Chapter 8: Hellhound in a Haystack

The TV was still on when I reached the living room, blaring Hellhound's public identity to screens all over Brockton Bay. The kidnapping video had been anonymously leaked to the media, and when they weren't showing it or reporting relevant facts, the talking heads were sharing their theories on who her kidnapper was.

My guess? Hookwolf was responsible: he had an axe to grind with Hellhound and his voice was more gravelly than chewed-up metal. It'd be so awesome if it was true, because there was never a bad time to dunk on some Nazis. Unfortunately, I couldn't just jump in head-first to kick some ass. If we tried to rescue Hellhound and got caught, we'd provoke her kidnappers.

To make matters worse, another bombing had been carried out while I changed into my costume, drowning the building in slime. It must've been Bakuda, a Tinker who freaked out over failing an exam, triggered, and proceeded to take her university hostage. College being a super stressful pressure cooker didn't justify Bakuda taking a swan dive off the deep end.

She was fucking nuts, and the fact that she was working for Lung was all kinds of terrifying.

So far, there were barely any casualties, but that was because Bakuda was bombing abandoned buildings in the Docks. Who she was trying to warn, I didn't know, but citizens were warned to stay indoors for the next twelve hours and keep travel to a minimum.

Mom arrived in costume, orange trim flaring out on her white bodysuit. Dad wasn't far behind, green helmet in his hand matching the grenade padding on his white bodysuit. Last but definitely not least was Amy, tightening up her robe.

"We'll be patrolling the Docks," Mom, or Brandish, said. "Our main objectives will be searching for wounded civilians and finding Hellhound's location."

Dad – Flashbang – frowned. "Did you forget the video?"

Brandish shook her head. "The video clearly stated that the kidnappers will escalate if the Undersiders were involved with Hellhound's rescue. We're not affiliated with the Undersiders."

Never argue semantics with a lawyer unless you knew your shit. I knew better than to try, but there was something I needed to know.

"Do we have to do the Undersiders' work for them?" I asked.

Brandish's lip curled. "Letting these kidnappers get away with their crime would be a devastating failure for every hero in this city. You have no reason not to act, Glory Girl."

She turned away, heading towards the entrance with a determined stride, and I forced myself not to scowl. When it came to heroics, Brandish was the boss, and her word was law. I didn't want to set off some trap, but no, she just had to make me feel like an idiot.

"We'll play it safe," Flashbang said, putting on his helmet. "Right?"

I nodded. "Right."

Panacea gave me a solitary nod, pulling up her red scarf and walking towards the door. The door was open, but Brandish was blocking our exit, arguing with someone on her phone. Stress lines wrinkled her forehead. I took the time to calm the hell down, because if Brandish could lose it, what chance did I have at keeping my cool?

"Armsmaster's coming," she said.

Brandish was tense from nervous energy, shaking her wrists. Her composure was seconds away from cracking as she stepped into the darkness of the night, waiting with the stillness of a statue. A couple minutes later, a futuristic silver bike rolled to a stop on the sidewalk, its blue glow brighter than all of the lights that glimmered in our house.

Armsmaster leaped off his bike and landed without a sound in his cobalt blue power armour. Gallant took longer to pull himself out of the bike's sidecar, but while his silver power armour wasn't as sleek as Armsmaster's, he stood with poise and moved with grace.

He stared at me for a moment, but the second I matched it, he looked away.

Coward. No... I was the coward, and I knew better than to let our fight bog me down. I'd just prove he had nothing to worry about.

"It's good to see you, Brandish," Gallant said.

"The feeling's mutual," Brandish said, so calm that it almost seemed like I was imagining her stressing out. "When will we be leaving, Armsmaster?"

"After you're briefed." Armsmaster looked at each of us, exuding a commanding presence. "Hellhound was kidnapped by the ABB in order to lure out and eliminate the Undersiders."

"Are you certain?"

"We considered the Empire Eighty-Eight, but Hookwolf isn't interested in eliminating the Undersiders, only Hellhound. That leaves Lung."

God, I was so disappointed that Hookwolf wasn't involved, but kidnapping was exactly the type of bullshit the Azn Bad Boys liked to pull, and when Lung had a vendetta against the Undersiders, it made all the more sense that they were responsible.

Busting ABB heads would be a great way to cope with being wrong.

"Have you considered my offer, Brandish?" Armsmaster asked.

"What were you offering?" Flashbang asked.

"There's a narrow window of time we have to rescue Hellhound without being caught in the act. Officially, the Protectorate and New Wave are working together to keep the peace and minimize casualties, but we plan to strip the ABB of their leverage."

"Armsmaster anticipated that we'd attempt to find Hellhound, and offered to collaborate," Brandish said. "Have you considered calling their bluff?"

Armsmaster frowned, but only just. "It'll backfire. If the ABB finds just one hero at the Boat Graveyard, Bakuda will start bombing soft targets in the CBD and Plymouth Residential. We've sent a bomb disposal squad to find her and disable any bombs before she can set them off, but we have no interest in provoking the ABB."

If the name of the game was being careful, I could play along.

"And the other villains? I can't imagine they won't take advantage of the chaos."

Armsmaster shifted his feet to a wider stance. "There's a 83.5794% chance Hookwolf will attack the Boat Graveyard if Hellhound is brought there, and a 74.6223% chance that he'll hunt down Hellhound himself if Hellhound is still missing after six hours. It's very likely that the Undersiders will choose to lay low instead of taking the ABB's offer."

And leave their teammate to her inevitable fate. Bet they wouldn't like it if we saved her for their ungrateful asses. Armsmaster also told us there was a less than 10% chance that we could fight Faultline's Crew or Purity – since pretty much nobody took that faker's public declaration of heroism seriously – if they weren't provoked.

Those were some super specific numbers, though.

"Where are you getting these numbers from?" Flashbang asked, echoing my thoughts.

"We have an in-house thinktank providing us with intel."

Brandish hummed. "Convenient. Still, you've made a compelling argument. We'll join you."

This time, she actually spoke for all of us. Working with Armsmaster and Gallant would make this rescue operation a lot easier.

"Excellent." Armsmaster looked at me. "Glory Girl, you'll be transporting Panacea to the PRT building. After that, you'll rendezvous with Laserdream and meet us at Lord Street."

"What about casualties?" Panacea asked.

"We'll keep an eye out for them. Are you ready to go, Glory Girl?"

I gave the Protectorate leader a firm nod. "Just say the word."

He smiled, this warm gesture brimming with confidence, and I took off. Panacea was focusing herself during our flight, but she was always quiet during team meetings. Her job was to heal the wounded and impaired, and in a way, it was the most important job of all. At the same time, it was always set in stone.

"Don't lose it out there," Panacea said. "You know what's at stake."

"I won't. Trust me."

This was a golden opportunity to put my failure behind me, put the right foot forward. It was just my luck that I'd have to save a villain to do it, but that was only fair.

I dropped off Panacea at the PRT building, and since I contacted the PRT on the way, Laserdream was there to meet us, exchanging a quick greeting with Panacea.

"Good luck in there," Laserdream said. "I know you'll do great."

"I don't have a choice."

As Panacea headed inside, I caught my cousin's jaw clenching, but she shook it off and greeted me with a smile.

"What's up, Vic? Want to race me?"

I smiled back. "No."

No one in the Bay could match her speed, but I was a little better at manoeuvring around. Crystal got dizzy. That didn't mean I wanted to take my chances.

Less than a minute later, we were in the air. Like almost everyone in New Wave, Laserdream wore a white bodysuit, but ruby red lines zigzagged down her arms and legs and faded into a softer magenta, connecting with a diagonal arrow that covered her chest. It fit the way she'd streak through the air like a blur.

"Did Armsmaster call you guys in, too?" I asked.

My cousin glanced at me. "That's right. He briefed us, told us where we'd fit best, and had us all ready to leave in less than fifteen minutes."

"Seriously?"

"His orders made a lot of sense: Mom's leading the patrols with Miss Militia, and Dad and Eric are on bomb duty. He also assumed you guys would be willing to join forces." She shot me a wry smile. "It's kind of funny how having a thinktank can make this big a difference."

Oh, I wasn't complaining. It was high time the heroes got to be a little bit proactive. Unfortunately, I found out the PRT's thinktank had limits.

"We don't have enough information to pinpoint Hellhound's exact location," Armsmaster said, after we reached him. "However, we know that she's imprisoned in a basement somewhere in the Docks."

Our team was huddled around a parking lot just off Lord Street, and most of the lights on the usually busy street were out. Finding this basement would be pretty hard.

"Why can't we just track down the Undersiders instead?" I asked. "It has to be easier than finding Hellhound, right?"

"If we find them, how do we convince the Undersiders to come willingly?" Laserdream asked. "And how will we know if the ABB will show up if we bring them to the Boat Graveyard?"

I frowned. "Point taken."

She smiled, completely sympathetic. "Sorry, Vic."

"Don't worry about it," I said, stretching out. I firmly believed that any question that led to a good answer couldn't possibly be stupid. Still, I really appreciated that she wasn't trying to put me down.

"We'll focus on what we're capable of doing," Armsmaster said. "Time is of the essence, so don't waste it."


Between Laserdream, Armsmaster and the one and only Glory Girl, we could cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. I flew into the Docks' Asiatown district. In better times, I'd take in in the bright lights and warm, inviting smells of mouth-watering cuisine, snagging a bite to eat while I immersed myself in an eclectic range of cultures.

If you asked me, the only good thing Lung ever did was accept all Asians regardless of background, religion or nationality. Tonight, however, the lights were dim and the air was stagnant, with only a few people straggling about lonesome streets. It made my job easier.

I could write off any buildings that were occupied by anyone who wasn't Asian. However, there was an unexpected problem lurking on the rooftops: spotters clad in red and green. One of them was already shouting into his walkie-talkie, looking around through binoculars.

Well, damn.

I hoped they didn't catch on to our plan, but I wouldn't take any chances. Dropping right behind the ABB thug, I tapped him on his shoulder, hovering just an inch off the roof. He whirled around, pulling out a knife.

Bad move. Once I disarmed him, I got to work. Interrogating him proved to be a challenge since he was used to Lung's intimidating aura, but my aura eventually got through to him. They were acting as the neighbourhood watch, or so they said.

Lucky for me, he only assumed we were here on patrol, since he saw Brandish and Flashbang on foot – just as we planned. But he wasn't getting away; I grabbed his walkie-talkie and cuffed him, taking a moment to appreciate my handiwork. He'd have to think twice before he pulled a knife on anyone, let alone me.

"Bitch," he spat. "You... lose."

I thought about smashing the little radio over his stupid head, but Armsmaster could probably use it to figure out where the rest of the spotters were. So I let this loser stew in his failure and flew to Armsmaster's bike. As I did, I saw bugs leaking out of a pair of buildings.

No way. No fucking way. I took a good look around the surrounding blocks, and nailed another spotter in the process. Unfortunately – or maybe, fortunately – I couldn't find her. It was just the radios buzzing.

Of all the fucking times... was I already losing it? I couldn't be, because the radios in my hand really were buzzing. Vibrating, too. I pressed the receiver on one of them. While the speaker was speaking English, she wasn't saying much I didn't already know. It would've been really neat if they confirmed Hellhound's whereabouts, but no dice.

A couple of blocks away, a crimson beam struck a rooftop. The line went still. I rocketed towards the light and saw Laserdream holding her hand at the ABB thug, a scorch mark inches away from the woman's feet.

Looked like she had it handled. I found Armsmaster in a blindspot between two adjacent buildings and flew to him.

"Found these on some ABB thugs," I said, showing him both radios. "Do you think you can make use of them?"

"There's no need. Gallant, why don't you explain?"

"We know where Hellhound is," Gallant said, sitting snug in the sidecar. "Anonymous tip."

Part of me wondered who it could be as Brandish caught up to us, a stern frown on her face.

"Where is Hellhound, and how was she found?" Brandish asked.

Gallant stared at me, curling his hands. "Hellhound is at the bottom of a basement in a building two blocks from here. Our source is good at tracking people discreetly, but they chose to remain anonymous."

So I wasn't hallucinating: I did see Firefly's swarm. I was torn between utter fright and relief that Firefly was actually continuing to be a hero.

As Brandish pulled out her phone, Gallant did the same. Seconds later, I got a new message.

Did you tell her

My fingers blurred as I typed my response.

she was 2 bzy wrkn

I caught him shaking his head.

Tell her soon

With his silver helmet, Gallant's expression was hidden from view, but his warning was clear: tell her soon... or I will.

"Are you finished, Glory Girl?" Brandish asked. "Flashbang and Laserdream will be arriving soon."

"Almost."

Did u c any bgz?

Gallant looked at me again. I looked back. A war of wills ensued, one I won when Gallant broke away, returning to his phone.

She doesn't know you're here. Let's keep it that way

I frowned to myself, turning over the pros and cons.

"Glory Girl," Brandish said. Demanded, more like.

"I'm done," I said, putting my phone in its proper place: inside the pouch on my belt.

As much as I wanted to apologize to Firefly right now, saving Hellhound was the bigger priority. Besides, Gallant wouldn't snitch at such a precarious time, which meant our secret was safe.

Once the rest of our team arrived, Armsmaster laid out our plan of attack: he would lead the charge against the ABB's forces inside, while Brandish would take point if we had to negotiate, Gallant assisting her. Flashbang and Laserdream would defend the outside against reinforcements and back us up if we needed it.

As for me? I had to defend Armsmaster, Gallant and Brandish. First, I'd have to track down any spotters, which didn't take long.

Most of the buildings in the Docks were here long before Scion came to Earth Bet, and while some fortifications were made to protect them against Endbringer attacks, the rotting wood and shambling brick were left to decay. If I went all out, their sturdy foundations would definitely collapse.

Laserdream cleaned up the spotters I didn't find, giving us a free berth to engage.

"On three," Armsmaster said, counting down with one, two, three fingers.

Flashbang threw a fist-sized sphere through the crack in the door, shrouding the lobby in a blinding flash. Brandish ran inside, wielding twin blades forged from fierce orange light. Gruff shouts, pained swearing and the clatter of metal heralded her arrival.

Once the lights began to die down, Gallant went in next, Armsmaster following close behind. Flashbang would have to wait for us to return, accompanied by the stomach-churning fear of the unknown. Hopefully, he could cope.

"You ready?" Flashbang asked.

I examined the handful of golden spheres Flashbang gave me. Four in total and all slightly bigger than a dollar coin, they'd definitely help me make the right impact.

"Always."

Flashbang smiled. "Go get 'em, Glory Girl."

He'd be fine: he was a veteran that came alive on the battlefield, and if he faltered, Laserdream would help him.

The second I burst through the door, Brandish was slicing through a thug's gun, sweeping him off his feet. The other two gangsters were down, weapons broken; Gallant was already tying them up while Armsmaster scanned the lobby, a large room with fading seafoam green paint connecting a long hallway, two different wooden doors and a worn staircase.

We didn't know how many thugs were lurking around or what they'd use to defend themselves, but we were reasonably sure that there weren't any capes. As long as no one squealed, it would stay that way.

A gun-toting gangster entered the lobby from the far-left corner. I immediately threw one of my golden spheres and watched it explode against his chest, knocking him against the wall. He groaned as he clambered to his feet, lucky that this bomb had the force of a stiff breeze.

Brandish was already charging towards him, pressing him towards the wall and sliding his pistol away. Seconds later, she pulled him with her to fend off the thug's partners. None of them were packing heat, so Brandish threw her human shield to the side and took on both thugs with an orange axe, beating them with the blunt side in no time flat.

My mom was so cool.

While Brandish was out kicking ass and taking names, Armsmaster kicked down the emergency exit door, finding nothing on the other side. Gallant shot a beam at a thug rushing down the stairs, knocking him on his butt as he keeled over from hysteric laughter.

"Armsmaster, I'm going to check the second floor," I said.

"Go ahead," Armsmaster said. "I'll find the basement entrance, work with Brandish to subjugate any criminals we can find. Come back as soon as you're done."

"Yes, sir."

Between two of the Bay's most experienced capes, these thugs wouldn't know what hit them. I flew up the stairs, finding two guys and a woman about to reach the stairs. The woman had a gun, saw me. I had little space to avoid her.

Had to think fast.

I threw a sphere at her stomach and swerved towards the ceiling, unleashing waves of fear at the other two. The second the sphere connected, I covered my eyes. They were all staggering from the blinding light, cursing up a storm as the gunslinger fired wildly.

Bang, bang: her gunfire was so loud that it nearly drowned out her fellow thugs' panicked screams, but I was used to it. I got behind her and wrapped my arm around her neck, keeping the other two in my sights as I choked her out.

Once she went limp, I let her slump to the floor and flew low, clipping the first guy's legs as he ran for cover. The other guy tried to stomp me, but I grabbed his ankle with my wrists and dropped him flat on his back. Grappling them would've been easier if I wasn't holding my last pair of grenades, but they were all down, and Gallant was already on the second floor landing.

"Nice shootin', Tex," I said.

"Same to you." Gallant surveyed the thugs as the guy I kicked started to move, blasting him with a beam that drowned him in apathy. "Good thinking with the grenades."

I smiled. "That's why I had 'em made."

Most of the apartments on this floor weren't inhabited by civilians right now, but they weren't abandoned, either. Did the ABB force them out permanently, or did they temporarily evict the tenants to a safer place, anticipating that someone would try to take Hellhound?

I wasn't sure, but I was glad that innocent lives wouldn't be put in danger. One of the doors on my left-hand side was locked, but when I knocked, I heard a gun barrel slide and click. I kicked the door open, throwing another flash sphere and flying sideways the second it left my hand, gunshots shearing through the opposite wooden door.

With one hand free, I flew in, crushed the thug's pistol and took hold of her flannel shirt. She spat at me.

That fucking bitch.

I snarled and seized her throat, squeezing until her wild eyes bulged. Crushing her windpipe would be so freaking easy, I could even make this stupid cunt wet herself from fear... but I wouldn't.

This wasn't how a hero was supposed to act. I let her go and waited until she caught her breath before binding her wrists with some zip-ties.

"Try and spit on me again, bitch, I fucking dare you!" I screamed, before stashing her inside a closet. She didn't respond, because she lost and I won.

All the screaming attracted more thugs, but they actually shared more than one brain cell, hiding in all sorts of places that let them get the drop on me. When I entered a kitchen, a fridge tumbled down, but I stopped it with a single finger, pushed it back, and dragged the thug responsible kicking and screaming inside the washroom, setting the fridge against the washroom door.

In a room at the end of the hallway, I was caught by a thug who emerged from a wardrobe closet, pistol thrust against the small of my back. Two shots would've been enough, but his gun hand was shaking.

"On your knees!" he screamed, projecting his attempt at dominance. All I heard was a little 'fraidy cat.

I flexed my aura, swiped his gun and threw it far away, then I tied him up with a jump rope laying around and left him bound on the bed. The kid had a babyface, but he was among hardened thugs, able to handle a gun kind of well.

He wouldn't get any sympathy from me.

None of these thugs would. They couldn't stop me, because I made them believe I was invincible, hammering it into their thick, brainless skulls until it became undisputed fact.

A loud wail seared my eardrums. Gallant was standing over a thug, blasting him with another beam that made him double over from shame. Behind him, another ABB gangster hit the second floor landing, threw a grenade Gallant's way and jumped towards the stairs. There wasn't enough time for Gallant to get away, but he still tried to move.

Towards me.

I surged through the air, throwing him the second my hand met his.

The grenade was closing in, about to explode, and I did the only thing I could: throw my last sphere at it as hard as I possibly could. I forced myself to dash backwards, but I was a second too late.

Sphere and grenade exploded, the impact shattering my forcefield. Most of the frost was destroyed in the explosion, but it didn't stop a wave of freezing winds from battering my entire body as I furled my cape around myself.

Cold. So cold.

Teeth chattering, body shivering, a deep chill soaked my bones and skin, stole my memories of warmth. I tucked up, hugged myself, tried to grip my cape... but couldn't move. Limbs, stuck together.

Footsteps were coming, heavy, light. The last thug was running – me, something sharp in hand. Couldn't run with scissors in the hall. Would I even feel my skin split apart? Blood wasn't cold when it spilled. Amy would heal me, she always healed for me.

No, no, no. Tears prickled my face, searing my ice-cold cheeks. I had to move. I needed to, or I'd collapse, and Amy would wail.

A bright beam stopped the thug. Made him sick. Another bolted fear to his face. The sharp thing dropped. He ran inside the apartment, hurling. A rank smell assaulted my nose.

"Glory Girl, can you hear me?"

Gallant was holding me, protective, chivalrous. He was so warm.

"I need you to drop your forcefield. No one is going to hurt you. Nobody."

I couldn't move. Freezing. But tears continued to fall, blessing me with life-giving heat. It gave me focus, allowing me to listen to my boyfriend. I released the power that made me Glory Girl.

His blast was a punch to the gut. Pain started to fight the cold. Another blast, but I could take it, and stopped hugging myself. Gallant blasted me with a third beam teeming with positivity, and I was Glory Girl once more.

"What happened?" I asked, focusing on the abundance of tranquillity calming my mind before I was overwhelmed by the cold.

The walls surrounding the explosion's epicentre were singed with smoke trails, frost and melting icicles dripping off the ceiling.

"You took a hit for me," Gallant said. I hugged him, stealing more of the heat thrumming from his armour. He rubbed my back in soothing circles. "It's okay, Vicky. I'm here. Just breathe. In and out."

Breathing was easy, easier now that I wasn't freezing to death. I held my boyfriend until I was confident I wouldn't panic, and let him go, checking my body and dress for frost and sleet. Nothing was there. My forcefield must've protected me from the worst of the explosion.

"How are you even here?" I asked.

"I managed to brace myself before I crashed through the wall. Then I got up as quickly as I could."

True enough, cracks ran up the wall at the end of the hallway. Any harder and Gallant would probably have flown out the building. How could I fuck up saving my boyfriend?

"Sorry."

He held both my hands in his. "You did nothing wrong. You saved me."

I let myself smile, wiping the tears off my face. "Yeah. You're okay. We're okay."

But that fucking terrorist wouldn't be.

"Take some time to breathe," Gallant said. "I'll tie up that ganger."

He was going to steal my vengeance from me. I couldn't let him... until I realized that he'd already beaten him before I lost it and ruined everything.

I filled my lungs with air until they burned, and exhaled. Then I kept on doing it until my breathing evened out and my fury was leashed. Thankfully, the worst of the chill had passed, but I was still reeling from it.

There weren't any thugs on the third floor, so I could take it easy for now. Once Gallant returned, we went to the lobby and found Armsmaster fighting a gangster in a black v-neck and black tracksuit pants, a pair of red and green bandannas wrapped around his bulging neck.

He loomed over Armsmaster with his hulking physique, but he showed deceptively fast footwork as he swiped his machete with a speed that kept Armsmaster on his toes.

They whirled around each other in a vicious dance, but when the huge thug closed in. Armsmaster dodged and whacked his jaw with the flat of his halberd. The goon growled through the pain, lashing out with a kick that knocked Armsmaster back before scrambling away and pulling out a grenade.

"Watch out!" I shouted.

But Armsmaster was already moving, knocking the grenade out of the goon's hand and pointing the tip of his halberd at the gangster's jugular vein.

"Yield," he said. "Don't even bother trying to fight back. You've lost."

The goon glared, defiant. I tightened my fists, eager to help Armsmaster finish this guy off, but the goon surrendered. Armsmaster zapped him and locked him down with a pair of handcuffs.

Brandish wasn't around, but I saw her come through the entrance, dusting her hands off.

"Where did you go?" I asked, flying over to her.

"I handed contraband over to Laserdream. Some of these hoodlums had exotic grenades in their stock."

So that's why these goons had that freeze bomb. Bakuda was so going to pay for her shit.

"Did you find the basement, sir?" Gallant asked after catching up.

Armsmaster frowned. "It's beneath the first floor staircase. This scumbag was guarding it."

"Why is your face pink, Glory Girl?" Brandish asked.

I looked away. "Some thug threw a bomb at Gallant."

"She pulled me out the way, defending me from freezing winds," Gallant said, so proud.

Armsmaster was analyzing me through his visor. If he thought he could make me leave, he'd be begging for mercy. I wouldn't let him take my chance for glory.

"Do you want to go outside, breathe some fresh air?" Brandish asked. "Flashbang can take your place if you're not feeling well."

She should've been convincing me that I could handle this, but instead, she was more concerned for my well-being.

I bared my teeth, meeting her shining blue eyes. "I have to see this through."

When I focused on the rest of the heroics I could do, ignoring it got easier and easier.

Brandish frowned. "Then be careful, or else I'll order you to leave. Is that clear?"

The solid stone wall she used to block everyone off was back up, and I wasn't willing to try and break it down.

"Yes," I said. She acknowledged me. I'd take it.

"We'll take a minute to rest before we head to the basement," Armsmaster said.

"Won't they try to call Lung now that they know we're here?" Gallant asked.

Armsmaster smirked. "We'll be long gone before any reinforcements arrive."

"What about Hellhound?" Brandish asked. "They might cut their losses as an act of defiance."

"I doubt they'll kill her without express permission from Lung. He's invested too many resources into doing something so reckless."

If you asked me, I thought Lung was playing it safe, relatively speaking. Which was great for us, of course, but that wouldn't last forever.

Our toughest challenge was yet to come, and after nearly being frozen alive, I was ready to pay these scumbags back tenfold. I needed a win tonight, I wanted one so bad I could taste it. Hellhound was within reach, and I was going to prove that I was more than just some hypocritical hero.

I was the real deal.


Author's Note: Did you know that Laserdream was only mentioned twice after her appearance in the Leviathan fight? It's like she fell off the map until Glow-worm, whereas the GOAT, Stranger 15 himself Browbeat actually made an appearance before his retroactive demise.