Paramount waited in the command center by the intercom for Sister Nature to make her demands, his arms crossed and his face set in determination. Nearby, Animage sat down, her eyes closed as she surveyed the hostage situation through animal telepathy. SteelStar, Speedshock, and Elementus also sat nearby, all feeling irritated that they couldn’t do anything, but ready to move the moment Silent came up with a plan.

Most U.H.E. staff were still evacuated in case of another bomb. Only essential personnel remained, including the few technicians in the command center. Sitting there, one of the technicians noticed something on an outside video feed.

“I don’t believe this,” said the technician. “There’s a protest.”

“What?” asked SteelStar incredulously.

All superheroes except for Paramount and Animage got up to see what the technician was looking at. Animage stayed still, her eyes still closed, while Paramount just looked out the corner of his eye. As they looked at the screen SteelStar, Speedshock, and Elementus could see people gathering outside the U.H.E. with signs, all with various slogans targeting SteelStar.

Down with hero killers!

No more violence!

SteelStar is a murderer!

“They’re seriously protesting now?!” asked Elementus. “While all of this is going on?”

“I was expecting a protest over the issue eventually,” said Paramount. “But I agree. The timing of this seems in especially bad taste.”

SteelStar clenched his fists, just staring at the protesters onscreen for a moment. Knowing it was pointless to fume about it, he took a deep breath. Once calmer, he looked at the others and noticed that Speedshock seemed to be looking at the screen nervously.

“You okay?” asked SteelStar.

Speedshock was surprised by the question, “Hmm? Oh, I was just…looking for someone.” He turned back to the screen and grimaced. “I see a lot of people from the Peacekeepers.”

SteelStar frowned. He’d heard of the Peacekeepers, a group of pacifists with some notable power users. They opposed any and all violence, focusing entirely on non lethal methods of dealing with crime, even against power users. Their emblem was that of three olive branches, a big one with two smaller ones on either side of it, all resting in a green circle. Watching the protesters, he could see a few wearing that emblem either on their clothes or on their signs.

“Why does their presence worry you?” asked Elementus.

Speedshock seemed reluctant to say it, “I…I used to date their leader.”

SteelStar was surprised, “Green Angel?”

Speedshock nodded.

“You don’t need to worry about her,” said Paramount, turning back to the intercom. “Last I heard she was in Africa assisting with a viral outbreak. She won’t turn up any time soon.”

Speedshock breathed sigh of relief.

“I take it things ended badly between you two,” asked SteelStar.

“I used to be a pacifist like her,” said Speedshock.

“What changed your mind?”

Speedshock took a deep breath, “A small time supervillain called Stoneskin who could surround himself in rock. My nonlethal takedown is almost exactly the same as yours, SteelStar, and the electricity spread so evenly across his stone skin that it didn’t do much but annoy him. He eventually had his finger right over a bomb that would have killed over a hundred people, and to stop him, I had to hit him with more electricity than he could handle. It…didn’t end well for him.”

Speedshock sighed, “Even then I wasn’t really trying to kill him, but Angel didn’t forgive me anyway. She thought I could have held back enough to stop him without killing him. Maybe if I’d known the exact voltage I needed, but I didn’t have time to think about it.

“It gave me pause to think about things. Green Angel controls plants and can grow some that knock people out harmlessly with one hundred percent efficiency, but she’s a rare case. Most non-lethal takedowns require very precise circumstances to be effective. Change even one variable, and they often fail to work.”

SteelStar nodded, “Dad always warned me about that.”

“I’m sure,” said Speedshock. “I had to learn that lesson the hard way and was forced to ask myself if I could afford to hold back when innocent people were about to die.”

SteelStar looked away. He knew that feeling all too well.

“Anyway,” Speedshock continued. “Every time I run into her, she always finds an opportunity to lecture me about how I could have saved everyone, that anyone can be redeemed if we give them a chance. You’d think she’d have given that up by now.”

“Well, there’s truth to that, isn’t there?” asked Elementus. “Some of the most prominent members of the United Heroes of Earth used to be criminals before being reformed.”

“True,” said Paramount. “But if a supervillain is about to kill hundreds of innocents, can you really risk the lives of those people on the mere possibility that the villain can be redeemed? It’s a judgement call we all must make, because Speedshock is right. Stopping villains without seriously harming them just isn’t an option sometimes, even for beings as powerful as us, and especially when the villain is a strong power user.”

SteelStar took in the conversation with a heavy heart. He understood the arguments and couldn’t argue against them. Even so, something about the whole thing disturbed him. The arguments were for people deliberately targeting innocents, and yet SteelStar had been forced to kill a good man who’d simply lost control, someone who’d desperately wanted to do the right thing.

SteelStar knew part of the question still applied. Could SteelStar have put the lives of innocent Partition City civilians over the life of one man? Even a man like Spectramancer? Obviously, SteelStar hadn’t, but the cost had been great. More than anything, SteelStar wished there was a way to stop people without ever killing. Why couldn’t he save everyone? Why did it have to be this way?

He had no answer.

Nearby, Elementus sighed, “It’s times like these that I kind of understand where Gaia-born is coming from.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at him with shock and surprise on their faces. Elementus looked around at everyone nervously.

“I mean,” he said. “I don’t condone what they do, obviously, but…humans are capable of terrible things, aren’t they? The only reason we’re put into positions where we have to use violence is because of people who use violence. Just look at Tholatite, and what happened with Redwell city, the sheer amount of people dead. At least when animals eat kill, it’s just for food and basic survival. Humans can kill for some truly despicable reasons.”

For a moment, SteelStar understood where he was coming from, but before anyone can comment, they heard soft laughter. Looking over Animage, keeping her eyes closed from concentrating, had started laughing.

“Forgive me,” said Animage. “I’ve heard that reasoning from Gaia-born for a long time, but I never expected to hear it here. Tell me something Mr. Elementus, you don’t spend a lot of time in nature, do you?”

Elementus shook his head, “Not really. The closest I ever get to nature is at a zoo.”

“Not surprising,” said Animage. “Many people only ever see a curated view of nature, well fed animals lounging a zoo or cute little videos of a kitten hugging a bunny. Some never come to appreciate just how twisted some animals behave. Animals that eat their own kind, animals that eat things that are still alive, and even animals that eat their own young. Don’t even get me started on the terrors of the insect world. The way spiders eat is just scratching the surface of how horrifying that can be.”

SteelStar knew how spiders ate, and he grimaced just thinking about it. Judging by the grimaces on Elementus and Speedshock’s faces, he knew they felt the same.

“The truth is,” said Animage. “If you were to take that kitten hugging a rabbit and put it in the wild, forcing it to survive on its own without free food from humans, the cat’s hunger would inevitably drive it to hunt, and rabbits are fair game. Some will hold up cute videos like that one as proof that animals are purer than humans, never mind the fact that it’s humans was who feed the cat so that it doesn’t need to hunt. Never mind that humans created the conditions for such a video.

“Like Speedshock, I too have a lesson I had to learn the hard way,” Animage continued. “I used to have a cat of my own when I was a little girl, the first creature I ever communicated with telepathically. I used to love that animal, but one day she cornered a mouse in a narrow space I couldn’t get to. I could sense the little mouse’s terror as my cat played with it, and its pain when its claws sunk it. I pleaded to spare the mouse, but the cat was having too much fun. Wasn’t even hungry at the time, as I’d fed her little more than an hour before that. Finally, I lost my mind and mentally screamed, causing my precious kitty to flee in terror.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

After a pause, she said, “I never saw that cat again.” She sighed. “I tried to save the mouse, but I couldn’t get into the crawlspace, and the poor thing died of its wounds.”

Everyone, save Paramount, stared at Animage in mild shock.

“It was a traumatic experience for me,” said Animage. “But it taught me a valuable lesson. A beast does whatever it does by pure instinct, and whether that instinct is shaped be the wild or by man, they never question whether their actions are moral or not. That’s what makes sentient lifeforms different than animals. We can do something they can’t. We can ask if the action is right or wrong. Don’t underestimate the importance of that simply because some people get the wrong answer.

“At the end of the day, nature is cruel, and only we have the power to recognize that.”

SteelStar and Speedshock were left speechless as they thought about what Animage had said. Steelstar had never thought of it that way before, and it gave him things to think about. Elementus looked away, his cheeks turning red as a hint of embarrassment entered his eyes. That being said, Elementus looked like he had something else to say.

“At least humans don’t make weapons of mass destruction like the Tholatite bombs.”

This time it was Paramount who sighed, “Elementus, you’re setting yourself up for misery if you keep thinking like that.”

The elder superhero and turned to face the others, and the three younger superheroes listened with rapt attention, though Animage kept her eyes closed and continued concentrating.

“You know I am old,” said Paramount. “But let me put it into perspective just how old I am. I’m old enough to remember when a phone wasn’t something you could hold in your pocket. The phones I grew up with were plugged into the wall, and you couldn’t just dial the number you wanted. You’d have to call an operator, who would literally unplug lines and plug them somewhere else to connect you to the person you wished to call.

“I was there when phones stopped requiring an operator, and you could simply contact whoever you wanted if you had the number. I was there when house phones first became wireless, though they were still connected to a base station that plugged into the wall and had limited range from it. Naturally, I remember when phones first became truly wireless, and you could take them with you wherever you went. Of course, those were just phones at first, with very limited extra functions. Most young people take it for granted, but when the first true smartphones came out, little computers that could access the internet form anywhere, it was a big deal.”

Now that Paramount mentioned it, SteelStar couldn’t remember a time when smartphones hadn’t been normal. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to not have such conveniences at his disposal at a moment’s notice.

“Where are you going with this?” asked Speedshock.

“My point is that humans are capable of great things,” Paramount continued. “Not just terrible ones. If I object to Tholatite, it’s not attempting to use it at all that I object to, but rather the attempt to use it before it’s ready. Tholatite is volatile in its current form, but if you can believe it, its first form was even worse. It was more likely to blow up before you could even hook it up to a device, so even the current status is an impressive development.

“In time, I’m sure someone will learn how to make it a safe power to use, which would be beneficial to everyone. Power costs would go down for people across the board and would be abundant enough that there’d never be shortages. You could make batteries small enough to power emergency vehicles but would last long enough to last through any situation. As dangerous as it is now, the potential is incredible. All it needs is the innovation to make it work.

“I have no problem with someone trying to progress technology. Such progress has been beneficial to mankind the world over. What I condemn is the lack of patience to do so safely. As I said, humans can accomplish both great and terrible things. Never get so hung up on one that you forget the other.”

It was a lot to take in, and everyone stood in silence for a moment.

Suddenly, the intercom started beeping.

Paramount immediately walked over and pressed the button, “Sister Nature, are you ready to make your demands?”

“I am,” her cool voice came through the intercom. “I need one million dollars delivered to this building. I also need all superheroes and police to stay at least twenty miles away from here while we make our escape. Once I’m physically distant, the oil will evaporate on its own and the hostages will be safe. You have one hour to comply.”

She hung up.

“What now?” asked Speedshock. “Do you think she’s given up on destroying headquarters?”

“Not a chance,” said Paramount, pressing another button on his intercom. “Silent, you better come up with a really good plan. We have at most an hour before they try again.”

###

“That’s it?” asked Black Ash over the communicator. “You demanded money? That’s way to obvious. We want them to think we’re giving up. You should have demanded the kind of things we normally demand.”

“It was all I could think of,” said Sister Nature, pacing back and forth as the oil made way beneath her feet. “I was hoping the U.H.E. would be destroyed by now.”

“Well, come up with something better next time,” said Black Ash. “Seriously.”

On the same frequency, they heard a chuckle, followed by the smooth voice of Speedclaw.

“Struggling, are we?” the feline supervillain said.

“You think that’s funny?” asked Sister Nature.

“Yes, I do,” said Speedclaw. “I mean the whole plan is for Gaia-born to protect the Earth once the rest of humanity is wiped out. If you can’t even handle the people protecting it now, then maybe we need to rethink how we do things.”

Sister nature paused before answering, “We? We need to rethink how we do things? A bit presumptuous to include yourself in that ‘we,’ don’t you think?”

Speedclaw just chuckled, and Sister Nature grimaced under her mask. She knew full well he hadn’t joined Gaia-born because he shared their ideals. He just wanted revenge against the U.H.E.. Once they could establish a new world order that reveres nature rather than exploits it, then Speedclaw would have to be dealt with.

“Speedclaw,” said Black Ash. “Get off the line and do your job.”

“Whatever you say,” said Speedclaw.

Black Ash sighed with exasperation, “Ignore him. We can’t afford to get caught up in petty squabbles. You know what’s at stake.”

Sister Nature knew exactly what was at stake. She’d been inducted into the group young, a power user born to Gaia-born members. Gaia-born had shown her the truth of this world, revealing all of mankind’s atrocities. As a young girl, Sister Nature had seen animals slaughtered for food, forced to fight each other for entertainment, put through cruel experiments in laboratories, and worse. She’d seen the oil spills with her own two eyes, watching poor birds and other animals drown in helplessness. She’d seen humans cut down life giving trees and spew poison into the air for modern conveniences. As much as they’d plundered nature, that was nothing compared to what humans did to each other in war and conflict.

As far as Sister Nature was concerned, humanity needed to be cleansed, and she was just the person to do it.

###

“So,” said Henry Anderson, sitting in his office with his hands folded. “You and Elementus have caused quite a stir.”

“I…I know…” said Demigoddess, sniffling as she wiped tears from her eyes. “It was all so…”

“Stop that,” said Mr. Anderson sternly. “You know better than to try that act with me. I know you too well.”

Demigoddess sighed, and then leaned back casually, “I’m just having a bit of fun.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re having fun. Now get back out there.”

Demigoddess raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”

“You successfully played the victim,” said Mr. Anderson. “And made Elementus look like the bad guy, but that excuse will only get you so far if hostages die or, God forbid, the E.H.E. blows up. People will wonder why you did nothing to stop it, so unless you want a second P.R. disaster directed at you, you get back out there and help. I don’t know what happened between you and Elementus, and frankly, I don’t care. You and he are going to have to sort it out. Internal conflicts are bad for business, and you know it.”

Demigoddess pursed her lips.

“It occurs to me,” she said, “We don’t know if I can absorb Tholatite energy.”

Anderson thought about it, then pressed a button on his desk. Soon a compartment opened and a small safe raised up. Henry Anderson pressed in the keypad to the safe and opened it, pulling out a glass container, the sickly pale light of Tholatite within.

“Careful with this,” he said. “It’s quite volatile, you know.”

Demigoddess rosed her eyes but accepted the small container carefully. She twisted the metal cap on one end carefully, then put her hand near the opening. Closing her eyes, she attempted to absorb the radiation from it. Henry Anderson was pleased to see that sickly light enter her fingers from the substance, and a moment later Demigoddess screwed the cap back on then held up her hand. Tholatite energy danced between her fingers, exiting, and entering her body easily.

“There,” said Anderson. “You can absorb Tholatite energy. Now get back out there.”

“Yes…sir…” said Demigoddess, albeit reluctantly.

###

“This is Silent,” came the stealthy superhero’s electronically distorted voice. “I think I have a plan, but it’s a risky one.”

“Go ahead,” said Paramount, hovering over the intercom. SteelStar, Elementus, and Speedshock stood nearby, hanging on Silent’s every word.

“It’s going to require a few of us,” said Silent. “So I’m almost back to headquarters. I’ll need Elementus and Speedshock for this. Has Demigoddess called to say she’s coming back?”

“A few minutes ago,” said Paramount.

“How’d you know she would?” asked Elementus, confused.

“It would look bad if she stayed away too long,” said Silent. “People are in danger, after all.”

“She also said she’d tested herself with Tholatite,” said Paramount. “We can use her to protect headquarters from a second bomb after all. I kind of wish they’d tested that before all this started. Would have saved us a lot of trouble.”

“Trust me,” said Elementus. “Sonnelicht is usually more worried about advertising than training for actual superhero work.”

“All the more reason to get away from them,” said Paramount.

Elementus didn’t respond. He just turned away sheepishly. Paramount looked at him out the corner of his eye for a moment, but then turned back to the intercom.

“So, what’s your plan?” asked Paramount.

“We get Elementus to freeze a small section of Sister nature’s oil,” said Silent. “Making an opening for me to shoot through. Once Sister Nature is rendered unconscious, the oil should start to evaporate. Speedshock can then knock out the henchman before they can react.”

“Won’t she sense her oil being tampered with?” asked Elementus.

“It’s harder for her to detect her oil freezing than other forms of tampering,” said Silent. “It will take her a few moments. Your ice effect may be too slow to cover the entire building before she can react, but you can give me an opening to knock her out.”

Paramount rubbed his chin. “You’re right, that is risky. If she moves for even a moment after Elementus freezes the oil…”

“I’ll miss my shot,” said Silent. “I know, but I don’t have any other plans and we have less than an hour.”

Paramount sighed, “I guess we have no choice. I’ll have to stay here at headquarters in case Sister Nature contacts us again, so SteelStar, you go with them. If Silent’s plan fails, you can try a magcannon. It’s possible her oil can still deflect that, but if all else fails, it’s worth a shot.”

“Sir,” said one of the technicians. “Demigoddess has arrived.”

His computer monitor showed footage of her arriving at headquarters in a limo.

“Perfect timing,” said Silent. “I’m here as well. I can meet you in a building on the east side. You should be able to board The Wraithjet without being seen, just be prepared for things to be a little cramped in here.”

“Alright then,” said Paramount. “Everyone get into position. Let’s end this once and for all.”

SteelStar, Speedshock, and Elementus all replied, “Yes sir!”