Chapter 6 — Elementary, My Dear Weaver

“So that’s how you got here?” Ellery asked. “Yup,” Weaver said. “That was… overly convoluted.” “Well, I guess I could’ve shortened that.” “What did you say your name was?” “The Weaver.” “No, your actual name.” “Oh.” Richard pressed the button on the side of his helmet, revealing his face. “Richard Cox.” “You!” Ellery exclaimed with shock and pride. “You’re a superhero!” “Yeah.” “It’s been so long! I haven’t seen you since you moved out.” “A lot has happened since then. I can’t express enough how much my sister and I appreciate what you did for us.” “Don’t mention it.” “Before I go, why were you so accepting of my story? Even from my perspective, it looked like something out of a child’s fantasy.” “Wow, you really have missed a lot.” “What do you mean?” Both of their attention was caught by an explosion in the distance. “Sounds like you’re about to find out.” “Bye, Rowan.” “Bye, Richie. Say ‘hi’ to Grace for me.” “Will do.” With that, the Weaver vanished in a puff of red sparks.

Helix Bank was the most successful banking company in the city. There is no other bank within the eighteen thousand square kilometres of Helix City because all fourteen million members of the populace unanimously decided that Helix Bank deserved complete control of the financial market. Their biggest branch was in the dead centre of the city by Helix Park. They make millions of dollars every day, and that fact makes them a huge target for robberies. However, thanks to financial and technological investments in the police force made by Macrosoft, said robberies have never come close to being successful… until last year. The Weaver teleported in front of the doors of the bank, fully armoured up and ready to save some lives. Shadowbolt raced towards the bank and stopped next to him. “Central Helix Bank?” Shadowbolt read from the lime green LED sign at the front of the building. “I get that it’s in the centre of ‘Helix City,’ but they could be a tad bit more creative?” “There’s also the North, South, East, West, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest branches,” Weaver said half-comedically. “How did this bank take over the entire market again?” “That doesn’t matter. You ready to be a hero?” “I was born read— Actually, that couldn’t be less true. Whatever.”

The duo walked into the bank confident and ready to fight. They followed the smoke coming from the vault. Cash and gold bars were scattered across the ground, and from the mist emerged two men and two women, all unarmed, carrying bags of money. “Really? Not a single weapon?” the Weaver said, overconfident. “This is gonna be too easy.” Shadowbolt quipped. He charged up, preparing to speed-blitz all four of them. Before he could even move, one of the women raised her hand and blasted Shadowbolt with a beam of light, sending him flying backwards. The Weaver was ready to retaliate before one of the men blasted him away with a pond’s worth of water. The other woman stomped the ground, raising a chunk of stone. She then broke the rock into sharp shards and launched them at the heroes. Right before the stalagmites reached them, they halted midair. They were sent flying to the side as something emerged from the shadows — someone. It was a woman wearing a near skin-tight suit, royal purple accented with black. Her chest had an emblem taking the shape of a circle with another one. She wore an eye mask with black lenses, exposing her mouth and allowing her silky maroon hair to flow freely. The group of robbers were shaken and became increasingly hostile. One blasted the enigmatic woman with a stream of fire, but she constructed a bubble of psychic energy that blocked the flames. Before any of the others could make an attack, they were seemingly paralysed, incapable of moving. She then created an energy rope to restrain them. At that moment, the police arrived, and the woman handed the criminals over. “Thanks, Cerebra,” one officer said. “I didn’t agree to that name,” the woman said. She then turned to Weaver and Shadowbolt, who were still stunned by what had just happened.

Richard and Trevor arrived in front of Richard’s home. Richard grabbed the key from his pocket and unlocked the door so they could both walk inside. “So, what are we gonna do about these suits?” Richard asked. “You mean, what are we gonna do about your suit?” Trevor tapped the emblem on his suit twice, and all the nanoparticles that made up the armour retracted into the emblem. He put the lightning bolt into his pocket. Richard was in awe: “Well, that’s unfair.” He then said aloud, “Eject!” and the suit opened up, allowing him to step out before closing back up again. “So, what now?” Trevor asked. “What do you mean?” Richard responded. “I mean, I can never truly have a life here since I’m from another Earth. So, what? Do I just stay here for the rest of my life?” “I’m sure you can fabricate yourself an identity with that brain of yours. Also, who says you can’t stay here?” “What about me?” a voice called from the Weaver armour, which seemed a lot more sentient than before. “F.R.I.E.N.D.?” Richard asked. “You can control the suit?” “You don’t know everything about me.” F.R.I.E.N.D. joked. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve seen all wee— year,” Trevor commented. “Time travel is so confusing.” “F.R.I.E.N.D., you just stay here until we come back, and we’ll find a place for you.” Richard then turned to Trevor. “Are you ready to meet my sister?” “I hope she isn’t as excitable as you are.” Trevor chuckled. “Don’t worry. You’ll love her.”

Grace Cox lived halfway across Helix City from where her brother lived. The muffled sound of the breeze and the hypnotic vibration of the engine tranquillised Richard as he and Trevor cruised through the metropolis in a Macrosoft-branded electric car. “Macrosoft has its own car brand?” Trevor asked. “Macrosoft Motors,” Richard said, “Vance made sure to capitalise on every industry.” “And I haven’t seen a single ‘gas station’ on this entire journey.” “Well, in 1919, Guy Stewart Callendar successfully proved the link between fossil fuels and atmospheric pollution. Since then, the use of coal, oil, and natural gas as an energy source decreased drastically until its extinction in 1997.” “How is it that every universe is infinitely more advanced than mine? I mean, except for Earth-15, but there, humanity was wiped out years ago.” After an hour or so of smooth sailing, the two arrived at Grace’s apartment. Just before they arrived, however, Grace was a bit busy. She sat at the desk next to her bed as she leaned forward, eyes gliding across the screen, fingers leaping across the keyboard, mind laser-focused. “Girl, you have three guys behind you with heavy-duty plasma rifles,” she said into the microphone mounted on her headphones. “You say that so calmly, like any one of them couldn’t kill me instantly,” the person on the other side spoke into Grace’s headphones. “It’ll be fine. You got this.” She was interrupted by a heavy knocking on the door. “You wrap up here. Someone’s at my door. Probably my neighbour asking for more sugar.” Grace walked up to the door, burning with disinterest. Creaking echoed across the room as she slowly opened the door, not expecting what was on the other side.

Standing before Grace was the man who had been missing for days, the man she thoroughly and relentlessly searched high and low for, the man she lost sleep worrying about, her brother. “Richie!” she exclaimed in a burst of stupefaction and felicity before capturing him in a firm embrace. “Where have you been?” “We can talk about that later,” Richard said, returning the hug. “How are things?” “I’ve been better. Eliza and I have really missed you.” “You don’t say,” Trevor remarked knowingly. “Shut up,” Richard muttered before elbowing Trevor in the shoulder. He then diverted his attention back to Grace. “Speaking of Eliza, did she mention anything about going anywhere? I didn’t see her on the way home.” “Yeah, uh,” Grace stammered, “She just had to… run an errand quickly.” “Wow, I’ve never seen a day when Eliza hasn’t reserved all her errands for Sunday in an adorably excessive act of procrastination,” Richard commented. “Yeah, a lot has changed since you’ve been gone,” Grace replied. “So, we’ve heard,” Trevor said. “I’m assuming you aren’t aware of Helix’s resident superhero,” said Grace. “Actually,” Trevor said, “We are.” “Yeah, she saved our lives earlier today during the Elementals’ attack on Central Helix Bank,” Richard added. “Thank God, this ‘Cerebra’ helped Macrosoft develop power-dampening technology for DNA,” Grace commented. “Otherwise, this city would be in chaos.” “‘Cerebra’ is a terrible name,” Richard said. “Right?” Grace replied. “DNA?” Trevor questioned. “Double Penitentiary. It gets its name because it has two buildings on each side of Helix City.” Richard said. “Richie and I,” Grace said, “Call it ‘DNA’ because, well—” “Double Helix?” Trevor predicted. “Good one.” “It was nice to see you again,” Richard said, “but this was just a visit. We better get going.” “I understand,” Grace responded. “I’ll tell Eliza you’re back.” “I’m sure she’ll love to hear that.” Trevor teased. “Shut it,” Richard said, irritated. He forcefully gripped Trevor’s wrist and dragged him out the door. He swiftly switched his expression from annoyed to delighted before turning to Grace and letting out a “Bye.” Grace said, “Bye” in return before Richard closed the door behind them.

Hours later, Richard and Trevor stood in, now, their home. “As pleasant as that visit was,” Trevor said firmly, “We need to focus on the task at hand. Vance is still out there, and we’re in a world now full of metas. We have to step up our game.” “Well, we don’t have as much insight into what goes on in this city as someone like Kangae does,” Richard stated, “and as warm and inviting as she may seem, it doesn’t take a telepath to know she doesn’t trust the Weaver or Shadowbolt.” At that moment, Trevor had a moment of revelation: “That’s it!” “What?” “We’ve no evidence of our heroic prowess. Kangae doesn’t trust us because all she sees is two randoms in suits of armour.” Trevor grabbed the golden, glowing lightning bolt in his pocket and held it up to his chest. He pressed the button, and his armour expanded from it, enveloping his body. “We have to show her that we can be heroes, great movie, and she will trust us to help her.” “But how do we do that?” Then, a familiar chuckle interrupted their conversation. Despite the muffling of the walls and windows, Richard couldn’t help but recognise this laughter: its pitch, its tempo, its rhythm. “What was that?” Trevor asked. “It’s Eliza,” Richard said in a panic. “Put your suit away and get F.R.I.E.N.D. out of here.” “Oh, I have a much better idea,” Trevor smirked before placing his hand on the Weaver armour. He then began to vibrate at high speeds. His body, along with F.R.I.E.N.D., reached impeccable oscillation frequencies before he and the Weaver armour completely faded from view. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Richard muttered to himself. Frustrated by Trevor’s abandonment, Richard took a deep breath, channelling all the gallantry he could muster, and clutched the door handle, pushing it down and opening the door.

In the Meridian, four criminals were being transported into custody at the Helix City Police Department. Restrained in rigid handcuffs with a blue glow in the bridge, they had no option but to surrender. The HCPD officers loaded them into the transportation truck. “Way to go, Marcus!” one of them, Ethan Holloway, exclaimed angrily. “Oh, don’t blame this on me, Ethan!” Marcus Reed responded with equal frustration. “You control the fire and the flame, but the only thing you’re burning is those dismembered eyebrows.” “And what were you doing with the water, huh?” Holloway retaliated. “The only thing you’re making wet is your pants.” “How about I make your lungs wet?” Reed threatened. “That didn’t sound as good as it did in your head, did it?” Naomi Brooks remarked. “That’s enough!” the ringleader, Lia Carter, demanded. The three immediately stopped their conversations and diverted their attention. “Our circumstances are the fault of no one except that idiot Cerebra. This city is getting crazier every day, and today showed us that when two new heroes entered the playing field. This isn’t the time for discord. This is the time to stick together. There’s not a single possibility, a single outcome, a single variable that the boss hasn’t accounted for. A plan is already in motion as we speak.” The truck came to a sudden stop. The four were unable to see the scene unfolding outside. The only imagery they could rely on was the sound of gunshots overriding the rustling of the wind. They could also hear the faint sound of clanking on the ground, followed by a small explosion. Just then, a fist-shaped dent was made in the doors where the lock should be. The metal doors fell to the ground to reveal a figure in a large metal armour, with a helmet masking their face. This armoured individual walked up to each of them and stepped on their handcuffs, shattering them like glass. Immediately, luminescence radiated from Carter’s body, and Holloway’s hands ignited. “Thanks for the assist,” Carter said. “What’s next?” The ambiguous figure spoke: “I heard you made yourself acquainted with the new heroes in town, Shadowbolt and the Weaver.” “Find them and bring them to me.” “What about that other hero, Cerebra?” “She doesn’t matter to me, not right now anyway. As long as she’s alive, do whatever you want to her.” “You heard him, guys. It’s time to take back this city.”

very excitable.” “Kinda like you…” Eliza chuckled. “…but not as cute.” Trevor returned with information. “Richard, we need to go,” he said. “Also, I heard that.” “Okay,” Richard replied with determination in his eyes before turning to Eliza. “I guess I’ll see you later then.” “Of course,” she said, giving him one last hug before he and Trevor rushed out the door. Trevor shut the door behind them, making sure Eliza couldn’t hear or see them. “So how did you know something was going on?” Richard questioned. “You’re not the only one with an AI in their suit,” Trevor stated. “Except mine doesn’t talk because I figure that would be annoying.” “Well, that’s rude,” a voice called. “Where did that come from?” Richard wondered. “Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.” Trevor placed his hand in the air, and as if from nothing, the Weaver armour materialised. “Apparently, your suit has a cloaking mechanism.” “That’s cool,” Richard commented. “Yeah, it is,” Trevor said. “Anyway, I programmed my suit to search the Internet and notify me when there’s trouble in the area. It looks like the Elementals are back for round two.” “Then let’s bring it to them.” Richard entered his suit and flew away as Trevor raced off.

Helix Park was the centre of joy in the city. A team of the best landscapers, architects, and construction workers managed to transform an ordinary patch of land into four hectares of indulgence and gratification. Children could submerge themselves in pools of entertainment with calming swings and thrilling slides. Adults could numb themselves with the tranquillising sound of birds chirping and wind rustling through the trees. No one could escape the hypnotic clutches of the sedative and entrancing atmosphere. This supposedly perpetual peace was disrupted by an abrupt explosion. “What’s good, you flora fascists!” Hydroman yelled, announcing their arrival. “Dude, what?” Geomancer uttered, confused. “Flora fascists,” Hydroman said. “Do you not get it?” “Oh, we get it,” Lumina added. “It’s just weird.” “These are random civilians,” Blaze commented. “In what way are they fascists? We are way closer to fascism than they are.” “It’s not meant to be literal,” Hydroman said. “It’s an insult.” “No one is insulted by this,” Lumina stated. “But they will be insulted by this…” Blaze quipped. His hands ignited as he aimed his fists at the surroundings, setting fire to all the trees and plants. The Elementals began their raid as Hydroman froze the ponds and Lumina stripped the area of its light. Geomancer began ripping trees out of the ground, severing every root, and tossing them into the air. Full chaos ensued.

Half of the landscape was scorched and dehydrated. Vegetation was hurled around like a tennis ball. Light was exiled from the area. The Elementals had expanded Helix Park’s playground: an interesting scene for Cerebra to be welcomed with. The void lenses of her mask glowed white, mimicking scotopia as she tried to scan her surroundings. A voice called to her through the earpiece hidden in her mask: “Kangae, what’s it like in there?” “It’s fully dark here,” Cerebra stated. “Lumina must’ve levelled up since our last encounter.” “How do you grow so much stronger in a single afternoon?” “So, what? You think the Elementals are on some super steroids?” “Probably.” The banter halted when a beam of water hurled Cerebra across the ground. She looked up to see the Elementals, all four fully dressed in black leather with eye masks and face tattoos that represent their respective powers. They stood tall over her with pride and power. “You having an off-day, Cerebra?” Lumina mocked. “I beat you guys less than six hours ago, and now’s gonna be no different,” Cerebra said with frustration before repelling them with telekinetic force. She created fléchettes out of psychic energy and threw them at each Elemental, but they were blocked by a wall of dirt and stone that arose from the ground. Before Cerebra could make another move, Lumina briefly expelled light from her hand, blinding Cerebra just long enough to lower her guard. Hydroman delivered a ball of water that propelled Cerebra backwards, and Blaze created a ring of fire around her, encasing her in flames.

Warmth and glow caressed Cerebra’s face as the arena of flames raged along with the other fires burning down the array of trees nearby. The Elementals saw her vulnerability and took the chance to strike. Geomancer ripped a shard of wood out of a tree and impaled Cerebra in the leg. Blood pooled out of both ends, painting the ground a deep red. Thick tree roots surfaced and tied down her hands and feet, immobilising her. She was trapped: no opening, no plan, no escape. Lumina grinned with triumph. Her body radiated with effulgence as she grew lighter, levitating in the air. “Not so tough now, huh?” she taunted. The light engulfing her figure began to shift, concentrating in her hands. “It’ll be fine, Cerebra. You look like you could use a tan.” Lumina aimed her fists, expelling a high concentration of light rays. Within the blink of an eye, the beams reached from Lumina’s hands to Cerebra’s current position. Cerebra accepted her fate, closing her eyes and waiting. The impact created a cloud of smoke that enveloped the surrounding area. When the dust settled and the mist cleared, all that remained in the pyro-perimeter was a scorch mark. Cerebra was gone.

Cerebra opened her eyes to see herself on a rooftop, standing over the soft glow that ravages Helix Park’s flora. She froze, stunned by the rollercoaster that was the last few seconds. The mix of relief and turbulence was halted by the wave of awe that washed over her when she heard a familiar voice: “You should learn proper fire safety.” She turned around to see a sleek black suit of armour accented with glowing red. “Noted,” she replied. “It’s nice that you’re not dead,” Weaver said. “Because you and the other guy have no chance against the Elementals?” “You heard that?” Weaver spoke with his finger on his ear, talking to the person on the other side of the earpiece. “She thinks we can’t do this.” “Really? And here we thought she was psychic.” Shadowbolt remarked. The Elements were on guard in Helix Park when they heard a distant whoosh, followed by streaks of black and gold illuminating the Lumina’s shadow dome. Their steadfast stances were broken by bolts of lightning hurled at each of them by Shadowbolt. “That’s my cue. I’ll be right back.” Weaver said, turning to Cerebra before teleporting away, abandoning Cerebra on the rooftop. “Hey!” Cerebra yelled. “You’re just gonna leave up here!?”

The Weaver and Shadowbolt stood firm in the face of the current threat. The expressions on each of the Elementals were riddled with grievance, but with a hint of determination. “You think you know power?” Lumina spat out, along with a splash of blood. “We’ll show you what true power is!” Simultaneously, each Elemental pressed a button on some kind of microchip in their necks. Green lightning crackled across all their bodies; the same pigment glowed in their eyes. Their veins bulged on the surface of their skin, and their fists clenched with pride. Shadowbolt rushed towards Hydroman at super speed, attempting to ignore the sudden change. Before contact could be made, all the moisture on the surface of the ground froze instantly, causing him to slip. “Yeah, that was definitely not embarrassing,” he joked, sliding across the grass on his back. Weaver stepped into action, throwing a punch at Lumina. By the time he had raised his fist, Lumina was right behind him and had driven a spear of light through his leg. “Light speed? That has been cheating,” Weaver humorously comments, ignoring the agonising pain. “And was that a light construct?” “You like it?” Lumina said. “Thanks to these augments, you two are no match for us.” “Time to kick it up a notch,” Blaze remarked.

The fire emanating from Blaze’s hands shifted from a burning red to a raven black. The flames grew and expanded, forming a cyclone of high-speed inferno with Blaze at its centre. Geomancer clenched her fist and levitated it. In the distance, Helix Mountain was ripped out of its fixed position. Ten thousand feet of stone rose from the ground (despite this feat being purely to boast, and the Geomancer had no intention of using the mountain in combat). Weaver and Shadowbolt gazed in terrified awe at the display before them. “Okay, they are definitely compensating for something,” Shadowbolt quipped, still lying on the ground. “Looks like your luck has run out,” Hydroman mocked. At his command, all the moisture in the flora of Helix Park gathered to form a giant block of water. “How would you like it if I froze you in ice forever?” “I have an idea,” Weaver whispered with revelation into his earpiece. “Luck.” “Can you skip to the part where you actually tell me the plan?” Shadowbolt remarked. “Just shoot lightning at the ice on the ground,” Weaver commanded. “I’ll take care of the rest.” Shadowbolt gathered his strength and snapped his fingers, index pointing at the ice. Out shot a small bolt of lightning that struck the ground beneath Geomancer’s feet, heating the ice and causing parts of it to melt. The sudden change in stability of the ground caused Geomancer to trip and drop the mountain back into place, a miniature chunk of rock breaking off and being sent flying towards the park. The rock hit Hydroman’s leg, causing him to trip and hurl the block of water at Blaze, extinguishing his fire tornado. Geomancer, Hydroman and Blaze fell to the ground in defeat.

Weaver and Shadowbolt got back on their feet as Lumina stood on the sidelines, scoffing at her partners getting overpowered so easily. “You may have taken out my incompetent peers, but you will find it difficult to do the same with me,” Lumina said in a prolonged monologue. “I am substantially faster, stronger and smarter than the three of those cretins combined.” She, once again, began to detach her feet from the ground as she ascended, her body flaring with luminescence. “I will rise. Society will fall. The world will crumble to pave the way for a better one: one in the grasp of the benevolent wraith of the Sov—” Lumina’s ominous speech came to an abrupt stop as she fell to the ground. The ice covering the grass melted, and light shone on the park once more. The collapse of Lumina’s unconscious body revealed Cerebra behind her, standing on a levitating pile of stone, a lamppost also in her telekinetic hold. “She talks way too much,” Cerebra remarked. “Thanks for the save,” Weaver said. “We could’ve handled it,” Shadowbolt commented. “But you didn’t, did you?” Cerebra retaliated. “You know, we should probably deal with that,” Weaver stated, drawing the other two’s attention to the landscape still ablaze. “I’ve got this,” Shadowbolt said confidently. He raced off, running around the perimeter of the park at high speeds. This rapid rotary motion stripped the fires of their oxygen, putting them out. “Is that how that works?” Cerebra asked. “Apparently,” Weaver said. “The Speed Force works in mysterious ways.” “Now what do we do about the Elementals?” Cerebra inquired. “Every time they’re arrested, they escape custody before a trial can even be scheduled. There’s got to be a better place to hold them.” “So, you want to go full vigilante?” Shadowbolt remarked, returning from his laps. “I have the perfect place.” Shadowbolt opened a holographic menu on his gauntlet, navigating a series of options and commands before finding the one he was looking for. He pressed the button. Reality began to bend around the seven of them before they vanished in a flash of light.

The group found themselves in a mysterious, spacious facility. Walls, floors, and ceilings were a smooth black, with vision sourced from intentionally designed cracks, revealing blue lights. They stood in the main area, which was decorated with an assortment of scientific apparatus and a quantum computer in the centre. “What is this place?” Weaver said in awe. “It’s a pocket dimension,” Shadowbolt stated. “A piece of space that exists as a separate universe.” “And you can just do that?” Cerebra questioned with humorous scepticism. “I’m not the first,” Shadowbolt said. “What are we even doing here?” Blaze asked hostilely. “Hey, who’re the ones meta-cuffed here?” Shadowbolt remarked. “Hey, O.L.A.C.!” Within seconds, a robotic organism walked up to Shadowbolt and paused. “Escort these four, and us, to their cells.” The android grabbed Blaze and Geomancer and dragged them down the hall, while Cerebra and Weaver took Lumina and Hydroman, following along. “O.L.A.C.?” Weaver inquired. “Overwatch-Like Artificial Consciousness,” Shadowbolt said. “It’s the AI I mentioned earlier. It functions as my own Felicity Smoak, minus the awkward speech and stumbling over every sentence.” Eventually, they reached the prison hall. The room was designed similarly to the others, except for the cubic holes in the walls, enclosed by lightning-based force fields. “Welcome to the prison hall.” “Why do I feel so weak?” Cerebra asked. “Because this room has several power-dampeners on constantly,” Shadowbolt stated. “No metahuman, magic user or alien will be able to use their abilities here.” “Did you just say ‘alien’?” Weaver asked eagerly. “They’re real?” “Calm down, geek. Of course, they’re real,” Shadowbolt said. “I’m sure we’ll meet some eventually.” The O.L.A.C. sentry dragged each Elemental into individual cells. “Every cell has its own power-dampener in case the main one goes out.” Shadowbolt guided Weaver and Cerebra to another cell. This one was opaque, making it impossible to see inside it, and it was reinforced, labelled ‘Sunshine.’ “All cells have a ‘solitary confinement’ setting in case they’re housing a more dangerous being. These cells have a dampener tripled in power, a signal jammer, and regular electromagnetic pulses, just to ensure there is no possibility of escape. O.L.A.C. does a thorough inspection of these cells at random times every day. The cells also have no windows to ensure that no one can see in or out of the cells. Every cell has a food fabricator to create any food. While normal cells allow the prisoner to select any food, cells in the ‘solitary confinement’ setting force the prisoner to select from a predetermined list of food items.” “Well, from the looks of it, this is the only cell with the setting enabled.” Cerebra pointed out. “Who is being held in here that’s so dangerous?” “Oh, you don’t wanna know,” Shadowbolt said.

Shadowbolt continued the tour around the entire facility. Lounges with luxurious seats, kitchens with food fabrication technology, and escape pods acting as interdimensional extrapolators dazzled the guests. Eventually, they arrived back at the main room. “And this is the Cortex,” Shadowbolt said. “This is where I do all my miscellaneous science stuff. And that…” He pointed at the giant computer in the centre of the northern wall. “…is my quantum computer. It allows me to continuously monitor the current Earth I’m in for crimes.” He sat in the chair and pressed a few buttons on the keyboard, opening a map of Helix City. “How do you know when there’s a crime?” Weaver asked. “I know when there’s a crime when an alarm blares, followed by a red dot flashing on the location of the threat.” As Shadowbolt uttered that, an alarm blared at medium volume, followed by a flashing red dot soaring through the diagram of the city’s streets. “Like that.” Shadowbolt pressed a few more buttons to learn more. “There are reports of jewellery and personal valuables vanishing instantly without a trace, and there’s a heat signature moving through the city, unidentifiable by Macrosoft’s ‘sonic speed cameras’.” “The city has sonic speed cameras?” Weaver asked. “Fully installed two months ago,” Cerebra commented. “Whoever that is is moving really fast.” “It’s a speedster,” Shadowbolt said. “You guys can go home. I’ve got this.” Shadowbolt activated his gauntlet and warped the three back to Helix City before racing off to chase this enigmatic stealer.

Shadowbolt ran through the streets at super speed with purpose, lightning, ebony and gilded trailing behind him. He ventured to the edges of the city and closed in, leaving no road, alley, or rooftop unchecked. The wind was slow. The city was seemingly quiet, but Shadowbolt didn’t let the facade stop his relentless search for this mysterious speedster. As he soared down a street, he noticed for a split second a streak of blue racing ahead of him. He was confused but kept moving forward. Suddenly, the streak emerged from the street to Shadowbolt’s left and zoomed past him, striking him at high speed and sending him flying into the Ellery Diner. All the customers gasped before evacuating in horror. “Come on, man,” Ellery exclaimed, frustrated by the destruction. “I haven’t even gotten the roof fixed after what happened this morning.” “Sorry, man,” Shadowbolt said in apologetic pain. “Hey, you look familiar,” Ellery commented. “Who are you?” “I’m Shadowbolt,” Shadowbolt groaned. He slowly got back on his feet as the lightning trail whooshed past before stopping in front of him. The streak cleared, revealing a woman in a suit of mahogany friction-proof fibres, outlined with yellow and black lines. She wore her chocolate hair tied up with an eye mask covering her face. The speedster was estranged from Shadowbolt, but still in some way recognisable. “Shadowbolt…” the woman spat out with acerbic disgust. “Vance mentioned you’d be here, but she never mentioned that you’d be so… slow.” Determined, Shadowbolt firmly stepped forward and heaved a bolt of lightning at the woman. However, with minimal effort, the woman charged forward at super speed and flipped over the lightning before grabbing onto it and throwing it back at Shadowbolt. Shadowbolt collapsed back to the ground as torturous voltage surged through his body. The woman stood over him, looking down with dissatisfaction. She uttered a simple “Pathetic…” before racing off in a flash, leaving nothing but her caerulean trail. Shadowbolt watched in bafflement and powerlessness as the cryptic speedster vanished into the darkness. There was something about her — her costume, her lightning, her personality — that was so familiar. Only one word came to mind: “Trajectory…?”