Serena checked her makeup and tousled her ptinum blonde hair for the huh time, then studied her refle in her locker mirror. A smile, a wink, and a small sigh followed.

  Showtime.

  She walked out of the locker room, dressed in a professional attire, looking more like an assistant than a hero. She made her way down the corridors and stood in front of a rge door, the e reading "Diamond Ace." Taking a moment to steel her nerves, she finally pushed open the door aered.

  Inside, a sleek office greeted her. Large windows overlooked the cityscape below, and in the ter of the room was the striking figure of Luke Strid, or Diamond Ace, as he was better known.

  He was a handsome man, tall, with short brown hair and a face that seemed carved from marble. He wore a crisp bck suit and a blue tie that plemented his hazel eyes. But his gaze held a ess that was unnerving.

  At the moment, he was seated behind his desk, engrossed in the tents of a thick dossier, its cover marked 'Top Secret'.

  Serena introduced herself, feeling a bit out of pce. "Hi, I'm—"

  "Serena Holt," Luke cut her off, not even b to look up from his paperwork. His tone was curt and dismissive, making her feel even more unfortable. "Yes, I've been briefed."

  Taken aback by his abruptness, she tried again. "Yes, that's me. But I'm also known as—"

  "Glimmerstrike. I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are," Luke interrupted her again, his voice ft.

  Serena's fidence faltered under his brusque attitude.

  What is wrong with this guy?

  After an unfortable pause, Luke finally looked up, fixing her with an unamused stare. "Why is Paragon's bumbling ingénue in my office?"

  Serena frow the insult but chose not to dignify it with a response. Instead, she said, "Dr. Montoya Tanner, from Paragoertai, said we're supposed to work together."

  He sighed deeply, his brow furrowing as he closed the dossier and put it aside.

  "Did she now?" he asked, soundihahusiastic.

  He then turned his chair and walked to the rge windows that offered a panoramic view of the bustling cityscape below. For a moment, he simply looked out, hands csped behind his back, a pensive look on his face. Serena stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say .

  "The agency is trying to py matchmaker, it seems," Luke finally broke the silence, his back still turo her. "But let's face it, Serena. You're ly what I need or want."

  "What?" Serena blurted out, taken aback by the harsh words.

  Luke didn't even aowledge her, tinuing as if she hadn't spoken at all. "Your powers are fshy, sure, and your publicity is impressive, but you're not a fighter. You're not a tacti. You're not even particurly clever. What could I possibly gain from teaming up with you?"

  She opened her mouth, a retort oip of her tongue, but she caught herself and held back. Angering him wasn't going to help. Besides, in a strange way, his bluntness was almost refreshing after the stant doublespeak from the agend her manager.

  "Look, I uand that we're in different leagues," Serena started, keeping her voice steady. "I'm not deluding myself. But that doesn't mean we 't work together. We're both superheroes. We have the same goal. We could... I don't know, brainstorm or something. We have to try, at least."

  Luke's scoff was audible. "You're missing the point, Serena. The issue is not that we're in different leagues. The issue is that I'm the star pyer, and you're the mascot. How could the mascot ever tribute to the game?"

  Serena's eyes wide the parison. Did he really just call her a mascot?

  "Excuse me?" she shot back, her temper rising. "Did you just call me a mascot?"

  Luke shrugged, indifferent to her rea. "I'm just stating the obvious. Your role is to eain, not to perform. You're not cut from the same cloth as the rest of us. You're here to sell merdise and make kids cheer, not to save the world. You're a glorified celebrity, Serena. Nothing more."

  "I'm not a mascot," Serena argued, her frustration building. "I've trained just like everyone else. I've fought, I've saved lives. I'm a hero, just like you."

  "Are you, though?" Luke turo face her, his eyes meeting hers. There was a challenge in his gaze, a hint of a dare. "When was the st time you went toe-to-toe with a real threat? When was the st time you faced a situation that geested your limits? Or have you spent the st couple of years sipping champag gas, signing autographs for screaming fans, and pretending that you're a hero?"

  She ched her fists at her sides, trying to keep her posure. But a part of her—the part that had been stifled and muted for years—was screaming to be heard. She felt the urge to sh out, to show him he was wrong, that she was more than a pretty face, but she held back. She wasn't going to let him bait her.

  "I'm not pretending," she said firmly, holding his gaze. "I've dohings, saved people. Maybe I'm not as experienced as you are, but that doesn't make me any less of a hero."

  "Really?" he arched an eyebrow, stepping closer to her. "Then why is it that every time you cross paths with Axion, she beats you bd blue? Why is it that the media has dubbed you 'Axion's Pung Bag'? Why is it that no matter what you do, you 't seem to outsmart her, outmaneuver her, or even match her strength?"

  "That's... that's," Serena faltered, his words hitting a raw nerve. She wao deny it, to find some excuse or justification, but she couldn't. He was right, and a part of her hated that. "I just—I just haven't found the right strategy yet. She's strong, but she's not uable."

  "Strategy?" Luke ughed, the sound devoid of any genuine amusement. "You really think it's a ck of strategy that's holding you back? Serena, open your eyes. You're in over your head. You're not ready to face the big leagues, a here you are, thinking you py in them."

  His words were like a sp in the face, but she refused to let him see how much they stung. Instead, she lifted her a his gaze head-on.

  "So what's your brilliant pn?" she retorted, her voice icy. "Stand here and insult me? Because that's really productive."

  He let out another humorless ugh. "Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you? For me to e up with a pn, do all the work, and then swoop in at the st mio take the credit. Is that how you mao get your position? By leeg off the hard work of others?"

  "That's not—"

  "Not what?" Luke interrupted, his voice rising. "Not true? You don't think I've done my research? You don't think I know all about the skeletons in your closet, Serena? Or should I say, the favors you called in to get to where you are today?"

  "What are you talking about?" Serena's face paled, but she kept her expressioral.

  Everything she did to get where she was, was because she worked hard for it. The sacrifices, the promises. She earned her spot at the top fair and square.

  "Don't py dumb with me. You're just another entitled brat who got a free ride because of who you know," Luke surning his ba her and walking to his desk.

  Serena stared back at him, her eyes narrowing. "How dare you! I worked my ass off to get where I am. I sacrificed everything—my privacy, my retionships, my entire life—to be a hero. And I won't let some egomaniac with a god plex snder my name like that!"

  "Oh, is that so?" Luke sneered, reag for a file on his desk. He pulled out a stack of papers and tossed them at her feet. "Then expin this. Expin how someoh your mediocre performan training, your abysmal test scores, and your plete ck of bat experience mao secure the top spot in the agency. How did you do it, Serena? With your sparkling personality? With your charming wit and your dazzling smile?"

  What the hell was he talking about? Sure her performarics duriraining period didly light the world on fire, but they weren't the worst either. She passed the evaluations, got her lise, and the putting in the work after that. Didn't she?

  She reached down, picked up the papers, and skimmed through them.

  No... This 't be right. These numbers were faked. Her metrics weren't mediocre, they were dht abysmal.

  Test Subject: S. Holt, Age: 18, Sex: Female

  Evaluation:

  - Tactical Awareness: Poor- Threat Assessment: Below Average- Critical Thinking: Below Average- Social Intelligence: Mediocre- bat Skills: Poor- Power trol: Below Average- Physical Fitness: Mediocre- Leadership: Poor- Mental Resilience: Mediocre- Deaking: Mediocre- Adaptability: Below Average- Situational Awareness: Poor- Overall Heroic Aptitude: Unsuitable

  Her breath caught ihroat, and she felt the blood drain from her face. "These aren't my scores. I never—I would never—"

  "Would never what?" Luke snapped, cutting her off. "Would never lie? Would never cheat? Because these papers tell a different story, Serena. They paint a picture of someone who's in way over her head, who's pying at being a hero when she should be a mascot."

  No, seriously. These weren't the scores she remembered. These weren't even the scores Dr. Tanner printed out and showed her ba the day. Even now, she has that sheet of paper framed back at her apartment.

  What the hell was going on? Someone had to have switched out the paperwork.

  Was someorying to frame her—wait, aside from Dr. Tanner and the other head honchos at the Institute, no one else would even have access to these things. Except...

  "Vale," she murmured, her eyes widening in realization.

  "What?" Luke asked, taken aback.

  "Vale, my manager, or well, ex-manager, I guess," she expined, her voice barely more than a whisper. "He must have switched the scores. He's always trying to trol everything in my life, dictating what I and 't do. He got demoted a few days ago because I've had enough of his bullshit. He must've dohis as a final 'fuck you' on his way out."

  Luke stared at her incredulously. "You seriously expect me to believe that your manager fed your test scores and sed them out just to spite you?"

  "I have a physical copy of my test score at home. I know for a fact these aren't mine. Even if you don't believe me, we call Dr. Tanner right now and she'll sort this mess out."

  For once, she was happy that that sadistiaed. Dr. Tanner's memory ractically photographic. If anyone would remember, she would.

  Luke looked at her skeptically but eventually caved in. "Fine. I'll give her a call. But if I find out you're lying, you're done. I'll make sure everyone knows you're a fraud, and I'll personally see to it that your career as a superhero is over."

  Serena nodded, swallowing hard. "I uand."

  She sat in tense silence as Luke pced the call to Dr. Tanner. After a few minutes of terse versation, Luke ehe call and turned back to Serena.

  "Well, it seems that your scores were indeed falsified," he admitted, ping the bridge of his nose. "It's a security issue. We'll have to iigate how this breach occurred. Tanner cims your actual scores, while still g, were much higher than the papers insinuate."

  Serena sighed, a wave of relief washing over her. "Thank god. I knew I wasn't that bad."

  "Still bad, but not that bad," Luke admitted grudgingly. "Listen, I won't apologize for what was said here today. You're still a novice. But I will say that I was wrong to accuse you of falsifying your test results."

  "Thanks, I guess," Serena muttered, still feeling a bit shaken by the whole ordeal.

  "Here's what's going to happen," Luke tinued, his tone brisk. "Yoing to put in the work. I'm talking interaining, daily drills, bat simutions—the works. I'll be your mentor, your trainer, and your worst nightmare until you're up to snuff. And if you 't keep up, if you fall behind or show even the slightest hint of weakness, you're out. Uood?"

  Serena stared at him, her eyes wide. "Seriously?"

  "I'm not known for joking around," Luke said, his face impassive. "You have one ce to prove to me that you're more than just a mascot. And believe me, I'm not expeg much. So don't let me down."

  She wao refuse, but there was no room fument. It was either agree to his terms ive up on her career as a superhero.

  "Okay," she finally said, her voice barely audible. "I'll do it."

  He nodded, satisfied. "Good. Be at the training facility at 5 a.m. sharp tomorrow m. And don't be te."

  And with that, he dismissed her, turning back to his paperwork. Serena slowly walked out of the room, her head still spinning from the enter. As the door shut behind her, she couldn't help but feel like she'd just made a deal with the devil.

  "Okay, that went well."

  "The Css A hero, Diamond Ace, known for his exempry bat prowess and strong moral values, was issioo subdue the slum's rogue metahuman, Axion. In a dispy of camaraderie, Paragoertai has teamed up Diamond Ace with their star superhero Glimmerstrike in their ongoing pursuit of this notorious Supervilin."

  "Axion's killing of the te legendary Superhero, Prime, is widely perceived as an act of terrorism by the public. Our city's patrons questioropolitan Police Department's ckadaisical response and hold our unity leaders atable for allowing her as to go unchecked in our city's derelict sector."

  "In a live stream hosted by Diamond Ace yesterday, he openly decred, 'This wless Supervilin shall not be left to her own devices any longer. Both Glimmerstrike and I will no loand by as she roams the slums with impunity. With a shared spirit, we now step in to restore justid reassert the rule of w. No matter where you lurk in this city, nobody is beyond our reach.'"

  "In the annou, Paragoertai urged the publiot to engage in any activity that could endaheir lives or the lives of others and emphasized the importance of letting Diamond Ad Glimmerstrike hahe situation. Glimmerstrike and Diamond Atend to post additional updates to their live els detailing their progress, and have assured the public that the search for Axion is well underway. Viewership and support for both heroines have risen signifitly following the annou—"

  Taused the streaming video on her monitor and gnced over at Fii. "All I'm saying is they're ramping things up a notch, Fifi. Now, you've got not one, but two big-name Supers gunning for your ass."

  Fii groaned as she sank deeper into the couch. "Yeah, because it was just getting too peaceful around here."

  The mention of the uping double trouble evoked a deep sigh from her, prompting a pyful chuckle from Tweak. "You really know how to attract all the right attention, don't ya?"

  "Right?" Fii retorted sarcastically. "First Glimmerstrike, and now this Diamond Ace person? I don't want to fight other Supers. I don't want this to end up like it did with Prime."

  "I hear you, girl. But on the bright side..." Toi the news article on the monitor, "They're making you sound like a total badass."

  Fii scoffed at the praise. "I'd much rather they didn't call me a 'Supervilin.' It's not like I'm running around doing bad things."

  "They just have to make you out to be the vilin. A rogue Super not under corporate tristered with the city is a threat in their eyes."

  "Well, they've got some seriously screwed up priorities."

  "There's a lot to unpack when it es to the retionship between superheroes and the authorities, but they're on a mission to paint you as evil and them as righteous. The best strategy against that is to keep doing what you're doing and show the world that you're the good guy. Hero. Whatever." Tweak gestured dramatically with her hands, adding a theatrical fir.

  A smirk pyed on Fii's lips. "Says the anarchist who would probably be cheering at a headline reading, 'Massive Riot Engulfs Metropolis.'"

  Tped a palm to her chest in faux indignation. "Anarchist? Me? Now, hold on. I might have a little anarchist inside me, but not for the sake of chaos. I want a world without corporate fat cats, exploitation, or systems that profit from injustice. Is that too much to ask?"

  Fii chuckled. "You know I'm just kidding."

  She lifted herself from the coud moved behind Tweak, who was fortably seated in a worher chair at her puter station. She gently rested her hands on Tweak's shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

  Tweak tilted her head back to look up at her. "Aw, I know, Fifi. Just bustin' your chops."

  Leaning over, Fii sed the myriad of monitors sprawled across Tweak's desk. "What have you been up to while I was out?"

  "Oh, you know, the usual stuff a sidekick does." Tweak clicked on a minimized window, unveiling a message board abze with ents. "Not everyone is buying into the news els' propaganda, but that's nothing new. Most of the forums are torn in half. But on the upside, you've definitely got a passionate fanbase rallying behind you."

  With a flourish, Tened various forum topi the background, each boasting tless threads and ents. The majority of them were named something like '#TeamHero' or '#Justice4Axion.'

  "Most of your fans are trying to reverse the narrative. There's a hashtag campaign in full swing. The attention isn't as huge as aragon's heroines have going on, but there's still enough to gee a nice buzz."

  Fii raised a brow. "Wait, eople there siding with me?"

  "Because apparently, Prime wasly as heroic as the corporations tried to make him out to be. The spiracy theorists are out in droves, and they're all pretty active online. Look." Tweak turned back to the message board.

  "See that user right there? 'Lonelyowl666?' That guy is a huge fan of yours, Fifi. Here, check out what he's posting," Tweak suggested. She then zoomed in on the user's thread.

  "A lot of rime did never sat well with me. He cimed to be a protector of the i, yet he took it upon himself to judge, jury, and execute anyone he deemed 'unworthy.' Axion gave him a taste of his own medie, and good on her."

  "He wasn't the pinnacle of justice," read another. "We all remember that story. Someone calling herself Blue Impulse used to run with him. Their st days together weren't pretty."

  "Prime was no saint. If it wasn't for this 'Axion' character, he would still be out there pying judge, jury, and executioner," a third user replied.

  "Been wanting this guy dead ever since he killed my cousin."

  Tweak gnced back at Fii. "There are dozens of these little rants," she said. "Those are just some of the highlights. Believe it or not, there are actually some pretty credible sources on this thread too. Look."

  "Prime's policy wasn't w and order," wrote another. "It was intimidation, trol, and submission. Those who opposed him were often found dead with their bodies mangled or ripped apart. He was a tyrant. Only a coward hides behind anonymity."

  "That st one is a military veteran," Tweak added. "Or so he says. All those little thumbs-ups as are other people who agree with him."

  Fii grimaced, the memories of her enter with Prime fshing vividly through her mind. "They're right about Prime, of course, but I'm not too thrilled about all this talk of... well, killing."

  "Yeah, it's a bit, uh, inteweak aowledged with a grimace, scrolling further. "Here, look. An thread. The author is an iigative journalist who's trying to track dowropolis' darkest secrets. Or maybe they're just pretending to be one; who knows? Either way, you're trending like hotcakes."

  Fii shook her head. "I don't know, Tweak. It's all just too... I don't even know how to describe it. Too much? It makes me unfortable."

  Tatted Fii's hand. "Not surprising, holy. After that initial frontatioween you and Glimmerstrike, I did some digging, and it turns out that quite a few people are paring the situatioween you and Prime to what's happeniween you and Glimmerstrike."

  "I just want Glimmerstrike to leave me alone, not dead. Heck, I'll even shake her hand if she does."

  Tweak shrugged. "I see how there are some simirities, but the fact that people are eveing this is a good sign. It means they're asking questions, and that's a start."

  Fii took a deep breath. "So, what now?"

  "We carry on, I guess? It looks like those hero chicks are determi you down, so I'll do my best to keep tabs on them while you focus on the whole 'being a Superhero' thing. It's hard to say exactly where they'll turn up. Those corporate types keep their pns pretty tight-lipped, but I'll let you know as soon as something pops up on my radar."

  Fii rubbed her forehead wearily. "It's just that... I don't want to fight them, but it seems like that's exactly what they're ing for."

  "Just do your thing," Tweak said. "Fight for what's right, help those in need, and show them you're the good guy in all of this. Don't give them any reasons to go after you. Well, more than they already have, anyway. And if it does e to a fight, be a badass about it. I mean, if you had no problems kig Prime's ass, then those corporate goons shouldn't be an issue, right?"

  "I got really lucky back then," Fii admitted, the weight of memory heavy upon her. "He uimated me and didn't expect my powers to work in the way they did. If I hadn't caught him off guard, things might not have turned out so well."

  Tweak shrugged. "Don't undersell yourself, girl. You did what you had to do, and you came out on top. That ts for something."

  "I suppose you're right, but it's still nerve-wrag."

  "It'll all work out, Fifi," Tweak reassured her. "For now, just focus on doing what you do best."

  "Fair enough," Fii ceded. "Thanks, Tweak."

  "Anytime, babe," she said as she rotated back to her puter ss. "And on that note, why don't you go grab us some drinks. My throat's dry as hell."