Alexander Lauren glared up at the man who stood before him. He knew enough about Red Ape, or maybe it was Green Ape now, to know that while the man might have failed a lot at what he did, he was still a dangerous Super who went out of their way to cause suffering in the world.
The others in the room didn't seem to mind the man being in charge either. Red Monkey leaned against a wall with his arms folded while White Spider stood near the stairs that led up, playing with some of her spiders, which danced across her fingers. Black Shark kept his fingers low, placing them down to Alexander's neck. The villain stood directly behind the tied-up man, ready to strike if the human even thought of doing anything funny.
Finally, that left just Green Ape and White Egg, who both stood before Alexander, looking down at the man. Or at least Green Ape looked. Even if he had the ability to see, White Egg's costume would have completely blocked the man's view. Unlike the others who all wore suits and masks, White Egg's outfit was literally a full-body egg suit that only had a pair of holes for his arms and legs. A smiling face had been drawn onto the front of the egg costume with a marker, and at the very top of it, a top hat rested lopsided as the blind man fumbled around with his walking cane.
"Why are you doing this?" Alexander growled out. His eyes glared into the cartoon mask the new leader of Zoo wore.
Green Ape let out a soft snort at that. "You really are her dad, aren't you?"
"What?"
"She asked me something similar to that the first time I ever talked to her." The villain walked over to the wall that was filled with explosives, slowly checking them over. "To think my rival would actually be the next coming of Full Monarch. Not even someone as smart and brilliant as I could have seen that coming."
"Seriously?" White Egg asked. "I mean, it was pretty obvious-"
"Yes! A twist such as this was one not a soul could see coming." Green Ape dramatically posed, placing his hand to his forehead. "And now she has left this city behind to work for the Hero Branch." The man let out a large comical sigh as he finished checking on his bombs. "That's okay, though. I know that she's calling out to me. Begging for me to swoop in and give her a real challenge!"
"You're an idiot." Alexander said flatly. He looked around wildly at the other members of Zoo who weren't meeting his eyes. "Why are you guys following this guy? He's just so dumb?"
White Spider shook her head and reached up to rub at the center of her forehead. Something flickered and glowed beneath the skin, taking shape around her skull before it faded out. "Trust us. None of us like listening to him. We don't really have a choice, though. Only ones that have free will now are White Lamb and that new Egg guy. If you want to break out and put a bullet in his head, I'll cheer you on."
"That's hurtful." Green Ape frowned and shook his head. "Earlier, you asked what I was planning. Since you're the father of my nemesis, I'll let you in on my secret. I'm here to cause serious chaos!" The man threw his arms out and let out the closest thing he had to an evil laugh. "Imagine the state Oleander will be left in once I'm done with it. It's barely clinging to life after the Beast attack. I'll be the one who wipes this place off the map! Something not even the Beast could do!"
"That's your plan?" Alexander asked in horror and shock. "People are trying to recover and rebuild! You can't do this! What good would it do? You live here, too!"
"Not for much longer." Green Ape let out a snort and began to head for the stairs. "We'll be leaving this dump of a city and making a new home. That said, even if I wasn't leaving, I'd still have to do this. I made a promise to someone very important, and they'd kill me if I broke it. Can't have that. That person is the reason we have so many members of Zoo back, you know!" Green Ape snapped his fingers, and Black Shark grabbed Alexander by the back of the neck and forced the man to stand. "You'll be coming with us."
"Why?" Alexander winced as he was forced to take a step forward.
White Egg reached out with his cane and poked it into the gut of the human. "Not a lot of people can say they've been cured of the Dead Virus. Of course, I do wonder if it can even be cured... I'd like to study you a bit, if you don't mind."
"I do mind!"
"Nonsense! You won't feel a thing- Okay, that's actually a lie. I won't be able to use anything to ease the pain when I dissect you, so it'll actually hurt a bit. Actually, a lot. You'll die a terrible death, come to think of it... Hmm. Oh well. Can't be picky now, can we!"
"I would like to be very picky!"
Green Ape turned back to look at them from the top of the stairs. "Come on, people. We don't have all day. The helicopter is waiting for us. Black Shark, White Egg, you two are with me. Make sure our 'guest' is well taken care of. Now let's go before the heroes-" The entire building suddenly shook, and the sounds of a massive engine roared out. Green Ape just sighed and shook his head. "Too late."
One of the walls, thankfully the one that didn't have all the explosives, caved in, sending out chunks of debris everywhere. The floor was torn up as a massive motorcycle crashed through, coming to a grinding stop that kicked up waves of sparks in all directions. Before the dust even had time to settle, liquid metal whipped out, slamming into Red Monkey, who was aiming his guns. It was followed by Paragon, who blasted out of the mini-dust cloud, heading straight for Black Shark.
The villain used some of his super strength and tossed Alexander toward Green Ape and White Egg, who were both scrambling onto the stairway. Paragon swung her sword out, the wooden blade extending and lengthening, growing long enough to slice right through Black Shark's legs, downing the villain who crashed to the floor. She jammed a knee to his back and placed her sword down on his throat. "I know you can heal. Just stay down." She hissed.
Metal Ronin's bike vanished in a flash of light, causing him and Oxide to drop to the floor. The young man was now dressed in his typical suit and had his own blade drawn, which he pointed down at Red Monkey, who was on the ground about to reach for his gun. Finally, that left White Spider, who was tied up with thick metal chains that Oxide created. "How the hell did you guys get here?" The woman yelled. "There's no way you'd be able to find this place if you went back up top, and you shouldn't have been able to travel through the tunnels!"
Paragon didn't answer the girl and instead looked to the top of the stairs where Green Ape and White Egg stood. Both men had an arm around Alexander, using the tied-up man as a meat shield. White Egg even had his cane pressed to the man's neck, ready to click a button and cause whatever weapon he had in it to activate. "Let's all be cool." Green Ape yelled down. "We have a hostage-"
Metal Ronin's arm pointed out at them, a barrel unfolding out, which fired a perfect shot directly past Alexander's shoulder, right at Green Ape. It would have hit the man too, but the force in the bullet suddenly died out and faded as it hit a green barrier that appeared around the three men. "Do I have to do everything?" A familiar voice sighed out, causing the three heroes to shiver. Slowly, Green Wolf walked down the stairs and folded her arms. She was dressed in a slightly different outfit, wearing more casual clothes, and didn't even have her mask or sword with her.
"How!" Oxide asked in shock. "You shouldn't be here! You should be fighting Myth!"
"Don't tell me they can teleport again." Metal Ronin winced.
The Hope-lookalike only let out a soft giggle and flipped some of her hair back. "That version of me sadly lost. I guess that Myth guy is stronger than I thought. By now, the piece of me that was inside of it should be long gone in my new home."
"What the hell does that mean?" Oxide questioned.
"She's saying that she's not the Green Wolf we met earlier." Paragon replied.
"Sure, looks like her." Metal Ronin snorted.
"This one is a little older than that one we saw down in the tunnel. I'd say by a week or so." Paragon muttered, looking up at the girl. "This just got a lot worse for us. There can be multiple of them running around."
"You've got to be kidding me! This world is barely big enough for one Cinder; we don't need anymore!" Metal Ronin called out, waving a fist.
Green Wolf just gave a smug smirk and folded her arms over her chest as she slowly made her way down to stand next to Green Ape. Paragon's eyes narrowed as she glared back up at the girl. "Are you really okay with this, Green Wolf?" She asked the villain. She didn't know much about them, but from what Hope had told her once, Green Wolf was an arrogant prick. It made no sense for the girl to be serving under a fool like Red Ape. "Shouldn't you be the one standing on top? Why are you letting Green Ape stand above you?"
"Nice try, but you won't get me to betray the master!" Green Wolf announced proudly, placing her hands on her hips.
"Master?"
Green Ape reached out and grabbed the girl's chin, forcing her head to tilt to the side. "I guess your eyes aren't as good as I thought, Paragon. I thought you'd have noticed something like this." Along Green Wolf's head, a small scar resided. One that held a faint, glowing blue light from beneath it. "No doubt you've seen the devices I put onto my animals. They allow me to control them. Sadly, it doesn't work on humans. At least not to the same extent. I had a feeling Green Wolf would murder me for tampering with their body, so when we were making the new bodies, I had Doc here carve out a few pieces of the brain that I felt were unneeded and replace those pieces with some of the tech I got from Avalon. It isn't full control, sadly; she still finds ways to disobey, but it's the closest thing I have to taming Green Wolf."
Paragon felt her stomach flop a bit at that. She knew the man was evil and insane, but this was pushing it. He always seemed so goofy and harmless, yet he was brainwashing his former boss. Now that she got a closer look, she could see the strained smile on Green Wolf's lips. The way the girl's eyes would twitch and her fingers would ball into a fist. Green Wolf wasn't happy. That much was obvious.
"One of the things we programmed in her was a rule to keep me safe and not harm me." Green Ape explained. "I also put in a rule where she can't use her powers on me. That means I can do this." Much to their growing shock, the man suddenly punched up with his arm, ramming it into Green Wolf's stomach. The girl dropped to her knees, gasping and dry-heaving as she clutched her gut. Metal Ronin tried to take another shot, but even in the pain she was in, Green Wolf's power caused her barrier to not fall, keeping her and Green Ape safe. Green Ape slammed his boot down on Green Wolf's head, pinning her down. "What did I say about calling yourself Green Wolf! Green is my title now! Not yours!"
"Stop it!" Alexander yelled out in horror. He knew it wasn't his daughter. It was still her body though. Green Wolf was whimpering and crying out as her head was stomped into the ground. Even her enhanced durability wasn't working on any of Green Ape's hits. Alexander thrashed around, only being held back by White Egg, who was shockingly stronger than he looked. "I said stop it! Leave my daughter alone!" He roared.
"Why should I!" He brought his foot down a couple more times, breathing heavily. Blood trickled down Green Wolf's face, the girl's breathing becoming more shallow. "It doesn't matter what happens to this body. Besides, she deserves it. All of you do! You all think I'm some joke! That I'm not to be taken seriously! Well, you're all wrong! I fought Cinder! I'm the reason she almost died several times! Me! I've come close to killing her more than any other villain! I'm not some joke! I'm a bad guy! I kill people!" His breathing was growing heavier as he huffed and puffed.
"Are you done yet? The helicopter is ready." A new voice asked. From the very top of the stairs, peering down at them with a bored look, White Lamb stood. The young girl's arms were folded, and her eyes slowly traced the injured form of Green Wolf. "Careful not to kill her. The moment she dies, we lose our barrier."
Green Ape leaned back and took a calming sigh. "Right." He cleared his throat and shuffled from foot to foot, seemingly embarrassed by the explosive rage he let out. "We'll be taking our leave now. Oh, and 'Red Wolf', make yourself useful and keep them here. We'll blow this place sky high as soon as we're in the air." Green Ape turned and placed his arm on Alexander's shoulder, forcing the man to walk up the stairs as he left the badly injured Red Wolf at the bottom step.
"Like we're just going to let you get away!" Oxide tried to strike out at them, but her attacks bounced off the barrier Green Wolf had set up. Even the roof was covered in it, stopping them from busting through it.
Green Ape turned back to them and waved his arm. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Kill them."
Instantly, Red Monkey and Black Shark struck. Black Shark sank into the ground as if it were a liquid, leaving his legs behind and causing Paragon to drop to the ground. Red Monkey, on the other hand, made a grab for his gun but was stopped by Metal Ronin, who swung out with his sword, cutting the man's arms off. That didn't stop Red Monkey, though, who didn't even flinch as his arms reattached instantly and he grabbed his pistol. "He can heal, too!" Metal Ronin called out. The teen winced, but he knew what he needed to do. Red Monkey turned to him, but Metal Ronin swung once more and cleaved the head of the villain off in one swift motion. "Damn it. Why couldn't you have just given up?" He sighed.
The head hit the ground and rolled across it. Before Metal Ronin could even turn away. Red Monkey aimed his gun, and his headless body opened fire. A red beam of energy slammed directly into Metal Ronin, burning the front of his armor and sending him crashing back first into the wall. He would have broken through it, but Green Wolf's barrier stopped that from happening. Metal Ronin grunted and stared up in shock as Red Monkey's head was pulled back to his body as if by magic. Paper filled the wound, forcing the two cuts back together and sealing.
"What the hell! Since when can he do that?"
"He can't." White Spider gave a nasty smirk and twisted her body. Her bones popped and cracked as she snapped her body in ways it shouldn't be able to contort and dropped out of the chains that bound her. Oxide jumped back and watched in horror as White Spider's body also healed.
"How many people have healing powers now!"
Black Shark silently stood up from out of the ground, fully healed as well and standing on new legs. Paragon grimly closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "I get it now."
"Get what?" Metal Ronin grunted, standing back up.
"The reason their powers are different, how they can heal, and most importantly, why they're not in Nightshade." The girl opened her eyes and stared at the three members of Zoo that were in front of her. "I was wondering how the three of you escaped, but it's pretty obvious now, isn't it?"
White Spider just gave a sad grin. "We didn't escape."
"What does that mean?" Oxide demanded.
"They're already dead." Paragon clarified. "These three aren't actually here. What you see is nothing more than one of Lucifer's zombies."
***
During the Beast attack on Oleander City...
"My power only works on animals." Red Ape explained. The three of them, that being himself, Doc, and White Lamb, were in one of the underground bunkers Harrison Avalon had used. Doc was gathering as much tech as he could to start building his machine that would hopefully let them create a new body for Green Wolf. "It is a Mental-based power that lets me open them up and change them on a biological level. I actually force parts of them to evolve and change, sort of like in those games where you collect pocket creatures and battle with them."
White Lamb was seated at a table that held the body of Green Wolf, kicking her feet back and forth as she made sure the man was still breathing. "How does that help us?"
"Do you know what Inversion is?" Red Ape asked.
"Nope." The girl shrugged.
Doc let out a hum, feeling his way around a large metal device. "It's a thing some Supers can do. Not all though. It allows them to alter and switch the way their power works."
"That's right." Red Ape nodded. "I first learned about it from Green Tiger. He was the leader of our team before Green Wolf. Green Wolf was never able to figure it out and couldn't invert his powers, but Green Tiger was a pro at it and taught me everything I knew."
White Lamb made a face, though it remained unseen since she wore her mask once more. "So, you're saying you can invert your power using this Inversion thingy? Why are we just now hearing about that?"
"Well, to be honest, I was always kind of scared that Green Wolf would go out of his way to kill me if he ever found out." The man admitted sheepishly. "I think he'd get pretty jealous if he found out I could do something he couldn't. Not just that, though, but my powers when Inverting are kind of useless."
"Oh, trust me, that's not the Inversion's doing." White Lamb muttered under her breath. "So, what exactly is your power when it's changed?"
"It is the total reverse of my normal power." The man exclaimed. He held his hand up and balled it into a tight fist. "Instead of a power that affects animals, my power only works on humans, and instead of changing biology, it moves to something more spiritual in nature. I believe it affects the closest thing that we can prove is a soul."
Doc dropped whatever he was holding and sputtered a bit. "You're saying you have a power that can change and alter Egos? Only someone related to a Lord of Life should be able to do that!"
"Are you secretly some sort of badass?" White Lamb asked slowly, narrowing her eyes.
Red Ape sheepishly shrugged. "I mentioned it's pretty useless, remember. I don't actually change or alter anything. In fact, it does next to nothing."
"What does it do then?" Doc demanded.
"I can reach into a person and pull out a small piece of their soul." Red Ape announced proudly. "Sounds cool, right! Well, it's not. See, on some sort of level that I don't understand this soul, or Ego as Doc calls it, seems to know what it is and how it should be. If I take a piece out of someone, that piece will return to the body almost instantly and put itself back together. I also can't take more than one piece, and that piece is always so small it has no effect. Even if it did, though, the pieces return as I said earlier and fix themselves without any outside help. In a way, it is sort of like the way blood flows in our bodies without us doing anything. For years, I never really found a use for this power since it couldn't damage anyone and didn't do anything to them."
"So then how is it useful to us?" White Lamb sighed. "Don't tell me you just wasted all our time."
Doc shook his head and came to the defense of Red Ape. "Actually, I think I understand what he is getting at. I mentioned earlier how, on some level, powers are linked to the soul. Souls are something that can be altered or changed, though, as shown by the likes of the Emperor or Wish. Red Ape also proves that they can leave the body yet return to it on their own. They're almost alive in a way. The proof is Green Wolf's corpse. His power is going out of its way to bring him back to life and keep him stable."
"So what?"
"So," Red Ape gave a sly grin. "I think it'll be different this time when I take a piece of the soul. If I can pull that piece out and we put it into a body that lacks a soul, I wonder what will happen. Normally that piece will put itself back together in the host's body, but what happens if the soul knows that the host's body is badly damaged and won't last and it's suddenly handed a brand new body that it can feel out? I believe that shard will instead pull the rest of the soul to it and trade bodies. Sadly, though, if this does work, it means I can't do anything for the rest of us. As much fun as it would be to put myself into a Cinder body, our bodies would have to be borderline corpses for the soul to want to ditch them, and unlike Green Wolf, we don't have powers that can keep us alive in that state."
White Lamb slowly stood up off of the table and slid down to the floor. "Let's say all of this does work out. Why does it actually matter?"
"Huh?"
"What does bringing Green Wolf back actually do for us? Even if you can get their body under control, it's just one Super. None of us can fight. We don't have an army or other members that can keep us safe. No other villain would likely side with us either after how many times Zoo has backstabbed the different groups. Even if we could get out of this city or something, we have nowhere to go, no resources, and no members. We're bound to be picked off even if Green Wolf is with us. In fact, he'd likely be the reason we get picked off since he'd go pick a fight with some people."
They all knew what was happening up top. The Beast was coming. Every hero was currently in Oleander City. By some miracle, they had all found one of the bunkers beneath the city Avalon had, which also just so happened to have everything Doc needed. White Lamb honestly doubted there would even be an Oleander City left standing by the time the Beast was done.
"Maybe I can be of some help to you all." A voice called out from the darkness of the room. It caused all of them to jump and spin around. Everything had constantly been shaking, and the sound of battle up top hadn't ceased. Even from miles under the ground, they had been able to hear the heroes' last stand. Now though, a new sound echoed around the lab. One of footsteps. "You're in need of members, you say? Well, I happen to have just escaped a place that had a few of your members inside of it and think I could be of some assistance."
Red Ape felt his eyes widen in horror at who he saw. The man was very handsome. Long flowing golden hair and shimmering eyes. He was dressed in a white priest robe and had a kind smile on his face. There was a saying most villains would tell to the younger generation of bad guys. 'If you're going to be evil, then be so evil that a hero kills you.' There was one reason every villain that lived in the ten great cities followed this rule. If you were captured, you'd be sent to Nightshade. And if you were sent to Nightshade, you'd likely end up standing before the only person that caused villains everywhere to fear.
Uriel of the Immortals now stood before them.
White Lamb's witty remarks were gone, and the girl simply turned her power on, herself masking all noise as she slipped back into the darkness in an effort to escape. Red Ape dropped to his knees and backed away in horror. Doc, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on and kept working on his machine. "You can help us?" The blind man questioned.
"Oh yes." Uriel's face was twisted into a smile, the kind that was without a doubt fake and forced. "I believe I have just what you're looking for." In one arm, he clutched a book, one that was far smaller than the tome Lucifer walked around with but still mighty big. The villain opened it slowly and tore out a page. "Avalon was actually the one who sent me here, you know." That caused Red Ape to let out a soft whimper, but it was soon replaced by a cry of sadness when the page that fell to the ground shimmered and expanded, becoming a familiar person. Red Monkey stood crouched low, not moving as his body was put together by the shards of paper that were becoming his flesh.
"M- My brother." Red Ape knew what this meant if he was seeing his brother. Red Monkey was long gone. At least his body was. All that was left now was a shell holding onto what remained of the man's soul. The Dead Virus had gotten him.
Uriel patted Red Monkey on the top of the head. "I was able to escape thanks to the Beast and came here to speak to Avalon's master. That was where I spoke to Avalon, and he mentioned you guys. At first I came here to finish the collection and get the last members of Zoo."
"Y- You changed your mind, though?" Red Ape hoped that was the case.
"For now." Uriel shrugged and looked around the room. "I heard what you said about making a new body, and I thought it was interesting. After all, the body I'm in isn't my own. Then again, we Immortals have switched bodies so many times I hardly recall how I used to look. The only person I know who is able to move a soul into a new body is Lucifer, so I find it interesting you all think you could do the same. It makes me happy in a way. To know that Supers are coming this far."
"What do you want with us then?" Doc demanded.
"I guess you can say I'm here to make a deal." Uriel tore out more pages and threw them into the air, causing the bodies of Black Shark, Black Crow, and White Spider to appear. "I'm willing to offer you guys not just every member of Zoo I have but some special bonus rewards, too. Of course, you'll have to earn those... After all, some of these guys I have are gifts I got from Lucifer. So, let's make this deal. You guys can have these four now, and, in return, I want you to do something for me. Do that, and I'll give you even more of my soldiers and then some."
"And what is it that you want us to do?" Doc asked suspiciously.
Uriel threw his arms out in a wide-open way and gave a large grin. "Chaos. Pure and utter chaos. I want this city to burn."
"W- Why?"
"Because. It. Just. Sounds. Fun."
***
Present day...
Green Ape shuddered a bit as the memory of that night hit him. Thankfully, he hadn't seen Uriel since then. With the help of the Immortal, they had easily built Doc's machine and were able to start making Green Wolf bodies. Before the end of the night, Green Wolf had awoken in the body of Hope Lauren and went out to deal with some villains that had to do with drills and chainsaws.
Time had flown by quickly since the night of the Beast attack.
They finished climbing up the stairs and made their way up to the roof. This base was just an old apartment building that had been emptied out. On the roof, a large helicopter stood ready to go. Despite its blades spinning, it made no sound thanks to White Lamb's powers. It was a Hero Branch chopper—one they had stolen out of the skies when it had been dropping off supplies. Thanks to how it looked and the fact it made no noise, he was hoping it wouldn't alert the Giant. If it did though, he had a solution for them.
Doc threw Alexander into the back, and the egg-shaped man got in after. "You know how to fly this thing?" White Egg called back to Green Ape.
"Yeah. Green Tiger taught me." The man announced getting into the front seat. White Lamb got into the seat next to him, and he grabbed the controls, causing the helicopter to rise.
"Stop it! Let me go!" Alexander yelled and squirmed around. "You can't do this! You're going to blow up the building, aren't you? Your people are still in there! Those aren't just heroes; they're kids!"
"Can you shut him up?" Green Ape questioned. White Lamb didn't even look back at the man. She silently flicked her finger, and Alexander's mouth made no more noise. "That's better." As the helicopter rose up, Green Ape looked down at the city below. It was still in ruins, but the Giants had been hard at work trying to fix it up. Speaking of which, one stared directly at him and began to slowly lumber toward the floating helicopter. Green Ape reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two switches. "Here goes nothing."
The first switch was a bomb. One that would cause not just the building they had come from to explode but countless others as well. They had taken as many of Avalon's explosives, which the man had a shocking amount of, and placed them in every building still standing, as well as beneath many of the city blocks and sewer systems. With a simple click, all the hard work the Giants had been doing would come undone. It was only possible to do this thanks to the fact they had been forced to move underground so much. He had gotten to study the layers of the world beneath the city very well.
The second switch was much more complicated. It was connected to dozens of cages scattered all around the city in the spots that didn't have bombs that would unleash every single one of his mutated pets. All he needed to do was click two buttons, and this city would be over with.
"Oh, how it feels good to win." Green Ape grinned and pressed down on the pair of switches as hard as he could.
An explosion was caused. One that was not caused by the buildings, though. All the buildings remained standing. No bomb went off. What did happen, though, was something far worse for Green Ape. Something rammed into the helicopter. It wasn't a Giant either. It was way scarier.
"Looks like I made it in time!" The entire helicopter literally crumbled and fell apart, silently blowing to bits and sending the people in it tumbling out. "I was able to block your signal from going off with a powerful barrier. It might be fast, but light's faster." Green Ape felt himself turn in the air, and he stared up with rage-filled eyes at the smiling face of the Victorian.
Alexander felt the metal around him shatter and break, and he began to rapidly fall. He let out a loud scream, but no noise came from him as he tumbled. He never hit the ground, though. Instead, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around him as they crashed into the roof of the building, shaking it.
"Got you! Are you okay, sir?"
Alexander froze as he heard the voice. He had heard it so many times today, yet this one was different. It wasn't like Green Wolf's. It was kind and gentle. The arms around him were soft and protective. Slowly he looked up, staring into the eyes of a young girl who wore a red hooded costume. He stared into the eyes of Cinder, his daughter.
"Don't worry." Hope gently placed the man down and stepped out in front of him, cracking her knuckles. "I'll take it from here."
His daughter didn't recognize him. She didn't know that the person she just saved was her father.
"H- Hope?" Alexander asked in shock.
Hope winced and let out a sigh. "I guess I should get used to people knowing who I am, huh." She looked down at her hands for a moment, taking in how small they looked. "Although, not many should know who I am since I'm all small and-"
From above, a weird guy in an egg suit let out a yell as he dropped to the ground and landed on his back. His egg didn't crack; instead, it was very bouncy, and due to how wide he was, the egg man was able to catch Red Ape, who was wearing a green mask for some reason, and White Lamb, the two Zoo members, coming to a soft landing on their teammate.
"I told you the suit was a good idea!" Red Ape announced.
"Bigger fish to fry, big guy." White Lamb said, elbowing the man.
Cinder folded her arms as she looked at the three villains. The helicopter above them was still falling apart and raining down around them after the Victorian rammed herself through it. Metal debris smacked the roof as Red Ape slowly stood back up and looked back at her. She could see his eyes from beneath his mask, which went wide as it took her form in.
She felt a little embarrassed since she was practically half her size and wearing a new costume that was technically alive. Despite her new adjustments, though, it was clear Red Ape knew who she was.
"Ah! So, you've come personally, rival!" Red Ape threw his arms out. "I knew you'd be the one to show and stop me in the end! It was only a matter of time! I just needed to make a scheme so big that you'd personally come and stop me!"
"Wait, that's what you were doing!" White Egg asked in shock. "What about Uriel-"
"Fuck Uriel!" Red Ape announced. "I could care less what he'll do to me! I wasn't making chaos for him! I did it for her! She thought she could leave me! That she could leave this city and run away from her arch nemesis! I think not! I knew that I could create a situation so bad that you'd have no choice but to show up and stop me, Cinder! Even if you've become a lap dog for the Hero Branch!"
Cinder reached up and pinched her nose, letting out a heavy sigh. "Oh, it just had to be you. It couldn't have been Demonica or anyone like that? My first villain fight just had to be Red Ape-"
"Green Ape!" The new leader of Zoo called out. "I am Green Ape now! The one who will defeat Cinder!"
"Is that really Cinder, though?" White Lamb asked, cocking her head to the side. "I mean, she's smaller than me, her hair is black again instead of gold, and she's wearing a weird suit? Are we sure this isn't a Green Wolf clone or something?"
"Of course, I'm sure." Green Ape huffed. "I would know my rival anywhere!"
The Victorian stayed in the air, her arms folded as an amused smirk stayed on her face. "Seems she's more popular than I thought." She cleared her throat and began to float down. "Hey, Cinder, take care of these guys. I'm checking the inside out." The golden woman touched down on the floor and didn't apply much force as she simply sank into the ground, easily shattering the roof as she dropped down into the building below.
Green Ape stood across from Cinder and Mr. Lauren with his two teammates staring down the hero. His finger kept clicking the buttons on the switches he had, but they weren't working. All around him, smaller than the eye could see, small golden particles were devouring the signal waves before they could get far. This wasn't dealing with little hero gangs anymore. Now he was dealing with the number one hero. Someone who wasn't bound by the same rules as them. Green Ape placed the remote down and took his lab coat off.
"Looks like I'll have to do this myself." He grunted out.
"You think you can beat her?" White Egg asked.
"I will!" Green Ape wore a simple wife beater shirt beneath his lab coat. All along his flesh, various tubes ran across his skin, and as he twitched, a familiar orange-looking liquid began to enter his bloodstream. The last of the Wandering Coin's enhancement drugs caused his muscles to grow and bulge as he expanded a bit, bulking out. It didn't stop there. He reached up and pressed a button, causing another one of his helmets to fold out of the ape mask. The switch rotated on its own, forming his bubble off and on as the laser got ready to fire. "Here I come, Cinder."
Cinder looked back at the civilian behind her. He looked a little familiar, but she didn't have a lot of time to think about it. "Stay here. This won't take long." She crouched down and jumped to the side, cracking the floor as she soared across it in the Kevin-suit. Green Ape turned to follow her with his head, firing a thick red energy beam out. She threw her arm out, and the suit she wore unraveled, firing out tendrils. She dropped off the side of the building and the tendrils wrapped around it, allowing her to swing herself across to the other side at fast speed. The tendrils twitched and pulled her up on her own, launching her high into the air and putting her above the building.
Alexander watched the scene with wide eyes. She was almost starting to remind him of his favorite superhero, Golden Weaver. He had never actually gotten to see his daughter at work. He didn't know why her form was a lot smaller than it should have been, but it didn't matter. He felt a bit jealous that Jane had likely gotten to see something like this. It felt different from watching the other heroes fight.
Green Ape's energy beam died down, going into recharge as he glared up at the sky where Cinder was. The girl began to rapidly fall back toward him, and he got ready to fire again but stopped as his barrier formed around him just in time to block shards of jagged metal. She had snatched some of the bits of the helicopter that were raining down and weaponized them. His barrier easily stopped the attack, though it caused him to lose his chance to attack as Cinder came back down, whipping around the building again, getting faster and faster. His shield wouldn't die down either as she kept throwing rocks, or metal bits, in his direction again and again, the attacks coming out quicker and quicker.
Then she launched. In an instant, her tendril pulled itself back to her, and this time Cinder was the one to be sent flying, cracking through the air with a mighty boom. She flew forward at fast speeds as her momentum carried her directly toward Green Ape. His barrier screeched, growing its bubble around him as she reached him. She spun her body in the air and rammed into his shield, feet first. She didn't have her fire, so she couldn't rocket herself forward as well as she might have once been able to, but she could still use the enhanced strength of Kevin to turn herself into a battering ram.
Cracks appeared along Green Ape's barrier, and the floor beneath him began to creak as his legs struggled to stay standing. He let out a scream as he lost the power struggle, and his helmet began to smoke as the bubble shattered. Cinder's feet smashed into his gut, still being carried by her speed. All at once, Green Ape was blasted back, flying across the building, where he slammed through another three sets of towers, finding himself flat on his back in another apartment.
All of his ribs were broken and the building he was in began to slowly collapse as Green Ape's eyes fluttered shut. "J- Just... As... I... Expected..."
Cinder came to a sliding stop, her suit firing out more tendrils, which stabbed into the ground, breaking her fall. In almost no time flat, she had managed to take out Green Ape. She let out a soft sigh and turned to face the others. Both White Egg and Alexander were looking at her in stunned silence. White Lamb, however, was gone. The girl had likely used her power to turn her own sound off and made a break for it. The lamb mask was on the ground, and she didn't know what the Zoo member looked beneath her mask.
It didn't matter at the moment, though. For now, she needed to deal with White Egg.
Or at least she thought she needed to. "I give up." White Egg dropped his cane.
"Just like that?"
"Yep. I'm blind, but even I see how outclassed I am." The villain shrugged.
She blinked, a little taken aback. "Blind? Wait, I know that voice! You're Doc!"
The egg man flinched. "Um no, that's uh, my uh, my twin."
"Your twin?"
"Yep."
"And you're also blind like he is?"
"It can happen."
Cinder made a face. "I'm going to knock you out now."
"Wait-"
She didn't even have time to move or process what happened. Despite how big it was, none of them had noticed how close the Giant had gotten to them. Likely because of White Lamb, it moved silently, and before she could act or White Egg even knew it, the thing brought its palm down on the egg-shaped man and shook the building as it squished him.
"No!" She yelled out in shock.
The Giant slowly removed its hand, and she stared at what remained of Doc in shock. There wasn't any blood. Instead, as the egg costume shattered open, a yellow and white liquid spilled out. Yolk? The yolk bubbled up and rose into a swirling mass. Doc had turned himself into a weird slime thing? Either with a power he always had or one he recently got, she wasn't sure. After all, she never actually saw the man use his powers before now.
The Giant brought its palm down again, but it was yolk, and there wasn't really anything to it. The yellow slime creature squirmed out from under the palm. She jumped at it, but her hands just went through it as it moved past her arm. It jiggled across the ground with shocking speed and reached a drainage that was connected to the roof leading to the sewers below. Before she or the Giant could make another move, the yolk creature threw itself into the drainage system and sank down, vanishing.
"Damn it!" She cursed out. First White Lamb and now Doc. She wasn't making her return look very good. "Why'd you crack the egg open?" She demanded, looking back at the Giant.
The large creature stared at her silently. It towered over the building they were on and likely could have torn it down with a simple flick of its fingers if it wanted to. Instead, though, it raised its hand and brought it down toward her. She readied herself for an attack but stopped as its finger pressed down on her head. It wasn't hard; in fact, it was actually pretty gentle, all things considered. The Giant held its finger there for a moment, then simply removed its hand and turned away, stalking back into the city.
Cinder stood there, a little dumbfounded, trying to process what just happened. "That was kind of weird."
"Hope?"
She turned when she heard the voice of the civilian. He was staring at her in shock, taking her form in. Now that she was also getting a better look at him, he also looked eerily familiar. A bushy beard covered his face, and his eyes were filled with tons of emotion. He was pretty thin due to the lack of food. She had noticed quickly how bad Oleander looked when the Victorian had carried her into the city. The man took a step closer to her, and she traced his face with her eyes-
It had been so long she almost forgot.
Every time she had gone to see him, he had been extremely pale and bald. Even after being healed up a bit, he wasn't in a much better condition. Now, though, his skin had color to it. He looked older. His hair was back, and he was walking again. He looked so normal. So alive. She knew who this was.
"Hope?"
"Dad?" She croaked out.
She felt herself being tackled to the ground as the man, her father, wrapped his arms around her. It wasn't a weak hug either. It was one filled with a lot of strength and love.
In the floors below, Paragon, Metal Ronin, and Oxide stopped what they were doing as the roof above them shattered apart and a familiar person dropped down before them. They all stared in shock as the golden woman, the Victorian, stood up.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" White Spider yelled out, throwing her hands into the air. "Seriously, how is this fair?"
"What's the situation?" The Victorian asked calmly and easily slapped away a stray laser beam that Red Monkey fired at her.
Paragon recovered first and shook her head, getting her thoughts back on track. She had no idea why the Victorian was here in Oleander, but she wasn't going to complain. "They're zombies. Created by the Dead Virus." She said quickly. "We can't kill them."
The Victorian nodded her head. "Judging by how they're still speaking and showing emotion, this is likely Uriel's doing. Lucifer doesn't keep the will of his soldiers." The former number one hero brought her hand up, the golden light soaking through her clenched fingers as three shards of metal were formed. She threw her hand out, tossing the shards forward, which impaled themselves directly into the three zombie Zoo members. "Rest now. Your time is over."
Golden cracks spilled out across the three members' skins. White Spider looked down at her hands, watching as her body crumbled away slowly, being burned to less than ash. This was the same thing Full Monarch did to Lucifer and the other zombies, as well as the monsters the Emperor created. An attack able to kill despite regeneration. "If you see Uriel, make him pay. Make it brutal and slow. It's what that sicko gets." White Spider closed her eyes as her body came undone and she was scattered to the winds, followed shortly by Black Shark and Red Monkey.
"That was shockingly easy." Metal Ronin said, still in shock.
"What do we do about Green Wolf?" Oxide asked, pointing to the staircase where the injured Green Wolf was still resting.
"Cinder?" The Victorian raised her eyebrow in shock. "That doesn't make sense, though? Why is there a Cinder lookalike here? Surely, it's not Skin Walker, is it?"
Paragon shook her head. "It's complicated. Basically, Green Wolf is in a cloned body of Cinder. There's actually several cloned bodies, and he can be in at least two at the same time, possibly more."
"Is that why her power hasn't fully returned?" The Victorian hummed, rubbing her chin. "Is it because of the other bodies? No. That doesn't make any sense."
Before they could ask what the woman meant, the door to the room burst open as Wasp Nest and Drake came crashing into the room, ready for combat. The two men stopped instantly when they saw the Victorian. "What the hell did we miss?" Wasp Nest asked in shock. He had Myth resting on his back, who was barely conscious.
"Is that the Victorian?" Myth grunted out. "Geez, things must be worse than I thought."
Drake entered behind them back in his human-looking form. Scales still covered most of his upper torso, which was now visible since his jacket had been torn off. A long red tail expanded out of his rear, which was wrapped tightly around Black Crow, keeping the villain in a crushed state so that he couldn't do anything. "Ms. Victorian? What are you doing here?"
"I'll explain in a moment, but why don't you heal Myth first, Paragon? He looks like he needs your help." The woman suggested.
Paragon nodded, still a little phased at what was happening around her, but she shrugged it off and placed her hand on Myth. She could tell he was mainly suffering from overheating his body and pushing his muscles too far. He'd need to rest, but she mended what she could, allowing him to walk on his own two feet again. He thanked her as he got off of Wasp Nest's back. He stretched a bit, feeling his bones and muscles pop and tense as his body adjusted itself slowly.
"How did you three get here?" Oxide questioned. "The tunnels should have been blocked off by White Spider's webs, and she just died, so there's no way you all made it through there in time."
"We blasted a hole in the roof and traveled up top." Drake explained. His tail swished back and forth, swinging the body of Black Crow around, who just groaned and hissed. "Those Giants weren't happy, but luckily they seem to be programmed to only target bad guys and left us alone."
"It's so weird how they work." Metal Ronin said, letting out a sigh. "Boy Genius once had an idea close to this before. He talked about it on a podcast once. He wanted to make hundreds of robots that could patrol the streets and keep the city safe while the heroes worked to save the world outside of the walls."
"Why'd he give up on it?" Oxide questioned.
"Too tricky to get to work." Metal Ronin shrugged. "Perfect AI like Beta took several minds all working together to create. Normal robots are easy enough to make; Boy Genius has them all over his base, but even there they run into issues he hasn't been able to figure out. Not to mention Mental-based gear breaks down a lot when not near the one who created it, and all it takes is one bad code for the robots to not work. I guess Battery's Giant's don't have those issues, or the man simply didn't care since he flooded all our cities with them."
"Well clearly, they have their own faults." Wasp Nest said, letting out a snort. "All a bad guy has to do is hide underground, and there's nothing the Giants can do. I guess that's why he left us little heroes alone and kicked out all the strong Enforcer heroes. He's using us to finish his dirty work."
Myth cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Who was that on the roof?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Paragon responded.
"We were able to find you guys because of the fight going on up top. It wasn't the Victorian, and you're all down here, so who was up top fighting?"
"I guess you'll have to ask the Victorian." Paragon shrugged and turned to look at the golden woman. "Likely someone she brought with her."
The Victorian looked down at the body of Green Wolf. The clone held a small smirk on her lips as she looked back up at the body of the Victorian. "You're lucky." Green Wolf spat out.
"I am?"
"Yeah. My main body has most of my power and isn't in this city. It's a dozen times stronger than the version of me that lost to Battery, and it's growing every day." The young girl bragged. "I know eventually it'll be strong enough to beat you."
"How long do you think that'll take?" The golden woman questioned.
"Five years!"
The woman snorted and folded her arms. "Five years, huh? So, in five years, the little puppy thinks it'll be grown up enough to sink their fangs into the gods?"
Green Wolf also let out a snort, leaning her head back on the floor as her broken body began to breathe slower. "You and Battery are just alike, you know. You're like the same person in a lot of ways. Yet both of you still can never live up to the shadow that Full Monarch casts. You'll never reach it. The end that either of you wants. People like me will always be there to stop you."
"Is that what you think?"
"It's what I know."
The Victorian let out a soft hum. "I think I have a good idea of what to do with you."
"And what would that be?" Green Wolf asked as a small frown twisted itself onto her face.
The Victorian gave a wide grin. "We're going to use you as spare parts to fix Cinder!"
"Cinder!" Paragon turned and stared at the golden woman. "You mean you know where she is?"
"Of course I do." The golden woman turned to look back at them, giving them all an odd look. "Oh. I guess I didn't mention it, did I? Yeah, Cinder's right above us on the roof."
"What!"
***
Cinder dodged out of the way of hundreds of curved blades that rained down from the sky. She flew through the air, being carried by bright golden fire that poured out of her hands and feet, allowing her to control her movement with ease.
Orchid Town wasn't in any of the ten great cities; it was actually directly connected to Gladiolus, one of the only cities left that didn't have any Giants. In the air above the city, a large, lanky man floated, covered in scraps of metal that formed his armor. Iron twisted and took shape, cutting through the air as the villain attempted to kill his rival.
"I'll kill you for what you did to my brother, Polaron!" Polaris hissed out.
Cinder only gave a cocky grin, her golden hair falling down her back. She came to a sudden stop in the air, and her eyes glowed with a faint red light as a beam of energy blasted out of them and began to easily burn through the metal constructs Polaris was creating. "Nice try, Polaris, but your days of evil end here. I know the truth. You were the one behind Bad Timers. It was never Polaron but you. You were the real mastermind. A right-hand man of the Emperor's army, and a threat that could even rival the Emperor himself! I, Cinder, shall be the one to stop you!"
"And that's a wrap!" The voice of the director called out.
"Thank fucking God." Cinder muttered under her breath as her fire died down and she dropped out of the sky and to the ground. "Hey, I know this was her costume, but can we seriously write an arc or something where she changes into something better? Also, I think I should start making myself look more pretty if I'm going to be the new face of the Hero Branch. No offense to Cinder, but damn, she's flatter than a board."
"Pretty sure that's because she was still a kid when she died." Polaris called out, also dropping from the sky. He shook himself free of all the metal, revealing a rather handsome young man with neat brown hair and wide eyes. "Also, me being the brother of Polaron sounds a bit racist? I'm not a monster, and all of the Emperor's people were? I don't know if it makes sense that I'm the final boss."
Orchi town wasn't as destroyed as it might have first looked. No buildings were truly turned over, the road hadn't been damaged that badly, and all the metal was actually plastic because Polaris wasn't actually Polaris and didn't have metal-based powers. He had control over plastic. The street was filled with dozens of Hero Branch workers as well as script writers and cameramen. Another hero, one who had the ability to put up a powerful barrier around their area, was working constantly, his power making sure that no one could see what was going on in the filming area.
It made non-Supers simply blank out and not be able to even recall that it was there. They'd just move past it in silence. In a few days when filming was done, they'd leave, and the people would find that an entire city block was gone. The power blocked their memories, and so instead they'd fill in the blanks themselves when they saw on the news that night about Cinder stopping an attack. It would slot in perfectly to the hole in their minds, and some would even claim they had been there in person to witness the new number one hero's epic battle.
The directors and Hero Branch workers ran back and forth like headless chickens while Cinder dropped down to a sitting position and began to remove her boots and gloves. They were simple Mental-based tech that could produce low levels of flame, allowing her to fly. The downside though was that it burned her hands and feet just wearing them. She wasn't fireproof like the real Cinder had been, after all.
"Alright everyone, take ten!" A director called out.
"You okay?" Polaris questioned Cinder.
The girl shook her head, her golden hair shifting slightly. "I need to go sit in my trailer. Come get me when it's time to finish the fight scene." She had a bit of time. They'd likely film some of the other scenes, such as hired actors recounting how amazing it was to be saved by the mighty Cinder and set up a few stock clips of her stopping floods or volcanoes, which had actually all been done by either Battery or the Victorian.
"You got it. Go rest up." Polaris said, clapping her on the back.
She couldn't actually be bothered to remember his real name. This had been her life for months now. As soon as the Beast had been defeated, she was given the job of a lifetime. Be Cinder. Every week, she was stopping a great disaster somewhere in the world. Every month, she was fighting a new evil that arrived on Earth. Every day, she was making public appearances, talking on shows, being shown out in the field with the Hero Branch, or working alongside the Cleanup Crew to fix cities. Any place besides Oleander, that was. They had gotten hundreds of hours of footage all before she even made her public appearance.
Her life and her eventual death were all planned out and scripted.
It was all so boring.
Cinder made her way to the side of an alleyway where her trailer stood. She entered it and let out a nice sigh as the cold air hit her. "Having fun?" Her eyes snapped open at the voice. One she had heard many times in her nightmare. "Don't scream or you're dead."
It was almost a comical sight. The Emperor was crouched low, his horns brushing the roof above him as his fiery red eyes glared at her. She squeaked and went to back out of her trailer, but the door shut on its own, trapping her inside with her former boss.
"It's been a while, Skin Walker." The Emperor spat the name out.
Cinder felt her body shake, and her focus came undone as her power dropped. Her skin bubbled and changed, along with her eyes and hair. Gray, nasty flesh covered her from head to toe, and her hair rained down her back, the color of oil. Her eyes were pure black, filled with only fear, and she brought her arms up in front of her chest as if to defend herself. "B- Boss?"
She had heard that the Emperor was back. The Hero Branch still hadn't come out to the public about that little fact. They had been keeping it to themselves at the moment. She knew that one day the villain would come for her, assuming she was the real Cinder. She didn't expect him to see through her disguise so quickly though. Then again, he was the one who made her. She had been a monster in his army sixteen years ago. After he fell in battle at the hands of Full Monarch, she had been one of the few members of his group that switched sides and joined the Hero Branch to work as an agent for the greater good.
Now, her former master was stalking around her trailer. His eyes roamed the walls, staring at all the new posters and fan mail she had received. "It seems you've been busy." He sounded almost amused.
"I- It's so good that you're here, sir! T- The Hero Branch was using me! They've been forcing me to work for them. Now that you're here, we can kill them all and-"
"Did I give you permission to speak?" Skin Walker instantly bit down on her tongue, silencing herself. The Emperor reached out and grasped one of her pictures. It was when she first showed herself to the world as Cinder. Up on a stage with many of the Hero Branch directors. "How has it been? Pretending to be the savior of humans? You may speak."
"I- I didn't have a choice! They'd throw me in Nightshade or worse!" She pleaded.
The Emperor placed the picture down and looked back at her. He approached her slowly, and she tried to shrink down. He reached out and cupped her cheek, staring down into her eyes. "Change back."
"W- What?"
"Cinder. Become her again."
She gulped but dared not disobey. Her power turned back on. Her flesh became pale, her hair grew less ratty and ignited in a golden light, and her eyes looked as if they were on fire, turning into a scarlet red. Her face and height also morphed, and her chest shrank back down. In only a moment, she was once again a perfect lookalike for Cinder. The Emperor kept his hand on her chin and tilted her head back and forth, looking intently at her.
"It'll do." He dropped her and turned away.
"What'll do, sir?" She gulped, feeling her heart steady. "D- Do you have another job for me?"
"You can cut the act."
She froze, and slowly, the look of fear that was on her face faded. Skin Walker giggled and folded her arms cocking her head to the side. "You figured it out so easily?"
"Of course I did." The Emperor grunted. "You're not Cinder, and you're also not Skin Walker. You're something else now. Something that took on Skin Walker's form and powers. A parasite that shouldn't exist, yet here you are. I don't know when you absorbed Skin Walker, and I honestly don't care. Since you're pretending to be her though, and you have her powers, I'll go along with your little game."
The 'fake' Skin Walker folded her arms, still looking like Cinder. A cruel smile was on her face, and her eyes looked the Emperor up and down, no longer in fear. "So, you do have a job for me then? Skin Walker worked with you plenty of times, yet as you guessed, I'm not her. I'm something else... Something that had taken over Skin Walker when she found me out in the Wasteland. So then, Mister Big Bad Emperor. What do you want from me?"
The Emperor looked back at her, his red eyes meeting hers. Evil stared at evil. "You're Cinder from now on. I have the perfect role for you. One where you'll excel."
The entity, the curse brought on by the Beast, that which should have stayed dead, let out a soft giggle. "I can't wait."
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