Pulse: Season One

by LVCEBREROS

Freddie Benson will begin college and, after a shocking series of events, will become a crime fighting superhero known as Pulse. This show is kind of a spin off TV series of my creation. Several OCCs as well as a few familiar faces. I hope everyone likes it! There is SEDDIE in the future! Stay tuned :P

6. Episode Six: Cat & Mouse

Author's Note: Hi everybody! Back with another installment. I know for a fact that the last 'episode' isn't one of my best but I wanted to set stuff up. I had to set up characters in places I wanted them to be. I tend to see the whole board before I put my pieces down.

Also, I've got several projects at work right now (feel free to check 'em out! :D) and I am a totally absentminded person. I know it seems foolish to make excuses for not putting out my A material but I will try my best to entertain.

Plus, I wanna give a shout-out to a new friend and fellow fanfiction writer honour632 who is a very talented young lady. She's given me a creative boost and she's a great writer as well. Go check out her work, more specifically her new story 'A New Life', it's my new favorite.

I've also been making some alterations and modifications to the story so the plot flows better. Adding dialogue and scenes to help the series have a much more solid timeline. I don't want to have a cluster crap of a timeline (*cough* Riverdale). Hope you guys enjoy the changes as you read up to catch up.

I also changed the actress playing Cassie to the lovely and talented Sarah Michelle Gellar. I like Melissa Archer but I think Sarah is just a better fit for Cassie. Especially with the future plans I have for the character. I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: Apart from the originally created characters, I own nothing that is the property of Schneider's Bakery. That includes any characters, places, or items created by the production company. I'm just having fun playing with them :P

Also, I am using dialogue from some of my favorite TV shows - Arrow and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm not clever enough to think of things on my own so I "borrow" those words from much more talented TV writers. If you've seen these shows, you know which lines I mean. If not, from Buffy, I took lines from the episode 'I Was Made a To Love You' and from Arrow, I used scenes from the Season One episode 'Legacies'. Again, I hope this doesn't kill the experience for everyone.

I also used The Today Show as the news program only because it's the morning show I'm exposed to the most. Hope this doesn't make it dated :)

This 'episode' will introduce a character who is similar to an anti-heroine from DC comics so if I hear 'She's like _', I know. She'll be an homage to a certain Princess of Plunder. I hope it's a fitting homage :)

With that, on to Episode Six!

•••

•••

"If you could only see the beast you've made of me

I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free

Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart

Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart"

- Florence + the Machine 'Howl'

•••

At a lavish rooftop penthouse atop a high rise, several heavily armed guards stood outside. They look around but they seem bored with the detail. The two men, Caucasian and Hispanic, were muscle-bound apes who shouldn't be messed with.

Suddenly, a figure in black leaps onto the high rise into the shadows.

One of the men hears a noise. "You hear that?" The Caucasian asked the other guard.

"Go check it out." The Hispanic guard told him.

"Why me?" The Caucasian guard asked.

"Because you heard the noise, genius." The Hispanic guard stated. "I'm not getting killed because YOU heard a noise."

The Caucasian guard groans and goes behind the building where he heard the noise. All of sudden, the sounds of a struggle are heard.

"Jeremy?" The Hispanic guard called.

He goes to where the Caucasian guard Jeremy went and finds Jeremy unconscious on the ground. His firearm broke into pieces.

"What the hell?"

Unexpectedly, a small figure in black grabs his arm, twists it, disarms him and hits him with a foot uppercut. The guard lands hard on the ground.

The figure in black, a slender feminine figure, stares down at two men as she breaks the gun with her hands. The woman wore a mask that covered her entire face including her mouth, the mask was complete with attachments that resemble cat ears. She wore a pair of high-tech goggles shaped like cat eyes over her eyes.

The figure in black walks towards the area the men were guarding. There were two large glass doors made with bulletproof glass.

She makes a fist with her right hand then opens it and razor-sharp claws popped from the fingertips of her gloved hand. She starts cutting a sizable circular hole around the door handle which manages to cut the glass.

She pulls out the cut out of the glass and tosses it aside. She sticks her hand in the hole and turns the knob to open the door.

The woman walks into the room and finds a wall safe at the end of a long corridor. Easy. Too easy.

She reaches for a small circular device from her belt and tosses it toward the safe like a marble. The device releases a mist that reveals several well-positioned lasers wall to wall in the corridor.

With almost feline grace, the woman goes through the lasers using acrobatic and gymnastic skills to avoid them.

She effortlessly avoids each laser as she reaches the wall-safe control panel that controls the lasers. The woman places a small high-tech electronic device on the control panel and pushes several buttons. After a second, the device shorts out the control panel and deactivates the lasers.

She starts to make short work on the safe as she pops the razor-sharp claws on both hands and starts cutting through the safe. She pulls out the door and finds a large diamond that was in a bracket inside the safe.

The thief uses her claws to gingerly pull out the gem from the bracket. She places the diamond inside a compartment of her belt.

Suddenly, she hears marching headed towards the room and finds several large men with guns drawn.

"Hands in the air, kitten!" One of the men ordered.

"Sorry, boys." The woman said in a synthesized electronic voice that made her sound a bit feline-like. "Finders keepers."

She throws two orbs at the men and the room fills with smoke.

The men cough and gasp for air until each one is systematically taken out in the smoke until the man who ordered her was left. The smoke cleared and found himself face-to-face with the female thief.

He points his gun at her but she easily disarms him and crushes the gun in her clawed hands. She tilts her head to one side and stares at him.

"Meow."

She hits him in the jaw with a hard kick. He falls to the floor out cold.

The thief pulls out a can of red spray paint and draws something on the wall. She quickly leaves the room and runs to the edge of the building.

Pushing a button on her wrist gauntlet, she releases a grappling hook that attaches itself to another rooftop.

Some of the men start coming to consciousness but before they could catch the thief, she dives off the roof and swings onto the other rooftop.

The men fired their weapons at the thief but they didn't even hit her.

"Who was that?" One of the men asked.

"Someone who stole from the wrong people." The main guard said, rubbing the back of his head.

On the wall where the thief spray painted was a strange-looking symbol, an Egyptian Ankh with a cat's face next to it.

•••

It was the following morning and Cassie was sitting on the coffee table in front of her couch, drinking a cup of black coffee. She sighs and sits there quietly, staring at someone. She then sets down her mug.

Cassie kneels down next to a sleeping Pete. She gently touches the wounds on his face as the pale blue glow appears on her hand. The wounds began to slowly heal until there was no sign of any injuries.

"Want to give a guy warning before you do that?"

She looks to find Pete had awakened as the glow from her hands fades. He gives her a warm smile while pulling her hands away. "You're better off than you were last night."

"That right?" Pete stated, as he grabbed his ribs and realized that he wasn't in pain anymore.

"You're welcome, by the way," Cassie said to him as she got up and stared at him. "So... who won?

"Sorry?" Pete asked.

"Who won the barroom brawl you were in? You obviously didn't get hurt like that waiting for the train." Cassie stated as she stood in front of him with her arms crossed.

Pete grins. "Who do you think?"

"Certainly wasn't a one-sided fight. The other guy must look worse than you did." The blond joked as she walked back into the kitchen.

Pete thinks about what happened to Douglas. How his friend had betrayed him. How he had to use his powers to kill him.

Pete lets out a sigh. "You could say that."

Cassie laughs at this as she grabs a mug from the cabinet. "You want some coffee?"

Pete nods and Cassie walks to her coffee maker and serves him a cup from the mug she grabbed. "So, how did it go with those thieves you guys were trying to stop?"

"Well, it turned out to be a lot more complicated than we thought," Cassie explained. "As it turns out, the thieves were a family down on their luck whose youngest was dying of Hepatitis C. The Barrow family was trying their best to save him, even going as far as taking a respected surgeon to cut one of their own and implant the liver inside the dying boy."

"And Pulse was able to save the day?" Pete asked.

"Thankfully. Unfortunately, the little boy didn't make it." Cassie said as she squinted her eyes to wipe away a few tears. "The infection had spread too far. Too late to save him. Now the entire family is going to jail for the robberies, assaults, kidnapping, and murder."

"Murder?" Pete asks while Cassie walks over and hands him the coffee.

"The night before, the father Clive Barrow held a delivery driver at gunpoint and killed him," Cassie said somberly. "He's going to be in prison for the rest of his life."

Pete was aghast while taking a sip of the coffee. "Oh, God."

"Freddie feels guilty for not being able to help them," Cassie told him. "I don't blame him."

"Neither do I," Pete said, taking a drink from his cup.

"You should've seen his face when I drove him back to his dorm. He was... so defeated." Cassie said, frowning.

"Does that mean this whole superhero thing was just a phase?" Pete asked.

"Actually, he seems more determined. He had this fire behind his eyes." Cassie told Pete "Freddie told me that if he can't help everyone, at least he can try."

Pete gives a small smile. "Kid's a lot of guts."

"Tell me about it, sorta reminds me of myself at that age," Cassie replied, drinking coffee.

"Were you out on the streets fighting crime?" Pete said with a laugh.

Cassie laughs nervously. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Pete gets off the couch. "I should go. I need to shower."

"Yeah, you do. You reek of death." Cassie jokes. "Sorta like burnt flesh."

Pete smiles weakly as he opens the door. "Tell Freddie that I want to have a training session with him. Want to make sure the kid doesn't get soft."

Cassie nods. "You got it."

He walks out the door and shuts it while Cassie locks up.

•••

Pete stands outside the door, holding up his arm. He opens his hand and a small fire forms in his palm. He stares at the fire for a moment but quickly closes his hand, wincing in pain.

Opening his palm, Pete sees that there wasn't a burn or scorch mark on his hand. No sign of the fire was even there. He sighs and heads to his apartment.

•••

Freddie slowly wakes in his bed in the clothes he had worn that night and finds Sam lying next to him. He slowly realizes that this was the same hallucination he had been seeing for weeks. This time, she was wearing the clothes she wore at Troubled Waters Mental Hospital. The clothes she was wearing when he kissed her back during the webcast inside the facility.

Freddie rubs his eyes. "It's been almost three weeks, why am I still seeing you?"

"Can't get rid of me, Benson." Dream Sam told him. "I'm in your system."

Freddie groans in frustration and gets out of bed. "Why are you here again? Offer some cryptic or foreboding warning or something? Give me clear indications that I'm slowly going insane."

Dream Sam just smiles. "You are just adorable when you're frustrated."

Freddie smirks at the hallucination. "Now I KNOW you're not Sam because she would never use the word 'adorable' unless she was talking about a roast pig."

Dream Sam sits up. "Aw shucks, you got me."

"What are you exactly?" Freddie asked.

"That's a bit complicated." Dream Sam said "All I can tell you is that I'm here to help you."

"Help me do what?" Freddie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dream Sam gets up from the bed. "Nuh-uh. You're not ready to know that yet."

Freddie stares at her. "Why not?"

Dream Sam touches his face "Because once you know what I am, things will never be the same."

"If I can go through getting superpowers and using them to fight crime, I'm pretty sure I can handle anything." Freddie retorts.

Dream Sam sighs and seems somber. "Not this."

Freddie stares at her looking for answers. "Can't I at least get a hint?"

"You know what they say about curiosity?" Dream Sam asked.

"Again with the riddles." He said mildly annoyed.

"Riddles are fun." Dream Sam told him and she whispers in his ear. "You'll see what I mean."

Freddie seemed bewildered by this statement.

Freddie slowly wakes up in his bed and looks around. As was expected, Dream Sam was nowhere to be found. He slowly gets out of bed as the front door opens.

Gabe and Millie walk inside with Millie holding three smoothies in a cup holder and Gabe holding a grocery bag with some food inside.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Millie greeted cheerfully.

"It's 7:30," Freddie said, yawning. He looks over at Gabe who set down the grocery bag on his own bed. "What'd you bring?"

"Just some bagels and cream cheese. I figured you haven't eaten and we could carbo-load before class." Gabe explained.

"Um, they aren't on a stick, are they?" Freddie asked worriedly.

Gabe gives him a curious look. "No."

"Good. If T-Bo found out someone stole his gimmick, he'd be real whazzed off." Freddie joked which made Gabe and Millie laugh.

"Still trying to figure out how he put tacos on a stick without any of the shells cracking," Millie said, still laughing.

"So is everybody else." Freddie joked. He sighs and changes the subject. "So, how is your mom? Did the surgery go okay?"

Gabe looks at him as he sets down the food on the coffee table in the middle of the room. "Everything went well. She got out of surgery around two in the morning. She's now in recovery and they're gonna keep her there for a while until they know her body has accepted the new liver."

Freddie beams with compassion. "That's great, man. I wish I could've stayed to-"

"I said it was okay. You helped my mom get her second chance. I don't know how I can repay that." Gabe said smiling.

"It was nothing really," Freddie said sheepishly.

"Tell that to Dr. Erskine. He was singing the praises of Pulse to anyone who would listen." Millie replied as she handed Freddie a smoothie. "Including a few news media outlets."

"No way," Freddie said aghast.

Gabe pulls out a newspaper from the grocery bag and hands it to Freddie. "See for yourself."

Freddie looks at the front page that reads 'Who is Pulse?' with a hand-drawn stretch of the superhero. Underneath the headline read 'mysterious vigilante saves famous doctor from kidnappers'.

"I don't think they got your good side." Gabe joked which caused Millie to punch his left shoulder. "Ow."

Freddie stares at the paper, a bit thrown by this. "Dang."

"Maybe they're talking about Pulse on the morning shows." Millie said, turning on the television which was on the 'Today Show' where news anchor Savannah Guthrie was reading the headlines.

"Authorities are still examining the kidnapping and rescue of respected surgeon Dr. Roland Erskine who was kidnapped by a family of thieves late yesterday evening but was found five hours after his subsequent abduction" Savannah reported. "Police are still interviewing the ringleader Clive Barrow who is facing several serious charges including multiple counts of grand theft and one count of first-degree murder. The DA's office is reviewing the case further as a minor was involved in the thefts."

"They didn't even mention Billy," Freddie said grimly as Gabe and Millie stare at him and then back at the screen.

"Sources are reporting that a masked vigilante dubbed Pulse by the public was directly involved in the rescue of Dr. Erskine and the apprehension of the thieves." She stated. "Brooklyn Police Captain Irving Thompson, whose precinct has ties to several cases connected to the vigilante, spoke to reporters early this morning regarding the case."

The program cut to Captain Thompson speaking in front of several reporters.

"At this time, we cannot confirm or deny the involvement of this vigilante in Dr. Erskine's rescue," Thompson spoke. "However I can say that I can't condone this man's actions. It's popular for the media to glorify vigilantes but make no mistake, this man is a criminal. No one is above the law and I will see to it that Pulse is unmasked and brought to justice."

"I think he likes you." Gabe jokes.

Freddie swallows hard as he stares at the screen.

The program cuts back to Ms. Guthrie "The DA has declined to comment at this time."

Freddie quietly sips his smoothie.

"Reports have come in this morning of a robbery of the penthouse of real estate magnate Gregor O'Shannon. Witnesses say a cat burglar attacked the security detail late last night." She reported. "The only item stolen was a rare and priceless diamond known as the Jewel of Thoth. O'Shannon, a known collector of ancient artifacts had plans to loan it to the American Museum of Natural History. The investigation is still ongoing."

"Cat burglar?" Millie asked quizzically.

"Think you might cross paths with her?" Gabe asked Freddie.

"Gabe, not every cat burglar is Selina Kyle." Millie jokes.

"Be more fun if they were." Gabe quips.

Freddie takes in a deep breath and his phone rings. He obviously knew who it was and just answered by putting her on speakerphone. "Hey Cassie, what's up?"

"I take it you saw?" Cassie's voice said on the other end.

"Yeah, apparently I'm becoming some kind of folk hero," Freddie said jokingly. "Kinda figured this would happen."

"I figured that too, but that's not why I'm calling," Cassie told him.

Gabe and Millie look at Freddie who looks perplexed. "What is it?" He asked his aunt.

"That cat burglar they mentioned might be bigger news than anyone realizes," Cassie said which stunned Freddie. "We'll talk about it after class at the Roost."

"The Roost? Thought we agreed to call it the Pulse Cave?" Freddie asked.

"I never agreed to that." Cassie and Gabe said in unison.

Millie stares at Gabe. "You two rehearse that?"

"What can I say, Mama Cass and I are in sync." Gabe quips.

"Will Pete be joining us this time?" Freddie asked.

"Actually, he will. He got back last night. Said he wants to continue your training later." Cassie stated but a knock at her door was heard in the background. "Look, I gotta go. See ya after class."

"See ya then," Freddie said and Cassie hung up.

"So, the cat burglar IS a threat," Gabe said with a mischievous grin. "I called it."

Freddie and Millie groan in annoyance.

•••

Several knocks are heard at her front door, Cassie makes her way back to the living room hurriedly.

"Hang on! I'm coming!" She called out. "That fast, Pete? You wash behind your ears?"

Cassie opens the door and finds a nicely dressed man in a large black overcoat facing away from the door. He turns around to face Cassie, revealing who it was - Alec Grayson.

"Long time no see, huh?" Alec replied.

Cassie stares at Alec, struggling to figure out who he was until her eyes widen, and smiles brightly. "Oh my god, Alec?"

"Miss me, Sand," Alec said with a smile on his face.

Cassie jumps into his arms and embraces him tightly. "I can't believe it's you."

Just then, Pete steps out of his apartment and sees Cassie hugging Alec. He seems thrown by the sight of this at first then goes back inside his apartment so as not to disturb them.

•••

Freddie, Gabe, and Millie walk on the bustling campus of City Tech. Every student was hanging around their specific peer group. Freddie was in a green colored plaid shirt with dark jeans and sneakers. Millie was wearing one of Gabe's black sweater shirts which fit baggy on her but in the same jeans and shoes she wore yesterday. Gabe was in a form-fitting white V-neck shirt underneath a black coat, dark jeans, and black boots.

"Thanks for the shirt, by the way," Millie said to Gabe.

"It's cool. Just make sure it doesn't smell girly when I get it back." Gabe retorts.

Millie grins. "I make no promises."

Freddie looks over and sees Jane walking to class in a hurry. He tries to make his way to her but Gabe stops him.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Freddie asked his roommate.

"Didn't you say she wanted some space?" Gabe reminds him. "Running back to your ex days after a break up isn't healthy."

"And you would know a lot about building healthy relationships?" Millie said jokingly. "Aside from Lucy, name one girl you've lasted longer than two dates?"

Gabe struggled to come up with an answer but he was at a loss and gave up. "Point taken."

Millie turns to Freddie. "Why exactly did Jane break up with you?"

Freddie glances at her with eyebrows raised. "Take a guess."

"Your secret nightlife you can't tell her about without putting her at risk?" Millie guessed.

Freddie nods. "Yes. She was also really upset that I didn't refer to her as my girlfriend."

"Seriously?" The aspiring nurse asked. "Wait… You did call her your girlfriend, didn't you?"

Freddie sighs. "I'm not sure. These last few weeks... The days seem to all be bleeding together."

Millie puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. I'm sure once you talk to her, everything will be fine."

"Millicent Flores, the patron saint of lost causes." Gabe quips.

"Gabriel Morgan, the King of Pessimism," Millie answered back.

"As long as I'm the King," Gabe stated smugly. "And it's not pessimism, I'm just being honest."

"Which I appreciate greatly, both your points of view," Freddie told his friends. "I haven't dated anyone since Sam and girls don't exactly line up to date guys like me. I just thought… I thought I could jump back into the dating scene without there being..."

"Lingering feelings?" Millie asked. "Kinda explains things."

"What do you mean?" Freddie asked.

"When you static shocked Jane after you kissed her. You said it happened more than once." Millie explained to which Freddie nodded. "Maybe your subconscious is protecting you."

"Protect me? From Jane?" Freddie said incredulously.

"Gotta admit, it sounds a bit out there, Mills," Gabe replied.

"More 'out there' than a guy who can shoot lightning out of his hands," Millie said with a smile.

Freddie smiles back but he has a thought, maybe his mind was trying to tell him something. He just didn't know exactly what.

"Gabe!" Lucy is heard calling out from the quad. She runs over and hugs him.

"Hey, you," Gabe said in a surprised manner.

"Where have you been? I've been texting you for eight hours." Lucy said. "You never responded."

"Yeah, I had a pretty busy eight hours," Gabe said. "Remember how I told you my mom was in the hospital?" Lucy nods. "Well, last night, she had a liver transplant surgery."

"Oh my gosh. How is she? Is she all right?" Lucy asked.

"She's doing much better. The doctors are keeping her in the hospital for a few weeks or so. Just to make sure the organ isn't rejected." Gabe said.

"That's great. I was hoping to meet your mom, glad I still have a chance." Lucy said beaming.

Gabe stammers a bit, making Freddie and Millie snicker. Lucy just kisses him on the cheek which makes him regain composure.

"I'll call you after class," Lucy told him. "Let's go, Millie."

Millie follows Lucy and looks back at the boys. "See you guys later."

The boys nod and the girls leave.

Freddie observes this and asks "Does Lucy have a sister?" Gabe glares at him. "Never mind."

Gabe playfully punches him in the arm and they walk off to their classes.

•••

Victor and Danny enter the crime scene that was once the penthouse which was blocked off with yellow police tape.

"Why did the captain want us in this case? Didn't figure Pulse for much of a thief?" Danny joked as the two crossed underneath the tape.

"Captain says this isn't a run-of-the-mill heist," Victor told his partner.

Danny shakes his head. "I'm starting to feel like they're handing us the bizarre cases on purpose."

"We're chasing after a guy in a mask who shoots lightning out of his hands, you'd be foolish to assume otherwise," Victor replied jokingly which caused Danny to chuckle.

The two walk over to the crime scene investigator finishing his examination. The CSI was an African American woman in her late forties with curly brown hair.

"What have you got, Nina?" Victor asked.

"I wish I could give a straight answer. The guards that were seriously injured are at the hospital but the head of security said he's ready to talk." Nina, the CSI, told him. She looks at Danny and then back at Victor. "New partner?"

Victor nods while Danny puts on latex gloves. "Danny Parker, this is Nina Roberts. She's our senior crime scene investigator."

"Nice to meet you." Nina said to Danny "Granted, I wish it was under friendlier circumstances."

"In our field, there's no such thing," Danny replied frankly.

Nina shrugs and goes to show them the scene. "Our thief used some kind of sophisticated glass cutting." She hands them the circular piece the thief cut out to get inside.

Danny observes cuts on the glass. "This is triple-plated glass. You'd need something with industrial strength to cut through this."

"Exactly. This person came prepared. Whoever did this, it wasn't their first rodeo." Nina told them. "We found more inside."

The detectives followed Nina into the room where the gem was kept and led them to the safe. "The safe was cut open. I believe with the same device used to cut a hole in the window."

The detectives look at each other confused then look back at Nina. "How do you figure?" Victor asked.

"See the smoothness of the ridges around the hole? Normally an industrial saw or drill can cut a hole in this kind of material."

"The same device cut through this?" Danny asked stunned. "How is that possible?"

"I'd like to ask this thief the same thing," Nina said. "But that's not the strangest thing. Follow me."

They follow Nina to the wall the thief had spray painted as other CSIs were taking photos of the drawing on the wall. It was a strange Egyptian symbol next to the picture of a cat's head.

"It looks like Egyptian hieroglyphics. Not sure what it means." Nina said. "Might be symbolic-"

"Bastet." Danny simply said which caught Victor and Nina's attention. "It's the Egyptian goddess Bastet. Bastet was a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion, worshiped as early as the Second Dynasty, 2890 BC. Most refer to her as Bast, she was the goddess of warfare in Lower Egypt, the Nile River delta region, before the unification of the cultures of ancient Egypt." He looks at his partner who stares at Danny with a strange look. "I took Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Culture in college."

"You took Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Culture?" Victor asked questioningly.

Danny shrugs. "I was trying to impress a girl."

"Oh." Victor nods. "Why would this thief spray paint the face of an Egyptian goddess on the wall after completing a heist?"

"Calling card?" Danny said "Some strange person with a fixation on cats or Egyptian culture?"

"Would explain the item stolen. The Jewel of Thoth." Victor said.

"Thoth, another Egyptian deity," Danny said. "Might be an MO."

"We'll need to look at the security tapes," Victor told Nina.

"I'll get on that," Nina said walking off.

Danny whispers to his partner. "Think Pulse might be behind this?"

Victor shakes his head. "Doesn't fit. The guy is a vigilante. Not a thief."

"Maybe it doesn't pay the bills?" Danny estimates "This could be a new schtick."

"Let's keep investigating before we jump to conclusions," Victor said.

Danny stares at him. "Why are you so adamant about defending him? Not saying he's a bad guy or anything but he is a criminal."

"Because in the last few weeks, he's saved dozens of innocent people. Think he's earned the benefit of the doubt." Victor said as he walked around the room.

"Are you sure it isn't the fact that he saved your daughter?" Danny asked. Victor looked back at him. "I read the report. I put two and two together."

Victor glares at him. "Can we not do this now?"

"Fine." Danny puts his arms up in defeat "We won't talk about it anymore."

The two men say nothing else and an awkward silence fills the space.

•••

Cassie and Alec sat on her couch, in the midst of a conversation. "Let me get this straight, you've been back in the city for two years and you finally decided to come visit me?"

"Well, I've been busy. My job is kind of stressful." Alec said.

"I take it you're now some hotshot lawyer working at a top law firm?" Cassie estimated.

"Not exactly. I work for a renowned tech mogul. " Alec replied with a warm smile. "It's been… intense."

"Wow, it feels like just yesterday that you were reenacting scenes from Law & Order in front of your bathroom mirror," Cassie said grinning. "You are now a full-fledged attorney at law."

"Hey, I'm still the same guy. Just taller and I know who to kiss up to." Alec quips.

Cassie inhales deeply. "You didn't even say goodbye, Alec."

"I know," Alec said remorsefully.

"I thought if you'd say goodbye to anyone, it'd be your best friend." She said sadly.

"Sand, you've always been my best friend. I just needed to get out of town as soon as possible." Alec replied. "I knew that if I didn't do it sooner, my mother would guilt me into staying. I needed to make something of myself. Be my own man. Not like-"

"Like your dad?" Cassie finishes his sentence. "I know your dad wasn't a good guy but was that an excuse for the radio silence? Made me wonder if I did something wrong."

Alec takes Cassie by the hand. "You didn't. You should know by now that nothing you can say can make me think less of you."

Cassie smiles. "Good to know."

"So, what have you been up to? Still getting into trouble?" Alec asked.

Cassie scoffs. "Actually, I'm doing my best to stay OUT of it. I'm working as a private investigator."

"Really?" Alec said, surprised. "So, it never occurred to-"

"No." She said curtly. "Never again. Mockingbird is dead."

Alec looks down and looks at his expensive watch. "I hate to run but I gotta get going. I have an appointment with a client."

"Man, I was hoping to catch up more," Cassie said as they got up from the couch.

"In that case, how about I take you out to dinner," Alec suggested. "We can continue this conversation over sushi."

"Sushi?" Cassie said with a puzzled expression.

"I know this great place on the Upper East Side called the Lotus Blossom," Alec said. "Has the best sushi in town."

"I don't know. I'm not into raw fish." Cassie said. "But I will put aside my objections as long as I get a chance to hang out with my best friend."

"Great. How about tomorrow at 7?" Alec said.

"Sounds great. See ya tomorrow." Cassie said smiling.

Alec grins and exits the apartment. Cassie closes the door and sighs.

•••

As their entertainment technology class ended, Freddie and Gabe began to leave along with the other students. "So, training session today?" Gabe asked.

"Yep. I'll need it if I'm gonna be fighting a high-tech cat burglar." Freddie joked and Gabe laughed. "Thought you were going to see your mom today?"

"Not today. The doctors said she needed a lot of rest after the surgery. They told me I can see her in three days until her immune system is strong enough." Gabe said. "Also, my dad's probably gonna be there. Not gonna be what you call a 'good time'."

"If you want, I can come with you." Freddie offered. "I didn't get to meet your mom yesterday. It'd be cool to meet both your parents."

"Thanks, man. But don't be disappointed with my dad." Gabe retorts. "He's not all he's cracked up to be."

The boys continue talking as they enter the hall but Freddie accidentally bumps into a female student.

"I'm really sorry about that," Freddie said apologetically.

"It's fine. No big."

Freddie looks up and sees Jane as the person he had bumped into. "Jane. Hey."

Jane's eyes darted back and forth, avoiding his gaze. "I gotta get to class."

Jane begins to leave but Freddie calls out to her "Jane, wait!" She stops and turns to face him. "Can we talk?"

"Freddie, I said we needed some time apart so you could sort things out," Jane said, walking towards him. "I meant what I said."

"I get that but... I don't want to." Freddie said "I just want to talk. That's all."

Jane sighs and smiles at him. "Persistent, aren't you?"

Freddie shrugs his shoulders. "I guess. We don't have to talk today if you still feel uncomfortable."

Jane gives him a small smile. "Tomorrow night. You pick the place. I'll meet you there and hear you out."

"There's a Groovy Smoothie near my dorm," Freddie told her.

Jane nods with a smile on her face. "Okay. Eight fifteen?"

"Sounds good. See you tomorrow." Freddie said.

Jane nods and anxiously walks off.

Freddie grins and looks back at Gabe. "And you said I shouldn't do that."

"Okay, that worked out for you but you gotta catch this thief tonight so you can make your date tomorrow," Gabe stated.

Freddie lets out a deep sigh and they walk off down the hall.

•••

Victor and Danny were back at the precinct, interviewing Frank Ulrich, the head of security who was the last one the thief took down.

"So, Mr. Ulrich, did you get a good look at the thief?" Victor asked.

"Not a good look but she was strong," Ulrich stated. "Took the gun out of my hand and smashed it to pieces."

"She?" Danny said. "The thief was a woman?"

"Sounded like it. Using some voice changer thing but she was built like a woman." Ulrich said. "Could've danced with her all night."

Victor and Danny grimace in mild revulsion at the man's comment. "Anything else you can tell us about her?"

"Yeah. She looked like she was wearing some cybernetic suit. Looked very cutting edge." Ulrich told him. "She did make a dumb move though."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

Ulrich stares coldly at them. "No one steals from Mr. O'Shannon." This statement gave the detectives cause for alarm. "Are we done here?"

"Yeah. Just let us know if you remember anything." Victor said as Ulrich got up from the chair and walked out the door.

"That sounds strange to you as it did to me?" Danny questioned.

"Only because it's coming from someone working for Gregor O'Shannon," Victor said. "Despite the charitable act, rumor has it that the guy is a slumlord."

"You must be happy, though," Danny said to his partner.

Victor stares at him. "What does that mean?"

"The thief is a woman, not your boy Pulse." Danny quips. "You proved me wrong."

Victor gets in Danny's face. "Millie is the only thing I have left in this world. If it wasn't for him, I would've lost her."

Danny sighs. "So you feel like you owe him?"

"I don't owe him anything. If I had to, I'd bring him in." Victor said. "But good people are alive because of him. The first question I'd ask him is why he is doing this."

Danny looks down. "I'm sorry. Forget I brought it up." He sits down at his desk.

Victor sat at his own desk as well. "Tell me, if the roles were reversed and Pulse saved someone you cared about, what would you do?"

Danny stares at him. He didn't have an answer.

•••

Freddie was in the makeshift dojo training eskrima with Pete. Freddie was wearing a black sleeveless undershirt and black baggy pants and Pete was shirtless paired with both dark army green cargo pants.

The two were clanging metallic rods rhythmically as Cassie and Millie sat on the floor and watched. Freddie reaches to strike but Pete avoids it effortlessly.

"Anchor the rear hand, Freddie," Pete told Freddie. "Come on."

"Okay," Freddie said as they both clack the batons at a similar rhythm until Pete reverses his attack and smacks Freddie across the face.

Freddie cries out in pain as Cassie and Millie quietly react to what had happened.

"Variable acceleration," Pete stated. "Most fighters work at the same pace. You switch it up, you throw your opponent off his game."

Freddie groans in pain as he rubs his face. "Ah. That was nice. Where'd you learn that?" Pete just grins, not saying anything. "You know, one of these days, you're gonna have to be straight with us about where you learned to fight like that."

"Absolutely." Pete simply said as they clanged the metal batons again until Pete ducks a strike from Freddie and clips his back leg to knock him down. "But not today."

Pete walks out of the dojo as Millie and Cassie go to check on Freddie. Freddie gets to his feet and limps a bit as he follows Pete out with the girls in tow.

The group heads into the tech hub where Gabe sat sifting through information. Freddie was limping a bit after the session.

"Those are some pretty sweet moves," Freddie said to Pete.

"You aren't too bad yourself, kid," Pete said. "I've just had more experience with combat."

"How much experience?" Gabe asked.

Pete looks back at Gabe. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Freddie rubs his mildly sore jaw as Cassie tosses him an ice pack. "Gabe, did you find anything on our burglar?"

Gabe grins confidently. "Quite a bit actually. Good thing Cassie gave me something to start off with."

"How did you figure out there was more to this cat burglar?" Millie asked.

"Because I read a newspaper. You know, those things people use to potty train their dogs." Cassie said with a sly grin on her face. "It started off in the tabloids. I looked at several of the articles and found this thief has been stealing precious stones with the same aesthetic."

Gabe pulls up photos of several gemstones that were stolen. A large emerald shaped like an eye, a tear-shaped sapphire, and finally a sparkling diamond.

"They're named after Egyptian deities. Eye of Horus. Tear of Isis. Jewel of Thoth. All taken in the scope of two months." Gabe stated.

"Why didn't these thefts catch any media attention?" Millie asked.

"Because these heists didn't happen daily. These jobs were spaced out." Gabe replied. "This is a pro we're up against."

"Maybe the police didn't want to draw out too much attention to this and provoke this thief or cause them to leave." Cassie retorts "Wouldn't be the first time the authorities hide stuff from the truth from the public."

"And you must believe in the man in the grassy knoll." Gabe quips which causes Millie to smack him in the back of his skull.

"Ow! Stop that!" Gabe explained, rubbing the back of his head.

"Make me." Millie sniped as the others snicker.

"Anyway… The next potential item is this." Gabe pulls up a photo of a huge pink diamond. "Heart of Anubis. It's currently on loan to an art gala in Greenwich. This is the only jewel left to complete the set."

"Holy Pink Panther." Cassie joked but only Pete caught the reference as the kids looked confused. "Before your time."

"Does this thief have any kind of calling card? Something that sets them apart?" Freddie asked.

Gabe nods as he uploads several crime scene photographs. "These are from several different precincts where the robberies took place."

The pictures were of the Egyptian symbol with the cat head next to it.

"Got to say, this thief has a theme going." Gabe retorts.

"What is it?" Freddie asked, staring at the photos.

"Bast. It's the goddess Bast." Cassie said simply. "Think we got a name."

"Didn't they say they stole from some businessman's penthouse?" Pete said.

"Yeah, Gregor O'Shannon. One of my dad's close friends." Gabe replied bitterly

"I know about him. This guy may act like some compassionate philanthropist but the guy is a total slum lord. Jacks up the prices of heating during the winter and forces people out when they can't pay. If they make it through the winter." Cassie said spitefully.

"Okay, so the guy's a total whazz-bucket but that still doesn't mean this thief gets to play Robin Hood," Freddie said. "They need to be stopped before it gets out of hand."

•••

Inside of O'Shannon's penthouse, an imposing man with gray hair in a well-tailored suit stood. He was fuming over what had happened.

"Heard you're having a tough day, O'Shannon?"

The man, Gregor O'Shannon, turns around and finds Alec Grayson standing a few feet behind him.

"Come to throw salt in the wounds?" O'Shannon asked spitefully.

"Figure you deserve it," Alec said. "He gave you those gems for safekeeping. Not to have them stolen by some thief in a costume."

"Heard your boss is having some issues with a costumed freak of his own." O'Shannon snidely retorts. "Shut down one of his minor operations."

Alec smiles. "He's got it handled. More importantly, how are YOU going to make up for this faux pas? Can't have this thief take what doesn't belong to him."

"Technically they don't belong to him either. Bought to those at a black market auction, correct?" O'Shannon replied.

Alec walks over to Gregor and roughly grabs him by the neck with his right hand. The security detail made their way to stop him but O'Shannon stopped them.

"Let's make one thing clear to you, you pathetic waste of Irish New Money, you don't call the shots!" Alec hissed. "The Maestro does. Nothing happens in this city without going through him knowing. He doesn't like being made a fool. Directly or indirectly."

O'Shannon quivers in fear. "What do you expect me to do?"

Alec smiles sinisterly as he lets go of him. "I don't care what you do. Just fix it or else I'll come back and it will be LESS cordial."

Alec backs away and starts leaving the compound.

"What do I do?" O'Shannon asked.

"Must I do your job for you?" Alec said without turning around. "Set a trap. Get back his property."

O'Shannon fearfully gulps as he watches Alec leave.

Unbeknownst to O'Shannon, Alec flashes a glimmer of remorse as he leaves the room.

•••

Night had fallen and Freddie was in his battle armor but had yet to put on the mask and goggles. Gabe was putting the finishing touches on his wrist gauntlet as Pete, Millie, and Cassie watched.

Pete looks over at Cassie but looks away which Cassie notices.

"Is something wrong?" Cassie asked.

"I don't think I should say anything. It's none of my business." Pete said.

Cassie smirks. "Out with it, Sawyer. No secrets in the House of Pain."

Pete sighs. "Who was that guy who came to your apartment today?"

Cassie seems stunned but so does Millie. "He's a friend."

"You have a lot of male friends, don't you?" Millie said. Cassie glares at her. "And that's my cue to stand next to the boys." Millie quickly walks closer to Freddie and Gabe.

"Just a friend?" Pete stated. "How come I've never met him?"

"Two reasons. One - I've only known you for almost a month. Two - I haven't seen him in fourteen years." Cassie stated. Pete stares at her dumbfounded. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"It's fine. I understand that I'm not an open book but I'd like to open to cracking it for a moment." Pete said.

Cassie smiles and leans back a bit. "Fair enough."

"There. All done." Gabe told Freddie, interrupting the moment.

Freddie looks at the gauntlet. "What's the new attachment this time?"

"I upgraded the energy storage system. Now you'll be able to absorb twice as much electrical energy." Gabe explained.

"Seriously, kid. Those gauntlets are becoming glorified Swiss Army knives." Cassie retorts.

Gabe makes a face as Freddie goes to grab his mask and goggles. "Got the address?"

"Yep. Think... Bast will show?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, what if she's going to take months before she tries to take this gem?" Millie asked.

"If I were a thief and there was an opportunity to get the trinket I needed, I'd jump at the chance," Cassie said.

Freddie puts on the mask and goggles and looks at the others "See you in a few hours." With swiftness, Freddie leaps out a window.

"He is really getting good at that," Gabe stated.

Millie lets out a worried sigh and Cassie places a comforting hand on her shoulder. Both share concerns for Freddie.

•••

In a large art gallery in Greenwich Village, there was a room filled with glass displays that had expensive pieces of artifacts. Including one with a large pink diamond, the Heart of Anubis.

From the roof, a sound is heard from the ventilation shaft. Suddenly, a compartment opens and the thief, Bast, leaps down with grace. She places two small devices near the wall, skulks around, and finds what she is looking for.

She pulls out an aerosol spray and sprays it around the display case. She finds no lasers or anything protecting it.

Bast chuckles at this. "They are making this too easy."

Bast pops her claws and cuts a hole in the glass large enough to place her hand inside. She pulls out the diamond from the display and places the diamond in a small bag on her belt.

"Doing a little shopping after hours?"

Bast quickly throws a bladed dart toward the voice and finds Pulse standing behind her, holding the dart in his hands.

"That wasn't very nice," Freddie said to the thief.

"It's not my job to be polite," Bast said bitterly.

"Yeah, it's to take things that don't belong to you," Freddie replied.

Both the physically and vocally disguised figures size each other up, circling around each other.

"I take it you're the infamous Pulse?" Bast said with feigned wonderment.

"And you're what? Some Catwoman wannabe?" Freddie joked.

"Says the guy who thinks he's Batman." Bast chided him.

"If I am copying anyone's style, it's the Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman," Freddie said. "Now you're going to put that diamond back and I might consider letting you walk away from this."

Bast giggles at the statement. "What are you going to do? Hurt me?"

"It doesn't have to end in violence, Bast," Freddie said which stunned Bast.

"How do you know my name?" Bast hissed.

"I do my homework." Freddie jokes.

Bast pulls out a collapsible shaft from her belt. She pushes a button and a beam of energy flows out that forms into a long electric whip.

[Soundtrack Note - 'Who's That Girl?' by Eve plays during this fight scene]

"You really should've left me alone, Pulsar," Bast said seductively while Pulse watched cautiously. "Now you're gonna wish you had."

She twirls the whip and catches Pulse's armored wrist. She pushes the button again and starts shocking Pulse with the electric whip.

Pulse groans in pain but starts absorbing the energy from the whip until the energy has dissipated.

Bast appears worried as Pulse's hands spark with electricity.

"My turn," Freddie said confidently.

Pulse fires a large stream of electrical energy at Bast's feet which she avoids with almost superhuman agility.

Bast charges at Pulse but as he lands on the ground, he shoves her back and throws her over his shoulders. Bast somersaults over which become standing flips.

The two masked individuals get to their feet and Bast laughs at this. "You got stamina. I like boys with stamina."

Bast charges at him again and they exchange swift and vicious blows. Pulse catches one of Bast's wild strikes and he pins her arms behind her.

"Got a lot of energy. Pent-up aggression." Bast gloated. "Not getting any from the girlfriend?"

The comment distracts Pulse as Bast breaks free from the hold, grabs his arm, knees him in the abdomen then kicks him in the head.

Pulse lands on his back and Bast jumps on top of him. She squeezes his shoulders and gets up to his face.

[Soundtrack Note - Song fades]

"You know, you're catnip to a girl like me," Bast told Pulse as she lightly inserts her claws into his shoulder and he groans in pain. "Handsome. Dazed... And to die for." With one hand, she caresses his face. "Maybe handsome... Let's find out."

Bast goes to take off his mask but Pulse grabs her by the wrist and zaps her. She quickly gets off him and leaps to her feet.

"Sorry, I don't share my secret with criminals." Freddie joked as he got to his feet.

"Last I heard, being a vigilante isn't very legal, now is it?" Bast said. "Wonder who they'll arrest first?"

Suddenly, a group of security guards burst into the room and find the masked pair standing in the room.

"Freeze! Don't move." One of the guards ordered as the four guards pointed their guns.

"We weren't planning on it, Chuckles." Bast snidely commented.

"Hands in the air... Slowly." The guard ordered.

Pulse puts his hands up nervously. Bast slowly raises her hand in a seductive manner. Using her fingers, she pushes a button on her gloves.

The two devices she had placed on the walls went off and there was a loud explosion which shattered every piece of glass in the room and knocked the guards and Pulse off their feet.

Pulse gets to his feet and watches Bast make her way out. "Stop!" He screams.

"Sorry, Sparky, but I got a quota to make." Bast said as she looked back at him "It was fun though. Let's do it again sometime."

She rushes off but Pulse is in hot pursuit.

The guards slowly get to their feet. The main guard speaks into a walkie talkie "She took the gem."

"Good. Now we can track her movements." O'Shannon's voice said on the other end.

"Think it'll work?" The guard asked as he took off his hat to reveal the guard was actually Frank Ulrich.

"It has to, for all our sakes," O'Shannon stated.

•••

Danny enters his apartment with a small bag in his hands, it was a large loft space that was barren with a scarce amount of furniture. He walks inside and closes the door.

His footsteps echo in the nearly empty loft. He walks over to a wall where there was a board filled with newspaper clippings and internet articles. All have one thing in common - Pulse.

He added a few more clippings and at the center of the board was a different hand drawing of 'the woman in black.'

Danny stares at the board pensively. He was going to figure out who Pulse really was and the key was the mysterious indestructible woman.

All of a sudden, Danny sees a figure in black running on the rooftop next to his apartment. He then sees another figure who he recognizes very well - Pulse.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me." He exclaimed.

Danny grabs his service weapon and heads out the door.

•••

Bast leaps from rooftop to rooftop as Pulse gives chase. She uses her clawed hands to climb up a wall. She reaches the top of another building, thinking she's lost her pursuer until she turns and finds Pulse standing behind her with his arms crossed over his chest.

Bast seems amused. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Not my style," Freddie replied. "Now hand over the stone or I'll have to take it from you."

"You're welcome to try, Sparky." Bast snarked.

"Don't call me that." Freddie snapped.

Suddenly, he's met with a spin kick to the face. Pulse staggers back and Bast tackles him off the roof. Both land on the hood of the car.

The car's security alarm blares as Pulse and Bast got off the nearly crushed windshield of the car.

Bast tries to run away but Pulse tackles her. He pins her arms down as she resists. "Oooo. You like playing rough, don't you?"

"Lady, just give me that gem," Freddie ordered.

Bast laughs which sent a chill down his spine "You have no idea what is going on do you? I'm not stealing the jewels."

"Could've fooled me," Freddie said in disbelief.

"I'm not!" Bast yelled. "I am giving-"

"Freeze!"

The two masked individuals get to their feet and find Danny Parker pointing his gun at Pulse but are quick to notice the masked female figure. "Great. Now there's two of you."

"No, sweet cheeks. There's only one of me." Bast said, popping her claws. She charges straight at Danny but a Pulse grabs her by the shoulders and hurls her down the street.

"Stay away from him." Freddie orders.

Bast gets to her feet. "Moments ago, he had a gun pointed at you. Next you save his life. You have battered wife syndrome, Sparky?"

Suddenly, she throws a flash bang on the ground which disorients Pulse and Danny. When everything was clear, Bast was nowhere in sight.

Danny looks at Pulse. "She does that better than you." Pulse wastes no time and starts to leave but Danny calls out to him. "Hey!" He points his gun at him again. "You're not going anywhere."

"If you're gonna shoot me, do it." Pulse slowly looks back at him. "Do you really want to shoot me?"

Danny thinks for a moment and lowers his gun. With that, Pulse limps off into the night.

•••

Freddie limps his way downstairs into the hideout as the gang looks concerned. "Starting to feel like this is becoming a pattern.

Millie rushes over to Freddie. "Are you okay?"

"Let's see, I got into a brawl with a literal cybernetic cat lady who stuck her razor-sharp claws into my shoulders. I chased her for almost five miles before she kicked me and we fell on the windshield of a car." Freddie explained as he removed his goggles and mask. "Also, I ran into Danny who was one trigger finger away from shooting me. And she still got away."

"It could've been worse," Millie said reassuringly which made the gang give her withering looks. "That didn't help, did it?"

Freddie manages a smile. "I appreciate the thought."

Millie places a hand on his shoulder which causes him to flinch. She pulls her hand away and is horrified to find it stained with his blood. "Oh god."

Cassie goes over to Freddie and sees the blood on Millie's hand. "Gabe, help me get the armor off." She said, reacting quickly.

Freddie sat on a chair as Gabe obliged and the two managed to get the armor off Freddie to reveal four deep scratches on both of his shoulders.

"Jeez it," Gabe said as Millie let out a gasp.

"Is it bad?" Freddie asked.

"Understatement, kiddo." Cassie breathed as Pete also got a look at the injuries.

"He's going to need a hospital," Pete stated grimly.

"How are we going to explain this? Say he fell on a pile of broken glass?" Gabe stated.

"Pete's right. I'm not sure I'll be able to sew these closed. Freddie's gonna need stitches." Millie replied.

"No, he won't," Cassie exclaimed which caused Gabe and Millie to become perplexed

Freddie looks back at Cassie with a pained grin. "It's okay. Think it's time to clue them in."

Cassie looks at Pete who also gives her a reassuring nod.

"Clue us in on what?" Gabe asked.

"What's going on?" Millie asked with a worried look on her face.

Cassie swallows hard. "I'll show you... but you gotta promise not to freak out."

That statement gave Millie and Gabe cause to be alarmed but they agree.

Cassie walks over to Freddie as the other three gave her space. She places her hand over Freddie's open and bloody scratches.

"What is she doing?" Millie asked.

"Just watch," Pete informed them in a whisper.

Millie and Gabe watch as Cassie's hands glow with a pale blue aura as she runs her hands over Freddie's injuries. The pair observe this in awe as Freddie's injuries close up and start to heal.

Cassie finished healing her nephew and took in a deep breath as she took a few steps back before becoming weak in the knees.

Pete rushes over to Cassie and catches her before she falls. "Easy. It's okay."

Cassie gives a weak smile as Freddie quickly gets off the chair and helps Pete put her in the seat he had been sitting in.

"Are you okay?" Freddie asked his aunt.

Cassie nods. "I think so."

Millie and Gabe were genuinely stunned. "What was that?"

Cassie, Freddie, and Pete stare at each other and Cassie sighs. "I heal. It's what I do."

"You have superpowers and you left us out of the loop?" Gabe asked with a laugh in his voice.

"I didn't know how you would react if I let you guys know," Cassie said.

"Um, our friend - your nephew is a superhero who shoots lightning out of his hands," Millie stated. "Pretty sure we could have handled you being some kind of healer."

"Well..." Cassie began but she couldn't come up with a valid point. "Yeah, did not think that through."

Gabe and Millie look over at Freddie and Millie spoke up. "How long have you known?"

Freddie sighed "Since the night I saved you from Dahl. I was in rough shape after the battle. Internal injuries. She saved my life."

"I'm going to state the obvious here, Mama Cass, but you are awesome," Gabe replied. A small smile forms on Cassie's face.

"Why did you nearly pass out after healing him?" Millie asked.

Cassie slowly gets up from the chair. "My powers are connected to my life force. If the injury is too severe, it takes a lot of me in order to heal. I only break it out when it's necessary."

"See, Mills, we still need a nurse on this team," Gabe said jokingly and Millie scowls at him.

There was an awkward silence until Freddie spoke up "Let's get back to business, I managed one thing from my attempt to catch Bast."

Freddie pulls out the bladed dart Bast had thrown at him and hands it to Gabe.

"I'll check the material. Maybe track where it came from." Gabe said taking the dart and using a scanning device. "Maybe tell us who purchased this thing."

"And with that, we find out who Bast really is," Pete said.

Gabe used the information scanned from the dart and found something. "It's made from a titanium alloy. No wonder she cut you with those claws."

"What do you mean?" Freddie asked.

"This particular blend of metal can pierce your armor," Gabe explained.

"I actually caught that dart before she threw it at me," Freddie told them. "Maybe her claws are made of the same alloy."

"Maybe," Gabe said.

"Luckily I was able to tag a tracer on her before she disappeared," Freddie replied.

"You gonna go after her?" Cassie asked.

"Not tonight. Tomorrow, give you time to patch up the armor." Freddie told Gabe.

"I can do that now. It'll only take five minutes." Gabe said as he grabbed the upper part of the suit. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Freddie thinks and realizes. "Jane."

"Jane? I thought you guys broke up?" Cassie asked.

"Benson used his down-to-earth charm and slight contrition to get a date with her," Gabe said.

"And I'm guessing going after Bast would hurt your chances," Millie said.

"Yeah," Freddie said somberly. "I have to stop Bast and get those gems back."

"How are you going to be in two places at once?" Gabe asked.

"I'll figure something out." Freddie frankly said.

Determination was written on Freddie's face but there was another emotion. Regret.

•••

At the art gallery which had now become a crime scene, Victor stood in the center of the room as the CSIs went to work.

Danny rushes to the scene where he finds his perturbed partner.

"You're late," Victor said.

"Sorry. Ran into a bit of trouble." Danny said out loud then whispers to Victor. "Had a run-in with our resident lightning bug."

"Pulse?" Victor asked incredulously.

"Saw him fighting some copycat in a high-tech catsuit," Danny explained.

Victor smirks "The same thief who stole from Gregor O'Shannon."

"More than likely," Danny said.

"Gentlemen." Nina Roberts said to catch their attention. "I pulled up the security footage from the robbery."

The two detectives walk over to the computer monitor and watch Bast break in.

"Is that her?" Victor asks quietly and Danny nods.

They watch as Pulse enters the scene. After a short exchange, Pulse and Bast fight. The detectives watch in awe as they fight.

"Girl had his number," Victor said.

"Seems like it." Danny said as they saw 'security' arrive. They watch Bast activate the explosives and make her getaway and Pulse chasing after her.

Victor stares at Danny "Still think Pulse is the thief?"

"No, but he's going about it the wrong way," Danny said. "Maybe he should be working alongside the authorities but that's just me."

Victor stares at Danny. He was trying to figure out if he meant that.

The footage continues as one of the security guards removes his hat to reveal Frank Ulrich.

"Question, why is O'Shannon's head of security doing working security at an art gallery?" Victor asked.

"I think O'Shannon tried to get his property back personally," Danny replied.

"Then why put your valuables at risk to find the thief?" Victor stated the obvious.

"Maybe this isn't all it seems." Danny estimated.

•••

The next morning, Freddie, Gabe, and Millie made their way down the quad and saw Lucy handing out fliers to people.

Gabe walks towards her and kisses her on the lips. "Hey." He breathes once he parts from her lips.

"Well, aren't you feeling extra playful today?" Lucy said with a laugh.

"I'm trying a new way to say hello but only for special individuals." Gabe jokes.

"Good, 'cause it would be weird if you said 'hello' like that to Freddie." Lucy quips.

The boys laugh nervously as Millie quickly diverts the conversation to the fliers. "What's that?"

Lucy hands them each a flier. "There's gonna be an off-campus black light party tonight at eight. A friend of mine is the DJ and wants me to put the word out there."

"Black light?" Millie asked.

"It's the latest club craze. Beats a foam party by a mile." Lucy said.

"I like foam," Millie said in a slightly defeated tone.

"This DJ friend of yours, does he have a name?" Gabe asked which surprised Millie with the twinge of jealousy.

"Yes... she does," Lucy said smiling. "Phoebe Rutgers. Her DJ name is Phoe-Rut."

"Huh? Clever." Freddie replied with a shrug.

"She thinks so," Lucy said with a smile. "She asked me if I could hand out flyers to invite everybody on campus."

Freddie reads the flier. "Five bucks per person? Seems pretty cheap."

"You kidding, her parties usually have at least close to two hundred and fifty people," Lucy replied. "Times that by five, you'd get-"

"1,250 bucks," Freddie said.

"Exactly, she makes a killing at these parties. Especially when they're larger venues." Lucy said. "You guys gonna come?"

"I know I'm going," Gabe said as he put her arm around Lucy. "Have to make sure Phoe-Rut doesn't pull a Samantha Rosen and steal my girl."

Lucy raises an eyebrow. "Do I look like Lindsay Lohan?"

Millie spoke up. "I don't know. We might be-"

"I'm game," Freddie stated, which confused Gabe and Millie. "Can I bring a friend?"

"The more the merrier," Lucy said. She kisses Gabe on the cheek. "See you tonight. Bye."

She walks off and continues handing out flyers to other students.

Freddie continues walking down the quad and his friends follow him.

"Okay, are you trying to stretch yourself thin?" Gabe asked.

"As much as this pains me to admit, Gabe is right," Millie remarked, which made Gabe scoff. "You have to meet Jane and get those gems back from Bast. Now you're adding a black light rave to the to-do list?"

"Who says I'm adding?" Freddie asked with a smile.

"Wait, I'm confused," Gabe said.

Freddie sees Jane across the quad. "Just watch." He runs towards Jane. "Jane, hey."

"Oh, hey," Jane said as she checked her Pearphone. "You are twelve hours early for our date. I am confused and kinda glad-"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something," Freddie said.

Jane frowns. "Are you going to bail? See, this is why we broke up in the first place."

"No, it's not that. I actually wanted to propose a change of venue." Freddie said.

Jane stares at him. "What do you mean?"

"You heard about this black light party, right?" Freddie asked. Jane simply holds up a flyer that was in her right hand. "So you have."

"I did and I want to go… but I thought that since we had our 'date'... Why? Do you want to go?" Jane asked. "Thought you wanted to talk?"

"We can talk between dances," Freddie said and Jane stared at him. "It was a stupid idea, I know-"

"Actually, I think it's a great idea," Jane said with a smile.

"Great. Awesome." Freddie said relieved.

Jane gives him a peck on the cheek as she starts to walk away. "I'll meet you there."

She walks off down the quad as Gabe and Millie went over to him.

"Dude, what was that?" Gave asked.

"I just pulled off how I'm gonna be in two places at once," Freddie stated.

"What do you mean?" Millie asked.

"I'm gonna take Jane to the party, we'll talk, use the crowd to slip out when she doesn't notice, and stop Bast," Freddie said.

Gabe smirks and pats Freddie on the shoulder. "And they say that I'm a genius. Quick thinking, Benson."

"You really think it'll be that easy?" Millie asked.

"Only if I have some help," Freddie said as he looked at his friends.

"We'll be running interference?" Millie asked.

"Basically," Freddie said.

"I've heard worse ideas…" Gabe began then said. "Then again, I read One More Day…"

Freddie slaps Gabe across the chest as they walk off.

The gang heads off as Jane watches them leave from afar. She has a look of regret on her face.

•••

At the precinct, Victor and Danny look through several files. "O'Shannon's hired goons have rap sheets a mile long," Danny said.

"Why would someone as respectable as Gregor O'Shannon hire glorified thugs to run his security?" Victor asked.

"Maybe he can get them to do his dirty work without a moment's pause," Danny said.

"Frank Ulrich is an ex-con. Got out after doing ten years for three counts of manslaughter." Victor said, "Got time off for good behavior."

"So O'Shannon gets these convicts to work for him and take care of his business so as not to get his hands dirty," Danny said. "Makes me wonder whether or not this thief was in the wrong?"

Victor scoffs. "You'll blame Pulse but give this thief the benefit of the doubt?"

"I pointed my gun at him," Danny told Victor which surprised his partner. "Last night when I ran into him and the thief, I had my gun pointed at Pulse. I could've shot him... but I didn't. What does that mean?"

"Means you're as screwed up as I am," Victor said.

"With all honesty, Vic, I can't tell what's what anymore," Danny said.

"Join the club," Victor said.

"Vic, if you see something in this guy… I will do my best to check my foresight a bit harder." Danny said.

Victor nods. "Couldn't hurt."

Danny looks down as they look at the files.

•••

At her apartment, Cassie is modeling an attractive thigh-length black mini dress paired with matching high heels for Millie, Gabe, and Freddie. She turns in a circle to show off the dress.

"I might like it more than the others," Freddie stated. "Spin again."

Cassie turns around again.

"I'm not sure," Gabe asked. "Once more, please."

Cassie turns.

Millie spoke up. "Now the other way."

Cassie starts to turn the other way, then stops. She scowls at them. "You're messing with me."

Millie giggles at this as the boys just snicker.

"Just wanted to see how many times you'd do it." Freddie told her.

"Was that five or four-and-a-half?" Millie asked the boys.

"So is anyone going to talk about the dress?" Cassie asked.

"I like it," Millie said sweetly.

"Me too," Freddie replied.

"You sure? It's not too, you know, aunt-ish?" Cassie asked, looking down at the dress.

"Oh. That was why I liked it." Millie said while Freddie nodded, both of them embarrassed.

"You guys are crazy! It's not aunt-ish at all! It's sexy!" Gabe said. "It screams randy-sex-kitten-buy-me-one-drink-and-I'll..." He has thought as he stares at Cassie wide-eyed. "Wait... that's not good either."

Freddie and Millie shake their heads in agreement.

"I'm so glad you three agreed to help," Cassie said sarcastically as she started getting flustered. "What time is it?

Freddie checks his Pearphone. "Four-twenty-three. You have lots of time 'til seven. So tell us all about this Alec guy and what his intentions are."

"Maybe he's a gigolo. Was his shirt all shiny?" Gabe asked jokingly which made Millie grin.

"No, he's working as a legal consultant for some big-shot media mogul," Cassie told them. "A nice, normal guy."

"I've heard of those." Millie said. "So, where'd you meet him?"

"Alec is actually a childhood friend of mine. He was my partner in crime... So to speak. Haven't seen him in a long time." Cassie replied. "Yesterday, he just showed up at my door out of the blue. We talked and asked me to go to dinner so we could catch up."

"That is kind of sweet," Millie said.

Freddie clears his throat. "What's the plan for tonight?"

"He's taking me to some high-end sushi restaurant on the Upper East Side," Cassie told him. "He's obviously paying."

"Why? You don't believe in going Dutch?" Gabe asked.

"Not when the place is fifty bucks per person. I'm not paying fifty bucks for raw fish, thank you." Cassie quips. "I'm just hoping I won't end up leading him on."

"What do you mean?" Freddie asked with his arms crossed.

"Alec's a nice guy but he was like a brother to me. I don't want to hurt him if he doesn't get what he wants." Cassie said. "We'd always been friends but Alec and I have a lot of history between us."

"And you want to spare his feelings?" Millie said. "If that's the case, maybe you should bail. You obviously just want to be friends."

"Yes, because that's what every man wants to hear. 'Just friends' is the equivalent of a kiss-off." Gabe said sarcastically "Think Cassie should take advice from someone who's had more than one boyfriend."

"Better than advice from the serial dater," Millie said and Gabe stuck out his tongue.

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty." Cassie said to Millie and Gabe as she looked at Freddie "What's your opinion, Freddie? Should I go out with Alec or just tell him I only want to be friends?"

Freddie puts up his hands defensively. "Oh no, Love-Doctor Freddie is not in. I'm not qualified to give dating advice. I've had exactly two REAL girlfriends and both of them decided it wasn't going to work."

"Kiddo, you've just had some bad luck," Cassie assured him. "You just need to think positively."

"You're going to that black light party with Jane tonight," Millie said, sounding hopeful. "Maybe you two will make up over strobe lights before you have to catch Bast?"

"Or maybe Alec has a younger sister and you and Cassie can go on some unspeakably awkward double dates," Gabe said.

"Oh God- Alec." Cassie breathed. "What time is it now?"

Freddie checks his phone again. "Four twenty-four."

"You're sure this dress is okay?" Cassie asked the three.

Millie spoke up. "Spin again. Real fast this time."

Cassie tilts her head to the side. Only mildly amused.

•••

Gregor O'Shannon was at a high-rise apartment, drinking scotch from a glass as Frank Ulrich came in.

"Have you found her?" O'Shannon asked.

"We traced the diamond to a warehouse in the industrial district. We'll grab her as soon as night falls." Ulrich stated.

"Good," O'Shannon said. Ulrich begins to leave but is stopped by Gregor's voice. "Mr. Ulrich, if you don't get those gems, don't bother coming back."

Ulrich seems worried and he makes his way out.

Gregor takes another swig of his scotch. He email grimaces at the taste of the hard liquor, something was off about it.

•••

Outside of a warehouse, lights shine and music blares from inside as Freddie, Gabe, and Millie stand in the front of a long line leading into the warehouse. Freddie wore a black button-up shirt, dark jeans, and black Chuck Taylors, Gabe wore a tight white T-shirt and faded jeans with black boots, Millie wore a long-sleeved pink top and a jean skirt with cowboy boots and Jane wore a black leather jacket over a white sleeveless top with tight black pants and knee high leather boots.

"Man, Phoe-Rut is gonna make a killing. The place is gonna be packed." Millie said.

"Heard they had to call the fire department because of over capacity last time," Jane said.

Freddie looks at Jane, grinning. "Didn't know you were a fan?"

"Yeah, she blares that music loud. It's an experience." Jane said.

"Making it sound like a religious experience." Gabe joked and Millie elbows him.

They get to the entrance, pay the front fee and the four enter the warehouse.

[Soundtrack Note - 'A Light That Never Comes' by Linkin Park & Steve Aoki blares through the speakers]

A large mass of young people dance to the rhythm of the song. A few people were half naked, with elaborate designs painted on their bodies with translucent paint.

Freddie, Jane, Gabe, and Millie enter the warehouse as they try to avoid bumping into people.

"Wow, this is. Wow." Freddie was speechless.

"I think the word you're looking for is intense," Millie shouted over the music.

"Yeah, intense," Freddie said, agreeing with her.

Gabe looks around and finds Lucy who was dancing with a group of people. "Found my girl."

Lucy sees Gabe, runs over to him, and jumps into his arms. "Hi."

"Hey," Gabe said caught off guard. "Give a guy a bit of warning, Luce."

Lucy goes to get off him as she sees Millie and Freddie.

"Hey, guys." Lucy breathed.

"Hey," Millie said nervously.

"Killer party," Freddie said.

"You wanna dance?" Lucy asked Gabe and he looks back at his friends.

Freddie motions for him to go with Lucy. "Go ahead."

"Have a good time," Millie said.

Lucy pulls Gabe into the dance floor and they began to dance.

Millie looks over at Freddie and Jane who stood there awkwardly. "I'm gonna find some water."

She leaves and Freddie and Jane stare at each other. Freddie reaches out for her hand which she takes. Jane pulls him into the dance and they begin to dance.

Millie stands by a pillar and watches her guy friends dance with their dates. She felt a bit alone.

"Having fun?"

Millie looks to her left and sees a lanky young man with short dark hair standing next to her. He wore a short-sleeved black T-shirt with faded blue jeans and black and white Converse sneakers. She sees he has toned biceps and muscle definition on his chest. It was the young man that saved Freddie from getting hit by a car.

"Not really." Millie simply said.

The guy smiles. "I appreciate the honesty. It's refreshing."

Millie rolls her eyes and stares at him sideways. "Look, one of my close guy friends is a smooth talker so I've heard every bad pickup line."

"Good to know, because I have zero pick-up lines up my sleeves." The guy said, shrugging his shoulders. A big smile forms on her face. "I knew I could make you smile."

Millie shakes her head. "Do you have a name or can I call you 'Guy'?"

The guy smiles. "It's Leopold but everybody calls me Leo."

"Leopold? Haven't heard that one in… well, ever." Millie said.

"Pretty lame, right?" Leo said.

"My name is Millicent so I have no right to judge," Millie said and Leo grins. "My friends call me Millie."

"Millie? Sweet and to the point." Leo said smiling.

"You are flirting hard, aren't you?" Millie stated.

"You must be used to it. You must be having to keep guys back with a stick." Leo replied.

Millie sighs. "Not really."

"Well, it's their loss," Leo said.

"Do you dance?" Millie asked, trying too hard to hide her blushing face.

"Yeah... like a wounded chicken," Leo said which made Millie snicker. "Seriously, no rhythm."

"You just have to follow the beat," Millie said. "And the right partner."

Leo raises an eyebrow and Millie pulls him to the dance floor. He first struggles but she grabs his hands and they bop around to the music. The pair were laughing at their attempts at dancing. "We suck."

"Yeah, but who cares," Millie said to him. "We're having fun."

Leo smiles at her.

Gabe was dancing with Lucy and he saw Millie dancing with Leo. He sighs somberly but continues enjoying himself with Lucy.

[Soundtrack Note - the track switched to 'Cayendo' by Deorro]

Freddie and Jane dance but Freddie was a little stiff which Jane notices. She grabs his arm and places it on her hip. He looks into her eyes and she sways her hips to the beat.

"You okay?" Jane asked.

"Yeah," Freddie said nervously. "Totally fine."

Jane smiles a bit as she leans against his neck and nibbles on his neck. However, when she pulls back, Freddie sees Dream Sam who was wearing the same clothes she wore when she went with him to his meeting with 'The Training Bros'.

"This doesn't seem right, does it?" Dream Sam said.

Freddie becomes flustered as he sees it's Jane again. "Um, you hot?"

"You all right?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, It's- Getting a little hard to breathe." He walks off the dance floor leaving Jane confused. She receives a text message and looks back and forth at Freddie.

Freddie stood off to the side next to the pillar Millie was standing next to a while ago. He tries to catch his breath when his phone beeps and it shows him that the tracking tracer was on the move, meaning Bast was on the move.

Freddie runs out to a back exit and sees Pete sitting inside Black Beauty in the alley. He runs up to the car. "Dude, need my suit."

"In the back," Pete said as Freddie jumped into the back seat. Pete covers his peripheral vision as Freddie gets into his suit. "This is a lot more than I wanted to see."

"Then don't look," Freddie said as he struggled to get into his suit.

•••

[Soundtrack Note - 'All Night' by Icona Pop is playing]

Gabe walks through the dancing crowd and over Millie who was still dancing with Leo. "You see Freddie?"

Millie looks around. "No. No sign of Jane either."

"They probably went somewhere quiet to talk," Millie said.

"Maybe. Or that other thing?" Gabe said.

Millie smacks him in the arm. "Get your mind out of the gutter and go back to your date. I'm sure everything is fine."

Gabe shakes his head and he goes back to Lucy.

•••

Pulse was now at the top of a roof, overlooking another warehouse and he watched as Bast crawled in through a window.

All of a sudden, a large black SUV speeds into the scene and slams into the front door of the warehouse.

"And here I thought it was going to be simple," Freddie said.

Pulse jumps down from the roof and rushes towards the warehouse.

Ulrich and five of his men exit from the vehicle and confront Bast.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty." Ulrich snidely replied.

"Can I help you boys with something?" Bast said, trying to remain composed.

"You took something from Mr O'Shannon. He'd like them back." Ulrich said.

"They don't belong to him either," Bast stated. "How did you know I'd be here anyway?"

"That pink diamond you took, we stuck a tiny tracer on it. You were going to lead us straight to those jewels." Ulrich said.

"You guys stuck a tracer on her too?"

The goons and Bast turn to see Pulse behind them.

"Here I thought I was being clever." Freddie joked.

"This doesn't concern you, Sparkles," Ulrich said.

"It does when a group of guys gang up on a woman." Freddie said "I don't care if she can take care of herself or what she's done. It's not right."

Bast watches as Ulrich and his boys focus on Pulse. She throws two razor-sharp darts at three of Ulrich's men, hitting them in the shoulder.

"Get her!" Ulrich ordered as Bast made her getaway. The men fired their guns at her.

Pulse takes out the lights with a surge of electricity and causes them to lose her. He goes after Bast as the men start firing at him.

•••

Back at the precinct, Danny and Victor begin to leave but are stopped by a uniformed officer.

"Shots fired near the industrial district." The officer said "Reports of two people in costumes leaping out of windows being shot at. Sounds like something up your alley.

Victor and Danny stare at each other. "Here, I thought my night was going to be boring," Danny said.

"Come on," Victor said as they rush out of the precinct.

•••

Cassie and Alec sat in the Lotus Blossom, a Sushi restaurant. It was nicely decorated and filled with well-dressed patrons also having dinner. Cassie was wearing the dress she modeled for the gang and her blond hair was pulled back in a half-tail and was in soft curls. Alec was in a black suit without a tie and his hair slicked back.

The waiter brought out a large plate of dinner varieties of sushi and a bottle of sake with two porcelain cups.

"Enjoy." The waiter said and left their table to attend to other patrons.

Cassie giggles a bit as she grabs a pair of chopsticks "Wow, you're really going all out, Al."

"I know but it's not every day that I get to have dinner with my best friend that I haven't seen in years." Alec replied. "Thought I'd go a bit overboard."

"This a bit overboard.." She replied, grabbing a piece of yellowtail and eating it.

Alec looks a bit embarrassed. "Guess I deserved that."

"It isn't a bad thing." She said as she finished the piece of sushi. "Look, you know that I understand what you went through. Your dad abandoned you and your mom was… well, your mom." Alec snickers at her remark. "You had it rough. The thing is, so did I. A phone call would've been nice. An email?"

"I'm not exactly tech-savvy. I don't even have a Twitter account." Alec said in a joking manner.

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Wow, in that case, you must be shunned from society." Alec laughs at the joke until Cassie becomes more somber. "You were my best friend. One of the few people I counted on. I trusted you with all my secrets."

"I know." He takes her hand. "And you can still trust me."

Cassie smiles and looks into his sad blue eyes. "You know I can't say no to that face."

"Well, in that case, this calls for a toast," Alec said as he poured the sake into the cups. "To 'starting over'."

Cassie rolls her eyes and takes the glass. "To 'starting over'."

The two clink their glasses when suddenly both Cassie and Alec's cell phones ring. They both look at each other embarrassed.

"Wow, that couldn't have been timed more perfectly." Cassie joked as they both looked at their caller ID. "It's my nephew. I have to take this."

"Yeah, ditto. It's my client." Alec said and they both get up to leave but Cassie stops him.

"No. You stay. The last thing we need to do is 'dine & dash' in this place." Cassie replied with a laugh as she got up from the table.

Once Cassie is out of sight, Alec answers his phone. "This had better be important."

"We found that cat freak but she ran off and went into some warehouse," Ulrich informs him.

"And what's the problem? Go in there and get back the gems." Alec said bitterly.

"There's a rave going on. A bunch of kids are in there." Ulrich informed them.

"I don't care what you do! Go in there, blend in but do what's necessary to get her out." Alec said, sounding frustrated. "But be mindful of collateral damage. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," Ulrich said and hung up.

•••

Cassie steps into the bathroom as another woman steps out. "Freddie, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I found Bast but these large Mafioso-looking guys found her first. I think they were O'Shannon's goons. They tried to shoot her but I helped her stop them." Freddie told his aunt. "She took off with the gems but those guys weren't far behind. They chased her to the rave."

"Oh god." Cassie gasped "Need some backup?"

"Possibly. Someone to help get the others and the rest of the people at the rave out of there." Freddie said.

"All right. I'm on my way." Cassie said, hanging up. "Alec, please don't hate me."

•••

Cassie walks back to the table where Alec was waiting for her. "Hey, how's your nephew?"

"I'm really sorry but I need to cut this date short," Cassie said sadly. Her face was marred with worry.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked with genuine concern.

"It's my nephew. He and his friends went to this warehouse rave. He told me something bad was going down." Cassie said.

"That's awful." Alec said, guilt washing over him. He sent danger to Cassie's nephew's direction and he hated himself for doing so. "Do you need a ride?"

"You don't mind?" Cassie asked.

Alec grins, masking his panic. "What are friends for?"

•••

Cassie sat nervously in Alec's car as he drove them toward the location. She looked around at the street signs to make sure they were going the right way. "Are we going the right way?" she asked.

"Sand, I lived here for most of my life. Think I'm going to forget where everything is?" Alec said.

"Sorry, just- just a little antsy. Hope I'm not too late." Cassie stated.

"Why is your nephew at this rave?" Alec asked, a bit confused.

"Because he is a college student and he is having a good time. You do remember college, don't you?"

"Yes but why are you acting like you went to college?" Alec teased.

"Because the world taught me more than college ever could." Cassie retorts.

Alec swallows hard and clears his throat. "I will accept that as an answer and move on."

Cassie spots something in front of them and yells. "Pull over!"

Alec activates the brakes suddenly and glares at her. "Little warning, Sand. I just got my brakes fixed." Cassie and Alec exit his car a block away from the warehouse. "Sure this is it?"

"This is the address he gave me," Cassie told him.

Just then, another car pulls up. It was Danny's blue Mustang and he and Victor got out. Danny was confused by Cassie being there. "Why is it when there's trouble, you're nearby?" Danny asked.

"What can I say, I'm trouble adjacent," Cassie said. She goes to introduce Alec to the detectives. "Guys, this is Alec Grayson. He's-"

"We've already met," Victor said as he looked at Alec. "Counselor."

"Detective," Alec said, mildly dismissive.

"What are you guys doing here?" Danny asked.

"Freddie called me. Said there might be some trouble." Cassie said, "What are you doing here?"

"Official police business," Danny told her which made her scowl at him.

Suddenly, several gunshots are in the distance. Without hesitation, Cassie takes off running.

"Cassie, wait!" Victor called off but she was gone.

Danny was aghast. "How does she run in those heels?"

"Years of practice." Alec simply said.

"Danny, go after her. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. I'll stay here and call for backup." Victor told him.

Danny takes off towards Cassie's direction and Alec follows Danny while Victor calls for backup.

"Grayson, stop!" Victor called but Alec was gone as well. "I am too old for this." He goes after the trio.

•••

Bast was walking through the crowded party, blending in with the crowd. Suddenly, someone grabs her arm and she sees it was Ulrich.

Without a moment's pause, Bast twists his arm and kicks him in the face. She goes to run off only to find herself surrounded by Ulrich's men that came through the crowd.

"Party's over," Ulrich said in a vicious manner.

Without warning, someone jumps down from the rafters and lands on two of the men. The figure gets up as the partygoers react to the scene.

The figure was Pulse who got up from the floor. "Think the party's just getting started."

[Soundtrack Note: "Beast" by Chris Classic starts blasting on the sound system]

The scene soon becomes chaotic as the partygoers start making their way to the four exits. Gabe, Lucy, Leo, and Millie were the scarce partygoers left inside the building.

One of Ulrich's men pulls out his gun and grabs a fleeing female raver, puts her in a headlock, and points it at her head. "All right, no one leaves until the Cat Lady gives us the gems."

Bast viciously smacks him in the back of the head, causing him to let go of the raver. She pulls him forward and pops her claws and slashes his face in a specific manner. "Tic-Tac-Toe!" On 'Toe' she punches him hard in the face.

Pulse and Bast get back to back as Ulrich and his remaining goons surround him.

"You sure know how to show a girl a good time." Bast joke in a playful manner with Pulse.

"Believe me, I don't like this any more than you do," Freddie told the thief. "I had a date."

"Don't worry, Sparky. I'm much better company." Bast said seductively.

The costumed couple attacks the goons with their own styles. Pulse with fast strikes and kicks while Bast did several acrobatic flips, rolls, and kicks. Both were quickly and efficiently taking them down.

Just then, Cassie bursts into the warehouse with Danny and Alec in tow. Danny grabs her by the arm. "You got some kind of death wish?"

Cassie looks at him with a glare at his grasp. "Do you?"

Danny quickly pulls away his arm as they see Pulse and Bast fight Ulrich and his goons.

"What is this? Comic-Con?" Alec asked, staring at the costumed pair.

"I don't think those guns are fake," Danny said, pulling out his service weapon.

Cassie sees one of the men slowly try to get to his feet. She strides over to him and simply punches him hard in the face, knocking the man out cold. "And… stay down." She looks back at Danny and Alec who stare at her with varying levels of surprise. She simply shrugs, saying "He started it."

Alec smiles a knowing smile.

A shot rang out and everyone looked around and turned to see what caused the noise.

[Soundtrack Note: Song fades out due to Ulrich's actions]

Pulse and Bast had finished dispatching the goons but turned to face Ulrich where they see he had grabbed Millie and was pointing a gun at her head.

"Nobody moves, or I blow a hole in the pretty girl's head," Ulrich said and Millie looked both terrified and mildly annoyed.

"Let the girl go," Freddie ordered.

"Freeze! Police!" Danny called out, making his presence felt.

Ulrich didn't put down his gun. "Not until the kitty cat gives me back the rocks she stole."

Unbeknownst to everyone, Cassie sees a long metal rod leaning against a wall. She sees Leo giving her a strange, almost knowing expression but quickly ignores it and slowly walks over to it and takes the pole. She tests the balance of the pole by twirling it.

[Soundtrack Note: "Battle Royale" by Apashe featuring Panther starts to play from the sound system]

Pulse looks around the room and sees a mirrored surface behind Ulrich. His hands spark with energy.

"What are you gonna do? Shock me with the innocent bystander as my human shield?" Ulrich asked as Millie whimpered. "WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?!"

Pulse releases a small ball of lightning towards the surface which bounces off and shoots the gun out of his hands which lands near Alec's feet. Millie manages to get free and runs towards Danny.

"Well… that," Freddie replied, dripping with sarcasm.

Ulrich groggily gets to his feet and suddenly charges at Pulse and they two exchange blows. Ulrich tries using boxing moves to hit Pulse who effortlessly avoids them until he ducks the last punch and unleashes a swift spin kick.

Ulrich stumbles back and is astounded. "What the hell was that?"

"Variable acceleration." Freddie simply said.

Ulrich goes to attack Pulse but a metal pole smacks him in the back of the head. He turns to see Cassie holding the metal pole and twirling it like a pro.

"The hell you want, bitch?" Ulrich asked, his head ringing.

"Uh oh," Alec muttered which Danny heard.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, genuinely interested as well as confused.

Cassie scoffs at the disrespect and cracks him across the jaw, knocking him back. "I really don't like that word."

Ulrich goes to attack her but Cassie quickly strikes each of his weak points with the pole. He recovers and punches her hard in the stomach and shoves her to the ground, causing her to lose her makeshift weapon as well as her high heels. Cassie looks up at him and spits from her mouth. A trace of blood in the spit.

Everyone in the room is flabbergasted by this, especially Danny.

Ulrich hobbles back and goes to grab his gun but ends up with a bullet in his palm. Ulrich screams in pain and sees Danny has shot him.

Bast uses the scuffle to make a quick exit which Pulse sees and he follows after her without her knowing.

Before Ulrich could retaliate, Cassie swiftly gets to her feet and rushes towards Ulrich. Letting out a battle cry, Cassie acrobatically jumps up and grabs his neck with her legs. Using momentum, Cassie head scissors Ulrich to the ground.

Cassie rolls to the side to get back to her feet, standing a few feet away from Ulrich's downed form. She sees the pole she dropped and grabs it, slowly making her way over to the man.

Gabe and Millie are impressed by Cassie's display, not surprised though. Lucy's mouth is agape at the scene and Leo stands there in awe. Alec smirks at this, knowing full well she was more than capable of this.

Ulrich groans as he looks up to find Cassie looking down at him. "B-Bitch, you know you didn't have me." He manages to cough out.

Danny and Alec tilt their heads sideways as Cassie shakes her head and whacks him with the pole. The actions serve to finally put him down for the count.

Cassie stares at the unconscious Ulrich. "Told him I didn't like that word."

[Soundtrack Note: Song ends and the place is now in silence]

Danny walks over to her. "You okay?"

Cassie nods and coughs a bit "I've been worse."

Before he could say anything else, Danny is the first to notice Pulse and Bast were gone. "Where'd they go?"

Cassie looks back at Gabe and Millie then at Alec. Everyone seems genuinely interested in where the masked individuals went.

•••

Meanwhile, Bast ran to the rooftop to make her escape.

"Bast, wait!"

Bast looks back and sees Pulse standing on the roof a few feet behind her. She pops her claws and begins to slowly walk towards him. "This the part where you try to bust me? Because I don't think you have any more left in you for another round." The cat burglar retorts.

"As you said, I have stamina," Freddie replied. "I'm not looking for a fight."

"Then what do you want?" Bast asked, still not trusting the masked vigilante.

"I want to know one thing," Freddie stated.

"If it's who I am, you can forget it," Bast told him.

"No. If I were to ask for that, it would be only fair to tell you who I am and that is need-to-know information." Freddie said.

Bast groans then puts her claws away. "Fine, what do you want to know?"

"Why did you steal those gems?" Freddie simply asked.

Bast sighs "I got my reasons. You wouldn't understand."

"Enlighten me," Freddie said.

"These gems were stolen by a terrorist militia who sold them on the black market. I'm being paid by the rightful owners to return them." Bast explained.

"Who do they belong to?" Freddie asked.

"I'm not allowed to relay that information," Bast told him. "Let's just say that they're the lesser of two evils."

"So, you're doing it out of the kindness of your own heart?" Freddie asked.

"Of course not. They pay me an absurd amount of money." Bast said while playfully cocking her head back. "Girl's gotta eat." She extends her arm and a grappling hook launches from her hand, attaching itself to another roof. "It's been fun, Sparky. Let's do it again sometime."

Before Pulse could stop her, Bast swings to the other roof. She looks back at Pulse and blows him a kiss.

"Yeah, 'cause I don't have enough girl problems," Freddie said.

•••

Cassie, Gabe, Millie, Leo, and Lucy stand outside the warehouse which was full of emergency vehicles.

Victor and Danny finish questioning the last of the partygoers. Victor looks at Millie who was upset by her encounter with Ulrich. He walks over to his daughter who runs into his arms and hugs him tightly.

Danny walks over to Cassie. "What did you say, trouble adjacent?"

"Pretty much," Cassie said smiling.

"Do I want to know how you were able to do that?" Danny asked, wanting an explanation for her fighting skills.

Cassie shrugs. "Would you believe me if I said I was trained by Shaolin monks?"

Danny scoffs. "That a serious answer?"

Cassie winks at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Where's your date?" Danny asked, noticing Alec was nowhere to be seen. "Did he decide you were too much for him?"

"First of all, Alec's a friend. Secondly, no. He had to take care of one of his clients." Cassie explained. "And thirdly..." She punches him in the arm.

"Ow. What was that for?" Danny asked, rubbing his arm

"For being you." Cassie quips which makes Danny laugh but wince in pain. She looks over his shoulder and finds Freddie, in his civilian attire, coming towards them. "Freddie!" She runs over and hugs him.

"What happened? Everyone started running out of the warehouse and I got caught in the crowd." Freddie explained.

"Pulse made another appearance along with some thief in a catsuit," Gabe told him. "That and Cassie joined in the melee and completely kicked ass."

"Dang, I miss everything," Freddie said, effortlessly feigning disappointment.

"Hey, I'm glad you weren't in there," Cassie said, trying her best to keep up the charade.

"Yeah, I kinda overreacted by calling you. Sorry for interrupting your date." Freddie apologized.

"Don't be silly. I'm sure Alec won't be too disappointed." Cassie stated. "Besides, I would've dropped everything again if I knew you were in some kind of danger. And I certainly wouldn't have hesitated in fighting an army to make sure you guys were safe."

"Wait, how were you able to avoid this disaster?" Danny asked.

"I was outside already calling in to check back with Cassie when I heard the commotion inside," Freddie explained, doing his best to keep everything straight.

"I heard the noise in the background and I decided I needed to get down here," Cassie said, making the story stick.

Danny stares at him perplexed as Victor pulls away from Millie.

"We gotta go back to the station and interview Ulrich," Victor told Danny.

"Tell him I said 'Hi'," Cassie replied.

"If the creep can remember his name after what you did to him," Millie spoke up.

Danny looks back at Cassie as the detectives get into Danny's car and drive away.

Leo walks over to Millie and checks on her. "You okay?" Leo asked her.

"Yeah, just freaked," Millie said, still a bit shaken up.

"That happens a lot?" Leo asked, curious to know everything.

"More often than you'd think," Millie said.

"Good," Leo said, smiling.

"Good?" Millie asked, a bit confused.

"Means you're not boring. You're dangerous." Leo said as he handed her a slip of paper.

"What's this?" Millie asked.

"My not-so-subtle way of giving you my number," Leo told her. "Call me later. Maybe you can tell me about your other hostage ordeals"

Millie smiles. "I will do that."

Leo looks back at Freddie, the two seem to recognize each other as Leo walks off into the night.

"Wow, he has more game than you, Lover Boy." Cassie teased Gabe.

Gabe glares at her and then looks back at the departing Leo but his focus turns to Lucy who was walking over to him. "You all right, Luce?"

"I'm fine. But I can't leave with you guys. Gotta stay and help Phoebe and her crew clean up the disaster area." Lucy told him, still shaken up. "The police left a bit of a mess."

"You sure? I can stay with you if you'd like." Gabe said.

Lucy shakes her head "It's all right." She kisses him on the cheek. "Call me, okay?" She walks over to Millie and gives her a big supportive hug. "You better call me."

Millie smiles as Lucy goes back into the warehouse.

Once the coast is clear, Cassie calls out. "You can come out now!"

Around the corner, Pete came out of his hiding place. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, it's safe now," Cassie said.

Pete steps up and stands next to the group as Freddie, Cassie, Millie, Gabe, and Pete start walking down the alley.

"So… that was more of an eventful evening than usual," Gabe said in a joking manner.

"That's putting it mildly," Millie answered back.

"So… you got some action of your own?" Pete asked Cassie.

Cassie grins "Well, he asked for it. But I have gotten a bit rusty."

"Are you kidding? You'd put John Wick to shame." Gabe replied.

"Please, I am not half as cool as Keanu. Guy does his own stunts." Cassie retorts.

"To be fair, so do you," Freddie spoke up.

"Touche," Cassie answers back.

"You two make quite the tag team," Gabe said, pointing at the aunt and nephew.

"Funny, I was about to say that about you and Bast," Cassie said looking at Freddie who blushed. "I take it she got away with the gems?"

"Yep. But she said wasn't keeping them." Freddie told the gang. "She was hired to steal them."

"Who hired her?" Gabe asked.

"She didn't say. All she told me is that they don't belong to O'Shannon either." Freddie said.

"Now what?" Gabe asked. "I don't really feel like sleeping now."

"We go back to my place and relax. Especially after tonight." Cassie said. "Think we earned it."

"I'm down," Millie said with a smile.

Freddie realizes something. "Jane? What happened to Jane?"

"She wasn't inside when everything went all John Woo," Gabe said.

"She kinda disappeared," Millie said.

Freddie's eyes furrow as he quickly pulls out his Pearphone as it starts ringing. "Jane?"

"Freddie, hey," Jane said. "I tried to find you but you disappeared."

"Yeah, I sorta got lost in the crowd. I was looking for you too." Freddie said but there was a long pause. "Jane, what is it? What's wrong?"

Jane sighs, her voice sounding deep and heavy with forlorn. "I don't think this is gonna work."

Freddie was crushed as the others watch the heartbreak play out. "Jane, I'm- We can-"

"We tried. I just don't think this is meant to be. We're in different places in our lives." Jane said somberly. "I'm sorry."

Freddie bites his lips. "Me too."

"I mean, we can still be friends, right?" Jane told him.

Freddie lets out a deep breath. "Yeah. Just friends."

"Bye." Jane simply said as she hung up.

Freddie starts at the phone and slowly puts it back in his pocket. He looks back at the gang "Gabe was right. No man likes to hear the 'let's be friends' excuse."

"It's over between you two now? You and Jane are done?" Millie asked somberly

"Feels like it," Freddie said soberly.

Cassie walks over and gives him a warm and supportive hug. "It's okay. Just a bump in the road. You'll get through this."

Freddie looks back at his friends and sees Dream Sam between Gabe and Millie "Yeah. I'm sure I will."

•••

Back at Gregor O'Shannon's penthouse, Gregor lay slumped down on his couch. Too weak to move.

The front door opens and closes where Alec stood before him.

"You don't look so good," Alec said.

O'Shannon could only move his and he blankly stared at Alec.

"No. Don't get up." Alec said. "Not that you could. You've got a ton of arsenic pumping through your system."

O'Shannon's eyes darted around the room in a panic.

"Not because of losing the gems. You've been slowly poisoned for weeks. Using your beloved scotch." Alec told him. "See, the Maestro thinks you're too much of a liability and you need to be put down. Like a dog."

O'Shannon struggled to breathe. He takes his last breath and slumps down dead.

Alec sighs and walks out the door. Leaving someone else to clean up the mess.

•••

At Cassie's apartment, Freddie was sitting on the couch. The events of the night still weigh heavily on him.

Cassie, now dressed in comfy dark-colored sweats and a Steven Universe Tee (similar to the one Steven wears in the cartoon), plops down next to him. Freddie snickers at the shirt which Cassie notices.

"You mock my choice in fashion?" Cassie scoffed.

Freddie shakes his head. "Nah, just didn't peg you for a Steven Universe fan."

Cassie smiles. "Hey, it is more than a cartoon. It is an art form and I support the arts, all right?"

"Not gonna argue with you there," Freddie said with a chuckle.

"And I got you out of your funk, at least temporarily so points for your ol Auntie," Cassie remarked.

Freddie sighs, noting what she was doing. "I'm okay. I feel terrible that things didn't work out with Jane but I knew in the back of my mind that my secret was going to ruin it."

"Do you think it would've been easier if you told her the truth?" Cassie asked.

"Easy, yes. But how long before she would be caught in the crossfire of my life as Pulse?" Freddie stated with pathos in his words. "There are way too many examples from multiple media sources that tell me that never ends well."

Cassie slumps her shoulder and places a strong hand on his knee. "I'd be lying if I said that those were 'just stories' but… This life you've chosen isn't an easy one. You are doing the bravest thing you've ever done."

"Being a hero?"

Cassie shakes her head. "Not giving up. It's scary but you are surviving. You are one gutsy son of a gun and I am very proud of you."

Freddie smiles and holds her hand that was on his knee. "Thanks."

Cassie smiles warmly as their bonding time is interrupted by Gabe, Millie, and Pete walking inside the apartment with two pizza boxes in Pete's hands.

"Did we interrupt a 'Full House' moment?" Gabe joked while closing the door behind him as he entered last.

"And with that, I say 'How Rude'!" Cassie jokes, mimicking the line from the sitcom.

"That doesn't even fit in context." Gabe quipped.

"Gabe?" Millie spoke up.

"What?"

"Cut… it… out." Millie said, pantomiming the motion the character made on the show.

Gabe groans as Pete sets the pizzas on the coffee table.

"Think we earned this," Pete said, opening one of the boxes to reveal a hot and delicious-looking pepperoni pizza.

"No arguments here, dude," Cassie said as she got up from the couch. "I got paper plates and napkins in the kitchen. Sit tight."

"Wouldn't have pictured you as a neat freak," Gabe said, sitting down on the floor and grabbing a slice.

"I am not a barbarian, Morgan. I have… some level of class." Cassie replied as she grabs the aforementioned objects. "I am at a remedial level but still."

Laughter fills the room as Millie sits next to Freddie. Worry in her posture. "Hey, I'm sorry things didn't work out with Jane."

Freddie turns and faces Millie "Thanks."

"Hey, silver lining, that means Millie has a shot, right Mills?" Gabe spoke up.

Millie turned bright red and yelled "Gabe!"

"Come on, don't act like you weren't thinking about it." Gabe chided her.

"Even if I was interested, which I'm not," Millie said then she turns to Freddie. "No offense."

Freddie shrugs as he grabs a slice. "Some taken."

"I would at least wait a few days before moving in." Millie finished her retort.

"As long as you have some decorum." Pete joked and Millie playfully smacked his knee.

Cassie walks back to the living room with paper plates in her hands and places them next to the boxes. "Grab a plate or I will force the first person to drop a crumb to vacuum my place for a month."

Freddie and Gabe nervously each grab plates to avoid making a mess as Millie, Cassie, and Pete each take one as well and grab a warm slice of pizza.

The group then enjoys each other's company and end the night on much better terms.

•••

Inside of an abandoned clock tower, Bast gracefully rolls down on a few poles positioned inside and lands on her feet.

"How'd it go?"

Bast turns to face an older man who walks on a cane. He was African American with short shaved hair.

"Didn't I tell you not to do that?" Bast said.

"Sorry, but I can't resist scaring my little girl." The man said. "How did it go?"

"Not bad. Ran into some issues but not too bad." Bast said as she turned off the voice modulator.

"That Pulse guy again?" The man asked.

"Nah. Guy was decent. Shame I never got to see his face." Bast said. She sounds familiar.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" The man asked.

Bast removes her goggles and face mask to reveal the woman underneath the mask.

Jane Louis.

"Not anymore."

•••

•••

Main Cast

Fredward 'Freddie' Benson - Nathan Kress

Cassandra 'Cassie' Sinclair - Sarah Michelle Gellar

Millicent 'Millie' Flores - Ashley Argota

Gabriel 'Gabe' Morgan - Landon Liboiron

Peter 'Pete' Sawyer - Charlie Hunnam

Also Starring

Detective Victor Flores - Daniel Dae Kim

Detective Daniel 'Danny' Parker - David Giuntoli

Jane Louis/Bast - Vanessa Morgan

Guest Starring

Alec Grayson - Colin Donnell

Captain Irving Thompson - Ernie Hudson

Nina Roberts - Tamara Tunie

Lucy Shepard - AJ Michalka

Leopold 'Leo' Maxwell - Dylan O'Brien

•••

Hope you guys enjoy this. Again, not my best but I tried my best. :)

Please review and be kind :)