Outside, Royd was fighting off a whole gang of Red Rings thugs. He knocked a man to the ground, dodged gunfire from the roof, then threw the man on the ground up at the roof attackers. One of them ducked down, and as he peeked back up, he was hit by the table Royd threw.

  Half a dozen more men piled out into the courtyard with Royd. He squared his fists up, ready to keep fighting, even against a man staring him down with glowing red scimitars. But as they stepped toward each other, a blast rang out between them, knocking both parties back.

  From the smoke, Mecha Man arose.

  “Oh, this is the premium package,” Robert told Royd, hovering mid-air in front of him. “Royd, you really outdid yourself.”

  “Da man is Mecha again!” Royd smiled, holding his arms out wide. “Just like ridin’ a bike, eh?”

  At least a dozen more goons piled into the courtyard with them. A familiar voice spoke up:

  “This is great,” Toxic said, stepping into view with his dick on full display. “Obviously the suit doesn’t work without the Astral Pulse, so it is really nice of you to bring it to us.”

  He stood straighter, more cocky. “Your dad would be so proud of you if he wasn’t dead.” He smirked. “Cause Shroud killed him. Like he’s gonna kill you and all your friends.”

  A scraggly voice yelled from behind Toxic, “And break their fuckin’ arms!”

  Armstrong broke through a floor-to-ceiling window and stepped forward. Both of his tiny little human arms were in casts.

  “Right, sure,” Toxic sighed. “We can break all their arms right before we kill them. Super weird crime scene. Or, just give us the Pulse and we’ll let you live.”

  “With broken fuckin’ arms,” Armstrong added.

  “Of course,” Toxic said.

  “Both arms!” Armstrong pressed. “Each! Each one gets broken—”

  “Everyone gets it,” Toxic cut him off. “Okay? We see the casts. You’re making it weird.”

  “If you want it,” Robert said, “come and claim it.”

  “What a fuckin’ dork,” Toxic said.

  “Wait, why am I a dork?” Robert asked.

  “Oh, you’re telling me you’re not referencing—who says ‘claim?’”

  “I do, motherfucker. I’m not referencing shit. That’s a Mecha Man original.”

  A shadow fell across the entire courtyard. Robert looked around, then up.

  “Crazy, right?” Toxic asked. “It’s like, real big but super quiet. So cool.”

  Armstrong stepped forward and crossed his arms. “So fuckin’ cool!”

  A giant mech loomed atop the building, black metal and red lighting. It had multiple limbs all spouting from a spherical central cockpit, making it look like a twisted version of a mechanical spider. The red light of the cockpit revealed Shroud sitting inside.

  “Your dad said he’d help me build a mech if I helped him build the Astral Pulse,” Shroud’s robotic intonation warbled. “Just another promise he didn’t come through on.”

  “Th-that’s what this is all about?” Robert asked. “You need it to power your stupid spider shit?”

  “It’s not stupid,” Toxic said.

  “Come on, kid,” Shroud said. “Using the Pulse to power a mech is like plugging your cell phone into a nuclear reactor. No, I’m gonna use the Pulse to change the world.”

  Robert asked, “Well does your little app predict—”

  “—me beating your ass?” Shroud finished the question with him.

  Royd and Mecha Man looked at each other in surprise.

  “Oooew,” Toxic cooed. “They don’t like that.”

  Mecha Man looked back up at Shroud.

  The spider-mech pulsed with energy.

  Robert surged his suit’s thrusters and launched toward Shroud. Twin energy blades erupted from his suit’s wrists. He swung, Shroud dodged.

  Shroud shot red lasers at him, he blocked with the energy blades.

  Shroud’s claw shot out and grabbed him, then he threw Mecha Man down onto his back.

  The spider-mech jumped into the air and landed on Mecha Man, pinning the limbs down. The spherical core of the spider-mech began repeatedly slamming into Mecha Man. After several hits, rocket boosters ignited on several of the spider’s free limbs, launching them both into the air, then slamming them back down to the ground.

  He heard Royd yell, “You alright, bruddah?”

  Then Royd dodged right as Shroud threw Mecha Man at him.

  Robert jumped his suit back onto its feet and launched into the sky. He looked back and saw Shroud following him up. He spun around to face him.

  Mecha Man launched a flurry of cluster bombs at Shroud.

  The spider-mech blasted them one by one, then surged up to grab Mecha Man. They tangled and spun up in the air.

  “Are you trying yet?” Shroud goaded. “Or is this just the warm-up round?”

  They slammed back down into the ground.

  The dust cleared and the spider-mech crawled out of the crater, holding Mecha Man in one claw. “Slick paint job,” Shroud said. “Still got that new car shine.”

  Blonde Blazer flew out of the sky, attempting to attack Shroud, but a claw shot out and grabbed her.

  He pulled her around in front of his canopy. “You’re late. My calculations had you showing up 30 seconds ago.”

  “Sorry to disappoint,” Blazer struggled against the claw’s grip.

  Shroud began choking Blazer with one of the spider’s smaller hands. “I can’t tell you how boring life is without surprises.”

  Several blips were inbound on Robert’s screen. “Well, then it’s a good thing I can’t even predict what these idiots are gonna do.”

  Blazer struggled for several more seconds, then she smirked and her entire body shattered into shards of prismatic light—one of Prism’s illusions.

  Shroud breathed, “What the fuck?”

  Twin fireballs shot out of the sky, slamming into the spider mech. When the smoke cleared, the real Blonde Blazer shot forward, knocking the spider-mech to the dirt.

  A horde of goons was laying suppressive fire down on Royd in the courtyard, until a giant Bat Monster wearing a tie attacked from above and Golem attacked from underground.

  The spider mech stood back up just as Mecha Man pushed himself to his feet, joined by Prism, Flambae, and a golden-glowing Blonde Blazer.

  “It doesn’t matter if I’m fighting one or all of you,” Shroud seethed. “The outcome is the same.”

  He lurched forward and slammed a claw down. They all scrambled in different directions, launching a flurry of counter attacks. Shroud launched a beam of red energy at Prism, but she formed a light shield and blocked. Mecha Man shot two energy discs from his wrists, and they ground through the concrete toward Shroud. The spider-mech dodged, then pounced on Mecha Man.

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  Punch Up was throwing fists and a whole gang of goons. Waterboy shot himself into the air with a spiral of water, then landed in a tackle on three guys at the same time. Flambae charged in, flying around the spider-mech and blasting it with fire while Prism hopped up platforms made of light, closing the distance.

  “Are you the best SDN has to offer?” Shroud taunted as he continued to trade blows. He managed to hit Flambae, knocking him over against the side of a van.

  Prism got high enough to create a pyramid of light directly above the spider-mech, then yelled, “Miss Blazer!” She hopped away but Shroud blasted the platform she landed on, shattering it.

  As Prism fell, Blazer blasted the pyramid with a golden beam, sending a rainbow of light energy blasting down onto Shroud’s mech.

  Just as Prism’s back was about to hit the ground, a portal opened, and she stumbled back onto solid footing in the courtyard, her back running into Malevola’s. She ducked just as Malevola swung her giant sword at an enemy.

  Mecha Man and Blonde Blazer were throwing hands with the spider-mech.

  “Too slow!” Shroud yelled, and Mecha Man was sent flying to land on his back.

  Blazer rose up in the air, charging power in her fists. She cried out and sent a blast hurtling toward the spider-mech, but it rolled and dodged, sending a flurry of lasers back at her.

  Robert launched up into the sky, but Shroud’s mech grabbed him and threw him back into the building. Blazer was falling out of the sky, but Phenomaman arrived, catching her.

  “I hope my saving you from collision was appropriate,” he said.

  “It was… phenomenal,” she let out an exasperated laugh.

  Golem was in hand to hand combat with Armstrong. Sonar was battling goons in the same courtyard, sending them flying while Malevola fought more off with her sword. The tattooed crocodile from the bar looked at Malevola and charged up a blast of heat in his throat, but Invisigal leapt out from behind him, knocking him down just as he let the heat blast go.

  Malevola looked up at her. “You know you’re not technically on the team anymore, right?”

  “Oh, great,” Visi replied. “I’ll just go then.”

  Golem landed in between them.

  Armstrong spat, “Invisibitch,” and swung at Visi, forcing her to dodge away.

  Mecha Man was on his hands and knees, pushing himself back up. Toxic spoke up behind him, “We never finished our dance, Mecha Man.”

  “Actually,” Robert said, standing up and turning around. “I got the guy for ya.”

  Toxic laughed as Punch Up strode forward. “Wow, you really think this little fuckin’ Lucky Charm is a match for me?”

  “He’s got a special move,” Robert said.

  Punch Up reloaded his fists.

  “See ya,” Robert said, and flew away.

  Shroud said, “Where’d you come from?” as he fought with Blazer and Phenomaman. Blazer and Shroud traded beam blasts back and forth, then Shroud’s mech was sent tumbling as Phenomaman rammed into it.

  But when they rolled to a stop, Shroud held Phenomaman captive, each of his limbs held tight by a large claw. “I see you,” Shroud said, the large, red canopy of his mech face to face with the hero.

  A powerful red energy beam blasted Phenomaman, launching him into the sky, up through the clouds.

  ***

  Mal and Visi looked up as they saw Phenomaman blasted away. Mecha Man and Blazer were in the air, and they weren’t alone.

  “Go,” Visi told Mal. She squared up with Armstrong again.

  ***

  Blazer pulled up next to Mecha Man in the air. “Robert, this isn’t working. He knows our next move before we do!” She dodged several laser blasts from Shroud.

  Something small hit Mecha Man’s back multiple times. Black daggers, glowing red with energy. When he turned around, more attacked him, enveloping his entire suit in red energy and yanking him higher into the sky.

  The cloud of daggers brought him high into the sky, where Coupé waited, glowing red. “I’ve never been more insulted in my life,” she seethed. “You fire me, a literal assassin, for some moronic bum fuck bat boy? He shits in the parking lot, did you know that? Ask the cleaners how much guano they come across.”

  She launched the cloud of daggers back at Mecha Man, forcing him to throw a shield up on his arm.

  When it passed, Robert said, “Being a professional yourself, you should know. It wasn’t personal.”

  “Well, it was personal for me,” she said.

  More daggers flew at him. He dodged and she chased him through the skies. He launched cluster bombs at her, but they exploded from her daggers.

  She managed to jam his thrusters and stick enough daggers in him to completely envelop him in her red energy again. Things looked dire, but a golden blast of energy shot between them.

  “Coupé!” Blazer shouted. “Stop.”

  She rose up in mid-air, the two women squaring off with each other.

  “You’re not the boss of me, bitch,” Coupé readied more daggers to throw. “So you don’t get to tell me who and who not to murder anymore.”

  She launched the daggers, but Blazer dodged and shot them, trying to placate again. “Hey, we’re your friends. Please. This isn’t you. Help us stop Shroud and earn your spot back on the Z-Team.”

  Coupé paused, looking down at the battling courtyard below.

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” she finally answered. “I thought I had friends, but you made me realize I never actually did. So now, I’m just doing what’s right for me.” She raised a hand, more daggers swirling in the air around her, landing along her arm like a sword.

  Robert got ready to attack.

  “Z-Team,” Coupé said. “What a stupid name.”

  With a roar, she launched toward Blazer, swinging her sword arm. Blazer dodged, and the two traded blows, dodging and blocking each other.

  Robert fought with the controls inside his Mech, struggling to break free of the control Coupé held him in.

  “Those wings of hers are a problem,” Blazer said. “I’ll try to get you an opening.”

  ***

  Robert kept fighting with the controls, but nothing was working. Then a sound caught his attention.

  “Psst, hey babes.” Malevola was hanging off the front of his mech suit. A red portal closed in the air above her. “Need a hand?”

  Robert chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

  She swung over top and started hacking at the daggers stuck in his thrusters. They finally fired and Robert yelled, “Mal! I’m gonna spin!”

  “Go!” She planted her feet and hopped off the mech, disappearing through a portal mid-air.

  As Mecha Man spun, the centrifugal force freed the rest of the daggers. He rejoined the fight with Blazer, and the two of them danced in the air with Coupé for a minute.

  Then the assassin landed right on the front of his mech’s chest. Robert partially opened his cockpit, and kicked her in the chest. She flew back into Blazer’s arms.

  Blazer pinned her in a full nelson. “Robert, now!”

  He raised both mech arms to aim, and Coupé launched a cloud of daggers. They jammed into his weapons, preventing him from firing his energy discs.

  “Shit!” Robert yelled.

  Coupé threw her head back into Blazer’s nose, thrashing and almost breaking free of her grip.

  “Robert, she’s slipping loose!” Blazer yelled.

  “I’m trying!”

  Coupé flailed hard, got an elbow free—

  Malevola fell from above, carving one of her wings off.

  She continued to fall, went through a portal, and immediately re-emerged from another portal, carving the second wing off. A third portal brought her to land atop Mecha Man.

  All of Coupé’s daggers lost their telekinetic control, falling loose from Robert’s mech suit.

  “Now maybe the bitch can cool off,” Malevola muttered.

  Coupé was still wriggling in Blazer’s grasp, but all the gas had gone out of her struggle when she lost her wings.

  A pained cry rang out from below.

  “Shit,” Malevola said, “think that’s Visi.”

  She hopped through a portal.

  “L-let me go!” Coupé screamed. She sounded distraught and alone, tears running down her face.

  “Coop,” Blazer tried pleading.

  ***

  The wing equipment on Coupé’s back exploded, launching Blazer backward.

  Coupé fell from the sky, unconscious.

  Robert shot after her, trying to catch her, but Shroud hit him from the side before he could reach her.

  Blazer launched after Coupé. A hole had been blown open down into the basement of SDN, and Blazer surgically shot a blast of energy, tapping Coupé’s unconscious body and rolling her toward the hole. She barely managed to catch her before she hit the basement concrete.

  Robert skidded to a halt, reeling from Shroud’s attack, his mech produced a hilt, and it ignited in a blue energy sword. He charged Shroud, and swung.

  Malevola was back in the fight with Armstrong, his mechanical arms blocking her greatsword. He grabbed the blade and laughed, but Visi appeared on Mal’s back and ran up the blade, kneeing Armstrong in the face. He staggered backward, and the two women regrouped next to each other.

  Prism grabbed a man’s eyes and blasted him with light. He screamed in pain, grabbing at his eyes. Then she started shooting little light blasts all around with finger guns. A woman with telekinesis was hurling chunks of concrete at people but Flambae whirled around her, and she screeched in pain as she burned alive.

  Toxic hopped on one leg, staggering backward as Punch Up clung to his other leg, repeatedly punching him in the groin. Toxic finally fell on his back, groaning, “My dick! My perfect dick!”

  Punch Up chuckled, hopped up, and hurried away.

  Armstrong sent Mal flying, then picked Visi up with one of his mechanical arms. He held her off the ground, choking her.

  Mal hurled her sword at them.

  Visi caught it.

  Then she sliced his mechanical arm off.

  “Ahhh, fuck!” Armstrong cried out, falling to his knees.

  “Calm down,” Visi said, “it was your weak hand, you can still jerk off.”

  “Bitch I’m left handed!” Armstrong cried.

  “Oh,” Visi shrugged.

  Malevola crossed her arms. “Maybe if you grip it with the severed one and hold it with—”

  Visi kicked him in the chest and handed the sword back.

  Mal shrugged. “Yeah you know what fair enough.”

  Mecha Man continued to struggle with Shroud. The energy sword was knocked from his grip, landing tip first in the ground. It stood there like a flag between the two adversaries. Blazer spotted them and charged in to attack. Shroud was looking at Mecha Man, and Robert saw the central blast begin to charge.

  “Wait.” He realized it wasn’t for him.

  Blazer’s fist cocked back as she charged, eyes burning gold.

  “No!” Robert yelled.

  Shroud turned at the last second, blasting Blazer point blank in the chest. She went flying back through the doors of SDN, slammed into a pile of rubble, and fell down into the basement.