It wasn't supposed to be like this. What inane series of events lead to this crazy situation? Four superheroes facing off against a woman with a bloody axe, which she'd clearly used to exterminate her family. What's worse, there were robot dogs closing in behind them. If Ayda hadn't experienced so many impossible things in her twenty years, she'd say this were a complete flight of fancy.

Ayda glanced around at her teammates. Each of them was ready for a fight. Flechette had a machete-length spike in each hand. He had his back turned on the woman, more concerned with the dogs. Alloy stood in the boxing stance Ayda taught her two years ago. She didn't display any signs of power use, most likely saving them for when things went down. Flashbang was unarmed, but ready to fight.

"Flechette, I need a spike." Flashbang held out a hand to the older hero covered in latticework metal armor.

Flechette produced a spike from his shoulder a bit longer than the ones in his hands. Flashbang detached it then settled into a Chinese wushu stance, left side toward the enemy, weapon in the opposite hand level with his hips, tip pointed diagonally upward. Ayda had not taught him that one.

Well, that solved the problem of getting everyone ready for a fight. Now they just had to actually fight. But Ayda didn't want that. The Hanson family had been through enough already. She'd rather not put them through any further hardship, even if she currently stared down the one responsible for their deaths.

"This is your last chance, Mrs. Hanson," warned Pulse. "Stand down, or face the consequences."

Julian Hanson did nothing. She showed no sign at all that she even knew the four heroes were there. She just stood still, swaying slowly left to right, axe caked in dry blood dangling from her right hand.

"Those things are speeding up, Pulse," Alloy said from behind her.

Ayda turned around to find the six robot dogs approaching at a trot instead of the slow stalk they used seconds ago. They were close, now. Less than a minute, and they'd be upon the heroes. Even if Julia never lifted a finger, the dogs would still attack. One way or another, this ended in combat. They needed a strategy, now.

"Alright," Ayda began. "Alloy, switch with me. Take Mrs. Hanson down quickly as you can, then join the rest of us against the dog things."

"Got it," agreed Alloy.

She took a step forward, while Ayda slotted into where her teammate just was. The formation was now Alloy in the front center, while Flechette, Flashbang, and Pulse lined up left to right facing the opposite direction.

"Spread out," Pulse continued. "They can't take us all at once if we're too far apart. They'll have to split up."

Ayda stayed where she was while her teammates fanned out to her left. This separated them, and also created a rough sort of wall on one side. It would be harder to attack Alloy from the left, now, minimizing the things their teammate had to worry about. Ayda hadn't been thinking that far ahead, but she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

With everyone positioned, the calm before the storm set in. The dogs came ever closer. Julia Hanson still did absolutely nothing other than stare at them through her messy dark hair. Ayda channeled power through her staff. It glowed purple with her strength. The world snapped into focus as her enhanced reflexes power took hold. Flechette shifted around some of the spikes covering his skin, likely to form tighter armor.

It was so quiet. Between the isolated location, Julia's complete lack of motion, and the scattered mechanical noises from the dogs, Ayda doubted the battle could be heard for more than a few hundred feet away, if that. Ayda took a deep breath to center herself. She was ready.

The dogs accelerated to a run. They spread out, just as predicted, two dedicated to each hero. They leapt into action. At the same time, Julia lashed out. Ayda had no time to check on her teammate, as she had her own pair of dogs to worry about.

The pair came at her in a staggered formation. The first jumped at her throat. She sidestepped and swung down into its back with a blast as the thing sailed past her. It flew for a few feet and skidded in the dirt. The second followed up immediately. It went straight for her face. Ayda held her staff out horizontally. The dog wrapped its jaws around the implement, where it held on and swung wildly with all four paws, barely missing her torso. Pulse used a blast to toss her staff away, taking the dog with it.

Several teeth sank into her ankle. Ayda drew a sharp breath at the pain and looked down to see the first dog biting into her. It must've recovered while she was paying attention to the other one. She punched down once, twice at its cranium, each hit accentuated with a blast. The attacks only drove the teeth in further. Agony shot through her leg as the metal points ground against bone.

Ayda laced her fingers between its lower teeth as best she could. A split-second to focus, and a powerful blast erupted from her. The dog's lower jaw cracked and broke off. It reeled back, seemingly in pain, dark oil dripping from the wound. Ayda rounded on it and kicked with her good foot. The dog sailed away from her, coming to rest close to the other dog she'd sent flying. They joined up and slinked toward her.

Pulse put her weight down on the injured ankle. Pain coursed through her, but it was manageable. She'd fought on through much worse. This wouldn't stop her. She settled into a boxing stance and faced down the dogs.

"Round two, motherfuckers."

…

Julia swung downward in a wide arc over her head, the blade of her axe a red and brown streak through the air. Alloy switched from strength and defense to reflexes just in time to slip left of the attack. Before Julia could follow up with another strike, the heroine placed a pair of fists to the ribs, then a straight punch to the head.

Alloy took a step back, shaking out her hands. Mrs. Hanson was solid, much more so than she looked. Punching her felt like smacking a wall of pure muscle. Yet, that didn't make sense. Her dress was sleeveless. Rio could see her arms, shoulders, and a bit of her chest. She wasn't that built. If anything, Julia could stand to gain a few pounds. So, why the hard body?

Moreover, Julia gave no reaction to the punches. Other than turning her head in response to the straight punch, she seemed completely unaffected. Rio hadn't pulled her punches. Even without super strength, she hit pretty hard. Julia, however, hardly knew she was there.

Julia rounded on Alloy with a wide lateral swing. Rio dipped beneath it, took a small step in, and directed an uppercut into her enemy. Pain shot through her wrist and fingers upon contact with Julia's chin. It was like punching a slightly squishy wall. Julia's head rose with the impact, but it still had no effect on her whatsoever.

Mrs. Hanson reached out to grab Alloy with her left hand. Alloy slipped back, out of the way, but doing so put her in range of the axe. Julia's swing was sloppy, but still dangerous. Alloy ducked beneath it again, but this time kicked at the attacker's knee. Julia didn't move an inch. Her legs were solid as telephone poles.

Thirty seconds had passed by since Alloy activated her enhanced reflexes power. It faded, leaving her feeling slow and lethargic. She channeled her power through the iron ring on her left index finger. Her form shimmered emerald green for a second. Strength flooded through her muscles. All sensation faded away from her skin. She felt not the warm breeze, nor heat from the sun. The pain in her hands subsided.

This time when Julia struck down, the axe head bounced off Alloy's aura, the temporary overshield that made her nearly impervious. The only evidence of the hit was a green shimmer where it made impact. Rio stepped forward and punched Mrs. Hanson in the sternum. Julia uprooted and soared back.

The iron ring was Rio's only two-for-one ability: A level 10 Brute for super strength, and a level 10 Defender for some form of invulnerability. Neo powers were ranked on a scale of 1 through 12.

Most people would've panicked and flailed all about in a desperate attempt to get their footing. Julia, though, remained perfectly calm. Her arms, legs, and hair went forward as she bent back. She didn't look where she was going. It was as if she had no idea she was in the air. Julia landed upright several feet away, heels digging into the loose earth. She skidded on her way, thin ruts left in her wake. This served to stop her post haste. The moment she came to a rest, Julia surged forward, running for the first time.

"Seriously?" Alloy yelled. No response, not that she expected one.

Her super strength and defense would run out before Julia reached her. Even if Alloy met her charge, she'd only have a few seconds. Instead, Alloy channeled through the gold ring on her left index finger. Heat washed over her like stepping outside on a hot summer's day, but it felt good. She felt alive.

Amorphous green blobs formed over both her hands. The shapes rolled and shifted around as if made of some thick goop. With sidearm motions as if throwing knives, Alloy hurled the blobs at Julia. One after another they rocketed toward her, a veritable viridian barrage.

It wasn't necessarily hard to hit a target moving straight at her. Every projectile Rio threw hit its mark. Once again, Julia made little to do about it. She didn't dodge, nor try to defend herself. The blobs left light burnt spots where they hit her dress, and they put inflamed red marks on her skin. Other than the occasional swing of her or turn of her head at an impact, Julia gave no indication there were any threat to her person at all.

Alloy halted her attack when Julia was more than halfway to her. She was just wasting energy, anyway. Rio abandoned her level 4 Shooter classification power, opting once more to channel through her titanium ring for the enhanced reflexes of a level 6 Mover type ability. She couldn't really do much damage with it against this particular opponent, but it would allow her to learn a bit more about Mrs. Hanson. Alloy charged forward to meet her in combat.

If nothing else, all of this confirmed one of their suspicions. This crime was definitely the work of a Neo.

…

Flechette faced down a pair of robot dogs, one on either side, a spike dedicated to each. The dog on his right hobbled around on three paws, its front left leg badly damaged. The other was mostly intact save for a few marks on its hide. They stalked toward him, patient for a chance to strike. Frank switched his gaze between them, rapidly so to make sure he didn't miss anything they did.

The dog in better shape charged at him. The other followed, but at a slower speed from its hurt leg. Flechette threw his right-hand spike at the injured one. The projectile caught it in mid-stride. The impact caused it to miss a few steps. It faltered and bucked forward, threatening to tip end over end.

The other mechanical creature jumped at his throat. Frank dodged and struck it down as it passed. The dog landed hard on all four feet. Flechette took advantage of the rough landing to swing at it. The dog jumped to one side. Flechette missed, kicking up the dirt with his spike.

It went for his neck again. Flechette put up his right forearm. The dog latched on. More than a dozen of the spikes in his latticework armor cracked, but the structure held. The big teeth found no purchase in flesh. The sheer strength of it was what worried him. It felt like his arm was being crushed. No amount of armor in the world would help him against shattered bones.

Though inconvenient, there was a fatal flaw with the dog's strategy. It's head was right on top of Frank's primary weapons, his spikes. Flechette began to grow new spikes up through the interwoven layer covering his skin. These new implements were thin and sturdy, meant for piercing. He both felt and heard their points penetrate through the dog's mouth, but the process was slow.

The sluggish speed wouldn't be a problem if the other dog hadn't already recovered. It regained its footing and resumed the charge from seconds ago. Frank put one foot behind him and turned his unoccupied arm toward it, ready for impact.

The plan was simple, catch this dog just like he had the first. Then, the process of growing spikes through its head could begin anew. If luck favored him, he could scrap them both right then and there. If not, then maybe they'd think twice about latching on a second time. Either way, he was in a better position than at the beginning of the fight.

So, Frank waited. In just a few seconds, the dog would jump at him only to meet the same fate as his weird companion. He smirked behind his mask. The idiots had no idea what they were in for. He would've been proud of himself if they weren't mechanical abominations.

The dog leapt at him. Frank put up his free arm, inviting it to latch on. In the same instant, Flashbang appeared out of thin air, as he was like to do. He barreled into the dog in mid-jump. His momentum superseded, carrying the both of them off to Frank's right. They went to ground, Dominick having fallen atop the dog. He stood a moment later, though. The spike Flechette lent him was buried in the dog's side, a clean cut between its sinuous metal exterior. The dog writhed, a vain attempt to remove the object. All the while, it oozed dark oil. Within a few seconds, it came to rest.

Flashbang removed the spike and went over to Flechette. The younger hero stabbed the one holding onto his arm, just like he had with the first. Again, the spike slipped through. The dog jerked around, wrenching Frank's arm in a way most unpleasent. It only lasted a few heartbeats, though. When the robot ceased, Flechette pried it off him and let it fall, retracting his spikes from it in the process. Flashbang stood next to him, oil-stained spike in hand.

"Can they see you?" Flashbang asked.

"I think they can sense me, but going invisible throws them off for a second," explained Dominick.

"And when did you figure out you could stab them?"

"Just now. I kinda wasn't expecting that to work."

"Well, it did." As Frank said this, two dogs approached them. "Time to start fighting smart."

…

Alloy caught Mrs. Hanson's downward swing in her right hand. She placed the other in the woman's chest. Julia flew backward much like she had before, only this time her axe stayed in Alloy's grasp. She gave it a super strength squeeze. The wood splintered. The head toppled off to one side, while the half beneath her hand dropped. Both hit the dirt in little puffs. Alloy opened her fingers to release the remaining splinters.

Julia landed on her feet again, no surprise there. She reached into a pocket in her dress and pulled out a big folding knife, the kind that could be used to cut through small brush. She flicked it open, a lazy motion as if she'd done it a thousand times.

"Oh, come on. Why do you even have that?" Complained Alloy.

Julia came at her, covering the short distance at a speed between jogging and a proper run. Maybe that meant she was slowing down. Even as the thought crossed her mind, Alloy doubted it. Julia was like an endless well of energy, which made the sweat on her own brow all the more infuriating.

Mrs. Hanson stabbed at Alloy. The heroine let her overshield absorb the strike. She grabbed the attacker's wrist. When the weapon was secured, Alloy took a stasis cuff from her a pouch at her side and placed it over Julia's wrist. She released and stepped back.

Julia's nervous system pulsed red once. She did not, however, react in the normal way. There was no flailing nor breaking of bones as her body was forcibly snapped into position. The cuff had no effect on her at all. The red meant it worked properly, yet Julia was completely unaffected. She moved like nothing happened.

"What?" Rio gasped. She took a small step back.

Julia closed the distance. At the same time, Rio's power faded. The strength left her bones, and the breeze blew on her skin. All the while, Julia made an attack. So shocked was she by the spectacle before her, Rio couldn't immediately process the moment. Julia lashed out with her blade. Rio noticed it speed toward her. The danger finally registered in her mind. She channeled through her aluminum ring—the one she barely ever used—but it was too late. The knife sliced through her t-shirt, digging into her chest. Alloy stepped back away from the weapon. This maneuver was likely the only thing that kept it from sliding between her ribs. Instead, it only rubbed along bone.

Rio took a few big steps away from the weapon stained with red. She put a hand over the wound, for what good it did. Blood seeped from the gash, mixing with the blue of her shirt to create a deep purple around the edges. Some leaked between her fingers, and down the back of her hand. It hurt, but not to the extent she expected. Shock, most likely. Julia gave her a sick smile, the first hint of emotion she'd showed the entire time. She walked forward.

…

Ayda grappled with a robot dog. One of the beasts she'd been fighting lay dead to her left. The other barreled toward her. It jumped. She stood her ground. Ayda took a step forward to square her stance and reached out both hands. Longer reach allowed her to catch it around the neck. It flailed about trying to either claw her or bite at her wrists, but fell short. Ayda created blasts on her fingertips. The concentrated force of them allowed the digits to pass between the dog's exterior. She gave another burst. This time she felt multiple structures crush inside it. The dog flailed for a moment, then fell limp. She tossed it aside.

"Guys!" Rio shouted, voice strained. "She's immune to the stasis cuffs! She's some kind of Defender. I can't hurt her!"

"What do you mean she's immune?" Ayda shouted back.

Turning to the source of Rio's voice, she answered her own question. Alloy, a bloody gash on her chest, backed away from an encroaching enemy who was quite clearly wearing a stasis cuff. A red drop fell from the tip of Julia Hanson's blade. The entire scene made no sense. No one—regardless of powerset—had ever been even resistant to the stasis cuffs, let alone immune. It should've been impossible, yet the evidence was right in front of her plain as day.

Something was very wrong. Julia was unaffected by the best means they had to restrain her. If Alloy couldn't subdue her, then what chance did the rest of them have?

Ayda took in the scene. She looked at her wounded teammate, a friend with blood running down her shirt. She thought back to the bodies in the barn and the house, the horrendous damage upon them and the blood on Julia's axe. Disregarding that, even if Julia hadn't killed her family—which she obviously did—she was still a dangerous, unknown quantity, one that couldn't be allowed to hurt anyone else.

Because of how easy it would be to seriously injure someone with her super strength, Alloy had a habit of holding back. Usually the right thing to do, but not always. This was not a time for caution. It was time to stop holding back. Ayda recovered her staff and began toward Mrs. Hanson.

"Birdseye, please record that I, as team leader, am authorizing a Code 5 at this time and date," Ayda ordered as she walked.

"What?" Alloy gave her a terrified look. "Pulse, no. I... I don't think I can."

"I know. Fall back. I'll do it," Ayda said.

"Pulse, Ayda, please. you don't have to-"

"Fall back, Alloy. It'll be alright."

Alloy looked from Mrs. Hanson, to Ayda, and back again. Her entire being screamed of hesitation judging by the wide look in her eyes, the the slight hunch of her back. Ayda did not stop walking. Her staff glowed purple. Seeing her determined approach mush have convinced Alloy that the decision was final. There was nothing she could do. Rio disengaged, jogging backwards from the scene, a somber tilt to her head.

"Hey!" Ayda called out to Julia.

Mrs. Hanson looked toward the source of this new disturbance. She turned away from the person who clearly didn't want to fight anymore, in favor of renewed combat. She approached.

The moment Julia was within staff distance, Pulse lashed out. Her staff glowed brighter as she swung. It connected with Julia's right knee. The ensuing blast was like an industrial demolition charge going off. The sound rippled through the prairie land, while a small shockwave tore along the ground. Such a strike would've exploded a normal person. If nothing else, the targeted limb should have been torn off. Neither happened. Julia's rigid frame took the hit in stride, though her knee was obviously destroyed. She fell upon it into a kneeling position.

Though wounded, Julia still tried to slice up at Ayda. He heroine gave her a push kick with a blast to the chest before she could. Mrs. Hanson flew back a few feet, landing on her rump. Still, she was mostly unhurt. If she were this tough, it was no wonder Alloy had a hard time. Rio was extremely strong and versatile, but Ayda's power had a higher offensive ceiling. She hit harder.

Ayda propelled herself on blasts to reach Julia before she could stand. Along the way, she separated her staff and dropped one stick. Her free hand grabbed Julia by the throat. Her other prepared to attack. Mrs. Hanson wouldn't go down easy. Ayda had to go for a weak spot.

Pulse turned her stick over and stabbed down directly into Julia's left eye. The flayed point penetrated, but only about a half inch. Two blasts rang out simultaneously: One at the tip to open the wound further, and one at the back to drive it home. The stick did not stop until the back of Julia's skull. Julia didn't struggle. She seemed to barely even notice what was going on. There was none of that human fighting spirit, the unending need to survive. Either she'd already accepted her fate, or was too sick to care.

Ayda let loose one more blast, smaller this time. It was muffled by Julia's cranium. Her inside clearly wasn't to the same caliber as her outside. She went limp instantaneously. Ayda released her throat and drew out her weapon with a terrible wet sucking noise. Blood trailed after the stick and dripped from the end. Julia fell back, dead gaze staring straight up. No fluid leaked from the destroyed eye, her only visible wound. It was on the wrong side of her body to bleed from gravity.

Quiet prevailed as Ayda straightened up. At a lack of anything appropriate at hand to wipe her weapon on, she dropped it. Dirt and loose plant matter stuck to the slick blood, adding to the already grim scene. The Hanson family farm had already seen so much horror, so much death, and now there was one more. Ayda's stomach twisted.

She turned to her teammates. Their reactions were predictable, at this point. Frank was completely unfazed. Rio looked horrified. Dominick had turned his back. Frank was a soldier. He was used to this kind of thing. Ayda was similar, in that regard. The last two, not so much. They'd seen people die before, but this was the first time Ayda killed anyone in front of them.

She could see it in Alloy's face, the judgment, the discomfort. Rio disagreed with the decision. A moment like this weighed on any healthy mind. Ayda hated to see that look in the eyes of her friend, but she accepted the inevitability of it. Rio may not have agreed. That was her right. As leader, it fell on Ayda to make the tough calls, even if her team thought they were wrong. She took the burden of responsibility, so no one else had to. That didn't mean the looks cut any less deep.

Pulse couldn't bear to look at them anymore. She turned her gaze toward the ground, a spot without a dead body on it. That kind of place was disturbingly hard to find right then.

"Flechette, call Captain Barnes, tell her what happened. Birdseye, get in contact with NAAME. Tell them that Julia Hanson was an unrecorded Neo, and that she was mentally unstable, and to send a clean-up team. I'm sure they'll want to take it from here."

Ayda dolled out her instructions, then walked over to the SUV they drove in on. She needed to sit down, and there was no other safe place to do so.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.