No sooner had Desmond opened the case than Sun Dial collapsed with a shriek. For a second her time circle faltered, and a dozen people screamed at once. They resumed the actions they were taking before their temporal immobilization, stumbling and panicking. Sun Dial gripped a crossbow bolt lodged in her calf. She groaned in pain.

"You bitch!" She whirled around to see Shadow Stalker perched on a nearby rooftop. She was draped entirely in black and underneath her mask, Sophia was almost certainly grinning in satisfaction.

Armsmaster's halberd transformed into a claw and shot towards Sun Dial, ensnaring her with its metal fingers. He then whipped his halberd to the side and simultaneously released the claw, sending Sun Dial flying and skidding over debris until she came to a rest several yards away. As soon as she did, she was suddenly engulfed by containment foam courtesy of a grenade left by Armsmaster when he grabbed her.

Old Timer and Clockfacer took cover underneath the outcropping of a marquee. They saw three more wards ride in on a hoverboard.

"These little dynamos get younger every year." Old Timer mused. "I used to be like them, virile, full of youthful energy and hope. I thought I could change the world. Of course, that was when I fought in Korea. Wartime propaganda during that period-" he stopped when he saw Clockfacer staring at him. "Alright alright I'll get to it. But don't rush me young man!" he stooped and put a hand to the ground, closing his eyes in concentration.

Maxwell was standing in place, frozen by fear. He clutched the pocket watch with white knuckles. Seeing Sun Dial get taken out, he was suddenly spurred to action. "Desmond, be careful!" Maxwell shouted, he rushed towards his brother in law but was intercepted by a laser beam from Kid Win, colliding with Maxwell and sending him into spasms on the ground.

"Direct hit! Nice one Kid." Clockblocker gave the young tinker a high five from the back of Kid Win's hover board. Vista stood next to him, and while her visor hid her eye roll at Dennis's shenanigans, her smile was evidence that she was having just as much fun as the boys. Kid Win took the hover board low enough for Clockblocker and Vista to hop off, then returned to a higher altitude and surveyed the field.

Desmond took no notice of Maxwell's plight. Instead, he fixed Armsmaster with an angry glare.

"You could have at least allowed me to explain the purpose of my device." He snarled. Armsmaster gave the faintest of satisfied smiles and Miss Militia, now holding a rifle, leveled it at Desmond's chest. She was probably using non-lethal ammo, but Desmond didn't intend to get hit either way. He hit a switch on his utility belt and felt the time around him shift, the fundamental laws of the universe bending to his will. He dodged a rubber bullet sent from Miss Militia's rifle and watched it sail over his head. He immediately stepped away from where he had been, and dodged a bolt from Shadow Stalker's crossbow, aimed at his upper thigh. Thinking fast, Desmond threw a device away from the fight, where it remained resting on the pavement. He raised his right arm and from his wristwatch sent a minuscule machine at Armsmaster. It stuck to the side of his torso, seemingly unnoticed.

I suppose adjusting vision settings for time manipulation isn't built into Armsmaster's helmet. Desmond chuckled to himself. I have to hand it to him though, the man has gumption. If only he wasn't stubbornly stuck in the existential gutter he might actually be an admirable colleague.

Miss Militia was taking evasive maneuvers and Armsmaster was closing the distance on foot, but they were too slow. In fact, everything was. The switch Desmond had activated allowed him to move faster in relation to the time around him, trapping his opponents in a temporal bog while he remained as agile as ever.

I knew that Pilates class would pay off. Desmond thought to himself as he leapt over another one of Shadow Stalker's bolts. He aimed his wrist at Miss Militia and hit her with a blast of electricity. She lost muscle control and collapsed. The ground Armsmaster was standing on suddenly found itself unable to support the man's weight, and it caved in underneath him. Desmond noted it as a result of Old Timer's ability, vastly increasing the passage of time in regard to certain objects or areas, in this case, the cement underneath Armsmaster had faced centuries of erosion in mere minutes. Desmond turned off the switch on his utility belt. He didn't want the energy to be depleted too quickly. Where is Clockfacer? Desmond wondered. If he's using his power then these heroes should be having manic fits.

Desmond turned and found himself facing Vista and Clockblocker.

"I see you freaks don't take holidays off." Clockblocker bantered.

"You." The word like a venomous beast unfurled from between Desmond's lips as it spat ice-cold hatred toward the time based superhero. "You know nothing child. You desecrate the name of time itself with your actions. You fight alongside baseless heathen in a war against all that is right and just. You make a mockery of the divine gift you were given!"

"I think I've heard enough." Clockblocker said. In an instant , Clockblocker and Vista were directly in front of Desmond, Vista having used her power to shorten the space between them to nothing. Before Desmond could react, Clockblocker bitch slapped him across the face, freezing him in time as he did so.

"And people say I talk too much." Clockblocker said.

Vista glared at Desmond's frozen form. "That was for Gallant."

Clockblocker placed a comforting hand on Vista's shoulder. When Gallant had gone into therapy, Director Piggot had said she didn't know when he would be back. Her tone had betrayed however, that she wasn't very hopeful. Dennis had lost a best friend, the city had lost a valiant defender, but Missy, she loved him. Of course she tried to act strong, but she was only thirteen. It was obvious she was shaken more than anyone else.

"When Gallant gets back we can tell him how we put this asshole in the birdcage." Clockblocker said to Vista. She smiled, and, to Dennis, it seemed the happiness was actually genuine.

Kid Win swooped down to cover Desmond in containment foam, but he was suddenly struck with an explosive projectile. He went crashing to the ground, his hover board scrapped. Clockblocker and Vista turned to the direction of the attack.

Clockfacer stood holding Old Timer's cane, the end of which turned out to be the barrel of a gun. Kid Win cursed himself. Desmond must have made that. Of course a tinker would have some tricks up their sleeve. I should have known. Clockfacer fired again but Vista manipulated the area through which the rocket would fly, sending it veering off course. Kid Win produced a small gun from his arsenal. Capable of firing a barrage of non-lethal justice, he aimed it at Clockfacer. Before he could pull the trigger however, the building housing the marque collapsed. This also happened to be the building on which Shadow Stalker was situated. She transformed into her shadow state in order to avoid certain death. The street was once again filled with dust and rubble.

"Is everyone alright?" The commanding voice of Armsmaster reached the wards as he approached them, brushing bits of pavement off his armor. Everyone gave the OK. "Now, where is Clockfacer and –"

"Old Timer!" Miss militia shouted as she pointed towards the old man, moving quite fast for a person his age, in the direction of the containment foam that housed Sun Dial. Armsmaster raised his halberd, Miss Militia aimed her rifle, and Kid Win leveled his laser gun. Vista began increasing the distance from Old Timer to Sun Dial but before anyone could fire on him the device that Desmond had placed on the ground earlier activated.

Instantly, all the heroes were swept off their feet. Armsmaster dug his halberd into the ground and resisted for a moment, but even he was taken and flung backward with amazing force toward the device. Everyone being pulled toward the same point, they collided with each other, Miss Militia bouncing painfully off of Armsmaster's armor. Clockfacer and Old Timer were free of the device's range, and Old Timer was nearing Sun Dial.

Maxwell Keeper wanted to cry. They had been defeated. Desmond and Clockfacer were in cuffs, Old Timer was having an asthma attack, and Sun Dial was still buried under layers of containment foam.

"Surrender now." Armsmaster's voice was steely and merciless. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Miss Militia, who held her standard handgun at her side. She was relaxed, not expecting resistance.

Maxwell's expensive vest and slacks were ruined, his dress shoes were scuffed to all hell. And worst of all, his prized golden pocket watch was cracked. As he looked down at it, the tears that had been forming finally fell down his face, leaving tracks of soft white among the dirt and grime that clung to his visage. If only, he thought, If only Shadow Girl hadn't snuck up at the end. It was all going so brilliantly, just the way Desmond planned it.

"I wont ask again." Armsmaster produced a pair of cuffs and moved toward Maxwell. Maxwell scrambled backward, panicked, on the verge of begging. Then he remembered something. "This pocket watch," Desmond had said, "Is more than just a time keeper. If you click the top three times in rapid succession…" Of course. How could he be so stupid? Maxwell now knew what he had to do. He clicked the pocket watch three times just as Desmond instructed and suddenly, he was lying on the ground. Only this time there was no scary robot man standing over him. He sat up, and as he did, a building collapsed. He looked around in a daze, and finally reality set in.

I've gone back in time! Just like Marvin McFly. Maxwell was ecstatic, a lifelong dream having been fulfilled. He had the urge to stand up and dance but he remembered he wasn't safe yet. What would Desmond do? He asked himself. He saw Old Timer running toward Sun Dial at the same time the heroes noticed him. Then, Desmond's gravity device went off. The heroes were temporarily incapacitated. All except one.

Shadow Stalker observed her comrades flying through the air. Despite herself, she had to resist the urge to laugh. Did they know how stupid they were, coming into a fight like this with non-lethal weapons? If you aren't prepared to go the distance, then your enemy will be. Sophia knew this all too well. That was why she always carried a few lethal darts with her. She turned toward the old man. If that Sun Dial woman got free, then things would get ugly for them real quick. It looks like its up to me. She thought. She grinned as she aimed her crossbow at the pathetic geezer. She hated these time freaks, and she was eager to put some razor sharp bolts in their flesh. Maybe then they would take things a little more seriously.

Before she could fire, she was tackled from behind. She along with her assailant hit the ground hard.

"Not so fast Shadow Shooter!"

What the hell? She thought. Where did this guy come from?

They wrestled on the ground and her assailant threw a punch that connected with her mask.

"Ow!" He reared back, clutching his fist. Shadow Stalker was able to get her feet under his chest and she kicked hard. He went flying off of her and landed on his back with a thud. Shadow Stalker rose up and aimed her crossbow at his face. The other heroes were still dealing with that gravity bomb. She could definitely claim self-defense. Sadistic glee overtook her expression as she stared down at the terrified man before her.

"Goodnight motherfu-"

Before she could finish her taunt, she was struck with a bolt of pure electricity. She fell, her crossbow clattering to the ground. She screamed and writhed, every muscle in her body firing in random patterns.

"It takes a certain charisma to pull off a black cape. And if you ask me, you're trying a little too hard darling." Desmond Longo strutted toward the two, his own cape flowing behind him.

"Desmond!" Maxwell leapt up and embraced his greatest idol and best friend. "I knew you were alright! I knew you wouldn't let them beat you!"

"That's enough touching please." Desmond said bluntly.

"I'm sorry." Maxwell backed off, but he still couldn't contain his grin.

Just then, Sun Dial and Old Timer entered the scene. Sun Dial's dark hair was even more manic than usual. Her pure white gown was torn in places, revealing the tattooed skin underneath, marred by scrapes and bruises. Pieces of extremely old containment foam clung stubbornly to her body. She was walking with a limp, and her left calve was red with dried blood.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" She cackled, but there was no humor in it. "Is this the cunt that put an arrow in my leg?" her furious tone said she already knew the answer. She loomed over Shadow Stalker. "Don't you worry child. I'm going to pay you back for what you did to me. With interest." Sophia was done spasming, but she still couldn't control her muscles. As much as she tried to resist the feeling, unadulterated fear was welling up in her gut.

"Desmond look!" Maxwell pointed at the heroes. They had dealt with the gravity bomb and were regrouping.

"Oh, right, the misguided crusaders." Desmond pushed a button on his belt and slowly but surely the heroes began clutching at their heads and falling to their knees.

"What did you do to them?" Asked Maxwell.

"Not me Maxwell, Clockfacer." Desmond indicated Clockfacer, who was approaching the group. I figured the reason none of the heroes were feeling the effects of Clockfacer's psychological power was because of some interference by Armsmaster. Earlier, I placed a small EMP device on Armsmaster's person. This was intended to interfere with his technology enough to give us the upper hand. Now that its been activated, our heroic friends should be on what acid heads commonly refer to as, a very bad trip.

"You're a genius Desmond!"

"Dear Maxwell, anything is possible with time on your side."

"Now listen here sonny." Old Timer spoke up. "A wise man knows when to stay and fight, and when to retreat. If there's one thing I learned in Vietnam-"

"I agree Old Timer." Desmond interrupted. "Even if our original plans were thwarted, I'd happily count this as a successful New Years celebration. Let us take our leave."

The Timies gathered in Maxwell's apartment. They sat slumped on various items of furniture exhausted after their battle. They all held glasses of brandy, except for Clockfacer, who didn't have a mouth. Desmond rose.

"I'd like to give a toast. To Maxwell, the most invaluable element of our fellowship, and the reason we're not currently on our way to the birdcage. To Maxwell."

"Fuck yeah!" shrieked Sun Dial.

"Down with the commies!" Shouted Old Timer.

Maxwell was overjoyed. He would remember this as the best night of his life.

"Seeing as he is being honored, I'd say its appropriate to let Maxwell choose the post celebration activity."

Everyone agreed. After seconds of deliberation, Maxwell settled on watching the first back to the future movie. Desmond sat back down. "Maxwell, be a pal and fetch the bottle of brandy."

Maxwell complied with eager obedience, walking to the kitchen. On the way he passed Shadow Stalker, who was bound to an armchair with cords and electrical tape. She was gagged similarly, with electrical cords run through her mouth and sealed with tape.

"Are you excited for the movie?" Maxwell's question was genuine; he seemed to have already forgotten that she tried to murder him.

She grunted in anger and confusion. She was still feeling the effects of Clockfacer's power. Visions of clocks ambled before her eyes and deep in her eardrums rang the steady cosmic sound of some ancient timepiece, a presence invisible yet so essential that its threads ran throughout all things seen and unseen.

What the fuck did that clock guy do to my head? She thought.

Maxwell, of course, was oblivious to all this. "You're in for a real treat." He said, slapping her cordially on the back and earning a glare.

As Maxwell returned with the brandy Desmond thanked him. The movie began to play and as Maxwell looked around he had but one thought.

New Years doesn't get much better than this.