In the sitting area of Lobby Eight, Peter adjusted the tie of his ill-fitting suit as he waited for his classmates. It was a slightly older style, which had previously belonged to his Uncle Ben. Naturally, it was the only "nice" bit of clothing he possessed, and the boy hoped he didn't look too out of place.

"Ah, you're here early Parker," said a voice. Peter turned to see Azari making his way over. The young Prince wore elegant, yet practical formal attire: a black suit with silver decorative trimming, and a purple and black sash with a silver clasp in the shape of a panther's head.

"I appreciate punctuality, but I hope you weren't waiting too long," Azari continued.

Peter shook his head, "Nah, I've been here about 5 minutes. Just trying to get used to moving around in this suit..."

The young Prince smiled sheepishly, the difference in the quality of clothing was painfully obvious. "Where is your friend, by the way?" He asked, sitting in the chair across from Peter. "The one from the Sports Festival whom you were touring with."

"Oh Riri? She wanted to get some more time in at her setup before she joins us," Peter replied. "Can't say I blame her, she's in her own slice of heaven here."

"Yes, I can understand that," Azari concurred with a nod. "I must admit, her technology is quite impressive as well."

"You should have her make you something," Peter grinned. "Although I guess you can't top something as invincible as Vibranium, can you?"

"Vibranium is not as strong as people think," said Azari.

Peter raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

"In the end, it is a metal substance like any other, with its own strengths and weaknesses," the Prince nodded.

"Like what?" Inquired Peter, his scientific curiosity starting to take over.

Azari looked at him, as if scrutinizing the boy, who suddenly realized the gravity of the information he was asking.

"Um, you know what!? N-Nevermind!!" He said hurriedly, waving his arms frantically in front of himself. "I don't want you to say anything that could jeopardize the secrets of your country or anything!"

Azari gave a gentle smile, "That is quite alright. In truth, I'm not as scientifically minded as Aunt Shuri. However, what I can tell you, is what I know based off of my hero suit."

Peter leaned forward, now at ease and more than a little intrigued. Azari looked around briefly, ensuring nobody else was near before turning back to his classmate.

"Consider Vibranium like... a cheat code in a video game," Azari began. "What truly makes it powerful is the ability to absorb, store and re-release kinetic energy."

Azari revealed a set of beads on his left wrist. Pressing one, it displayed a small video hologram of himself wearing his costume in action. As he spoke, purple lines spread across the fabric.

"When you make impact, it absorbs the kinetic energy and spreads the blow across rather then taking the impact in one spot," he explained. "That energy is either stored within the metal's molecular structure, or immediately released."

"Oh yeah. I think your dad had a suit that did that, didn't he?" Peter said thoughtfully.

"You are correct," replied Azari with pride. "In fact, it was Aunt Shuri who made it!"

The boy's eyes widened, "Get outta here!"

"No, I cannot! It is the truth!" The Prince laughed.

"But she must've been like, our age at the time!" Peter went on, "I knew she was a genius, but damn..."

A sudden thought struck Azari, and a devious smile grew on his face, "Would you like to see something amusing?"

Peter, always up for a laugh, nodded quickly as the boy turned over his wrist.

The bracelet activated and a larger holographic screen emerged. After pressing one of the beads, a video started to play. It showed a much younger King T'Challa standing before a mannequin displaying his suit. He looked back at the camera, held by someone unseen.

"You're recording?" He asked.

"For research purposes," replied Shuri's voice, innocently.

T'Challa sighed, got into position and delivered a light kick to the suit. Suddenly, a wave of purple energy is discharged, knocking the King of Wakanda several feet away and on his back as his sister roared with laughter.

T'Challa pointed at the camera, "Delete that footage! Delete that footage!"

The boys doubled over laughing as Azari deactivates the screen. "Hahaha, that never gets old!" He laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

Peter settled down, his laughter subsided. "Oh, I needed that today. Thanks man!" He said, patting Azari on the shoulder. However, the place of impact suddenly lights up, with purple lining jutting out across his sash.

"Wait, are you wearing Vibranium now??" Peter's eyes widened.

"It's an extremely versatile substance," Azari winked. "It can be worn through airports undetected, and is even resistant to magnets! But more to the point, mother insisted I be protected even without a costume. And given the nature of my Quick, it can be a very useful tool."

"Makes sense, I guess," Peter said. "But wait a sec, this has all been like, really cool stuff. I don't see any downsides..."

"It does indeed have one, but one not so easily discovered," Azari replied. "Picture a hammer hitting a rubber ball. Ordinarily, it's not that the ball's stronger then the hammer, but rather the energy of the hammer is reflected back. Vibranium acts similarly in its base form. If, however, enough force is applied, it can overload the metal."

"Like when Captain America's shield was destroyed during the Thanos fight..." Peter thought aloud.

"Precisely," nodded the Prince. "That is why it's important to release the buildup of kinetic energy, or risk overloading whatever the Vibranium is built into."

"Huh, guess even that stuff comes with its own risks," Peter murmured, considering the knowledge Azari had bestowed upon him.

"Hey guys! Whatcha talkin' about?" A voice called over. The boys turned to see Luke and Danny walking over. Luke wore his work uniform, being the only 'nice' clothes he had with him. Danny, meanwhile, wore a dark business suit and tie, with a white shirt underneath.

"Not much, just costumes and stuff," replied Peter, keeping vague for Azari's sake. "Gotta say, I was surprised to see you two here working earlier, especially you Danny. Aren't you, y'know, rich?"

"My inheritance is being held in trust until I come of age," the blond haired boy replied serenely.

"So 'til that happens, he's gotta do grunt work with the rest of us!" Luke grinned, throwing an arm over his shorter friend's shoulder. "Still, nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty. It proves you're not afraid of hard work!"

"Indeed," put in Azari. "Particularly if we're striving to be amongst the next generation of heroes. We must lead by example and become a beacon of virtue that others can follow."

Just then, Kei walked up, followed closely by Laura. The boy wore an orange hoodie and shorts while his classmate wore a leather jacket over a t-shirt and jeans dress. Evidently, they'd caught the tail end of the conversation.

"Isn't that a bit much to put on a bunch of high school kids?" Kei asked, skeptically. "Don't get me wrong, I want to make a difference in the world too. But aren't we putting a ton of pressure on ourselves this early? We're freshmen! There's such a thing as room to grow."

"And you'd know all about growth, would you shorty?" Laura poked the boy on the side of the head, teasing him. An angry tic appeared on Kei's head at this remark.

"Hey!" He retorted, irritably. "At least I passed my Midterm. I don't wanna hear any cheap talk from Pancake Girl here!!"

Laura growled menacingly at the shorter boy, "What was that??" She raised a fist, almost positioned to pop her two claws. "I didn't quite hear you down there!"

"That's enough, you two!" Said a voice, interrupting the argument. Ava Ayala entered the area, wearing a white formal dress.

"I'm pretty sure Azari mentioned there's gonna be a lot of pros down at the party," she went on. "Do you think they'll give any of us the time of day if we're fighting among ourselves?"

"Yeah, yeah," Laura sighed, still glaring daggers at Kei, who likewise returned them.

"I hope we're not late!" Everyone looked to see the Maximoff twins exit the elevator. Pietro wore a cheap black suit and a white shirt with the top unbuttoned. Wanda meanwhile, wore a modest looking maroon dress.

"Wow Azari, you look so fancy!" Wanda exclaimed, gazing in awe at the Prince's garb.

"It's traditional formal attire, albeit with a modern twist," Azari grinned. "Aunt Shuri never did like the ceremonial outfits."

"Yeah, totally doesn't make the rest of us pale in comparison," Pietro sighed. Indeed, his own outfit was a bit faded and run down, like he got them off a used clothing rack.

"Well what do ya expect?" Luke put in, trying to adjust his tie. "We're rollin' with royalty here! The man's gonna stand out!"

"Still, we could probably stand to clean up a bit more," Wanda looked herself over. "Let me give something a try..."

She turned towards her brother and raised her hand, eyes glowing bright red. Wanda twitched her fingers and a red aura surrounded her hand. The same aura suddenly surrounded Pietro's clothing, and with a flash of red light, his suit became much sleeker. It was silver-gray, with a bright blue undershirt.

"Niiiice!!!" Pietro admired his new threads, "Now that's what I'm talking about!!"

"Wait, you can transform clothes Wanda??" Asked an incredulous Ava. "What else can you do!?"

"I can only change inanimate objects so far," the redhead admitted. "And the effects are temporary."

"Heh, you're kinda like the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella," Laura chuckled.

"You have no idea," Pietro grinned. "When she was little, her dream was to become a magical princess!" He folded his hands together and blinked mockingly.

"Pietro, shut up!" Wanda blushed angrily. "Don't make me undo that spell! You wanna be stuck in something a bit breezier??"

Her brother recoiled in horror, "No ma'am!!"

"That's still a very impressive technique," replied Azari.

"Can you do my clothes too, Wanda!?" Asked a wide eyed Ava.

"Yeah, me too!" Put in Luke.

"I must admit, your sense of design is pretty good," Kei nodded approvingly.

Wanda settled down a bit and looked back, slightly embarrassed by the sudden adulation. Peter had seen Wanda display this power once before, at his Uncle's grave. But that didn't stop him from gazing in awe at his classmate.

"Alright, everyone line up!" Wanda suddenly declared with a smile, and raised her glowing hands. "It's time for a fashion show!"

The group quickly got on board with the idea, and one by one hand their outfits completely altered.

In place of his work uniform, Luke now wore a gray vest and matching pants, plus a yellow dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

Danny's suit was changed to a bright green tuxedo with black lapels. A white dress shirt was worn underneath.

Laura retained her leather jacket and boots, but now wore a sky blue dress with yellow, claw-like stripes along the sides of her torso.

Kei was given an orange suit jacket and pants with a blue dress shirt and black tie. His usual goggles were also replaced with a pair of designers glasses. "So cool!!" He exclaimed.

Ava's white dress became longer, with a slit down the side allowing for more range of leg movement. It had a single strap over the opposite shoulder, and her green amulet was worn as a decorative broach.

Finally, Wanda made her way over to Peter. As she approached, the boy could tell she was getting tired from overusing her Quirk. He held up his hands, "U-Um, you don't have to change my suit, Wanda! Maybe just... make it fit a little better?"

Wanda smiled, relieved over having a simpler task compared to the other ones, "Sure thing, Wall-Crawler!" With a twitch of her glowing fingers, Peter's borrowed suit became tailored to his body, no longer loose and baggy.

"Thanks," Peter said with a grateful smile. "What about you? Are you gonna try it on yourself?"

"I did have an idea," she replied. "But I'm worried it might be a bit... much."

"Hey, no such thing as 'too much' at a party like this!" Said Laura.

"Yeah, come on!" Added Ava. "You did all this for us, now it's your turn to shine!!"

"Wanda! Wanda! Wanda!" Chanted Luke, Danny, and Kei in unison.

"Well... ok then," she replied. Taking a deep breath, Wanda raised both of her arms, making movements with her fingers as the red aura completely enveloped her. When it finally vanished, the girl her classmates knew was gone. In her place, was an absolute stunner.

Wanda now wore a shining red dress that began at her chest and split down the sides of her legs. Her top was held in place by matching arm sleeves that ended at the biceps, leaving her shoulders bare. She wore red knee-high boots with black stockings. What's more, her customary red bow had turned into something resembling a crimson tiara that lovingly adorned the girl's head.

"Um... How do I look?" She asked nervously looking at Peter.

Peter meanwhile, was blushing fiercely and at a loss for words, "I... I'm speechless."

"Damn, that's an achievement in itself!" Laura laughed, "You silenced the Quip Master!"

"What? I don't quip that much!" Peter replied.

As one, the group collectively stared at the boy.

"Ok, you got me. Maybe I do..." He shrugged.

"See? Princess," Pietro muttered to Laura, thumbing toward his sister. "She even has a crown!"

"Pietro..." Wanda turned ominously towards the speedster, raising a glowing hand with threatening intent.

"Settle down, everyone! Now then, it is nearly 6:30," Azari checked his beads, which apparently also functioned as a watch. "There's still a few of us behind schedule. Hopefully Antonia won't mind waiting a little when she gets here."

"Is someone talking about me? My ears are burning!" Called a voice. The group collectively turned to see Antonia jogging over. At least, as fast as one could safely jog in heels. She wore a flowing, light purple dress that transitioned to white by her shoulders.

"Sorry I'm late, it's a bit hard to run in these shoes," she grinned sheepishly.

"The star has arrived!!" Kei exclaimed, whipping out his sketch pad. "This is the inspiration I've been searching for!" He slid over in front of Antonia on one knee, a spotlight shining on them both.

"Please allow me to draw a portrait in your honor, dear lady," he pleaded. "Though I am but a humble artist, I promise to use the full extent of my skill to portray your beauty in the loveliest and most tasteful of light!"

"Damn, I've never heard the little guy talk like that before," Luke muttered to Danny, who nodded in agreement.

"U-Um, maybe later?" Toni replied, momentarily caught off guard by the boy's passionate declaration and praise.

"Not a 'no', I'll take it!" Kei declared excitedly, putting his sketch pad away.

"Your timing is excellent," said Azari, getting the conversation back on track. "Although we do appear to still be missing several of our group. Ah, here comes Roberto!"

The boy walked over from the elevator, seemingly glued to his phone. He wore a charcoal gray suit over a darker gray dress shirt, along with a matching striped tie.

"Hey," Roberto looked up. "Have any of you tried using your phones? I tried calling my brother, but I'm not getting any signal."

"Really? That's weird," replied Toni, looking at her SmartWatch. "This tower has several routers, plus its own WiFi tower at the top of this building..." Sure enough, she was getting nothing.

Several floors below, the M.C began to kick off the festivities in the Grand Ballroom. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he began. "Welcome to the Yinsen Memorial Expo's opening night reception. We truly hope you all enjoy yourselves."

The man glanced over at a fully suited Iron Man, speaking with a couple of the local Pro Heroes. "Now then, to get things started, I'd like to invite our special guest speaker to come and take the stage," he continued. "The Number One Hero in America, if not the World, Mr. Anthony Stark! Or as we all know him, Iron Man!!!"

The guests began to applaud the hero, who took it all somewhat gracefully and strode up to the stage. Opening his visor, Tony began to speak into a microphone.

"Thank you all for the kind welcome," he began. "Of course, I built this place originally, so it feels kinda like a homecoming! But tonight, shockingly, isn't all about me!"

The crowd chuckled at his self inflicted jab. "Tonight, we're here to honor the memory of a truly great man," As he spoke, an photo popped up on the screen behind him. It depicted a young Tony Stark with an older Iranian man in a workshop, smiling and holding up 'peace signs' toward the camera.

"My former mentor, the man who saved my life in more ways than one, Ho Yinsen," Tony gestured to the image behind him. "Having studied under him at M.A, I feel like my intelligence barely scratched the surface of his own. And let's face it, I'm pretty smart, right?" The crowd chuckled again at his remark.

"So to get us underway, I'd like to share a little-" But the hero was cut off by a sudden alarm. The screen behind him turned red and flashed the word 'Emergency' in bold letters.

Back with the young classmates, many of them were still checking their phones. "Neither of them is picking up," said Laura, referring to Flash and Amadeus. "But knowing them, it wouldn't surprise me if they were gonna blow off the party anyway."

"Still, if there's something keeping signals from transmitting, then-" The alarm goes off before Antonia could say more.

"What's that!?" Asked Kei, nervously. As if to answer his question, a voice echoed throughout the building, and was distributed through the entire city compound.

"This is an announcement from the Automated Security System," it said. "We have received a report that an explosive device was discovered somewhere on the Expo grounds. We will now be in high-alert mode. Your safety is our top priority. Residents and tourists should return to their lodgings. Anyone remaining on the street 10 minutes from now will be in violation of the law, and treated as such."

A sudden tingle went down Peter's spine, and he jerked his head towards the huge windows. "As a precautionary measure," the voice continued. "Most of the main island buildings will now be sealed off."

And right on cue, metal barriers slid down to cover the windows and prevent any way in or out.

"Alright, let's stay calm," Iron Man addressed the worried crowd. His visor went down and he got into battle mode. "Friday, what's happening?"

But there was no response from his trusty A.I. "Friday?" He asked again. "This is no time for a coffee break, I need a rundown asap!"

Suddenly, the main doors burst open and several masked individuals carrying assault weapons entered the room, much to the crowd's collective shock. Two of them were different, however. One had brown and orange clothing, his skin a sickly green color. The other wore a yellow and red jumpsuit with goggles covering his eyes.

"Nobody move!" Said the man in yellow. He raised his hand in front of his body, it became covered in bright orange flame. "In case you haven't realized, the security system is under our control now."

One of the heroes attempted to take action, but he was struck down suddenly by an abrupt impact to the back of his head. The projectile, a stretched out tongue, retracted into the mouth of one of the Toad-looking man.

"Perfect timing," the pyrokinetic grinned. "I know we've got a lot of heroes in here, but as you clearly just saw, we're more than prepared. But if you still decide to make a scene..."

He gestured to the big screen, where a street camera video now streamed. It depicted roughly 30 citizens surrounded by numerous drones. "...I'll make sure the security sentries think the good people in their sights are dangerous criminals. Hell, we'll even make them go building to building and clear them out! So I suggest you all play nice, because everyone on this compound is our hostage. Naturally, that includes you all as well."

The man snapped his fingers, and the capture feature of the security protocols activated. From the ground, metallic ribbons shot out and wrapped around the heroes, including Iron Man.

"If you seriously think this'll hold me-" Iron Man began to speak, before one of the gunmen fired his weapon into the air.

"Don't try it," he said firmly, now pointing the muzzle at a woman. The other masked men raised their guns accordingly. "Take one step, and I kill everyone in this room."

"..." Tony was at a loss for words. He couldn't risk the hostages, and he had no way of connecting to anyone outside the room. Communications were down, as was his link to his A.I. In short, he was stuck, and allowed himself to be knocked over onto his side.

"That's more like it," said Pyro, before addressing his prisoners. "The rest of you are gonna follow Stark's lead and do what I say, got it? If you play nice, you might live through this little ordeal. We'll be gone in due time, just as soon as the boss finds what we came for..."

"Something's not right..." Reyes said, examining the barrier covering the windows.

"Well obviously," replied Kei, with a slight roll of his eyes. "Didn't they just say there was a bomb somewhere??"

"The elevator's not working either," said Laura, trying to pry open one of the doors.

"It's strange that the system would go on high-alert," Toni pondered. "Ordinarily, something like a bomb threat would be handled more discreetly. This isn't the protocol after explosives are discovered..."

"At least the stairs aren't blocked off," added Peter, looking down a stairway. "Azari, that tech on your wrist, can it work as a communicator? Does it run off something like wireless signals?"

The Prince shook his head, "My Kimoyo Beads do not require a signal to operate. However they can only interact with other Wakandan technology... Aunt Shuri!!!"

Turning his beads over, he touched the one marked for communication. A blue light glowed and faded, as if waiting for a response. Finally, a mini screen appeared with the face of a woman. However, it wasn't the one Azari was expecting to see.

"Riri Wiilams?" He said, confused.

"Azari?" She replied.

"What are you doing with my Aunt's Kimoyo Beads?" The Prince asked.

"I found them outside the lab," said Riri. "I was gonna give them to her later, but then I wound up locked in here."

Azari's eyes narrowed and he turned to Peter, "Aunt Shuri would not lose those easily. She never removes them except for repairs and upgrades."

"Then she must've left them for someone to find," said Peter, getting closer. "Can those things access a security feed?"

"If applied directly to the correct cables, yes," replied Azari, turning to the boy. "You are suggesting we hack it?"

"I'm just saying we don't know the full story," said the boy, hand to his chin. "And if there's a way to get some answers, we might have a better idea of whether or not we're in danger."

Azari nodded, before turning to the screen, "Riri, is there a server room within your immediate vicinity? Or a mainframe?"

"Yeah, everything in this lab runs off computers, so there's one just outside the workshop," said Riri.

"Good," replied the Prince. "Find the wires that connect to the-"

"I know what they look like," Riri interrupted. "Been hot wiring tech my whole life." She could be heard running into the room before opening a mainframe, rummaging through a drawer. "Ok, I found the right cables, now what?"

"Take the Kimoyo Bead that is second from the bottom," Azari instructed. "It will remove itself if you pull on it. Then, place it directly onto the wires."

"Ok," nodded Riri, taking the described bead off of the bracelet and placing it as instructed. Upon contact, the bead seemed to wrap around the wires and glowed a bright blue.

"Yo! I think something's happening!" Riri leapt back, having been party to many an explosion and moving away on instinct.

"It's syncing up," Azari replied. "Look to your screen, is there another window?"

"Y-Yeah there's a few of them!" She replied. "It worked! Whooo!! I've gotta get a set of these!"

"Focus, Riri Williams," Azari's commanding presence snapped her out of it. "Now, scroll through the windows, and describe what you see."

"Ok, um..." Riri swiped through different windows. "Empty, empty, empty, damn this place is deserted! Wait wait, here we go!"

"What is it?" Asked Wanda, looking over the boy's shoulder.

"Uh oh," Riri muttered quietly. "We got about 40 gunmen holding people hostage in the Grand Ballroom. That includes Iron Man..."

The students gasped at the revelation. Peter in particular was quite shaken up.

"What!?" Kei looked over worriedly. "They've got Iron Man!? How the hell'd they pull that off?!?"

"Not sure," Riri replied. "Looks like he's being held in some kinda stasis, along with several Pros in the room with him."

"Well this cannot be all of them," Azari said, attempting to shake off the shock. "What else can you see? Any rooms? Hallways?"

"I'm checking..." Riri began to swipe through more windows. "Yeah, we've got a short dude, some guy in yellow, and probably the fattest man I've ever seen leading a tied up woman downstairs."

"Aunt Shuri..." Azari muttered worriedly. Laura placed her hand on Azari's shoulder in sympathy.

"Oof, and there's couple of big guys making their way to an upper level via the service elevator," she went on. "Guess they kept that one operational. Right now they're 3 floors below you, but I'd suggest you make yourselves scarce!"

"Wait a second," Peter interrupted. "Can you deactivate the security protocols from where you are?"

Riri shook her head, "I'd need to get up close and personal with the main server for that. Any idea where it'd be?"

"There's two," said Toni, walking over. "They'd have to be shut down and reactivated simultaneously for a full system reset. One's in the 5th sub-basement, and the other is on the very top floor."

"Well that complicates things..." sighed Peter. He looked at a floor map of the building, conveniently located to the side of the elevator. Suffice to say, the 200 plus floors between the locations was somewhat daunting. He turned to his classmates, the ones not as close to Azari, "Did you guys hear all that?"

"More or less," replied Luke. "Bad guys took hostages, Iron Man's down, and we're all sitting ducks here."

"Plus, we have no idea how many other villains are running around," put in Ava. "While we're just high schoolers without hero licenses."

"And if the have Shuri, then they'll have access to everything within the compound," finished Roberto. "We need to get out of here. My brother is not going to be held as a hostage! I need to get to him!"

His eyes started to glow orange as his temper began to flare.

"Whoa there, hot stuff!" Laura quickly interrupted, "As badass as it would be to just rage through the security drones outside, there's still other hostages besides your brother. And if they see you, who knows what'll happen to them?"

Roberto's eyes gradually returned to normal. "Lo siento," he said quietly. "I just... I can't lose him too."

Hos classmates were confused by the statement, with the exception of Peter and Danny.

"At least he's not alone," put in Danny. "Your brother's with Agent Coulson, so he could not be in safer hands. Perhaps he will have a solution for this mess?"

"Right? Maybe he can call up S.H.I.E.L.D!" Suggested Luke.

"That's doubtful," said Peter, getting back in on the conversation. "These guys are no joke, they took down a bunch of top heroes in seconds. Who's to say they didn't plan for outside interference? I can guarantee you whatever they're doing to jam the signals must cover the entire compound. So the only thing we can do..."

"Is turn it off," finished Antonia, determinedly. The group collectively turned to her.

"Can it even be done?" Asked Wanda, her nervousness turning to genuine curiosity. "You said the servers are at the top and bottom of the building, right?"

"Yes," replied the young scientist. "If I can get to the top floor, I can initiate the protocols for a system reboot. Riri, do you think you can do the same on your end?"

"For sure!" Riri nodded on the small screen. "But the problem is getting down there. If I'm seen, my Quirk isn't exactly good for battle..."

"Then we split up," Ava said. "Half of us go down to meet with Riri and protect her while she does her thing. The other half goes with Toni here to the top."

"Why don't I just super speed Toni upstairs myself?" Asked Pietro. "It'd save a lot of time and trouble."

"Because with the high alert in place, it'll detect the use of a Quirk like yours within the building," Antonia replied. "They'd find you the second you used it."

"Damn... I hate being sneaky," Laura muttered.

"Still, it's our best option," said Luke, standing up. "And it's not like we're out to fight these guys. If the security system goes back to normal, then the heroes will be freed, right?"

"Exactly," replied Peter. "They'd be able to rush the villains and secure the hostages. But none of this is possible unless we take action... What do you guys think?"

"I say it's worth doing," Wanda nodded. "Anything's better than sitting around helpless!"

"Don't think for a second I'm staying behind either!" Pietro said determinedly. "If I hung back while my little sister did something cool, I'd never be able to live it down!"

Wanda blew a raspberry at her twin in playful jest.

"I'm going with you too," Roberto added. "I need to protect my brother, and this seems like the best way to make it happen."

"Hell, you know I'm in!" Said Luke with a grin, punching his palm.

"Me too, even if we've gotta be sneaky about it," put in Laura, mimicking her classmate's actions.

Kei gathered his courage and sighed. "Oh, why not?" He said. "You guys all seem to have decided anyway, and maybe the prospect of death will stir my creative juices..."

"I'll follow the judgement of the Classroom Representatives," put in Danny, a cautious expression on his face. "However in my heart, I know what choice feels right..."

"This does seem like the best possible action to take," Ava considered, folding her arms. "So I'll go if Azari agrees to it."

Azari looked around at his classmates, who looked to him as their leader. "Very well then," he said. "But the moment I think we've gone too far, it's over. Agreed?"

The group nodded at this. "Alright people, looks like we've got a plan!" Riri add, her face visible on the screen. "So, who's going where?"

Within moments, 2 teams were established. Antonia would of course be going to the top floor, along with Peter, Azari, Wanda, Laura, and Kei. The second team heading down to meet Riri was made up of Luke, Danny, Roberto, Ava, and Pietro.

"We'll maintain contact through the Beads, and synchronize the reboot," Azari held up his wrist. "Until then, remain vigilant. Stealth is more the art of blending in with the background than sneaking through dark shadows. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. They were all of course worried, but determined to succeed in their task. "Then good luck, my friends," Azari crossed his arms in his signature 'X' salute, and the groups went in opposite directions.

.

.

.

Barber's Chair

• Bit of a longer chapter here, there was a lot to set up.

• Finally, a bit more interaction between students we haven't seen together much. Peter and Azari haven't had much to talk about for a while, so it was nice to touch on the foundations they were based on (Izuku & Iida).

• Seems Kei's a bit sensitive about his height, and he's not afraid to bite someone's head off over it. Getting some Edward Elric vibes, anyone?

• While he's essentially taking Iida's position as head of the class, Azari doesn't quite have the same character progression, having been substituted with Danny for the Punisher Arc. So, I thought a scene where he got a chance to come into his own as a leader was long overdue.

• Wanda getting a chance to show off her growing power is always a win! Plus it explains how a bunch of school kids get super fancy outfits.