. Within seconds it began to melt the metal. A second later it was blasted outwards, hitting the floor with a thud, where the molten metal spread like water on a table before hardening again.

As they stepped out of the cage, the door to the room opened and two armed guards came in, pointing their weapons at them.

“Halt! Get on the ground!” one of them barked.

“Nope,” Anna smiled, thrusting her hands forward.

A powerful gust of air quickly shot forward before they could fire, the blast knocking them off their feet. They hit the ground, rendering them unconscious.

“Let’s go,” she said over her shoulder as she sprinted towards the door. Glancing at each other, they followed.

The four came out into the white hallway. Looking around, they headed down the corridor, trying to trace their way back to Ezra, Jessica, and Victoria. As they did, the lights turned off; a moment later being replaced by flashing red ones. An alarm rung in their ears. They looked at each other.

“It doesn’t matter,” Anna said. “We know what we have to do.”

Continuing down the hallway, they suddenly stopped as they heard several footsteps coming their way. A second later more than two dozen soldiers appeared, as wielding guns or batons. They trained their weapons on the four.

“You will surrender now, or you will be shot!” one yelled.

Standing back to back, the four readied to fight, their hands flickering with their respective powers.

“You have five seconds to comply!” the one said. “Five! Four! Three! Two-!”

“One,” Anna said.

Nodding, the four thrust their hands forward as one. John and Nicole unleashed powerful jets of fire and water. On the other side, Anna unleashed a whirlwind as Michael ripped pieces of concrete from the corridor and hurled them at the soldiers. They didn’t have enough time to react as they were bombarded by the Supers’ abilities, being knocked to the ground.

Seeing that most of them had been felled, the four ceased their attacks and charged down the corridor, rushing over the stunned soldiers. But, as they fled, several of them recovered themselves and grabbed their weapons, opening fire on them. They narrowly dodged as bullets flew between them, barely grazing them.

“Come on!” Anna said as they charged. “Move!”

Rounding a corner, they ran as fast as they could. They heard the soldiers coming after them, shouting for them to stop. Bullets whizzed past them as they ran. One managed to graze Anna’s shoulder; another grazed Michael’s leg. They slowed as they were hit, but pressed on. The pain would have to wait. Right now, they were focused on surviving.

“We’re not going to be able to do anything if these guys are on our heels!” John glanced back at the growing number of soldiers pursuing them.

Anna saw them too, and knew he was right. Taking a deep breath, she stopped. Her boots squeaked as she skidded to a halt. She turned and faced the approaching guards. The others saw her stop and did the same, looking at her.

The soldiers came to a halt, pointing their weapons at her.

“On your knees or we will open fire!”

Anna raised her hands and air swirled around them. However, after their last attack, they realized what she was about to do.

“FIRE!” one yelled.

Michael, acting quickly, put one foot forward and brought his hands up. The ground trembled before a giant wall grew from the floor and rose to the ceiling, cutting them off from their attackers. Anna looked at him.

“Thank you.”

“That was reckless,” he said. “Please don’t do that again.”

“I was trying to help us,” she replied, irritated.

“Well. The next time you want to help, don’t be so suicidal.”

“Guys,” Nicole said. “We have to go. Now.”

Nodding, the four of them set off down the corridor, towards their enemy.

“Do we have the warrant?” the Chief asked as he surveyed the meshed fence.

“Yep,” William handed him the piece of paper.

“Then we’re ready to engage,” he said.

Grabbing a megaphone from an officer, he walked towards the fence, looking towards the large half-tube embedded in the face of the mountain. He held the speaker to his mouth.

“This is Chief of Police John Dillon of the New Hampton Police Department. We know what you have done, and we intend to hold you accountable for your actions. You have kidnapped Anna Brail, Nicole Weaver, John Arwin, and Michael Carson. We have a warrant for the seizing of your facilities, and the arrest of Ezra Jacobs and anyone who opposes us.

“For your sake, I recommend you surrender to us immediately, or we will break your defenses and take you by force.. We will not ask again.”

He let the device fall to his side as he continuing to survey the apparent entrance to the facility. William and Sharon joined him.

“So what now?” the woman asked.

John sighed. “We wait.”

“Commander Shaw!” the man exclaimed as he ran towards him.

“What is it, soldier?” he turned, his eyebrow raised.

“We have a problem,” he handed a tablet to his commander, who took it.

Looking at it, his eyes widened as the device displayed the image of dozens of police squad cars parked in front of their front gate, completely barricading them in. It appeared as if every officer in the city had been dispatched here. They stood with their weapons out, surveying the entrance to their facility.

“They have a warrant for mister Jacobs’ arrest, and if we don’t surrender to them now, they’ll attack us.”

“I have to inform him. Now.” Shaw said, turning away and running down the corridor. The soldier watched him go before returning from the direction he came.

After turning several corners and running down several hallways, he came to the large metal door. Opening it with his palm print, he rushed inside.

Crossing the threshold, he skidded to a halt as he saw Ezra laying the ground as Victoria stood above him, energy flickering in her hand. Instincts kicking in, he pulled his gun from its holster and pointed it at the woman. Her followers immediately leveled their own weapons at him. Jessica clenched her fists, energy flickering around them.

“Stand down!” he roared.

She turned to him, her purple eyes flashing. A smile spread across her pale face.

“I imagine you’re the head of security,” Victoria said softly. “And I imagine you take that job very seriously.”

He held his gun a little firmer. “I said stand down!”

Ignoring him, she continued. “I know what it’s like to take something like that seriously. And to not be taken seriously. It’s was a… unique… experience for me. One day, people treat you like one of them. The next, they treat as if you are a monster. It is the nature of this cursed existence we call life.”

She began approaching him, energy flickering between her hands and in her eyes.

“But I am here to create a better world; a world without hate, violence, despair, heartbreak. Even death. I shall put an end to all things. Ever since the dawn of time, people have been looking for a savior. Sure, you’ve had a few come around, but none of them ever did anything of substance. But, fear not, your messiah is here. Or, should I say, *I* am.”

Shaw stared at her. “Stand. Down.”

“Fool.”

In the blink of an eye, she thrust her hand forward. A blast of purple energy shot out. There was a scream of pain as the man’s joints convulsed and snapped before his screaming stopped, and there was a thud as a ball of oozing flesh hit the floor.

Pushing himself to his feet, Ezra watched in horror. The lab assistants who had been there screamed in terror. Jessica’s eyes widened.

“You… you...” Ezra stuttered. “You *monster*!”

She chuckled. “You call me a monster? He was just holding my life hostage. I was merely defending myself.”

“You can’t just kill people! This isn’t your savage universe, where anything goes! Murder has consequences here!” he spat.

“But, dear Ezra,” Victoria placed her hand on his cheek. Her pale skin was cold. “You should’ve known that I take betrayal *very* seriously. And he,” she glanced over to the lump of bleeding flesh. “Betrayed me.”

“I want to better the world,” Ezra said. “I want to make real change.”

“As do I. We just have… different… ideas of that.”

They stared at each other when suddenly the lights turned red and a blaring noise rang in their ears. They looked around in confusion.

“What’s happening?” Jessica asked.

“No… no...” Ezra muttered.

He rushed over to a console and pulled up two video feeds. One displayed a corridor where several individuals were fighting, and the other showed the outside of the facility, an ocean of police cars filling the image. Ezra buried his face in his hands.

“Explain,” Victoria demanded.

The man turned back to them.

“The Masters. They’ve escaped,” he said. “And we’re currently surrounded by the New Hampton Police Department. That must’ve been what Shaw came here for,” he glanced to the lifeless clump.

“No matter. They are all irrelevant.”

“The police will arrest us and the Masters will destroy us!” Ezra snapped.

“Not if we abandon this place,” Victoria said.

He stared blankly at her. “You can’t be serious.”

“I very much am. I cannot hold off both these forces. Not yet, anyway.”

“This facility,” the man approached the pale woman. “This is my life’s work. This is everything I have left in this world. I can’t just leave it.”

“You can, and you will,” her eyes flashed.

“No, I can’t,” he repeated defiantly.

She held up her hand, which glowed with her ability.

“Are you sure you really want to betray me? I mean, you saw what happened to the last person who crossed me. Do you really devalue your life *that* little?”

“I lost my will to live when Meredith died,” he looked up at her.

A powerful gust of air trailed from Anna’s hands, striking three soldiers, sending them crashing into the wall. Behind her, John was sending blasts of fire at the attacking guards. The flames consumed their gear, causing them to scream in agony. To his left, Nicole was firing jets of water from her hands. The raw force of the streams were enough to knock their attackers off their feet and onto the ground. On the other side of the group, Michael was hurling chunks of cement from the corridor at the armed men, easily felling them.

“Keep it up!” Anna yelled as she struck a man in the throat before kicking him in the stomach. “We’re almost there!”

“Yeah,” Nicole said as she blasted two soldiers away with a stream of water. “But if these guys tire us out...”

“...We won’t have enough strength to defeat Victoria,” Michael finished for her.

“And then we’re screwed,” John said.

She nodded. “Then let’s get this over with.”

Moving as one, the four used their elemental powers to fell the horde of soldiers rushing at them. Their guns were no longer options, as they were in such close quarters. They still attempted to strike the Supers with the bodies of their weapons, but they didn’t stand a chance against the combined forces of the four.

Anna ducked as a man swung at her with his baton, narrowly missing her head. She brought her fist up at him but he dodged it. Behind her, another man struck her with his foot, knocking her forward. The first man swung at her and hit her in the face, sending her crashing to the ground.

John continued to recklessly unleash blasts of fire on the soldiers. He laughed madly as he set their uniforms aflame. He was about to light another few soldiers on fire when he was tackled to the ground by a group of five men. The man yelled out in rage as he tried to get out from under them, but they began to strike him, attempting to knock him unconscious.

Nicole crashed to the ground as she was struck in the mouth by a man. Her cried in pain and she rolled over. Her jaw ached as she spit out several drops of blood. She tried to get back up when she was kicked in the stomach, sending her crashing onto her back again. Everything hurt as her vision blurred. The man above her chuckled as he readied his baton.

Michael attempted to create several wall of concrete around himself so t o shield himself from his attackers, and it worked against the ones attempting to strike him. However, since they now had an object they could fire at, they seized their guns and opened fire on the stone box. He strained as the bullets began to dig deeper and deeper into his shield when it started to crack.

Realizing what was about to happen, Michael threw his arms outward. The box exploded, spraying chunks of cement at the soldiers. Their firing ceased as they were struck by the blocks, being sent to the ground.

This caught the attention of the remaining soldiers, who stopped their attacks on the other three to look at the explosion of rubble. The Masters, despite being as surprised as the soldiers, seized their slim window of opportunity.

Calling upon their elemental powers, they unleashed powerful blasts of wind, water, and fire on them. They were sent crashing to the ground, knocked into unconsciousness.

As the dust settled, the four looked at each other. The flashing red lights and the alarms continued to blare. Together, they walked down the corridor. Turning a corner, they arrived at the massive steel door to Ezra’s control room.

“This is it,” Nicole said, looking up at it.

Anna nodded. “This is where it ends.”

“What if we die?” Michael asked.

“Yeah,” John added. “What about that?”

“Our duty is to keep the world safe, especially from her,” Anna looked at them. “I know none of us asked to have these powers, but what we want doesn’t matter anymore. We have inherited a responsibility, and we have to see it through.”

They looked at her for a moment before nodding.

“You’re right,” Michael said.

Nicole smiled. “You know I’m with you.”

John stroked his chin. “I guess I can do one last battle with you. Try not to get burned.”

“Please don’t do that,” Anna replied.

Facing the door, they clenched their fists as energy flickered between them. Nodding, they thrust their hands forward. Bolts of energy shot forth, crashing into the door. There was a flash of light before the metal barrier exploded, submerging them in a cloud of smoke.

As the dust cleared, they saw several figures in the room. Jessica stood with the five followers of Victoria, while Ezra Jacobs and several lab assistants stood against the wall, watching the scene. Victoria herself stood ahead of them. A smile traced her lips as her purple eyes flickered.

“I’ve been waiting.”

“Sir,” Chief Burrows said. “It’s been several minutes since we demanded their surrender. I say we move to breach.”

John nodded. “Agreed. Get everyone ready to breach.”

“Yes sir,” William replied, pulling out a walkie. “All teams: breach. I repeat: breach.”

Ahead of them, a group of S.W.A.T. officers moved towards the fence, their weapons ready. One of them pulled out a small device and placed it on the metal. As he pulled his hand back, it began to blink when there was a flash of light and a large section of the wall disappeared. The light fading, the officers ducked through the open and out the other side of the fence and towards the compound.

“Where’d we get that?” William asked, turning to the Chief.

“FuturTech before they went under,” John replied. “Quite useful, actually.”

“Evidently,” his deputy nodded.

“What will we do if our officers are unable to subdue the Super?” Sharon inquired.

He looked down. “Anna hasn’t failed this city before, and I doubt she’ll start now. If they fail, she’ll have to finish the job.”

“We don’t even know if she’s still alive,” the Assistant Chief said.

“If she is dead,” the Chief began. “It means the city of New Hampton is in greater danger than it ever has been.”

His subordinates fell silent.

“Then let’s pray that she’s not,” the Commander looked at the two men.

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Albert asked they flew down the county road.

“We’re already going almost a hundred,” Claire said. “I’m not going faster.”

“You have to!” he insisted. “Otherwise it might be too late!”

“Unlike you, I don’t have a death wise, apparently,” the woman replied. “So, get off my back.”

Natalie put her hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be okay. I’ve known Anna for years. She’s a fighter.”

“I know that,” he nodded. “I just don’t know if she’ll be able to stand against the Super.”

“She has to,” Mark said. “Otherwise New Hampton will fall.”

Matthew looked back at them from the front seat. “Is this Super really that powerful? I mean, to level a whole city?”

“I mean… did you feel that shockwave earlier?” Albert said. “I think that speaks volumes to the Super’s abilities.”

“That’s a good point,” Matthew said.

“Well, we’re there,” Claire said suddenly. “Or, we’re as close as we’re going to get.”

Looking to the road ahead of them, they saw that they were coming up on a police barricade. Two police cars were parked across the road, cutting it off. Coming to a halt, they stopped several feet from the vehicles. Two officers stepped out of each of the vehicles. Putting the car in park, Claire looked at Matthew.

“What do we do?” she asked.

He took a deep breath. “We tell them the truth.”

“We can’t,” Albert said.

“We have to-,” Matthew was cut off by Claire.

“No, I’m with Albert on this one; we can’t.”

“Lying will just land us into more trouble.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Claire said.

One of the officers came over to the window as Claire rolled it down. He looked at her and then at her passengers.

“I’m sorry but this road is closed, ma’am,” he said.

“Oh? Is it?” she replied. “Why?”

“I can’t disclose that,” he said. “Why do you need to get through?”

She glanced at her boyfriend. “We’re… visiting friends. They live around here.”

The officer glanced at the other three who had remained by the barricade. He turned back. “You were approaching pretty fast. Around ninety-five, I’d say.”

“I mean,” she chuckled nervously. “You don’t usually see many cops along these roads.”

He obviously wasn’t impressed. “Can you give me your name, ma’am?”

“Claire Darrel,” she replied.

“Can I see your license and registration, please?”

“Sure,” she said, pulling out her wallet while Matthew pulled out the registration. They handed them to the officer. He inspected them and looked up at her.

“You wouldn’t happen to be that suspended detective?” he asked.

“Yeah, that’s me,” she said uncomfortably.

“What are you doing out here, miss Darrel?”

“Nothing in particular...” Claire trailed off when Matthew stepped in.

“I’m sorry, officer,” he said. “I’m Matthew Weaver, her partner. We’re out here because our friends and family are out at the facility you are barricading the road from. We just want to make sure they’re safe.”

By this point two of the other officers had joined the first one, and when they heard this, they all looked at each other.

“No one is allowed beyond this point. The road is closed, and that’s final,” the officer said. “Now, if you don’t turn your vehicle around, we will be forced to take action.”

The occupants of the vehicle looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

“It’s been almost a thousand years since we last faced off like this,” she smiled. “It’s good to relive old times.”

“Victoria,” Anna said. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Oh, but I do, Clara,” she replied. “I spent far too long in that world because of you.”

“You’re a monster,” Michael stepped forward. “You deserve to be stopped.”

“I am trying to fix this broken world,” she sneered. “And I’ll be damned if you try to stop me again!”

“Destroying society is not going to improve it,” Nicole said. “History has taught us that much.”

“You submit blindly to your leaders,” Victoria’s eyes flashed. “You do what they say, and never question it. You deserve better. You need to rise up against them. You have the power to govern yourselves.”

Anna looked to Jessica. “Please, Jessica. Can’t you see this is wrong? Can’t you see that she’s insane?”

The girl looked down for a moment before looking back up. “The government allowed the Professor to get as far as he did. They allowed him to make his fortune and were ignorant to the fact that he was experimenting on people. If they hadn’t, my family would still be alive.”

Her sapphire eyes flashed. “You’re the one who’s wrong.”

“You see, Clara,” Victoria said. “This world is corrupted, and you actively choose to protect those who are corrupting it. You believe that the petty criminal is the root of evil, but it is instead those who say they govern over you.”

Anna clenched her fists. “I don’t care what you believe or don’t. All I care about is stopping you from throwing the world – my world – into chaos.”

Victoria laughed. “Oh, my dear, it’s not *your* world,” she turned from them. “It’s mine.”

Swinging around, she thrust her hands forward. A blast of purple energy flew at them. They jumped out of the way as the wave of energy soared over them. Getting up, Anna charged at the woman, followed by the others. Victoria smiled and thrust her hand forward. A wave of gravity rippled from her palm and at the woman.

It hit her with full force, sending her flying backwards. The other three charged forward at her, glowing with energy. A wave of her hand, however, sent them following Anna. Behind Victoria, her followers had raised their weapons at the Masters as they got up.

“No! They’re mine!” she growled. “I’ve waited seven hundred years for this.”

Reluctantly, they stepped back, lowering their weapons. They were still obviously on edge, however. The Masters readied themselves again as they faced off against their foe.

“I could’ve changed the world!” Victoria said. “But instead I was cast away like filth! You did that!”

“And we’ll do it again,” Anna replied. “This ends today.”

“Yes,” she smiled. “It does.”

Flexing her fingers, the weight of the world suddenly seemed to fall on the four, sending them crashing to the ground. They struggled to push themselves up, but found it impossible. The woman saw this and laughed maniacally.

“You fools!” she walked around them. “Your ancestors put up a better fight than you lot. Of course, I’m not surprised. You didn’t even know what you were until I showed up. You’re all inexperienced. You’re all weak.”

Anna managed to look up at the woman.

“Just because you think you’re superior doesn’t mean you are,” she grunted. “In fact, it makes you weaker than any of us.”

“From my vantage point,” she said. “I *am* superior.”

Energy flickered in her eyes. “No. You’re not.”

There was suddenly a blast of light as raw power began to circle around the woman. The sudden surge of power caused Victoria to gasp. The others, seeing what Anna had done, did the same. One by one, colorful energy began to swirl around them with a burst of light. Then, together, they began to rise off the floor and onto their feet. The woman tried to increase the gravity around them again, bringing it to near-crushing levels, but it did nothing to stop them.

“HOW?!” she exclaimed as they stood before her.

“We may not be strong on our own,” Anna said, her voice echoing. “But we are strong together.”

In a blind rage, Victoria thrust her hand towards the four. A massive blast of energy flew from her palm. The blast went straight for the group and there was a bright flash of light. She was smiling broadly when she suddenly was hit with a blast of energy. It sent her flying across the room into one of the computer banks. Electricity flew in all directions as the banks burst into smoke.

A moment later she emerged, her clothes and skin dirty. Her eyes were blazing purple and her face was drenched in pure rage. Her followers attempted to run to aid her when she used her powers to throw them back. Jessica looked between the two sides as they approached each other. Obviously, she was unsure of which side needed more assistance. But, she stood at the ready regardless.

Victoria clenched her fists and purple energy suddenly burst from her like it had from the Masters. The four, still glowing with their own energy, stood off against the woman. In the blink of an eye she sent a wave of gravitational distortion towards them. They attempted to jump out of the way but were caught up in it. They landed and skidded to a halt. They looked up at them, their irises glowing with their respective colors.

“Face it!” Victoria snarled. “You cannot possibly beat me!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Victoria,” Anna said. “We *will* stop you, because it’s our duty to protect the world, and you’re a threat to it.”

“You’re a child! I’ve lived more lifetimes than anyone else on this wretched planet!”

“Then let’s put an end to it,” Anna growled.

Together, the four Masters unleashed a massive blast of energy on the woman. She quickly created a barrier with her abilities to block it. The blast struck with deadly force, sending her skidding across the floor as she attempted to push against it. Her eyes widened as she saw that her barrier was beginning to give way to the combined powers of the four.

“No...” she muttered. “No...”

Suddenly her barrier failed and she was caught with the full force of the energy as a shockwave rippled from them. Everything in the room shattered as it was hit by the wave. Jessica, Victoria’s followers, and Ezra and his people, were knocked backwards as they were struck.

Victoria herself was thrown backwards, landing in the center of the room. She rolled to a stop, barely moving.

Crossing the room, the four Master surrounded her on the ground, their hands outstretched.

“This is it, Victoria,” Anna said.

“Your reckoning,” Michael continued.

“For everything you’ve done wrong,” Nicole added.

“This is the end,” John concluded.

Weakly, she looked up at them. “Do it, then.”

“With pleasure,” they said in unison.

In a flash of light, intense, powerful, blasts of energy shot from their hands directly at the woman. They consumed her in a moment, her screams ringing through the room. They yelled as more and more powerful flew from them, the room beginning to shake around them. Cracks began to appear in the floor, walls, and the ceiling above. Bolts like lightning shot from where Victoria had been.

Energy swirled like a tornado, becoming faster and faster with each moment. The light began to shine brighter, and brighter, and brighter. Anna’s eyes widened as there was a flash.

And then everything was covered in light.

And then everything was dark.

“The facility is almost secure, Chief,” William said as he lowered the walkie.

“Excellent. Any sign of the Supers?”

“Not yet, but they may have an idea.”

“And Ezra Jacobs?”

“No sir.”

John looked back at the building. “Once we do find him, we’re going to make him pay for everything he’s done.”

“Yes sir,” Burrows nodded.

Suddenly the ground began to shake. Everyone looked around in confusion as they tried to keep their balance.

“What is this?” the Chief exclaimed.

“Another earthquake?” William suggested.

A second later they were blinded as a beam of pure white energy shot from the facility into the sky. It shone for miles around, burning like a second sun. The Police officers had to look away due to the intensity of the light.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the officer said. “We can’t let you pass.”

“Really? You can’t?” Claire pleaded.

“No ma’am.”

“Please!” Albert exclaimed from the backseat. “My girlfriend is in danger at that facility! You need to let us through!”

The three officers looked at each other. The lead one looked back at the man. “Who’s your girlfriend?”

“Anna Brail.”

“Breeze? She’s your girlfriend?” one of the others asked in disbelief.

“Yes! And I have to save her before it’s too late!”

“You’re civilians,” the lead one looked at him. “We can’t let your into a dangerous situation like that.”

Albert ran his hand over his face in frustration. “You don’t understand! I have to-,” he was cut off as the ground shook beneath them.

They all looked around when suddenly they were blinded by a glaring light coming from the distance. Looking at it, they saw that a solid beam of pure light was ascending into the sky like a beacon, illuminating the countryside for miles around. It was beautiful, as if a second sun were shining near the horizon.

A moment later it vanished, and everything seemed to grow darker.

“Anna...” Albert muttered as he fell back against his seat.

“Get up,” a voice said through the darkness. “You have to get up. Now!”

Her ears were ringing and her head was buzzing. Pushing herself off the ground, with the help of her companion, she looked around. The room she was in was incredibly damaged, looking as if a bomb had exploded within it.

Getting to her feet, she looked at her helper. The girl’s sapphire eyes were full of concern as she helped her up.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” the girl asked, getting her to her feet.

“Yes,” she replied, rubbing her head. “I’m fine.”

“We have to get out of here,” the girl said, looking around. “The Police will be here any moment…”

She winced as she held her side. “What… what happened?”

“Anna and the others,” she began. “They attacked you. All at once. I think they were trying to kill you.”

“Worse than kill. They were trying to send me back.”

The girl nodded. “Anyway. There was an explosion, and everything went black. When I got up, I found you here.”

From the left, her five followers came up to her. Their armor was dirtied and singed.

“My Queen,” one said. “Are you alright.”

“Yes, I am,” she nodded.

“We have to get out of here,” another looked around.

“I can do it,” the girl said. “I can get us out.”

“How?” one of her followers asked.

“My abilities,” she answered.

Victoria looked at her, obviously impressed. “What was your name?”

“Jessica. Jessica Sapphire,” the girl replied.

She smiled. “Then get us out of here, Jessica Sapphire.”

“Gladly,” she said.

Stepping back, she outstretched her hands. Energy flickered around them for a moment before there was a flash of light, and they were gone.

Anna awoke with a start. She rolled over and got up, looking around wildly. The sky was overcast, and everything was shrouded in darkness. The grass beneath her was dry and nearly dead. There was a gently breeze that blew through the air as she got up. Her breathing was rapid, her eyes darting everywhere.

“What is this?” she said.

Last she could remember, she was in Ezra Jacobs’ facility. But now… now she didn’t know where she was.

“Nicole?” Anna looked around. “Michael? Jessica? John?”

Walking forward, she reached the edge of a cliff, looking out over a valley. Its hills and slopes were dark like night, as if their shadows were concealing something. Her eyes widened as she saw a city faintly glowing in the distance.

“Albert?” she yelled, tears in her eyes. “Albert?”

She fell to her knees, burying her heard in her hands. She began to sob, crying like she had never before.

“Where am I?”

## Characters

* Anna Brail
* Nicole Weaver
* Matthew Weaver
* Albert Clarkson
* Jessica Sapphire
* Mark Brail
* John Dillon
* Claire Darrel
* William Burrows
* Sharon Raydor
* Alex Nolan
* Jenna-Louise Nolan
* Ezra Jacobs
* Alexandra Jacobs
* John Arwin
* Wyatt Grayson
* Emma Meraz
* Michael Carson
* Natalie Weaver
* Jackson Weaver
* Victoria
* Christopher Abrams

## Trivia

* The titles of chapters 3 and 12 are taken from the *Legend of Korra* episodes of the same name while the title of chapters 1 and 13 are taken from the *Fringe* episodes of the same name.
* *Volume 3* will mark a turning point in the story, changing the narrative for all future installments.