Charging forward at full speed, Sami slid to a stop next to Steve. Eyes wide, Sami kneeled down to Steve and placed a hand on his neck. Heartbeat was there, but faint.

  “Steve? Hey, are you okay? Do you know what they hit you with?” Sami asked quickly.

  Steve’s eyes were open, but they didn’t move. Chest pumping rapidly, his eyelids began to lower. Sami moved around to stand between Steve and the intruders as they entered confidently, murmuring to one another excitedly.

  “Who are you?” Sami challenged.

  A dart the size of a hornet zipped his way. Noticing it quickly, Sami summoned his Shadow Hand to block it. The dart stuck in through the palm, and in the shadow Sami saw a pink fluid pour out. His Shadow Hand went taut, completely paralyzed from his control. It floated, just out of reach of his mind.

  Before Sami could decide what to do, a pellet the size of a baseball blasted his way. Standing boldly in front of Steve, Sami held up his arms to absorb the blow. Then, taking a split second gamble, Sami ran forward and pushed his frozen Shadow Hand to block the ball. It worked, and his physical body shifted the frozen hand to intercept the pellet.

  Slamming into the shadow, the impact pulverized the Shadow Hand, followed by the pellet exploding into a cloud of colored dust. Involuntarily, Sami gasped and began coughing as he tried to throw the cloud away from his vision. Purple dust caked him. Frowning, Sami found he couldn’t immediately reform his Shadow Hand. He’d never seen it destroyed before and didn’t know how long it would take to restore. Was it the paralysis or the destruction that prevented it from reforming?

  Laughter echoed in the warehouse, though he could no longer see the assailants through more colorful clouds of dust.

  Snapping his neck back to the others, Sami looked for assistance. Difficult to see much beyond murky silhouettes through thick clouds, but there was movement. Either preparing for an attack, or a few taking to the rear to avoid the situation. In both cases, no one was coming to assist him with Steve.

  “Steve, I’m gonna drag you to safety, okay?” Sami asked, not waiting for an answer. Taking a quick glance to make sure no one approached them, Sami rushed to Steve’s feet, crossing them over one another. Then he moved to his back and crossed his arms, grabbing his wrists and bracing himself. With a heavy grunt, Sami used his legs to prop Steve up and drag him away in a rush, looking out over the colorful cloud in the meantime.

  A person at the back of the group spoke while placing his hand to his ear. An earpiece? He was communicating with everyone based on their nods. They all wore black goggles over their eyes and a hat or bandana over their hair. The goggles themselves were very different, some looking like glasses while others were a snorkel mask. Sami tried to put that information to use. They were organized, but not wealthy. Did that mean anything?

  An order came through their earpieces and four of the attackers grinned and rushed in, the fifth remaining at the opening. Heart pounding from his effort to pull the larger man, Sami’s eyes widened when he saw someone rushing straight for him. A rain of pellets struck the ceiling, showering the entire warehouse in a colorful array of thick smoke.

  Then pandemonium exploded.

  Powers from both sides whipped by Sami, like he was in the center of civil war artillery. Ground shaking, Sami saw flashes of power zipping through the colorful clouds and striking unknown targets. Knives flew by him, cutting his shoulder. A blob of gassy sludge landed right beside him and he steered Steve away. Red lights blinked in and out of existence. Sami had no idea where the powers were coming from.

  Coughing, Sami set Steve down gently against a wall and ran forward, again placing himself between Steve and the intruders. Clouds folding around him in a frenzy, Sami’s hunter broke through the fog, rubber baton in hand.

  “What’s your power, little man?” the man asked, grinning behind his goggles as he stopped about five feet ahead. He slapped his weapon into an open palm.

  Sami said nothing, trying to will his Shadow Hand to grab the enemy by his feet. To his dismay, nothing appeared.

  According to Power Sense, the man had a single red bubble above him. Hopefully, it would be something manageable.

  “Fine, I’ll just show you what I got and we can compare,” the man said.

  Swinging the baton forward, the man grinned wider. At first, Sami was confused, the rubber weapon way too far to strike him. Blinking, Sami watched as it grew in length, extending until it smacked Sami across the side of his face. Grunting in pain, Sami kneeled down, trying to get the stars out of his eyes before another attack came at him. As expected, by the time his vision cleared, the baton was coming at his legs. Prepared this time, Sami jumped high and heard the baton whiff under him.

  Charging forward, Sami closed the distance between them. Then a pen appeared in the man’s other hand and it also extended, coming right for Sami’s throat. Wincing, Sami’s momentum was too much. He hoped it wouldn’t create too serious of an injury to him. Kinda shameful to die by a pen. A blade would have been cool.

  The pen sliced in half, falling to the ground before it had a chance to touch Sami. Ink sprayed over Sami’s face and he turned to see who saved him. Dawson stood proudly next to Sami, his arm sharpened to a fine edge.

  “Stop right there, Villain,” he said boldly, then he leaned to Sami. “This is either going to be super epic or totally cringe.”

  “He can extend things at least five feet. Maybe further,” Sami said. “That’s his only power.”

  “That you know of,” the enemy said confidently.

  “Can he only change the length of stuff he’s holding, or anything in the area? Is he gonna make my neck grow long?” Dawson asked.

  “No idea,” Sami replied, bracing himself for another set of blows.

  “Someone should film our fights. It would be super cool to post online,” Dawson said, raising sharpened hands and readying himself.

  Pellets popping around them, new smoke clouds of blue and yellow appeared, making the visibility even lower. A boom sounded at the edge of the warehouse, and a wall fell to their left.

  “Any idea what they’re after?” Sami asked.

  “Oh yeah, let me just call my uncle, who knows all villain motivations,” Dawson said sarcastically, sounding like he expected a big laugh.

  A rubber baton stabbed out of the smoke and rapped Dawson across the head lightly. Eyes flitting between the weak hit and the villain, Sami deduced that the man had a hard time seeing through the smoke. The goggles weren’t helping much.

  “I’m gonna try to go for his legs and you can take out anything he swings at us,” Sami said, charging immediately.

  “Wait, I’m not ready!” Dawson called after him, his voice jumping an octave.

  Scrambling, Dawson yelped as the baton smacked him across the shin, followed by a rough thrust in the stomach. Sami didn’t have to look back to hear Dawson double over in pain. He was on his own, but he was close. Stretchy man’s weapons were too long for a good close hit. Sami dove forward, right for the man’s midsection.

  While in midair, the rubber baton contracted in the man’s hand. Eyes widening, Sami felt the dread of realizing the man could both extend and contract objects. The baton twisted in his wrist, and it sprung out, all in less than a second. The baton clipped Sami on the shoulder, sending him to the ground. Rolling to his back, Sami stared as the man held a pocket knife with a wide grin on his face. The blade extended. Sami regretted thinking it would be a cool death.

  Stopping just short of Sami’s chest, the deadly weapon hovered in place. Looking up in confusion, Sami waited to see what the delay was about. The man’s neck suddenly twisted to look to the side, as though forced to by a firm hand on his head. Eyebrows rising from behind his goggles, Sami’s assailant’s mouth dropped open.

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  * * *

  Apex stood at the door to one of the side halls of HUE, taking in the scene. Intruders. Amateurs. To get anywhere, they had to subdue Steve. Their uniforms were anything but uniform. Point of Interest rang powerfully from Apex and every head he could see was forced to turn his way. Once he had their attention, he pulsed a powerful Sonic Wave, dissipating the colored clouds of smoke in a single burst. Radiating golden energy, he took a single step into the room.

  Four targets inside. One in the back. Two walls broken. Steve down. Three students who rushed forward, none of them showing great odds against their opponents. Though, surprisingly, one wasn’t staring his way even as he radiated Point of Interest. Curious.

  “It’s Apex!” a masked intruder holding a long knife atop Sami screamed. “Bail!”

  “Calm down, I got him!” another masked man called. Apex watched him closely, preparing himself for anything.

  A dart materialized in front of the goggles and blurred, launching ahead and swooping between HUE members. Blurring as it rushed ahead, it went straight for Apex, who just realized what was coming. Arm moving so fast that the wind cracked, Apex grabbed the dart just ahead of his neck. Without turning away from the men, a golden burst reduced it to ash in his palm.

  “All right, maybe we should bail,” the second man agreed, his voice cracking.

  “Regroup!” Apex commanded.

  The battlefield stared, HUE enraptured by his powerful presence. None moved to his command. Sighing internally, he reminded himself they were fresh recruits. They needed training. A lot of it. Not a problem, he’d handle the situation, himself.

  A man in the back placed a hand to his ear and sent a command through the intruders. Each goggled man raised a hand toward Apex, preparing an attack. The man in the rear was a leader? Easy. Apex could cut off the snake head.

  “Now!” the leader exploded.

  Apex moved at the same time several powers exploded around the open floor, energy charging his way. Eyes locked on the closest target, he tracked a bouncing ray coming at him through his peripherals. A heated red beam bounced around at random, darting in with no clear path. Activating Third Eye, Apex ducked under it nimbly, not missing a step. Behind him, the red beam spun around and dove right for his back. Third Eye told him exactly where it struck from, and Apex dove to the side without breaking his stride, then bent backward dodging an elongated blade.

  The red energy beam redirected with a vengeance, sizzling through the air and splitting into three different attacks. Apex stopped abruptly, using Sonic Wave to halt his momentum immediately. The three beams dashed ahead of him, burning by harmlessly. Then, Apex raised a hand behind him and caught a pellet aimed for his face, smoothly chucking it back toward the shooter. As he heard the man groan when pelted by his own attack, Apex closed the gap between himself and the man with chaotic lasers. Behind his thin goggles, his eyes went wide as Apex loomed over him, his red power effortlessly dodged with every step.

  “Guys!” the man called before a blow to the head knocked him unconscious.

  Apex’s calculating eyes landed on the man with the long blade swinging toward him. With more time to assess it, he realized it was nothing more than an elongated pocket knife. Stoically, Apex allowed the blade to slash at his gold-radiating neck. The weapon melted.

  “Oh,” the man said in a small voice. He looked up at his leader. “Can we leave now?” he pleaded into his earpiece, his voice desperate.

  Behind his back, Apex caught another pellet coming his way and redirected its momentum. It clocked the man with the long blade and he let out a single yelp before hitting the ground. Without missing a beat, Sami grappled with him and pinned him to the ground. Apex raised an eyebrow. The kid was fast on his feet, even in extreme circumstances. Rank “3D” might not do him justice.

  Apex turned to the last three intruders, who had consolidated around the hole to the exit. Blinking, Apex saw that one of them had grown four times in size. A growth power? His muscles bulged, his neck as thick as Apex’s chest. Evidently, his goggles stretched, but the hat he wore burst off to reveal matted black hair. If the HUE Headquarters weren’t so large, he wouldn’t be able to fit. An intruder by his side was packing things together in his palm, a crude pellet forming. And the leader in the back had a smarmy confidence that Apex hated seeing criminals wear.

  “Who are you?” Apex demanded, blasting another pulse of Point of Interest.

  The masked man creating the pellet dropped his item, a fart of smoke puffing away in a moment. Brutishly, the muscled giant chuckled. The leader said nothing.

  “Fine, I’ll just ask again when you’re restrained,” Apex told them.

  Sending out a Sonic Wave to stun his assailants, Apex dashed toward them, radiating Goldshine across his body. The muscled man stomped forward to meet him, flexing and bracing himself. Putting extra energy into his fist through his Goldshine, Apex struck hard.

  The entire building shook, but the man had met him with his own fist. He didn’t look fazed in the slightest, grinning at Apex’s attempt. Mouth twitching in disappointment, Apex let out another Sonic Wave, and this time tried to sweep the man’s leg with a gold-powered kick.

  The giant didn’t even try to brace himself, allowing Apex to strike him and instead throwing a massive fist forward. Without Third Eye, the giant's fist would have hit Apex head-on, but Apex's immediate sense of danger caused him to brace his arms to absorb the blow. Another earth shaking attack, this time powerful enough to crack the concrete Apex stood on.

  “Good,” said the leader. “A few more of those ought to do.”

  Grunting, Apex was surprised by how powerful a blow the man could muster. He must have had more than one power both to build himself and fortify his blows; his fist felt like a cinder block. The massive arm reared back again for another blow.

  Apex fueled all his Goldshine into his forearms, readying himself for another attack. The fist came down and Apex withstood the bone-shattering blow, feeling like the entire city shook from the impact. It was too strong even for Goldshine, this one enough to leave some bruising on Apex. The crack in the ground under him grew deeper, stretching its claws further into the headquarters. In the back of his mind, Apex already loathed the repairs that would cost HUE. Maybe Steve could help with the repairs as a fallback.

  Before the giant could rear back for a third blow, Apex directed a burst of Sonic Wave under his feet, launching him a dozen feet in the air and meeting the giant’s eye level. Throwing his shining arms forward, Apex threw and curved a Sonic Wave right for his head, hoping to disorient him enough to throw him off balance. The giant rattled, his grin disappearing as his head shook uncontrolled like a bobble head. Launching forward with another Sonic Wave, Apex smashed into his face with a fully powered Goldshine fist.

  The giant stumbled back a step and then fell into the broken wall, opening the hole even wider as he crashed into the ground. Groaning, his voice came out surprisingly panicked.

  “He hit my sound piece in my head!” he squealed. “Oh, God, it’s deep in there. I can feel it! Get it out!”

  Gold spinning around his fists, Apex stood atop the man’s chest and could feel him deflating. His bulk leaked out of him and he gradually reduced to normal human size. He could see the leader hissing into his earpiece and the shrinking giant cringing with every word.

  “Please stop your speech. It feels so wrong,” the pinned man begged.

  “Doesn’t matter, you’re done anyway.” Apex twisted his foot into his chest.

  Apex held up an increasingly shining hand until it was blinding. The giant, now back to the size of a normal man, stretched his neck back far, trying fruitlessly to escape the inevitable blast.

  “Wait, wait, wait, no, no!” he begged.

  A pellet smacked the cowarding man’s face, followed by it exploding into a pink cloud of smoke. Apex blinked, turning toward the last place he remembered the pellet-maker standing and blasted his immense golden energy. A perfect hole appeared in the cloud, only for no one to be on the other side. Frustrated, Apex stepped off the current villain and activated Point of Interest to catch him off guard while dispersing the gas with a Sonic Wave.

  He should have been more vigilant. The pellet could sneak by because Third Eye was only good for things that would affect him, not those around him. Did they figure him out? And where did the pellet-maker go?

  Turning in place, Apex noticed that one of the first men he knocked unconscious was gone.

  “Apex!” Sami called. “Runner! Speedster! Fast guy, whatever you wanna call it! He’s getting them out one by one!”

  In the second it took Apex to register the words, the leader blurred and appeared on top of the deflated giant. Panting hard, he looked to Apex defiantly, struggling to control his breathing. Grimacing behind his goggles, the leader grabbed his subordinate’s clothes. Apex’s eyes widened. The leader tossed a borrowed pellet into the ground and a wall of yellow smoke exploded, shrouding him.

  “No!” Apex called, throwing out a haphazard burst of Goldshine.

  The intruders raced away, blurring out the open hole in the wall. Apex exhaled through his teeth, eyes darting between each of the points of the warehouse.

  “Anything? They’re all gone?” Apex exploded, throwing his arms open as he looked between the members of HUE.

  All eyes were on him, but no one replied, nothing meeting him but the echo of his own voice. The tone came back clear. Rage. Frustration. Anger. The perfect image to scare new recruits. A headache was budding deep in his skull. He’d go drink a metric ton of water once he left the room. Unclenching his fists, Apex stood straight and regarded everyone with a serious gaze before forcing a smile on his face.

  “I’m sorry, everyone. Train hard and we can get them next time,” he assured them.

  “Sorry? Are you kidding me? You just took them all on single-handedly!” Gutshot screamed, clapping large hands together. Ashy debris from a blue pellet cloud covered him, except for a suspiciously Claire-shaped blob in the center of his stomach.

  Others joined him in applause, and Apex was grateful that he hadn’t been too harsh with them, even if he let his frustration slip. He’d have to work on that.

  “Did anyone talk with them long enough to figure out who the lead was? Or what they wanted?” Apex asked.

  “I didn’t talk with them.” Claire raised her binoculars. “But I can tell you what they were talking about. That speedster wasn’t first in command. They were talking to some other guy through their earpieces. Someone else was calling the shots.”