With the controls on my helmet, I made sure the robots gathered around me all had their cameras and scanners recording as I spoke, and connected them to a live stream on YouTube. I wanted the world to see this as it happened, either the death of Captain Maximum or my final battle.

The doors of the warehouse came crashing in, propelled by the captain's fists. As he broke down the doors, my robots turned and fired a volley of bullets and lasers. I did not expect them to finish the captain off, but give me the chance to aim and fire my weapon.

My phaser had a surprising amount of recoil as it fired, knocking me off my feet and sending a purple beam slamming into Captain Maximum's chest. The beam hit him, and sent him flying back, crashing through a wall of the warehouse, and even sent him sliding on the dirt for a few seconds.

I felt a slight hope that the shot might have killed him. That hope faded when he sat up. Smoke poured from the burn on his chest, but the suit seemed to be intact.

That all happened in a matter of seconds, but seemed to be an eternity. In that space of time, my robots continued to pound him with their weapons, but the captain ignored them as he had ignored the others. My phaser seemed to have made an impact, though, because it took him time to get up, and it was slower than usual.

My Omega Anti-Matter Phaser needed at least thirty seconds to warm up again for another shot, so I retreated further back into the warehouse. At the same time, Lady Thunder and Brutus sprang into action.

Brutus roared as he lunged at the captain, clamped his teeth onto Captain Maximum's arm, and tried to pull him to the ground. My dog's teeth didn't even break Captain Maximum's skin, and he swung his arm to shake my pet like a ragdoll. Still, it distracted the captain long enough for Lady Thunder.

She punched Captain Maximum in the jaw hard enough to knock him back, and her other fist slammed into his stomach.

Before she could swing again, he brought up his free hand to grab her by the wrist. He used it to swing her around in a circle, knocking my robots down.

"I can't believe you teamed up with this loser," he snarled. "I didn't think you were stupid enough to fight me after the beating I gave you last time."

"I owe you one," she yelled, while kicking at his legs.

She didn't manage to trip him up, but he staggered under her attack as Brutus clung to his arm.

As Captain Maximum fought with Lady Thunder and Brutus, I watched the power indicator on my weapon grow. It would be just a few more seconds.

Captain Maximum swung Lady Thunder up into the roof of the warehouse, and back down to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and she hesitated for just a moment, gasping for breath. That was enough time for the captain to kick her in the stomach. The kick sent her sailing back to crash into the back wall of the warehouse.

In the short time I'd known her intimately, I had yet to see anything so much as scratch her, and that's why it shocked me to see that Captain Maximum had truly injured her. She coughed up blood while clutching at her gut and groaning.

The sight of my love in pain drove me into a fury. I yelled in blind rage as I pointed my phaser at Captain Maximum and fired again.

The blast knocked me down and hit him in the chest again, but this time, he seemed to be braced for it. It pushed him back a few inches, and he grunted in pain, but he remained standing.

"What's the matter?" Captain Maximum yelled. "Missing something?"

He held up a small device I immediately recognized as a mesotronic regulator. He let me see it for a moment before crushing it to powder between his fingers.

With his other hand, Captain Maximum grabbed Brutus by the upper jaw and pulled his mouth off his arm. My dog yelped in pain, and the captain seized him by his forelegs to throw him into the warehouse. Brutus landed next to Lady Thunder, whimpering, and the two of them just lay in agony.

To see them suffering brought clarity to me for the first time. I knew I had failed. I should have just escaped when we had the chance, but I had allowed my pride and thirst for revenge to blind me. Now it was too late.

I faced Captain Maximum as he punched and kicked my robots aside, yelling, "It's just you and me now, Mastermind. Just how it should be."

I was done allowing anyone else to fight for me. I wanted Captain Maximum to die, and if I had to do it, I would.

Fortunately, I had a few more tricks up my sleeve.

I drew and fired my freeze gun at him. It covered him in a thick block of ice that I knew wouldn't hold for long. I leaped over to one of my fallen robots, grabbed its arm, and pressed a button to fire the laser cannon manually on a wide beam. The laser blast melted the ice quickly, turning Captain Maximum red hot.

I hoped the sudden change in temperature would cause his protective skin to crack or at least deform, but he just stumbled a little and recovered too quickly.

So much for the science experiment. I would have to try brute force.

I fired my phaser cannon at Captain Maximum again, hoping the temperature change would help with the blast. He fell back, and I took the initiative to charge at him, and swung the rifle to club him on the head.

He moved too quickly, grabbing me by the throat and pulling me close. He whispered, "You will suffer."

I decided to try my exoskeleton, remembering that it was made of the same material as Kid Maximum's. It wasn't as indestructible as Captain Maximum's suit, but it might let me stand up to him. I also had enhanced strength, so I punched him as hard as I could.

My strength surprised me as the blow actually knocked him back. He let go of my throat, and I landed on my feet. My heart leaped to watch him fall back, feeling a surge of hope that perhaps my suit would allow me to beat him when my weapons could not.

I let out a roar as I tackled him, and he actually fell backwards onto the ground. I punched his jaw, his cheek, and watched his head snap back on his neck, again and again.

"You will pay for my parents," I screamed.

He winced up at me. "What? Wh-what parents?"

I wanted to give him the speech I had always imagined giving about how he had killed my parents, two innocent people who deserved to be alive, and how he would finally face the justice he had always avoided. I didn't want to risk losing my chance. I would not make the mistake of talking when I should be fighting.

I punched him again and again, hoping to snap his thick neck or knock him unconscious.

On the fourth blow, Captain Maximum just glared at me while my fist bounced off his face without movement.

He chuckled. "I just figured you were recording this and wanted to give the audience a good show. Now it's time to end it."

He punched me in the jaw so hard that it sent me flying back, through the door of the warehouse, and out into the street. I skidded on my back, and just lay in the smoking pit my bombs had created earlier.

He had been toying with me. I shot him again with my phaser, and he didn't even stumble this time. It wouldn't work without the regulator, I saw that clearly now, and the exoskeleton was inferior to his own..

I couldn't beat him, I knew that then, but I wanted to at least get him away from Lady Thunder and Brutus. I didn't want them hurt more because of my failure.

I dragged myself to my feet, and ran to my van waiting nearby. Climbing behind the wheel, I started the engine while watching him walk calmly towards the car.

I put the van into reverse, hit the gas, and drove the van away from the warehouse. I didn't get far. Captain Maximum must have used his jetpack because the next moment, he had the front end of the van off the ground, leaving the rear tires skidding and smoking on the ground. He let it go and the van slammed back onto the ground, throwing me forward so I crashed into the airbag that deployed.

Before I could even sit up, Captain Maximum ripped off the driver's side door, grabbed me by the chest, and hauled me out of the van.

I tried to punch him, but he just punched me in the face first. Even with my helmet protecting me, the impact shook my teeth so I thought they would all fall out. It left me so dizzy that I almost didn't notice when he grabbed the suit at the chest, and ripped it open.

He tore the suit off of me. I knew that much. I found myself lying on the street, blood running down my chin, and Captain Maximum standing over me. He tossed the shredded remains of my exoskeleton onto the pavement next to me. I heard police sirens in the background, echoing over the city.

"Is that enough, Mastermind?" he asked. "Or do you want more?"

I wanted to make some snappy comeback like a true supervillain would, but I couldn't. I could hardly breathe.

He reached down and picked me up, almost gently. He held me over his head and drew back a fist, and I held my breath, knowing this would be my last.

He stopped. His arm came down.

The captain just smiled at me. "No. That would be a little too easy for you."

The sirens grew until police cars came howling down the street. They skidded to a halt, and came pouring out with guns drawn.

As the police surrounded us, they yelled, "Freeze!"

Captain Maximum smiled. "Sure thing, officers. I have him all ready for you."

To me, he whispered, "I want to see you in front of the cameras, and in prison for a while. I want everyone to see you humiliated, like you tried to humiliate me. Then you'll die."