A cool wind whipped its way through the city. Stirring up discarded paper and sending it flying through the air. Each piece dancing to its own tune, one only the wind could hear.

Windows on either side of the road were the wind’s next target. It playfully twirled along the windowsills, trying to pass through. Yet the glass barriers held firm, keeping the wind at bay. In a rage the wind howled into the night. Those who heard it curled up in their beds, pulling their blankets close.

The wind moved on, spinning to its own whims until it came across a building near the edge of the city. Beyond, the ocean stretched out only a hundred feet away. The wind twirled it’s way up to the roof, bringing with it hints of spring. The cold of winter was leaving the world as life blossomed over the barren land.

Despite the approaching life and the childish games of the wind, Liam felt none of it himself. Encased in his suit, only the external sensors fed him an image of what was happening.

The entire suit was upgraded. Each piece put to shame what had come before. It was an upgrade long in the planning and finally seeing its chance to shine. One Liam could have only dreamed of as an inexperienced apprentice a year before, when he first joined The Hunt.

Having an upgraded suit, version 2.0, around him sent a pleasant burst through Liam’s stomach. It was more than just the protection it provided, but the fact it had allowed him to create again. Something he’d missed during the last few months.

When Liam was with The Hunt, he’d grown accustomed to having a fully operational suit. If it needed work, he’d spend time on it. If he thought of an upgrade, he’d build it. He’d grown used to the privilege, only to lose it all in one night.

While he’d been running from the team, he’d worked with the bare minimum. He’d resorted to begging his previous partner, Mr. Hat for a soldering iron, anything more advanced than that was little more than a wish. After that experience, how could Liam downplay the sheer joy of being able to repair and build?

Liam stirred as his sensors showed an uptick of pollen in the air, the wind having brought it across the city. His sinuses would scream at him later. At least he could delay that until after the mission.

Liam focused back on where he was and what he was doing. Below him was a dockyard with crates and shipping containers, stacked in rows like building blocks used by giants. Amid the movable containers were a couple warehouses. The latter was where his attention was drawn.

Liam’s HUD showed one building was cold and quiet. No motion or noise coming from inside. The other was two degrees warmer, with hints of a muted light reaching the windows. Even though dust and grime covered the once transparent panes, Liam’s sensors could detect the change in light levels as people moved past the glass.

Liam tried to see through the grime. Using every setting he could on his suit’s camera to parse through all the data coming in. As if his will could move the obstruction out of the way. Something that failed, despite his best efforts. When Liam finally leaned forward, like a child looking at birthday presents, a voice broke him out of his concentration.

“Lean any farther forward and you’ll fall off,” the firm voice said. The hint of a joke, as if the man was seeing the scene play out in the future, coloring his voice.

Liam started, almost doing what the voice had cautioned against, only for his hand to grab the ledge and hold him firm. He’d forgotten about the man standing next to him. The man he owed a life debt to.

“I wouldn’t have to worry about that if I could just use some of my gear to look inside. The new camera bug I made would be perfect for this,” Liam said. Trying to defend his childish behavior.

“We can’t have you doing that. They might have a way of detecting it,” Nudge said. His voice a calm bedrock of self assurance.

“So we wait here, with no idea what they’re doing inside?” Liam asked. Despite owing the man more than he could ever repay, there was something in Liam’s voice that hinted he wasn’t on board with the watch and wait approach. “Why did you even bring me if I can’t do anything? Shouldn’t I still be confined to a couch somewhere?”

“I reviewed your therapy reports and they show you’re ready for this. The Department of Controlled Powers agrees, as they cleared you for active duty.”

Well, some of that was news to him. Liam had already read through the DCP report, but how’d Nudge gotten ahold of it? Weren’t they supposed to be confidential? Changing the subject, Liam continued.

“We won’t have any recordings of what’s going on inside. It’s hard to make a criminal case with nothing more than our suspicions.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re not here for any Cowls.”

“What? We’re not here for Cowls?” Liam asked only for the other man to remain quiet. After fifteen seconds of waiting, Liam could only conclude the other man would not answer his question, as much as that made him want to jump off the building and rush over to the warehouse just to prove him wrong.

For what wasn’t the first time, and what he knew wouldn’t be the last, Liam debated if he should do this. Sure, he’d survived Des Moines and his showdown with The Hunt because of this man. He had no delusion the police would’ve sprayed bullets at him until he would never get up again if not for his intervention. But did that mean he had to sign up for this mystery mission?

Despite wanting to be a part of the Hero life again, a part of Liam’s mind wondered if Nudge was any better than The Hunt. He had to force that stray thought back into submission, or at least make it retreat until it was only a whisper of an idea in the back of his mind. Nudge had saved him. He couldn’t forget that.

It’d be easier if he knew what they were doing. Other than the mysterious ‘hunting a legend’ that Nudge had first told him the man had been mum. Liam had tried to get more out of him, but had been met with nothing more than a few grunts and promises of more details once things were in place.

It’d gotten so bad that Liam had wondered if he should just pull the plug on their partnership. He could always try to get on another team or be a solo Hero. Both ideas had merit on paper, but he knew they’d fall apart in practice.

The first idea failed when Liam thought of joining another team. With everything he’d given The Hunt, was he willing to jump into that again? Joining a group he knew nothing about would be hard. What made it worse, were the people that came with it. At least with Nudge he knew something about the man. While it might not be much, the act of helping him, even when everyone saw Liam as a villain, was enough to get past many other problems.

The second idea of going his own way, also wouldn’t fly. Despite his newfound golden boy appearance in the media, the DCP was still hesitant when it came to him. Their paper pushers even refused to give him an exception on his apprenticeship. As such, Liam was stuck here for the foreseeable future, with a full-fledged Hero watching over him.

It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, being teammates with Nudge. Sure, the man was weird to work with, but he cared. Add in that Nudge was a member of The Watch, and this little partnership was looking better. When Liam was still training to be a Hero, the very idea of joining The Watch had been a dream. A goal that you couldn’t ever expect to happen. Now, even though he was only working with one of their members, it was as if he’d completed a lifetime goal.

“Just a few more minutes and the fireworks will start,” Nudge said. A bright spark in his eyes.

“And how would you know that?” Liam asked. Seeing the comment as a doorway into what the man knew.

“I know a lot of things. Someday I’ll let you in on them.”

More mysteries. It was like the man could only be vague in everything he did. Whatever, Liam could wait for everything to sort itself out and it wasn’t like he lost anything by asking. Though Liam held the other man to his word and started a timer in his helmet’s HUD. He’d see just how long it took for these ‘fireworks’ to start.

Time ticked by, first ten seconds, then twenty, then a minute, when another thought struck Liam. Hadn’t his new teammate said the fireworks were going to start. Didn’t you normally watch those and not join in with them? Weren’t they here to arrest a drug ring? The man had said they weren’t here for any Cowls, but Liam didn’t believe that. Now though, how could they take down the criminals without being able to see them? And waiting for some mystery thing to happen. Things weren’t adding up. The sound of a crack from down on the docks drew Liam’s attention.

Inside the building, which had been quiet a moment before, shouts were ringing out. Despite himself, Liam leaned forward again. Being careful not to go so far that he lost his balance.

“Well, she’s early,” Nudge muttered. Liam noted only one minute and fifteen seconds had elapsed on his timer. Whatever these fireworks were, he was about to find out.

“Can you please just explain why we’re-” Liam started only to be interrupted by the sound of shattering glass.

Turning toward the sound, Liam saw a man go sailing out of the warehouse. Flying a good twenty feet before he tumbled to the ground, ending up crumpled next to one of the large crates.

Liam focused on the prone figure as his suit’s systems noted the person was still breathing. Liam started to move to the man’s aid, but Nudge’s arm appeared in front of him.

“Wait until things settle down,” the older Hero said.

After a moment’s hesitation, Liam settled back to watch. The person was alive, Liam thought as he focused on the building. Crashes and screams growing louder by the second. Indistinct shapes darted past the windows, only to go hurtling back a second later.

Grabbing the ledge of the building, Liam prepared to push himself off. The motors on his boots purring to life as they readied to push him into the air. As Liam’s suit performed a final systems check, a vine whipped forward, grabbing him around the chest and pulling backwards with the force of a lineman.

Liam’s gut reaction was to torch the thing. Nothing would ever hold him down again. He’d fought against an entire city to be free. He wouldn’t give that up now. A voice in the back of his head tried to calm him. Reminding him that things were different now. That he wasn’t being attacked. He could trust this man to watch his back. The very thought sent a weird taste into his mouth. His memory of the past coming back to him fast.

With a staggering force of will, one that left him mentally exhausted, Liam regained control. Allowing his plant controlling teammate to hold him atop the building. Not that he wasn’t going to question the move.

“People are getting hurt. Why aren’t we going down there?” Liam forced out.

“You’ll want to see her in action. Trust me.”

Again the man left things vague. At least this time Liam didn’t have to wonder what he was talking about for long. The crash of a wall bursting out was the only signal he needed.

The hole in the wall was large enough for a professional basketball player to walk through without ducking their head. And the crumbling wall left behind a cloud of dust, from which a figure in purple with a gold sun shining on her chest appeared. Her purple mask had a golden crown at the top, somewhere between regal and vicious. The points on the crown were sharp and barbed, but seemed to flow into the rest of the helmet like they were nothing but an artistic touch.

In her right hand was a man wearing a red demon mask and a tank top. His shirt was covered in a brown layer of dirt and grim. A red stain forming on the front under his chin. The man’s muscled arms grasped onto the purple figure’s hand, trying to break free. Despite how his tattooed arms bulged at the effort, he made no progress.

The figure in the red mask continued to struggle. His hands let go of the purple person’s grip and punched into the figure’s side. Strike after strike, not even phasing the figure in purple. From the red masked fighter’s frantic scuffle, it was easy to understand who had the upper hand in this battle.

With an almost casual flick of the hand, the figure in the red demon mask rose from the ground, only to be slammed back into it once, twice, then a third time. On the final smash the figure went limp, all the fight leaving him.

The person in purple looked at the limp body for a second as if surprised the ‘fight’ was already over. Then, like a bag of potatoes, sent the person flying to the side to collapse in a heap.

At that, Liam would’ve jumped to action. Doing what he could to save the man in the demon mask. If not for the vine holding him in place. He wasn’t sure what the person had done to elicit the anger of the one in purple, but he didn’t feel right standing by and watching the beating happen. Regardless of who was in the wrong, shouldn’t he at least try to stop the fight before figuring out who's in the right?

Turning to the hole in the wall, Liam watched as more men poured out. A lamp on the side of the building sent light shining off the barrels of their guns. Each one, death in a human hand. Without command, the new arrivals opened up. Peppering the person in purple with a barrage of fire. What would’ve killed most Supers, including the rest of his former team, the person in purple took without a flinch. Each strike was nothing more than a mosquito bite to the figure. There was shouting, but none of it carried beyond the crackling of gunfire.

Once the first few people were forced to reload, the figure in purple jumped into action. Racing towards her attackers, she peppered them with punches and kicks. Each strike dropping an opponent. Most of the group was on the ground before they realized what was happening. Only the last two had time to turn and run away. One dropping a gun in his dash to safety.

The person in purple seemed to take exception to the figure’s retreat. Picking up some bricks that had been part of the wall moments before, the figure hurled them at the fleeing people. With the accuracy of a baseball player, each projectile landed true. Dropping the fleeing figures before they could make it to cover.

With the last body thumping to the floor, Liam hoped from being knocked out and not something more serious, the night air stilled. Even the wind died down as it watched the figure in purple move through the bodies. Weaving through them as if they were nothing more than discarded kindling, before she walked back through the hole in the wall as if it was the front door to the building.