Lady Thunder screamed and jumped back from the computer. "Holy shit!"

Brutus jumped behind me while whimpering, and I gasped as well at the view on the screen.

The screams of the prostitute endly quickly and mercifully. The black tentacles closed into a ball with the crunch. The whole time, Captain Maximum's empty head and arms flapped at his waist like a loose sweater. It seemed like the skin of Captain Maximum had come off, like a costume he had been wearing, and his true nature had been revealed.

I rushed to make sure the video was recording while Kid Maximum laughed behind us. The shock of what we had seen left me trembling. I couldn't stop thinking of the woman's face as she was pulled into the pit of horror that had once been Captain Maximum.

"I told you," Kid Maximum hooted, "I told you! You got no fucking idea what you're dealing with!"

"Shut up," I yelled.

Lady Thunder sobbed while I took deep breaths, and said, "I suppose he was telling the truth about being an alien."

"Fuck yeah," Kid Maximum yelled. "Sorry about being so vague earlier. I didn't wanna spoil the surprise."

After a few seconds, Captain Maximum's skin pulled itself back onto the writhing mass of black flesh. Like a video in reverse, the skin settled into place until he had taken on the familiar human shape again.

After a second, the captain's head whipped up to look at the ceiling, right at the camera. His eyes narrowed as he let out a roar and jumped up towards it.

The screen went black. The sensors indicated the robot had been destroyed. I didn't wonder how he had found it. That was the least of my concerns.

I stumbled away from the computer, and faced Kid Maximum. "All right, no more games, boy. I want the truth. And I want it now."

Kid Maximum giggled. "He already told you, bitch. He's a fucking alien. That shit about his home planet was all true. That's what he really looks like under his human-suit."

"Human-suit. So he's wearing a disguise."

Kid Maximum nodded. "Yup. It also protects him and makes him stronger. And he's not a tech genius, but he knows how to repair his suit, so that lets him build this exoskeleton for me."

My mind spun at the idea of other life in the Universe, but I also struggled to grapple with the idea of Captain Maximum as a literal monster. "So he was sent to Earth as part of a freedom fighting force?"

"Nah, you don't get it. He wasn't sent to help Ikodoru. He was sent to get help to stop the freedom fighters. Captain Maximum is Ikodoru's son. The whole superhero thing is just the captain's way of gaining our respect and stuff. He figures a few more years of this bullshit, and he'll run for president, and win. Then he'll keep going until they make him Emperor of the World. Once he does that, he'll give Earth interstellar travel and we'll fly back to his home planet as an army to kick the freedom fighter's asses. Then he'll enslave us, of course."

I took deep breaths to try to stay calm, even as Lady Thunder sat on the bed, still crying. "And you knew it. And you still helped him."

Kid Maximum shrugged. "Hell yeah, he's gonna run this planet, and I'll be his vice-fucking-president. I'm gonna be the only one left unslaved and I'll own this whole Earth. And now that you know who he really is, I think you know what he's gonna do when he finds out you have me."

"Yes." I lowered my head. "And I know what to do about it."

Captain Maximum was an alien warlord bent on world domination, but Kid Maximum had shown himself to be a traitor to his own species.

I drew my freeze gun and fired it at him. I froze his head and kept going down, encasing his whole body in a block of ice.

After that, I nodded at Lady Thunder. "You may do the honors."

She jumped off the bed and smashed her fists into Kid Maximum's head, shattering him into pieces. As the chunks of ice rolled across the floor, she kicked them over and over.

"That little fuck," she screamed. "That little fucking piece of shit!"

I went to her and wrapped my arms around her waist, and held up until her crying faded into sniffles. We might have looked comical, considering I came up to her chest, and she hunched over me, but she felt smaller and more vulnerable in that moment.

"Captain Maximum is a monster," she whispered. "I knew he was bad, I knew he killed supervillains and that reporter but to bring a woman down for him to eat? Like an animal? How many women has he done that to?"

"I don't know," I said. "But we can make it the last. We can make him pay for what he's done."

"Absolutely." She wiped her face. "I'm all in, now. But can we really stop that-that thing?"

"Yes." I went to my computer. "The good news is that the skin seems to be what kept me from detecting his weaknesses. When he removed it, it allowed me to scan him properly. His human-suit is made of a strong alien alloy, but it can be broken, and his real body is much more vulnerable underneath it. Now I know how to build a weapon to kill him, the Omega Anti-Matter Phaser. More than that, I can use the exoskeleton he built for Kid Maximum to create one of my own. That will allow me to fight him on a more equal footing."

I also tapped on buttons to bring up a thumbnail image of Captain Maximum and the prostitute facing each other. "It will take me time to build, and I have the recording of him attacking that woman. With this, and the recording of the captain killing Andrews, perhaps now someone will listen to me. I'm going to release it to the public. It will buy me time, and the world deserves to know the truth."

Lady Thunder nodded. "You better believe it."

We worked together to clear a corner of the warehouse and make it into a sort of makeshift studio. I set up a chair to sit in while Lady Thunder stood on one side and Brutus sat on the other. I set my cane in front of me, she folded her arms to look menacing and Brutus lowered his head and looked fierce. When we had ourselves ready, I pointed at one of my robots and said, "You, come here."

The robot clanked its way over to me.

"Engage camera," I said, "and record in three, two, one, record."

"Recording, Master," the robot droned.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Saint Newton," I said, "it is I, Mastermind. I know you are not exactly thrilled to see me, but you must know that there are far greater threats to this city than I am. One of those threats is Captain Maximum. He is not who he appears. He has killed and continues to kill his enemies and even innocent citizens such as Alexandria Andrews."

I held up my hand. "I do not expect you to take me at my word. That is why I'm sending a copy of two recordings along with this message. The media can examine and verify that they are not fabrications. They show that Captain Maximum is the one who killed Andrews, and also how he killed an innocent woman. In fact, they prove he is not even human. He is an invader from another world. Thus, I vow that I will dedicate my life to destroying the monster the captain truly is. All I ask is to be allowed to act. Otherwise, you can join me. Or you can stay out of my way."

I waved a hand. "End recording. Send the video to my computer."

"Yes, Master," the robot droned.

I hurried over to my computer to download and edit the video, attaching it to a data package that included the two recordings I had made, along with a bundle of raw data that could be used to verify it if needed. I didn't expect to get much of a positive response, considering my history, but I wanted to make sure I had done everything I could.

I sent the whole thing to all the major news organizations through an anonymous email, and also uploaded it to YouTube before I turned back to Lady Thunder.

She held out her hands. "Okay, what do we do now?"

"This changes nothing. I will kill Captain Maximum." I went to the melting chunks of Kid Maximum and picked one that still had an intact piece of his arm, still in the sleeve of the exoskeleton. "With my scans and the remains, I can easily duplicate this."

I seized my notebook and quickly made a sketch of the exoskeleton I would need. "I have almost everything I need to build the exoskeleton and the weapon, but I'll need three more components. A pound of aquamadite to build the coating for the exoskeleton, a mesotronic regulator for the beam weapon, and a crystal of kyanedon to power it."

I set the notebook down. "Of the three, I want to get the aquamadite first so I can build the exoskeleton. Without the exoskeleton, I won't stand a chance if I run into Captain Maximum. The aquamadite is a rare and expensive alloy, but we can find it as part of the Brown Electron–Positron Collider II here in St. Newton. The second piece we'll go after is the kyanedon, a radioactive element which can be found at the Saint Newton Museum of Natural History. The third piece, a mesotronic regulator, is often used in advanced cybernetics. We could simply purchase it, to be honest. But where's the fun in that?"

Lady Thunder giggled. "No fun at all."

"Exactly. So we will steal it from the Hyperborg Laboratory, the same one that created the Mechanical Menace."

I finished my sketch and scanned it into my computer. Within minutes, it produced a three-dimensional rendition that I projected as a hologram into the center of the warehouse. I broke it down into components and placed orders for whatever I couldn't produce myself, and began assembling the parts I could.

As I worked, I set my computer to scan the news for reports on my news drop. It didn't take long before I started getting hits.

It seemed like my kidnapping of Kid Maximum had made a big impact as several news outlets led with the story.

Fox News reporters sat grimly at their desk as one said, "In case you're just joining us, Kid Maximum - the beloved sidekick of Captain Maximum - has been kidnapped. Jeri Williams is coming to us live from the scene."

The camera cut to an attractive woman standing in front of Copernicus where she pointed behind her. "It was just over an hour ago when eyewitnesses and video taken from Copernicus Junior High School show that the supervillain who calls himself Mastermind came here to stage an attack that left a principal dead and took Kid Maximum when he showed up to defend the students."

The video switched to shaky footage taken from someone's phone of the gymnasium where Lady Thunder and I fought Kid Maximum. The news anchor spoke over it, saying, "Mastermind captured Kid Maximum and has since disappeared. He has so far issued no demands, and whether Kid Maximum is still alive is unknown."

The video cut to a man in a brown suit with a chyron that read "Milton Nichols, St. Newton Chief of Police" as he said, "This so-called Mastermind was almost unknown until yesterday but has quickly become a deadly enemy focused on Captain Maximum. First, he killed Alexandra Andrews and now he's taken Kid Maximum. He's accomplished a lot in a short amount of time, but he's going to pay for his crimes."

Williams held a microphone to him. "Chief Nichols, Fox and several other news organizations have received recordings alleging that Captain Maximum is the one who killed Andrews and also an as-yet unidentified woman. The second video even claims that Captain Maximum is some sort of alien monster."

Chief Nichols chuckled. "Yes, we're aware of the propaganda sent to the media by Mastermind and are treating it as the fraud that it is."

Lady Thunder sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot."

Williams came back to the camera. "We reached out to Captain Maximum for his comments and this is what he had to say."

The video switched to Captain Maximum in his underground lair as he spoke to the camera. "I haven't heard from Kid Maximum since he was kidnapped by Mastermind, but if he's listening, hang on. I and the City's Saviors will find you. If you know what's good for you, Mastermind, you'll let him go now before it's too late. If you so much as skin his knee, you'll pay for it."

His face darkened. "As for the fake videos of me, this is obviously a sad and pathetic attempt to smear my reputation. The idea that I would kill the woman I loved is laughable, and Saint Newton has trusted me for years. Citizens, I can't reveal my true identity but you know me and who I am. We'll get through this together."

I waved a hand to switch it off as Lady Thunder shrugged and said, "So much for that idea."

I shook my head while pointing to the computer. "It's all right. I also uploaded the videos to YouTube so the public will see them, regardless. There's also a link to the raw data."

I switched my screen to YouTube where scrolling through the comments confirmed my hopes. "Excellent. A furious debate has broken out between two factions: those who believe the video is real and calling for Captain Maximum to be arrested, and those who believe the video is fake and calling for me to be arrested. The argument means I have sown doubt. While the majority think it is fake, I have started a movement on my side that I can build on."

I continued to work while Lady Thunder played fetch with Brutus, throwing a steel beam that he would catch and carry back like a twig. It took a long time for me to build the flexible frame of the exoskeleton, forging from raw metal, but when the parts I ordered arrived in trucks, the work became easier. By nightfall, I had the exoskeleton constructed, and I was ready to create the final outer shell. For that, I would need the aquamadite.

I went to my computer to bring up the blueprints for the Brown Electron–Positron Collider II. It took me a few minutes of studying before I had a plan of action. "All right, the alloy we need is used on the collider itself which is in an underground tunnel. Since Captain Maximum is looking for my skull to mount over his fireplace, it's time to adopt a more subtle approach."

I pointed to the base of the building. "The laboratory is not well defended but we will go at night, just in case. If we cut through the fence here, we can sneak in through the rear entrance, make our way to the underground tunnel, and try to steal the alloy with none the wiser."

Lady Thunder shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

After nightfall, we loaded up the van with four of my robots, and Brutus climbed in with them while Lady Thunder sat in the passenger seat. We rode off through St. Newton to the collider.

By midnight, we pulled up to the side of the building, climbed out and I hurried with the others to the fence. Two of my robots used their laser beams to cut through the chain-link fence and I took a moment to scan the area.

"No guards or security cameras," I whispered.

Lady Thunder winked at me. "This is too easy."

"Indeed, my dear. And that's what worries me." I had a bad feeling that I couldn't put into words. I kept scanning for Captain Maximum but found nothing. The complex seemed quiet. Too quiet, as the saying goes.

Nevertheless, we crossed the grassy lawn to the white building at the center, and climbed the steps to a back entrance. I used a sonic resonance generator to open the lock and we slipped inside

The hallway stretched ahead of us and hummed with a massive engine somewhere in the distance.

A woman in a white lab coat came around a corner, looking down at her clipboard on her hands. She looked up and dropped the clipboard when she saw us.

I pointed my freeze gun at her. "Scream and you die."

Her mouth opened but quickly clamped shut as she made little squeaking noises.

Lady Thunder stepped forward with her hands out. "Hey, we don't wanna hurt anyone, lady. We just need a piece of that doohickey down there. Take us to it, and you can go back to mixing chemicals or pushing buttons or whatever it is you do in here."

The scientist swallowed and nodded quickly.

I pointed at her. "Lead the way. And my companion Brutus will keep an eye on you. Make the slightest wrong move and you'll suffer greatly."

She looked down at Brutus who gave her a menacing growl that made her legs quiver. "S-sure. This way."

She headed down a hallway to a set of doors. Swiping the keycard around her neck made the doors open with a hiss, and the thick metal swung back like a bank vault. As we walked down the hallway on the other side, the hum of the engines grew louder and louder.

We stepped into a large warehouse with metal shelving holding random assortments of equipment and tanks of chemicals.

"I don't understand why you're here," the scientist said. "This is a research facility. We don't have any money or anything valuable here."

I nodded. "Actually, you have something quite valuable, aquamadite."

She glanced over her shoulder at me. "Th-that's what you want? But that's a core component of the collider. You can't just take it."

"I assure you, I can and I will."

We made our way to an elevator that the scientist opened with another swipe of her keycard. It was a freight elevator, so we all managed to fit inside, although two of my robots had to cram themselves against the corners.

When the doors opened, the hum of engines grew into a roar that almost deafened us. We headed down a corridor with glass walls that allowed us to see the massive underground chamber. Long tunnels carried thick cables and wires in a circle that curved out of view.

We arrived at another set of doors which her keycard opened. We walked into a control room with banks of computers and consoles everywhere.

"So this is it?" I asked.

The scientist nodded. "Yes, this is where I work. I'm part of the ALEX experiment. We're recreating the conditions believed to have existed a fraction of a second after the Big Bang before quarks and gluons bound together to form hadrons and heavier particles. It's designed to study heavy-ion collisions, analyzing the physics of strongly interacting matter at extreme energy densities where quark-gluon plasma forms."

She sounded proud of her work, and also a trifle condescending, as if she didn't expect us to understand.

I glanced around the chamber. "I see you're using multiwire proportional counters as the detection medium, eh?"

Her mouth opened and closed a moment in shock before she spoke again. "Uh, yes, because they provide signals with pulse heights proportional to the ionization strength--"

I cut her off with a grunt. "You'd get more accurate results by adjusting the pulse-height measurements along the particle track. That would optimize the resolution of the ionization measurement. And using argon instead of neon as the detection medium would substantially enhance space-charge effects in the drift volume of the Time Projection Chamber due to its relatively slow ion drift velocity."

She blinked before stammering. "Th-that's actually not a b-bad idea."

I went to one of the computers and tapped on it until it brought up the layout of the collider with more detail than I had found from public records. "There's what we're looking for."

I pointed straight ahead in front of me to the glass window where we looked out at the metallic glowing ring.

"Right," the scientist said. "Which is at the very center of the collider. That's several hundred feet of metal and cables between us and the core. Whenever we need to get to it, it takes us weeks to dismantle it."

I chuckled. "I think we can cut down on that substantially. Lady Thunder?"

She charged over to the wall and smashed through the glass with both fists. She jumped down into the howling tunnel and slammed into the curved metal wall of the collider in front of her. It shrieked and blew clouds of gas into the air that made us all cough and back away. Alarms bells went off all over the building around us.

I pointed at the collider. "Robots, cut through that."

The robots with me aimed laser beams into the hole, melting away the steel until a cluster of electronics came into view. That's when I held up my hand to stop them.

I climbed into the hole they made, and used my tools to cut through the tangle of sensitive equipment until I came to a small disk of light blue metal. That was the precious aquamadite we needed. It came loose easily, so I jammed it into my lab coat, and climbed out.

Without another word, I ran to the door, and my team followed closely behind. The alarms meant someone would be coming, and I didn't want to risk losing the item I had worked so hard to acquire.

We ran (well, I limped quickly) to the freight elevator. The doors rumbled open unbearably slowly, we piled in, and it headed up to the surface.

Lady Thunder kissed me. "We did it."

"Yes," I said as the elevator came to a halt, "one down, two to--"

The elevator doors slid open, and we faced the storage room again. This time, we weren't alone.

A man and a woman stood in front of us. The woman wore a pink bodysuit while sparks floated around her head, and a brilliant smile. The man wore all black with a cloak and glowing red eyes above a perpetual snarl.

I knew them well, even though I had never met them in person before. Everyonei n St. Newton knew them: Lovely Lass and Mister Black from the City's Saviors.