Aristotle saw them coming from miles away.
Well, not miles, but a few streets.
They were loud, obtrusive, and led by a short, annoying looking girl who was humming her own spy music.
Aristotle, being the genius that he was, immediately set up his elaborate trap, strategically placed at the door.
"I say we sneak around back," Arabian Shadow suggested.
There was a chorus of agreement.
"Why would we do that…when he has a front door?" Zero asked. "It's like a shortcut."
With that, she bounded up the steps, amid urgent warnings from the superheroes, and knocked on the door.
Quick footsteps descended what sounded like a large staircase, and a large eye appeared in the peephole. The footsteps then ascended the staircase.
"ENTER," someone shouted dramatically.
"Don't do it!"
"This is your stupidest idea yet!"
"Are you an idiot?"
Despite the many warnings, Zero threw the door open and happily skipped in.
Nothing happened.
"BLAST!" the voice screeched.
Aristotle, in all his glory, had forgotten to flick the switch and turn the trap from 'off' to 'on.'
Zero, startled, glanced around the gloomy mansion.
"Kinda dark in here," she muttered.
Aha! A light switch!
"Hey, I wonder what this does!" Zero said, flicking the switch to 'on.'
In a split-second, Zero was propelled to the ceiling.
"AHHH!" she screamed.
The group glanced up to see her dangling from the cathedral ceiling, a rope around her ankle.
"I think we're a lot better of this way…" Arabian Shadow murmured.
"I vote we leave her here," Verita whispered.
"Good call."
The group proceeded quietly forward, Zero screaming and wailing from the ceiling all the while.
Melvin, dressed in a magician's suit, pulled off his top hat and whipped out his black, white-tipped wand. He tapped the hat with the wand, and proceeded to pull a rabbit out. Gently placing the rabbit on the floor, he stepped back.
"Go, Monty," he whispered.
Monty the rabbit twitched his nose, and leapt forward. He hopped up the steps, his puffy white tail disappearing at the top.
Melvin followed in pursuit of his rabbit, while the others watched quizzically.
"Hello, hello, hello," a deep voice boomed from the top of the stairs.
Suddenly, the lights flickered on. Aristotle stood at the banister above the steps, staring down at the children.
"Welcome," he said menacingly.
Then he cackled as his many robotic inventions rolled into the room.
The group backed into a huddle. Arabian Shadow lifted her hands, and a single shadow shot out like a hand, grabbing the closest robot and dragging him away.
In what looked like a heat wave, Puff transformed into a pink mist. The misty figure stepped toward a robot, and leapt into the electrical circuit. Sparks flew, and the robot shorted out.
Nikki simply stepped forward, and the robot seemed to run out of batteries. Nikki beamed triumphantly, her powers of good luck winning again.
Astoria set a circle ablaze, trapping three robots inside. She watched, warming her hands in the fire, as the robots slowly melted.
Seaboy and Demetrias focused on Zero, still hanging from the ceiling. There was no water for Seaboy to manipulate, and no plants or animals for Demetrias to control and speak to.
"Zero!" Seaboy shouted above the noise of dying robots.
"I can't feel my legs!" Zero whined.
"Give us a minute!"
"Everybody STOP1" Zero suddenly screamed.
A hesitant pause overtook the crowd.
"…Is anyone hungry? Because I brought snacks."
There was a collective moan of annoyance as everyone resumed the robot-killing spree. Zero manipulated herself around to unzip her backpack, and began chucking energy bars at the heroes on the ground, shouting the flavors as she did so.
"CHERRY! LEMON! CHOCOLATE CHIP! RAISIN!"
Seeing as Zero seemed to believe what she was doing was of the utmost importance, Seaboy and Demetrias shrugged at each other and left her dangling.
Until she began throwing energy drinks.
"COMBAT DEHYDRATION! RESTORE YOUR ELECTROIDS! EVEN SUPERHEROES HAVE GOTTA REPLENISH THEIR BODILY FLUIDS!"
Demetrias and Seaboy desperately tried to catch the falling bottles before they hit a fighting superhero on the head, which would most likely lead to Zero's murder.
"Zero!" Arabian Shadow shouted. "Did you bring my sword?"
Zero dug in her bag. No sword. How could she have forgotten that? A flashback played out in front of her eyes.
She was in the kitchen, packing her backpack.
Energy drinks. Check.
Energy bars. Check.
Sandwiches. Check.
Arabian Shadow's sword. Check.
Her collection of travel board games, in case they got bored on the trip. Check.
She stuffed the games in the bag, but found that it wouldn't shut. What would she get rid of?
Board games. Sword.
Board games…Sword.
Which was more important, she asked herself?
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Zero hissed, hitting her head with her hand as the travel board games tumbled out of her bag and clattered to the floor.
That's when the peanut butter sandwiches fell out. One landed smack on Hurricane's face as she was fighting a robot.
Hurricane paused. Zero held her breath in preparation of the disaster.
And it came.
"I'M ALLERGIC!" Hurricane screeched.
Zero covered her head protectively as a tornado brewed around her. The winds swept small objects up, and she was momentarily engulfed in a flurry of flying energy bars and travel board games. Then the winds picked up speed, and people began flying.
Superheros and robots alike were lifted from the ground, and swept in a continuous, dizzying circle around the room. The tornado hurtled everyone precariously in the large area. People and robots smashed into each other, sparks flew in the air, and objects smashed into humans. It was a disaster, and at the center of it all was Hurricane, fuming on the ground.
And, just as quickly as it began, it stopped, dropping people and robots haphazardly to the ground.
Hurricane seemed to be having another mood swing, as she flew into a sobbing fit, and ran from the room.
Robots lay dismantled across the room, creating what looked like a futuristic battlefield. The teenagers grumpily and angrily lifted themselves from the ground, brushing the debris from their hair, straightening their clothes, and holding their heads in futile attempts to control the violent headaches brought on by being thrown about in the dizzying tornado.
Aristotle had disappeared sometime during the tornado, and all that remained were tired heroes and dismembered robots.
"Sounds like someone peed in her energy drink, eh?" Zero said with a nervous chuckle.
She was greeted with several obscene comments, and an excellent view of a particular finger on Arabian Shadow's hand. The group slowly disbanded, leaving the house through doors, windows, or broken walls, and Zero sighed quietly.
She hadn't meant to ruin the fight. She was just trying to help. It was pathetic, and somewhat pitiful to see her stare down at her broken board games and uneaten sandwiches, which she had spent so long preparing.
All she had wanted was to be liked. She just didn't know how.
It came so easily to other people. So what was wrong with her?
She sniffled as she realized that she'd never had a single friend in her entire life.
Being the only one without any powers at all, she tried to be helpful in other ways. The sandwiches, the board games, the energy drinks.
She hadn't meant to ruin the fight.
She was just trying to help.
"You're such an idiot, Zero," she whispered to herself. "You can't do anything right."
Still dangling from the ceiling, she watched Melvin's white rabbit hop down the steps. She sniffled, wiped her face, and wondered if anyone would come back for her.
"Monty!" Melvin called, running across the room. Monty hopped into Melvin's outstretched arms, and Melvin cradled the rabbit to his chest.
That's when he noticed Zero dangling from the ceiling. He stared at her curiously. She was annoying, short, the absolute least pretty girl in the entire group, and a total idiot.
But she was still a girl, so Melvin still wanted to make out with her.
As he contemplated what pickup line would work best in this situation, Mystic and the Duplicator came crawling through a window. Shadow, the necromancer, skipped happily into the room, holding the dagger she used when preparing to summon the dead. Mystic raised her hands, and levitated Shadow to the ceiling. Shadow gripped the rope in her hands, and cut through its many layers.
"Hey, Zero," she said cheerfully.
"Hey," Zero mumbled grumpily.
As the rope came undone, Zero plummeted to the ground. She was heading straight for Melvin, so, naturally, he took a single step to the left. Mystic glared at Melvin as she levitated Zero safely to the ground.
The five teens stood quietly in the rubble and debris, contemplating each other. Zero stared at each of the four supers and understood that they were the only ones who'd come back for her. The other four stared at Zero and understood that she was the weakest link. But they also knew that sometimes the underdog can be the most loyal friend you could find.
Mystic silently reached out her hands. The five teens formed a tight circle, connected by their held hands, and Mystic teleported them back to the Titan Tower.
Melvin, of course, was thrilled to be holding the hands of not one girl…but two.
Could his luck get any better?
"So, let me get this straight…" Robin spoke to the six teens in front of him, the only ones who had made it back to the tower. "Zero, who was dangling from the ceiling, threw a sandwich at Hurricane…and Hurricane created a tornado…destroying the robots…and then she ran out crying…everyone else left…you have no idea where anyone else went…and Zero is still dangling from the ceiling?"
"That's about right, yeah," Xixi reported, glancing at her notes.
Robin massaged his temples, begging his sudden headache to disappear as easily as his trainees had.
"We should probably go find them…" Nikki murmured.
She glanced around her. Xixi, Poltergeist, Astoria, Puff, Arabian Shadow, and herself. The only ones who made it back.
With a loud clap, however, five more figures appeared in front of her. Zero, Melvin, Mystic, Duplicator, and Shadow.
"You can let go of my hand now, Melvin," Shadow said happily.
Melvin ignored her.
"…Melvin."
Still no movement on his part.
"Melvin?"
Nothing.
"Melvin!"
Melvin's eyes snapped to attention, staring her directly in the face, and it became blatantly clear what region of Shadow's body he had been so transfixed with moments ago.
"You say something, sexy?" he asked innocently.
Everyone rolled their eyes and disbanded, off to look for their missing teammates.
"I think we should leave," Will whispered.
"We're fine!" Verita said happily. She was staring intently at the photos hanging on Aristotle's wall.
She stared, and she saw.
She saw a young boy, with a smile that seemed somewhat forced, standing next to his father. She honed her eyes in on his arms, and saw a barely noticeable bruise, which made her think of a hand. She noticed the way the young boy leaned slightly, almost imperceptibly, to the left. Away from his father. And she noticed the possessive grip the father had on the boy's right shoulder.
The right shoulder sagged ever so slightly downward, as if to pull itself away from something that was causing it pain.
Like a tightly clenched hand, perhaps.
"Hmm," Verita murmured.
"Can we go now?" Will asked, glancing around nervously.
"Sure."
"Go where, kiddies?" a voice asked from behind them.
Will spun around and stared at Aristotle. He gulped.
"We, um…" Will stammered.
"You weren't very close to your father, were you?" Verita asked Aristotle politely.
Something flashed in Aristotle's eyes.
"My father was a... solitary man. Now, do you have any last words before I obliterate you from the face of the earth?"
"I don't think your father would be proud of that," Verita said wistfully.
Aristotle pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"And what would you know about my father?"
"I know that he had trouble communicating with you. You were too gentle, isn't that what he said? He wanted you to be a fighter. He thought you were weak. Called you a girl."
Aristotle yanked Verita off her feet and pressed her against the wall.
"Shut up!" he shouted, spraying her face with a light coating of saliva.
"He was wrong. He wanted you to know that."
"...What are you talking about?"
"He was wrong to beat you. He was wrong to ask you to be stronger. He knows that now."
"Can you talk to ghosts?"
Verita regarded him with a curious glance, and tilted her head slightly to the left.
"I knew your father. He wanted me to let you know something."
"What? What is it?"
Aristotle clung to her shoulders as if he was swimming in a sea of lies and she was the pool noodle that could guide him to the truth.
"He's proud of you, Aristotle. He wanted you to know that. The weak part of you? It's not weakness. You're just gentle. He sees that now. And he wants you to forgive him."
"...Why?"
"Because he loves you."
Will felt Aristotle's mind turning. It was like a wave, and Will knew he had mere moments to open the floodgates before the tide went back out.
Put the girl down. You want to put the girl down, and let them go.
For your father.
Will's intent gaze on Aristotle's head went unnoticed as the villain received the message.
He dropped Verita to the carpet.
"Get out," he murmured absently, approaching a door down the hall in a zombie-like trance.
They did as he ordered, Verita snickering all the way.
Arabian Shadow scoured the city for her lost teammates.
Quite frankly, they weren't hard to find.
"Alias, what are you doing?" she asked the strange boy with an exasperated sigh.
"Shush," he said calmly.
He stood in front of a store window. On the other side, a very large man holding a cheeseburger stood transfixed. Every time he made a move, Alias copied it. Perfectly.
The fat man opened his mouth in surprise and horror, allowing a large chunk of chewed burger to fall from his tongue to the carpeting. Arabian Shadow rolled her eyes in disgust and dragged Alias away.
"This is what you've been doing?" she asked in annoyance.
"That fat man gave me a look," he said simply.
Then he turned away. Conversation over.
Arabian Shadow watched the strange boy uneasily as they approached the Tower. They paused at the door, where a notice hung against the tamperproof metal.
"New Teams," it declared.
Hurrican, Xixi, Astoria, Poltergeist, Melvin.
Blade, Kinetic, Space Witch, Snapdragon.
Demetrias, Seaboy, Nikki, Arabian Shadow, Puff.
Tallon, Paramore, Tracey, Misty, Duplicator.
Will, Verita, Alias, Shadow.
At the end of the last list of names, someone had hastily added "Zero" in red ink.
Probably Zero.
When Arabian Shadow and Alias opened the door, however, they discovered this was not so.
"So, you decided to just toss my name in there as an afterthought? On the LOSER team? With all the LOSERS?"
"No, Zero, that's not what we did!" Robin tried to explain.
"Unforgivable."
"Zero, we - "
"UNFORGIVABLE!"
With that, she stormed off down the hall.
Arabian Shadow, after issuing her third eye roll of the hour, vanished to her own room.
Alias studied the new names on the list, and hoped that, for the love of peace, these teams were good.
Because the old teams certainly weren't.
Thank you so much for reviewing! I've gotten way more reviews that I expected. Please keep doing so! I love hearing what you thought.
I'm also curious as to how your characters would react to losing the battle... don't worry, though, I'm not planning to write such a horrible failure that often. I just thought they'd have a terrible time working together as a team at first, and it would take a ton of bonding and training to get past that. So, that's what the next few chapters will be, most likely. Thanks for reading! =D