Ryan Holland sits at his desk within the Ellis Law Firm. At the moment, he is reading over his report, making sure he didn't leave anything out. Last thing he needs is another chewing out from Yasmin Ellis herself.

"Are you writing your resignation letter?" Chad Riley asks in a mocking tone. Ryan looks over his shoulder with a friendly smile.

"Actually, I'm finishing my report. Thanks for your concern though." Ryan gives the biggest smile he can.

"Uh huh, doesn't mean it's gonna be good. You might as well start packing up already." Chad antagonizes before walking away. Ryan rolls his eyes before Clarice Lewis peeks up from her desk.

"Hey Ryan. How'd your date go?" She asks, grinning.

"Oh, it was lovely." Ryan beams with joy.

"Give me the details! What was she like?" Clarice claps her hands.

"You ever heard of the Tribune Chronicles journalist Catalina Cortes?" Ryan smirks at his friend.

"Yes I have! Oh my goodness! Congrats!" Clarice grins from ear to ear. "She is so gorgeous!"

"Yes, yes she is. But she is just so nice to talk to." Ryan agrees. "How's the hubby?"

Clarice sighs. "He got hurt at the construction site."

"Oh jeez. What happened?" Ryan's face turns to concern.

"Got one of those long nails through his thigh. Had to get it removed. Unfortunately, they aren't paying for his medical bills." Clarice rubs her forehead.

"That can't be easy. I doubt it was a simple procedure." Ryan speaks and Clarice shakes her head in response.

"Hopefully, Okada gets elected. I think he can fix this hellhole." Ryan is stunned by Clarice swearing, but he can hardly blame her. Reaverfall is one of the criminal hotspots in America and it goes far past the streets.

"That's the hope." Ryan nods before his phone vibrates. He looks at his screen, seeing a text from Catalina. "It's Catalina." He points at his screen and Clarice nods before returning to her station. He swipes open the message.

Hey, you busy? Need to talk.

-Catalina

Ryan stares at his phone for a moment before sighing and sending the report to Yasmin. He gets up and heads to her office. He knocks on the door before cracking it open and speaking, "Hey boss?"

"Hello Ryan." Yasmin responds, typing on her laptop.

"I just sent you my report. I'm gonna head to lunch now, if that's alright?" Ryan asks as politely as he can.

"Yes, Ryan, that's fine. I look forward to seeing it. Be safe." Yasmin waves him off before taking a sip of her coffee. Ryan notes how tired she looks, not having realized prior to now how hard she must work.

"Are you alright, Yasmin?" Ryan inquires, concerned. At this, Yasmin looks up at him. After a moment, she sighs and pushes her laptop away.

"Yes, just exhausted. Mr. Okada apparently wants to hire someone here to represent him in the future, regardless of who wins the election. I've been having to deal with his people for the last week." She rubs her eyes. Ryan nods before speaking.

"You want anything while I'm out?" Ryan asks, smiling.

Yasmin sighs before returning the smile, "An energy drink would be great. Thank you." Ryan nods and leaves her office.

Ryan sits in the diner, a burger and fries sitting in front of him. He scrolls through his contacts before finding Catalina, who he calls.

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

Rin-!

"Okay, so where are you?" Catalina immediately asks. Ryan is stunned for a moment before he gathers his wits.

"Well, hello to you too." Ryan jokes.

"Sorry, just had something fall onto my lap and needed to pass it along. Kinda unable to deal with it at this moment." Catalina grumbles the last part, annoyed. She then speaks again, sounding a bit distant, "Hang on, Danny. I'm talking to my boyfriend."

"What's up?" Ryan says, trying to hide his joy at hearing that word. He brings his leg up and rests his arm against it.

"Mind Killer is in town." Catalina immediately informs and Ryan feels a chill run down his spine. Mind Killer is one of the most feared assassins in the Vox State Area, and the former archenemy to The Radiant, the leader of The Watchdogs. He is known for his ability to fire mental bullets from his forehead and has quite the kill count.

"You think I can handle him?" Ryan asks, taken aback.

"Maybe not alone, but yeah. I've already got you covered. A hero by the name of Mukei. He's not really the sociable type, but Wings likes him, so you should be fine." Catalina informs.

"I think I've heard of him. Don't know much about him, though." Ryan responds.

"He has the ability to mess with his molecular structure, in short. Texting you the address. I'm sure you can think of something." Catalina gives a little laugh. "Alright, I gotta go. Talk to you later, Rye. Be careful."

"I'll do my best." Ryan smiles before she hangs up. He leans back in his seat, thinking for a moment. Mind Killer isn't an easy opponent by any means. Luckily, he is a flashy one. It shouldn't be too hard to find him.

Nightbolt sits perched on the outskirts of Reaverfall, near a gas station. Prior to this, he dropped off Yasmin's energy drink and told her that he had a family emergency. Luckily, his report impressed her enough to let him take the rest of the day off. The energy drink probably helped too. He pulls out his phone and rereads the text from Catalina. He's in the right location. Now where's…

"I hope I didn't keep you too long." A calm voice comes from behind him. Nightbolt quickly turns around to find a 5'9" man with narrow and sharp silver eyes that turn up slightly at the corners. He has a slender physique and very pale skin. He is wearing a dark gray full body unitard with lighter gray trim, along with a simple matching tight mask and black combat boots, as well as heavy gloves on his hands. He is currently slouching slightly as his arms are crossed awkwardly.

"No, no, you are fine. I assume you are Mukei?" Nightbolt gives a warm smile and Mukei simply nods back, remaining reserved. "Nice to meet you. I'm Nightbolt."

"Tormenta told me. We are supposed to capture Mind Killer." Mukei states, turning away. "If I had to make a guess, he would probably act sooner rather than later."

"Why do you say that?" Nightbolt inquires, interested.

"Most assassins, unless working with a group of people, travel around frequently. This is to avoid risking capture, as well as spread their work around." Mukei speaks, his voice shaking slightly the longer he speaks, clearly nervous. Nightbolt can't help but find Mukei as the total opposite of Wings. "And considering that Mind Killer usually prefers to work alone, as to get the most attention on himself, he is likely to strike quickly and move on even quicker."

"Those are some good points, Mukei. Thank you." Nightbolt responds, making his voice as gentle as he can to adapt to Mukei. Mukei gives a small smile and nods. "So, anything I should know about you before we work together?"

At this, Mukei becomes straight faced again. "No, my powers are enough." Mukei says sternly, showing no interest in talking about himself. Nightbolt is surprised at first, before simply nodding.

"I look forward to seeing what you can do." Nightbolt smiles once again before his walkie talkie crackles. "Captain?"

"Nightbolt, good." Captain Sawyer speaks through it. "We have an issue at the Vox State Bank. The notorious assassin titled Mind Killer is currently locked into combat with several of my officers. There have been casualties, I repeat, there have been casualties."

"Understood. Mukei and I are on our way." Nightbolt responds before looking up at Mukei. "Ready?" Mukei nods once in response.

Captain Sawyer ducks down behind her police car as she loads another magazine of ammunition. Beside her are several of her officers, and a couple more lie dead in the streets. Across the street, slowly approaching the bank, is The Mind Killer. He is a 6'2" muscular man wearing A white and red bodysuit with matching boots and gloves, along with a white lab coat inspired cape. A black skull mask with white glowing eyes and a small hole on the forehead, revealing olive skin.

"Stand down!" Captain Sawyer screams, her voice cracking as she tries to remain calm.

"There is no more room for surrender. I will end this, smoothly and efficiently. Stand aside, or I will remove you." Mind Killer says, his voice surprisingly soft.

"No chance!" Sawyer cocks her gun before nodding to her fellow officers. All seven rise up and begin firing. Mind Killer effortlessly waves his hand and a near-translucent force field forms before him.

"It is sad how below me you stand. You cannot understand it, and yet, you still try to strike up. You are but an ant trying to destroy the sun." With nothing more than a sharp inhale to warn any of them, Mind Killer suddenly fires off a psionic bullet towards the group. It finds its target, ripping through the head of one of the officers.

"Shit!" Sawyer screeches. "Fall back!" She waves her hand, causing the other officers to retreat. Sawyer, however, crouches down as she stares at the newest corpse. "Goddammit…" She takes a deep breath as she counts to ten, preparing for the worst. Then, she stands up and aims for Mind Killer, only for his hand to immediately wrap around her throat. His other hand grabs her wrist and aims the gun away from his face.

"When the sky falls, do you shoot at it as well? How pointless are you?" Mind Killer coldly critiques. He then begins to force her gun hand up, attempting to aim it at her own head. Sawyer defiantly tries to fight back, kicking her legs while pushing her hand away from her head. As she surprisingly begins to force the gun back towards Mind Killer's head, he tightens his grip and briefly cuts off her air supply. This allows him to retain control and begin aiming once again. Just before the barrel can reach Captain Sawyer's head, Nightbolt's shadow whip wraps around Mind Killer's forearm, holding him back. Mind Killer looks over at Nightbolt.

"Let her go." Nightbolt glares. Mind Killer sighs before slowly releasing her, letting the police captain slide down to the ground. Suddenly, Mind Killer sharply inhales as he faces towards Sawyer. He fires his psionic bullet, and Sawyer squeezes her eyes shut.

"Are you okay?" Mukei asks softly following the sound of an explosion. He is standing in front of Sawyer, holding his now stainless steel forearms up to where Mind Killer once stood.

"Y-yeah. Thanks Mukei." Sawyer nods, stunned. She looks past him to see that Mind Killer is several feet away, on his back.

From Nightbolt's point of view, he watches as Mukei narrowly shields Sawyer. When the psionic bullet reached an immovable object, it exploded and sent Mind Killer flying back. Nightbolt rushes over to Mukei and Sawyer.

"You should get back, Captain." Nightbolt states, trying to hide his worry.

"Hell no." Sawyer rises up and removes her jacket and tie, leaving her in her standard white dress shirt and navy blue slacks. As she speaks, determination fills her eyes. "This is my city, and I'm really tired of these villains thinking they are god." Nightbolt can't help but smile at her motivated demeanor.

"Then cover our backs, Captain. We'll cover yours." Mukei whispers as he narrows his eyes, watching Mind Killer slowly stand up. He turns towards the three.

"Is this your line of defence? How feeble…" Mind Killer growls before sharply inhaling, aiming for Nightbolt. Once again, Mukei shields from the blast, but this time, Mind Killer is farther back. He uses the smoke as cover and bursts ahead with striking speed, punching around Mukei and catching him in the jaw. Mukei falls and slides away from Mind Killer, rubbing his jaw. Mind Killer then inhales once again, aiming for Nightbolt. Nightbolt raises the shadows to form some sort of shield, but it barely affects the explosion, sending Nightbolt crashing back and into the outer wall of the Vox State Bank.

Captain Sawyer fires on Mind Killer, who again swipes his hand, forming his force field in front of him. Behind him, Mukei rises up and turns his forearm into steel once more. He bashes it against the back of one of Mind Killer's knees, dropping the assassin to only one knee. Sawyer fearlessly rushes ahead and punches Mind Killer across the face, packing a surprisingly powerful punch that briefly stuns Mind Killer. She goes for a left haymaker next, but Mind Killer catches this one and pushes her back. Mukei latches onto his back, but Mind Killer snaps his head backwards, smashing it against Mukei's and forcing both to fall.

Nightbolt slowly gets up, holding his head as ringing is heard in his head, likely concussed. He watches as Mind Killer again begins to rise up. As he gets to one knee, Nightbolt rushes him and tackles Mind Killer. Unfortunately, Nightbolt puts more into the tackle than even he was expecting, causing him to crash into the pavement himself. Both Nightbolt and Mind Killer groan in pain before Mind Killer gets to his hands and knees. As Nightbolt begins to stir, Mind Killer grabs him by the throat and stands up, pulling Nightbolt up with him.

"Dirty parasite. We are above them. They don't belong in our world." Mind Killer growls before inhaling-

BANG!

A bullet rips through the back of Mind Killer's ribs, on the opposite side of Nightbolt. Mind Killer releases Nightbolt as he drops once more to one knee, holding his bullet wound. He glares behind him to see who dared shoot him.

"You don't belong in my city." Captain Sawyer glares fiercely. Mind Killer, full of rage, inhales again, but this time, Mukei suddenly materializes beside him and wraps his now stainless steel hand around Mind Killer's forehead. When Mind Killer fires, it sends both him and Mukei crashing backwards. Nightbolt crawls over to Mukei, who is holding his hand in pain. Mukei reveals a bleeding palm, despite the steel.

Captain Sawyer storms over to Mind Killer and aims her gun at him, preparing to arrest him. Mind Killer lies motionless, bleeding from his forehead, but visibly breathing.

"Mind Killer, you are under arrest." Sawyer says between deep breaths.

As Mind Killer is fitted with a power destabilizing neck brace, Nightbolt approaches. Mind Killer steps into an armored van and looks back at Nightbolt.

"My my my…" Mind Killer lets out a chuckle, "Aren't you the golden boy this week? I have to wonder, however, how long until you are in my shoes?"

"Never. I'm not like you. I'm not a killer." Nightbolt states to Mind Killer's amusement before the police slam the door shut. Nightbolt turns away and sees Mukei leaning against the wall, staring down at the ground. Nightbolt begins to approach when reporters rush him. Nightbolt has never had to deal with reporters before, so he looks to Mukei. Surprisingly, Mukei immediately leaves as soon as he sees the reporters.

"Nightbolt, what did you learn about Mukei?"

"Nightbolt, what was it like fighting Mind Killer?"

"Nightbolt, are you and Blitz done teaming together?"

Nightbolt sighs before he begins answering many questions, missing Blitz, La Tormenta, and Wings right about now.

After a long night of battling a feared assassin and receiving questions from reporters, Ryan is just happy to be back home. He crashes on his couch and pulls out his recorder.

"Subject: Mind Killer. Ability: Can create both psionic bullets and a force field. Notes: Mind Killer has very much earned his feared reputation. Even in a three on one battle, he is still a formidable enemy. Despite his psionic abilities, he is not physically weak by any means. Luckily, he seems to have a blind spot behind him. His force field only reaches in front of him, at least, as much as viewed during the battle." With that, Ryan ends the recording before moving on.

"Subject: Mukei. Ability: Molecular Manipulation. Notes: Mukei is a rather reserved hero, and one that I appreciate having on my side. His ability seems to be quite powerful, though he seems to limit his use to singular parts of his body. Any weakness is not currently known by me, though he seems to dislike attention." Ryan informs before ending the recording and gently tossing the recorder to the recliner before laying down. He rubs his head for a moment before his phone vibrates. He pulls out his phone to see who is texting him.

Good job tonight. You doing okay?

-Catalina

Ryan smiles at his phone before texting back.

Yeah, think I might be concussed tho.

Ryan reaches beside the couch and pulls up a throw cushion, resting his head against it.

Go to the hospital and get checked up. Don't argue with me. Go. Now.

-Catalina

Ryan can't help but laugh at this. It's nice to see her show concern in her own way. He groans as he sits up before grabbing his car keys. He needs to go get a checkup.

Blitz sits on the edge of a skyscraper, looking down at the city below. He isn't alone, however, occasionally looking forward when the flying Wings circles back to him. Suddenly, Wings swoops down and lands beside him.

"Mad Dragons down below!" Wings announces with a chirp.

"What are they doing?" Blitz inquires, still looking down at the city.

"They are…" Wings squints down below, "Driving quite recklessly. I think they are late to something."

"Think we should follow?" Blitz asks before Wings stands up and faces away from the ledge.

"Let's go, big dawg!" Wings squeaks excitedly as she backflips off the skyscraper. Blitz shakes his head and chuckles before jumping off, shooting fire from his feet. Wings falls for a bit, getting within a dozen feet of the ground before soaring up, laughing as she does. It's a very infectious laugh, one that spreads to Blitz when Wings reaches him. Though, his laugh is a lot more relaxed than hers. The two soar through the air, following after a dragon painted van with quite a bit of distance in between. They watch as the van swerves into a parking garage. With that, Blitz and Wings land beside the entryway and slowly sneak in, keeping their heads low. They hide behind one of the turns.

As several Mad Dragons exit the van, all wearing Dragon masks, one seems to take his time.

"Shit… That's The High Dragon." Blitz grumbles at the last one. The High Dragon is 6'3" with a muscular physique that makes him resemble a wall rather than a man. He is wearing a golden three-piece suit with black spikes lining the back like dragon scales, as well as a colorful dragon tie. He is wearing a far more impressive golden dragon mask. He is one of the heads of The Mad Dragons.

"When they get here, we put our foot down. This is our city now." The High Dragon orders, his voice deep and wise. After a moment, a chill runs down both Blitz and Wings' spines as an all too familiar black van with tinted windows drives through the other side of the garage and pulls up to the Mad Dragons. Wings begins to tap her fingers against the wall nervously, causing Blitz to reach over and brush one of her feathers to soothe her.

(Black World by Lucas King)

Two slender Faceless Ones leave the front of the van. They walk around and open the back doors, revealing The First and another faceless one. This one is a 6'5" bulky man wearing a black turtleneck with black cargo pants and military boots.

"What is he doing here?" The High Dragon points accusingly at the bigger man as The First and him exit the van.

"Security." The First coldly responds. "The Warlord will ensure our transaction goes appropriately. I assume that won't be a problem?"

"N-No. It's not." The High Dragon responds, looking back at his team.

"Excellent. Did you sell the supplies?" The First crosses his arms behind his back, sounding almost disinterested.

"Yes. We made quite the profit off of them." The High Dragon puts slight emphasis on we.

"Wonderful. Now, hand over our cut." The First instructs.

"That's just the thing, First. I don't think we can really agree on 60-40, not unless we swap around who gets the 60%." The High Dragon boldly says. The First is quiet for a moment before walking in the direction of Blitz and Wings, facing the same way.

"See, that's not going to work for The Mastermind. And if it doesn't work for him, then we cannot allow it to exist." The First says to The High Dragon, all while slowly bringing one finger to where his lips would be, not only instructing Blitz and Wings to be quiet, but showing that he knows exactly where they are.

"We are the ones who sold the drugs. We are the ones who did the work. We deserve more." The High Dragon says, starting to get aggravated as The First turns back towards him, crossing his arms behind his back once again.

"Now, now. The mouse should not be seeking poisonous cheese." The First calmly responds, beginning to move his index finger behind his back like a metronome.

"Don't play games with me! Give us what we want or we will kill each of you!" At those words from High Dragon, all of The Mad Dragons draw their guns and aim them at The Faceless Ones, none of whom draw any guns in response.

"I will give you one last chance to pay 60% before we take 100%." The First states, remaining reserved. Blitz and Wings look at each other in confusion. Is The First bluffing?

"Bold words, coming from someone who is about to die." The High Dragon draws his golden revolver and aims it at The First's head, but The First doesn't budge.

"Hm. Understood." The First then slowly raises his finger and taps it against his opposite arm. "Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock." He begins clicking his tongue, perfectly resembling a clock's pattern.

"What are you doing?!" The High Dragon growls as he storms towards The First and places the barrel of the revolver against the forehead of The First. Yet, The First doesn't stop until…

"7:59. 8:00 PM." The First coldly says before gunfire fills the air and all the Mad Dragons except for The High Dragon are gunned down by other Faceless Ones, poking out from behind other cars. The High Dragon freezes as he looks around, watching as he is now in everyone's crosshairs. He is so overcome by this that he doesn't notice The First slowly taking his revolver. With the revolver in hand, The First reaches his other hand over and places it against The High Dragon's chest. He begins tapping his index and middle fingers, but The High Dragon realizes something is off. It's no longer resembling a clock ticking…

It now perfectly resembles The High Dragon's own heartbeat. It's quick and heavy.

"60-40..?" The High Dragon asks.

"I'm afraid that deal is no longer on the table." The First puts the revolver to The High Dragon's head and pulls the trigger without hesitation. Blood splatters as The High Dragon falls while both Blitz and Wings gasp. The First turns his head to them. "I was wondering how long you would watch, little mice."

Blitz and Wings step out while the other Faceless Ones begin looting The Mad Dragons and their van. The First and The Warlord merely watch the two.

"What is your power?" Blitz asks, electricity building in his fingertips.

"My my, Mr. Gates, why do you want to cheat?" The First inquires. Despite Nightbolt telling him that The First knew his name, it still sends a chill down his spine.

"Cheat?" Blitz pauses, confused.

"You are within a maze, little mouse. The goal is to find the cheese, but if you ask too many questions, the game ends." The First informs.

"And what part do you play in the maze?" Blitz humors him while Wings stays quiet, afraid.

"My, you are a poor listener. Tsk tsk tsk." The First shakes his head before the sound of police sirens fill the air. "It looks like our time is up. Take care, Mr. Gates. Wings." The First nods at Wings. Clearly, he already knows he has her trapped and doesn't have to use force against her. Him and The Warlord climb into the van and it drives off not long after, followed by the remainder of The Faceless Ones loading into various inconspicuous cars and driving away in different directions.

Wings falls to her knees as the police pull in. The officers are stunned by the massacre before them. Blitz informs them of what happened before he takes Wings away.

Wings and Blitz sit on the rooftop of the parking garage, staring up at the sky. Wings is sniffling.

"I'm such a coward…" Wings whispers, catching Blitz off guard.

"How? For not fighting The Faceless Ones? We would've ended up just like The Mad Dragons. No if, ands, or buts. We would be dead." Blitz states sternly. "I know you are brave. I know I am brave. Bravery doesn't matter against people who can take your life and ruin it with one sentence. You are the bravest person I've ever met. I've seen you fight against enemies bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter than you without fear. You choosing to protect the people you love instead of fighting an unwinnable fight is not cowardice. Stupidity is too close to Bravery to tell the difference, but doing something stupid isn't brave."

Wings sits in silence for a moment before rubbing her hands under her goggles. "Thanks Blitz. I appreciate having such a stud muffin complimenting me." Wings giggles.

"Well, I wouldn't say stud muffin." Blitz casually flexes.

"Damn, and here I thought you didn't use guns!" Wings jokes with a sniffle, causing both her and Blitz to burst out laughing.

"We should get going. I'm sure your wings are hurting." Blitz brushes one of her feathers, causing her to coo before blushing.

"Stop!" She swats her hand at him playfully. She then sighs, "Yeah… My wings are sore."

"Get going, kid. I'll see you around." Blitz nods and waves a hand before Wings shoots to her feet and gives a salute before giggling.

"See ya, Blitzy boo!" She teases before flying away. Blitz stares down at the crime scene with a stern expression.

"What a waste." Blitz whispers at the dead bodies.

A/N: Please remember to leave a review if you can!