Ryan Holland lies asleep in his bed. It has been a week since his battle against Mind Killer. For the most part, he has recovered well, though he occasionally does still feel dizzy. Beside his bed, the curtains are open just enough to shine some sunlight in his face. This causes him to roll away and throw his pillow over his face before getting comfortable again…

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

Ryan grumbles as he keeps his eyes half closed before swatting his hand towards his phone, just managing to grab it and put it against his face.

RING!

Ryan recoils as it rings in his ear before quickly hitting the accept call button. "H-hello..?" Ryan mutters, sounding tired.

"Morning boo boo." Catalina responds jokingly.

"Hey Catalina." Ryan groans as he sits up and swings his legs off the bed, planting his feet. "What's up?"

"Not much. Bout to have breakfast with a friend and I wanted to know if you wanna tag along?" Catalina inquires calmly.

"A friend?" Ryan says, surprised.

"Yes, Ryan. I have those." Catalina feigns being insulted.

"No, I mean, you want me to tag along? Not worried about anyone being a third wheel?" Ryan rephrases.

"Nah. My friend has a pretty outgoing personality. I can't imagine anyone forcing her to take the backseat in a conversation." Catalina gives a little laugh at the last part.

"Alright, you convinced me. Text me the location and I'll meet you two there." Ryan yawns.

"Alright, sleepyhead. Try to change out of your PJs." Catalina teases.

"Oh, I'll try." Ryan chuckles before hanging up. As he begins getting changed into some nice, but casual clothing, Ryan flips on the news. James Burton is in the middle of discussing the elections next week.

"While Candidate Saren Okada has made quite the impression on the youth of Reaverfall City, many of the more senior members of the public may be leaning more towards the old fashioned incumbent, Bill Smith." Burton informs. Despite him being a member of the more senior side of society, he seems to harbor a slight disdain when mentioning Bill Smith. "This may be enough to allow him to retain his position, despite a reported lack of charisma. The real question right now is not Is Saren Okada popular enough to win, but rather Is Reaverfall City ready for change? In this reporter's honest opinion, unless something catastrophic happens regarding Mayor Smith's campaign, we are looking at four more years of mediocrity."

Ryan sighs at this, but knows that all he can do is vote and hope it turns out for the best. He turns the TV back off before he leaves his apartment, now wearing an unbuttoned black and gray flannel with the sleeves rolled up to above the elbow, with a white Ellis Law Firm t-shirt underneath, along with black jeans.

Ryan's car pulls up to a different diner than he normally eats at with Morgan Gates. This one looks a bit rougher and, honestly, is on the bad side of town. Graffiti lines one of the outside walls, representing the Thirteenth Street Jackals. Ryan makes a mental note that this may be their territory before exiting his car and walking towards the diner. Soon, he sees Catalina Cortes walking up from the opposite side, with a woman beside her. Catalina is wearing a stylish tan crop top sweater and high waisted jeans, along with black sneakers. Her friend is wearing a white band tee and paint splattered style jeans, along with a pair of converses.

She is 5'3" with a very slim pale physique, with a warm undertone. She's got an androgynous rectangular shape to her physique, all long legs and lithe muscles. She has a splattering of freckles across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, as well as her chest, arms, legs, and shoulders. Her hair is a fluffy, warm, light shade of honey blonde. She has it cut short in a boyish style, especially in the back, curling up at the nape of her neck. The top is longer, parted haphazardly on the right side, and has a tendency to fall into her large, upturned light chestnut brown eyes. Her face shape is somewhere between a heart and a circle. Her eyebrows are thick, but shaped well, and not messy. They've got a soft arch to them, but her right one is split right on the arch, marred by a small scar.

The woman leans over and whispers something to Catalina as she stares at Ryan briefly before looking back to Catalina. When Catalina nods, the woman rushes towards Ryan with quick speed and effortlessly slides behind him and jumps on his back, showing no problem being close to people.

"Hiya!" She grins widely, revealing a deep dimple on her left cheek. While Ryan is stunned by her graceful, yet energetic nature, she places her foot on his shoulder and front flips off, as if she weighs nothing. She lands beside Catalina and giggles while Ryan is still wide eyed and speechless. "I'm Danny! Danny Evans!" She introduces herself, excitedly shooting her hand towards him while Catalina places her hand in front of her own mouth, stifling a laugh.

"Ryan… Ryan Holland." Ryan mumbles, shaking her hand.

"Aw shucks, I think I scared him. My bad, Cata." Danny laughs wholeheartedly as she scratches the back of her head. Catalina giggles before grabbing Ryan by the arm, snapping him out of his confusion.

"Ah, he'll be fine." Catalina purposely bumps into him before the three enter the diner. The three sit at a booth towards the back and a waitress takes their order.

"Boy, this is a nice booth!" Danny exclaims as she lays down, having that side to herself. Ryan and Catalina share the opposite booth. "It's so nice! Comfy! I want something like this at my apartment! Cata, do you think I could get something like this? Would it fit? It's so nice!" Danny excitedly rambles while Catalina watches, amused.

"It might fit." Catalina nods.

"God, I hope so! I'll check online later!" Danny suddenly shoots up to a seated position and brings her legs up, crouching on the booth now. She seems to have more energy than her body can even contain. She begins tapping her hands against the table rhythmically.

"So…" Ryan finally begins to break his stunned silence. "How long have you two known each other?"

"UhhhhHHHHhhhh." Danny starts out, fluctuating in tone like she is singing it. "I think it's been two years now?"

"About, yeah?" Catalina scrunches up her face, trying to think. "It's been a while, that's for sure."

"How long have you known her, lover boy?" Danny teases, moving her eyebrows up and down several times.

"About a month now." Ryan scratches his chin as he says this, unsure.

"Dang, and you already got a date. I can respect shooting your shot!" Danny laughs before reaching over and playfully punching Ryan in the arm. "What can I say, though? Cata is quite the catch, and you are pretty easy on the eyes yourself, Ryan."

"Oh stop." Catalina playfully swats her hand towards Danny, who laughs again.

"What? I'm a sweetheart!" Danny sticks out her tongue and grins.

"A sweetheart with a sweet tooth." Catalina comments as a large stack of chocolate chip pancakes are set down in front of Danny.

"Hey, a person's gotta eat!" Danny defends herself lightheartedly.

"Uh huh." Catalina dramatically rolls her eyes as she gets a bowl of hash browns set in front of her. In front of Ryan, he gets two buttermilk pancakes and a couple slices of bacon with scrambled eggs. "You think you can eat all that, shrimp?" Catalina teases.

"Gosh, I hope so. Wouldn't wanna come off weak to you." Ryan plays along, putting on a confident-lacking voice.

"Oh, I'm sure." Catalina says before her and Danny share a knowing look that Ryan misses.

As their meal draws to a close, Danny raises her phone. "Oh, I gotta get going! My boss needs to talk with me about something!" Danny practically flies out of her seat. "Nice meeting you, Ryan! See ya later, Cata!" Danny waves excitedly before sprinting out of the diner. With that, Catalina stands up and sits across from Ryan.

"God, am I that bad of company?" Ryan teases her.

"Booth hog." Catalina fires back before Ryan props his legs up, filling up his side of the booth. "See!" Catalina points out as both begin laughing. "Rude!"

"Rude? I just like foot space!" Ryan defends before Catalina rests her head on the table, shaking from laughter. After a moment, she composes herself.

"Woo!" Catalina exhales. "Ah, we should probably talk about business now." She says with a sigh, unexcited.

"We have a mission?" Ryan inquires, trying to stay positive. To be honest, he doesn't want to do anything but spend time with Catalina right now. However, he knows it's his duty. Catalina nods before a look of fierce determination fills her eyes.

"We are going back to Benetown." Catalina informs, causing a chill to run down his spine.

Ryan lets out a sigh, "Jane and John Doe."

"Blitz and Wings will be joining us this time." Catalina continues, "We will also have Captain Sawyer and several squad cars outside the city for immediate arrest. We need to take them down and free the citizens from that nightmare."

"You think we can do it?" Ryan asks, feeling concerned following how their last attempt fared.

"With Blitz and Wings? Yeah, I think we can." Catalina nods solemnly. "I'll meet you there tonight, okay?"

"Sounds good." Ryan nods back, before Catalina stands up. She stares at him for a moment like she wants to say something, before visibly deciding against it.

"See you then." Catalina sighs before leaving. Ryan is caught off guard by her seeming, though brief, lack of confidence. He figures she must be worried about this mission, and honestly, he completely understands. Jane and John Doe caused absolute mayhem last time. Him and Catalina were lucky to make it out alive. Hopefully, the additions of Wings and Blitz are enough to defeat these two abominations…

As the sun begins to edge towards the horizon, though still shining enough in the sky to hold off night, Nightbolt finds himself outside the walls of Benetown. Beside him is Blitz.

"So, any advice you can give me?" Blitz inquires, causing Nightbolt to go quiet with wide eyes. Blitz turns to him, "What?"

"Sorry, just… Weird hearing it from you." Nightbolt responds.

"Yeah, it's normally the other way, and I prefer it that way." Blitz scoffs. "You've encountered them before. What are they like?"

"Imagine… Feral people, two of them. More like wild animals than people, honestly." Nightbolt starts out. "Their fingernails are sharpened into claws. The most important thing, in my opinion, are their faces. They seem to be in a blur motion style. Completely unreadable."

"What do you think their ability is?" Blitz asks.

"I think it might be Super Resilience. The way they shrugged off some of mine and Tormenta's attacks suggested that much." Nightbolt gives his best guess.

"That may be a problem." Blitz grumbles as electricity builds around one of his index fingers. He doesn't stop it, however. "I'm sure I can be the solution, though."

"I hope so." Nightbolt sighs.

"They really left a mark on you, huh?" Blitz looks over at his friend.

"They aren't natural. Something is really wrong with them." Nightbolt shakes his head, almost…traumatized? No, not that strong, but it has undoubtedly left a deep mark in his mind regardless.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Blitz nods before him and Nightbolt sees Wings land, with La Tormenta on her back. La Tormenta gains her bearings after a moment and the two approach.

"You need to stop doing loops when I'm on your back." Tormenta dry heaves.

"Come on! I'm just having fun!" Wings giggles as she stretches her wings.

"No time for fun." Blitz states sternly, catching everyone's attention. "This will be a dangerous mission. There is a legitimate chance for grievous injury, if not worse. If we don't take this seriously, we may be in for a very bad night." Blitz states before turning to La Tormenta.

"Our mission is simple, but consists of two parts. Our primary goal is to defeat and arrest Jane and John Doe. This is of the utmost importance. We cannot allow them to continue wreaking havoc within Benetown. However, we also have a secondary goal." Tormenta pauses for a moment as she looks over Blitz, Wings, and especially Nightbolt. "In the event that we find the former Benetown Mayor's office, we need to investigate there to figure out why no other towns came to Benetown's aid. This goal is not as important as the first, but it is still quite important. Above all else, protect each other. We need to all make it out alive." Tormenta's eyes briefly flick towards Nightbolt before looking back at Blitz and Wings. Everyone nods before Blitz shoots fire from his feet while Wings flies up, both flying towards the top of the wall.

Tormenta again summons the water from the nearby pond and uses it to create ice steps. Before she begins walking up the stairs, she looks over at Nightbolt once more and stares for a moment.

"You okay?" Nightbolt asks, concerned. Tormenta shakes herself out of it before she silently makes her way up the stairs, distracted. The two make it halfway up the stairs before her distraction costs her. With one mistimed step, Tormenta slips, much like how Nightbolt did when they first met. Nightbolt acts quickly and uses the shadow casted by the wall to catch her before she can fall far. Tormenta is stunned for a minute before opening a side passage on the steps and climbing back on.

"Thanks…" She exhales.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nightbolt places his hand on her shoulder. She stares him in the eyes for a moment before sighing.

"We can talk about it later. Right now, let's just stay safe and get this done, okay?" Tormenta responds before making her way back towards the wall. Nightbolt remains worried as he follows after her. As they reach the top, they find Blitz and Wings staring down at the city.

"Take an aerial view and see if you can find them." Blitz orders Wings, who nods and takes flight. He then turns to Nightbolt and Tormenta. "You two good?"

"Yeah." Both respond with a hint of an exhale.

"Kay." Blitz says, not at all convinced and not hiding it. He turns to watch as Wings soars over the city…

Before Jane Doe launches out of the chimney of one of the homes, aiming straight for Wings. She latches on and digs her claws into Wings' leg, but Wings immediately stabs her own finger talons into Jane's shoulder, forcing Jane to let go in surprise before plummeting down.

"Let's go!" Blitz calls out as he jumps down onto one of the rooftops. Tormenta and Nightbolt quickly follow as Wings flies down, trying to keep Jane within eyesight. Wings drops to the ground and watches as Jane leans against a wall, letting out an ungodly screech as she drives her bleeding shoulder into the wall over and over, all while her face continues to blur. Wings begins to slowly approach, until she hears the sound of something rapidly approaching. She turns around just as John Doe tackles her, but Wings manages to press her feet against his chest. She powers him over her and throws him a couple feet away. As Wings returns to her feet, Jane and John Doe begin circling her, all while clicking slightly. Wings tries her best to watch both, but John lunges for her when she turns towards Jane. He is stopped, however, by a large wave of fire. Blitz.

Blitz jumps down before John Doe while Tormenta and Nightbolt jump down before Jane Doe. Wings turns to face John and the two sides begin to feel tense. All four heroes notice no worry or concern from the two feral people. The two simply pace back and forth, like they are trying to figure out who to strike first. Eventually, Jane lunges for Tormenta, while John goes for Blitz.

Jane tackles Tormenta, but Nightbolt is quick to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her off. Jane quickly reverses this, however, pulling his arms off and backflipping over him. She now forces him to bend his arms behind his back. With surprising strategy, Jane leaps up and wraps her legs around his arms and her feet around his neck, attempting to cut off air.

Meanwhile, John jumps onto Blitz and digs his claws into Blitz' collarbone, but Wings quickly leaps up. She kicks John in the mouth and sends him crashing to the ground. John recovers fast and lunges for Wings now, tackling her due to his superior size. He lifts a claw and tries to slit her throat remorselessly, but Blitz grabs him by the wrist and sends him crashing into a nearby building with a fireball to the chest. Blitz recognizes the building as the former mayor's office and makes a mental note of it before helping Wings up.

Jane squeezes tighter around Nightbolt's throat before Tormenta, angry, runs and hits her knee against the side of Jane's head, causing Jane to release Nightbolt and fall to the ground. Tormenta checks on Nightbolt as he takes in air once again with delight. She pats him on the back as Jane quickly gets on all fours and begins to crawl around the two. Both Nightbolt and Tormenta summon their shadow and water whips respectively and prepare for her onslaught.

Blitz and Wings stand in front of the building, listening to the strange verbal sounds made by John Doe. "I got an idea…" Blitz whispers to Wings.

"Hit me with it, stud…" Wings takes a couple deep breaths, but still can't resist smiling.

"If you can lift John into the air and drop him, I can catch him with some lightning." Blitz states.

"Can you control it? What if you hit me?" Wings asks, worried.

"I…" Blitz hesitates for a moment. "Look, we don't have many better options. The fact that a direct fireball from me wasn't enough to stop him is worrying. This may be our best chance."

Wings takes one last deep breath. "Okay, I trust you." Wings nods before flying to the rooftop, hiding from John. Blitz then charges a second fireball in his hand.

"Come on…" Blitz growls before slowly turning away, hiding his fireball. As soon as he is facing away, the sound of running is heard.

Blitz turns around just in time to catch John with one hand and lift him into the air. Before John can strike, Blitz presses his fireball against John's chest and fires. This sends John into the air, where Wings takes a hold and lifts him even higher.

Meanwhile, Jane is having to fight defensively, trying to avoid both whips, but she is finally taking some damage. Several cuts line her arms and legs, but she seems to be ignoring them to the best of her ability. Tormenta swings at Jane again, but Jane dodges this one before ducking Nightbolt's. Jane then lunges at Nightbolt, who tries to summon the shadows around him to repel her, like he did against the Rippers.

Unfortunately, he is unable to. Jane jumps onto him, wrapping her legs around his ribs and digging her claws into his chest, trying to reach his heart. Nightbolt quickly falls as blood covers her hands, but a water whip wraps tightly around Jane's neck, causing her to withdraw her hands. Tormenta tugs hard and Jane flies backwards. Jane tries to get up, but Tormenta keeps the whip tight. With the last of his strength and with his chest bleeding heavily, Nightbolt stands up and rushes Jane, kneeing her in the gut before collapsing. Jane follows suit, due to Nightbolt knocking the wind out of her. Jane quickly passes out and Tormenta turns her whip to pure water. She covers Jane's back with it before turning it to ice, freezing Jane into place before she can wake up.

Wings drops John from thirty feet. As she does, Blitz charges his lightning in his hand, similar to his fireball but far more chaotic. As John falls, Blitz gives it a little more juice before firing it off at John. It nearly misses, but just manages to connect with John, who lets out a bloodcurdling scream as his body trembles before falling out of the sky. John, still conscious, convulses on the ground as electricity covers his body.

"Captain Sawyer. Rush in now. Have two collars ready asap." Blitz says into his radio as he stares over at Tormenta, who is desperately trying to keep Nightbolt conscious.

"Hey! Look at me! You are fine!" Tormenta says, though she is visibly worried, as she looks down at the bleeding Nightbolt. "You got this! You are strong!"

Nightbolt gives a weak chuckle, "Yeah… I wouldn't want to come off weak to you." Nightbolt jokes, accidentally repeating his earlier line. Tormenta simply smiles as she tries to help Nightbolt up, but he is in too much pain, letting out cries. Tormenta lets him continue laying down.

As the police put the power destabilizing neck braces on Jane and John Doe, something happens that surprises both the police and the heroes…

Their faces stop blurring. Their faces are nearly identical, twins undoubtedly. They both have light blue eyes and round faces, with John having a slightly longer face. Their claws also return to somewhat normal hands and the two seem…confused? They look around as they are picked up and accompanied to the police van, but try their best to stay close to one another. Tormenta looks at this with confusion before Blitz points her to the mayor's office.

"I'll keep an eye on him. You go." Blitz says, nudging to Nightbolt, who is staring up at the sky weakly. Tormenta hesitantly nods before heading inside.

The news reporters crowd the outside of the walls of Benetown, awaiting the heroes' arrival. When the four do appear, they begin asking dozens of questions. Only Tormenta steps forward, however. In her hands is a piece of paper.

"I have prepared a way for you out of the city. We have some terrakinetics who will put up walls at my word. I know you care about Benetown, but it's not worth your life. Hundreds can die, yes, but your mind can't be lost and their lives aren't worth yours. The car will be there tonight." Tormenta reads out loud before looking dead into the camera. "Signed, Bill Smith." At this, the news teams go quiet and stunned. "Mayor Smith helped abandon these people. He wanted their mayor to escape. Considering that Benetown Mayor Jackson was never heard from again, he clearly did not accept his offer. Mayor Smith knew the problems within Benetown, yet willingly allowed it to continue, throwing many to the wolves. Go through that city and find the few survivors. And to their dead, put their names at the door of Mayor Smith. He is the reason they are dead." Tormenta growls before storming past the news teams. Blitz follows, while Wings lifts the still bleeding Nightbolt onto her back and flies up, carrying him to The Doctor.

The door to Ryan's apartment opens and Catalina helps Ryan in, bandages covering his chest. "God, despite the healing, I still feel so…so…hurt." Ryan coughs before Catalina lays him down on the couch. She sits on the floor beside him.

"I'm just glad you are okay." She whispers sincerely.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asks selflessly, surprising her. "You've been a bit off today…"

"Don't worry about me right now, Rye. I'm worried about you. You lost quite a bit of blood and The Doctor can only do so much. Speaking of which…" She stands up and walks into his small kitchen. "You got any OJ? Any cookies?"

"Uhh…" Ryan thinks for a moment. "I think I have some oreos in the cabinet and some Orange Juice in the fridge." He hears the cabinet open and shut, followed by the crinkingly of the case of oreos, followed by the fridge opening and shutting twice. After a moment, Catalina returns with a glass of orange juice and the oreos. She sets the OJ on the coffee table before handing Ryan the oreos. He opens them and eats one before hearing a crunching sound beside him. He looks up to see half an oreo sticking out of a wide eyed Catalina, looking like a deer in the headlights.

"Uhhh… I can explain." Catalina says.

"Wow! Coming into my house, eating my food!" Ryan pretends to be annoyed before coughing.

"Well, I could eat something else. I saw some stuff in the fridge to make sandwiches with if you'd prefer me to eat that." Catalina teases back.

"God, you might as well move in." Ryan jokes.

"Don't tempt me. My landlord sucks." Catalina rolls her eyes. "Too high of rent and way too high of an opinion of himself. Plus, he hates the super folks."

"That must be rough. My landlord is my boss." Ryan responds, causing Catalina to do a double take.

"What? Don't you work at a law firm?" Catalina asks, confused.

"It's a long story. Basically, Yasmin doesn't want to risk us getting distracted and worried about homes, so her sister rents us out apartments, which we pay through our paychecks, which Yasmin then pays to her sister. It's pretty cheap too." Ryan informs.

"Dammit, guess I'll have to become a lawyer now." Catalina jokes, getting a weak laugh from Ryan.

"Good luck with that, Cata." Ryan responds and pretends to not notice how she smiles when he uses her nickname.

Outside of Cassius von Lovus Shwarzius' broken down home, Emilia Spencer and Cody Brooks have gathered.

"You think she's here..?" Emilia inquires nervously.

"Where else would she be? Cami probably just came to collect our money." Cody scoffs before the two enter. The two walk until they enter the living room. "HEY CHUBS!" Cody calls out.

Cassius flies down the hall with horrifying speed, causing Emilia to immediately cower in the corner, fearful for her life.

"Watch your words." Cassius growls and the two enter a glare off, neither backing down.

"Uhh… Mister Vampire, sir..?" Emilia shakily raises a finger. Both look over at her. "Have you s-seen our friend Cami?"

"Hmm?" Cassius thinks for a moment, "Oh yeah, the third girl."

"Third?" Cody gasps, offended.

"Shut up." Cassius swats a hand, which Cody narrowly avoids. "She was here earlier to discuss White Rabbit, but left when she heard an Ice Cream truck. Can you leave now?"

"God, she skipped school for ice cream. I told you she was fine. Let's go." Cody scoffs before heading for the exit.

"Thank you, Mister Cassius." Emilia bows and Cassius surprisingly nods before she follows after. The two step outside. "Why isn't she responding to our text messages?"

"Probably because she decided she didn't need us." Cody deadpans.

"Be optimistic…" Emilia sighs before a song fills their ears…

(Turkey In The Straw)

"Hey, maybe they'll know." Emilia points out the Ice Cream Truck driving towards them. It's windows are all tinted black.

"And maybe they'll feel sorry for us and give us free ice cream." Cody rubs his hands together like a fly. The Ice Cream Truck stops beside them. Both step towards the shutter and wait for it to open. After a couple moments, it slides open, revealing a man in the standard outfit. He has short brown hair that is neatly combed over, as well as fair skin. He has rosy cheeks and dark brown eyes. He has an athletic but lean physique. He stands at 6'2". He almost resembles Woody from Toy Story.

"Hey there, kids." He greets in a sweet voice, befitting his nature. "What savory treat would you like?"

"Fudgesicle." Cody immediately demands. The ice cream man reaches under the counter and pulls one fudgesicle out, handing it to Cody with a big smile. "Well? Pay the man." Cody says to Emilia.

"Oh, no need! You kids look like you were in need of it!" The ice cream man chuckles.

"Excuse me, have you seen our friend, Cami?" Emilia inquires awkwardly. "She has blonde hair and green eyes."

"Hmm…" The ice cream man thinks for a moment as he hands a bowl of vanilla ice cream to Emilia, who begins eating it while Cody licks his fudgesicle. "I do believe I saw her earlier, but it's hard to remember one specific kid."

"Oh… Well, thanks…" Emilia stops as she begins to feel something… Weak… Tired… "Thank… you… Mister…" Her words begin to slur before Cody collapses beside her. "Cody..? Are… you… o…k…a…y..?" Emilia slowly asks as her vision begins to darken. She turns back to see The Ice Cream Man exiting his van, his smile growing wider. "Stay… Away…" Emilia whispers before she too collapses and loses consciousness…

A/N: Please remember to review if it's not an inconvenience!