The Elite pt. 22

Chapter 22: Formal Engagement

So, we saved the day again. That guy who got mutated into the shark was set up in a science lab to try and fix his genes, those BLADE guys didn’t do any major harm, we had an awesome HQ, and the police were off our tails. Things couldn’t be better, right?

Well...wrong. Things were gonna get rougher for us. And it all started with the horrifying trial that was THE SCHOOL DANCE.

“Well, it’s gonna happen.” Ken said as the group gathered for their usual meal at the Lunch Table of Justice.

“Can’t I go on patrol instead?” Laura asked, pleadingly.

“Unfortunately, no.” Ken murmured, “Josh and Maddie are out of school, so they’re free to do so.”

“And my dad excused me, so NYAH.” Myesha said, sticking out her tongue.

“Hate you. SO MUCH.” Leo growled.

“Well, might as well. It could be fun, right?” Damian asked.

“Maybe...” Wendy murmured, looking off. Damian telling her that he wasn’t interested was still kind of a sore spot.

“My parents are MAKING me go.” Laura whined, “They say that every superhero should have an alibi, look normal. But come on, I’ve kept a low enough profile for THIS long.”

“I found out, didn’t I?” Damian asked.

“You’re different, you’re a weirdo.” Laura said.

“Harsh, but accurate.” Damian shrugged.

“So...anyone got dates?” Austin asked.

“No.” Almost everyone said in unison...except for Leo, oddly enough.

“Might.” He said.

“Not fair.” Austin said.

“Not sure if she’ll show up, though.” Leo said.

“Well, if she doesn’t, how about we just hang out and chill?” Austin asked.

“Eh, why not?” Leo shrugged.

“Hey, Wendy?” Rick asked. She looked at him and he immediately flushed, “Um...if you’re still interested in going, would you...uh...mind going...y’know...with me? As a friend?”

Wendy turned red. A few months ago, she probably would have melted. But keeping her powers on the down-low was a necessity. Her identity as Gooey Girl couldn’t be revealed to the public at large. However, seeing Mr. Rick Bryson, Super B, the one who the papers were already calling the Red Titan of Kirby, acting so sheepish and timid? It made her burst into almost hysterical laughter.

“Yeah, figured as much.” Rick murmured, leaning down into his lunch of spaghetti.

“N-no.” Wendy said between bouts of laughter. She began taking deep breaths, calming herself, “I...I’m sorry about that. Something about that just seemed funny. I’d love to go with you, Rick.”

“Wait, really?” Rick asked, springing upright, his face covered in noodles and sauce. Wendy nodded, “Wow! Thanks! I’d say I’d pick you up, but...well, y’know. We live in the same house.”

“Well, slightly less awkward for THEM.” Ken said, wiping off Rick’s face with his napkin. The superhuman seemed too overjoyed to notice.

“If it makes you feel less awkward, Kenny, how about we hang out?” Laura asked, dully, “Might as well be with a friend, right?”

“Alright, that sounds nice.” Ken nodded. Inside, though, he was doing cartwheels for joy.

“Which just leaves me, so very alone.” Damian said, melodramatically, “Truly I, Damian Edwards, am the owner of a lonely heart. One is the loneliest number you could ever do...”

“Get over it.” Leo stated.

“Okay.” Damian said, shifting tones immediately.

On the Kirby water tower, the Mystery Magician sat on the top, shuffling his deck. He didn’t look at his cards, but rather at the serene sight of Kirby, Oklahoma in the late afternoon. It looked so peaceful, even after multiple supervillain attacks.

“Love what you’ve done with the place.” Said a new voice. In a shimmer of darkness, a tall man appeared. He was lanky, wore a dark blazer and white shirt, a pair of dark glasses, and had a young appearance, despite his gray hair and eyes.

“Yes, it’s quite good, isn’t it?” The Magician asked.

“Quite. Especially your pet superheroes.” The young man said, shadows forming behind him in the vague appearance of The Elite, “They’re strong...but are they strong enough for your plan?”

“Of course they’re not. They’re still children.” The Magician stated, “You don’t expect saplings to be used to build a ship. But they will be trees worthy of it. I guarantee it.”

“Well then, you wouldn’t mind if I took a look for myself.” The man said with a smirk, “See if they’re up to snuff, personally.”

“Jung, you and I both know that you would use your tricks on them.” The Magician stated.

“You know me TOO well.” Jung chuckled.

“Why shouldn’t I trap you into an alternate reality resembling a popular videogame franchise before you even get close to them?”

“How about we make a wager, then?” Jung asked, “I test them this once. If they pass, I never approach them again.”

“If you win, I suppose you’ll be the one in charge of their development?” The Magician asked.

“You know it.” Jung nodded.

“I think you’ll find they’re more resilient than you would imagine.” The Magician nodded, laying out the ten cards with each of The Elite’s faces on them.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Jung said, snapping his fingers. Immediately, next to each card appeared a duplicate of each one, “But what will they do when they themselves are their opponents?”

In the Christian apartment, Wendy was being tended to by Rick’s grandmother. She looked at herself in the mirror, wearing a simple, light blue dress. She smiled to herself.

“I know that this is probably a step down from what you’re used to,” the grandmother said, “But I’ve had that since my prom all those years ago.”

“It’s beautiful, Mrs. Christian. I’ve only had sweaters and jeans for a while now. The fact that you lend me this is truly an act of kindness.” Wendy said, “And your prom...was it with Mr. Christian?”

“No, it was with someone else. Sam was a lot like your friend, Leo. More of the rough and tumble type.” The grandmother said, “He did show up, though, a lot later. He just came up and asked me to dance. Since I had nothing to do, I decided to dance with him. He said he had been watching me for a while and was planning to go to war shortly later. He just wanted to work up the courage to ask and the idea that he may not come back was what convinced him to just do it.” She then laughed, “And here I am, talking your ear off, like the old biddie I am.”

“N-no, it’s beautiful.” Wendy said.

The grandmother sighed, “Now, I’m feeling nostalgic. It wasn’t too long ago when he was just little Ricky, turning four. Now, here he is: a superhero and with a princess for his girl-”

“Oh, um...Rick and I aren’t...” Wendy said.

“Sorry, sorry.” The grandmother said, hurriedly.

The sound of the door opening and slamming shut was heard from downstairs as Sam’s voice called out, “Ladies, we’ve returned! And Prince Charming’s in his full regalia!”

Wendy flushed as she turned to the door. She walked to the door and opened it. As she walked to the staircase, she wondered if someone like her deserved this. She shook her head and walked down the stairs. There, she found Rick standing in a suit and tie. He looked quite stunning, even more so than her betrothed back in Xu. His appearance had been more gaudy due to his attitude. With Rick, it was simple good spirits and kindness.

Rick tugged, uncomfortably, at his collar. He was suddenly feeling quite hot, as if someone had raised the temperature. Seeing Wendy like that had made his face start to burn.

“Hey, Ricky, considering everything you’ve been through, I think you deserve this.” He thought to himself.

“Well, your parents would have my skin if we didn’t take pictures.” Sam said, “Hey, Carol, mind if you take some photos?”

“Of course I would!” Carol called down, coming down with a camera.

“May I...?” Rick asked, holding out his hand.

“YES. I...I mean of course. Just this once.” Wendy said with a small smile. Rick took her hand and the two began the customary photos.

When they had finished, Rick held out his arm, which Wendy took with a smile. Rick took the door and opened it...and accidentally pulled it off of its hinges.

“SORRY!” he said, apologetically.

“L-let ME worry about that, champ.” Sam said, “You just go out and have fun.”

“Hehehe, first time I’ve done that in months. Doctor’s gonna have a field day with this.” Rick said, sheepishly.

“Doctor?” Wendy asked as Rick led her out.

“Yeah. With my background...I’m kind of in therapy.” Rick said.

“Therapy?” Wendy asked, “You don’t seem like...”

“I’m not insane.” Rick said, “I just have to see someone to help with what I’ve been through.”

“Oh.” Wendy said as Rick led her to the limousine parked out front of the complex, “Wow.”

“Yeah, gramps wanted to go all the way with this.” Rick said, opening the door for her. She smiled at him and let his hand guide her in before he followed suit.

In her apartment, Laura finished dressing herself. She opened the door, revealing to her mother that she was in a short, white dress with a faint, floral design. She turned herself around, asking, “How do I look?”

“It’s wonderful, Laura.” Her mom said, hugging her daughter, “It’s so nice to see you looking like a girl.”

“Sports WOMAN, mom.” Laura said with a smirk.

“Now, it’s just going to be a normal night, right?” Her dad asked with a faux-disapproving finger wag, “No running off to fight super-villains?”

“Trust me, dad, I’m just gonna have a boring night at the dance.” Laura said with a laugh.

“Not sure how to react to your decision that ‘normal’ is ‘boring’.” Her dad murmured.

“You read the blogs, dad. You know what the new normal is for me.” Laura said, hugging her dad, “It’ll be fine, don’t worry!”

There was the sound of the doorbell. Laura walked to the door and opened it, finding Ken. As expected, he wore a white suit that looked like it was back from the cleaners.

“Hey, Laura.” He said.

“Heya, Ken.” Laura nodded, “So...how long did it take you to get the suit that clean?”

“Really? THAT’S your first question?” Ken asked. She gave him a teasing look and he quickly capitulated, “Two hours. My mother was confused why I was in the bathroom for so long.”

“Hey, Ken,” Laura asked as she and Ken left the house to go to the car parked in the driveway, “What’s your family like?”

“It’s...uh...they’re normal.” Ken quickly said, shakily, “Totally normal. Nothing like what you’d expect.”

“They’re not, are they?” Laura asked, “Ken, don’t try and use that dodge. I INVENTED that dodge.”

“They’re...they’re...like me.” Ken said, “Y’know, OCD, crazy. That sorta thing.”

“Oh, well, why didn’t you say so?” Laura asked.

“Just...easier to seem like I’M the crazy one and everyone else is just normal.” Ken said.

“Okay, okay, I get it. No need to get on the pity train, dude.” Laura said.

At the school, Leo and Austin walked to the entrance. Leo’s suit was shabby, as if gotten second-hand. Austin’s was rather clumsily done, his tie looking messy and his outfit appearing lopsided.

“Did you dress yourself?” Leo asked.

“Live on my own, so yeah.” Austin shrugged as they walked into the gymnasium, handing the student at the desk their tickets.

“Hope you have fun and you two make a lovely couple.”

“Oh, please tell me-” Leo said, recognizing the student.

“Hi, strangers!” Damian said, cheerily, as he raised a hand.

“So, that’s why you were so cool with what happened.” Austin said, “You’re running the ticket stand!”

“Guilty as charged.” Damian said, cheerily.

“Just know, you’ll pay for this.” Leo said, darkly, as he walked in, Austin following after him.

Inside the auditorium, most of the student bod had gathered. Leo and Austin looked around, confused as to what they should do now. Leo led the way to the punch bowl and poured himself a drink, Austin following suit.

“Well, to romance. May it never bug us again.” Austin said in a faux toast.

“I’ll drink to that.” Leo murmured, drinking his.

“Likelihood of this being spiked?” Austin asked.

“This town? Next to nill.” Leo stated.

“Good.” Austin nodded, drinking it.

Miles away, Steel Triceratops and Radar were on patrol, walking across the streets of Kirby, arriving at the local strip mall. The two were in complete silence. Radar just looked ahead, unreadable as always. Steel, in general, preferred not to talk to people, but no communication in a large group in general made her feel...awkward to say the least.

“So...” she said, searching for a topic, “You...like computers?”

“Yes.” Radar said, bluntly.

“Uh-huh.” Steel nodded, thinking about what she knew about High Functioning Autistics in terms of conversation. Often blunt, wouldn’t make eye contact, and were more interested in the objective than the subjective. They also tended to be rigid in their thinking, mainly focusing on one thing in particular. And Steel Triceratops knew of one thing that Radar adored, “So...could you tell me about dolphins?”

“Dolphins are distant relatives of whales and porpoises.” Radar said, sounding like she had swallowed an entire textbook on the subject, “They move in groups or pods, using echolocation to hunt their prey. They can echo-locate thanks to a special organ in their head called a melon. They’re known to fight and often kill sharks. They come in many subspecies as well.”

“Like what?” Steel asked.

“The killer whale, the common bottlenose dolphin, the Amazon River dolphin, the Baji, the Chinese white dolphin...”

As Radar went on and on, Steel Triceratops found herself smiling under her helmet. The way that the girl could be completely stone-faced, but almost seamlessly shift to someone who could go on and on about dolphins just brought a smile to her face. She had no intention of chiming in anytime soon, but with hope, she could go on and on like this all night long. Steel was hoping that it could be this peaceful all night.

Joshua was busy at El Macho Pizza, walking around to make sure everyone was working in order. It was a quiet night, but considering it was the school dance, they were expecting a tidal wave of post-dance festivities.

“Good job, Mr. Satan.” Joshua said as Benji finished an order.

“WHO TOLD YOU-” Benji shouted, looking horrified.

“Whoops, I mean Sitan.” Joshua corrected.

“Oh.” Benji said before giving an awkward laugh, “I mean...it's cool. I am not a demon. Totally not a demon. I mean how could I be a demon? Demons don't exist!”

“You’re odd, you know that?” Joshua asked, moving on. Aaron was out, probably living his superhero fantasies. Gail was out, leaving him high and dry at the moment, “It’s gonna get tough, I can tell.”

At the dance, Ken and Laura arrived. The two walked past Damian and entered the gymnasium. There, they saw the various couples dancing or (in the case of Leo and Austin) standing around, looking awkward.

“Hey, remember when that doodle dragon busted through the wall?” Laura asked.

“Yeah.” Ken laughed, “Everyone thought Coach Liefeld lost it...then he became Linebacker.”

“Yeah... still feel kinda bad about that.” Laura murmured.

“Hey!” Called a voice. Rick and Wendy entered, waving at the two.

“Guess we’ve gotta go say hi.” Laura said with a smile.

The two walked over to the newly arrived couple. Leo and Austin joined as well.

“Nice party.” Rick said.

“Y-yes. It's very nice...” Wendy nodded.

“Eh, I’ve seen better.” Austin shrugged.

“Hey, Super B!” A student said, looking at Rick.

“Hey!” Rick said, smiling and waving.

Outside, the mage called Jung looked at the high school, smirking to himself. He turned into a shadow and flowed, unseen, into the building. Every magic user had their specialty and style of magic. The Mystery Magician derived his power from the near-mythical supply known only as The Source. Others gained their powers from different, less enigmatic supplies. Some from ancient gods, some from magic talismans. Jung, on the other hand, was different. He drew power from darkness itself. The darkness from the environment... and from the people around him. He had the subjects of this test. He just needed to get the unnecessary elements out of the way.

“Have a nice day.” Joshua said, smiling at a customer as he handed her a pizza box. She nodded and walked out. Shortly afterwards, Gail entered the

“Well, I knew I made the right call in hiring you.” She nodded.

“Just glad that you did.” Joshua said with a nod.

“The boss said it was risky hiring someone with your record, y’know. He wanted to give you a pass.” Gail said, “But I told him to give you a shot and... well, he didn't have much choice in the matter.”

“Well... thanks for that.” Joshua nodded. He was flattered, but it reminded him of what he had come from. He was a superhero, he had saved lives, and made living in Kirby just a little easier. But he remembered what he had been before that. And it took the death of a boy about as old as Leo had been to shake him out of that.

He felt something buzzing in his pocket. He quickly ran to the back. He quickly pulled out a small device. In the last few weeks, Myesha had updated her communicators with a little help from Ken. It was small, about the size of the palm of his hand, but flashed with a pale blue light. He opened it and saw that it had the symbols for Super B, Sports Woman, Game Boy, Sharpshot, Gooey Girl, Lion Man, and Puppet Man. Everyone at the dance.

“Supervillain attack or sudden emergency?” he asked himself. It didn’t matter. He ran out the front door, shouting, “SOMETHING PERSONAL CAME UP! I’VE GOTTA GO, GAIL!”

“O-kay, I guess.”

Joshua ran as fast as he could, darting into an alleyway nearby. He always kept his costume nearby. He put away Joshua Williams and became Silverback in less than a minute. After tying his mask on, he changed again into the giant gorilla that was a part of his soul. His destination was Kirby High.

While on their patrol, Steel Triceratops and Radar stopped for some ice cream. It hadn’t been a very eventful night. Crime wasn’t an issue tonight. What they could find was easily taken care of by the police.

“Thank you, Myesha.” Radar said. Steel Triceratops had bought her the cone. The armored heroine just shrugged.

“Eh, no biggie. It was nothing.” Myesha then felt a light vibration at her side, like a phone. She pulled their new and improved communicator off her side. Radar looked at her own, giving it a quizzical look.

“Distress signal?” She simply asked.

“Only one place it COULD be coming from.” Myesha said, her face plate lowering, “Grab on!”

Without another word, Radar grabbed onto Steel Triceratops’ arm. With a lift off so powerful that Radar dropped her cone, the armored heroine rocketed into the air. They weren’t too far from Kirby High and saw the form of a giant ape bounding from building to building, going towards the school as well.

“Wonder what could be going down there...” Steel thought to herself.

The three came to a halt outside the entrance. Radar let go of Steel’s arm and landed, gently, on her feet as the armored adventurer landed. The massive gorilla landed before shifting back into Silverback.

“Alarm went off for you?” he asked.

“Yes.” Radar nodded.

“Doesn’t look TOO bad.” Steel Triceratops said, “The school’s still in one piece and there doesn't seem to be a struggle.”

“Still... probably should check it out, all the same.” Silverback said.

“Always wanted to see this...” Radar said, walking into the building. The two other heroes followed her, finding the place empty.

“Haven't been in this place since that bit with Roger Ellis.” Silverback commented.

“Well, hurrah, hurrah, the Elite is here! Defenders of the right, hurrah, hurrah!”

Steel Triceratops lowered the visor on her helmet, giving a flat look to Damian, who was running the ticket booth. She marched up, “Yeah, we’re cutting the crap, buster. Is there anything going on in there?”

“Yeah.” Damian said, “Music. And dancing. And I’m guessing a lot of punch.”

“Then who set off the signal?” Silverback asked.

“Don’t ask me.” Damian shrugged, “Just look at the party behind the doors.”

Radar walked over to the doors and opened them, seeing a large room filled with dancing teenage couples and some rather upbeat music going on. She scanned the room, searching for anything that could be considered a threat. She saw Ken in the corner with Laura, Rick, Wendy, Leo, and Austin.

“Nothing.” Radar said.

“You think someone could have hacked this remotely?” Silverback asked.

“Couldn’t be. I designed the signal to be only accessible by another one.” Steel Triceratops said.

“Weird, isn’t it?” Damian asked.

Suddenly, all the lights went out.

In the gymnasium, the uncostumed superheroes were caught off guard when darkness consumed the area, their shadows standing out as stark whiteness against the pitch dark backdrop of apparent nothingness. The only things visible were themselves and, off in the distance, spotted the forms of Damian, Steel Triceratops, Radar, and Silverback.

“Guys, what’re you doing here?” Rick asked as their friends ran over.

“I think that isn’t the proper question to start on.” Damian commented.

“You’re right, it SHOULD start with ‘WHAT THE CRAP JUST HAPPENED?!’.” Leo said.

“Calm down, I think...I think this is magic.” Laura said.

“Magic?” Ken asked, “Like with that one guy who showed up when everything turned into anime?”

“Very astute, Mr. Lincoln.” In a shimmer, a young man appeared. He wore a dark suit, had gray hair and dark eyes, and a pair of glasses on, “Allow me to introduce myself. I have many names, but if I had to pick one, I’d go with Jung.”

“Okay, doesn’t take a genius to figure this one out.” Rick said, “Hey, whatever you’re doing, it’s not worth it.”

“Yeah, so let us go or we’re gonna knock your head in!” Laura said, holding up her fist.

“Oh, I’ll let you out of here.” Jung said, holding up his hand, “I just need your help to settle a bet. Your futures are on the line, so...how can you deal with your darker halves?”

Shifting gold and black slime seemed to pour from it. It dribbled down and hit the ground, immediately flowing to Rick, Wendy, Laura, and Leo.

“Wh-what?” Wendy asked, taking a step back.

The goo hit the white form of her shadow and began to bubble and rise. It shifted into a form around Wendy’s height. It then became defined and they all realized what it was--it was Gooey Girl, only with a golden aura and a defeated look on her face. Wendy stared at this doppleganger in shock, looking at her with a confused expression.

“Who...what ARE you?” Wendy asked.

“I’m a horrible, disgusting freak.” The Gooey Girl said, quietly, “Why else would my family reject me so vehemently? It’s because I’m an abomination, I should’ve died at birth.”

“These are what I call Shadows. If you wonder what they do...it’s whatever you do. Prepare to have those masks to get pulled off in the worst possible way.” Jung said, releasing more goo, which began to flow outwards.

Ken yelled as he turned and ran. He needed to get away as fast as he could. He had some skeletons that he would rather NOT be revealed.

As for the others...

The goo came into contact with Rick’s and turned into a copy of Super B. Unlike the defeated and depressed Gooey Girl, this shadow had a wide smile and seemed to radiate with an air of smug confidence.

“Peh, look at all these losers. What hope do they have to match MY strength?” He asked, crossing his arms, “Out in California, I was a sad little boy. Here, out in the middle of nowhere? Everyone loves me. Because I might as well be a GOD to them.”

“Th-that’s not it at all.” Rick said, looking scared as he took a step back, “That’s not me!”

“Deny it all you want. It doesn’t change anything.” Super B said, taking a step towards Rick.

Laura was next, the goo forming into Sports Woman. Though her face was concealed by her hockey mask, her eyes had a look of rage and violent intents in them, “RGH! Gimme someone’s head to smash already! I’m sick of just standing around, waiting for crap to happen! That’s why I became a hero! I WANTED TO BEAT SOME JERK’S HEAD INTO PULP!”

“That’s not it!” Laura shouted, “I started because I was bored, but I learned to-”

“You spewing that crap makes me ANGRY.” Sports Woman snarled, pulling out her bat, “You and I BOTH know the truth. We ENJOY taking a bat to someone! Like that Ellis jerk, the one who turned us into his puppet on a string!” She then halted, her eyes rolling upward, a sign that her attitude had shifted from rage to some other, primal feeling, “Just thinking about smashing in his knee makes me-”

“SHUT UP!” Laura shouted, ramming her fist into her shadow’s gut.

The fourth one this happened to was Leo. Immediately, a form of Lion Man stood in front of him, regarding him with a sneering, judgemental look, “We all know how you operate, Leo. You play like the King of the Jungle, but you’re just a sad, frightened kitten pretending to have claws.”

“Oh, I’m not putting up with this!” Leo snarled, charging forward only to be met with a series of slashes from his shadow.

“You thought that’d work? Right, who am I kidding?” Lion Man asked, “You thought you could just charge in, gung-ho, and save the day. But we all know how it turns out. I mean, look at what happened to Megan.”

As Leo roared, he jumped up for another attack. Right next to him, Wendy and Gooey Girl were fighting.

“I’m sorry...” Gooey Girl sniffed, slamming expanded fists into Wendy, who blocked with her own expanded arms, “Someone as worthless and pathetic as me can only cause destruction. I’m a MONSTER.”

“This...is not...ME!” Wendy shouted, stretching forward to punch Gooey Girl right in the face and send her to the ground.

Soon afterwards, Austin was dodging strikes from Puppet Man, “C’mon, what’s the matter? Can’t take things for yourself, so you’ve just gotta blackmail folks? You never had the guts to EARN anything, so you always had to find a way to get it. Like how ya got into this in the first place!”

“REALLY wish I had my hammer right now.” Austin said as he ran from blows from the hammer, “HEY! THROW ME A BONE HERE!”

“Right, on it!” Steel Triceratops said, flying over as her shoulder cannons opened up, “EAT PLASMA BOLTS, LOOKALIKE!”

With that, they opened fire...only for something to intercept the strikes. The shadow of Steel Triceratops.

“Wh-what the...?” she asked. It was easy to figure out, though. The goo must have latched onto her shadow as she flew across.

“Why even bother?” the shadow of the armored heroine asked, “It’s not like HE means a lot to you. You’ve got your armor. What else do you need? Machines are better than people. They do what you want. You can fix them. And they won’t just abandon you at five...”

Steel Triceratops flew towards her shadow and socked it, causing it to hurtle towards the ground only for it to regain its bearings and fly back at Steel, opening fire with its own blasters.

Below them, Rick and Super B were engaged in a boxing match, each one scoring brief hits that the other quickly countered.

“Ooh, LOVE these!” Super B said, “When grampa started teaching us, we BOTH knew how to use this! To learn to beat the crap out of people better!”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” Rick shouted, punching Super B, who delivered a punch as well. The two flew off, crashing to the ground.

Laura was quickly dodging and sidestepping the strikes from Sports Woman, who seemed to just get angrier and angrier, “STAND STILL, SO I CAN SMASH YOU!”

“I’ve heard better offers.” Laura said. She then reached out and grabbed the golf club in Sports Woman’s bag and pulled it out, swinging it at Sports Woman, who blocked, “Ha! NOW things are even!”

“You REALLY want me to beat the crap outta you, don’t you?” Sports Woman snarled.

Silverback, Radar, and Damian were in the back, retreating from the goo, Silverback keeping his hands in front of the two. He was the eldest, he needed to keep the younger two safe.

“Any plans?” Damian asked.

“Magic is an uncertain art outside of those who practice it.” Radar said, “I have researched the topic. If we attack the source, we should be able to remove its effects.”

“Alright, but I’ve got no gear at this point...” Damian murmured. He then took on a determined face, “I’ll try to distract it. You two make a run for the hipster.”

“Damian-” before Silverback could finish his objection, Damian ran straight for the goo.

“HEY! GOT A NICE, FASCINATING SHADOW WITH DEEP, DARK SECRETS FOR YOU TO PERSONIFY!” he called, shifting his direction. The goo began following him as he ran towards the thrall of fighting heroes.

“It’s his decision.” Radar said.

“Doesn’t mean it could’ve been done better.” Silverback murmured before shifting into his gorilla form. He looked down at Radar, “What’s the plan?”

Radar watched the scenario, “Steel Triceratops flying at him didn’t work. She wasn’t fast enough. If being thrown at enough velocity...” she then looked at the gorilla, “Joshua, throw me at him.”

“You sure?” he asked.

“Certainly.” Radar nodded.

“Then you got it.” The gorilla grabbed Radar and began running towards Jung. Radar had sudden...rather uncomfortable callbacks to King Kong.

Damian ran as fast as he could, leading the goo farther and farther away. Despite the dire situation, he let out a wild laugh with the rush of adrenaline. Not since Stanton had he felt this excitement at the idea of facing certain death. He ran until he found himself catching up with Ken, who was still running. Not just catching up with...was on a direct collision course with...

“WATCH OUT!” Damian shouted.

Too late.

The two boys hit each other, hitting the ground in a heap. Their white shadows were fully exposed as the trails of goo made contact, taking shape.

“No...” Ken groaned as he rolled Damian off him, “No, please...”

“Sorry, but you’re not so fortunate.” Said the voice of Game Boy’s shadow, standing next to the shadow of Sharpshot, “Nothing ever goes your way, does it? Poor, sad little rich boy. You don’t want people to know that. You’re embarrassed by it. Well...not just by THAT. Before Jackpot and Cockatrice showed up...”

Ken didn’t make a response, just pulled out a packet and swallowed its contents. With a roar, he felt his muscles bulge to a massive size. He slammed his fists into his shadow, roaring out.

“Not very superhero-like.” Game Boy said, “Heroes don’t do drugs, remember?”

“SHUT UP!” Ken roared.

Sharpshot walked over to Damian, “Heh. It’s funny. You’re the one who helped make this a trend, but what can your friends say about YOU? Your life? Your family? You don’t share it with them...because you’re getting bored with them.”

“What?” Damian asked, pushing himself up.

“You loved superheroes for so long because they were exciting to you. Now you ARE one, winning time after time.” Sharpshot said, he then let out an audible yawn, “How mind-numbingly BORING.”

Silverback charged, evading the attacking heroes as he looked up at Jung. He then wound up his hand and hurled Radar at him...just as the goo touched his own shadow. The next thing he knew, he was looking at a large, angry-looking gorilla.

“Big brother to the team, huh?” The shadow asked, “Just helping them out and you think that makes up for everything?”

Silverback snorted before advancing, beating his chest. The instincts of his spirit animal took precedence--he was a silver backed gorilla, fighting an intruder. The two roared before grappling with each other.

Radar sped towards Jung, closing her eyes. She knew what she had to do--a Kali-style knock-out. Grab him by the side of the head, then bring her elbow across his throat, and spin him to the ground. Easy way for knocking out an opponent while unarmed.

“Nice plan, but you forgot one thing.” Jung turned to look at her, “I’m not an idiot.”

With a burst of darkness, Radar was knocked out of the air and hit the ground with a dull THUD. She groaned as she got to her feet, seeing everyone around her fighting, screaming their denials at their opponents. As she took this in, goo touched her shadow and formed into her replica.

“Sad little Maddelaine. Wish you could be at your computers, hugging your dolphins.” The Shadow said, “Sad because you’re surrounded by people who’ve been at this for nearly a year now while you’ve stayed in the back, looking at your computers. They ended a criminal family. You made a program that talks.”

Radar looked down. Rather than aggressive denial, she felt...hurt by what the Shadow was saying.

“Now cry. Go back and curl into a ball and pray everything gets better by itself.” The Shadow said, advancing on her, “You refused to go into the field for weeks after someone dying on your first field mission. Why not do that again? It’s all you’re good for.”

Radar grit her teeth, trying to prevent herself from crying. She couldn’t let the others see...couldn’t let them know. Even while they were fighting their own...

“Demons.” Radar said, sudden realization hitting her. She looked her shadow in the eyes, “Y-yes...”

“What?”

“That’s how I feel. I feel...useless. Weak. Pathetic.” Radar said, advancing on her, “But...I’m not going to fight you. The more I do...the more you fight back.” She reached out to her shadow and hugged it, “You’re my fear. My self-doubt. You’re a part of me.”

The Shadow looked surprised, but smiled, “Surprised you were the one who found out.”

The Shadow then dissipated into golden and black smoke. Radar looked at it in wonder before looking at her friends. She was mostly quiet, taciturn, but now? She had to be loud.

“DON’T FIGHT THEM!” she shouted, “THEY ONLY FIGHT WHEN YOU DENY THEM! THEY’RE YOUR DEMONS! OWN THEM!”

The first one who heard her was Silverback, who was fighting his own massive shadow. The gorilla halted before changing back into his human form. The Shadow did as well, regarding his duplicate with a haughty look.

“Finally realize it?” He asked.

“Yeah...took a friend, but...guess that’s what they’re for.” Silverback said, “I’m doubting myself every step of the way, just wanting to prove that I CAN do better. I guess...I only got this far because you were always there, taunting me about my past. Guess I should be thankful.”

“Yes. You SHOULD be.” The Shadow said before vanishing.

“RADAR’S RIGHT!” Silverback shouted, “IF YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THEM AND YOUR OWN WEAKNESSES, THEY VANISH!”

Rick was caught in a struggle with Super B, the two staring each other down. Rick grit his teeth, “...I guess it’s easy to let this go to my head. Yeah. Nobody’s as strong as me and that can make me feel like...well, a god.”

“Of course. What else COULD I be?” Super B asked.

“But not too long ago? I was the scared kid in town, convinced that his strength was a curse.” Rick said, “You’re my pride and ego, sure. But I’ll just...have to remind myself that I’m human.”

“Heh, good luck with that.” Super B snickered, vanishing.

Wendy and Gooey Girl were engaged in their struggle. She then stopped.

“You’re me...or you were. Filled with despair and self-hatred.” Wendy said, “But I don’t have to be that. I have friends. I’m a hero...”

“We’ll see...” Gooey Girl said, forlornly, as she disappeared.

Leo was locked in a grapple with Lion Man, gritting his teeth. He looked at his shadow, “...Yeah, I screwed up. I wanted to save Megan. But I’m gonna get back up again...and as some obnoxious thief said, gotta smile now and then.” With that, he twisted his face into a grin, which looked almost feral.

“Keep telling yourself that.” Lion Man said, vanishing.

“...Yeah, sometimes I enjoy knocking heads. It’s my catchphrase now.” Laura said, “But I also saw what that can do if I indulge it. You’re part of me, but I’m keeping you under control, where you belong.”

“NO! I WANTED TO THRASH SOME CRAPHEADS!” Sports Woman yelled as she disappeared.

“I don’t sound like that, right?” Laura asked.

“Yeah, I got into this because of blackmail, but I’ve EARNED my place here.” Austin said, struggling against Puppet Man’s hammer, “And I’ll keep earning it. It’s not like I’m the obnoxious kid forever.”

“I’m rooting for ya.” Puppet Man said, vanishing.

“Yeah, this can get a bit boring.” Damian said, “But we’ll go on and try to make this more fun. It’s gotta come back and more entertaining, right?”

“Will it?” Sharpshot asked, vanishing.

“I...I...yeah. You’re part of me.” Ken admitted as he began to shrink back to normal size.

“No speech, huh? What does that say about YOU?” Game Boy asked before dissipating. Ken’s brows furrowed.

Steel Triceratops was still in the air, fighting her shadow, “...Machines are better with people. But these ones, I guess are good.”

“Fair enough.” The shadow shrugged before disappearing.

Jung smiled, clapping his hands, “Congratulations, kids. Took you a while, but you passed. Well, enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“Wait, THAT quickly?!” Laura shouted.

“That quickly. Caio.” Jung said, waving his hand in farewell as the darkness faded.

The room was back the way it was, people were dancing, the uncostumed heroes were in the center, and Steel Triceratops, Silverback, Radar, and Damian were back at the entrance. The four looked at each other, perplexed.

“Did...did that just happen?” Steel Triceratops asked.

“I feel like I’ve been run over by a train, so I think so...” Silverback said.

“I think...we should go back to patrol?” Radar asked.

“I’m...not sure. Think I might turn in.” Steel Triceratops said, walking out.

“I’ve got work to get back to as well.” Silverback said, following her.

“I need a little excitement, so who needs a guy at the ticket booth?” Damian asked.

“Thank you.” Radar said, leading him out of the building, “So, what do you think about ice cream?”

“Yes, please!”

Inside, the six others remained silent, looking shocked. Everything that had happened...and everything just returned.

“That didn’t just happen...” Austin said, “Tell me that didn’t just happen.”

Rick walked out of the room. Wendy gasped, but followed after him. Leo was looking angry.

“I...I think it did.” Ken nodded. He looked at Laura, “Mind if I drop you off at home?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me.” Laura nodded. Ken led her out of the gymnasium, leaving Leo and Austin.

“Well, looks like it’s just us now.” Austin said, “Leo and Austin, two unattached teenage superheroes, right?” Leo then spotted someone and walked off, leaving Austin with his punch, “Yeah...sounds about right...”

Leo walked through the crowd, making his way to a girl. Without her make-up, insane hair style, and bandana on her face, it was difficult, but there was no mistaking her gray eyes. Her hair was short, blonde, and fell just short of her shoulders, and wore a simple, black dress.

“You.” Leo said. The girl turned around, a mischievous smirk on her face. He saw her nametag, “Alicia Kens? That’s your name?”

“No, but I needed her dress for tonight...Kitty.” She said with a snicker. No mistaking the voice. It was clear, not muffled by her bandana, but he knew that this was Cackler. The fact that she used her nickname for him was evidence enough.

“Are you joking?” he asked.

“Where’s the fun in telling? It just makes things more interesting.” Cackler said, “Now, I believe you owe me a dance?”

“Will you leave if I say no?” Leo asked, flatly.

“Yeah...but I think we BOTH know that I’d just go back to my charity work.” She said, holding out her hand.

“By charity work, you mean...?” Leo asked, taking her hand.

“To the Cackler Needs a New Pair of Sneakers Foundation. Desperately short on funds.” Cackler nodded, leading him into a slow dance, “Ooh, a slow song. I’ll have you on my leash all night long now.”

“Shoot me now and get it over with.” Leo grunted.

“No dice, Kitty. You’re all mine.” Cackler said.

Wendy followed after Rick, finding him enter into the men’s room. She hesitated, wondering if she should enter...

“No, be BOLD.” She said, clenching her fist. She swung the doors open, finding Rick splashing water into his face, “Rick?”

“Not now.” He said, not looking at her.

“It...it’s not easy to face yourself like that.” Wendy said, walking towards Rick, “I thought I’d dealt with my w-weakness...m-my self-doubt...”

“It’s not the same.” Rick said, looking at Wendy, looking angry, but she could see something else, “I came out here to nowhere, Oklahoma because everyone was afraid of what COULD happen if this kept continuing! I always felt like that! I was the weak kid, the one constantly picked on, but then I hit puberty and I become stronger than anyone. Seemed like a boon, but then...THAT.” Wendy winced. When he revealed who he was to her, he told her his whole story, “B-but this?” he sighed, slumping to the floor, “Thought Dr. Krane would have a field day with THE DOOR.”

“Ev...everyone has th-their own demons, Rick. Y-you’ll get through this.” Wendy said, walking over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Y-you’re strong, R-Rick. Y-you’re th-the one who brought me in. Y-you r-revealed yourself to the world wh-who you are...you’re K-Kirby’s Red T-Titan...”

Rick remained silent before giving a small laugh, “Think this is even now? The two of us saved each other from ourselves...”

Wendy gave a small laugh, “It’s...r-rather interesting...”

Rick remained silent, “Hey, Wendy?”

“Hm?”

“I...I’m not sure how to say this.” Rick said, “I might do something instead. If you don’t want to, just tell me, okay?”

“Wh-what do you-?” Wendy’s question was cut short as Rick laid a quick kiss on her lips.

“I like you, Wendy.” Rick said, “For a while now. If you don’t...”

Wendy leaned forth and kissed him back. Rick didn’t raise any objections. He just wrapped his arms around her...making a small tap on her collar. Seeing a small ripple, he felt an odd sense of assurance.

The two DID save each other. Rick brought her out of her depression, Wendy wanted to keep him from the doubt he was plagued with. Now, it would be more than friends...and more than teammates...

Ken and Laura stepped out of the limo, looking out the window. Ken occasionally shot her a look, which she tried to return.

“What a night, right?” Laura asked, “Get shown that you’re not exactly the heroic person you thought you were.”

“Yeah...it’s a big deal.” He said. He thought back to what his shadow had said to him as they came to her house, “Hey...Laura? I’ve...I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

“What? Something your guy said?” Laura asked, “Was kinda preoccupied by the fact that my dark side’s some psycho who seems to get-”

“I need to tell you something.” He said.

“What?”

“Laura...since Stanton, I’ve been thinking about it...and I...I think I like you.” He said.

Laura sat there, struck dumb as they came to a halt. Ken was waiting, hoping that the next words would be “I like you, too”.

He didn’t expect her to just open the door and bolt out of the limo.

“Of course...” Ken murmured, “Figured it’d be the case.”

“Shall I take you home, Master Ken?” asked the driver.

“Yeah, Giles. Not like I’ve got anywhere else to go.” He said.

Laura ran up the stairs of her home, ignoring her parents. She ran into her room and slammed the door shut. She was hyper-ventilating. Ken was her friend since fifth grade. Letting Rick into their friendship was a bit of a concern, but he was alright. When did THIS happen? He outright said he liked her?

...Did he know? That he was starting to wriggle his way into her own heart? That his annoying, neat-freak attitude was more...endearing to her? That she appreciated his help every step of the way? That she was starting to think...

She slumped against the wall, sliding down to sit down. She then asked herself, “I screwed up again, didn’t I?”

Radar and Damian (who had taken time to enter into his Sharpshot attire) walked through the streets. He saw that she had a bit of a bounce in her step, which made him smile.

“Hey, Radar?” he asked, “If you don’t mind my asking, what’d your Shadow do to you?”

“Said I was weak. That I never do anything. But...” She spun around, showing that her usually unreadable face had a bright smile on it, “I’m using it to INSPIRE myself!”

“Good for you!” Sharpshot grinned, giving her a playful slug, “Now, let’s go forth. We need to knock some heads tonight!”

He took the lead as she continued skipping through the streets. He didn’t let her see his face fall. His shadow was right. He WAS getting bored with this...

Ken’s limo slowly came to a halt in Lincoln Manor. He never told anyone that he was THAT Ken Lincoln, people probably assuming that it was a coincidence. He walked up the path and opened the door...finding his father standing there. His dad rarely made contact anymore, but the expression on his face showed disdain and anger.

“Dad.” Ken said.

“Where were you tonight?” he asked.

“The school dance. Poor and middle class schools have those.” Ken said.

“Without my knowledge?”

“Didn’t know you NEEDED to know.” Ken answered.

“Boy, I’ve come to tolerate your various shortcomings.” Mr. Lincoln stated, “Your childish hobbies, your obsession with cleanliness...”

“It’s Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It’s been a clinically-proven condition since Sigmund Freud suggested it in the 1910’s.” Ken said, walking to his old haven: the bathroom.

“And this rebellious stage needs to end, Ken.” His dad said, “You live in the clothes I put on your back and start treating me like this...”

“Taking my Pokemon game away when I was ten probably wasn’t a good move, then.” Ken said, “Ever since I could talk, you’ve controlled me. Everything I did was to try and turn ME into YOU. I wanted to make games, you wanted me to make cars like you. I’m your son, not your clone! I’m not one of your cars, easily assembled and just goes. I’m an honor-roll student at ‘trailer trash’ high as you put it, I’M GA-” he halted himself, hoping to save face. Unfortunately...

“What?” His father asked, “On top of everything else, you’re saying that you’re-”

“N-no, that’s not it. I like GIRLS.” Game Boy said.

“Then what did that mean, boy?!”

“I’M A SUPERHERO, DAD!” he shouted, “I’m Game Boy! I save lives! I help the community!”

“You dress up in a clown costume and make a buffoon out of yourself!” His father snapped, “Now, either grow up and begin working to enter into this industry or get out of my house!”

“Thought you’d NEVER ask.” Ken said, storming up the stairs, “If you’ll excuse me, I’VE GOT TO PACK!”

He growled to himself as he stormed up. Something about what happened...energized him. He’d finally stood up to his dad. Now his anger filled him as he grabbed his luggage and began filling it. The first thing he chose? His Game Boy attire.

Off in the city, sitting on the water tower, was the Mystery Magician. Jung appeared in front of him. He had his arms folded, but smiled.

“I see I win our bet.” He said.

“You do...” Jung nodded, “But this could end up coming to bite them. No one walks through my magic in one piece.”

“They’ll rise above. They’re good at that.” Mystery Magician said.

“Perhaps...funny how the signals of those three that would help them most happened to go off before I enacted my plan.” Jung said, fading away.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that.” The Magician said with a smile, turning over a card that had the emblem of The Elite on it.

And, after that? Everything went wrong...