Years ago…

  A teenage girl who wore glasses was laughed at by her peers, other teenagers, and more popular ones who mocked her appearance and beauty. She walked around the lockers of her school’s hallway. They laugh at her appearance and make fun of her, with each whisper flooding the air, suffocating her with each tightening of their insidious rope.

  Rumors were even spread about her having a penis. Her life isn’t very great indeed, for she did not agree to such sentiment.

  But one day… she was pushed… that one faithful day… And she fell on an ant hill… next to some radioactive waste… She was bitten and suffered a deadly seizure, being deathly allergic to ants…

  Basille opens her eyes, and she’s in bandages. Cold. Was she dead? No… Air conditioning. Ah. The subtle wind brushed her feet. She enjoyed the cold. “Could use some Star Wars just about now…” she thought. She feels that she’s wearing a gown. She sighs, slowly standing up. She smells… everything in the hospital. She smells blood, medications, pills, and various unknown magical elixirs that we can’t even comprehend in our world.

  “Those Prowls really roughed you up, didn’t they?” asked the Reaper.

  “Reaps…” coughed Basille.

  The Reaper pats her head. “You alright, kid?”

  “I’m… Good… You’re here now…” she coughed. “The Wonder Warriors! They’re-!”

  “Dead. All of them. Kapitan Maharlica decided to retire… learning about… Miguel being hers…” The Reaper twists and opens a flask of which he drinks from. Myrmex smells alcohol on him.

  “I heard… She’s his Mom, huh?”

  “Yeah…” said the Reaper. “I think… It’s time for you to retire…”

  “What? But… I’m so close-!”

  “No one knows your identity except me. We’ve registered you as an authorized vigilante. And look where that got you.”

  “Reaps. My team just died. My world will be destroyed if I don’t find anyone to protect it.”

  “Let the system handle it.”

  “Reaps… I damned well know you would never believe those words.”

  The Reaper sighs, annoyed, scratching his head. “Just… rest… You’ve taken enough beatings. How much more punishment can you take? Let US handle this. I’m sure Miguel wouldn’t do something drastically stupid after this. I think…”

  “I don’t know…” said Myrmex, trying to stand up only to squeal in pain as she tried to get up. ‘Cuz of the bruises… “I just… want…”

  “You want everyone who ever hurt you to pay. I get that.”

  “And I don’t want it at the same time. It’s… confusing…”

  “Of course. You’re a hero. That’s what sets us apart from those bastards… You still think about her?“

  “Hm?”

  “Hopper.”

  She pauses, staring blankly forward. “Every day.”

  “This won’t bring them back.” The Reaper points at her face. “Humans wouldn’t care about people like you any more they care about a freak of theirs like me. Your journey’s a death sentence, kid.”

  “I know. I’m just… Tired… That’s all…” sighed Myrmex. “The Wonder Warriors are gone…” she sobbed.

  The next few weeks, the funeral was held…

  Myrmex speaks up on the podium, with people all wearing black, but some wore the colors of the heroes now long gone, chatterring, lauging, and even taking selfies. “The Wonder Warriors were a group of heroes who wanted to protect the world… save the world… selfless… How could you be someone so noble…? How could you be someone who tried so-...?”

  “YOU GOT THEM KILLED!!!” roared one man. “You and your celebrity act BULLSHIT!!! YOU GOT OUR HEROES KILLED!!!“

  “Excuse you!?” asked Myrmex, with her eyes quivering and her fingers twitching. “They were MY FRIENDS!!!”

  “LIAR!!!”

  “HYPOCRITE!!!”

  “MURDERER!!!”

  That evening, in the apartment, Myrmex sighs, removing her costume and placing it in a compartment in her home, proceeding to lie down in her bed. She sighed and proceeded to cook some spaghetti in her apartment.

  Suddenly, she hears a knock on her window.

  She sighs, smelling him. “What?” she sighed.

  “Just thought you might’ve needed some help,” he smiled, entering her apartment.

  She smiles and punches his shoulder. “Askal…”

  “Myrmex,” he smirked. “Damn, that punch was strong…” he said. He reveals himself, revealing a very handsome man.

  “Graduate yet?”

  “Actually, I have. You’re looking at Doctor Wayne Pescon M.D. Got a new Clinic in Brooklyn.”

  “Cool…” she smirked, leaning on the wall looking up to the city of New York, a bustling city. “Well… Still trying this whole freelancing thing out…”

  The man smiles, removing his mask. “Alright, friggin’ NEET.”

  “So, Askal,” she smirked. “Whatcha gonna do from now on?”

  “Oh, you know… just the classic crime fighting.”

  She sighs and bows her head. “Did… Reaps get you here?”

  “I know… S-... Sorry.. How’d you-? Right. Your nose,” he said, looking concerned and brushing her hair.

  She smirks, blushing. “The body releases 4-methylpentanal and hexanal when you’re stressed. People usually smell like milk.“

  “Cool, I guess. Also, slightly uh… creepy…”

  “Heh… I can’t believe they’re gone.”

  “I know. Sucks…” sighed Askal. “You’re gonna find new members, aren’t you?”

  “I can try starting with you.”

  “You know I don’t do teams. I can’t do teams. Too dangerous.”

  “I know. But I can tell when people are-...”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Dude. Please.”

  “Dude. No. We’ve been best friends since elementary. I’m sorry, but we can’t just enter some random team that includes us. We already know each other.”

  “Makes us better fighters together.”

  “But we’d also get killed when one of us gets too deep into shit.”

  “I know. But I need a team to save the world.”

  “Even if I did want to. What am I gonna do? I have Eyes of Heat. All I can do is sense and control heat. That’s literally just it. I like… have a weird super sense where I can tell who’s standing behind me or who’d spill coffee all over me.. Doesn’t even work against vampires. Well!?”

  “Good point. And I’m an Infected with Ant Powers. Not really… Suitable for world-ending battles.”

  “Heard of the new Uncle Sam the U.S. is appointing?”

  “I know. It’s stupid.”

  “And no team, hm?”

  “Yes…” She sighs. “Hey. Heard of that one guy?”

  “No.”

  “But-!”

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  “I won’t recruit random vigilantes in New York with you. There’s so much crime here they’d be too busy to even-...”

  “What if… We authorize them!?” smiled Myrmex. “Have cool access to gadgets like me!”

  “That’s a terrible idea.”

  “C’mon, Askal! You could get better eskrima sticks! They could be… I dunno! Let’s say that one um… vigilante! What’s his name? That big Japanese dude. Kappa.”

  “Heard of that guy. Bulletproof.”

  “What if he gets um… A bulletproof… armor…?” she asked.

  “Um…”

  “Oh! And that one guy! Bakunawa! He’s cool! What if he had access to some sort of… suit…? Ah?”

  “Baz…”

  “And, please! Um… What about that African-American lady? Um… the blind one!”

  “There’s a blind superhero out there?”

  “Yeah! The cool one! The… What’s her name? Blind Jack!”

  “Blind Jack is a literal murderous ninja.”

  “Yeah! Isn’t that cool!?”

  “She’s practically a serial killer. None of these people have morals that align with ours. I mean, Blind Jack is a literal serial killer. Bakunawa is rumored to be a former Nazi who has amnesia and turned good to redeem himself. Kappa’s… cool, I guess. And I’m your best friend who always saw you as-...”

  She looks confused.

  “-a really… really good friend…” he sighed. “Just please… Reconsider this…”

  “I already did. I’m making a team!” she smiled.

  He facepalms. “Fine. Okay! Guess we’re doing this…”

  Five years later…

  Neuro screams in horror, being chained up to the chair, screaming in pain, turning him into an uglier, muscular reptilian creature as he blasts heat vision into the sky. He screams with a heavily deepened voice, screaming like some sort of berserker hulk.

  Neuro’s cries and whimpering pleas echoed the walls in the labyrinth of their chambers. He screamed as asphyxiation began in his body.

  “Subject seems to be weak against suffocation.”

  “KEEP HIM ALIVE. I NEED THEM DEAD.” A robotic tank spoke, one with a black spiral on its “face”. “I must destroy HUMANITY!!! YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! YES-!!!”

  While he kept speaking in the background like a monotonous robot, two soldiers, with black spirals on their chests as well, speak to each other.

  “We don’t get paid enough for this job,” said one.

  “We don’t get paid at all. We’re a cult, Willis.”

  “Right… We get paid with salvation or whatever. Praise be to Saint King, I guess.”

  Meanwhile… Miguel silently sips a drink. He types silently, before switching to another tab on his screen, seeing Beatle’s livestream of his death with Morningstar Prime. They are shown silently slow-dancing while resting their foreheads together, where a YouTuber immediately speaks up about this.

  Suddenly, it switches to an obese man with a Nirvana shirt wearing glasses, sitting on his PewDiePie chair while sipping an energy drink. He can be seen in a room with funk-o pops, beautiful lights, and comic book posters in the background. “Beatle Saint King’s sacrifice is the ULTIMATE REASON, chat… Why Superheroes should be registered again. Why can’t Emperor Miguel see that? Prometheus died for his species. Beatle and Prime, WHO REDEEMED HERSELF, BY THE WAY, SAVED THE MULTIVERSE!!! And here we are meant to suffer. Heroes like us deserve to help others,” said the YouTuber, wearing a cosplay mask of the Beatle’s mask. “BIBINGKA, BITCH!!!”

  Miguel gives an incredibly annoyed sigh. He shakes his head and switches to another tab, one with an Encyclopedia Article he, himself, is writing.

  “Hmmm…” said Miguel, typing into his laptop. “And… we’re… finished.”

  “Hey, Papa…” said Gabrielle, entering his room wearing a black crop top and small jeans. Her cat-like ears twitched.

  “Yeah?” asked Miguel.

  “I’ll be going out with my friend.”

  “Is this that guy again?” Miguel raised his eyebrow, incredibly annoyed.

  “Mhm.”

  Miguel gives a big sigh. “Alright. Take care, love.”

  Gabrielle smiles and walks out of the room, skipping happily.

  Miguel gives a soft smirk and writes once more

  Suddenly, Myrmex enters Miguel’s room.

  Miguel is turned around, almost oblivious to this.

  “Hey…” said Myrmex.

  “Yo. What’s up?” asked Miguel. “Myrmz? I’m surprised I couldn’t tell it was you.”

  “Sneak 100. Placed by pheromones on a new low, dude. First time seeing you all tidied and not bruised, bloody, beaten, etcetera…”

  “How’s the vigilante thing?“

  “We’re going good…” said Myrmex. “Miguel. We need your help.”

  Miguel sighs. “What do you need?”

  “We need to be registered. By you.”

  Miguel coldly continued typing. “Vigilantism is off the record, Myrmex. You know that. Superheroes are no longer being registered in the Multiverse.”

  “Because of what happened… Five years ago. I know. I have some understanding with-...”

  “Anna died, Myrms. My Anna. She was killed because of how dangerous and fickle our lives were. I’m a widower, a father, AND a mother because I went out brutally fighting people.”

  “And what do you do now? You brutally beat a couple of bad guys… Do you get anything else? Any justice for these people?”

  “Your activities are semi-legal. You should be lucky you’re a part of this.”

  “Please legalize Superheroism, Miguel. Please.”

  “No,” said Miguel.

  Myrmex grabs Miguel’s hand and leans her forehead on his. “Can you do it for what we once were?”

  “When Anna died, you were there for me. We were fun…”

  “Mhm.”

  “But you and I both know that cat’s gotta stay in the bag. You promised not to be alone with me anymore.”

  Her eyes got teary, as Miguel realized she’s refusing to tell him something. “Yeah… You’re right. I’m with Askal, now.” She lets go of his hand. “Just thought I could sway ya!”

  “Mhm…” said Miguel, a bit suspicious, giving an eye squint before his focus went back to typing.

  She kisses him on the cheek. “Don’t be a stranger, Miguel.”

  She prepares to leap out of his window, but Miguel speaks up.

  “I’m sorry… about Kappa.”

  Myrmex closes her eyes. “Kappa wanted this. He was our teammate.”

  “Why are you fighting, Myrmz?” asked Miguel. “We can finally rest. You’ve been fighting… for ten long years… And for what? Nothing’s changed! Prime may be dead and the Hellish Worlds are in a disarray but we both know someone else took that throne. Rogue supervillains still running around the Multiverse acting like it’s their sandbox while we act like dumbass kiddie hall monitors.”

  Myrmex sighs and turns to see some pictures of Anna hanging on the wall. “But some of us still believe. Where are the others?”

  “Work. I’m trying to protect Beatle and Prometheus’ legacies.”

  Myrme’s eyes dart left, to Miguel.“This IS their legacy.”

  Myrmex leaves the room through the window and flies away, with her insectoid wings fluttering away, creating a soft buzzing noise.

  Miguel sighs. Miguel continues typing into his computer.

  “Remember what you were?” asked Jedan, leaning on the door frame.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Lemme rephrase. Remember what WE were? We were once the most feared Superhero team in the Multiverse. Now, we’re just an afterthought who can’t even look out for the little guy. Now, we’re just the teachers who would turn a blind eye on the student that gets picked on. Something we once were… Something we once vowed to protect. Just a couple months back, I punished a beggar for stealing cereal from a convenience store. Gave him a longer sentence. HE stared to death in his prison cell. And now, we got our own Knights killing someone we once were… A vigilante.”

  “I only wanted to keep this world safe.”

  “Then keep it safe,” said the Reaper, walking in, drinking from his flask, smelling like vinegar.

  “Reapz… Please.” Miguel begged his body to focus on the Reaper, not his instinct to cover his nose.

  “Miguel. Jedan’s concerns are palpable. The law punishes the ones who are so inconvenienced because of our bureaucratic services. A boy was arrested for being caught with drugs and shot afterward accidentally. The drugs were planted by the cops themselves. A man was raped in a jailcell for being incorrectly detained for fraud. Turns out, his boss framed him up with forgery. Now, he has to live with the trauma. A child getting touched all over by her disgusting father who walks free since there was technically no penetration. IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL LOOKING OUT FOR THE LITTLE GUY!?!?”

  “You keep telling me this… You keep calling me out at least twice a fucking month… But I can’t endanger my family anymore.”

  “But we believe that our calling calls us…” said one Athena clone.

  “Miguel, brother, please…” said Gerard.

  “Yeah… Maybe Myrmex is right…” said Fred.

  “C’mon, dude…” said Chris.

  “Miguel…” said the Reaper. “Y’know why Myrmex still fights to this day?”

  “Why?” asked Miguel. Miguel sees that they’re all somehow stacked onto each other on his door frame. “And what the hell are you idiots doing? You’ll break Athena’s legs or something.”

  “The Wonder Warriors… Killed by the system… The system we are now a part of.”

  “So, what? You want me to legalize us getting endangered?”

  “I know you want it, too. I saw you beaten and bruised last month. TELL US WHY!!!”

  “I BEAT HIM TO NEAR DEATH!!!” roared Miguel. “I beat that cop to near death… He killed Kappa… He killed Kappa and strung his body up over a well of cement… Drowned him in there… So, I beat him. I stopped when he surrendered and put that bastard in prison.

  “And what makes you think these heroes will stay silent? You illegalized them because you’re a coward.”

  “I was afraid to lose you.”

  The Reaper points his finger at Miguel, who shakes his head and whimpers. “And you’re a Goddamned hypocrite because you beat them, Miguel. You still go out at night in that mask to hunt down those bastards. I see it in you. I see that you want that violence. You want to give in to it. And Anna died and you didn’t do a damn thing about-...”

  Miguel strangles the Reaper only to stop himself. “Shit… Sorry… I’m sorry… I don’t know what came over me…”

  “Sorry? Kid… First honest thing you did since forever. Five years of guilt and punishing yourself… Say her name, Miguel. Say the name of the woman you loved… and would die for, Miguel… SAY IT!!!”

  “ANNAAAAAAA!!!” Miguel fell to his knees and sobbed. “Anna…” he said, crying.

  Meanwhile…

  In the whimsical land of Monopolia, Bluford Ninjaheim, on his horse, gallops away from an array of neon and colorful smoke that sprouted from various magical grenades being thrown at him.

  “HEROES ARE REGISTERED ONCE MORE!!!” yelled Bluford. “WE MUST JOIN TOGETHER!!! BROTHERS AND SISTERS!!! HEROES ARE REGISTERED ONCE MORE!!!”

  Bluford halts his horse at a walled city of Akteon.

  Bluford growls. “OPEN THE GATES!!!”

  “Blimey!” yelled a guard, opening the gates.

  “Blimey!”

  “Blimey!”

  “Blimey!”

  Bluford enters the massive walled city, seeing several mercenaries everywhere.

  Here, he sees Neanderthals, Chimp Men, Dog Men, Cat Men, and even Humans of different shapes and sizes. He even sees their steeds, from Mammoths to Dire Wolves and even Bisons. He even sees some Extraterrestrials in this walled city. The city is very clean, with merchant mercenaries selling butchered meat of their kills and preparing delectable dishes made from said meat, such as Iguana Dumplings or Gi-Ant Stew. They even have an array of arrested vigilantes, who mysteriously have a strange symbol on their chests… One that isn’t a star that honored Beatle. No… Instead… it is the symbol of a Black Spiral. He scoffs. “‘Vigilantes.’”

  He ends up managing to enter the walled palace from within. He meets with an old man with a peg leg and a blaster for a prosthetic hand.

  Bluford bows before him. “Father… Hero registration has RETURNED!!!”

  Unter stands up, revealing that not only is he still alive, but he is this secret city’s monarch, standing 12 feet tall and showing off his muscles and barbaric hairy build. Unter is revealed to be a Neanderthal who wields the Usog of Lightning, just like his Son, Bluford. “Bluford…” said Unter. “Why you come here?”

  UNEDITED ONWARDS:

  “I just… told you… Hero Registration’s been-...”

  “Ah. Is it because Hero Registration is legalized again?”

  “Yes, father.”

  “Hahaha! You see? I still can see the future!”

  “What do we do?” asked Bluford. “Miguel did not honor our deal.”

  Unter merely menacingly stares at his son, with his lips twitching. “Vigilantism is something that we find vile… disgusting… since our own lands do not have the capability of controlling these masked bastards… I say… we go to war, my dear son… I mean, you are puppet, after all… We go to war… And assassinate that bastard. ROBIN QUIVER!!!” roared Unter.

  An Elf stood before Unter and genuflected before him. “Yes, my Lord?”

  “Elven Assassin of the Planet Ljosalf from the Alpha Centauria… I order you… To kill… MIGUEL AZRAL!!!”

  She smirks. “Yes, my Lord…” she smiled, taking out a blaster and activating her Elven Space Armor.

  “Our deal was to keep Superheroes away from our land… We could’ve established peace… Show him what happens when you don’t honor my deal…” smirked Unter.

  “Yes… My Lord…” She smirks, taking out her crossbow blaster and opening a portal…