1.31

“Everyone, get up,” Stick called out.

Hunter pulled himself out of bed, bleary eyed and feeling worn out. He checked the time; it was two in the morning.

Hunter stumbled out into the living room and watched as the others did the same. Except for Gauzelle, she was still awake, watching some old b-grade horror movie. Something about human heads on animals.

“Wha?” Silas mumbled.

“No rest for the wicked.” Stick took the remote from Gauzelle and changed the channel.

A harried reporter was talking to their phone. Live from a scene of destruction. An explosion sounded off camera, sending the reporter flying. The video cut but the audio could still be heard.

Screams of terror for help rang through their ears.

“What’s going on?” Hunter asked.

“That little villain team you fought; they’ve broken out. And they have a fourth person with them.” Stick informed them.

“Who’s the fourth person?” Jimena asked.

“No idea. Michael’s trying to figure that out now. Claw still hasn’t reported back, and Michael is worried.”

“Suit up everyone, we’re stopping some bad guys.” Hunter instructed them.

“I don’t have a suit,” said Gauzelle.

“I could draw flames on your bandages,” Silas commented.

“Stick, the three of them were tough last time, and we needed help from Claw. Can you watch over us, and just make sure we’re safe.”

“Sure. Bu-” There was a flash of blue, white light. The team turned to see Hunter’s mother in her armored suit and visored helmet. The colours of her suit used to consist mainly of purple with some red trims, but the purple had been changed to black.

“Mom?” Hunter asked. “You look different.”

“Name’s Mama Wolf now. I’ll be watching over your group. Not to undermine you Stick, but I need to be there this time.”

“I understand.”

“Hurry up, get ready.” The teens got ready and brought their new gadgets with them.

Mama Wolf teleported them straight into the middle of the destruction.

Copter was letting loose with the electricity on his element gun. The bolts danced across the shop fronts, windows exploded, and debris flew everywhere.

Rampage had already injected himself with his serum. He had a half of a car on each forearm, like gauntlets. A few people had been knocked out and some were bleeding. A helicopter flew over the scene, Rampage let loose one of his gauntlets and the helicopter blew up.

Woolpack was holding a hammer and laying waste to anything she came across, laughing maniacally the whole time.

The fourth person stood there, arms out and solid yellow things were shooting out from their fingertips. Hunter watched as whatever was coming out of their fingers, skewered anything it met.

“Fingernail manipulation,” Mama Wolf informed them.

“Really?” Silas asked.

“Yep. Now, do your best to stop them. I’ll watch over you.” Mama Wolf used a grappling hook to scale a nearby building and scanned the rest of the area.

“Hello again,” said Woolpack. The other villains stopped and looked at the group of heroes. A sinister smile crept across Rampage’s face.

“What do we do?” Silas asked.

“Jimena, you take on Woolpack. Silas, you take on Rampage. Gauzelle, get Copter. I’ll take the new one.” Hunter instructed them.

Gauzelle unravelled an arm, sent it toward a tree and pulled herself into position.

“You won’t stop me that easily.” Copter flicked the switch on his weapon and a mass of hot flame poured out, ready to engulf Gauzelle.

Gauzelle launched her bandage out, grabbed a streetlight and pulled herself away just in time. Copter whizzed after her.

Silas inflated himself and launched himself at Rampage. Rampage came straight for him. The two collided. Silas bounced away and Rampage was knocked a few feet back.

Jimena slowly walked toward Woolpack. Woolpack twirled the hammer around and casually approached Jimena.

“Ready to have some fun?” Woolpack asked in a sing song tone.

“You won’t have any fun,” Jimena threatened.

“Oh, I will.” Woolpack extended her arm out, hammer in hand. She swung at Jimena, who rolled out of the way just in time. Woolpack’s arm retracted.

Jimena shot out some slime balls at Woolpack. They hit Woolpack but dispersed into nothing.

“Really, that’s all you have?”

“No.” Jimena opened the container of the pellets that Mama Wolf had made for her. She grabbed a handful blue ones. Jimena formed a slime ball, pushed a few pellets inside and launched her attack.

The slime ball exploded on impact and ice appeared where it hit. It slowly spread across Woolpack’s body. Woolpack touched it and the ice spread to her fingertips.

Jimena shot more slime balls at Woolpack. The ice continued to spread across Woolpack’s body.

“You bi-” Jimena cut her off by shooting another slime ball at her face.

Hunter approached the new member of the villain group. They wore a green jacket with the hood up, hiding their face.

“How’d you meet this lot?” Hunter asked. No response.

Hunter took a few steps when suddenly a sharp pain pierced his left shoulder. Hunter looked down and saw the yellowed nail sticking into his body.

Gauzelle launched herself at Copter. She readied her staff and pressed the button that let out an intense, blinding flash.

Copter was disoriented and aimed high and wide with the flamethrower. Gauzelle wrapped herself around Copter and smashed apart his rotary blade. The two plummeted. Gauzelle quickly removed Copter’s helmet and struck him with her staff. The elderly man lost consciousness.

Silas came for Rampage again. The towering brute threw a car at Balloon Boy. The car bounced away and Silas kept coming for Rampage.

“Come on then,” Rampage roared. The two smashed together. Silas rocketed away and cracked as he crashed into a building. Rampage went flying into another building which collapsed on top of him.

Gauzelle and Jimena looked at Hunter and watched as multiple nails pierced through his torso. Blood stained the nails on the other side, and Hunter’s body went limp.

“No!” Clara screamed. She used her grappling hook to come down into the conflict and shattered the nails with a truncheon she had strapped to her calf.

“Clara, you’re not gonna like what I’m about to tell you.” Michael’s voice came through her helmet.

“Michael, my son’s about to die. I don’t care.” More fingernails came darting toward her. Clara rolled, jumped, and twisted, smashing each one with her weapon.

“Claw’s gotten back to me about the benefactor.” Clara paused as she saw hundreds of birds swirl around like a vortex.

From within the vortex stepped out a character in black body armor, a helmet, and a billowing cape. On the chest, a silhouette of a red bird.

“Yeah, I can see. Its Cardinal Knight.”