Satellite perched on top of a building, the eyes behind the mask never leaving the entrance to the bank where the robbers held Thorne and other people captive.

She had scanned all the possible entrances and exits, scoured the blueprints from the authorities, hacked into the police's database and followed the news on any updates.

Simultaneously, of course.

There were more robbers than the news and Satellite thought at first. The four ones in the main hall seemed to be the leaders but a few underlings were stationed at windows and doors. If Satellite went in by conventional means, they would notice her.

A few other options included the small windows in the bathrooms, or the windows of the office spaces above the bank. But whoever those robbers were, they were prepared and barricaded the entrance to the bank from the other floors too. They knew the layout just as well as Satellite did. Every entrance she could take, they left heavily guarded.

Except, Satellite didn't need an entrance.

She had never attempted it before, not yet fully realising the extent of her powers. She just got few hints, the faintest idea that her powers were capable of so much more.

That she was capable of so much more.

And with Thorne's life on the line, Satellite had to leave behind all of her doubts. She knew she only had one chance.

If it didn't work, she might die.

If it worked half-way, she probably wished she could die.

There was no way of knowing if she could control her powers to that capacity. Only foolish hope.

Satellite took a deep breath and jumped from top of the building.

She let herself fall.

And fall.

And then dissolve into codes and atoms.

This was more than just letting her mind travel through the web. This was her entire being disintegrating until there was nothing left in the corporal world.

Basically, teleporting.

And that's how she made her way into the bank, in a flicker of atoms that whirred through the glass-fibre cables, her existence in disarray except for the single-minded purpose of saving Thorne.

When she found the server room, she broke through the high-powered computer like through glass though nothing shattered or splintered.

The first physical sensation was immense pain as Satellite fell hard onto the floor, leaving her palms bruised and her left knee twisted. Her breath came shallow and ragged, as if she had been suffocating.

Trying for her zapped energy to return Satellite decided that this maneuver would be reserved for emergencies only.

And rescuing Thorne was the direst of emergencies. That alone made Satellite stand up gingerly, balancing her weight to see how the fall damaged her knee and yelped at the sharp pain.

Satellite cursed. That wasn't good.

It wasn't unbearable once she clenched her teeth but she was limping nonetheless. Maybe she should practice her new power a bit more instead of leaving it up to chance.

But the first part of her plan had worked. Which was the only part of the plan so far that she actually had. Still, she sent a quick encrypted message to the police. "At the bank robbery in Tremont. I got this. Satellite." She hoped they let her handle the situation without interfering.

Quietly, Satellite made her way to the door before she channeled her eyesight into the surveillance cameras. With her eyes closed, Satellite had to trust her powers to warn her before anyone took notice of her.

The first camera swiveled to the left, scouring the hallway. Nothing.

Two other cameras confirmed that the staircase was mostly empty as well though, a burly guy in black and a ski mask was making rounds there. Several more cameras spied the two robbers in front of the vault, clearly waiting for instructions. Her camera eyes made up for the damaged knee but only barely as she made her way through the building, towards the bank where Thorne was being held. Twice a robber almost caught her because she was too slow to hide.

And still, Cress was relieved she didn't go through with her idea to transport herself directly into the main hall of the bank. With the way she hadn't been able to channel her powers correctly, the robbers would have easily caught her as she had been lying on the floor, completely defenseless.

Satellite made it to the hallway from the back offices and was now crouched to the entrance of the lobby. She was close enough to hear the robbers talking among themselves.

Now that she got in, her main problem was how to take the robbers out. She wasn't the best fighter though she could hold her own but not when the main goal was to protect the hostages. One wrong move and the robbers could harm them.

The first idea came easy enough. They all had cellphones. Satellite hacked herself into one of them but nothing was saved on them except the numbers of the other robbers Cress assumed. She checked the numbers just in case and they mostly matched with the cellphones in close vicinity.

She could work with that.

Satellite quickly formulated a text message: "Trouble upstairs. Come." and sent it to one of the four numbers. She peeked through the door to see who would leave.

"Kwende!" The voice was female. "Go upstairs and check what's going on."

The robber named Kwende nodded and left the room.

One down, three to go.

She needed another distraction but nothing that would put the hostages in more danger.

She checked the security system for the main entrance doors. They were shut down. No one could come in or go out if they didn't know the code.

One second later, Satellite had the code.

She kept the doors closed though to not make the robbers suspicious. But the exit was free now for the hostages to escape through.

That's when she noticed the screens all over the walls and over the counters.

Well, as Satellite, she loved a big entrance.

In an instant, all the screens came to life and showed a close-up of Satellite, catching the attention of the robbers. It was a strange feeling, seeing herself all-geared up like a superhero, her mask making her look almost menacing.

Good.

The shuffles from the lobby. "Look! What's going on? Who's that?"

"I'm Satellite." Her voice echoed through the hall even though no sound has escaped her lips. "I'm here to tell you to free the hostages and surrender yourself peacefully."

"Or what?" The female robber inched closer to one of the screens. "I know you and your powers. You're just a fancy router but you can't do anything to harm us."

Fancy router?

Satellite trained the surveillance cameras on the robber, the infrared laser point zoning into her forehead. It wouldn't do anything but it looked threatening. "I wouldn't underestimate me. As long as I have powers and you don't, I will win."

"Jina, turn back!"

"Please, she's no danger to us. Look." Jina cocked her automatic rifle and shot through the screens in her vicinity. Glass shattered and two of the hostages cried out in fear. Even Satellite's heart hammered hard in her chest. They were more ruthless than she thought. She had to switch tactics.

"Nice try. But that won't hurt me."

"Maybe not. But it will hurt them." Jina pointed the rifle at the counter behind which the hostages were sitting.

Ice froze in Satellite's veins but she did her best not to show her fear. "Maybe. But then you won't get what you're here for."

"Which is?" By now it was clear that Jina was the leader of the group but Satellite wouldn't leave the other two guys out of her sight either.

Satellite pulled herself up. The last screen she could use was cracked but that wouldn't stop her. "You tell me."

"What, you want to make a deal?"

"Maybe." Everything in Satellite bristled at the words but the hostages, and Thorne's lives mattered more than anything.

There was a short silence. "Look at you," sneered Jina. "The police won't strike deals with criminals but you do? And here I thought you were one of the good guys."

Satellite didn't miss a beat. "I am. Now tell me what is it you want?"

"We're in a bank. What do you think we want?"

Money. How original.

"Alright. Release the hostages and I will open the vault for you."

"Pah, no way," Jina spat. "You think I'm dumb? Why should I trust you to hold your part of the bargain without the hostages as leverage?"

There wasn't anything Satelite could say to argue that point. But she definitely could do something.

She could hear the clicking and whirring of the vault door as it opened so precisely as if she were standing next to it.

A phone rang and one of Jina's henchmen answered. Listening. Turning to Jina. "Jina? The vault ... it's open."

Satellite could see all of them turning to the screen that still showed her masked face. There was an inkling of pride as she watched the dumbfounded expression of the robbers. "What about the bargain now?"

Jina only hesitated a second. "Come out. I don't want any more tricks from you." To one of her henchmen she bellowed. "Release all the hostages except one. The rest of you, go the vault and get the money."

"Wait. I said to release all hostages!"

"Take what you can get, "Jina snarled as the hostages were ushered outside, only slightly glancing at the commotion. "I'll keep one to make sure you comply. Now, come out!"

The screen flickered into darkness as Satellite leaped out of her hiding place and into the lobby into the path of Jina. Shards were crackling under her boot, proof of the ruthlessness of the women before her.

She was taller than Satellite but that was all she could tell because of the mask. Only a set of sharp eyes and a grim set of lips were visible.

And still, with a bit of time and the right tracking, Satellite was sure she could find Jina again if she escaped. Maybe not today or tomorrow but soon enough.

That thought alone boosted her confidence as she faced Jina.

But then her eyes were drawn to one of the henchman and the hostage he pushed forward with a rifle pointed at their back.

Thorne.

"Are you stupid? Why would you take the guy as hostage?" Jina spat at her henchman. "You don't take guys like that as hostages. You take girls or women, someone who can't fight back, you idiot."

"Maybe he wanted to pick someone his own size for a change," Thorne said casually. He seemed calm and even a bit bored, not at all matching the turmoil Satellite was experiencing at the moment. She was close to tears, while he was watching the fight amongst the robbers with faint interest.

And then, his eyes found her. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Satellite's first instinct was actually Cress's first instinct: To run up to him, embrace him, ask him for forgiveness for shunning him, promising him that everything would be alright and that they would never part again.

In the next second, she realised that she was Satellite and her breath hitched, thinking her husband had found out her secret identity.

But yet another second later, Satellite realised that Thorne wasn't to talking to Cress at all. It wasn't about their fight and her avoiding him whenever she could.

No, he was looking at the masked superhero in front of him, not his wife. Had Thorne followed the Lunar news and noticed the absence of Satellite?

She wasn't sure how to respond and after a while, Thorne shrugged.

"Nevermind," Jina hissed. "We'll take him with us to the vault to make sure she-," she pointed at Satellite,"- will not shut the doors on us."

"Let him go," Satellite tried but she knew it was pointless.

"Yes, please let him go," Thorne agreed, though his tone was still conversational. "Your minion here smells and I have a very sensitive nose. Really, if you need advice on some excellent, albeit pricey soaps, I-"

"Quiet!" Jamal bellowed. "And move, we're going to the vault." He waited for an objection from Jina but when none came, he tapped with the rifle at Thorne's back to get him moving.

Thorne complied but it was as if he had no idea of the danger he was in.

When he passed her, she grabbed at his arm, a move she regretted when Jamal and Jina instantly pointed their rifles at them. She quickly retracted her hand as Thorne glanced at her with a mildly curious expression. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here. I won't let them harm you."

"Yippie," Thorne replied evenly, leaving Satellite stunned.

Satellite felt the tip of a rifle at her own back. "You, move now," Jina ordered ad Satellite had no choice but to comply.

Together, they made their way through the bank, passing a few more of Jina's henchmen guarding doors and windows. Satellite counted each of them, matching their location with the blueprint of the bank in her mind, thinking up a thousand escape routes and dismissing them just as easily.

But she would find a way, she was sure of it.

Down they went until they finally reached the vault. It was open as expected and most of Jina's henchman were already filling their bags with as much as money as they could carry. Jina and the rest stopped to oversee everything, shouting orders when needed.

It was a very old-fashioned way of robbing a bank, Satellite found. Then again, she could simply take any amount of money from any bank account in the world and put it on some secret account only she could access in less time than it would take to brush her teeth.

Of course, she was one of the good guys and wouldn't do anything of the sort.

When she stole glances at Thorne, his face was a stoic as ever. If he was scared, he hid it exceptionally well.

Finally, the last of the robbers left the vault which only left her, Thorne, Jina, Jamal, and the guy Jina had sent out before, Kwende. The odds were more in Satellite's favour than they had been before.

Which wasn't saying much, seeing that they still held three rifles and she had to protect Thorne. If it had been her against the robbers, she would have taken her chance.

"In," Jamal demanded, gesturing his rifle towards the vault.

"Both of you," Jina added.

They wanted to seal her and Thorne into the vault? She had been the one to open that vault by hacking into the bank's security system, they saw her doing it and they still thought it was a smart move?

Cress stepped silently into the vault, Thorne followed in behind her.

"Kwende, attach the last bomb," Jina commanded but her eyes never left Satellite. "You thought I would just let you walk out of here?"

It was Thorne who answered. "Kinda, yeah."

Jina ignored him. "You might not want to open that vault once we're out of here. The bomb has a motion detector, you move the door, you move the bomb, it will explode."

Satellite had only caught a small glimpse of the vault but it had been vast. They could hide far away from the door and be safe from the detonation. Except ... "The last bomb," she muttered under her breath but Jina heard her nonetheless.

"Ah yes. I installed a few more to hide any trace of us. If you activate just one, it will be enough for a chain reaction." Her lips curled into a cold smile. "It was meant for the police force but if it will rid me of you, that will be even better."

Hardly hearing the last part, Satellite felt as if doused in icy water. Shudders ran down her back and it took everything for her not to shake in front of the robbers.

Her epic entrance had left her limping. Her bargaining made Thorne the sole target. And now, she was kept in a vault surrounded by bombs that would detonate at any wrong move.

Satellite couldn't believe that a small group of robbers managed to defeat her.

She was an utter failure as a superhero.

Kwende stepped back from the door. "Done." There was a beeping coming from behind the steel door, that increased in frequency. "Close it now, Jamal. Quick!"

Satellite glanced at Thorne but his face gave away nothing. Maybe he was good at hiding his fear, maybe it was her own that prompted her to reach for his hand.

When her gloved fingers made contact, it was the first time that she had touched Thorne since their fight, she realised. And he didn't even know it was her.

She saw it in the way he looked first at her hand, grasping at his and the curious expression when he looked up at her behind her mask.

The beeping from the bomb, the hissing of the vault door as it was pushed back, it all faded away like the last light playing on Thorne's face.

And just before the door slammed into its frame, he squeezed her hand back.

A/N: It's hard for me to write this but it's clear that this fic isn't very popular. Views and reviews are low but I don't think it's just because the fandom is dwindling. I like writing Masks (it's actually my one fic which doesn't feel like pulling teeth like the others do) and I have a few chapters ready to be published but at the moment, I'm not sure if I'll continue beyond that. It breaks my heart but on the other hand, it's a lot of time and effort I put into writing each chapter and maybe I should spent it on something else.

But the next few chapters will be posted as planned (once a month, in tandem with PEA) and then we'll see. For now, I wish you all a happy new year. :)