Chapter One Hundred and Ninety
...
"I can't think of anything! I wasn't meant to think of this, it was supposed to be my hero's job! Or villain's. Ugh, I don't care anymore," Zach groaned, flopping on top of a small stack of paper.
"If you don't care, then go with glow worm," Warren called.
Zach wrinkled his nose. "Okay, I care, but this is still difficult. Eth, help me?"
"I was waiting for you to ask properly. Here's thirty suggestions that could work with your power," Ethan said, taking a piece of paper from his own stack and offering it to Zach.
"Wait, what? Thirty? How long have you had this? What's your name, then?"
"I've chosen Molten, as it works well with my ability to melt, and if I wear the right shades of orange, I can mimic lava," Ethan said. "I had twenty half an hour ago and thought of another ten when it was obvious you were working on Bright Designs' next collection instead of your name."
Zach blushed red and took the piece of paper. "Thank you."
"I've got mine! Carbon Copy!" Craig announced with a flourish, shifting to have a figure similar to the Commander, complete with cape blowing in an invisible wind.
"No capes!" Ryuu called.
"Too many syllables if we're in a rush. You can keep it, but I'm calling you Carbon out there," Adam said.
Craig slipped back to his own body. "Fine, I'll take it. Call me CC if I'm in a female-presenting body, just to confuse people."
"It's gonna confuse me if you have three damned names, man. I'm sticking with Electro, like I did with my medical tech company. I doubt the villains we fight will have much say in hospital technology acquisitions," Terrence said, setting his pen and paper aside.
"Sandsapien does now," Milo pointed out. "You all have cool powers, I can't go out there with a name like Bubbles."
"It'll make them underestimate you," Ethan said.
"There's a burlesque show with balloons being popped by a lovely lady called Bubbles," Jewel said. "She did an excellent job and was a mistress of anticipation, I'm not shaming her at all. But, uh, maybe not Bubbles."
Milo groaned. "Ethan, do you have a list of names for me, by any chance?"
"Yes, in fact, I do," Ethan said, handing him a piece of paper.
"Ethan? How many lists do you have?" Layla asked.
"One for everyone. I thought I'd let you all attempt to figure out your own names before offering my suggestions. They're practical or literal and not overly creative. I know it's a limitation, but - "
"Ethan, please shut up and give the people their names," Honey said with a laugh.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Ooh, don't you ma'am me! That is an insult!"
"Sorry, Honey," Ethan called from where his friends were crowding around him for their lists.
Layla and Warren waited until the others had dispersed before going over to Ethan themselves.
"Both of you?" Ethan asked, pushing his glasses up his nose as he looked up at them.
"It's difficult to find something that encompasses everything," Layla admitted.
"Of course. Here, I hope this helps," he said, holding out a list for each of them.
"Thanks, Molten."
...
"I don't understand why you're doing this now. Why go for Magnificent Mile when all of this is happening?" Anita asked.
"Magnificent Mile means Jetstream and the Commander will go to Chicago, whether or not they're wanted there. Chicago is just far enough away from Maxville for the rest of us to finish what we need to do without Jetstream and the Commander getting in our way," Layla replied.
"It still feels like a very big if to me. What if they don't take the bait for Chicago?"
"They will; Jetstream's desperate to get back in Chicago's good graces and she won't miss an opportunity like this. Ace will make sure they hear the news,," Warren said.
Anita pursed her lips and glanced from Layla and Warren to the rest of the gathered adults. "Take us through it all again, including the backup plans. Slowly; I want to make sure this all goes right."
Layla and Warren both nodded and returned the flipboard back to the start.
...
Jewel looked at the jewellery store, a curious expression on her face as she judged the earrings, necklaces, and rings on display.
Beau grinned and kissed her cheek. "Found something you want, babe?"
Jewel smirked. "I want it all."
Craig shouldered his bag and tugged on Jewel's hand. "C'mon, babe. Eth will kill us if we're late."
Jewel looked at the jewellery store with an exaggerated pout. "Aww, but - "
"Ethan has been more open about killing people, lately," Beau mused, grinning.
She sighed. "Fine. But you owe me something sparkly and expensive later," Jewel said, taking Beau's hand and following after Craig.
"Why don't we come back with him when all of this is done?" Beau asked, hoping he was subtle in his reference to Grant.
Jewel smiled and nodded. "Good idea."
Craig walked into Chase Bank, ducking behind a pillar to change, even as Jewel closed the doors, zip ties holding the handles together and locking everyone inside. Craig stepped out, his black super suit on and a mask hiding his face. Jewel and Beau were wearing their own black super suits and masks; no one would know Gemstone was robbing a bank.
"GET DOWN!" Craig used Sonic Boom's shout to shatter the glass protecting the bank tellers.
"Everyone on the floor!" Beau called, powered up and ensuring that everyone followed his direction.
Jewel almost followed along with the bank clients and employees. Her sledgehammer stopped her from dropping to her knees, and she looked out across the crowd to see Craig already at the vault door. Moving to open the cash registers, Jewel ensured that no tellers were close to the emergency buttons.
"Time?" Beau asked.
"Three minutes. Moonstone, how's the vault coming?" Jewel called to Craig.
"Almost open. Another minute... Hey, don't be a hero. Hands down," Craig called out, pointing towards one of the tellers. They quickly lowered their hand from the emergency button with a noise of fear. "Diamond, stop getting the lower notes, would you? We're in a bank, not a corner store."
"There aren't any larger notes in here. Where's all your hundreds?" Jewel asked the teller, frowning.
"The register j-just got emptied," they stammered. "I was m-meant to go on my break."
"Aw, shit. You haven't eaten since... like, six? Damn, that sucks. Sapphire, go to the staff room at the back and get their food, would you?" Craig called, working on the last combination to open the vault.
Beau looked from the front doors to the staff room door. "We're almost out of time, Moonstone."
"Oh. I'll get it, then. Be right - " Craig said, disappearing and reappearing in the same breath, " - back," he finished, a lunch bag in his arms. "It's not heated, but it's better than nothing. Try to eat, okay? We'll be out of here soon," he said, smiling behind the mask and setting the lunch bag next to the teller.
They stared in disbelief but then their hunger overtook their confusion and they started to eat quietly.
"Time!" Beau called.
"Hey, hero. You're up: press the emergency button," Jewel said with a grin behind her mask. "Go on."
The teller swallowed hard, wondering if it was a trick, their hand trembling as they reached for the big red button. They slammed it and immediately ducked back down, covering their head in case they were going to be shot or hurt.
"There you go, that wasn't so hard. Anyone else want food? We're not going to be here for long, but if there's one thing hostage negotiation's good for, it's free food," Jewel said with a grin.
"Ooh, that guy at the back knows what you're talking about; this is his third time as a bank hostage. That sorta sucks for you, dude," Craig said with a snicker. "Oh, it's open. Sapphire, you want to order the pizzas?" he asked as he pulled the vault door wide open with a flourish.
"Anyone have any topping preferences?" Beau asked.
A few of the hostages looked at each other in utter confusion. Even for the third-time hostage, this was a weird hostage situation. Still, they were right about the free food. "I'll have a cheese pizza," he said.
Emboldened by his response, others added their own orders, most ignoring the vault that the other three robbers had accessed.
Inside the vault, Jewel used a diamond-tipped drill bit to open certain safety deposit boxes, Craig pulling out box after box and dumping the contents into duffel bags with an extra pair of hands. Beau watched the door and kept everyone quiet and off their phones.
Three minutes after pressing the emergency button, there was a familiar whooshing sound of a super with flight landing. Police sirens sounded in the distance as well. Both the presence of Jetstream and the Commander and the local Chicago police were sure to draw a big crowd.
"It's showtime!" Beau called, grinning.
...
Josie finished selling a house, shaking the new owner's hand in congratulations and with a big smile in place. She closed the manilla folder on the contract, determined to protect it from Steve's coffee and generally messy eating, and discussed the renovations and plans the new owner had for their very own piece of Maxville.
As they talked about paint and wallpaper, Josie was distracted by the TV - she was sure they made the breaking news alarm louder every time - as Brian Anderson talked of a robbery taking place in Chicago.
Magnificent Mile wasn't too far away and could help repair the damage to the Stronghold name by her supposedly stealing and destroying the Copper Bean when it had been a necessary loan to defeat evil. Journalists and reporters had started discussing the amount of damage they did as heroes, which was not how adoring fans were made. This would be the perfect opportunity for redemption. As long as the Commander didn't break anything, of course.
"Here are your keys. Congratulations again. A gift basket will be sent to you. Bye-bye now," Josie said, all but pushing the client out of her office. "Steve!"
"Yes, dear?" he called from their small break room, looking out at her with a coffee in hand.
"There's trouble in Chicago. We're going."
Determination replaced confusion and Steve ducked into the break room, the Commander stepping out sans coffee. Jetstream smiled, grabbed her husband, and flew out of the emergency exit towards Chicago.
Five minutes into their flight, Jetstream's red phone started to ring loudly. She grit her teeth at the sound - they were already on their way! - and flew faster to reach the Magnificent Mile. Maybe after this, they might rename it the Stronghold Mile.
...
Warren knew this was necessary. It didn't mean he had to like it though, and he'd been sitting in front of Maxville Super Penitentiary for ten minutes now.
Layla pressed a button on her phone to call Jetstream, knowing she was flying to Chicago already. When there was no answer, she was satisfied they wouldn't be disturbed, just like they'd planned. "Jetstream and the Commander are on their way to Chicago. Warren? Are you sure you're okay to do this? We don't even have to see your father, okay? The others can deal with him," she said, reaching across to take his hand and squeeze gently.
"No, I can do it. Let's go before we lose all of the hero-free time they're giving us," he said, squeezing her hand in return before opening his door and stepping out of the car, mask firmly in place.
Fixing her mask and the hood covering her bright hair, Layla stepped out of the car, both of them heading to Maxville Super Penitentiary hand in hand.
Behind them, Honey left her minivan with Craig 2.0, Terrence, Sport, Ry, Connor, Ethan, and Champ. Zach had opted to let Ethan take him rather than attempting to squish as a ninth passenger into the eight-seater.
Further down the road, Najair stepped out of Nigel with his siblings' frog forms on his shoulders.
"I've disabled the cameras. They've been looping for the last twenty minutes so they don't have your cars," Adam said through the walkie talkies they all wore.
"Thanks, Ace."
"No problem. I've got Electro backing me up."
"The phones are disabled, both landline and mobile. The internal walkie talkies are already shut off; ours are the only frequency that'll work," Terrence added.
"Thanks. Any problems and let us know."
Warren opened the door and let Layla step inside first. He could do this.
Sport tried not to watch as Corvin flew overhead, knowing that looking up would destroy the element of surprise. If anything happened to Ammie's son, he'd be responsible. Following after the two teens walking into the prison, Sport startled when Honey grabbed his hand. He glanced down at her, surprised to see her so excited. "Why do you look like a kid in a candy store?"
"My future husband is in there. How do I look? I'm probably going to be a bloodied mess by the time I do see him, but first impressions are important."
"Uh... you look nice? Why are you going to be a bloodied mess, exactly? And more importantly, is it your blood?"
"Thank you. There's a few different threads as to the why, but, no, it won't be my blood."
Sport sighed in relief, but wondered if he should ask if it was going to be his blood. He was no stranger to being hurt or bleeding, but it was never his idea of a good time.
"Good morning. Sign the book and - oh, shit," the guard said, his eyes going wide when he saw the group wearing masks, and reached for a button beneath the desk.
Before he could touch it, Layla hit the guard with a taser, his body shaking as electricity surged through him, and he fell back onto his chair, unconscious.
Warren took off his backpack and pulled out zip ties, a roll of duct tape, and a length of rope. "We seriously need utility belts," he muttered.
Layla waited until the guard was tied to the chair to look at the security screens and check what was happening. Most of the prisoners were at lunch, with only a few still in their cells. The other security guards were keeping watch over the prisoners.
"Who wants to start a riot?" Layla asked with a grin.
"Ooh, I do," Ry said eagerly.
Beside him, Connor sighed at his son's excitement. "I'll help. How many guards?"
"Eight. They're all armed."
"We'll help," Honey said with a smile. "There's ten cells that need to be opened. Champ, you can help Terrence," she added.
He nodded, eager to try out his expanded power in the field rather than on smaller items in a controlled environment. "I'm thinking of doing an electrical surge to disable the doors. D'you reckon it'd work from here?"
"You might have better luck in person," Terrence mused.
"We'll assist with the riot," Ethan said for himself and Zach.
"We'll need everyone brought to the foyer once the guards are down. Some will try to fight you, thinking you're more guards," Honey said.
"We're wearing masks," Zach said, rolling his eyes.
"Doesn't matter to them. They're cuffed and powerless, so they'll need to exert whatever power they can," she said.
"Great. Can we get it over and done with before lunch is finished?" Killer asked.
Ethan nodded in agreement, heading to the cafeteria where the prisoners were eating. Zach, Ry, Connor, Honey, and Craig followed after him.
"Who are the last ten in cells?" Warren asked Layla.
"Your father, Royal Pain, the Spinner Sisters, and Yori from the Ninety Ninjas. I don't recognise the other five."
"They all have multiple life sentences," Adam said in surprise, accessing their files.
"Makes sense to keep them separate so they can't get through their life sentences faster," Sport said with a shrug.
"Jeez, these doors are tricky," Terrence muttered. "The surge will work, but then a metal rod slides into place, so it'll take a few minutes to get that unlocked."
"I can do that," Sport said.
"Are you sure? It's titanium, not your everyday stainless steel."
"Radiation will make it brittle. Just stand behind me when I do it, okay?" Sport said, Layla and Warren both nodding.
Corvin landed outside and slipped his mask on, walking into the prison. "I'm not late, am I?"
"Not unless you wanted to be involved in the riot," Warren replied.
Corvin shook his head. "The frogs are ready with the buses when you are. Also, it looks like we're going to have company sooner rather than later. A car from the Super Bureau is on its way."
"What?"
"We're meant to have an hour!" Layla said, starting to run towards the room with the Pacifier, Warren a step behind her.
"I can give them red lights but it won't give you much time, maybe another ten minutes," Adam said, accessing Maxville's traffic system.
"Are you sure it's heading here?" Layla asked.
Corvin shrugged. "It's the destination on their GPS."
"I can deal with that, if you've got the electrical surge on the doors, Champ?" Terrence asked.
"I've got it. C'mon, Sport. I've always wanted to meet the Spinner Sisters," he said with a grin.
"Need help?" Corvin asked.
"Sure. We need to hurry, if the Super Bureau's trying to get here," Champ said.
"Ace, you've got the cameras still?" Layla asked, the passcode she entered on the keypad turning the switch green and the door unlocking.
"Yeah, you're good. The riot's got the guards' attention; and Champ and Sport are destroying the doors. I think Honey just ruined that guy's chance of ever having kids, ouch!"
"We'll watch the video later," Warren said as he and Layla entered the weapons room.
"We've got the guards down. Most of the prisoners are subdued, and being led out to the foyer," Honey informed them.
"Champ, Sport, where are you?" Layla asked once she'd taken the Pacifier from the cage.
"Cell block B. It's Royal Pain."
"Good timing. We've got the Pacifier; we'll be right there."
Layla held the Pacifier, making sure not to put her hand anywhere near the trigger, and started to jog to cell block B. She didn't want to turn up winded and out of breath. Warren kept up an easy pace beside her while Corvin flew overhead to guide them.
"Want to take up jogging?" Warren asked as they took a small break at the security guard's station and ensured the guard was still unconscious.
"No, but I suppose we don't have a choice," Layla muttered, jogging again.
Warren grinned and jogged after her.
Champ overrode the door lock with a surge of electricity, then Sport pressed a hand to the door. He waited until Champ was standing behind him before he focused his radiation from his hand, particles destroyed under his power. The titanium rod that had slid into place hardened beneath the onslaught of his power and then became brittle enough to break. He pushed the door open, Royal Pain watching from her bed in a mix of wariness and amazement.
"What did you do?" she asked.
"We opened the door. You need to come with us," Sport said.
"Not just yet," Layla said, the Pacifier in her hands. "How do we work this?"
Royal Pain glared, arms folded over her chest. "Why should I tell you?"
"Because the only way to get you out of those cuffs and out of prison safely is to go through your life sentences. This will do that with less reincarnation involved."
Gwen narrowed her eyes as she considered the surprisingly simple answer, took another moment to consider her options, then let her arms drop to her sides. "The Pacifier isn't destroyed or damaged like it was the last time that ham-fisted Commander was near it, so it works like a normal ray gun."
"Point and shoot," Layla murmured, pointing the Pacifier at Gwen and pressing down on the trigger, a beam of light shooting out and hitting her.
"Who's carrying the kids?" Corvin asked, looking between everyone.
"Not it," Champ said quickly.
"Carbon, we need strollers," Warren said.
"I'll be right there," Craig said, standing beside them in a second. He wrinkled his nose at the sight of the Pacifier and the stream of light hitting Royal Pain. "Ooh, I remember being hit by that. Hurt like a bitch," he muttered, rubbing his chest.
"Strollers, Carbon."
"Right."
...
Baby was going to kill Ex. They were meant to be helping the kids and instead, Ex was going through the store like a man on a mission. "What the hell are you doing, Ex? We're meant to be in - "
"I know, I know. This'll take a minute, okay? Ooh, grab that bottle for me, would you?"
Baby frowned at the bottle of wine Ex had pointed out - it was the same wine they'd drunk with Gemma all those years ago, not that Ex remembered that - and shook his head. "We can get it at home."
"Yeah, but there we have to pay for it."
Baby sighed heavily. "You're robbing the store?"
Ex laughed. "No! We're robbing it. In fact, grab two bottles."
"Would you tell me what you're actually in here for?" Baby muttered, even as he grabbed two bottles.
"Oh, y'know, the usual: chaos, disorder, mayhem. All the fun things," Ex said, obviously lying as he hunted through the shelves to find whatever it was he was looking for.
"If you tell me, we can find it faster. I don't want to be in trouble - or melted - if we fuck this up," Baby hissed.
Ex paused, considering his argument for a moment, then grinned when he found what he was looking for. "Got it! C'mon, let's go. Actually, I might get another two bottles while we're here. That vintage is damn difficult to find," he muttered, grabbing two bottles of wine and tucking them under his arm.
As they headed to the checkout, Jetstream herself landed. People started to rush out of the store on hearing the Commander demanding for the robbers' attention and knocking on the bank doors loudly. Ex smirked as they were taken along with the crowd, wine - and whatever else he'd grabbed - free of charge, while Baby just rolled his eyes and broke free from the crowd to continue what they were meant to be doing. The Commander seemed surprised that they weren't rushing straight in, but smiled and waved at the phones and cameras pointed at the world's most beloved heroes.
"Uh. How many pizzas was that?" the Commander asked in confusion, wishing he'd brought a pen and paper to write it all down.
"I've got the order, Commander. We have your word you won't hurt the hostages while we retrieve the pizzas?" Jetstream called.
"You have our word," Beau called back.
Jetstream nodded and flew to the closest pizza parlour to get the numerous pizzas made.
"That's way too trusting; what if they break their word? They're meant to be villains, after all," Ex said with a frown, watching the bank from across the street.
Baby shrugged. "Then they'd just be proving the stereotype about villains being dishonest. Besides, everyone knows the police are going to bug the pizza boxes."
Ex thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Want to get pizza later?"
"Hell, yes."
...
"What are you doing here, Commander?"
Turning at the woman's demanding voice, he realised who had addressed him, and forced himself to stand straighter and not wince. "Buffalina, it's good to see you. We were called to handle the threat, no need to concern yourself - "
"Concern myself? Chicago is my town, and I find it surprising that you were called when I just got off the phone with the Mayor personally!"
The Commander faltered. "Uh... oh, there's Jetstream with the pizzas now; she can explain."
Buffalina raised an eyebrow. "You came here for pizza?"
"Ah, Buffy, it's good to see you! No need to worry; we're already dealing with the hostage situation. The local police force have been more than accommodating," Jetstream said with a broad smile.
"My name is Buffalina, Jetstream, and you know it," she said behind gritted teeth.
"Yes, yes, but nicknames show familiarity, and who better to be familiar with than Jetstream and the Commander? I'm sure you could use the career boost," Jetstream said, looking Buffalina over as though she was a bug. "I'll deliver the pizzas myself; they've already been dealing with me, so I'd hate for the negotiation to go sour by swapping heroes mid-rescue."
Buffalina forced herself to concentrate on her breathing so she wouldn't send Jetstream flying through the bank windows and "deliver" the pizzas herself. She was a hero in her own right and didn't need Jet-fucking-stream coming here and destroying the years of hard work and credibility she'd built in order to become Chicago's Hero.
The Commander was quiet as Jetstream flew over to the bank, pizza boxes balanced precariously on her palm as she knocked on the bank's door with her free hand. "Uh... that's a nice suit. Is it new?" the Commander asked, obviously trying to smooth over his wife's insult by being overly pleasant.
Buffalina glanced away from Jetstream and to the Commander, who was watching the bank carefully, knowing not to give the gathered media extra ammunition, and looked back to the bank as the door was opened by a pale-faced hostage. "No, I've had it for three years now. I'm thinking of updating it. The new Super Suit catalogue has some great additional features for shifters; tail and ears or horn slots. It'd make partial shifts easier if I don't have to replace my suit after every fight."
The pizzas were taken and Jetstream showed her empty hands as she stepped back and away, one of the robbers closing the door with a slam and locking it with zip ties again.
"Sounds handy. I should let Shifter know."
"Airborne's sidekick?"
"Mm. Hopefully a soon-to-be Stronghold, if he knows what's good for him."
Buffalina didn't know how to respond to that. "When did the Mayor call you? He said he'd just got off the phone with the bank, so I'm - "
Jetstream landed beside the Commander, their conversation cut off abruptly, and she put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the bank. "There, that wasn't too hard. The police included the usual surveillance, so we'd better listen in to see when you can make your move, Commander."
"Yes, dear. Buffalina here was just telling me how she'd spoken to the Mayor - "
"Well, of course he called you when we didn't answer; we saw the news and flew here straight away without answering his call," Jetstream said flippantly.
"We've got audio!" the technician called from the police van, waving eagerly.
"Buffalina, are you coming?" Jetstream asked, projecting her voice and smiling broadly when several journalists looked over.
Buffalina smiled, knowing how to play this game just as well as Jetstream did, and followed after the two supers. "Yes, dear," she muttered mockingly.
...
"All right, everyone got their pizza?" Craig asked, looking around the bank to see the hostages eating and staying quiet.
He was using Soundette's power to stop the microphones from picking up any sound from the bank while he and Jewel continued with the security deposit boxes.
(In the police van outside, the audio technician was scrambling to fix their suddenly-broken equipment, babbling and butter-fingered. Buffalina was so close he could see her nose ring!)
"Looks like it. How's it going? Did Diamond finish the thing?" Beau asked, eating a slice of pizza for himself.
"Sapphire, you're not meant to eat the hostages' pizza," Jewel said with a sigh.
"I'm stress eating," Beau admitted, finishing the last of the pizza and wiping the grease off on his suit.
"Don't ruin your suit like that; Zed will kill you," Craig said with a grin.
"Can we get back to this before the Commander comes flying through a window? I can't exactly protect them without blowing my cover," Jewel muttered.
"Sorry, Diamond. We've got all the security boxes?" Craig asked.
"Yes. I just need to do the thing Honey asked, and we're done. You want to start getting the hostages ready? I'll need a minute, max," Jewel said, slipping a key from her pocket.
"I'll do it," Craig said. "All right, everyone! Take your pizzas and move to each side of the bank, please and thank you. We don't want you hurt when the Commander inevitably busts through the windows, do we?"
The hostages were confused, but these thieves had been oddly nice - they hadn't even taken their wallets and phones, though no one's phone was working - and everyone knew the Commander's tendency to smash first and save later. Eyeing the glass windows nervously, they gathered their pizza and belongings, shuffling to the bank walls.
"There you go. Thank you."
"Everyone, please turn to face the walls. You can keep eating but we don't want the glass to hurt you," Beau said, charming with his voice and power, everyone automatically doing as he said.
Jewel finished her final task, slipping the deposit box back into place and turning the key to lock it once more. "All done. Ready, Moonstone?" she asked, smiling over at Craig and Beau.
Craig grinned and pulled the door closed, shutting them into the vault, and several hostages looking over in surprise.
"The audio! Buffalina, it's working again! The hostages... "
"What did they say?" Jetstream demanded, annoyed that the audio technician had addressed Buffalina and not her; she had arrived there long before that... cow.
"They're saying the villains barricaded themselves in the vault. It makes no sense. One person is also complaining about the pizza toppings - "
"Now's our chance, while they're distracted with the hostages and pizza," Jetstream said confidently, looking at the Commander. "Commander, it's time to get into the bank."
The Commander nodded and strode over to the bank, his muscles flexing.
Seconds later, the bank windows were shattered, glass flying into the building and across the bank floor. Several citizens cried out as glass hit them, their clothes destroyed and stained with blood, and shards of glass embedded into their skin. If they'd been closer to the front like they had been only a few minutes ago, they would have been far worse off.
"Never fear, citizens! The Commander is here to save the day!" he exclaimed, stepping forward into the bank, glass crunching beneath his boot.
"I, Jetstream, will take care of the villains," she announced, flying in behind him once the glass and dust had settled, her hands on her hips. "Commander, the vault."
Striding across the bank, the Commander grabbed the wheel at the front of the vault. He didn't attempt to spin or open the vault door; instead, the Commander wrenched the door until it broke off the wall entirely, bricks falling and crumbling against him like a wave eroding sand.
"Thank you, Commander. Villains, Jetstream and the Commander are here to stop you! Drop the money and jewels, and put your hands in the air!"
"And wave 'em like you just don't care!"
Jetstream glared over at the citizens when they started laughing, but ultimately ignored whichever idiot had said it, and stepped into the vault as the dust from the debris settled.
"Um, Jetstream? Where are the villains?" the Commander asked, frowning at the empty vault around them.
An awful feeling settled in her stomach as his words sank in, and she desperately tried to think of a resolution. "Commander, dear. You were saying earlier that the Mayor called Buffalina?"
They could leave everything else to Buffalina, as she was Chicago's Hero, after all. Even as Jetstream thought this, she heard a snippet from a whispered conversation between the hostages that sounded awfully like Coffee Bean, and her jaw clenched. They would work with the police to find the villains; obviously the hostages were lying and the villains were among them.
"Come along, Commander. We need to assist the police with their interviews."
It wasn't something they'd ever done before, so the Commander was confused, but he nodded and followed his wife.
...
"I thought you knew how to unlock buses?" Lorcan teased Naj, grinning.
"YouTube made it look easy," he muttered.
"If I can be of assistance?" Nigel's voice came from the black box Maleah was holding.
"You know how to unlock buses?" Kiara asked curiously.
"I can access the computer chip from the engine and unlock the bus from the inside," Nigel said.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Maleah asked even as she headed to the engine. "Breaking into the buses is different to just driving into them for us."
"They can't arrest me, Miss Maleah, but I appreciate your concern," Nigel said warmly.
"He's got a point," Kiara said, following her sister to unlatch the bus's hood cover and find the computer chip.
Lorcan and Naj waited for the bus door to open, Lore moving to sit in the driver's seat once the bus had been unlocked. "One down, three to go."
"How do you think Pat is going without us?" Naj asked his sisters as they headed for the next bus together.
"We'll find out later, if we're not arrested."
...
Beau grinned and kissed Craig's cheek. "You were brilliant, babe."
"Mmm, thanks," Craig said, turning to kiss Beau fully. "So were you."
"Did they get enough time?" Jewel asked, a tiara on her head.
"Yes. They're all heading back now," Craig said. "Craig 2.0 had fun."
"Good for him. Did you have fun, babe?" Jewel asked, wiggling her ring-adorned fingers at him.
"Hell yes," Craig said with a grin.
"Can we get Ex and Baby out before we forget the poor guys?" Beau snickered.
"Oh, shit. Thanks, babe," Craig said, reforming Ex and Baby along with several bags of cash and the duffel bags with the contents of various safety deposit boxes.
"We got all of the boxes on Honey's list. Can you help us carry those to the training arena, please?" Jewel asked.
"Sure. Did you bring any pizza back?" Ex asked hopefully.
"We're getting it fresh, Ex. I'm not eating pizza that's been inside of someone else."
"You eat my ass, why're you being so picky?"
Baby blushed and groaned. He grabbed two duffel bags and left, muttering under his breath the whole time.
Ex snickered and hefted two more duffel bags onto his shoulder. "He loves me," he said as he followed Baby out of the room.
They each grabbed the rest of the bags and headed to the training arena, setting everything down in the designated place, and changing their outfits.
"Ready to go get Grant, babe?" Jewel asked, looking Craig over to ensure he wasn't too tired after their restless sleep and first phase complete.
"I've been ready all week," he confirmed with a nod as the others arrived in the training arena.
...
End of the hundred and ninetieth chapter.
Thanks for reading!