Spectramancer sat cross legged on the ground, the Redwell City crater just a few feet from his position. With his hands on his knees and his eyes closed, he waited patiently. He wasn’t sure when the Morphic Man would arrive, only that it should be soon. Spectramancer reached out, sensing the emotions around him. Primarily he sensed animals, their simple desires for food and shelter ringing out. Other than that, there were the reporters, where Spectramancer sensed a mixture of curiosity, determination, and ambition.

As he sat there, he suddenly sensed a presence he wasn’t expecting. Spectramancer’s emotion based abilities allowed him to connect to people he had a strong emotional attachment to. He could locate and even communicate with his wife, children, and close friends regardless of distance. His daughter had the same powers he did and worked as the Superhero Passion. It was her presence that he felt suddenly. For a moment, he wasn’t the superhero Spectrmancer, and she wasn’t the Superhero Passion. It was simply Nigel Beaumont talking to his daughter Wendy.

“Hey, Dad,” his daughter’s eloquent British voice sounded in his head.

“Hello, Wendy,” Nigel sent back. “This is a surprise.”

“What? A daughter can’t call her Dad when she feels like it? That would be easier if you kept your phone on you, you know.”

Through the connection, Nigel sensed her affection, but there was something else, something she was trying to hide. It only took Nigel a moment to realize it was worry.

“Wendy?” he asked. “Why are you really contacting me?”

He could sense her sighing through the connection.

“I sensed your anger earlier,” said Wendy.

“Have you been spying on me? After all the grief you gave me for potentially spying on you?”

“I was worried,” she protested. “I…I didn’t mention this before, but during the Rocky Mountain incident, I…I sensed your anger without trying, and I was all the way in Virginia.”

That surprised him.

“I didn’t want you to feel worse than you already did,” she continued. “But I keep feeling spikes of anger from you, and I feel like it’s getting worse. I know you don’t want to, but please reconsider what we talked about.”

Retirement. That word just kept coming up. It irritated him, but anger was the last thing he needed right now. At the end of the day, she was doing this out of love.

“I…I’ll think about it,” he sent back.

“Okay,” said Wendy. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.”

Spectramancer felt the connection fade away, and he took a deep breath. She’d been getting more and more insistent on this, and now he had a good idea of why. Was he really considering retirement? He loved being a superhero. He loved helping people, and he just couldn’t stop worrying that people would get hurt if he did nothing to stop it. Was he really struggling with his power that much?

Perhaps, but he wasn’t going to retire right this second. Right now, Spectramancer was still on a mission, and he would finish what he started. After that, he would think about it.

Finally, after what seemed like another hour, Spectrancer sensed a mixture of ambition, pride, and self satisfaction. He knew immediately who it was. Morphic Man. Spectramancer had never met him, even when the shapeshifter tried to join the U.H.E., but he’d seen Morphic Man on television trashing Paramount, among others. Spectramancer found him insufferable. That being said, Spectramancer knew he could remain civil and calm. He had to.

Spectramancer stood and looked to the sky. He could see a hawk flying down, its feathers fluttering in the wind. Spectramancer knew it was no hawk, however. It had the same emotions as a human. Good, thought Spectramancer. That would make this much easier.

Moments later, the hawk landed on the ground and began changing form. It grew bigger, its feathers disappearing into human skin as it grew to a human shape. Hairs extended from his back, wrapping around his body and turning purple and orange. When the figure was fully human, the hair tightened around his skin to form a skintight purple and orange costume.

Morphic Man looked over the crater with his hands on his hips, shaking his head. Spectramancer sensed a twinge of fear from him, though that wasn’t surprising. A blast that could kill even Paramount had to be intimidating. What did surprise Spectramancer was that he sensed amusement from Morphic Man. It was faint, but it was there. What could he possibly find amusing about the destruction of a city? Spectramancer approached warily.

“Quite a sight, isn’t it?” said Morphic Man. “Humbling, even. No matter how much power we have, there’s always something more powerful out there. Really makes a guy think about his own mortality. Don’t you agree?”

Morphic Man turned to face Spectramancer, wearing a friendly smile.

“Spectramancer,” said Morphic Man. “Fancy seeing you here. Were you looking for me?”

“I need to talk to you,” said Spectramancer.

“Oh, do you?” said Morphic Man, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I didn’t know you were a fan.”

Spectramancer frowned.

“Oh come on,” said Morphic Man. “I’m just teasing you. You know what it’s like, don’t you? Every one of our fans just hast to talk to us. I mean, I enjoy fame as much as the next guy, but sometimes you just want a moment to yourself, you know what I mean? I’m heading to Partition City later to grab a bite, and I anticipate a mob of fans within five minutes. Life of a celebrity, eh? Why just the other day I…”

“Could you please take this seriously?” said Spectramancer irritably. “We’re standing on the scene of a tragedy.”

Morphic Man just smiled back. Despite the other superhero’s friendly smile, Spectramancer sensed a hint of disdain. In addition, he sensed a swell of confidence and just a hint of wariness.

“You know why I’m here, don’t you?” said Spectrmancer. “I can sense it. Honestly, I’m surprised you would even talk to me.”

“Why not?” said Morphic Man. “I have nothing but respect for the United Heroes of Earth.”

Spectramancer clenched his fist. Morphic Man was lying and didn’t care if Spectramancer knew it.

“I know what you’re here to ask,” Morphic Man continued. “Everyone’s been asking already. So go ahead.”

Spectramancer’s eyes narrowed.

“Were you in Redwell City the night it was destroyed?”

“No,” said Morphic Man, shrugging. “I wasn’t in Redwell City when it was destroyed.”

Spectramancer didn’t sense a lie. There was plenty of conviction behind what Morphic Man had said. Even so, his emotions just weren’t right. Spectramancer still sensed wariness and behind that the barest hint of amusement. Spectramancer thought it through.

“That’s all well and good,” said Spectramancer. “But I didn’t ask if you were there when the city was destroyed. I asked if you were there that night. If you were, and you were somehow involved in its destruction, then it stands to reason you left before the explosion went off.”

Spectramancer sensed sudden hostility, though Morphic Man’s smile never wavered.

“Wow,” said Morphic Man. “You came out and said it. Am I really a suspect?”

“All I know,” said Spectramancer. “Is that we have evidence you were there that night and someone tried to cover it up. None of this is a good look, much less amusement at a destroyed city.”

Morphic Man frowned.

“Fine,” said Morphic Man. “Let me say it directly, and make sure you pay attention with those empathic powers. I did not destroy Redwell City.”

He wasn’t lying, but Spectramancer was still suspicious.

“I still sense wariness from you,” said Spectramancer. “Maybe you weren’t responsible for the destruction, but there’s something you don’t want me to know.”

The only thing that didn’t make sense was that Elementus couldn’t have been there, so why did the evidence point to him as well?

“Does this have something to do with Elementus?” said Spectramancer.

Morphic Man didn’t answer, and Spectramancer could sense a small bit of panic from the man. Apparently, he’d hit the nail on the head, but that didn’t make sense. Spectramancer was certain that Elementus had told the entire truth.

“What are you hiding?” said Spectramancer. “And what does it have to do with Elementus?”

Morphic Man seethed for a moment, a mixture of panic and anger bubbling to the surface. Spectramancer tensed, wondering what the other man was thinking when suddenly the emotions changed again. Spectramancer sensed Morphic Man’s typical arrogance returning as the shapeshifter grinned.

“What’s going on?” asked Morphic Man mockingly. “Somebody’s barking up the wrong tree, that’s what. But what should I expect from an aging superhero way past his prime?”

Spectramancer clenched his fists, almost lashing out. It quickly occurred to him that Morphic Man wanted him to get angry.

“Unless you want to tell me what you were doing in Redwell City,” said Spectramancer. “This conversation is over.”

Spectramancer turned and tried to channel joy so he could fly away. He was having trouble concentrating, however. The smug self assuredness emanating behind him was just so infuriating. The yellow aura of joy flickered around him for a few seconds before fizzling out.

“Oh, that doesn’t look good,” said Morphic Man, sheer mockery dripping from his voice.

Ignore him, Spectramancer thought as his yellow aura flickered intermittently with a red one. Just ignore him. Spectramancer began walking away, hoping to put some distance between them. Morphic Man, however, followed at a brisk pace.

“I mean, I was half kidding before,” Morphic Man kept taunting. “But just how old are you? Eighty? Ninety?”

“Sixty Eight,” said Spectramancer irritably. “Would you shut up already?”

“Don’t get me wrong,” said Morphic Man. “I’m just worried. I mean, we wouldn’t want a veteran like you to hurt yourself.”

A flare of red aura burst around Spectramancer for just a moment, though he suppressed it before it got out of control. Of course, it didn’t help that he sensed enjoyment from Morphic Man behind him.

“Leave me alone,” said Spectramancer menacingly.

“No, really,” Morphic Man continued. “Just think of what would happen if you messed up on the job. Think of how that pretty little daughter of yours would feel.”

“Leave my daughter out of this!” cried Spectramancer, rounding on Morphic Man as a red aura flickered around him.

They now stood face to face, Spectramancer’s fists clenched and Morphic Man’s grin widening.

“Of course, if anything did happen to you,” the shapeshifter went on. “I’m sure I could give her a shoulder to cry on.”

“Shut up,” Spectramancer growled.

“You’re daughter’s superhero name is Passion, right? Does she live up to that name?”

“I said shut up!”

The aura around Spectramancer flowed steadily now, turning his white costume pure red.

“Cause I tell ya,” said Morphic Man. “I could sure show her some passion if you know what I mean.”

“Don’t you dare go anywhere near my daughter!”

Spectramancer’s hands charged with power, his eyes fixed on Morphic Man with sheer rage. Morphic Man began to change, holes unwinding in the back of his costume as dragonfly wings grew out of his skin. He crouched down, his grin widening even further, stretching beyond what was natural until the corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears. When Morphic Man spoke again, it was an eerie, distorted voice.

“And who’s going to stop me from seeing her, old man?”

And with an inhumanly long tongue, Morphic Man licked his overstretched lips.

Spectramancer, his face contorted with rage, screamed at the top of his lungs as he stretched out his hands and unleashed a wave of red energy. Morphic Man jumped, flying into the air with his dragonfly wings and narrowly avoiding the wave of energy as it tore up the ground beneath it.

Morphic Man, his face returning to a normal human, flew further and further away as Spectramancer threw more and more blasts. Finally, Morphic Man shifted again, his costume unraveling from his body as he transformed to a hawk. He fell to a dive, picking up speed and putting distance between himself and Spectramancer. Spectramancer screamed, running after him, but soon Morphic Man turned into a fly, making him effectively invisible to Spectramancer at that distance. With that, Morphic Man was able to slip away.

Specramancer looked around for a moment but realized that Morphic Man was gone. He looked up and screamed to the sky, the red aura around him growing bigger. As he screamed, that red aura began to blast away from his body in all directions like a torrent of searing flames. Almost instinctively, he altered this aura to keep himself alive. The only direction the aura didn’t blast was down, stopping it from blasting the ground out from beneath him. For a moment, the aura pushed air away from him, but then the red energy began to spin, becoming a vortex. As the violent red energy spun around him, some air was sucked in, allowing him to breathe before being expelled. Dust began to spiral around his feet as the red aura twisted like a scarlet cyclone.

When he stopped screaming, Spectramancer looked around, his enraged mind racing for ways to find the shapeshifter. Though Spectramancer was barely rational, he did pick up on one thing that Morphic Man had said. The other superhero had mentioned going to Partition City. That wasn’t too far away, and it was as good a place as any to start. He could deal with that insufferable man once and for all.

Pointing his hands down, Spectramancer shot out some beams powerful enough to launch him into the air, sending him soaring as the beams tore up the ground behind him. The aura around him began spinning below him as he soared through the hair, protecting his feet. He then shot out another pair of beams below him, blasting holes in the ground and slowing his descent. Spectramancer landed about twenty feet away from his original position as the aura faded away from his feet so he could stand on the ground.

Soon he made more jumps like this, making his way slowly but surely towards Partition city, and as his aura grew bigger and bigger, reporters in the distance could see it.