A/N: Hello everyone! Before we get started, I just want to ask everyone to read until the end! Thanks! Hope you enjoy!

Ryan Holland and Morgan Gates sit across from each other at the diner, silent. It has been a week since Ryan's encounter with The First. Following that event, Ryan told Morgan what he discovered, minus La Tormenta's identity.

"What now?" Ryan mutters. Even after a whole week, no plan has been made. How do you plan against a foe with all the cards in his hand?

"Now… Now, we just leave the Faceless Ones alone." Morgan growls, holding back his anger. One of his fingers is beginning to conduct a little electricity, though he gets rid of it by wrapping his other hand around the finger. "For now, that's all we can do."

"I…" Ryan wants to argue, but he knows Morgan is right. Silence fills the air once again for a couple tense moments before Ryan speaks again. "Any updates on Iron Paragon?"

Morgan finally looks up at Ryan, meeting his eyes. "Yeah. I might've found a smuggler who works for him."

"A smuggler?" Ryan raises an eyebrow.

"Someone who gets the tech that Iron Paragon needs for his suits. It appears to be some high-grade technology, most likely hard to come by. He would need a corporate, or possibly military, insider to get it. You don't just buy that sort've tech." Morgan states sternly.

"How did you figure all of this out?" Ryan leans forward, listening intently.

"For the advanced technology, I used what I saw when I fought Paragon, especially after La Tormenta cut the suit with her water razor. For the insider, I used a connection I have in the criminal underworld." Morgan informs.

"A connection?" Ryan's eyes go wide, shocked.

"Some petty criminal. He wasn't doing any actual harm, so I keep tabs on him." Morgan crosses his arms as he leans back in his seat. "Are you ready to go?"

"Absolutely." Ryan nods and the two pay their tab before leaving the diner.

Cami King, Emilia Spencer, and Cody Brooks are seen walking on the streets of Reaverfall City. Cami is looking at the picture of White Rabbit. "How are we supposed to find one person in all of Reaverfall?" Cody asks, annoyed.

"Luck?" Cami suggests as the 5'1" White Rabbit stands behind them.

"Yeah, I don't exactly have great luck." Cody turns away, revealing that White Rabbit is now gone. He begins to walk back the way they came. "Do you know how many people live in Reaverfall? This is just a waste of time."

"Come on, Cody. We have to stay determined."

Emilia tries to encourage him.

"Determined?" Cody parrots, before scoffing. White Rabbit has since reappeared, now crouching on a lamppost. "We don't know anything about her 'cept her appearance, yet we are supposed to find her! This is impossible."

"Maybe the vampire dude just wanted us to leave him alone." Cami scratches the back of her head, thinking aloud.

"I'm getting that money, one way or another." Cody growls as White Rabbit cocks her head to the side, still going unnoticed by the group.

"Well then, sounds like we could use some determination." Cami responds, looking up as White Rabbit again vanishes.

"Exactly." Emilia grins as Cody rolls his eyes.

"Determination. Determination." Cody mocks as he puts his hands into his pockets.

"We can do it, Cody. We just have to put our heads together!" Emilia exclaims, then immediately retracts her excitement out of shyness.

"Out of the three of us, only one of us is smart." Cody grumbles.

"Thanks." Cami responds, crossing her arms.

"Not you." Cody scoffs.

"Well, it's certainly not you. You are the one who pissed off a vampire." Cami shoots him a disappointed look.

"Psh. He's not a real vampire. Probably had wires, or superpowers." Cody states, confident. Behind him, White Rabbit has appeared again, crouched on a different lamppost. She stares down at the group for a moment before something else seems to catch her attention, a gunshot. Cami, Cody, and Emilia all look in the direction of the sound, which emitted from a broken down building at the end of the block. "Oh hell yeah." Cody smirks and begins running towards the building.

"Are you stupid?!" Cami chases after him.

"We deserve to die for this decision." Emilia sighs as she walks after them. White Rabbit shakes her head before following the three from above, remaining on the lampposts.

Now in uniform, Blitz and Nightbolt approach a little shop on the outskirts of town. As they reach the door, Blitz stops Nightbolt.

"Let me talk to him." Blitz states. Nightbolt nods, before Blitz stops him again. "Alone." Blitz adds, more sternly this time.

"You think that's a good idea? If this is the smuggler-" Nightbolt tries to argue with his friend.

"Don't worry, kid. I've got this handled. You keep watch for Iron Paragon." Blitz clicks his tongue as he pats Nightbolt on the back before heading inside, alone.

Nightbolt leans back against the wall of the building, waiting. Then, his phone buzzes in his pocket, begging him to check it. He reaches into his pocket and retrieves his phone, checking the text message.

We still meeting tonight? :)

-Catalina 💙

A smile blooms on Nightbolt's face, though he begins to feel butterflies in his stomach. Before he can respond, he gets a strange notification from twitter of all places.

HappyPaddy: Hiya kids! Don't forget The Ice Cream Man! Hope ya find him! ;)

Nightbolt stares at the notification for a moment. He didn't know Happy Paddy even had a twitter, let alone why this tweet was being suggested to him. For a kid's show host, Happy Paddy sure is odd…

The front door opens and Blitz exits, slamming the door behind him. Nightbolt looks towards his mentor and friend, seeing a smirk on his face.

"Guess you got something good?" Nightbolt inquires.

"Very." Blitz walks past him confidently, "You know what a power crystal is, yeah?"

"Those asteroid pieces that enhance super powers, right?" Nightbolt recalls, remembering hearing about them through the news.

"Look at that memory." Blitz grins before continuing, "If you remember James Burton's report on RC News from a couple weeks ago, one of the crystals is coming to the Reaverfall Museum. Some heroes have already signed on to guard the escort. Me, Wings, and The Watchdogs have all agreed to do so, whenever the cargo begins its journey."

Nightbolt is stunned to hear about The Watchdogs. Formerly the most famous heroic group in Reaverfall City, they have grown to be the most famous group in the Vox State Area. Though, they have begun gaining fame from all over the country.

"Anyways," Blitz pulls the conversation back on track, "apparently, Iron Paragon wants to gather as many power crystals as he can. Most likely to increase whatever superpower he has underneath the suit of armor, though he may also know something about them that we don't. His goal is to steal the one coming to the museum." Blitz informs, still smirking.

"I'm guessing you want my help with the cargo?" Nightbolt asks, causing Blitz' smirk to fade.

"No." Blitz responds resoundingly. This shocks Nightbolt.

"What?! But-" Nightbolt attempts to argue, but Blitz cuts him off.

"You aren't ready. Take down a couple top notch villains, and we'll see. Right now, your track record isn't too good." Blitz explains. As Nightbolt begins to look deflated by this, Blitz thinks quickly to cheer his friend up. "Don't you have a date tonight?" At this, Nightbolt begins to smile again.

"Yeah, I should probably get going." Nightbolt realizes, getting excited.

"Get on it, kid. Don't be awkward." Blitz pats him on the back. "Talk to you tomorrow." Blitz crosses his arms as Nightbolt leaves, entering into the shadows casted by the nearby buildings.

Cami, Emilia, and Cody approach the building, which they now realize was once an office building, albeit not a massive nor successful one. The once sturdy wooden front door has been broken away, though not before it began rotting from exposure. Cody, without thinking, enters quickly.

"Cody!" Cami whisper-yells at her reckless friend, who simply swats his hand behind him in an attempt to silence her. Emilia nervously follows her friends down the corridors and, eventually, they can hear voices. The three sneak closer to the source, approaching a new door, one that is metallic and seemingly mechanically controlled. Luckily for them, the door is slightly cracked open, allowing them to sneak in. The three practically crawl into the dusty room, which is filled with plenty of open space. The only places for hiding are a couple abandoned desks, which the three hide behind.

In the center of the room are several people who are dressed in a dark clothing, wearing masks and bandanas.

"Oh shit… Rippers." Cami speaks softly, knowing of The Rippers and their anarchistic actions. However, there are four more people that stand out. Three of them are in business suits, kneeling in the center of The Rippers with their hands tied behind their backs. Beside them is a dead businessman, blood draining from the bullet wound in his forehead.

The fourth person, however, is dressed differently than everyone. She wears black almost workout-esque pants, with military-grade knee pads on the kneecaps. She also wears almost knee-high black leather boots, with a .5 inch heel. For her upper body, she is wearing a long-sleeved black undershirt, as well as a silver tight-fitted armor suit around it with a pack of throwing knives down the front. There are also two slits in the back. She is wearing a mask, designed in the way of the Ancient Egyptians- a jet-black mask with an amber-colored beak and crimson eyes. Only her mouth is visible. There are two gun holsters on either leg, at the top of her thighs, which are fitted with military-grade Sig Sauer MK25. She stands at 5'11".

"Wait… Is that..?" Cami speaks up again as the woman draws one of her pistols and places it against the head of the closest businessman.

"You have five seconds." The woman growls.

"Please I-!" The businessman starts pleading.

"Five." She coldly says.

"I don't know what-!"

"Four."

"I told you all I know!"

"Three."

"I have kids!"

"Two."

"Please! Don't do this!"

"One." She pulls the trigger, splattering his blood across the other two and herself, all without showing any discernible emotion towards it.

"Who is that..?" Cody whispers to Cami.

"I think she's called FalconShot." Cami whispers back. "I've heard that she is rising in the assassin community- or sub-community for villains."

"We are so dead..." Emilia whimpers, scared for her life. FalconShot turns her pistol to the next and immediately pulls the trigger, slaughtering him as well. She then draws her other pistol and puts both against the final businessman's head.

"Last chance, buddy." FalconShot warns, cocking both as slowly as she can.

"They will be at a meeting tomorrow! It'll be announced later today!" The businessman sobs.

"Good boy." FalconShot states before executing him as well. She returns her guns to their holsters and raises her hands. For a moment, it looks like she is typing on a keyboard that isn't there. Then, she freezes. "Someone is here. My alarms have been set off. Search the place." She commands and The Rippers begin sweeping the building, drawing their assault rifles.

"Uh oh uh oh…" Emilia whispers as some of The Rippers close the door they came in through, trapping the three.

"Emilia! Lights!" Cami whisper-yells. Emilia is confused for a moment before nodding quickly. She reaches her hand towards the ceiling, but as she closes it, all the lightbulbs shatter. The room is plunged in near darkness, lit only by some distant small windows. "Let's go!" Cami yells and the three begin running towards a garage door towards the back of the room.

"Found you little shits…" FalconShot growls. She draws one of her pistols and aims straight at Cody, not seeing someone rise up from behind her: White Rabbit.

White Rabbit leaps and connects with a spinning roundhouse to the side of FalconShot's head, sending her tumbling. FalconShot rolls to her feet and glares.

"Little rabbits get eaten." FalconShot warns as she goes for her other pistol.

"Discharge, open please." White Rabbit says into a mic hidden within her mask, her voice soft. With that, the garage door begins to open and White Rabbit catches up with Cami, Cody, and Emilia. "Let's go!" White Rabbit exclaims as she leads them away. FalconShot gets up and aims her pistol at the group, but stops as she stares at the door.

"Rippers. Bring me their heads." She coldly orders as she begins using her invisible keyboard again. "Hmm… Discharge." She growls the name.

The Rippers chase after the four, who turn into an alleyway.

"What are we going to do?!" Emilia cries out.

"We might have to fight." Cami responds, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Close your eyes." White Rabbit commands.

"What?" Cody narrows his eyes.

"Close your eyes! Now!" White Rabbit repeats, angry. The three do as commanded and White Rabbit grabs them. Everything stops. The sound of running… and cars… and the city in general…

Just…

Stops.

Back in his nice suit, Ryan Holland sits in his old bronze car, staring at himself in the mirror as he sits outside of la Légende Parfaite, the second finest restaurant in town.

"Second finest?" Morgan responds over Ryan's phone, laughing.

"Okay, do you know how long it takes to get a reservation at the finest?" Ryan defends himself with a grin. He then lets out a sigh, nervous. "Any advice?"

"Has it been that long?" Morgan continues to tease his friend.

"You son of a-" Ryan stifles a laugh before continuing, "Uhh, I'd say since college if I had to guess."

"Well, I'll be sure to keep your love life in my prayers tonight." Morgan jokes, getting a sarcastic laugh from Ryan in response. Morgan then clears his throat. "I can't really give advice if I don't know who she is. Do I know her?"

Ryan thinks for a moment, hesitating. He knows Blitz knows La Tormenta, but he can't help but wonder if Morgan knows Catalina… She is a decently known journalist… "I… Probably?" Ryan responds, uncertain.

"Probably? Who is she?" Morgan inquires.

"Catalina Cortes." Ryan states, listening to find out if Morgan knows her secret identity.

"Of The Tribune Chronicles? Oh Ryan…" Despite only being able to hear Morgan, Ryan knows he is shaking his head. "Come on, dude. She's a culture vulture! You can't trust a journalist!"

"She's a nice girl, man. Plus, she actually cares more about real issues, like the stuff happening in Benetown." Ryan defends.

"So, if you two don't work out, I'm not gonna see you two in the news? Her talking about your skills?" Morgan playfully asks.

"Ha ha." Ryan rolls his eyes. "No, you won't. She's cool."

"Alright. Well, just be on your best behavior and be back before midnight. I'll leave the door unlocked." Morgan continues to mess with Ryan, who now has to hold back laughter.

"Thanks Pa. Talk to you later, bro." Ryan says before hanging up. At the entrance to the restaurant, he sees Miss Cortes herself entering, wearing a deep blue women's three piece suit. He takes a deep breath and exits his car.

Following their meal, Ryan and Catalina are now walking through a park. The skies are clear, the moon is set high in the sky. Both have been rather silent since leaving the restaurant, and awkward silence at that. As they approach a small pond and bridge, Catalina finally breaks the silence.

(Cinematic Love by Secession Studios)

"Do you ever wonder if we are part of something greater..?" Catalina asks as she looks up to the stars.

"Hmm?" Ryan looks over, caught off guard by her question. "You mean like our..?" Ryan starts out, thinking about their abilities.

"No. Well, yeah, I guess." Catalina sighs. "But what I mean is are we, as people, as a race, a part of something greater? I mean, space is so…massive…"

Ryan can't help but smile as she stares at the beautiful night sky in awe. "I wouldn't have taken you for a space lover."

"I've always loved the moon." Catalina starts out. "Mamá told me it was because of my water abilities. The moon draws the waves, guiding them. But in all honesty, space as a whole just seems so…wondrous to me. I wonder if there is more life… If they know about us, or even care to." Catalina's eyes grow soft, filled with adoration and love for space. "I'd love to go to space someday… It might be scary, but it will make my heart complete."

Ryan smiles at her for a moment before looking up as well, "Space is a big place. I'm sure we aren't alone. There might be some evil up there, but I know from how we are, there must also be good."

"That's a comforting thought." Catalina softly smiles, her gaze shifting to the half moon. "I hope that they are more loving than we are." Her smile loses its happiness and grows sad. "There is such a divide, and it's heartbreaking. Society has been conditioned to love and adore some powers, and vilify others."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asks genuinely as the two approach a park bench. They sit down and continue staring at the night sky.

"I was at work the other day. Some of my coworkers were discussing Black Sage and The Gorilla." Catalina sighs before continuing, "They said that The Gorilla should be a hero because of his super strength."

"And Black Sage?" Ryan looks over at her. She slowly turns and meets his gaze, her smile now filled with heartbreak.

"She was deemed scary and a natural villain. Seen as irredeemable because… Who would root for a woman that can rip out her own bones?" Catalina's voice deepens at the question. "I've heard it about so many villains that I wonder how many would be heroes if they could only be understood." Catalina slowly looks at the sky again, "Even your abilities. Some would deem them to be strange. I'm just glad you let your moral code guide you."

Ryan lets out a little chuckle as he speaks, "I didn't let anyone control me growing up. I went into law school to protect other people's rights. I could care less what society says about my powers."

"That's admirable, but The Initiative sees things differently." At this, Catalina's smile finally fades, changing into a slight glare at the sky. "They see all of us as toys, and the 'strange' ones are broken. People like Wings… She plays strong and fun loving, but she has had many reports written about her weirdness and how she doesn't have traditionally good abilities." Catalina scoffs. "Hell, The Initiative are working on a TV show that pits heroes and villains against each other, instead of trying to help the villains. They just give them more attention for being bad. They are creating problems so they can solve them and be seen as better than us." Catalina sighs again, "Sorry. I didn't mean to rant."

Ryan quickly picks up his tone, "No no, you are fine. It seems like you needed that." Ryan places a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. She smiles again and places her hand on his.

"Thanks Ryan. I appreciate it." Her soft eyes return before the two slowly stare back up at the sky.

A/N: First off, I want to apologize for the long delay. I have had a bunch on my tray lately, so I wanted to come back with a bang. Before I posted this chapter, I stocked up on the next couple. I intend on releasing a new chapter either every week or other week. I also have big news. This will take a while, so everyone has time, but I will be starting a temporary spin-off here soon that takes place in the same universe and will be connected to this story. I will provide more details when the time is closer, but the concept for it is actually in this chapter! Finally, I have a request for everyone reading this. If it's not too much of an inconvenience, please leave a review or shoot me your thoughts in my DMs. That stuff helps motivate me and reminds me that people care about this story, which makes me want to get more and more chapters out. Thanks everyone! See you soon!