In the midst of a crowd gathering in the main hallway at school, Henry spotted Mitch's face grinning like a mad man above their classmates' heads.

Henry leaned against his locker with a sigh. There was a constant throbbing in his calf that won't go away no matter how many aspirins he took.

"Can't wait to hear this," he muttered, sharing a look with Jasper. Hopefully whatever dumb thing Mitch was planning could distract him from his healing bullet wound.

"Listen up dweebs!" Mitch shouted. "I've been given a job, and you're gonna wanna hear what it is!" He scanned the crowd with an evil grin. "If any of you morons try breaking the Supreme Boss' rules, you'll have to answer to me and the rest of the Boom Brothers."

Charlotte sighed. "The what now?"
Three boys and a girl with a familiar face walked down the stairs and spread out in front of Mitch. Henry had seen the boys around the school, but he didn't really remember their names. The only thing he knew about the trio was that they hung around Mitch a lot. However, the girl was a different story.

Jasper nudged his elbow at Charlotte's arm. "Look, there's your best friend," he teased.

Charlotte rolled her eyes.

Even though Charlotte had made peace with Bish, that didn't mean she considered the bully a friend. More of an… Ally, if need be. Maybe that alliance could come in handy with whatever Mitch had planned for the Boom Brothers.

Bish's RBF was in full throttle as her dark eyes scanned the crowd her brother had drawn. Her gaze settled on a particular group hanging back, two boys and two girls. Bish's eyebrows shot up and she pushed through the crowd like a bulldozer.

"Oof, here she comes," Piper muttered.

Henry grabbed Charlotte's shoulders. "Char, go find stuff out."

"Fine, seeing as you boys are too scared," Charlotte smirked, throwing a knowing look over her shoulder.

"I'm injured," Henry defended at the same time Jasper cried, "She could eat me in one bite!"

Charlotte smacked his head. "Don't be rude," she warned.

Jasper slumped against the lockers. "Sorry."

"Charlotte!" Bish cried, pulling Charlotte into a bone crushing hug.

Charlotte took a deep breath. "Bish! Hey! Please let go!"
Bish released the smaller girl with a cackle. She looked over the rest of the gang with a lighter expression than she was previously wearing.

Charlotte rocked on her heels. "So, what's the Boom Brothers?"

"Oh," Bish sighed, "it's just a group of my idiot brother and his friends hiding out in a firework shop."

Henry blinked. "A what? Why?"

Bish shrugged. "It was his weapon of choice."

"Fireworks," the superhero breathed. "He's given a teenager access to fucking fireworks…"

"To use on us," Jasper whispered, turning to his best friend with wide eyes.

Henry huffed. His hand fell to the gum dispenser in his pocket, and he glanced around for any adults. Why would Minyak work so hard to keep the kids in line if he was just planning to kill them off? It just didn't make any sense, and that made Henry uneasy.

Protecting the kids of Swellview was never the goal, not really. So long as everyone did what they were told, Minyak never posed a threat to the children. Henry had been focused on finding Captain Man and freeing the adults, but now he had a bigger problem to worry about.

Turning teens on teens? What kind of twisted plan was that?

Bish rejoined her brother, and the gang turned to Henry. Mitch bragging about his new title and the shiny badge he'd been given fell on deaf ears as they shared worried looks.

It was Charlotte who broke the silence, "It'll be harder getting around town now."

Henry shifted onto his good foot. "Yeah. When we're not trying to be captured, we'll be running for our lives from firecrackers."

"This is crazy," Piper whispered. "Mitch is crazy. He's going to really hurt someone!"

A bell rang overhead. Teachers swarmed the halls, shooing everyone away to their first classes. Henry caught Mitch's gaze as the bully rounded the corner. It was mischievous with a wild glint.

Henry scowled and turned the other way.

"Let's head to Junk N Stuff after school," Charlotte sighed. "We need to come up with a plan."

The superhero shook his head. "No." His friends and sister looked at him. Henry continued, "This band of Boom Brothers is still new. They'll be on patrol for sure; it's too risky. Besides…" He looked away and winced. "I don't feel like making the walk today."

They glanced at the injured leg. His knee was bent; he wasn't holding any weight on it. Charlotte pulled her lower lip between her teeth.

"Oh yeah," she said, meeting his eyes once more, "how're you doing today?"

Henry shrugged. "Fine, I guess. It's sore, still hurts…"

"We don't have to go today," Jasper agreed. "I'm tired, if I'm honest."

Charlotte nodded. "Me too. I think we all need a five-hour nap when we get home."

Henry sighed, a dreamy smile on his face. "I'm hoping for nine."

Another bell rang. This time, a warning. One more, and they'll be late to class. The group slowly disperses, each heading to their respective classrooms. For the first time, nobody in the gang felt safe walking the halls by themselves.

•••••

Piper stumbled through the door and nearly dropped Henry in the process. He made a noise that sounded half like a groan, half like a chuckle.

Piper huffed. "I know you can walk, idiot."

Henry slumped over her shoulders and dragged his feet as she walked forward. Charlotte told her to help Henry into the house, and what kind of brother would he be if he didn't take any advantage he could?

"Yeah, but it hurrrrrts," he whined.

She rolled her eyes and contemplated dropping him where they stood. On one hand, he actually did get shot and he was still healing. On the other hand, though, he was really beginning to get on her nerves.

"You're lucking I'm helping you at all," she snapped.

Henry chuckled. "We're making up for all that bonding time we could've had after my missions. God knows I could've used someone helping me around the house after some nights."
His sister paused in her struggle of clambering down the stairs. She glanced over her shoulder, the strain on her back momentarily forgotten.

"Have you been hurt like this before?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, but they always patch me up."

"Who's they? That creepy bald guy and Captain Man?"

"Hey, that creepy bald guy has saved my life a few times."

Piper dragged Henry to the couch. She carelessly tossed her brother off her back and smirked when he scowled at her.

"That is no way to treat your brother who was shot in the leg," he grumbled.

She ignored him and made her way to the kitchen. Her stomach was growling, and she was itching for some chocolate.

Piper went through three cabinets, opening and closing the doors with disappointment growing. Where was the food? What was she supposed to eat?
"Henry," she called.

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

"So?"

"There's no food."
Henry pursed his lips and looked toward the door. What were they supposed to do about food? It's not like they could walk out the door freely. Well, he could maybe step outside and ask one of Minyak's minions roaming the streets…

With a heavy sigh, Henry pushed himself up from the couch. He leaned on the arm for support until he was steady on his feet. Then, he limped his way into the kitchen.

"Is there anything in the freezer?" he asked, leaning on the island.

Piper walked over to the freezer, pulled open the drawer, and shook her head slowly. "Nothin'." She sighed.

Henry squinted. "Nothing in the cabinets? Macaroni? Soup?"

He could've sworn there was soup somewhere in the kitchen. He remembered his mom-

Oh.

Wordlessly, he walked over to the fridge and pulled it open. There was a silver bowl on the second shelf. Henry placed it on the counter and peered through the lid.

Chicken noodle soup, only three days old. There wasn't much left, maybe enough for two. It was the last meal the siblings had had with their parents since everything happened.

"Grab some bowls. I'll warm this up," Henry muttered.

They worked silently. Piper grabbed two bowls from the dishwasher, and Henry dipped out the last of the soup with a ladle. After a few minutes in the microwave, they were sitting around the table and gently blowing the steam rising from their food.

Henry spoke softly, "I was arguing with mom when she was making this. I was trying to convince her to let me go to the concert."

Piper scoffed. "There was your first mistake. You're supposed to ask dad; he'll let us do anything."

"You know he'd never agree to anything without Mom's input."

"… Yeah."

Henry shook his head. "She said I had a responsibility at Junk N Stuff. God, I should've listened to her."

Piper stirred her soup absently. "If you had, you probably wouldn't be here right now."

Henry glanced at her.

She shrugged, a tiny grin reflecting in the soup. "But if you had, maybe you could've been taken instead of Captain Man, then at least we'd have a chance."

Her older brother scowled. "Hey, have some faith in me."

"I do." Piper met his gaze. "I've been looking up to Kid Danger for years. Everything you've done… It's incredible. I have faith, big bro."

The corners of Henry's lips turned up, and he dipped his spoon into the soup. "Thanks, Pipes."

For the rest of dinner, they spoke in short bursts. Mostly, Piper spent time on her phone. She complained about the lack of service, but her rant didn't last as long as Henry feared. She, surprisingly, sank back into silence and found a game to play until she'd finished her meal.

Henry hadn't thought about calling anyone on the outside for help. His team was already inside city limits, but now his mind raced with people he could've called for aid like the Thundermans or the Game Shakers (they couldn't provide much assistance, but they could at least get the word out that Swellview needed help).

Still, he shouldn't be surprised. If he were going to take over a city and trap everyone inside, eliminating the cell phone service and internet would be his first move.

After dinner, Henry placed the bowls in the sink and began to head upstairs. He was too tired to do the dishes; that job could wait until tomorrow.

Piper paused as she rested on the first stair. She peered over the railing and watched her brother limp through the house, turning off lights and lamps as he went. Piper backtracked, stepping away from the staircase and toward the couch. She walked around to Henry's side and looped her arm around his waist. He may be bigger than her, but at least she could provide some support.

Henry smiled, and together, they headed upstairs for a much-deserved rest.

•••••

Across town, a dark figure approached the high school.

They dropped a duffle bag to the concrete by the front doors. They grabbed two metal cans and a step stoll from the bag and approached a blank wall. They had their cell phone at their feet, a bright picture glowing in the night. It was the symbol they were trying to paint.

With a deep breath, they pulled a mask over their nose and mouth. They climbed on the step stool, stretched their arms as high as they could manage on their tip toes, and began their work.

By morning, the message would be clear.

Game on.