The night was quiet in the way that made Lia Blackwell uneasy.
Not peaceful. Not calm.Just… waiting.
Cold wind slipped between the buildings, cutting straight through her suit and biting into her bare arms. Lia tucked her hands under her armpits and tried not to shiver, which only made her more aware of how badly she was failing.
Rooftop stakeouts are overrated, she decided.And freezing.
"Feeling cold, Lia?" a sweet, sultry voice asked beside her—far too amused.
Lia didn't look over. "No, genius. I'm shaking because I'm thrilled."
Aya gasped dramatically. "Wow. Sarcasm already? You really are nervous."
"I'm focused."
"Uh-huh."
Aya leaned back against the ledge, completely relaxed. Her suit shimmered faintly under the city lights—sleek purple panels wrapped perfectly around her frame, black sleeves hugging her arms. The glowing accents caught the wind like moonlight. Even the stupid bunny ears resting in her silky blonde hair somehow worked.
Lia hated that.
Aya reached into her pouch and pulled out a wrapped packet, waving it in front of Lia's face. "Snack?"
Lia eyed it like it might explode. "Did you cook?"
"Of course I did."
"I'll pass."
"Ouch. Rude." Aya pouted, then added casually, "Mickey made it."
Lia paused.
Slowly, she took the packet and sniffed it.
It smelled like chicken.
She frowned, opened it, and stared down at the fish inside. Carefully, deliberately, she closed it again.
"Liar."
Aya burst out laughing. "You didn't even try it!"
"You lied about the protein. I can't trust anything now."
"Come on," Aya whined. "You need energy. Stakeouts are boring. Who knows if the attack's even going to happen?"
She hopped up onto the ledge, legs dangling over the city far below. She tugged her white scarf up over her mouth, turquoise eyes scanning the skyline.
Despite herself, Lia noticed the faint shiver running through her shoulders.
She's cold too, Lia realized.She just doesn't complain.
Aya exhaled slowly. Her voice dropped.
"Stay sharp, Recoil," she murmured. "He's here."
The explosion turned night into daylight.
Lia's instincts took over before her thoughts could catch up. She shot to her feet as heat slammed into her face and the building beneath them shook.
She locked eyes with Aya.
For half a second, Lia saw it—fear.
Then Aya smiled.
She stepped off the ledge.
The rooftop trembled as glowing yellow platforms snapped into existence beneath her feet, launching her skyward toward the burning skyscraper. Fire roared from shattered windows, glass raining down like sparks.
Sirens wailed below.
Police vehicles screeched into position, sealing off roads as civilians scattered in every direction.
More explosions rippled through the city.
"We've engaged the target!" a voice screamed through the comms. "I repeat—engaged! Requesting immediate backup!"
Lia tapped her temple.
Her visor slid down, bathing her vision in blue light. The city reorganized itself into paths, vectors, trajectories. A single pulsing dot appeared in the distance.
"Got you," Lia whispered.
She stepped off the building.
The world slowed to a crawl.
Sirens stretched into endless red ribbons. Flames froze mid-flicker. Civilians hung suspended in motion—arms outstretched, mouths open, eyes wide with terror.
Lia ran.
Down the side of the building, feet barely touching concrete. The wind screamed in her ears as kinetic energy built inside her, humming under her skin.
First floor.
She leapt.
A traffic light bent beneath her foot as she used it as a stepping stone, launching herself to the ground without breaking stride.
She cut through an alley, burst onto the highway, and angled toward the park ahead.
Fire painted the sky orange.
Heroes had already formed a loose ring around the target. The grass inside the park was scorched black, melting under the heat. A wave of fire expanded outward, forcing them back in slow, helpless motion.
Lia moved.
She grabbed one hero, dragged them clear. Another. Another. Her body screamed as she pushed harder, faster, the energy inside her straining against its limits.
Aya was last.
She had gone straight for the front.
Flames surged toward her, too fast, too hot.
Lia grabbed Aya's scarf and yanked her backward with everything she had.
Time snapped back into place.
Fire erupted skyward, melting asphalt, igniting trees. Lia dropped Aya at a safe distance and staggered.
She glanced at the timer in her visor.
"Five seconds," she muttered. "You couldn't go five seconds without almost dying, Luna?"
"Shut up," Aya groaned, sprawled on the ground.
The flames collapsed inward.
Something stepped out.
It looked like a corpse dragged straight out of hell.
Hollow eye sockets burned with fire. Shoulder-length hair flowed like living flame. Black leather clung to its body, warped and smoldering.
"Oops," it croaked, its voice layered with screaming echoes. "Caught me."
It snapped its fingers.
The street behind it exploded.
A burning car rocketed into the park—a Dodge Challenger engulfed in flame. Its wheels glowed red-hot as fire twisted unnaturally around its frame.
Then the front bumper shifted.
A mouth opened.
"SEE YA LATER, SLOOOOOW POOOOOKE!"
The car screamed and blasted down the road toward another barricade.
"Recoil! Luna!" a massive granite-skinned hero barked. "Go! I'll handle the roadblock!"
He slammed his foot into the ground. Stone surged upward, forming a ramp just as the car hit it and launched skyward.
Aya crouched.
A glowing yellow panel formed beneath her feet.
She launched.
Lia chased from the ground.
Aya flipped through the air, graceful and deadly, light following her movements like moonlight.
"Lunar Strike!"
She kicked the car down hard.
It slammed into the highway, skidded, then tore off again in a trail of fire.
It was fast.
Not fast enough.
Lia accelerated, heat licking her skin. She couldn't touch the car directly—the flames would shred her.
Ahead, the city thinned into desert.
An idea formed.
A stupid one.
"I'm taking it head-on," Lia said into the comms. "Bring it down."
"What?!" Aya shouted. "That's insane!"
"Luna."
A pause.
"…Fine. Don't die."
Lia smiled despite herself.
She pulled everything in.
The ground. The air. Her own momentum.
Energy surged through her veins, screaming to be released. She overtook the car, jumped the rail, and turned back toward it.
The kinetic force pooled in her left shoulder, burning.
This is going to hurt.
She slammed into the car and let it go.
The blast threw her into the road.
The Challenger flipped overhead like a coin.
"Crescent Kick!"
Aya came down like a meteor.
The car cratered the highway in a pillar of fire.
Aya landed beside Lia, limping badly.
"One shot," she panted, tossing her scarf over her shoulder. "Sweet dreams."
"How bad?" Lia asked.
"Like hell," Aya winced. "I think I roasted my leg."
She helped Lia up.
Lia's left arm hung uselessly.
"Turbo Burst?" Aya asked quietly.
Lia didn't answer.
Her muscles screamed. Fibers torn. Vision swimming.
"No pain, no gain," Lia muttered.
Aya snorted. "Idiot."
Fire crackled behind them.
The corpse stood again.
Unharmed.
"Recoil, was it?" it said pleasantly. "You've got talent. Wanna cause some real havoc?"
"No," Lia said flatly. "My mom told me not to talk to strangers."
It chuckled.
"You're protecting the wrong people, kid."
Sirens closed in.
"My name's Hellracer," it said. "Let's get acquainted."
It vanished in flame.
A white card lay where it stood.
Two theater masks. One smiling. One screaming.
THE HORROR SHOW GUILD.
Aya whistled softly. "Fancy."
Lia slipped the card into her pocket.
Unease settled in her chest.
Despite the heat of the burning car, she shivered.