Whack!

Lynn catches the ball and readies it; tossing the softball in the air and smacking it with her bat.

Whack!

The satisfying sound, nor the perfect angle she was hitting the ball against the plywood so that it could arc its way back to her, could not shake off the thoughts clouding her mind.

Whack!

Leni quit her job. A job with people that she cared about. And with King terrorizing the city (even though he's in prison), she's not going to have a lot of time to find another one. It had good money, too. Leni wasn't rich like Batman. And she's not as invincible as Superman.

Whack!

And she couldn't do a stinkin' thing to change any of it. All she could do-

Whack!

Was hit a ball-

Whack!

Against a wall.

Whack!

"Hey!"

Lynn jumped with a start, but caught the ball. Lincoln was in the back yard with her, reading a book from his wheelchair, parked in the shade.

"That's getting kind-of old," he complained. "Any other sports related thing you could be doing right now?"

Lynn just stared at him. Still in that wheelchair. They didn't have to carry him up the stairs anymore, but he basically limped up the steps while leaning on the railing.

Seeing him now… reminding her of everything that's happened… frustrated her even more.

"Get up and make me," she muttered at him. She slammed the ball a little harder than usual. Instead of bouncing off the plywood and coming back to her in an arc, it ricocheted off the side wall and shot back at her. It nailed her in the eye.

She held her head back, biting back bitter words and mentally running down a list of curses in her mind.

"Mom got some new icepacks in the fridge," Lincoln pointed to the house, without even looking up from his comic.

Lynn glared at him and shook her head.

"Freaking smart-aleck."

Lynn made her way to the kitchen.

"Lynn!" Lori called from the front door. "Oof. Your new weights are here!"

Lynn closed the door to the fridge, nursing her cheek with a cold pack.

"Weights?" She didn't order anything.

She walked over to see Lori set the box down with a hard thud.

"Jeez," she complained, "You're a monster."

She left to unload the car of groceries with their mom. Lynn examined the box. No postage. No return address. Just a taped-up box left on their porch with her name on it.

Lynn hefted it up and made her way to the stairs, only to hear the chaos up there.

"She won't just be sore," Luan prompted her sisters. "She'll be dino-sore."

With Lana giggling, everyone else groaned.

"I'm going to beat you to death with my axe guitar," Luna promised.

...And Lynn changed her mind. There's got to be a place where she can get some privacy.

The garage.

Bypassing the kitchen again, she made her way to the garage and set the box down inside, next to the other storage.

She ripped the folds apart and looked inside. Set on top of the packing foam was a card with golden writing.

"Enjoy," Lynn read out. Nothing else was written. She pocketed the card and started sifting through the packing peanuts.

"Whoa."

Leni sat in her bed, sniffling. She wore her designated comfy sweater, for those especially depressed occasions. She should be angry, shouldn't she? Two days ago, she quit her job to wear a costume. To keep her sanity.

Leni heard her sister climb the stairs. She could pinpoint each sister by their footprints now. Lori made her way to their room.

"Hey," she greeted as she entered. "How're you feeling?"

"Hmm." Leni grunted.

"Well," Lori rested a hand on her side. "Why don't you come help me at the EGG Center? I could use the extra hand."

"Hmm." Leni sighed.

"Just something to think about," Lori added. "You've been in the house for a couple of days now."

"No crime happening," Leni answered. "No need for Super-Leni right now."

"Super Leni?" Lori teased. "You mean Sky Girl."

"Hmm."

"Well, we're leaving in a few," Lori settled. "Think about it."

Leni sighed, trying to disappear into her pillow. She was in no mood for super heroic antics or adventure. But she should try to get out of the house today.

With a groaning effort, she pulled herself out of her sheets and set to work on her image. A change of clothes, and a brush to her hair was enough of a fix. Oh, and she couldn't forget her shades.

She took two steps out of her room before her mom called her.

"Leni!" she shouted from downstairs. "Check on Lisa, would you? It's her naptime!"

Leni obeyed, opening the door to the nursery to see only one of its inhabitants snoozing away. The other was sitting in front of a computer.

"Lisa," Leni gently rested a hand on her head. "Naptime."

"Elder sibling," Lisa tried to argue, "I am closing in on-"

"You're not talking your way out of it," Leni interrupted. "You are too young to be overworking yourself like this."

"No, no!" Lisa objected as she was picked up. She was getting bigger too. "I am trying to elucidate our position with the dealer! I believe I'm getting close."

"The dealer?" Leni wondered.

"The individual responsible for the bank robbery some weeks ago," Lisa answered. "He provided the teenage perpetrators with weapons of concerning proportions."

"Right," Leni remembered.

"There is a very short and comprehensive list of suspects. I can submit it to Detective Hobbs so that we may-"

"It can wait till after your nap," Leni paused her.

Lisa huffed and relented, letting herself be tucked in and her glasses set aside.

With her mission accomplished, she went downstairs and joined her older sister in the van. It was just the two of them today. Driving through the city had a different feeling than usual. A tense air hung around the van like a fog. Leni didn't notice, and rested her head against the window. Lisa's words reminded her of other thoughts plaguing her. There's something to all of this. Like stitching a sweater.

"…Think there's a pattern," Leni groggily stated.

"To what?" Lori entertained.

"King," Leni tried to clarify. "The people he's using. There's something to all of it."

"Like what?"

"Don't know," Leni shook her head. "What was that thing…? Like, in church? The six super bad things?"

Lori thought for a second. "You mean…the seven deadly sins?"

"Yeah!" Leni pointed to her. "That's it!"

"Why would he… Leni that doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does!" Leni argued. "Like, there's…. Greed, and um…"

With a sigh, Lori pulled out her phone as they slowed to a stop at a red light. Her fingers were a blur on the screen. The light turned green and she handed Leni her phone.

"Here," she said, her patience and curiosity outweighing her exhausted sense of realism.

"Let's see," Leni read off. "greed, gluttony, pride, lust, envy… We've totes fought all of that!"

"Okay," Lori sighed, "Let's take this one step at a time. If these… psycho villains represent the sins… which one was lust supposed to be?"

"The goat guy who made the dreams."

"Greed? Gluttony?"

"Um…" Leni thought. "The frog guy. And the leech guy who locked me up."

"I guess that makes King pride," Lori muttered. "Which one was supposed to be envy?"

"That would be… Lana!" Leni realized. "She was being directly controlled by King, just like the others! And she was super insecure about how she looked."

"Okay…" Lori sounded less secure in her skepticism. "So… going by your theory, what's left?"

"Uhm…" Leni looked at the phone. "There's just… sloth and wraith."

"Okay. So... if the bad guys all have that theme... what's the point? What does it give... them..."

"What's going on here?" Lori wondered, interrupting her own thoughts.

Leni followed her gaze; a crowd of people lined the sidewalks in front of the EGG Centers. Everyone was shouting different things and making quite the uproar. Leni looked around and saw Hobbs a ways away. He looked very angry, with his hands on his hips and scolding another officer.

Lori found a parking spot somewhere past Hobbs and the crowd. The girls cautiously got out and made their way to the commotion.

"You act like a thug, you get treated like one," Hobbs dismissed. "I don't care how long you've been doing this. As soon as I get back to the station, I'll-"

He bit his lip. Shaking his head and turning away before briefly turning back to the officers.

"Get him out of my sight," he ordered. "No, he can ride in the back."

Two officers put a third in the back seat of a cop car and drove off.

"What happened?" Lori made their presence known.

Hobbs sighed, a lot of the frustration forced down for his next answer.

"One of…" Hobbs struggled. "One of the officers jumped the gun. Attacked a kid. He's on his way to a hospital now."

Leni caught something at the corner of her eye. An antler was snapped in half and left on the ground. It's owner was nowhere to be found. Was a deer hit? Where was the rest of it?

"Did he do anything?"

"Not sure yet," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Lot of witnesses here. They don't seem to think so."

Leni, still staring at the antler, felt a cold dread wash over her back and legs. She suddenly had the thought that the kid in question might have been one of the ones exposed.

"Oh my god," Leni covered her mouth.

"Kid."

Leni looked up at Hobbs, shock horror evident in her eyes.

"It's not your fault," he tried to assure her. "We're going to take of this, believe me."

Among all of the shouting and screaming, Leni heard someone chuckling. She looked around for it but couldn't find its source.

"You two should get inside," Hobbs suggested. "It's not going to calm down anytime soon."

Lori nodded and grabbed Leni to pull her, but she resisted. There was something rippling through the air. Wait, no, there were two things.

Leni looked up to see something growing over the crowd. It loomed over them like death itself.

"Hate…" a growling voice echoed. "Spite… Justice…!"

The being waved his arms over the crowd. Leni had to stare for a second at the man's form to figure out what was going on. Black fur covered his body. Horns curled upwards on his head. His triangle shaped body was perched on two backwards facing legs. A bushy tail swept from side to side, and two massive arms swept over the heads of the crowd. His face had skin for the nose and brows, like a baboon's face. He grinned with powerful fangs, speaking loudly.

"Where is your justice?!" he taunted the masses. "Where is your righteous anger?! You think they, your persecutors, will get it for you? Take arms! Take it for yourself!"

Leni looked to Lori.

"I have to go."

With that, Leni dashed away. With her speed, she was in a bathroom stall and changed into her costume in no time at all. Back out onto the street, just in time for the people to start chanting.

"Riot! Riot! Riot!"

Leni took to the sky.

"No, no," she pleaded, "No riot, please. No one else has to get hurt."

"This one is one of the oppressors!" the black beast accused. "She works for them! Take out your aggressions! Kill her!"

The people turned and started shouting, some started throwing things at her.

"I'm not… going to fight you," she pleaded with the crowd. "Please, let's talk this out."

Some shouted louder, some called for her head. Leni lowered herself to the ground. The people parted, perhaps they feared the worst. They still threw whatever they could grab.

"Stop it!" Lori showed up next to her. "Look! She's not fighting! She's just trying to help!"

"Watch her!" the beast man pointed. "Strike her, and see how she will react!"

Someone broke through the crowd, charging her with a baseball bat. The little black girl reeled it back and…

She made eye contact with Leni, and paused. Leni counted to ten, and by the time she got to seven the rage on the teenager's face had melted away.

"She…" the girl lowered the bat and took a step backwards. "You saved my life. You pulled me and my dad out of the building that one time. When everyone was sleeping."

Leni nodded. "I remember."

The little girl looked up at her, and past her at Hobbs.

"They… my friend and I were walking to the school," she spoke further. "We just thought we'd ask some questions… and some cop got out of his car and…"

She lowered her head. Her shoulders started shaking. Leni could take the distance anymore and reached out, pulling her into a deep hug.

"I'm so sorry," she sympathized.

The little girl sobbed into Leni's shoulder. The wooden bat dropped to the ground.

Leni noticed how quiet it was around her. The hundreds of other people were listening to her. She looked at Hobbs, and he picked up immediately.

"The officer in question is at the station right now," he explained. "When I get down there, he's out on the curb. Believe me."

The girl sniffled loudly in Leni's arms. The blond girl gave a squeeze, hoping to reassure her.

"We're going to take care of it," Leni added. "I promise."

The girl stepped away, wiping her face on her arms. With a nod to Leni, she turned and left, walking down the street, in the direction of the hospital.

Leni turned to the other "rioters." None of them seemed to know what to do.

"Does anyone else need a hug?" Leni offered.

Some of them laughed, but one wasn't so amused.

"No! Fight!" the tall chimeara of animal parts called out. "She can't give you your justice! You must fight! You have to kill them! You have to fight! You have to…"

When everyone did little more than stare, the giant man growled in frustration.

"Fine!" he snorted. "I'll do it myself!"

He swiped his arm, but only really succeeded in shoving some people away. He charged forward, his hooves clacking on the asphalt, and swung in arm at Leni's head.

He was so big and slow, Leni saw it coming a mile away. And there was something… off about him. Leni shot one arm out and caught him by the wrist.

"Oh, wait," She observed. "I think I get it. You're big, but you're not that strong by yourself, right?"

The red glowing eyes had dimmed to a dull brown. He looked afraid.

"My brother told me about a cartoon character," she continued. "The madder he got, the stronger he got. But you don't really work like that, do you? You need other people to be mad, so you can get stronger."

Leni, still holding onto the criminal, shot straight up into the air.

"You're like a…" she let her thoughts trail, "Hate-Raiser. I think that's the right word for it."

She flipped him in the air and sent him hurtling to the ground. After he crashed, he laid there, groaning in pain.

"By the way," Officer Hobbs leaned over the individual, "You're under arrest. For assault, and for inciting a riot."

"Ugh…"

Leni dropped down, and the people cheered for her. A van turned around the corner, stopping in front of the crowd.

"There's the wagon," Hobbs noted. "Happy to see it's only carrying one perp this time."

"No kidding," Lori sighed.

Leni smiled. Things certainly weren't perfect, but she knows there are more good people than bad. Even if the bad ones are a little louder sometimes.

There is still hope.

Lynn ran to the garage in a hurry.

She only just now saw the news. It was perfect!

A big bad new enemy, inciting a riot downtown. Leni would already be there by now, but that's okay. She can help when Lynn saves the day!

She went into the garage and opened up the box. She didn't have a hiding spot for it yet, but she would figure that out later. This super suit is going to kick serious-

"Hey."

Lynn jumped and spun around to the door, swung open by her brother. After a second of staring, Lincoln started to struggle out of his wheelchair. He stood up, leaning heavily on the door frame, before giving Lynn an exasperated look.

"Little help?" he held out his hand.

Lynn's blood ran cold. Another wave of frustration clouded her mind. She turned away from him, already slipping the skin-hugging jumpsuit over her regular clothes. It was black with red lines running down the arms and sides.

"Lynn," Lincoln called out.

Lynn zipped up the front, and started with the pieces of armor.

"Where did you get that?"

She hurried with the white armor pieces. They hooked around her shoulders and torso. It was the heaviest part of the package, and for good reason. It had a massive module on the back, looking like a plain old rocket. The armored boots locked around her shin, forming a heavy set of boots around her feet.

"Is this what you ran in here yesterday?" Lincoln guessed.

Lynn tightened the gauntlets over her arms.

"Lynn!" Lincoln pleaded. "You have to stop!"

She stood back up with the helmet in her hands. She turned back in time for Lincoln to collapse trying to walk to her. She failed to catch him in time, and gasped as he fell before her.

He looked up at her, and she looked down at him. Why is he looking at her like that? Like she's in the wrong.

"I'll be back," Lynn opened the garage door and pulled the helmet down over her head. It connected with the rest of the suit, turning on all the bells and whistles with a whir.

She stomped out onto the driveway, and shot up to the sky, trails of fire erupting from her boots and back rocket. The sound of wind and fire popped her ears, as she took the suit to the sky for only the second time in her life.

Some small part of her sqeezed the heart in her chest. She knew something was wrong here. But addressing that meant addressing what's rolling around in her head right now. So, instead, she'd have to settle for the elation of flight, as if it left all her problems behind her.

"Woo-hoo!"

She soon found the location of the riot, spotting the huge group of people down below. In front of the school (and the stupidly named "EGG Center"), she spotted Leni and Lori talking to Officer Hobbs.

She grinned. Time to make her debut!

Leni felt a rumbling in her ears and looked up. Everyone joined her, and stared as someone descended from the sky with a jetpack. She landed hard, almost falling over, and Leni reached out to help balance her, but she righted herself before she could be touched.

"Rocket!" the newcomer announced with a salute. "Ready and willing!"

Leni blinked at her. The helmet had a visor that covered only half of her face. The armor looked impressive, as well as the jumpsuit it was attached to. The girl was short, and she had a mischievous smile on her face. That nose looked familiar too.

"So…" the girl named "Rocket" looked around. "Where's the bad guys? Did I scare them off?"

"Hate-Raiser is in the back of a police van," Leni answered. She tilted her head, looking at the girl again.

She leaned forward and cupped a hand over her mouth.

"Um, Lynn," she whispered. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Leni stepped back and took to the skies. Lynn looked like she could be knocked over with a stiff breeze. Lori looked between the two, before it started to click in her head. Leni floated up to the top of the school, she set down. The red clad fourteen-year-old sheepishly joined her.

"Alright," Lynn sighed. "How did you know?"

"I'm simple, not stupid," Leni answered. "That helmet doesn't disguise you very well."

Lynn looked up at her and her domino mask, but gave up on a retort with a shake of her head.

"I'm not giving it up," Lynn instead stated. "You can't make me."

"Lynn," Leni pleaded. "It's not safe. Where did you even get it?"

"It came in the mail," Lynn answered. "Look, I'm not taking it off."

"You're being silly," Leni argued. "We don't know what it is. Let's go back to the house and have Lisa-"

"No!" Lynn stamped her foot. "I'm not doing it!"

She held up her arm, and the armor on her wrist opened up to show something Leni didn't recognize. It fired some rapid fire pellets that exploded when they hit Leni's stomach. A cloud enveloped the both of them, making them cough excessively.

"What is…?" Leni couldn't help coughing. She started to lose all feeling in her legs. Her mind was slipping away. As she collapsed on her back, she heard Lynn coughing as well. Lynn collapsed on top of her, groaning.

"Ugh…" Lynn complained in their last moments of consciousness. "Crap."

It's been a rough couple of weeks. Splitting up the story and dealing with life stuff. Will update as soon as I am able.