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  The hooded man took a step back, his hands outstretched in a rexed fighting pose. The eerie skull-like mask on his face shining a bit with the refle of the purple fmes dang from his fiips. His armored body tehe cloak on his back fluttering in a sourceless breeze. Ahead of him, framed by the backdrop of the dimly lit warehouse he was standing in, was a stily an in what amouo the world's most revealing fighting gi. She shifted on her feet and held up her fists, her eyes narrowing, her brown hair swayi and right at her waist.

  He moved first, rag in with a sharp jab to her waist. She shifted a half step and dropped her arm to block it, a strange golden glow refleg the attack. He pivoted and tried to dip into a sweeping kily for her to drive her ko the side of his head. His head whipped to the side and he pulled back with a snarl and grunt of pain, before darting fain. This time she caught him with a punch to the shoulder that he failed to blo time. He stumbled and she hit him again, this time i, he folded over uhe ford was unched into the air.

  “Gah!” He gasped only to get struck with a spinning uppercut at the same spot. He went higher and before he could blink she was above him, pinwheeling in the air as she brought her heel down on his back. He hit the ground with a crash and turned into a plume of purple fme that ripped across the ground a few feet, gaining some distance. As soon as he reformed she was there again.

  “Hyat!” She shouted, driving in another punch, then another, and another. He was forced back further and further, orike leading into the other effortlessly. He tried to respond, to block, to do anything to protect himself, but he could only stagger when the flurry ended, swaying on the spot. She nded on the ground a few feet away and brought both her hands back, fingers curled like teeth. She kicked off the ground ached as what looked like an illusory tiger formed around her hands. It struck with a resounding bang.

  “Aaaaaughhh!” He cried out as he was thrown onto his back.

  “K. O! MIKU WINS!” A deep voice rumbled.

  Sonya dropped her troller a out a groan of frustration, slumping bato the seat of the couext to her, Amos threw his hands up in a whoop and hopped to his feet, kig off his slippers doing a little dance. She crossed her arms over her t-shirt that said ‘yuri is my anti-drug’ and kicked her legs in her pajamas. “Again?” She whined, “How did you even do that?”

  Amos was in the midst of his dance wheopped and struck a heroic pose, in the air in his baggy pajamas and an t-shirt, “Get good, that’s how.”

  She growled and jumped at him, getting him into a headlod pulling him to the ground. He struggled and kicked his feet. “Hey! Leggo!” He barked as she ground her knuckles into the top of his head, “You’ll never get my secrets, witch!”

  “You wan?” She barked back.

  Behind them, standing in the middle of the multi-room hotel suite, Marta was sipping at a cup of coffee and watg them with barely tained exasperation. She was wearing a long nightgown and had her hair up in a ponytail. “If only the world could see you now,” She said with a sigh and walked over to the couch as Sonya looked up at her with a sheepish griing go of Amos who scrambled out of her grip.

  “I want another round!” Sonya demanded.

  “You’ll lose again,” Amos warned her, rubbing his head.

  Marta sipped at her coffee, “I have a question,” She said calmly, tilting her head at the two of them, “Why are you even b with trollers, don’t you both have teopathy?” She asked.

  The two of them bli her, Sonya’s cyberic eyes twirling a little bit to refocus. They looked at eachother, then back at her again. She let out a sigh as grins spread across their faces and they turo the television again, sitting down in front of it. She let out a sigh and shook her head, “The world's first supervilin, everyone,” She said with a groan and leaned bato the couch to watch the matyway.

  Before they had a ce to really get started, though, a knock came to the door of the hotel room. Marta grunted and got to her feet, drifting across the ground as the other two moved to the couch to watch the door from behind it. Marta stopped at the door and peered through before reag for the handle and opening it. Sonya squinted and then brightened, a smile bursting onto her face. She hopped over the back of the coud nded, hurrying over.

  “Nick!” She called.

  Oher side of the door was the brown haired Nick Adders, the true identity of the hero Firestorm. Behind him were three others who were looking decidedly uneasy. Sonya practically tackled the man in a hug before pulling bad looking him up and down, “You look great! I’m so gd you could make it!” She ughed, stepping bad gesturing inside, “Please, e in! These must be the friends you mentioned!”

  Nick bli Sonya’s exubera mao rex into an easy grin. “It’s good to see you too!” He said and walked into the hotel room. He looked fortable surrounded by luxury while the nced around in awed curiosity. The first was a young man with messy bck hair and dark eyes, “This is Logan Williams,” the sed was a blonde girl in a blue dress, “Jessica Wright,” the third was a man in his thirties with a dark bover and blue eyes, “And this is Doctor Larry Ellis.”

  Sonya shook hands with all three of them, “It is an absolute pleasure to meet with Nick’s friends,” She said with a starlight smile, brushing her white hair back. They stared only a moment at her meical eyes and rather ckadaisical outfit. “I am Sonya ovna, CEO of ASTA Corporation.”

  “I-it’s an honor, ma’am,” Logan said with a gulp, his face a bit flushed.

  Sonya ughed, “Oh, don’t be so formal, please call me Sonya, all of you,” She said with a wave, “You’re risking a lot being here,” She said and raised her hand to her heart, “Thank you for ing.”

  The three of them looked at one another with a bit more heart in their eyes. Sonya watched their expressions before turning away with a relieved smile and walking further into the hotel room, “Amos, order some pizza for us!” She called and he raised a hand to wave at her. She g Marta who frowned disapprovingly but sighed and walked back to the couch. She turned a bit towards Nick again, “So how’s your father doing?”

  “Wonderful, thank you, he went out skiing st week,” He said.

  “That’s great to hear,” She said and made her way towards the dining table opposite the ‘living room’ part of the hotel room. She slipped into a seat. “e and have a seat, the flight must have been exhausting.”

  “It wasn’t so bad,” Nick said and sat down closest to her, the others joining soon afterwards. “I’m just gd we could get on the pne.”

  “The TSA is rexing a bit with the redu in motacks and nobody’s stupid enough to use their powers on a pne, yet,” Sonya said with a sigh, leaning ba her seat. She turo the others, “So, did Nick expin to you what you’d be doing tomorrow?”

  They looked at one another for a moment before the girl, Jessica, swallowed. “Yes,” She said hesitantly, “Publicly disclosing our identities at a senate hearing.”

  Sonya rested her elbow oable and looked her in the eyes, “It takes a lot of ce to agree to do something like this, like I said before, you’re taking a huge risk.”

  Larry cleared his throat, “You’re right, it is,” He said cagily, “But it also means a ce that what we do could bee legal. We could help people with the support of the gover.”

  Logan looked down at his hands, he was trembling a little, “D-do you think it’ll work?”

  Sonya let out a breath and smiled at them, “I ’t promise that the senators will make the right choio one , but I think we have a very good orrow, especially with your help,” She said softly, “Frankly, I don’t think my speech will have nearly as much impact without your presence. Especially yours, Nick. You’ve garnered quite the following.”

  Nick chuckled and rubbed his neck, “I’m uh… just doing what I .”

  “Well, if I have my way, I’ll turn the four of you into heroes in every sense of the word when this is over,” Sonya said, “I’m going to push for a few things to allow me to sponsor people like you, provide you with the gear and tools you o succeed,” She held up her hands, “I’m sure you’ve noticed that feeling, that you could get more out of your abilities if you just had something to prop them up. Maybe an outfit that was fire resistant, for example,” She wi Nick.

  Loga out a sigh, “I would do anything for a funal grappling hook, it’s hard to get to high ground easily.”

  “You hear that, Amos?” Sonya called back.

  “I’ll add it to the list!” He shouted back.

  The pizza came not long after that and the young heroes were able to have a ce to rex, they talked and ughed, putting the scary day that was to e out of their minds for a little while. That brief moment of ess did not st, unfortunately, as Marta gnced down at her phone and froze. She looked up at Sonya who cast her a sidelong look. “What is it?” She asked, though her tone seemed to imply that she already knew. Marta turhe phone around to show Sonya and Sonya’s expressio hard. “Amos, switch to the news, dear.”

  Amos frow her and she gave him a stern look, “Now, please.”

  The others looked over, “What’s up?” Nick asked.

  Sonya let out a sigh and sat down on the couch as the tv switched over to the news. “Better seen, I think,” She said soberly.

  “...in Dharan! There are monsters everywhere!” The reporter shouted. On the s, dozens of hounds were darting down a street below. It looked like the reporter was in a helicopter. “Terrain is making it difficult for the Nepalese govero respond and the numbers of creatures tio increase! We’ve already spotted at least four Lurkers during this pass and we haven’t even covered a fra of the town. Local light-touched are doing their best but- wait- what the hell is that?!”

  A terrible screech ripped out of the speakers as something with wings crashed into the helicopter just as the camera tilted up to see it. Shouts rang out and the feed cut. The s turned back to an anchor sitting in their seat, pale faced, he swallowed and looked at the camera. “As you have just seen, a rge wave of monsters has appeared iy of Dharan, Nepal, goverroops are doing their best to get there but are enteriaside the city. We have amateur journalists filming the events as best they , but the footage is difficult to watch.”

  The s ged again to a vertical video, taken on a cellphone. Someone was breathing hard oher side, “So many hounds! Where are they even ing from? I’m at Chatara Line and Jana Path right now, I-I’ve got family here, we’re just visiting! Why is this happening? Where are the light-touched?” The sound of gu off the sound of the person speaking and the view turo see a line of police with ons raised, firing desperately at the oning wave of beasts. The hounds didn’t even flinch. “Oh my god.”

  Nick gripped the back of the couch, “What the hell…”

  Jessica covered her mouth and closed her eyes as the feed cut again.

  Larry hung his head and smmed his fist, “Damn it.”

  Sonya simply sat there, staring unblinking at the s for a moment before taking a deep, shuddering breath, “Amos, how quickly we ship munitions to Nepal?” Amos stared at her bnkly, horrified for a moment before fully meeting her gaze, he swallowed and got to his feet, “I’m on it, it’ll take at least a day but I doubt s is going tue with me.”

  “Get it done,” Sonya said and clutched her hands together tightly in her p. She stared at the s as the anchor tio try to expiuation as best as he could. She didn’t tear her eyes away as more footage came through, the bottom of the s now featuring the words ‘Disaster in Dharan’. She took a deep breath and got to her feet as the ouhe others looked at her.

  “Sonya?” Marta asked, “Where are you going?”

  “To revise my speech,” She said darkly.

  “Are they even going to keep to the schedule tomorrow after this?” Marta insisted, “This is horrible.”

  “Oh they will, but it’ll be a formality now,” Sonya said coldly, walking to the door to her bedroom, she pushed it open and looked over her shoulder, “They need heroes now and they know it.”

  Sonya stepped inside her room and shut the door before c her face with her hand. She rest her ba the door and took a few deep breaths.

  I thought I’d be okay, seeing that footage a sed time, She thought, There was nothing I could do. If I pre-emptively sent equipment to Dharan, I would have been basically admitting I knew what was ing. There was nothing I could do, I had to let it happen.

  “Damn these eyes,” She croaked, “I want to cry.”