4.1

I woke up with a startled jerk, the phone blaring on my nightstand in a shrill, high pitched ring.

My heart hammered in my chest, the events of the previous day coming back to me in an absolute rush.

Then the fears came.

Had they attacked one of the others? Chris? Missy? Dean?

I all but jumped up in my bed, lunging for the phone and answering. "Hello!?"

"This is agent James Edison!" The man shouted, he sounded alarmed, rushed. "Ashburn we're picking you up in One minute. There's an emergency."

I could hear other voices in the background, the clicking of keys and sounds that seemed to indicate some kind of fight. "What's wrong!?"

"The PRT holding facilities are under attack by an unknown number of parahumans. Intelligence has pointed out the Undersiders and the Travelers on scene! We're calling in all Wards and Heroes. We have a car on the way to pick you up!"

I got up out of bed, cradling the phone in one hand as I ran down the stairs to the front of my house, the holding area of the PRT was just a few miles from here.

I opened looked through the screen. I couldn't see anything wrong from here but…

A light turned on upstairs. "Taylor?"

"The car will be there soon. We have equipment for you inside. Move now. From the sound of everything they'll need a heavy hitter on the field!"

The man hung up and I blinked stupidly for a second. Standing in the middle of my living room at two something in the morning in my PJ's wondering what the hell I was supposed to do.

"Taylor?"

Dad's voice made me turn to look at him, standing at the foot of the stairs, confused and still half asleep.

"Its three in the morning kiddo what're you-"

"There's an emergency." I said, still in a half daze myself. "They're coming to pick me up in-" I had to change- I don't have my gear on me or any ash. I…

The van pulled to a stop, only barely avoiding squealing its tires inside our driveway.

One of the agents stepped out of the van, running up the front porch and banging on the door.

Dad moved to open it.

The man stumbled in, looking around for me before he finally caught sight of me.

"Come on." He said. "We have equipment for you in the car!"

"Hey, wait one goddamn minute what the hell is going on here!?" Dad shouted, the sleep completely banished from his mind.

"The PRT holding facilities are under attack." The man answered. "We're calling in all the Wards and everyone we can-"

"The Wards aren't even supposed to fight!"

I didn't wait any further, I ran past him, ducking under the agent's arm to do so. I was not staying here while my friends were gonna go off and fight supervillains!

"Taylor!"

I ignored him, running into the van's open side door, immediately finding the ash in the container in the backseat.

To my surprise, the agent driving the car didn't wait for his friend to come back in behind me. He put the car in reverse and gunned it, the car door slamming shut with the sudden inertia.

"Here." Another agent said, placing a standard issue PRT communicator in my ear, then the PRT helmet on my head and strapping it in place. Too much to hope that they'd have the custom one Armsmaster made for me.

They opened up the container and I instantly moved the ash over me. Overlaying and overlapping patterns of armor, conforming and shifting to fit my imagination.

"Here." The Agent that put a helmet on my head handed me a file. "Some of the information we've got on the supervillains so far."

I opened up the file, it was almost impossible to read in the lowlight of the car but I saw the Undersiders there. Grue the darkness maker, Tattletale the Thinker, Regent who did some kind of remote muscle control, and Hellhound with her monster dogs.

I skimmed over them, I got most of this information from the others earlier. Who else was here…

The first picture was of a Case 53. A guy that looked like an orange lizard or something. Newter. The file was a bitch to read in the low light but I managed. It said the guy was some kind of mid range blaster that spat out a hallucinogenic venom like a spitting cobra. File recommended going in close and taking him down, wasn't a brute.

Spitfire was next, Striker that could evaporate someone's blood if they touch her. Might be immune to that but I sure as hell wasn't gonna test it.

Genesis was some kind of changer. Different forms for different functions, they'd seen her change rapidly mid fight to catch her enemies off guard with different tactics.

I was just gonna turn the page to the next when my ears finally picked up the sounds of the fight, gunfire in particular.

Absurd levels of gunfire.

"Christ, are they fighting war?" I asked, turning to look out the front windshield.

"Prison breakouts have to be put down hard and discouraged. This shit is hitting the fan quick." The driver answered. "Heard Dragon's on her way too."

"Shit." The agent beside me muttered.

"Where are the others?"

"On their way." The man answered. "Other vans are getting them, Aegis and Gallant will probably fly, Armsmaster, Velocity and Miss Militia are already on scene."

I nodded. More to myself than them.

We rounded a corner and I was convinced I was suddenly looking at some scene out of some over the top B-movie.

Was that a sun in the middle of the road?

"We're going around." The agent said as he swerved the car and began driving towards a different street. I could see explosions down the road past the sun, which was melting everything in a nearby radius. Even I could feel the heat of that thing. We went up over a road divider and around another building, a sharp turn after a block and another half mile and the van stopped outside an alley.

"You're about fifty yards away from the prison. If you want to burn anything else for ash, use the dumpster stuff over there. The other Wards should be pulling in soon." The agent told me as I got out and used my fire on the open dumpster to accumulate more ash for my armor. I even formed my ash sword. No way am I holding back against prisoners or those villains. They woke me up in the middle of the damn night.

"Which Ward am I closest to?"

"Aegis arrived here thirty seconds ago just a block west of our position and… another one, Vista I think. Good luck Ashburn!" He shut the door and drove off. I turned around, facing the alley and the small maze I would have to deal with before going right into a warzone. I licked my lips, gulped, and took a deep breath. I ran into the alley. I had no communicator on me, which sucked, so I just had to keep running.

I raised my wrist and realized that the agent forgot to give me my watch. I guess they didn't have time or just forgot. Crap.

I reached up to my helmet when I realized that this wasn't my helmet. It had no communication function to activate, only the earpiece beneath the helmet which I'd never be able to reach without removing my ash. To hell with that.

Fuck.

I shook my head and growled, charging onward and towards the wall leading into the prison. My hands were alight in flames as I gave a mighty leap and took in the sight before me as I stood on the prison wall.

It was pandemonium. Officers were in lines firing into prisoners and prisoners were firing into officers. Those that didn't have any weapons were improvising them with molotov cocktails and bombs made out of gas tanks that they were tossing into the crowd. I saw some kind of beast. All corded muscle and protruding bones, almost demonic looking, riding through and bashing anyone too slow to get the hell out of its way. Armsmaster was the only one I recognized in the hellish pit. His power armor was fully sealed up, panels covering his mouth and eyes with armor as he used his Halberd to fight while launching tear gas grenades from a wrist mounted launcher. I only just caught the blur of speed that was Velocity. I'm not sure how, but suddenly, in the air, one of the helicopters was lit up in a ball of fire, the whole thing spinning round and round before smashing down onto the wall across from me, the flaming hulk of metal tilting to crash into the street just outside the perimeter.

I jumped down into the chaos.

As I went to land, I felt my leg twitch out from under me and I landed off balance, nearly falling, a second later I lost all of my remaining footing and crashed down onto the slanted roof face first and tumbled, falling three stories down to slam onto the prison yard pavement.

... I… Son of a bitch! The Undersiders. The stupid looking one. Regent! He's got eyes on me!

I growled, picking myself off the ground and looked up to see if I could spot him.

I found him sitting atop one of the massive monsters I now knew to be Hellhound's dogs. He waggled his fingers in a wave my way.

My hands blazed up to toss a fireball at him when I got in range. I rushed into the fray.

Then I felt like I was hit by a truck and sent flying. I skidded on the ground, shaking my head as I looked up, seeing another demonic looking mutt with a dog-masked face villain riding my way.

I snarled and charged back, fire in my hands.

I fell flat on my ass as it came close, sliding underneath the beast and fired a blast into its underside as I did. The dog gave what could only have been a pained yowl, but in this state it could almost pass for threatening.

I got back on my feet tossing another fireball into its side as it tried to turn to face me. I clipped the pant leg of Hellhound who screamed bloody murder as she turned and fell off the dog to try and bat away the fires on her ankle. I moved to charge, seize the opportunity, then I fell flat on my face mid run, skidding on the ground with my speed, and again when I tried to recover and stand, at the third time I actually pushed myself into a wall. Bitch grabbed onto the dog and both mount and rider charged into the crowd, away from me.

Looking at the prison, I charged.

I could hear a roar and looked up, seeing… something charge at me and swing it's fist. I blocked it with my ash-covered arm and noticed I was looking at a hybrid of a gorilla, at least… it had the arms, body, and legs, its head was some kind of alligator for the head and tail… or was it a crocodile?

If I was guessing things right this had to be that Genesis chick. When I put her down I had to put her down hard, can't afford her changing on me mid fight to have a whole different bag of tricks.

The thing snarled and grabbed me with its two massive paws, the sheer strength catching me off guard as she headbutted me. I staggered a little, but Genesis staggered more so, caught off guard by how tough my ash was. So this is what it was like fighting a Brute.

But those lesson's I'd been taking with Aegis weren't for nothing. I reached up, both hands smashing into the thing's armpits, if its anatomy was even remotely human that must've-

I was lifted and thrown, my body punching straight through a concrete wall and into one of the prison's administrative buildings.

Guess that anatomy isn't remotely human then…

She jumped through the hole I'd made, finding me easily and charging like a mad bull.

I charged back and just as we were about to hit each other, I dove.

All of the ash powered force of my charge and whatever amount of power was behind her own charge slammed into Genesis' wide open knees, my shoulder smashed into her shins like a battering ram. A squawk escaped the inhuman thing's throat, I wasn't sure if it was from pain or surprise, before she flipped up and over me to slam into the ground behind me.

I stood, turned right around and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, lifting.

I swung, full power, decking Genesis in the disproportionately large jaw and sending her flying down the hall, past a ruined barricade that some of the guards had made in the lobby of this building.

There was a crunch of boots on gravel, I turned, fire ready in my hand.

"Stop!"

It was Armsmaster, voice booming out of his armor.

"Armsmaster- Its Genesis she-"

"You have to leave!" He cut me off. "You've been-"

Whatever he was gonna say, it was cut off, a stream of fire shooting out to splash onto his face, clinging there like liquid napalm. I turned and just managed to catch a glimpse of that Spitfire girl before something slammed into my side, harder than anything I'd ever experienced. I felt my arm and rib cage snap like twigs as I was launched clear out of the building, crashing through another wall to bowl over whatever the hell was unfortunate enough to be on the other side of it before I finally came to a stop by the prison wall, slamming into it with enough force to make me black out.

Seconds later, It must have been seconds… the battle was still going, I was waking up again, three Ash statues beside me, their healing auroras knitting the flesh and bone of my body like the damage never happened. I got up, staggering a bit, but I felt the nausea and pain fade away as the multitude of statues healed me. I looked up, and saw the fight still going full bore. Aegis was getting mauled by one of Hellhound's giant dogs, Gallant was firing into the crowd from overhead.

When did he get here?

I ran towards Aegis, the statues crumbling behind me, allowing me to gather the ash into a rapid spinning wheel around me.

A prisoner, a stupid one, caught sight of me, turned, and swung with a pipe I batted out of his hand with a downward blow, then used the same hand to backhand him into a wall, barely breaking my stride.

What did break my stride though was the same beast from before crashing onto the ground in front of me, snarling with ropes of drool trailing out of its maw.

It moved to lunge… and stopped.

Frozen.

I leaned around it, eyes searching and found Dennis waving happily beside the beast.

"Looked like you needed some help."

"Aegis!" I turned and pointed. "Lets get to Aegis!" I could still see him, punching and clawing at the dog that was gnawing on him like a toy. The most annoying bastard of this whole fight, Regent, was on the thing's back. Oh I was going to enjoy thi-

I tripped and fell flat on my face, just in time for some prisoner to club me in the back with a pipe or something.

I snarled and punched the prisoner in the gut, watching him double over as I stood, then elbowed him in the back, sending him to the floor. Scratch enjoying this, when I got my hands on this bastard I was sure the catharsis was going to be downright euphoric… for one of us anyway…

I rushed through the prisoners, dodging and weaving through the crowd of combatants, sprinting as fast as I could, Regent tried to make me trip again, and again, and this time I used a quickly conjured sword as a cane to keep my stride far better.

The renaissance themed asshole turned the dog around, apparently getting ready to run again.

Then there was a white blur and the animal was lifted clear off the ground, up, over my head and slammed back down.

New Wave had just showed up.

Then we were swallowed by black.

All light, sound, vibrancy of the world was suddenly cut off. In a single instant there was nothing.

Peace...

The Dark.

I went still.

Strangely… I felt like… taking in the scenery…

Shit!

It was like a ripple on a still pond. The small ringlets moving outward, the echo that reached me was faint. But in this place it might as well have been a gunshot.

The one that made this darkness…

No.

The thought is firm. Final. I find myself unwilling to argue even though there's no one here to argue with.

I shook my head and then I jumped.

When I cleared the darkness sound came back like a whitewash, I rose up, over the blanket of midnight black, trying to get my bearings.

Then there was an arm around my waist.

I started to struggle, moving to elbow whoever it was in the face when they spoke. "Calm the fuck down Ash its just me!"

Victoria. I stopped and a second later she had shifted her grip from my waist to my hands, keeping me aloft.

"Gotta find Grue." She hissed, peering into the black void. "They can see just fine inside the dark, probably some Tinker bullshit. Armsmaster's already confirmed that he can see through it too and that they're regrouping. He can't see clear enough to say exactly where the hell they're gathering up though."

I look down, searching the chaos below. "Grue is the one in black right?"

"With the skull-helmet? That's the guy." Glory Girl said as I acted as a turret for her, sending down fireballs in a swivel to the criminals. I saw several inmates catch fire and start screaming, but that didn't matter now. For now, Grue.

The minutes felt like hours standing there, hovering above, trying to find some break in the pattern, something that could-

"There!" Glory Girl followed my arm and flew in the direction. I saw Grue atop one of the buildings, almost directly below us the dark pooling out of him into the courtyards below.

He was fighting someone.

"Alright sweet! Stalker girl's keeping him distracted! Now we just-'

Then she let me go.

It took me a second to realize what had happened.

"Fucking Regen-!" I smashed into the building directly below me, down through the sheet metal ceiling to smash onto a now shattered desk…

I'm gonna kill him… I'm gonna… fucking… kill him. And by kill him I mean follow Vlad the Impaler's example and use a hot searing ash spear and gore him like a pig!

I picked myself up, slowly moving to try and get to my feet again.

I spied Grue through the window, still standing at the rooftop. Would have thought Glory Girl would have attacked by now…

Even so, Stalker was keeping him busy!

I ran towards the window and lunged.

Glass shattered and in a single leap I was latching onto the edge of the higher ceiling, pulling myself up to face the dark shrouded leader of the Undersiders.

"Time for a show…" He muttered, shifting from foot to foot.

I conjured an Ash sword. "I'll give you a show!"

"Stay the fuck out of this!"

I stop, surprised. I'd heard she was bad but-

"Trickster!" Grue shouted.

I blinked, and missed it. One second I was staring into the stern, severe face of Shadow Stalker's mask… the next… it was gone, whatever took its place clattering to the floor to reveal…

Sophia Hess!?

I don't know when I took a step back… but the next thing I know, my heel is at the very edge of the roof.

Sophia snarls as she wraps the collar of her massive coat under her face. She's looking at Grue. "You're a fucking dead man" Then… she turns back to me. And I can see it there plain as day. The expression I've seen so many times before. Always lingering in those dark eyes. "And you Hebert. One fucking word and I'll gut you like I should have done at Winslow!"

Its like a splash of cold water to the face. It shocks me back from whatever stupor gripped me.

And in an instant the rage I feel is a living, breathing thing inside of me. And my hands are burning with more fire than I've ever used in my life.

I see her eyes go wide with surprise and for a second, I relish the look there, savor it. In my thoughts I can picture it… imagine it… I can just… almost see the light die in her eyes. And I know that I will see it happen today. Tonight. Sophia Hess does not leave here alive!

The blow that struck me came from behind and I only saw it coming because it was Grue that shouted out the warning. Its only because of him I ever caught sight of the armored car a second before it hit me and I just felt… everything break!

I smashed down and through the building directly below us, plowing a hole straight through. At some point, I hit the road, scrape across it and slam into another building, punching straight through… I don't even know what. The armored car was shredded to pieces as I finally came to a stop, cement and concrete having torn the metals like wet cardboard at those speeds.

The pain was blinding, all consuming. My whole world was pain, it doused the blinding rage like cold water.

I struggled to stay awake… I could feel the ash moving, heard the signature snaps and cracks of bones as the statue took shape to heal me.

But even through the pain, through the creeping dark at the edge of my sight, probably Grue in battle with Stalker, through the noise and the chaos and the agony… my thoughts trailed back… it…

It couldn't be her… I had to be wrong…

It couldn't be her.

"No…. no…." I shook my head, or tried to. this had to be some sort of trick. It… it couldn't. Be. Her.

I shook my head… "It… can't be." I somehow rasped out through crushed ribs.

If it was… then… then…

"What. Don't tell me you actually thought they gave a shit about you Hebert."

I gasped, finding it hard to breath, the pain all around me seething and sharp. Where did that voice come from?

"Wha…."

"Oh come on now, you're just precious."

My helmet. Radio in my helmet. Its… responding now?

"You actually thought they gave a shit. Here's a hint Hebert. Nobody gives a shit about you. Only reason you're even on their radar is because you won the proverbial lottery. Otherwise you'd barely be a stain to scuff off their boot. You actually caused a lot of headaches when you burnt down Winslow, lots of cleanup to make. Had to transfer Stalker, hide the evidence from you. The funny thing was how you just ate. It. Up. Those guys must have been laughing for days at that shit."

I tried to move, to rip the helmet off my head, get this girl… Emma's voice away from me!

But my arms burned like fire, I could feel the splinters of bone grinding against each other inside my flesh.

My statues… they healed me faster than this… what was wrong?

I shook my head, tears burning at my eyes. "No… No they-"

"What? Didn't lie to you? Didn't trick you? Come on. Aegis is the team captain. Think they wouldn't tell him at least? Didn't you find it odd how everyone always walked on eggshells when she was mentioned?"

My hand finally found some strength, rising to rest against the helmet, pushing it with far too weak limbs.

"They knew Hebert. Can't keep a secret like that… well… unless its from you- of course!"

It was like her words were drawing up a slideshow across my thoughts, moments and snippets of time I'd discarded now coming back… twisted in this… new… horrifying light.

"So…" I ventured, the curiosity gnawing at me. "Is Shadow Stalker here?" I hadn't heard good things about the Ward, but I'd eventually have to work along side her. Might as well meet her now.

"No."

Carlos… Carlos had been the one to answer… he'd… Did he really…

"Oh yeah. He knew all about it."

"We're not sure when but So-I mean Shadow Stalker will contact us when she's tailing Skidmark or whoever's gonna pick up the drop."

"Almost slipped there with Stalker's name there Capy."

Dennis had laughed… Carlos...was glaring… Then...that means they…

"Course they smiled about it. I sure would."

I sobbed…

"Is she very private?" I found myself asking.

"Extremely."

Browbeat too...

"You just made it easy Hebert. You can remember how they changed the subject? Or all those times they shared little inside jokes? You better be damn sure you gave them plenty of material to laugh at Hebert."

"Unless its a nefarious plot from Miss Piggy to keep our two most rated T for Teen members from meeting up and making Glenn start frothing at the mouth when he finally gets here."

"Oh they just want to keep her mystique alive for our latest Ward." Assault smiled waggling his eyebrows.

Did… did they all really…

Stalker will tell you her ID on her own Tay.

An excuse… a fucking excuse and I swallowed it!

It took me a moment to recognize the sound I was hearing was coming from me. A keening wail I struggled to pass through a chest that was far too tight, a throat far too constricted.

Pain of an entirely different kind bored its way through my chest.

"Oh god you're actually crying!" The voice in my ear exclaimed reminding me far too much of Emma. "God you really are the saddest excuse for a Hero."

"Shut up…" My voice was a whisper, a small, broken thing I couldn't even recognize.

"Did you even check to see if they investigated? Ever looked into your old school? Wanna know what they did to Miss Barnes? Your old school teachers? The principal? Huh Taylor? Wanna guess? Nothing. Blackwell's taking a job on the school board, a fucking promotion for her exemplary service in keeping Winslow's GPA on the national average."

I clenched my eyes shut, once more fumbling for the strap of the helmet trying to get it off… I… couldn't work it… I couldn't even find the release with numb fingers.

"Wanna know what happened to Clements? She's living it up in Immaculata, clean as a whistle. Wanna see Emma? Just gotta look at that little magazine she's still modeling for in New York. Nothing on that end either."

"Please… just stop!" I found the strength to shout, coughing up blood a second later as the damage to my lungs decided to make itself known.

The girl stopped… and for a second I was left with blissful silence, I hoped it was over, that I could just crawl into the black abyss of unconsciousness and die there, or that I'd finally be healed and could just… leave…

But it was only a reprieve… an all too short one.

I heard her voice again, the smile, taunting me through the radio I simply couldn't remove.

"Oh… Oh this is rich. God, Hebert, your life is a fucking joke with you as the punch-line. Wanna know what they've got lined up for little Miss Hess? Get this. Transfer to California's Ward program. Guess they had to reward the girl that helped you trigger into something worth more than a no name orphan with a deadbeat dockworker dad. She gets to work with Alexandria Hebert."

"Ashburn!" I heard the shout above me and looked, my eyes finding a chopper circling overhead…

Miss Militia.

"Oh… the biggest liar of them all. Remember how she smiled at you? Promised you how she'd just take care of everything? Quite the actress really. Oscar worthy even."

The tears in my eyes flowed, and the wracking sobs sent shards of agony through my chest as this fucking voice just wouldn't shut up!

"Can't really blame her though, being a hero's all about privileges. Don't try to act surprised. You've gotten special privileges too. Bet all the teachers have been real nice and understanding at Arcadia. No getting bad grades for you. You've even done quite a few violent things. Anyone call you on it? Anyone call Sophia on what she did to you? Hell, they fucking rewarded her Hebert!

"Just. Like. You."

They knew…. They swept it all under the rug. Everything that happened to me. They all fucking knew….

I looked up, And I could see Miss Militia still circling overhead, only recognizing her costume. My sight was out of focus… blurry.

Miss Militia… she promised…

And… she…

Didn't keep it...

No… Worse….

She never intended to keep it.

She lied from day one… twisted everything, used everything I ever said to her against me. For her own benefit….

No better than Emma…

The heroes were no better than Emma fucking Barnes!

They all… All of them!

I closed my eyes… into dark.

But it was a darkness I wanted. A darkness where I can escape.

I hear… I hear her song… Mom's song. The one she used to play with her flute at night… our song.

And I can feel her arms around me, I burry my head into her stomach, crying and whimpering against the very last person I could trust!

Hannah betrayed me. Armsmaster betrayed me. Nick betrayed me. Chris betrayed me. Missy. Carlos. Dean. Dennis. Brendan.

Traitors…

Traitors!

All of them!

Every single last fucking one of them!

"It's all right…" Said the soothing voice of my mother. Loving and Kind. I never wanted to leave her side. "Just let it go little owl..." Said mother. "Let it all go… we'll make things better now."

I panted, my eyes closed. I could see it flash before my eyes. My childhood with Emma. Her betrayal. Sophia. Madison.

But there was another. I saw a man in armor supporting me as we walked. I saw him bow before a regal man, me bowing with him. I saw a woman on a throne. I saw my sword and his bell-shaped mace clash. I saw him and the regal bearded man send me out… and that man's eyes… changed to...

Emma.

Carlos.

Chris.

Hannah.

Altering in flux.

I can hear the smile in my mother's voice as she speaks.

"Just let us make it all better… My. Little. Owl."

I listen to her. I can trust her… She would never betray me...

So I let her.

(X)

When he saw her get hit by the bus, Chris literally froze in mid air, standing on his hoverboard like a wide open target before his brain caught up with the situation.

"Ashburn!" he yelled, flying over, ignoring Dauntless' commands to stay with the platoon of PRT troopers that was carving its way into the Prison. The prisoners were being beaten down into the ground by this point. Only the most idiotic were still fighting, still trying. The villains were hiding in a cloud of dark but even that wouldn't keep them safe for very long! The troopers could handle themselves. Taylor was in danger! She could even be dead!

He flew into the gaping hole caused by the bus thrown by Ballistic and jumped off, the board getting yanked onto his hand by magnets. Too much fire and too small a space to use right. He jumped through the hole, debris and cement dust clogging his throat as he tried to breathe, coughing as he called out her name "Ashburn! Ash!" He yelled going through it.

He saw a hand sticking out from underneath rubble and wreckage, his heart stopped, and it was with endless guilt that he realized he felt relief as he noticed the wedding ring on the young woman's finger…. Not Taylor… a civilian. He felt like garbage in that moment but... that was all he could think of.

He looked deeper into the building, another hole had been shorn through the building's wall. He moved to run through it when his blood froze in his veins like ice.

"Maaaadisooooon."

The voice was… wrong. Lilting. Like it was going to break into a song, or a lullaby.

But he couldn't hear it… He didn't hear it! It was… all around him… inside of him. A worm in his mind. An analogous fusion of a man and a woman. It made him freeze and brandish his pistols.

It was...

"Who's-"

"Maaaadisooooooonnn…."

He placed his back to a wall, listening, trying to discern from memory if any of the Parahumans reported to be here could do this.

But he was drawing a blank. The only Cape he knew of beside the Simurgh that could whisper in your head was…

Taylor...with her statues….

"Sophiaaaa…"

"Ash!" He called. "Ash is that you?"

"E...Eeem..."

The voice was different then, altering in pitch, deeper, no longer a fusion of male and female. The tone was distinctly male.

"Eee...Ell...mmaaasstt….Vell...Velst…"

The searing heat that blasted out of the hole in the wall was the only warning Kid had, one which he took. He dove for the ground behind the rubble, covering his head.

The explosion, he'd later learn had leveled the building, and it was only a scant few seconds that had separated him from death. Panacea had almost been unable to save him.

Just a few more seconds...

For years they'd ask. And if he would ever answer he'd only be able to say that he heard a single thing in that fire.

One vengeful roar that had swallowed his whole world.

"VEEEEEELSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAATD!"