Holla todos! CJzilla here with another chapter! In this update, everyone is in the clutches of our two favorite baddies and as the Riveras fight, a great evil is rising. Enjoy.

As I rampage all over this city, alls CJzilla has to roar is this: R&R! Love... Hate... Review...

KnucklesRedFury207.2: Yeah and they might just realize something a little too late...

eltigre221: Thanks! Here's another chapter for you amiga!

angel of hope: Well, I was aiming for a BIG battle at the end. If it's epic, that's for you guys to decide. :)

acosta perez jose ramiro: Thanks. You'll have to read on to find out.

DarkAurora: Here's what I had in mind for the next chapter. Guilt is a major factor. Enjoy.

AN: If you want to see some of MY El Tigre art, be sure to visit my deviantArt account at cjzilla dot deviantArt dot com!

Chapter 11

Fracturar

Manny didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to face La Cortina again. The past three days were… hell; in all sense of that word. Toping off the most awful week of his life, La Cortina, the shadowy supervillainess appeared out of nowhere. What was worse is that she had his El Tigre belt; HE had given it to her thinking she was Frida. No. The inky villainess was merely impersonating his best friend and he believed La Cortina's charade. The woman had his belt and when he was weak and powerless, she shot one of those tentacles through his chest. Manny wasn't sure if he passed out from a part of his essence getting consumed or the absolute surrender he felt when he gave up his belt. He didn't want to wake up again.

The thirteen-year-old boy felt reality pulling him and consciousness easing through his brain. But Manny fought against waking up. He didn't want to. There was no way he could resist it; the teen felt his eyes open.

Images and colors were swirling together. He heard voices but they were incoherent and unrecognizable. Manny eased a little more into the conscious world.

"Manny! Oh! Manny! You're alive!" He heard his father's voice. There was now a little more hope; his dad was near him.

Manny could just barely lift his head, words and thought beyond him at the moment. The teen looked up to see a dimly lit room with only one bright light hanging above him. Directly across from him was Rodolfo without his mask and boots, Grandpapi without his golden sombrero, Frida and three other people. The Chipotles were here and so was Municipal President Rodriguez. Wait… The Chipotles were pronounced dead and Rodriguez… Manny just saw him at City Hall. What was going on here?

"Whew! For a second there Manny, we all thought you bit the big burrito." Frida was talking to him. Was it really Frida or La Cortina?

When his vision cleared more Manny saw that his family, friend, fiends and Rodriguez were shackled to the walls. Manny moved his wrists and found the same metal restraints.

"What-?" His voice was soft and hoarse and his body was still very, very weak.

"It's all right, Manny." Rodolfo told his son. "It's going to be all right."

There was a scoff from Dr. Chipotle Sr. who was missing his robotic hand.

""All right"? Dr. Chipotle Sr. and Dr. Chipotle Sr.'s son have been up here for one whole day. Things are far from "all right"." The mad scientist snapped.

"You're alive." Manny gave a lopsided, slightly conscious smile. "You idiot scientists are alive."

Dr. Chipotle Jr. frowned.

"We prefer the term "evil geniuses"." The ten-year-old villain returned, glaring at his archenemy. "And yes; we're alive."

The thirteen-year-old boy looked over at Frida.

"Is that really you Frida?" Manny asked, blinking past his vertigo. Frida sighed and nodded.

"Yep. It's really me. Are you really Manny Rivera, my best friend?" The blue-haired girl questioned. Manny paused and closed his eyes.

"Last I checked I was." The boy answered with a weak grin. "The last thing I remember is Frida turning into La Cortina. She's back by the way, dad."

"We all know dat now!" President Rodriguez barked, kicking his little feet since he was too short to touch the ground. "La Cortina ambushed me at mi casa! I've been here for thres dias!"

"Then who was at City Hall today? And Friday?" Manny heaved, the questions swimming in his mind.

Rodolfo frowned.

"It was the Titanium Titan masquerading as Rodriguez, my son." The man answered, his head bowed a little. Manny dropped his head and shivered.

La Cortina and the Titanium Titan were back. This is the city's worse nightmare.

"And chu gave chur boots to de Titan, Rodolfo." Grandpapi growled at his son. Rodolfo gave him a glare.

"I didn't know it was the Titanium Titan pretending to be Rodriguez, papa!" The man returned, twisting his wrists in his shackles. "He asked for me to resign as a super… and I did."

There was a chorus of gasps except from Manny who frowned at his father.

"WHAT?! WHY?!" Frida exclaimed. "Why did you give up superheroing?!"

Rodolfo looked up at his son, still seeing that angry look on the teen's face; a similar expression came to his.

"I did it for my son." The man answered through his teeth. Manny growled.

"I didn't ask for you to do that, DAD." Manny retorted. "That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do."

Rodolfo narrowed his eyes dangerously at his one and only son.

"You are THE most ungrateful child in todo el universo!" He barked at the teen. "I gave up SUPERHEROING! For YOU! To be a better father; that's why! In case you haven't noticed, MANNY, you've been arrested, you stole and you lied to me! You are a disobedient problem child!"

Manny was upset. For one, his now knew how his dad saw him; as a bratty, disobedient problem. And second… being in his father's disapproval. The boy felt anger bubble out of all his grief.

"It's been a bad WEEK, dad!" Manny yelled back. "None of this would have happened if you weren't so rendido! If you just BELIEVED me, we wouldn't BE here!!"

Rodolfo scowled.

"Chu see? Dis is what happens when chu are a hero instead of evil." Grandpapi chimed in. It was more than Rodolfo could take.

"CÁLLATE, VIEJO!" Rodolfo roared at his father. "YOU put Manny on this bad path by disrespecting my responsibility as Manny's father! YOU are an embarrassment to my family! I should have stopped trying to please you YEARS ago and kicked you out of that house!"

"CHU ARE WEAK TO BE A HERO!" Grandpapi yelled. The Riveras then got into a yelling fight much to the shock of Frida, the Chipotles and Rodriguez.

Frida watched her "family" scream at each other and she couldn't stop her tears from falling. Two horrible days ripped the Riveras apart, leaving those around them to watch in agony as the strongest family in Miracle City turned on each other.

Suddenly there was a flash of light and then smoke wafted through the room. Footfalls beyond the light were heard. Everyone suddenly went silent when they saw the lithe shadow form of La Cortina and the short figure of the Titanium Titan move into the light. It was truly the stuff of nightmares; the partnership that brought Miracle City and the Riveras to their knees was back! The fear fed the Titan's smile. Alejandra Marengo let her costume bleed off of her face. Everyone saw that her eyes were no longer green but a sinister purple.

The two villains' eyes traced around the room, making eye contact with each of their prisoners. They said nothing as Alejandra stepped forward, her shadowy dress rising into tentacles. La Cortina smiled. The Riveras, Frida, the Chipotles and Municipal President Rodriguez were powerless to run from the ribbons as they pierced each of their chests. The shadowy villainess closed her eyes and listened to the chaos inside each of their bodies. Her smile widened.

"Turning on each other even before the villains arrive?" La Cortina's tentacles pulsated a little, sucking out enough of each of their essences to keep them weak and obedient. "And I thought we were evil."

The weakened kids and adults could barely hold their heads up when she withdrew her tentacles from their bodies. The Titan gave a chuckle as Alejandra put her arm around his shoulders.

"Hola a todos." The ex-sidekick greeted in an evil way. "Long time, no see."

Alejandra chuckled.

"It's been what? One year? Did that year go by fast or is it just me?" She looked at her lover. The Titan gave a wicked half-smile. "I just lose track of time plotting venganza."

Both villains laughed. Alejandra left the Titan's side and stepped forward.

"Let me assure you all-" She voiced. "-that each and every event of your week was not an accident. Each and every one of you had a part in our downfall."

Then the shadowy villainess zipped around the room on her dress of shadows.

"Rodriguez for incarcerating me and the Chipotles for providing the acidic guacamole that weakened me." Then she darted over to Rodolfo and Grandpapi. "You're a supervillain and all villains' eradication has been my goal all along." La Cortina pointed at the weak old man. When she came to Rodolfo, her purple eyes narrowed with hurt. "White Pantera, for rejecting me and calling me a monster."

She reached up and gently took the man's chin in her hand. Rodolfo looked at Alejandra. The woman's face softened when she looked into his tired eyes.

"I've done what you wanted; there is zero crime in Miracle City right now." Her eyes brightened briefly, revealing that eager-to-please fan-girl that was still inside of the villainess. "I have proof, Pantera."

As Alejandra held Rodolfo's head upwards, her costume spat something out. Sartana of the Dead's Mystic Guitar clattered to the floor. Even in his weakened state, Rodolfo felt fear rush through him.

"See?" The shadowy woman added, moving away from him but her costume remaining on his face. Alejandra moved over to the Titanium Titan and put an inky hand on his shoulder. "We've been busy for the past six hours."

Manny blinked and raised his shaky head. Six hours? Is that how long they've been here? La Cortina's soft expression remained as she looked over everyone.

"It's good to see all of you again. One year is a long time." A soft, gentle expression left her lips. It was enough to make a docile silence circle the room.

Then the Titan looked up at his lover and quirked a brow. Alejandra's smile remained for but a second more before she caught the look on her boyfriend's face. Cleaning her expression, she sighed.

"You remember the first thing we did to kick start these last dos dias, Titan?" La Cortina asked her partner. The Titanium Titan gave Manny a bitter smirk.

"I believe you gave everyone nightmares." He answered.

La Cortina laughed and moved to the middle of the room.

"Nightmares… for each of you." She grinned at the Riveras. "For the past few months, I've been visiting your dreamscape and implanting feelings of dread and anxiety, all leading up to this moment. You all are exhausted from the lack of sleep; your decisions have been extreme and poor. You were ripe for my next move."

She looked at Manny.

"You remember me?" She morphed into the hooded man with the purse that Manny had chased Friday. Manny shook his head, surprised and disappointed. "I took this purse and framed you for abusing your powers. What did Chief Suarez tell you in that interrogation room? That you were an irresponsible punk with neglectful parents. Truer words never spoken before." Then La Cortina glared at Rodolfo. "And when you struck Mrs. Chichita, it was I who subdued her and put her in the middle of the street. I knew you would immediately take the blame for nearly killing her."

The shadow woman moved away, her hateful glare still resting on Rodolfo.

"Did I tell you what I found in Rodolfo's pocket?" The Titan spoke up. La Cortina glanced at her partner.

The Titan raised a piece of paper between his fingers. Alejandra took it and opened it. After glancing at it, a heinous smile spread over her mouth.

"Well, well." It was the custody paper. "Would you do the honors breaking it to Manny, Titan?"

The short ex-sidekick gave an evil chuckle.

"With pleasure." The Titan moved over to Manny and grasped his head. The boy looked on as he presented the legal document to his face. "Take a good look, Tigre. THIS is a long time coming."

Manny, since he was so weak, merely caught the subheading of the document. He saw the word "custody" in big bold letters. The boy's brow furrowed for a second before he figured out what that meant.

"Signed by a Rodolfo Rivera." Titan added, dropping Manny's head. "Funny. I didn't think he would."

La Cortina sighed.

"I knew he would." The supervillainess responded, folding her arms. "You should have seen his face when "Maria" gave the paper to him. You all bought my performance, too."

She gave a quick laugh when a voice cut through the room.

"Where's… my mom?" Manny growled.

"Where is… Maria?" Rodolfo wheezed out.

La Cortina rolled her eyes and allowed her costume to reach off to the side, grabbing Maria's essence-less body from nearby. Floating the woman's body into the light, the villainess dropped her to the floor. Frida, Manny, Grandpapi and Rodolfo gasped. Alejandra looked at Maria's body much like an eaten apple; all ready enjoyed.

"I took her essence because she wouldn't stop talking about how strong you were and how we wouldn't be able to break you." She stated.

The Titanium Titan gave a dry snort.

"And she was wrong." The ex-sidekick folded his metal arms, smug smile on his face. "You guys are in so many pieces I can fit you through the eye of a needle."

Alejandra nodded and took a step toward Rodolfo.

"A push here, a lie there and the mighty Rivera family falls. Not so strong now that your trust is broken." The woman glared at her idol. "Now you know the feeling of your entire world being broken."

She raised her hand and slapped Rodolfo, the noise echoing through the quiet hideout.

"Curse you for rejecting me!" Alejandra asserted. Her purple eyes shone with anger as her costume began to bleed over her face. "All I ever wanted was to have your approval! Everything I did, I did for YOU! It's YOUR fault I'm like this!"

The man locked eyes with her.

"I do not approve of supervillains." Rodolfo pointedly replied. "And your heart has become as black as your costume; it's no fault of mine."

Alejandra's expression mirrored that of a year ago; a wild, desperate pain accompanied by shame. She took a step away, her black costume covering her angst-ridden face. Her shadow dress bled over her hand, forming a long dagger of darkness. With a ghostly and echoed snarl, the villainess swung the blade of shadows at Rodolfo. The whole hideout shook when it impacted.

Manny expected to see his father's head blown off as La Cortina swung. But he saw her black blade veer off to the right, missing Rodolfo's head and sheering into the metal wall. The villainess quivered as a deafening silence filled the room. Rodolfo looked amazed but nonetheless thankful that he wouldn't die in front of his son.

Then the shadow costume bled off of Alejandra's face. Her expression was weak and defeated. Finally she relaxed, pulling her hand out of the wall. The woman stood there, her purple eyes dropping to the floor. Then Alejandra turned her head, looking to the Titanium Titan.

"He's right, Titan." She breathed, gooey, black tears streaking down her face. The ex-sidekick swallowed the lump in his throat.

The Titan was grateful that Alejandra stopped before she took Rodolfo's head off. Apparently he wasn't the only one choking in guilt. Alejandra's lip quivered as she walked over to her partner.

"This isn't who we are." She walked into his arms and let a sob go. "I can't do it."

The ex-sidekick wrapped his liquid metal arms around her. It seems that there was enough hero inside of each of them to prevent them from doing the unthinkable.

"It's all right, Alejandra." The Titan hugged her. In light of their little revelation, they sure caused a lot of damage before they came to their senses.

Suddenly Alejandra shrieked. The Titan jumped out of her arms only to see his girlfriend stumble back, gripping her shoulders.

"What?!" The ex-sidekick rushed, at her side. The woman looked up, a horrible pain on her face.

"My costume! It's-!" Alejandra was thrown to the floor as her costume disapproved of her. Wherever her costume touched, her skin burned. "Stop! What are you doing?!"

Her alien costume whispered into her ear one word: "coward". The costume hauled the woman to her feet and forced out her arm. To Alejandra's horror, the shadowy costume formed a point and hauled her toward Rodolfo.

"Stop!" She dug her heels into the floor but still her costume dragged her toward her idol. Her costume stopped, its dangerous point resting between Rodolfo's eyes. "NO! I won't take Pantera's essence again!"

The costume squeezed and burned her. It called her a coward and demanded that Rodolfo's essence be eaten. It was disappointed with her change of heart and commanded that its insatiable appetite for human essences be satisfied. Alejandra could feel the costume stretching and inching closer to Rodolfo's forehead. Just before it could touch the man's skin, a liquid metal axe sliced through the costume. With Alejandra still as its puppet, the alien costume lashed out at the Titanium Titan.

With a shadowy tentacle across his chest, the ex-sidekick was launched across the hideout. Alejandra gasped.

"Titan!" She exclaimed. Her costume writhed with anger and stretched tentacles in every direction.

The ribbons of darkness pierced the walls of the hideout and Alejandra felt it lift from her body. The alien sunk its fangs into the back of her neck and whispered in her ear. It had all the power it needed to siphon all of the essences of Miracle City. It possessed every essence of every villain from Sartana of the Dead to El Cucharón. But it still wanted more. It wanted to rampage and consume more; just as it did a year ago.

"NO! I won't let you!" She cried, grasping handfuls of the alien costume. "It will NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!"

But she felt it rise off of her. Her costume was going to do as it pleased and she'd be powerless to stop a monster she helped to create.

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