The asphalt had cracked and shattered, waterlines had broken and flooded the street, power cables sparking and whipping around too before dying. A very dangerous mix, but the assembled crowd didn’t care as they got closer to the enormous reptile corpse, its’ tongue lolling to the side. It was amazing the damage was so minimal, barely grazing an office building with its’ wing as it fell.

“It’s a-is, is it dead?” an onlooker asked. There were cops in the assembled approach, but they too were too transfixed by the beast to ward the rest away. Suddenly, the crowd gasped in shock and backed off as its’ side began moving, the street buckling underneath it.

“Mmmph...rrgh...aha! There! Finally!” A fist broke through the crumbling concrete, and Star-Strong emerged from underground, dirty, bleeding, and torn, but alive. He climbed on top of the bioweapon, planting a foot on its’ shoulder, and raised his hand to the sky in victory.

“Citizens of Silver City! The monster will bother you no more! You are safe!” he declared with a grin, to cheers and applause and pictures from cell phones.

“Whoa! There’s a new hero!”

“Is that a dragon!? Did he beat it!?”

“What’s his power?”

“I think I heard of that guy!”

“E-Excuse me!” one girl with more nerve said, stepping forward. “Thank you! But...who are you? I didn’t hear of any new heroes around.” He threw back his head and laughed.

“You’re more than welcome! I’m the man as strong as a star! The name’s 🌟Star-Strong!🌟 No matter the problem, I’m here to help everyone!” he declared, giving a thumbs-up to the news cameras pointing at him.

“Mr. Star-Strong! Over here!”

“Star-Strong!”

“A few questions, please!”

“Where are you from? How did you get your powers?”

“Are you seeing anyone!?”

“Don’t you have a young sidekick? What’s your stance on child labor laws?”

“The dragon came from the MetaTech building, what’s the relationship?”

“Where’s Dirge?”

“Didja hear? Knightsbridge’s copter came down not two blocks from here!” a cameraman said to a reporter. That cut through the deluge of questions like a knife, to Max’s ears.

“What was that!” he roared, pointing at the duo.

“What? Err...Knightsbridge’s helicopter came down two blocks east of here?” the cameraman said nervously. Star-Strong scowled and slid off the dragon.

“Excuse me! I have to go get him, I can’t leave him-no!” With his height, he saw Morph running east, elongating his legs to move faster. He was a block and a half ahead of him, and in his hand held Nicholai’s gun. “Sorry! Duty calls!”

Star-Strong crouched down for a leap, his legs trembling. Cursing to himself, he jumped...and barely made it thirty feet. He stumbled as he landed, huffing. The day’s activities had taken their toll, and he barely noticed during the fight but his side was screaming. He felt it. Yep, swollen liver. Not bad enough to stop him, but more than enough to slow him down. Ignoring the questions of the onlookers, he sprinted as fast as his tired legs could. Incredibly fast, yes.

Not fast enough to close the gap between him and Jason.

He caught up to Morph just as his sidekick was approaching the downed helicopter. Knightsbridge was trying to crawl from the wreckage, but was caught between the landing gear.

“Oh hi there! Don’t suppose you could lend a hand, could you?” Knightsbridge asked. Morph snarled.

“You-you bastard!” he screamed, pointing the gun at his head.

“Gonna say that’s a no.” Knightsbridge said.

“You took everything from me! My mom! My dad! My home! My life!” Morph’s hand was shaking, tears staining his mask. The devil was finally at his mercy. All he had to do was pull the trigger, and it would be over. He was gasping for air, but the barrel remained pointed at Knightsbridge.

“Wait!” Star-Strong cried. A shudder ran through his body. He felt a sudden weakness, his powers taxed to the limit. Trying to shake it off, he pressed on.

“D-Don’t try to stop me!” Morph shouted. He wiped the sweat from his face.

“Actually, please stop him. I surrender!” Knightsbridge said. Star-Strong stopped, ten feet from his sidekick.

“Are you sure you want to do this? It won’t bring your parents back, you know.” he said gravely.

“Won’t bring them back? Won’t bring them back? I know that better than anybody! I’ll never see them again! They were innocent! And it’s all his fault!” Morph screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at the MetaTech CEO.

“I’m not denying that. I’m asking whether or not you truly wish to kill this man.” Star-Strong said sternly.

“Yes!” Morph cried, the tears flowing even more. “He killed my family and tortured me! He needs to die! Don’t try and tell me killing him is wrong!”

“Of course not.” Star-Strong said. There was a moment of silence as both Morph and Knightsbridge took in his statement, staring at him agape.

“Huh?”

“Excuse me!?” Knightsbridge said.

“By all accounts, he’s a big and slippery enough bastard to deserve it. There’s a chance he could escape the justice system. But not only that, you, and your family deserve justice too.”

“Now as a hero, killing a scumbag, especially when he’s surrendered is reprehensible. Even as an ordinary man, taking another’s life is a terrible sin. Killing another person is never the right thing to do. Never. But…” Max looked wearily from his sidekick to Knightsbridge, the man who let loose a bioweapon in a giant city, the man who created and hired teenaged supers to kidnap a child, who had lives snuffed out without a further thought, and that was surely only the tip of his criminal iceberg.

“Yeah, killing’s never the right thing to do, no matter the reason. But...it’s not the wrong thing to do, either.”

Jason was glad he had a mask, because it helped muffle the heaving sobs. He once again took aim at Knightsbridge. Even Star-Strong said it was alright. Gulping down air, the boy prepared to become a murderer and started to pull the trigger.

“Of course, that’s the easy way out.”

“Huh?” Morph turned to Star-Strong again.

“Oh, for him, not for you.” he said, waving his arm. “See, justice needs to be served. However, justice also takes many forms. Now yes, killing him right now might satisfy your vengeance. But, if we keep him alive and turn him in, he has to personally watch everything he’s ever worked for crumble down around him, his former life obliterated just as surely as yours was, forever disgraced and branded a criminal. And let’s face it, he might get the death penalty anyway. So, what’ll it be? End him now, and we’ll deal with the fallout later? Or arrest him, smear his name through the mud, drag every last secret of his operations out, and laugh as he suffers the rest of his life behind bars? The choice is yours.” Star-Strong said.

“Just be sure to choose wisely.”

Jason spent a long, long time pointing the gun at Knightsbridge, even if it was just a moment in real seconds. The debate raged back and forth in his head, not sure what he should, or even wanted to do.

This man, who had his parents killed. This man, who tortured and altered his body forever. And Star-Strong, who would support his decision, either way.

Max, the man who’d taken him in, even as awkward as he was. Max, who’d made him a superhero, who’d rescued him from his nightmare.

With a choked sob, Jason…

...lowered the gun.

“No. He’s right. You’d be getting off too easy with a bullet. A quick death’s too good for you.” Jason spat, dropping the revolver. “Besides,” he said, looking up at Star-Strong, the hero grinning warmly. “Superheroes ain’t supposed to kill people, even if they do deserve it. Right?”

“Right!” he said, clapping Morph on the shoulder. And making him stumble as he leaned on him. “S-Sorry. It’s been a loooong day.”

“Well if nobody’s using this, toodles folks!” Knightsbridge cried, squirming free of the wreckage and diving for the gun, raising it to his own head.

BANG!

Knightsbridge opened his eyes, seeing the gunsmoke. From the barrel pointed away from his face. And a furious Morph, grabbing his hand in a grip that was turning to metal.

“Oooh, I’m in trouble.” he eeked.

“YA THINK!?” Morph roared and brought a steel fist down on his face, the blow knocking him on his side, groaning and twitching in paralyzing pain. “Ah! Sorry, Star-Strong!” Morph apologized.

“Mmph’s okay!” the giant said, giving a thumbs-up face down on the ground. “Could you help me up, though?”

Sirens blared and nearly two dozen cop cars and ambulances came screeching to a halt, Detective Armstrong and Harrison rushing out to gape at the scene before them.

“Gentlemen! Could you please check the helicopter for the pilot? I’d do it myself, but it’s hard to move at the moment.” Star-Strong said, Morph helping him stand.

“Jeez, you’re heavy.”

Armstrong looked at the duo, to Knightsbridge laid out on the street, and back again. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, no sound coming out.

“You...you…”

“You IDIOT!” Harrison thundered. “He could have us all arrested! What did you do!?”

“I followed direct orders, sir!” Star-Strong said, snapping off a salute. Harrison was gobsmacked.

“WHAT!”

“I didn’t do anything stupid, sir. Article 13, section 8, paragraph B of the Intrepid Incorporated bylaws: if a hero is involved in an accident concerning property damage to a home or business, he is to search the premises for any victims that may have been injured. The penalty for causing said accident is up to $30,000 in fines and up to six months’ probation for first offence. Sorry, sir. I slipped.”

“You...slipped.” Harrison said in disbelief.

“Yup. Into the building. Clumsy me.” Not a crack on his face. Morph snickered, barely able to hold back the laughter.

“You really think that’ll hold up in court?”

“A lot better when the response for a simple inquiry of a hero is to release a bioweapon in the middle of a major metropolitan area.” he grinned.

“Kinda got him there. These things’re illegal, especially in populated areas. And we got plenty of, nah, overwhelming proof MetaTech’s responsible. Nobody’d ever figure to look at their HQ for a...goddamned dragon.” Armstrong said in wonder, shaking his head. Harrison turned back to Star-Strong, giving a thumbs-up.

Armstrong patted the catatonic Harrison on the shoulder before going to arrest Knightsbridge. With the MetaTech building literally blown wide-open, he was sure they’d find more than enough to charge him with.

“I...you…! Gah!” Harrison hung his head in his arms. He’d brought in a missing child, flagrantly defied orders, caused Dirge to go to the ICU, arrested the head of a multi-national corporation, and fist-fought a dragon to death. All...all in…

“Two days! It’s been two days since you started!” Harrison said.

“Think of all that we’ll accomplish next week!” Star-Strong said brightly.

“Like they say, all’s well that ends well, I guess.” Armstrong muttered, while Morph and Star-Strong laughed and Harrison chewed them out.