Dust Devil diffused inside the darkness and his body felt like he was swimming. Even passing through the driver's seat and the wall separating the cab and cargo areas was difficult as he fought in his breaker state against Grue's power. While diffused everything touched by darkness had a film style day-for-night blue tinge, Sophia was crawling blindly on the floor, her knife stuck out of her shoulder. The rpg round finally detonated and the entire truck shuddered.

Ray wrapped himself around Sophia as the truck struggled on however many tires survived the blast, letting the darkness take them as he materialized. The truck pitched over and Grue's darkness faded as the sensation of the truck sliding on its side tearing the canvas cover free from the metal ribs of the roof, revealing a sky of dusk.

~~x

Miss Militia witnessed the wreckage of the truck slide to a stop, the launcher in her hands dissipated into green crackling energy and split into two weapons. Both were desert eagles, one appeared in her left hand, and the other filled the custom holster at her left thigh in a reverse grip position. Hannah trained the huge pistol on the truck, supporting her left wrist with her right forearm, and closed the distance.

Her thoughts considered that while she was the leader of the local Protectorate team and had previously judged The Undersiders as a group that could possibly be reasoned with, it was Piggot's insistence on using Dust Devil and Shadow Stalker that truly troubled her. The two teenage troublemakers, each with a short and or marred history of dealing with criminals and their fellow heroes, spoke volumes on the desperation of the Director to have warm bodies available to throw at the war on crime. Yet Dragon's own read on the pair was the saving grace that prevented Hannah from judging the situation as a 'broken arrow' by having the full Protectorate team arrive and deal with the pair as violent vigilantes alongside The Undersiders, and simply bathing them all in containment foam.

A fiery explosion filled the street between Miss Militia and the truck. Above her flew a shrieking winged-beast and on it sat a helmeted rider. The rider pitched a smaller flying creature that vomited a spray of fluid that ignited as it splattered the flaming pavement, a blazing wall of flame obscured the truck.

Energy crackled in her hands and ten kilograms of missile launcher rested on her shoulder. Instinctively her fingers flipped two switches and depressed a green key that lit up a flashing red key. She kept the cross hairs of the viewer on the mouth of the massive bat creature, waited for a lock, and depressed the flashing red button launching the heat seeker missile.

Batty Boom laughed through the speakers on her helmet as the missile closed in, it'd been a while since she'd tangled with folk sporting military ordinance but this was old hat. She let Hellion climb in height as she rolled off his muscular back, the explosion put her body in a tumble as she plummeted towards the pavement below. Her velvet jacket split in the back and large bat wings and the creature's face pushed out of her skin.

"Sorry, baby", she huffed out while reaching behind her neck and twisting off the bat creature's head. A large scar formed sealing the wound in her skin but leaving the wings still attached to her. With two beats of the large set of wings Batty stopped her tumble and slowed her descent, giving her a chance to position her body for a tuck and roll that snapped her wings off but kept her alive.

~~x

Sophia turned to her breaker state, her knife fell out of her shoulder, and she passed through Dust Devil. The heat in the air from the front of the truck gave her just enough lift in her shadow form she leapt up and made for Grue who still held Imp in his arms. She positioned her body into a kick and materialized before she connected. Her full body weight went into the kick and down went her old nemesis. A rush went through her system as she pulled the two criminals apart and put Grue in plastic zip cuffs. She took a moment to take in what they just did, The Undersiders were in the truck wreck or laid out in the street.

Ray watched Sophia arrange the bodies of the captured villains, almost like a hunter taking stock of their kills, picking which felled beast would be their trophy for their hunt. Ray tapped his ear piece again.

"Dragon, Miss Militia, Grue is down and secured. Undersiders are ready for pick up. Batty you can stop whatever is going down up there - job's done."

"Dusty, hun. There is a Gun Girl going wild with a missle launcher. I'm trying to protect your devilish ass from any more of a shellacking."

"That's Miss Militia, Batty, she-"

"I am taking custody of the Undersiders. Please do not interfere any further or I will continue to defend myself."

"... a'ight, I gotcha. Just forward the rest of my pay along once you start inking their fingerprints or whatever."

"Duly noted, Ms. Boom", Dragon's system piped up on the comms.

A trio of dragon drones floated over the truck, their spray nozzles still leaked extinguisher powder, and began spraying down the Undersiders with containment foam. Behind them approached Miss Militia and Batty Boom. Both women regarded the other with a chin raise before Batty started to form a new version of Hellion from her back.

Miss Militia turned from that scene and beckoned Sophia and Ray to herself. The pair approached the Protectorate leader.

"You sniped our tires out then blew up the truck?" Ray asked with a bit of levity in his voice.

"You we're not slowing down all that much and the last time the Undersiders were brought in was an ambush", Hannah countered.

"Alright, good enough excuse for me. Just remind me to never play poker, Chicken or strip poker with you."

Sophia rolled her eyes at Ray before fixing her mask back on, blood still clung to its surface.

"What? She's got extra clothes on. That scarf and sash combo is basically cheating."

Hannah turned to Shadow Stalker, "Does he do this with everyone?"

"Flirting or making an ass out of himself?"

"I do not", He protested as he reached for Sophia's waist and extracted bandages and medical tape from her belt compartments.

"Either, both?" Miss Militia answered as she slipped the newly transformed knife into a sheath on her belt.

"He's right, he doesn't flirt or make an ass out of himself with everyone. It's mostly just women he does this with."

"Mostly? Just attractive women, no dudes", Ray carefully packed, wrapped, and taped shut Sophia's knife wound as they stood around waiting for PRT teams to arrive to secure the villains.

"You sassed Dragon and Piggot, Devil."

"Hey, I'll have you know power can be hella sexy."

Miss Militia shook their head, "I'll be sure to avoid inviting you to any kind of off duty occasion."

"That hurts but not as much as the collective damage of being in a truck explosion."

Sophia sidled up to Ray and slipped her uninjured arm around him, "You'll live, tough guy. Just more scars for the tapestry of pain."

~~x