The sharp smell of lightning filled the air as Angelo and Jack caught their breath, their chests rising and falling with each deep gulp of air. Though their bodies ached from the fight, seeing their enemies – the lightning and wind Aurons – lying unconscious at their feet made it all worth it.

  Angelo wiped sweat from his forehead, about to smile in relief, when Blue's urgent voice rang through his mind: "A commendable display of tactical prowess," Blue acknowledged. "However, I regret to inform you our current predicament remains unresolved."

  Across the ruined town square, Blue was locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the last Infernian terrorist – a mountain of muscle whose every punch left spider-web cracks in the ground.

  "Hold still, you little pest!" the force Auron roared. His face had turned an ugly shade of purple, matching the violent energy that flickered around him like an angry storm. Each time he swung and missed, another chunk of concrete went flying.

  Blue's form danced away from the attacks, moving like a leaf in the wind. His body flickered slightly with each near miss, as if the force of the blows was making him less solid. "Your physical prowess is remarkable," he observed, his voice precise and measured despite the chaos. "Though I must note a rather concerning inverse correlation between muscle mass and cognitive function in your case."

  Angelo frowned as he watched through their shared mental connection. "What are you doing, Blue?" he thought back. "Making him angry isn't going to help!"

  "A calculated risk, I assure you," Blue replied, though Angelo could hear the strain in his mental voice. "His increasing aggression correlates directly with a marked decrease in combat efficiency." He paused, dodging another earth-shaking punch. "But I won't lie–these shockwaves are wearing me down. I can't keep this up much longer."

  Angelo nodded, understanding exactly what Blue meant. "Got it. Just needed to catch my breath." He let his orange energy fade, giving his tired muscles a moment's rest. "Red's out of action, but we've still got Jack and Bill. We'll be there soon."

  Looking around the square made Angelo's heart sink. The place looked like a war zone – broken concrete everywhere, dust hanging in the air like fog, and the sharp tang of supernatural energy making his nose twitch.

  He turned to Jack and Bill, his voice firm but encouraging. "Alright, here's the deal. Blue's keeping big-and-ugly busy, but he needs backup. We move now."

  Jack switched off his earth-based powers, his face grim. "Can't waste any time," he agreed, rolling his shoulders. "That brute took down two of my guys with one hit. We can't let that happen again."

  Bill stepped forward, looking like he'd been through a tornado – uniform torn, hair wild, face dirty. But his eyes shone with determination. "I know my wind powers aren't much," he said, voice shaking slightly. "But I want to help, boss!" The way he said 'boss' made it clear—their earlier fight had earned his respect.

  Angelo couldn't help but smile. "That's what I like to hear. Now let's—"

  "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON HERE?"

  The booming voice made them all jump. Chief Ramirez came storming into view, his face as red as a stop light. Behind him, other officers rushed to help injured civilians and fallen police.

  "I want explanations, and I want them now!" the chief bellowed, jabbing a finger at Angelo. "And you! You're supposed to be suspended! Yet here you are, right in the middle of this chaos!"

  Bill looked like he wanted to disappear into thin air. Angelo stood his ground, meeting the chief's angry stare. "Sir, I can explain—"

  "Chief," Jack cut in, his voice steady and strong. "My squad engaged the terrorists first, following protocol. We got overwhelmed. Angelo only stepped in to help. Without him, this would've been much worse."

  The other conscious officers nodded quickly, backing Jack up. The chief's face softened just a tiny bit, some of the anger leaving his eyes.

  Red's voice burst into Angelo's mind: "Come on! We don't have time for this paperwork nonsense. Blue needs us!"

  Angelo seized his chance. "Sir, I know you're angry, but this isn't over. There's still one more terrorist out there, and Blue's barely holding him back. We need to move before anyone else gets hurt."

  Chief Ramirez looked at the knocked-out terrorists, then back at Angelo. After what felt like forever, he sighed. "Fine. We'll deal with this later. But don't think you're off the hook, Angelo."

  Angelo nodded quickly, his orange energy springing to life around him like a protective flame. Jack and Bill powered up too, their different-colored auras making them look like human light shows.

  Through their mental link, Angelo could feel Blue's energy getting weaker. They needed to hurry – before it was too late.

  "Let's go," Angelo called, and they raced toward the sound of fighting, leaving behind one very unhappy police chief.

  The three officers landed on top of one of the buildings nearby, catching their breath as they watched Blue dodge the force Auron's attacks in the distance. Each impact shook the ground like a mini earthquake, sending bits of concrete skittering across the pavement.

  Jack ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair, his face dead serious. "Okay, let's talk about what we're dealing with here," he said, keeping his voice low. "Force Aurons are like walking tanks. Hit like freight trains, tough as steel."

  Bill shifted forward eagerly, his rookie uniform still dusty from their earlier fight. "Every tank has a weak spot though, right?" His eyes darted between Jack and Angelo, hungry to learn. "Something we can use?"

  Jack's face softened a bit at Bill's question. "Smart thinking, kid. Actually, yeah – they've got one big weakness." He picked up a small rock, tossing it from hand to hand as he explained. "See, all their power goes into making them super strong. They can't shoot stuff like we can – it's all punch, no projectiles."

  "Wait..." Bill's eyes lit up like he'd just solved a puzzle. "We can all attack from far away. Doesn't that give us the advantage?"

  Angelo shook his head, absently rubbing his shoulder where it had gotten banged up earlier. "If only it were that easy." He gestured toward the force Auron, who was still trying to squash Blue like an annoying fly. "Our normal attacks wouldn't even scratch him. And the second he gets his hands on any of us?" Angelo drew a finger across his throat. "Game over."

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  He leaned forward, his voice getting even more serious. "Plus, these guys can use their force power like rocket fuel – makes them way faster than they look. One second they're far away, next second..." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

  The excitement drained from Bill's face. "Oh." He swallowed hard. "So what's the plan? How do we stop someone like that?"

  The only answer was the distant boom of another missed punch and the tinkle of falling debris. Angelo stared into the middle distance, clearly running scenarios in his head. Finally, he spoke: "I might have something. It's pretty risky, but..." He shrugged. "Better than nothing."

  Jack and Bill leaned in close, hope mixing with worry on their faces. "Let's hear it," Jack said.

  Angelo drew a quick diagram in the dust with his finger. "We hit him with everything we've got, all at once. No holding back. But here's the tricky part – we need time to charge up without him spotting us. If he sees us coming, the whole thing falls apart."

  Jack nodded slowly, stroking his chin. "Sounds like a risky plan, but I can't think of a better one. But how do we set it up?"

  Angelo turned to Jack. "You can control earth, right? Think you could make us a hiding spot? Like a wall?" He traced a line in his dust drawing. "I can charge up behind it, then blast straight through when we're ready."

  "Hold up," Bill cut in, forehead wrinkled in confusion. "How will you know where to aim if you can't see him?"

  A tiny smile tugged at Angelo's mouth. "That's where Blue comes in." He tapped his temple. "As long as he's out there keeping our friend busy, I can feel his position at all times. I just aim to that."

  "Well damn." Jack's eyebrows shot up, impressed. "That's actually pretty clever."

  Bill bounced slightly where he crouched, getting excited again. "This is gonna be amazing! We've totally got this!"

  "Slow down," Angelo warned, holding up a hand. "You both need to understand something – this is a one-shot deal. If we mess it up, that's it. No second chances."

  That sobered everyone up quick. But then Jack's head snapped up, eyes scanning their surroundings. "Wait a second..." He pointed to a spot about twenty feet away. "Over there – perfect spot for the wall. And big guy's not even looking this way."

  Before anyone could blink, Jack's hands moved in a sharp gesture. The ground rumbled, and a solid wall of packed earth rose up like it was growing straight out of the pavement.

  Angelo let out a low whistle. "Nice moves. But let's make this plan even better." He shifted to face both of them. "While I'm charging up my attack, you guys should get ready too. Jack, how about a boulder, something dense and heavy? Bill, see if you can pack some air into a tight ball – like a wind cannon. When I hit him, he'll probably stumble. That's your chance – both of you aim for his head. If we time it right, we can take him down for good."

  Jack and Bill traded determined looks. "Works for me," Jack said firmly.

  They moved into position behind Jack's wall, each one focusing on gathering their power. The air around them felt thick and heavy, like right before a thunderstorm. Through their shared connection, Angelo could feel Blue still keeping the force Auron distracted, buying them the precious time they needed to make this work.

  Orange light pooled in Angelo's hands like water filling a cup. Next to him, Jack pressed his palms together making a boulder appeared out of thin air – squeezing it until it was hard as steel. Bill's face scrunched up like he was trying to solve a math problem as he packed air between his hands into something solid enough to punch with.

  Behind their makeshift wall, the three of them could feel it – this was it. One shot to end this fight before anyone else got hurt.

  But something was wrong. The force Auron's head snapped up like a dog catching a scent. His eyes narrowed at their wall, where bits of light leaked through tiny cracks like a flashlight under a door.

  Blue saw the change in the giant's face and knew they were running out of time. He had to do something crazy – something more like what Red would do.

  "I say," Blue called out, his proper voice going weirdly playful, "your muscular development is quite impressive. Though I must ask – did you perhaps skip leg day?"

  Then Blue did something that would've made Red proud – he jumped right at the force Auron's face with a flying kick.

  The giant's hand shot out faster than anyone would expect from someone so big. His fingers wrapped around Blue's leg like a steel trap. "Gotcha!" he roared, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. "Let's hear those bones shatter!"

  He squeezed – but instead of pain, Blue's leg just... popped. It burst into little blue lights that swirled around like fireflies before zipping back toward Angelo's hiding spot.

  The force Auron stood there blinking, holding nothing but air. Blue was still standing in front of him, perfectly fine except for one leg that was now just glowing blue and emitting soft blue particles.

  "What... what ARE you?" the giant stuttered, taking a step back.

  Blue straightened his nonexistent tie, calm as could be. "Oh, haven't you heard? I'm actually a ghost." His voice turned spooky, like someone telling a campfire story. "Harm me, and you'll be cursed forever!"

  The force Auron's face went from scared to angry in a heartbeat. "You're mocking me!" he bellowed. "You're just some kind of trick! When I find your real body, I'll tear you apart!"

  "No, no, I assure you – I'm quite the legitimate supernatural entity," Blue said, like he was discussing the weather. "A genuine specter, if you will."

  "Ghosts aren't real, you idiot!"

  Blue tilted his head thoughtfully. "You know, my colleague Red compared you to an angry grape earlier. I rarely agree with his crude observations, but in this case..."

  The force Auron's face turned purple with rage. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He lunged forward, hands reaching for Blue's throat.

  That's exactly what Blue was waiting for. Quick as a cat, he hopped over the giant's head using his one good leg and some smoky energy ropes, landing right between him and the wall. Then – poof! Blue turned to smoke and shot straight up.

  The wall exploded. Through the flying dirt came Angelo's attack – a ball of orange energy bigger than a beach ball. It slammed into the force Auron's back like a cannonball.

  BOOM!

  The explosion shook the whole block. Windows rattled in their frames like they were shivering.

  "NOW!" Angelo's voice cut through the dust cloud.

  Two more attacks hit the dazed giant right in the face – Jack's boulder and Bill's compressed air blast. He went down hard, cracking the pavement.

  Bill jumped up, pumping his fist. "We got him!"

  But Blue appeared on a nearby roof, his voice tense: "He's not out yet! Keep hitting him!"

  Sure enough, purple light still flickered around the force Auron like a dying flame. He opened his eyes to find himself surrounded – four Aurons, all ready to attack.

  What came next was like watching fireworks up close. Energy blasts, flying rocks, shots of compressed air – they all hammered the giant from every direction. He couldn't block everything at once.

  He rose like a vengeful giant, his arms spread wide as he slowly made his way toward their direction. As the projectiles kept hammering at him he let out a terrible scream. He realized he couldn't make the distance, instead slowly he lifted up a boulder near his feet and launched it at full force, breaking a big chunk of the roof Blue was standing on, forcing him to dodge away.

  They kept shooting desperately at the brute, who was now crouching again, slower than last time, picking up another boulder and chunking it at them, hitting the wall next to them, making Bill yelp.

  Angelo and Jack launched one final attack straight into the face of the Force Auron, everything froze for a moment, no one moved. Then, finally, his purple glow went out like a candle in the wind.

  The mighty force Auron crumbled beaten onto the cracked street, covered in bruises. The fight was finally over.

  Angelo, Jack, Bill, and Blue stood over him, all breathing hard but smiling. Blue dissolved into smoke and flowed back into Angelo just as police sirens started wailing in the distance.

  "Man, Red is gonna be so mad he missed this," Angelo said, letting his orange energy fade away. He could feel Red grumbling in his head, proving him right.

  Bill opened his mouth to say something, but Chief Ramirez's voice boomed across the square: "Nobody move! Get these Infernians in custody, now!"

  As police cars pulled up and officers rushed in, Angelo shared a look with Jack and Bill. They all knew there'd be paperwork and lectures waiting for them. But right now? They'd won. They'd protected their city.

  Still, as Angelo watched the clean-up begin, he couldn't shake a feeling in his gut. Something told him this fight was just the beginning of something much bigger. But that was tomorrow's problem. Right now, they had a mess to clean up.