"President Vortex," Bennett offered Cindy a respectful nod, then asked, "Are you sure it's wise to be here?"

"I am," Cindy answered. She marched between the hall monitors and Jimmy. When her boyfriend was hidden from view, she gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Clarke asked me to delegate the hunt for the Black Atom while I kept the school calm. I've tried that, but it seems that little progress has been made."

Jimmy cleared his throat. "We've made some headway, but still don't have a clear suspect. I was going to interview the latest victim now. It's Damien, from Canterbury."

As Cindy took this in, Yen said, "It's good you're here. Bennett and and I have to find out who Damien bullied. And Jimmy needs a butt buddy. If I focus on getting that stick out of Bennett's ass, do you think you could watch Jimmy's?"

Bennett glowered at his friend as Cindy and Jimmy's cheeks flushed. The genius mumbled, "We, um…could keep an eye on each other's...posteriors."

"Purely for safety," Cindy agreed as her eyes drifted downwards.

"Ugh," Bennett groaned. "Let's just move out."

Jimmy and Cindy climbed the staircase and reached the main floor. Jimmy craned his neck and spotted two suited secret service agents trailing a respectful distance behind.

"So," Cindy began, "does this top the charts as the weirdest day ever?"

"Top ten at least," Jimmy agreed. "I never thought I'd say this, but I wish I was busy tutoring."

"Agree to disagree," Cindy smirked at Jimmy. "You clean up pretty nice as a detective."

Jimmy's cheeks warmed; he did his best to cover them with his scarf. "You can thank Clarke for that. Did she ever lend you an outfit?"

"Where do you think I got my inauguration gown?"

The couple smiled as they crossed the empty halls. "Seriously though," Jimmy asked, "how rough has today been for you?"

"Bad," Cindy answered. "Between the regular R.M.S. students, teachers, and I.O.P kids, I've got over a thousand people clinging to the last threads of their sanity. It hasn't been easy to keep people from taking matters into their own hands. The last thing we need is a witch hunt sparking a dozen more vigilantes."

Jimmy cringed at the thought. "We're running out of time to stop this."

"That we are," Cindy agreed. She met Jimmy's gaze and asked, "Are you really any closer to finding the Black Atom?"

"I've discovered a few things that are painting a better picture, but it's still murky. I'm hoping Damien's testimony clears it all up." They reached Nurse Holt's door. Jimmy pushed it open and led them inside.

The waiting room was empty save for one seat. Jimmy and Cindy met Ethan Brown's anxious gaze, offered curt nods, and marched towards the two treatment tables in the back. They could barely discern Damien's moaning form behind Betty and Nurse Holt, who tended over him.

The two caretakers glanced at the students. Betty immediately intercepted them before they closed the gap.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked, voice more manic than usual.

Jimmy and Cindy shared a quick glance at the brunette's rattled appearance.

Jimmy answered first. "We're hunting the Black Atom and need to get a statement from Damien."

Betty struggled to smooth the creases on her emerald scrubs. "He ca-can't talk yet. Nurse Holt's st-still stabilizing him."

"Stabilizing?" Cindy arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, Cindy!" Betty snarled with uncharacteristic rage. "I've ne-never seen injuries like this. The chafing alone…" her voice trailed off as her hands shook.

Jimmy asked, "Are you okay?"

"No one's okay today. They just keep coming," Betty whimpered. "I want to help them, but this monster's not stopping. As soon as we discharge one patient another takes their place."

Cindy suggested, "Maybe you should take a break."

"No," Betty shook her head back and forth, again and again. "I can do this, I can, I…have to."

Betty craned her neck and glanced at the injured boy. Her hands still shook, so Cindy grabbed her wrists. Betty spun around and pulled back in shock. Cindy tugged hard and said, "Close your eyes and count to six."

"What?" Betty asked.

"You can do this two ways. Six seconds of serenity, or six seconds to let the panic burn itself out. I think you need the latter. Close your eyes and let yourself feel everything you need to."

Betty squeezed her eyes closed; tears bubbled between her eyelids. "I don't need-"

"You helped me at my breaking point," Cindy reminded her. "So shut up and let me do the same."

Betty wavered, then nodded.

"I'll count for you. Just focus on letting out everything you've been bottling up. Go."

Betty wasted one second fighting it, then everything broke free. Her nails dug into her palms, tears spilled down her cheeks, and her whole body shook. Cindy silently counted to six, then did so twice more. "Now breathe in, slow and deep."

Betty did as Cindy said.

"Hold it and feel that pressure in your chest. Focus on that until it burns. That fire is everything that's tormenting you." Betty did, and after twenty seconds Cindy said, "Now blow all the anxiety out."

As Betty finished her exhalation, Cindy said, "It's all gone now." Betty slowly opened her eyes. "You were right. You can do this."

Betty straightened her back, squeezed Cindy's hands, and then wiped away her tears. "Give me a few minutes. Once Damien's comfortable, I'll come get you."

Cindy nodded as Betty marched back to Nurse Holt's side. Jimmy cast his girlfriend a curious stare. "That was…nice of you."

"I can be nice," Cindy shot back while leading the way back to the waiting room. She and Jimmy took the seats next to Ethan.

Jimmy faced him and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Ethan kept his gaze trained on Damien. "I needed to see the nurse. I've been getting stress migraines this week. Today has not been helping. I came for some ibuprofen when they rushed Damien in." Ethan swallowed hard and wiped his sweaty brow. "I'm still mad at him, but seeing him like this…" His voice trailed before he shook his head. His skin paled and he clutched his temple. "He should have someone here with him when Nurse Holt's done."

Cindy said, "You don't look so good. Why don't you go rest in the library - this place isn't exactly tranquil. I'll let Damien know you were here."

Ethan wavered before mumbling. "Okay, thanks."

Jimmy asked, "Do you have a butt buddy?"

"Everyone was too scared to go with me."

Cindy shook her head in disgust and rose to her feet. She opened the nurse office's door and motioned towards her guards outside. The tall and muscular eighth grade boys approached her. "Can you escort Ethan? He's on his own."

One of the agents said, "Our job is to protect you, ma'am."

Cindy countered, "I will stay in this room where there are no less than four people to watch over me until you return." The guards stayed silent, so Cindy added, "That's an order."

"Understood," the second teen said before waving Ethan forward. Once the trio was gone, Cindy closed the door and rolled her eyes. "Like the Black Atomy could pull one over on me."

She took her seat next to Jimmy, and a few moments later Betty joined them. "Okay," she motioned them forwards. "He's ready."

Jimmy and Cindy walked towards the foot-end of Damien's exam table. He lay on his side, eyes closed and body shaking.

"We have him on butt support," Betty explained. Cindy opened her mouth to interject, but clenched her teeth at the last moment. "Ice packs, high-dose ibuprofen, oxygen supplementation, and frequent applications of phen…phenyl…"

"Phenylephrine," Nurse Holt gently finished. She faced the newcomers and said, "It's a topical cocktail of phenylephrine, petroleum jelly, glycerin, and pramoxine. We've managed the brunt of his symptoms, but there's still significant discomfort. And of course, the trauma of what he went through will take a while to process."

"But he can talk?" Jimmy asked.

"For a few minutes," Nurse Holt answered. "Try to make it quick." She gently shook Damien's shoulder, and the boy stirred awake.

The boy recoiled as soon as his eyes popped open. He tried to scuttle backwards, but there was nowhere to go. His oxygen mask fell off his face in the chaos. Betty quickly offered him a blanket which he eagerly clutched to his chest.

Nurse Holt knelt down and spoke to the boy at eye level. "Damien, you're safe. These two are just trying to find the person who did this to you." She gently replaced his oxygen mask and asked, "Are you okay to talk to them while I write up your chart?"

"Do-don't leave me," he whispered.

"I'll stay," Betty mirrored Nurse Holt's posture. She reached for his shoulder, but he squirmed away. Betty hid her disappointment and said, "I won't let anything else happen to you."

Damien stayed quiet, so Nurse Holt went into her office.

Cindy turned to Jimmy and whispered, "Your show, detective."

Jimmy nodded and pulled a chair up near Damien's head. He sat down and said, "I'm sorry you're going through this."

"Yeah right," Damien moaned. "You three must be thrilled to see me like this."

"Canterbury was a long time ago," Jimmy answered. "We've all changed since then."

"I'd hope so, since you were going to freaking hang me."

"We're here to help," Cindy assured the boy. "We want to stop the Black Atom, but we can't do that if you don't tell us what happened."

"You can't stop her," Damien wrapped his blanket tight and grimaced in pain while repositioning himself. "This is never gonna end."

"Her?" Jimmy flipped open his notepad.

Damien sighed and recounted his story. "I was in science class and had to pee. I didn't want a butt buddy; the bathroom was just a few seconds away. Besides, I'd heard they were only targeting bullies. I figured I was safe."

Jimmy and Cindy traded skeptical glances.

"I'm not a bully!" Damien tried to shout, but his voice cracked. "I screwed up over winter break, but that was just foam! I've never really hurt anyone."

Jimmy was skeptical, but jotted some notes down and said, "Fair enough. The Black Atom might be expanding their M.O."

Placated for the moment, Damien kept going. "So I was washing my hands when I felt them. I knew who it was right away. I pushed the sink and we flew backward. The Black," Damien gulped and closed his eyes. "They hit the wall hard and shouted in pain. It was a girl's scream. I'd bet my life on that."

Jimmy wrote that down and asked, "How sure are you? Could it have been a boy's voice cracking?"

"My voice cracks," Damien countered. "I know what that sounds like. This was different. I'm telling you, it ain't a boy." Damien cringed and admitted, "I got beat up by a girl."

"So?" Betty and Cindy reflexively asked.

Jimmy shot them a warning glance and asked, "Do you have any other description?"

"You won't believe me."

"I promise that I will. You wouldn't be the first to report something…strange."

Damien hesitated, then said, "She was invisible, except for the Striker mask."

Cindy pulled back in shock. "That's not possible."

Damien glared at her and asked, "Does she have to be here?"

"Cindy, he's telling the truth," Jimmy assured his girlfriend. "I'll explain it to you later." He turned back to Damien and asked, "Any other description? Height, weight, anything like that?"

"It was hard to tell without seeing her body, but I think she was crouching to hide her real height. But there's no way she was taller than me. She was skinny, too. Maybe half my weight."

Jimmy nodded. "That narrows it down considerably. No way we're talking about a high schooler then."

Damien agreed. "I'd guess a scrawny sixth-grader at the most."

Jimmy added that to his notebook and asked, "Anything else that might help us?"

Damien was quiet a long time, then whispered, "You won't stop her."

Cindy asked, "What do you mean?"

Damien scoffed. "This chick's hurt four people in one morning. She's invisible, you don't seem to have any idea who it is, and she can fight." Damien met Jimmy's gaze and sincerely asked, "How can you beat her?"

Jimmy rose to his feet and pocketed his notebook. "I don't know who the Black Atom is yet," Jimmy admitted. "But I'm a heck of a lot closer than when I started this case. You'll get justice, Damien. I promise you that."

He rose to his feet and joined Cindy. She told Damien, "Just rest, you're in good hands." She cast Betty a quick glance and then added, "And you may want to check in with Ethan once you're out of here. He's worried about you."

As Damien pondered that, Jimmy and Cindy headed back to the waiting room. They took a seat and leaned towards one another.

Cindy asked, "The Black Atom's invisible?"

Jimmy nodded. "Carl said that Sheen took an invisibility spray I was working on from the lab. He was going to use it for some romantic gesture with Libby. Somehow it ended up in the Black Atom's hands. I have to go to talk to him about that."

"Do you think everything else Damien said was accurate?"

"He seemed pretty sure of the details. Which is very troubling."

"Why?"

"Think about it, Cind. Means, motives, opportunity. Do you know a girl who might be our age, who knows how to fight, who hates bullies, and has easy access to Sheen?"

Jimmy wasn't surprised that Cindy caught on in a flash. "No way," she shook her head brought a hand to her mouth. "You think it's Angie?"

"Possibly."

Cindy shook her head. "But all the victims went to Earhart elementary."

"A bully's a bully," Jimmy countered. "Targeting kids from another school is the perfect way to keep suspicion off of her."

Cindy sighed in defeat. "And if Damien really isn't a bully, that would explain why he's a target."

"She spends her I.O.P time at Lindbergh. We have to find out if she's really there," Jimmy said.

Cindy offered, "My office has a hotline with the presidents of the other schools. I can figure that out, just give me a little time."

"Perfect," Jimmy offered a fleeting smile and rose to his feet. "That will give me a chance to talk to Sheen."

Cindy gestured at the walkie-talkie on Jimmy's waistband. "I have one of those in the office. Channel nine. Let me know when you're done with Sheen and I'll share what I found."

A knock on the door preceded the Secret Service agents coming inside. "Ready, ma'am?" one asked.

Cindy was about to follow them when she froze in place. "Things are escalating, Jimmy. If the Black Atom's M.O. is changing, then you…" she let her voice trail off.

Jimmy nodded. Clarke had been right, he was painting a target on his butt. After seeing that bathroom and talking to Damien, he couldn't say the thought of wandering the halls alone didn't terrify him. But I'm not letting someone else get hurt if she comes for me. "I know," he marched towards Cindy and offered her a hug. "But I have to do this on my own."

Cindy wrapped her arms around him. "Just stay safe, Jimmy. There's a bunch of kids out there who need you. And," she squeezed him tight, "I do too."

Jimmy broke the embrace, tightened his scarf, and admitted, "Not half as much as I need you."

If the prior assaults are any precedent, we've got less than an hour until the Black Atom strikes again, Jimmy reminded himself while dashing down the halls. The first lunch period had just started - he had to hustle to find Sheen amongst the cafeteria's horde. Jimmy pushed open the lunchroom double doors and was greeted by chaos.

Hundreds of children marched in rows, wielding hastily crafted picket signs. They chanted the same chorus over and over. "Life is sour, make it sweet, give us yummy things to eat!"

Jimmy's left eye twitched; he had no time for this nonsense. He stormed towards the first kid he recognized and grabbed an orange-haired boy's arm. "Oleander, what the heck is going on?"

"Hey, Neutron," he amicably answered. "We're just striking because there's no dessert. When it rains it pours, right? Wanna picket with us?"

"No, I need to find Sheen. Where is he?"

Oleander pointed to the center of the crowd, where Sheen hopped atop a long table and activated his megaphone. Jimmy struggled to shove his way through the throng as Sheen shouted at the cowering lunch ladies behind the serving bar.

"On this darkest of days, us children need comfort!" Spittle flew and Sheen's eyes were bloodshot with fury. "And you people," he jabbed a furious finger at the adults, "have the unmitigated temerity to run out of Jell-o?"

"Murder them all!" Meagan's voice shouted out.

Sheen turned towards his followers and roared, "What do we want?!"

"DESSERT!" The horde shot back.

"And when do we want it?!"

"NOW!"

Jimmy was halfway to Sheen when a trembling lunch lady approached the picket line. The crowd hissed and booed, but Sheen motioned for calm. The elderly woman dipped her crooked back in a bow and presented Sheen with a covered pie plate.

A haggard cockney accent laced her words. "We beseech your pardon and beg your mercy. As a show of peace, I have handmade you all this pie."

Jimmy checked his watch, unclear as to how that was possible.

The woman uncovered the dish and revealed a large dessert rimmed with fresh graham cracker crust. "It's me maw's famous recipe - sweet potato."

Jimmy was nearly at Sheen's heels as the crowd gasped and stumbled in shock. They knocked Jimmy fell to the floor as Sheen dropped his megaphone.

"POTATO?!" Sheen exclaimed. "You made us a vegetable?"

The crowd erupted in acrimonious roars as Sheen raised his food tray high in the air. "If you love lousy rabbit food so much, you eat it!" He tossed his platter into the old lady's face and roared, "FOODFIGHT!"

Jimmy pinched his nose and tempered his temper as the cafeteria erupted in a hail of salisbury steak, gravy, and all the accouterments. Jimmy grabbed a dropped tray, did his best to shield his outfit, and finally approached Sheen.

"Sheen!" Jimmy shouted while grabbing his friend's ankle.

Sheen looked down and beamed. "Oh hey, Jimmy. What's up?"

Jimmy's jaw dropped as two kids pinned a lunch lady and poured gravy down her throat. "Sheen, get the heck off that table and come with me."

"Well I'm a bit busy right now but I could pencil you in for - whoa!" Sheen screeched as Jimmy yanked his ankled and pulled him onto the floor.

Jimmy kicked the empty classroom door open dragged Sheen inside by the leg. "Sheen, get up!"

"I would have done that five minutes ago if you'd have let go of me," Sheen grumbled while jumping to his feet and dusting himself off.

Jimmy flipped open his notepad and clicked his pen. "You took my invisibility spray. Where is it?"

Sheen simply blinked.

"From my lab? You used my hair? On Tuesday?"

"Hmm," Sheen drummed a finger against his chin. "Do you mean your lab at home or the Neutronauts' room? Because they don't let me in there ever since I-"

"The lab at home!"

"Oh yeah yeah yeah, I remember. You told me I could take whatever I wanted, so I chose the invisibility spray."

"That is a wildly inaccurate summation of events, but fine," Jimmy bristled. "What did you need it for?"

"Well, Libby's really been crushing the whole news anchor thing. So I figured I should treat her to a nice home-cooked feast. And what's the most romantic meal of the day?"

"Din-"

"Breakfast!" Sheen shouted. "So I used the invisibility spray to break into R.M.S. early on Wednesday. I made a fireplace in the woodshop and lugged it along with some dry timber to the home ec wing. Once I got the fire going, I raided the cafeteria for some food."

"You left the fire alone?"

"Only for an hour. It took a long time to find the right ingredients. If you use the invisibility spray on your face it makes everything blurry. You should put that on the label."

"I did!" Jimmy shouted. "Wait, is that why we had that really long fire drill Wednesday morning?"

"I prefer to think of it as an evacuation, because we were all definitely in danger."

"So what happened to the spray?"

Sheen scrunched his face in thought. "After the firefighters left, I washed that invisibility gunk off in the bathroom. It took a while since it's waterproof. Maybe put that on the label next time?"

"That is on the-"

"Then I realized that I was an hour late to class, so I ran to Ms. Wolf's room."

"And you just left the invisibility spray there?"

Sheen eagerly nodded.

Jimmy attempted Cindy's method of calming breaths but gave up after three seconds. "Was there anyone else in the bathroom?"

"Someone kept being rude and vomiting in one of the stalls."

"You didn't check on them?"

"They didn't ask me to. Because they were busy barfing."

"And you don't have any idea who it was?"

"Well it was the boy's room, so probably not a girl."

Jimmy rubbed his forehead and said, "Anything else?"

"Nope. Do you mind if I head back to the cafeteria?"

"Sure, Sheen. Just please throw out whatever hair of mine you have and don't go inside my lab without me."

"Alright, I'll burn whatever I have left."

"Do not-"

"Viva la revolución!" Sheen shouted while dashing back to his comrades.

Jimmy took a moment to process all that had just transpired, then plucked the radio from his waistband. He turned it to channel nine and asked, "Cind, are you there?"

"Yeah, and I have either good or bad news, depending on how you take it."

"Angie's been cleared?"

"Yep," Cindy answered. "There were a few moments where people didn't have eyes on her, but not enough time to move back and forth from Lindbergh. Unless you're also missing a teleporter."

"Haven't perfected that one yet," Jimmy admitted. After his chat with Sheen, Angie being innocent wasn't a surprise. "I have a new idea. But I need your help. Can you coax Nurse Holt out of her office? I need to talk to Betty alone."

There was a long pause, then Cindy asked, "Why?"

"Because I need her to give me information that Nurse Holt won't."

"You breaking some laws?"

"Just one," he promised. "Can I count on you?"

"Do you really have to ask? Give me five minutes; I'll have Clarke request an in-person update on the victims."

"Thanks." Jimmy's next words he caught in his throat; he hesitated at the thought of jinxing himself. You don't believe in superstitions. Just say it. "I think we're closing in, Cindy. Over and out."

Jimmy shut the radio off and made his way back towards Betty.