I'm FINALLY back! Feels great to be back on here and posting again! I finally dealt with all my problems and finally making a return. Alright, I wanna clarify a few things here. If I'm using "Shadow" when referring to Arnold, it's his hero name since I feel like it would fit him... I'll be adding several new characters within these next few chapters so keep an eye out for that. I'm also working on another concept art for this story, specifically from the present day, not the flashbacks. And these next couple chapters are pre-written before I went away.

And about the story I mentioned in my other story, I think I'll be releasing a different one since I didn't get time to do that one... And one more thing, I'll be making another concept art, specifically for the ending of the story, just y'all wait... Alright anyways, I'm extremely grateful for all the support and I'm excited to be back! Enjoy these new chapters!

Three Years Prior

It was a rainy night, around ten at night, Arnold and Spinelli had taken down a mafia gang leader along with all its members. They left them all KO'd in the warehouse where they were. The police had already anonymously received the evidence about them. They were arms dealers along with sex traffickers.

"Man, who would've thought for arms dealers, they'd be sex traffickers?" Spinelli looked at Arnold. "Well, I have several answers but they probably wouldn't make much sense."

Spinelli laughed. "I wonder what you had in mind."

"Arnold, Spinelli. We got something. Get back to HQ now." Rhonda radioed the two. Arnold and Spinelli nodded at each other as they immediately headed for the QR Jet.

At HQ

"What do we have, Impulse?"

"Team, police reports picked up a speeding military vehicle in the North side of the city. It's not any military vehicle on city records, so I suggest you pursue it with caution. Multiple reports have also said they are well armed, the Hybrid should protect you." Impulse informed.

"Anything on how the suspects look like?"

"Unfortunately, there's no clear evidence that shows."

"Looks like we'll have to get a closer look. Alright, I'll get after that military vehicle. Nadine, I want you in the Quinjet. Our eye in the sky for any more of these vehicles."

"You got it, Arnold!"

"Everyone else stays here until we figure out more. Got it?" The team nodded.

Soon, the Hybrid raced off into the streets, while the Quinjet took off and patrolled around in the skies.

The Hybrid quickly caught up with the speeding military vehicle.

"It's one of the so-called Vigilants! He's on our ass!" The mysterious person said. "Well, take him out! It can't be that difficult like the boss said!"

The passenger stuck out the window and held an RPG. "Firing!" The missile fired directly at the Hybrid. It created a massive explosion as smoke surrounded it.

"Too easy!"

The roar of its engine sounded as the Hybrid easily survived the hit.

"WHAT?!"

"My turn." Arnold engaged the immobilizer missiles. The Hybrid shot the immobilizers at the vehicle.

The car crashed and flipped over multiple times before it came to a stop. The passenger was knocked out, while the driver crawled out of the car.

Arnold hopped out of the Hybrid and walked up to the driver.

He grabbed him by the neck and held him in the air. "Who are you?!"

"Go eat shit!" The driver tried to stab a needle in his neck, but Arnold blocked it and threw him on the pavement. He then took the needle from his hand and put it away.

"Who are you?! And who are you working for?!" Arnold held the driver's wrist at an awkward angle. "I got nothing to say to you!"

"TALK! Or I'll crush every bone in your body!"

"OK! I'm a soldier! Part of a small-time army, we recently moved here under a new leader! Our leader and her associate are in a warehouse down on the East side of the city!"

"Your leader is a female?"

"I think, the voice sounds weird, honestly!"

"Anything else?"

"I swear, that's all I know!"

"If you're lying, I'm coming back to break the other one."

"The other wha- AAHH!" Arnold then knocked out the soldier. He then took a moment to look at the needle the soldier tried to stab him with. "Wait a sec… This can't be…! Impulse, bring up the files of the chemical analysis from around Christmas Eve a couple of years back."

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"Maybe or maybe something bigger, run a quick chemical analysis on this."

A beeping noise was then triggered. "Sir, it looks like we have a match for these chemicals. They're made of the same compounds."

"Spinelli, it's a good thing you kept that chemical in reserve, 'cause I just found more of it." Arnold soon said through his comms. "Nadine, what's your status?"

"Nothing here in the skies, yet. Wait, hold that thought, I have something."

"What is it?"

"Hostage situation. And it looks like it's the same soldiers you encountered. They got a police officer hostage, sending my location."

"I'm on my way there now." Arnold replied as he hopped into the Hybrid and raced off to the abandoned warehouse.

Minutes Later

The QR jet had landed a little bit away from the warehouse so the soldiers don't suspect a thing. The Hybrid roared to a stop.

Arnold hopped out as he grappled up to the roof.

"What do we got?" Arnold started. "Five soldiers, all armed, one hostage."

"Let's even the odds… Let's get two of them out here to make it more manageable." Nadine nodded as she soon smirked.

Arnold grappled up to a vantage point and briefly scouted the area. "Here goes." He then shot a missile at a weak wall, catching the attention of the soldiers.

"What the hell was that?" One soldier asked. "You two, take a look. We'll look after this little piggy." Another soldier replied as he aimed his rifle at the tied-up officer.

The two soldiers were outside and went separate ways.

One of them now disappeared as Nadine took him out from a corner. "I think you'll get the night off… Arnold, you're up."

Arnold immediately snuck up behind the remaining soldier and took him out silently.

"Three soldiers left inside, think they stand a chance?"

"Is that even a question?" Nadine smirked. "Alright, you go high, I'll take 'em from below." Arnold nodded.

"It's gotten awfully silent out there. Think they're doing alright?" One soldier asked. "Probably?"

"Please… Let me go!"

"SHUT IT, PIG!" The soldier aggressively said.

The ceiling windows then came crashing down as one soldier was knocked out. Nadine jumped from the grates, grabbing a soldier and twisting him in the air before slamming him into the ground. The final soldier was taken by surprise and fired everywhere, giving Nadine a chance to toss him towards the ground, where Arnold could knock him out.

Nadine dusted her hands off as she high-fived Arnold. "Great work! Let's get this hostage out of here and go."

Nadine soon cut the ropes off the officer. "We'll have a squad car come get you, alright?"

The police officer breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you… I thought they were gonna kill me… thanks."

"That's what we're here for." Nadine smiled.

Arnold motioned his head as if to say 'let's go'. Nadine nodded as she followed behind.

"Alright, that takes care of that… but what about the chemicals in the needle?" Spinelli soon asked as she crossed her arms. "We have nothing on it so far, but those guys will slip up. Eventually." Phoebe replied.

Arnold and Nadine got back inside the QR Jet when they saw a big helicopter fly over. "That doesn't look good."

"I haven't seen a helicopter like that ever. Think it connects with our mysterious soldiers?" Nadine asked. "Possibly. We have to find out." Arnold then got on his earpiece. "Command, standby."

"Copy that. I saw the chopper, and I have the rest of you guys ready."

"Please deploy us already… I'm gettin' bored standing here! My feet are starting to ache!" Spinelli complained. "Quit your whining or I'll give you something to whine about." Rhonda rolled her eyes.

"What you thinkin' about, girl?" Gerald asked Phoebe. "Hm? Oh, nothing. Well, just some business I'd like to talk about with Arnold. A few rearrangements, that's all."

Minutes Later

"Looks like we found where that chopper was headed and looks like there'll be more where it came from." Arnold started. "Are all those tanks manned? Or how are they even operating?" Nadine added.

"Not only that, they're all gathered here at the biggest chemical plant in the city. But why here?" Arnold replied. Nadine soon got on the earpiece. "Pheebs, I think we found out where that helicopter was headed. And it also looks like we have a new assignment on hand."

"Copy that." Phoebe looked back at the others. "Alright! It's go time!" Spinelli eagerly said. Spinelli and Gerald raced towards the Hyperjet, while Rhonda asked one favor from Phoebe. "Hey, Pheebs? One favor, will ya?"

"Anything."

"Make sure Olivia doesn't make a mess during her training. Took us hours to even get that fixed."

Phoebe laughed. "Don't worry, she'll behave herself."

"Knowing her, she can act like a kid." Rhonda laughed as she soon headed to the Hyperjet.

The Hyperjet soon roared off into the night as Phoebe looked back at the monitor. "Impulse, bring up the blueprints on our latest project."

"Watch yourself, Olivia." looked back at her. "How'd you know I was already down here?"

"You were supposed to be down here five minutes ago. Anyhow, just watch yourself, ok?"

"Don't worry, I know how to take care of myself!" Right as she said that, a throwing star fell from her belt. "Uh… Sorry?"

Phoebe laughed as she turned back to the monitor. "Pulling up project N911DN." Impulse said. "AKA the QR Helicopter."

"A Quick-Response helicopter. Designed to get into tight areas that the bigger jets can't access. Also featuring onboard weapons when necessary, a searchlight, and also useful to rescue anyone in need." Impulse replied. "Ah, but don't forget that the body is also based on a retired military helicopter. Plus, it won't be your typical helicopter as well." Phoebe added as the three-D schematics of the QR Helicopter popped up.

Over with the Vigilantes, while they examined the unknown army from a high point, a few raindrops started to pour.

"Looks like we're in for a long night." Spinelli said as she felt the raindrops on her nose. "We always have long nights, nothing new. Only it always gets worse and worse." Rhonda replied.

"Looks like they're armed to the teeth! Bunches of tanks being loaded into those helicopters along with soldiers… Impulse, we need some info on this army." Arnold said. "It's the same black ops team from Venezuela, they have two commanders but there are no specifications as to who they can be."

"One of the soldiers said their boss was a female, which gets us a step closer."

"Arnold, look, down there!" Gerald pointed. "A hostage? But why keep the chemical plant workers at their mercy?!"

"Looks like they have plans for them. We better hurry." Spinelli replied. "Impulse, can you get us a name on their commanders?"

"I have their names, but no real ID. Alastor and Haidra."

"Well, there's a start."

"Alright, now that we have that, let's scan over this chemical plant and see if there are more hostages." Spinelli suggested. Arnold nodded. "Spinelli, get to the highest point here and see if there's any sign for more. I'm downloading the info of the workers and sending it over to you now."

"You got it!" Spinelli activated her armor as she soon flew up. "Guys, I've intercepted radio traffic between this 'Alastor' and 'Haidra' characters. I'm relaying it now." Phoebe told them.

"They were in my sights many times… AND I COULD'VE ENDED THEM ALL AT THOSE POINTS!" An agitated robotic-female human voice started.

"We haven't broken those bastards yet. It will come." Another robotic voice said.

"No. I've waited for way too long now. Arnold and the Vigilants die… tonight!"

"Why do you hate that football head so much?"

"You could never understand…" The robotic voice trembled a little in anger.

"Your revenge is at hand. This will be their final night."

"I'm killing that football head myself. And I'll make sure it'll be their last night. All of them." The voice said sternly.

"Well, that's intriguing… Looks like it's someone we've known before." Phoebe said. "Whoever that is, they really hate your guts." Spinelli added as she scanned the chemical plant.

"Doesn't that sound familiar to you guys? Well, most of you since Spinelli doesn't know our childhoods." Gerald started. "That does sound familiar, but where though?" Nadine replied.

"We've made a lot of enemies throughout the years sooo…" Arnold said. "You guys, I have five hostages. Most are on this side of the chemical plant, only one is on the west side where I'm facing." Spinelli told the others.

"Alright, team. We all know our game plan, let's get to work!" They all nodded as they soon went separate ways. Gerald dropped down to the hostage that was below.

He came crashing down from the ceiling windows as it knocked out one of the soldiers.

"LOOK OUT! IT'S HIM!" A soldier shouted.

Gerald took out his handguns and he immediately KO'd one of the soldiers.

Only four soldiers remained. Gerald grabbed one of them and tossed him towards his soldier. One tried to get the jump on him and attack from behind but failed. Gerald ducked the punch, kicked his knee, and kneed the soldier's chin as he backflipped away.

He then shoved one of the soldiers into an electrical box and electrocuted the soldier. He then shot his handguns at the final soldier.

"Barely even broke a sweat." He yawned. He then noticed the dead worker.

"Guys!" Gerald got on his earpiece. "They've killed one of the workers!"

"DAMMIT! We can't let them kill the others, we have to hurry!" Arnold replied.

"You guys, I have a positive ID on the army's name. They're called 'The Militia'. I've hacked into their comms network. You'll be able to hear what they'll be up to."

"Thanks, Phoebe. Let's hope we get to the other workers in time, now. Spinelli, I want you to operate the Hybrid. Get it from the Hyperjet. We'll open the gates." Arnold directed.

"Not a problem!"

Spinelli immediately went to the Hyperjet and got in the Hybrid. The cargo doors opened and the Hybrid roared out. "Gates are open, time to get inside." She said to herself.

"Spin, be careful, we got tanks protecting the plant. They're unmanned and are drones, you should be able to use the sixty-millimeter cannon."

"Time to send those tanks to the scrapyard!"

The Hybrid raced into the chemical plant as the drones locked onto their target. "IT'S HERE!" The Militia commander said.

"RUN IT INTO THE GROUND!" The robotic female voice said.

The Hybrid went from its normal form, into battle mode. A turret appeared from the middle of the tank as it contained its three main weapons. The sixty-millimeter cannon, the Vulcan gun, and the Riot suppressor.

The wheels were almost like a desk chair when comparing its maneuverability. It could easily dodge a bullet from a tank, dodging anything thrown its way.

One by one, the tanks were getting ripped apart. "Wow… I've never imagined a tank that could ever be that shifty and fast…" The Militia commander said.

The last tank was destroyed as Haidra wasn't pleased.

"Mistress, it punched through the armor! Just like you said." The commander said.

"UGH! They're searching for hostages! Keep non-essential radio chatter to a minimum! They'll be listening." Haidra then shifted her attention toward the Vigilants. "A message towards your 'fearless leader'. You are listening, right? Well, listen to this! To all embedded units in Hillwood, Operation Takeover has begun. Each of you has a role, each of you KNOWS knows your role! So move out into this damn city and LOCK IT DOWN! I want our hands wrapped around Hillwood's throat within the hour!"

Arnold found a second hostage, thankfully he was alive. He shot a missile at the weak wall, knocking down the soldiers on guard there. He then went to the hostage, and then the ceiling windows came crashing down with armed soldiers.

"Move it!"

"Spread out!"

"You're not goin' anywhere, freak!"

Then, Haidra dropped in. She wore an advanced-tech blue mask along with midnight blue shoulder pads and had military camouflage across her suit. Her elbows were equipped with sharp points and her boots reached halfway up her shins. Her knee pads were also midnight blue. Her forearms had protective gear as they had short but sharp blades on its ends. Her chest plating was also midnight blue and helped against bullets. She had two canisters on the side of her thigh as she had a handgun on her side.

She gave an evil laugh. "Keep your guns trained on him. If it even looks like he's planning on leaving that room, open fire. Oh, but avoid the chest, it protects against the bullets. Aim for the weak spots, the shoulders then coordinate fire at his head. It's an easy target so you won't miss it."

"Please…" The helpless worker pleaded.

"You'd say something?" Haidra mocked the poor worker.

"Leave him out of this!" Arnold firmly said. "Always defending the weak and the helpless… it's what I like about you. Predictable! And that's why we're gonna win. We know your move before you do it. We know how you THINK!" Haidra slammed her hands against the protective window, emphasizing her sentence.

"Since you say that, d'you know what I'm thinking right now?" Arnold pressed a button on his wrist, alerting the others.

"Of course. You're thinking 'who the fuck is this woman?'."

"No. I'm just trying to decide who I should have taken out first."

"Uh, what does he mean by that?" A soldier asked, nervously.

"We have the main target. Just say the word and we can end this and burn this city to the ground…!" Haidra went onto her comms.

Arnold couldn't get on his comms since he was at gunpoint from the soldiers. A roar was heard approaching.

"What was that?"

"Probably the wind or something, don't worry about it." Another soldier replied.

BANG!

Three militia soldiers were KO'd from the riot suppressor. Haidra immediately grappled onto her helicopter as the soldiers fired their rifles at the Hybrid.

They were all immediately KO'd as Arnold got the worker's hands free from where he was tied up. Arnold pointed a finger at the Hybrid as if to say 'one moment'.

"Thank you…"

"You're safe now."

"Shadow… you don't the half of the mess that we're in for…!"

"Stay calm, and tell me what's been happening."

The worker took a deep breath. "Alright. They've been running the plant for hours. They're bringing in trucks, weapons, shipments of hazardous materials. They knew exactly what they're doing."

"Looks like they're producing a toxin on a massive scale."

"It's bad, real bad. It's more than just a massive scale, we're talking about a giant gas cloud that could cover the entire Eastern seaboard and possibly half the country!"

"Where can I find the source of all this?"

"I- I sincerely have no idea. All I know is that they're moving ahead with their plan and he's got an entire army backing him up. We're screwed, Shadow!"

"We're not giving up. Get to the Hybrid, you'll soon get to safety."

"Thank you."

"Impulse, Pheebs, we got a massive problem here."

Phoebe heard her comms going off, but she was busy with project 'N911DN'. The QR copter.

"Arnold, what's going on?"

"Looks like we're gonna be dealing with a giant gas cloud that can cover the entire East coast and possibly half the country!"

"What?!"

"You heard right. It's worse than a firestorm… We'll have to stop it directly from the source."

"Alright. Keep me posted."

Soon, Rhonda and Nadine found two more workers, but they were both killed. "What could be their motives for killing these people?" Rhonda asked. "Well, possibly to not tell anyone?" Nadine replied.

A steam pipe ruptured where they were. "We also gotta hurry! This place might not hold for long!"

Arnold was soon notified of the two dead workers. "Alright… let's move on and find the last worker. Hopefully, he's still alive. Let's gather on the far side of the plant, we'll soon find an entrance there as well."

Back at HQ

Phoebe was busy with Impulse as they were welding together the last few components towards the QR Copter.

"Hey, Impulse. Do you think we should rename the Quinjet into the QR Jet? The name would fit the jet. Especially with how sleek and fast it looks."

"Not a bad idea, Ms. Hyerdhal. Although that would come down to whether Arnold would want to or so."

"Guess you're right, it's not a bad name for it though."

A vase was heard breaking. "Olivia!"

"Sorry!"

"I think I better check on her, could you finish up with the remaining stuff, please?"

"It'd be my pleasure."

"Thanks, Impulse!"

Impulse was finishing up the helicopter's blades as he would soon finish welding the legs. The legs were almost like an Elvis firefighting helitanker, but the feet of the legs were flat instead of having wheels, like a normal helicopter. Essentially, the legs were about five feet short of reaching the blades' width.

Minutes Later

Phoebe soon came back. "Thanks for finishing it up, Impulse!"

"It's never a problem, Ms. Hyerdhal."

"How long do you think it'll take us to finish this?" Phoebe asked. "By my estimation, possibly within this month, can't say for certain. Depending on the situations that pop up."

"Guess you're right. So, how will the color black look on it?" As the two took a look at the schematics, the Vigilantes were now facing more and more problems.