You know that moment in movies where the underdog team stands together, slow-mo walking toward the Big Bad, music swelling, wind blowing, and someone says something inspiring like "Let's finish this… together."
Yeah.
That happened.
Except I'm the Big Bad now.
And it was... adorable.
---
They called themselves the E-Team.
Officially, it stands for Enhanced Emergency Enforcement Taskforce.
Unofficially? Everyone just calls them the E-Team because they're not quite A-list. Not even B-list. But they've got potential. Real firepower. Raw talent.
The kind of squad that could maybe save a city.
Or accidentally level one.
They dropped in right after midnight. Cracked the sky open with a flashy, synchronized entrance. Lightning. Smoke. Hero landings. Capes fluttering like budget Avengers.
And I'll admit it...
I laughed.
---
Lineup roll call:
Pulsefire: Lightning-based speedster. Good hair. Never shuts up.
Brickjaw: Walking tank. Made of living concrete. Possibly part bulldozer.
Glimmer: Illusion caster. Makes herself look like a goddess. Probably cries after Pixar movies.
Talon: Flight and claw weapons. Think Batman, but 19 and on energy drinks.
Emberlyn: Fire manipulator. Tries really hard to act edgy. Definitely writes fanfiction.
Five of them. Young. Bold. Glowing with righteous energy.
They landed on the rooftop of my penthouse like they were about to win something.
Nova sat on the ledge sipping wine. Lilith stayed inside, watching from the shadows.
I stood there—shirtless, again, for branding reasons—arms crossed, bored already.
Pulsefire stepped forward.
"We don't want to hurt you."
I raised an eyebrow. "You can try."
Brickjaw cracked his knuckles. "You're dangerous. Unstable. We're taking you in."
Glimmer added, "For your own good."
Talon actually flexed. "We've trained for this."
Emberlyn lit her hands on fire and whispered, "I used to look up to you…"
I sighed. "I really miss when villains used to monologue before getting wrecked."
---
Then they attacked.
At the same time.
Points for coordination.
Pulsefire zipped toward me with lightning-fast punches.
I blinked—and caught him by the throat.
The moment froze. Literally. Air pressure shifted.
"Too slow," I muttered.
And I slammed him into the rooftop hard enough to shatter three stories below.
Brickjaw roared, charging.
I picked up Pulsefire's unconscious body and used him like a bat.
Concrete shattered. Bones crunched. Pulsefire's mask snapped clean off.
Oops.
Glimmer tried to distract me with illusions—ten of me surrounding myself, all of them smirking.
Cute.
I closed my eyes.
Used sound, not sight and heat visioned her right through the chest.
She screamed. Calm down, it wasn't fatal. Just humbling.
Talon dove at me with twin claws spinning.
I let him.
He hit me in the chest, the claws bent.
He stared, horrified.
I gently flicked him.
He cartwheeled off the roof.
---
Emberlyn stood alone now, flames flickering, hands trembling.
She stepped forward.
"I always looked up to you," she said. "You were our leader. Our hero. Please… come back. Be what you were."
She looked like she believed it. Like this was her big, emotional turning point.
I tilted my head.
"What?"
She blinked. "I said—"
I cupped my ear.
"Sorry, I can't hear you!" I shouted.
Of course I heard her. I could hear a mouse crying in another building two blocks away. I just wanted to make her look dumb.
We were three meters apart.
Nova lost it, laughing so hard she nearly fell off the ledge.
Emberlyn's face crumpled.
"...You're a monster," she whispered.
"No," I said, walking past her, patting her head like a child. "I'm just awake. You'll get there."
She didn't stop me.
None of them did.
Pulsefire was unconscious. Brickjaw was rubble. Glimmer was sobbing. Talon was still rolling down the street. And Emberlyn?
She just stood there.
Ash in her eyes.
---
An hour later, Titania watched the aftermath from a satellite feed.
I know. Because she hesitated again.
I felt it.
The indecision. The betrayal of her own beliefs. The fear.
She's not coming to stop me.
Not anymore. Now she's wondering:
What if he's right?