T H E E V E R G L A D E S

---

The airborne members of the team had successfully managed to locate Kobra’s swamp base of operations. The dreadlocked man that Stormcaller had seemingly knocked out, poofed into a plume of smoke. A plume of smoke that clearly moved of its own accord to flee, but left a trail for them to follow. In turn Daphne and her team had managed to escape the alligators unscathed, seemingly through no effort of their own.

They were reunited behind a cluster of trees. Some of the Team members were starting to feel the effects of trudging through this heavy terrain for a good few hours. Unfortunately the toughest part of the mission was still ahead of them. So despite being tired and covered in crusted mud they set their minds to completing their objective.

Kobra’s base was intentionally made to look like a water treatment plant, complete with a warehouse. Only instead of a bland collection of factory workers in jumpsuits, there were armed Kobra agents crossing bridges and using boats to move between the different buildings.

After some shenanigans, the group reunited behind a clusters of trees. They finally found where Kobra was hiding. Having to navigate the swamps of the Everglades was exhausting. His suit was caked with mud, he was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, and he was pretty sure he saw a crocodile look at him like dinmer…

Regardless, the swamps were done, and the hard part was just beginning. The Kobra base was teeming with agents. Zach scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’ll handle this!” Then he pointed his wand and muttered. “Leep ananab”

Instantly, a banana peel materialized in front of a Kobra agent crossing a bridge. He tripped and fell on his butt. Zach giggled at the sight. “They can’t all be flashy and sparkle. Sometimes the classics do the job just fine.”

Location: Mosquito Hell (I wanna go home...)
Interactions: The Team

---

Vincent stood behind the treeline along with his comrades, out of sight as they observed the complex. He would have believed it to be a simple water treatment plant if it weren't for the armed guards patrolling the perimeter. He found himself wondering if it had been built by Kobra, themselves, or if they had "repurposed" it from the people who had worked there. Then, he decided it didn't matter. Kobra was there, now, obviously up to no good, and he was more than eager to start knocking heads together.

His thoughts drifted back to the dreadlocked stranger. He hadn't been given a chance to question the man before Stormcaller dropped from the sky, seemingly knocking him out. At least until he turned into a puff of smoke and skedaddled back to the treatment plant. He wondered about the man, who he was and what he was doing there, but Vincent decided he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

As the rest of his team continued to observe the plant, Vincent began to pace back and forth, much like a caged tiger, eager to break out and sow chaos. He was starting to get impatient, yet he continued to do his best to stay on his leash, at least for the time being. At one point, he had to stifle a laugh when he watched Zach make a guard slip. Before long, he leaned against a tree and started fiddling with a small piece of iron, using it to form random shapes. "Just let me go out there and start cracking some skulls," he eventually suggested. "I'll make enough noise for the rest of you to slip inside. I can handle whatever they throw at me and we all know I'm useless when it comes to sneaking around, anyway."

"If we're prioritizing stealth, send me in." Quiver was confident in his ability to make his way into the facility undetected - the life he had once lived had given him the skills necessary to do so. That however was a double edged sword, as he had carried over more than his fair share of less than admirable traits. But he was feeling this was another chance to demonstrate his value to his teammates. He was perched upon a heavy tree branch above Talos. In spite of his eagerness, he could feel a tightening in his side from the still-healing wounds he had received in his fight with Metamorph. His pride refused to call it what it actually was - a mauling. He waited for further instructions from his team leader. He was dedicated to acting exactly as he was ordered, in order to make up for last time. Stay communicative, stay frosty. No distractions.

"I'm already counting more than 16 visible Kobra. No telling on if any of them are metahumans. Are we expecting to run into more than a few specials?" Quiver asked out loud to the whole team.

Quiver reviewed his current stock of arrowheads, trying to consider which of them might be more viable now that he was more ensconced in the climate here.

Mirage was probably the only one unaffected by the muggy Florida air. She found it quite nice, actually. The wetness of the air was pleasant, and the mosquitoes didn't seem to like her at all.

The only thing missing was her beloved KJ. He would have been a great help with the strange alligators. But they'd talked and cuddled and kissed before she set out. The rest of the team had been absolutely unsurprised when they walked in holding hands after their mutual heartfelt confessions. Alisa even emailed a few hours after, a message that simply read 'I TOLD YOU SO' in sparkly font.

When they approached the Kobra base, she chugged a full bottle of water. "If stealth is the plan, then I'm going with Quiver. Unless they've got some extremely high tech, I won't be noticed either. Perhaps some of you cause trouble and draw attention, while we sneak in?"

Location: Somewhere in the Everglades
Interactions: Nymph
Mentions:

---

Zatara, Mirage, Quiver

Despite the obstacles faced, Viktor was satisfied with the team’s progression on this mission. However, the altercation involving the man who was reported to have turned into “smoke” upon apprehension raised a flag or two. So, Kobra has enlisted more metas to their cause… Viktor tightened the grip on his rifle, yet the hint of a challenging smile adorned his face beneath his visor. The upgrading of personnel had to mean their efforts were raising the concerns of their enemies. The team just needed to keep up the momentum and rise in the face of each adversity Kobra threw at them. Even without the added muscle, their security appeared much tighter as the roving guards left little to no windows of opportunity for someone to dart by without notice.

Viktor had kneeled beside Daphne while the others processed and commented on the situation. He appeared to be hovering but that was quite far from his intention. She hadn’t been in the best condition earlier on, so serving as her readily available aide in guiding the team was where he found himself the most suitable. At the moment, the team was becoming eager to act, and not without reason. Those guarding outside were more than likely expecting them due to the meta that was able to retreat. Zach had tried something quite silly with a banana peel while Will and Kassy inquired about utilizing their talents in stealth.

“What do you think, Nymph? We can run it similar to La Hoya. A dedicated infiltration squad partnered with a diversion squad that’ll reduce enemy oversight. Instead of waiting around watching, the other group will pull attention away from our foes.”

Location: Kobra's hidden base in the Everglades
Interactions: Rain, Talos

---

Daphne was processing everything happening around her, from studying Kobra's movements to the Team's suggestions on how to approach. She listened to Viktor sitting beside her. They'd really come a long way since la Hoya. It wasn't easy to put it into words, but things were definitely different between them. There was a sense of trust and confidence that wasn't there before.

"I think that's a good idea."
Before going to Vincent she turned to him. She had a habit of looking at Viktor while he was wearing his helmet and guessing where his eyes would be.
"I will help Vincent distract the enemy"
Months ago she would have preferred to stay behind and not take the initiative. It wasn't to say she was comfortable putting herself in the fray, but she didn't let the anxiety hold her back.

Daphne pulled up to Vincent and grabbed his hand.
"Let's fly" She said with a wink.

A cloud of petals descended on the first duo of agents standing one of the many connected raised platforms. Before being engulfed by Daphne's pheromones one of them managed to sound alarm.
"They're here! Get the meta's ready!"

Daphne continued to subdue individual and smaller groups of enemies effortlessly. They couldn't shoot her down or stop her approach, not with regular weapons. One of the meta's standing back was catching on to what Daphne was doing, spotting her weak spot. The meta pushed and pulled her hands together in a very strange way, like a spider doing push-ups on a mirror. Slowly a glowing orb of green energy formed in her hands. It pulsed continuously, shooting from her hands up into the sky. It homed in on Daphne who was fluttering close to three agents that were halfway subdued by her powers. The orb wasn't particularly fast but it grew in size as it moved, drawing in small objects from the outside.

Location: Kobra Base, Everglades, Florida
Interactions: Nymph

---

Vincent arched an eyebrow at Daphne when she volunteered to jump into the fray with him. He had never pegged her for being a frontline fighter and he could tell from the look in her eyes that she didn't seem entirely comfortable with the idea, but he couldn't help but respect her for wanting to fight at his side, regardless. With a grin, he unfurled his wings and replied, "Hell, yeah, let's do this!"

With that, he shot straight up into the air as Daphne descended on the complex. He let himself rise above the treetops, his wings glinting in the sunlight as he drew the attention of the guards that weren't already focused on Daphne, before he dove toward the base. He could hear the rapport of gunfire, the snap of bullets flying past him as guards opened fire on him. Most of the shots missed, others pinged off of his wings, and others still ricocheted harmlessly off of his hardened skin. At the last moment before meeting the ground, Vincent reinforced his legs with carbon and flipped in the air. His feet dug furrows into the ground as he skid to a stop, but even during his landing, he didn't let the opportunity to do some damage pass him by as he stuck his carbon-hardened arm out, crashing it into the face of a guard as he passed by.

"Keep the pressure up!" a guard yelled out as he opened fire, the bullets bouncing uselessly off of Vincent's armored skin. "If we can't put him down, we'll make sure he stays put!"

Vincent watched as guards began to gather, each one firing at him as they formed a curved firing line. He covered his entire body in his carbon armor, then further reinforced it by wrapping his wings around himself, the steel shaping itself to conform to his body like a suit of armor. "You really think you can keep me locked down with those peashooters?!" he yelled over the gunfire. He felt his armor tug at his body as he used his power to speed toward the guards, charging in a straight line with no effort to throw off their aim. He grabbed the face of the closest guard, the one who had ordered the others to pin him down, and threw him into another pair of guards. "It's gonna take something a hell of a lot bigger to keep me pinned!"

Despite being close enough for his powers to disable their guns, Vincent let the guards continue to fire at him while he took them down, one by one. It was a waste of concentration when they couldn't hurt him and he couldn't deny the thrill he got by showing his enemies how useless their weapons were against him. He had been holding the last guard by one of the shoulder straps of his bulletproof vest, steel-clad fist raised, when a green light drew his attention. He looked up to find a slow-moving, yet steadily growing sphere of green energy homing in on a group of guards accosted by a cloud of petals. Lowering his gaze, Vincent then noticed the woman performing some strange gesture with her hands. Putting two and two together, he realized the woman was responsible for the sphere of energy and as he tried to figure out how to help Daphne, an idea came to him.

The guard felt a flash of pain as Vincent delivered a quick, hardened headbutt to his forehead, knocking him out. The young hero dropped the guard unceremoniously on the ground and gathered all of the steel on his body into a sphere that hovered over his upturned right palm. He drew his arm back as the sphere stretched out, one end taking on the shape of a large spearpoint. He held his left arm out with his palm facing outward and took aim at the ball of energy, poking his tongue out as he focused. Once he was satisfied, he clenched his left hand into a fist and threw the spear, using his power to put as much oomph into the throw as he could. As the spear flew toward the energy sphere, he took off toward the metahuman responsible for it.

Location: Kobra Warehouse
Interactions: The Team and Enemies too
Mentions:

---

Viktor hadn’t expected Daphne to charge with such haste into the fray. Her loose guidance was something Viktor wasn’t entirely comfortable with. For him, there were too many variables, even if one did trust their team. Or perhaps this was just another instance of nuance being his most formidable enemy in and out of the field.

Daphne and Vincent drew the attention of the Kobra agents with their diametric approaches to combat. The guards were either humiliated by soft petals or bludgeoned by hardened strikes as the two heroes crashed into their enemies.

“Adequate distraction… but…” Viktor didn’t want to be the guy to undermine the plan so he quickly bit his tongue. Perhaps he could just push a few things into place. “Let’s just move. Kass, aid in concealing our approach. Quiver, take point. Iceburn, get up front with him. I'll cover the rear.” Viktor gave the group a firm nod as he held his rifle at the low ready.

The cloaked four-person stealth team moved swiftly to the side of the facility furthest from the commotion Vincent, Daphne, Zach, and Cora were making for the guard force. What came next for the stealth team was simple. The warehouse's owners had briefly sacrificed secure access to the facility by having much of their guard force currently outdoors. Quiver, being the point man would be responsible for entry, something he was no stranger to. With him, was Iceburn, who displayed her ability to breach and seal entry points with her powers. Once inside, the group would find the wide corridor filled with four armed guards who hadn’t noticed them enter just yet. Interestingly enough, the weapons the guards possessed were all too familiar to the team.

The sonic emitter, shockwave gloves, hardening foam rifle, and the electrified bola launcher. These Kobra guards had at least one or two on their person while also wearing red armbands to differentiate them for some reason.

Kobra had somehow also obtained these weapons…

The four guards were the only visible obstacle for the group if they wished to continue forward. A sign above the door ahead reading “GARAGE” made this path’s destination obvious. A garage area might be where the team would be able to obtain a potent sample of whatever chemical compound Kobra was working with since there was likely to be a method of transporting the mysterious chemical compound.

On the other hand, an alternate path, a narrow corridor to their right might allow the team to avoid being spotted entirely but there didn’t appear to be any helpful labeling to show where this path led if it led to anywhere at all. The team had little time. Someone would have to either make the call or they’d all be spotted anyway.

---

Meanwhile, outside…

As Vincent found himself closing in on the meta focused on Daphne, he’d feel bolas wrap around his ankles from behind to trip him before applying its electrical shock. The guards using standard munitions were quickly reinforced by guards with red armbands. Floating high above the commotion was a bald olive-skinned man with a thick full beard with his arms crossed as he calmly observed the team engage the guards below. Another man, with short wavy blonde hair and light stubble, stood behind the hi-tech weapon-toting guards flexing his hands with a slight smirk. Like Vincent a few minutes ago, this guy was itching for a fight. Both men wore similar uniforms with the blonde’s body armor appearing to be more reinforced. His hands began to crackle with multicolored electricity of sorts as he pendulum-stepped in place.

Viktor said something about one team being the infiltration squad, and one team being the distraction squad. Zach was quick to volunteer to be on the distraction squad. “Distractions are my specialty! I’m sure me and Lightning Lass over there can give them a show they won’t forget!” Zach said, gesturing to Cora.

”Yeah, I think we can.” Behind her helmet, Cora grinned at the prospect of some super powered mischief. ”What’re we thinkin’ magic tornado? Thunderstorm? Maybe you make some magic portals and I throw lightning bolts through ‘em?”

Zach’s eyes went wide with excitement. “All of it! Throw everything we got! It’ll be so epic, these goons won’t know what hit ‘em! Etativel” He started hovering in the air, and waving his wand in circles. “Mrots cigam!” Purple storm clouds started to gather, and bolts of purple magic started to strike the ground.

”Oooohhhh yeah. Just watch your eyes, wizard boy.” Cora took a running start and leapt off the ground, propelled into the sky once more by her powers. She weaves through the storm clouds made by Zach’s magic. The lightning strikes didn’t scare her- after all, nothing but her own powers could electrocute her. So in the chaos of the storm, and began to rain down her own bolts of vibrant, neon teal lightning.

The concussive sounds of thunder and the blinding bursts of metahuman lightning lit the swamp up like a Christmas tree.

Zach started laughing like a madman as the goons standing guard outside were panicking at the chaos that was unfolding. “Congratulations lovely people. You get a private spectacle from Zatara the Great and his assistant Stormcaller. Lucky you!”

Cora wasn’t aiming for anything in particular, since if she did, it might give the goons a chance to triangulate where she was through the clouds. Rather, she just floated to and from one cloud to the next, raining them down indiscriminately along the walkways they were using to stay dry. They could take a shot, but they’d risk being too immobile to get blasted.

Zach however did take a shot. He made no attempts to stay hidden, and fired blobs of purple magic at goons that came his way. “Aw… is that…the best you got?” Zach taunted in between gasps for breath. Doing this magical hurricane was taking a lot of magic, and it was taking it’s toll. He started getting red in the face.

Location: Kobra Base, Everglades, Florida

---

Vincent was mid-stride when he felt the bolas begin to wrap around his ankles, tripping him as they shocked him, preventing him from catching himself. Are you serious, this again?! he thought, unable to do much else. He knew he was in trouble, this time. The last time he had been tangled up, the bolas had been attached to a steel plate he detached from his back. This time, they were wrapped directly around his ankles and he couldn’t remove those. Not painlessly, at least, nor would it be a simple matter of reattaching them.

Despite the pain of being shocked, he kept an eye on his opponents. Counting only the armed guards, there were roughly ten of them, four of which bore red armbands. Two of those had bola launchers, one was equipped with shockwave gauntlets, and the last had one of those foam guns he remembered from the bank heist. The guards were arranged in a loose semi-circle around him, their weapons trained in case Vincent managed to free himself. Normally, he wouldn’t be worried, but he found it difficult for him to focus enough to cover himself in his carbon armor. If they decided to open fire then and there, he was a goner.

Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the harbor. He could still feel the increasing weight on his chest, the helplessness of being pinned underneath his rampaging teammate, unable to do anything. And then…

It was dark in the closet. There was shouting, the sound of something breaking. Someone was looking for something, demanding the couple to give it to them. The voice sounded young. The couple said something. There was a stifled sob. Then a furious yell, joined by terrified screams cut short, the splatter of something wet, the sound of a pair of heavy objects hitting the ground…

Vincent slammed his fist on the ground and slowly pushed himself up, using the pain of his split knuckles to focus. The guards all took half a step back, nervous, while the blonde meta seemed to grin wider. ”Never…again…” the young hero growled as a small, black knife of carbon appeared in his hand. Reaching down, he sliced through the wire connecting the metal spheres of the bola and immediately felt the current fade as he let out a sigh of relief. Now able to focus on them, Vincent realized he could sense something familiar about the bolas…

“Fire!” came the order just as gunfire erupted all around Vincent. In the split second it took for the order to be given and the first shots to find their mark, the young hero’s body was covered in his signature carbon armor, protecting him. Then came a pair of bolas, but Vincent was prepared, this time. ”That’s not gonna work, anymore,” he said with a grin.

The moment they were within range, he reached out with his power, calling to the steel he sensed within the electrified spheres, and forced them to change course. The glove-wielder and the guard with the foam gun, taken by surprise, couldn’t react fast enough before they found themselves ensnared, crying out as they received the same treatment Vincent freed himself from. Now able to counter both the bullets and the bolas, he was free to turn his focus toward the bigger threats: the metas.

He glanced at the bald man floating in midair, then the blonde on the ground, who only seemed to grow more excited at the prospect of a fight. He had no idea about either man’s abilities, but every instinct seemed to tell him that the bald man was probably the bigger problem. Which meant he had to go down first.

Drawing from the air, Vincent layered more carbon on top of his arms and legs before he jumped toward the bald one. He called on his power to pull him through the air, giving him more height and speed, before he lashed out with a heavy right hook.

---

"On it, bossman." Iceburn said, moving up with Quiver. [color=pink["Let's rob these suckers blind."[/color] She ran along side everyone. No normal door could stop her with her ability to essentially make controlled explosives, and reseal them all in one go. Needless to say, she felt pretty badass.

Kass was obscuring them as they went, which meant they got the drop on the four bad guys.

"Let's each take one." She whispered. "I got the sonic emitter guy!"

She ran out from their hiding spot and jumped ontop of a nearby crate, propelling herself off of it and into the air. She punched the air with her palm, creating a rotating, crackling ball of cryomantic energy. Then she slammed into it with her other hand, sending it out like a rocket towards the man with the sonic emitter on the left of the four person guard team.

It would detonate at his feet, looking to send him flying back into the wall or into the ground. Assuming her teammates had her back, she would surge forward and send a two handed wave of ice energy to freeze him to where he had stuck, immobilizing him and preventing him from using any communication devices. "Ice to meet you- nevermind."

“You want me to take point? Now you sound like a leader.” Quiver called out to Rain while running ahead alongside Iceburn. Quiver felt a chilled wind as he ran alongside her– shivers running throughout his body. An interesting phenomenon considering how hot and muggy the environment had been. Quiver watched his teammate leap out from their spot and deftly launch herself into the air. He took a moment to admire her as she used her cryomancy to immediately make one of the four guards in their way a complete non-issue.

Quiver watched as a beam of cold blasted the enemy, freezing the guard mid-cry. He smirked – Iceburn was truly a force to be reckoned with.
He knocked an arrow and lined up a shot – directly at the guard in a block of ice. Running at full speed directly at him, Quiver fired. An arrow that at first glance ended with a single steal tip suddenly expanded in a moment, forming into what looked like a boxing glove. It smacked hard against the block of ice and it began to teeter over it. The young hooded hero didn’t stop his pace, he leapt atop the frozen guard and with enough of the momentum he slid across the ground using the poor soul as a makeshift surfboard.

Using the momentum, Quiver jumped high into the air as his makeshift board crashed against a series of crates – almost letting Will soar over the remaining guards. Two arrows fired off rapidly at the nearest guard. The helmeted KOBRA guard aimed his weapon at the scarlet hero. By all accounts he had him dead to rights.

He pulled the trigger, but instead of the satisfaction of blasting this punk kid superhero wannabe, his gun exploded backwards, a near giant wave of hardening foam quickly enveloping his entire body. He tried quickly to turn and run, but it was already thickening and he couldn’t swim with the tide. Soon a hulking hard foam statue was hunched over the walkway.

Quiver had time to narrowly avoid a shock blast fired in his direction – it sent him sprawling, rolling along the ground where he landed with a crash against a metallic door.

Within the short decision-making window, the raid squad had made their choice to assault the guards in the hall. Iceburn had taken the initiative, freezing one of the four guards. Quiver made haste in capitalizing on the frozen enemy to take out the next, trapping him in his own foam. If this swift takedown were to be successful, Kassy and Viktor would need to act now.

“Mirage.” Viktor urged as he was stationed at the very rear of the group.

Mirage was third in line, impressed with the swift and clean execution. She would have to congratulate them somehow after they got home. And after she sat in the sea for a day or two. She didn't want to say it, but she was beginning to feel unwell.

Illusion masking for herself was easy. Illusion masking for 4 people was harder. She could feel her magic pushing against the bounds that Atlantis had set on it. Her head throbbed like someone was playing a drumbeat, in time with the hot pressure of the cuff on her wrist. There was no time for this, though. Nothing for it but to keep going.

With the other two revealed, it did lessen the strain. And Rain could handle himself. "Go. Quick." She disappeared completely with that. There was a brief look of note from Viktor, his tinted visor masking his raised eyebrow. He had presumed she'd try to engage at least one of the enemies but that possibility was dead and gone as his body instinctively moved to dispatch their remaining foes.

Rifle in hand, Viktor rushed forth, firing a taser round into one of the two henchmen's legs as they reacted to the speed in which their colleagues were being taken out. He barely yelped before Viktor closed the distance between them with his inhuman speed, crushing the man between himself and the wall. With the first man pinned and losing consciousness, Viktor had his barrel raised to the next who had already had Viktor in his crosshairs.

"Gh-"The soldier gasped suddenly, the crosshairs of his gun wavering. Then the gun dropped as he clutched his neck. Kassy flickered in and out of sight like a dying bulb. Her gold-gauntleted arm was wrapped firmly around the soldier's neck, and the man's panicked gasps were terribly silent. It was like a horror movie on mute.

She stopped squeezing as soon as she felt her foe lose consciousness and slump in her arms. She kicked the fallen gun aside before setting the man against a wall. "...phew." Slowly, she exhaled as she pushed back her damp white curls. "Well done."

“Yeah. No more cloaking for now. I think we should hit the garage next. What we're looking for might be inside as well as a vehicle we can use for extraction.”

Kassy nodded, looking off for a moment before deciding to speak her mind. "Have I gotten used to failure… or is this too easy?"

T H E E V E R G L A D E S

---

The team had split but they were far from divided. Inside the base, Iceburn, Quiver, Rain, and Mirage were attempting to find the chemical compound being put to use at this location. Outside of the base, Stormcaller, Zatara, Nymph, and Talos drew the attention of the enemy that attacked with firearms, hi-tech weaponry, and metahuman abilities. One group was faced with the stress of facing the majority of the forces stationed at the facility, while the other was faced with the stress of trying to locate the objective as soon as possible. If one group failed, the other was doomed, though this was not unknown to them. Those outside fought against their foes with tenacity while the others within were swift and decisive against the obstacles against them.

Outside
Much was happening. A sudden thunderstorm, magic blobs, and flying metahumans. With Vincent’s attention going from one enemy to another, Daphne was left to face the woman who had the ability to send the ominous gravitational orbs. It was good that he had thrown a spear into the first one she generated, as it had grabbed Daphne’s attention. She had been busy attempting to incapacitate henchmen to notice previously. However, when Vincent had thrown the spear, the metahuman woman’s giant green orb pulled the projectile into itself. Daphne still could not understand what this ability was but she knew that she couldn’t get too close to it. Perhaps she could try what Vincent was previously attempting to do before he was hit with the bolas. Daphne decided to continue using her petal form to pacify the henchmen but in reality, she was maneuvering closer and closer to the woman using her ability to expand the green orb. The green orb seemed to have a new target now, climbing into the air while continuing to expand.

Meanwhile, a more direct confrontation was occurring as Vincent flew toward the metahuman floating above. The bearded metahuman briefly had his attention on Cora’s display in the sky but couldn’t just ignore the person flying at him. The man chuckled to himself as he found his response to Vincent’s charge rather humorous. First, he pointed at Vincent, and then with same finger, he pointed downward. Vincent would feel an invisible force pulling him down toward the mud.

At the same time, the man with the multicolored electricity took advantage of Vincent going after his associate and quickly intercepted Zatara’s path. The blonde guy squared up on Zach for half a second before attempting to do him in like Houdini, firing a swift gut punch while still wearing his charm smirk. If hit, Zach wouldn’t feel more pain than he’d expected. The punch wasn’t all that painful despite how the guy threw it… Instead, Zach would begin to strongly experience the feeling of doubt.

Inside
With the four guards swiftly taken out, the infiltration group was presented with the opportunity to enter the garage area. The option of doubling back to go deeper into the facility was also available, though it did not appear to be necessary. If the group decided to enter the doors to the garage, they’d find themselves faced with a quickly alert guard force of up to half a dozen men. The guards are equipped with the hi-tech weapons the team experienced at the bank.

If the team chose to travel deeper into the facility instead of the garage, they would experience traversing long narrow hallways lined with a few empty office spaces before coming across a large dim-lit windowless room that appeared to be empty. However, a keen eye could make out the figures hugging the room’s shadows.

Make your choice.

Zach was starting to get tired from maintaining this magical lighting storm. Which is why Zach barely had time to react, before the blonde guy punched him in the gut. Despite the nature of the attack, it was surprisingly weak, and Zach wasn’t particularly hurt by it.

Instead of physical pain, a wave of uncertainty washed over him. He fell to his knees, and clutched his stomach as if he were in agony. Doubts clouded his mind. Why am I even here? I’m not helping, I just get in the way. The others can do this better. Am I really cut out for this, or am I just trying to play catch-up to my cousin?

These doubts paralyzed Zach, making it difficult for him to think clearly. He had never felt so unsure of himself, and the sensation was crippling.

Location: Kobra Base, Everglades, Florida

---

Vincent's fist was about to make contact when he suddenly felt a powerful force pull him back down to the ground. He managed to get his legs underneath himself before landing on the ground. His feet sank deeply into the mud as he struggled to stand up straight, feeling as though he weighed several times more than usual. ”What…the hell…?” he muttered. He had fought his fair share of telekinetics during his underground fighting days, but this felt different, somehow.

He lifted his head just in time to see the approaching tree trunk and crossed his arms as he hardened them. The partially rotted trunk shattered as it made contact with Vincent’s defense, then kept flying into the treeline behind him. Gotta move! he thought as he encased his limbs and torso in carbon. Using his power, he wrenched himself free from the mud and his opponent’s power, feeling virtually weightless compared to when he was trapped. He slid to a stop, turning to face his opponent as he did. The man was doing a good job of keeping Vincent from getting in close and from where he hovered, it would be difficult for the young hero to find a blindspot. Guess I’ll just have to make one, he thought as a tiny sphere of carbon appeared, hovering in the air next to him.

He wasn’t used to it, but Vincent knew he had no choice but to play defensively. He darted around his opponent, dodging crushing forces or tanking heavy projectiles, as he continued to collect carbon, condensing it into the small sphere. He pushed his focus to the limit, careful not to lose concentration on the sphere or his armor, knowing that without it, he was nowhere near as durable as some of his friends. Once he felt he had gathered enough carbon, he closed his hand around the sphere, then leapt at the bald man, only to be sent back into the ground with a crash that knocked the wind out of him.

“A shame. You almost had me,” the man taunted as he floated closer to Vincent, who lay prone. He held his hand out, ready to crush Vincent, and asked, “Any last words before I take care of your friends?”

”Just…a correction…” Vincent strained. He grinned and opened his hand. ”Gotcha right...where I want you…!” With that, he relaxed his focus and the carbon marble erupted in a thick, black cloud, turning the world dark.

T H E E V E R G L A D E S

---

While half of the team inside contemplated their next move, the others outside were engaged in a battle to draw the attention of the enemy forces to them. So far, it seemed to be working well, though one could say it was working too well. Daphne was attempting to close the distance between herself and the young woman sending a now massive glowing green orb in Cora’s direction. It was now bright enough to give the immediate area an unnatural green tint. While it floated toward Cora, it was still unknown what the attack could do, but it could change direction to follow its intended target. Daphne needed to move faster.

Meanwhile, the man facing Vincent, instinctively raised a hand to protect his face. Damn! He thought as he jumped and shifted his personal field of gravity so he could fly backward and out from the carbon cloud. Even though he had gotten out of such a dangerous situation, he was disappointed in the fact he could let something like that happen. His experience told him he may have just lost this but he would simply quit. This was no sparring match or honorary duel. He’d defeat his opponent by any means.

“Fire on him! He’s in the cloud!” The man shouted as he readied his hands to dish out powers if he caught even a glimpse of Vincent leaving the black cloud that continued to expand. He planned to keep his distance from it but the armed henchmen inched closer and set up a crossfire while encroaching on the cloud.

Closeby, the meta that downed Zach scoffed in disbelief.

“One hit? You mean to tell me I got lucky and hit the most worthless guy on the team? What do you even have magic for?” He laughed a little before patting the top of Zach’s tophat, the multicolored electricity now absent. “Just do everyone a favor and sit this one out, alright?” With a swift motion, he punched down onto Zach’s hat with a normal physical punch. “I’m sure your parents would rather you be a normie than getting folded like this,” he commented as he walked in the direction of the fluttering pink petals he noticed taking out many of the henchmen in the distance.

Quiver groaned softly, leaning against the metallic wall he was thrown against. He could feel fresh bruising and his arm went to his side, as they immediately started throbbing in pain. He looked over to Mirage.

“I’ll answer that once someone checks my stitches”

He gathered himself, drawing in his resolve with a deep breath through clenched teeth as he stood up. He’d be okay, he always was. At least right up until he wasn’t. Hopefully they don’t have any run-ins with a Metahuman with Kilimanjaro adjacent claws.

With the others having dispatched their targets, the four young heroes were now alone in the space. In the distance Quiver could hear the unmistakable sounds of violence, those sparkling blasts that signaled Zatara at work chief among them. A strange sense of Deja vu struck him. He was back on the team. Even if mangled and in recovery. It felt good, even if Rain was here. And even at that Quiver could tell he was half in jest.

Still, there was something strange. Mirage was right, they had torn through the their opposition. While the others were still out there engaged.

”Rain, what was the information we had about this place? If Batman and the others wanted details, further in is our best option to make this a success.”

He pointed down the continued halls, where multiple doors remained close, and strangely enough…no reinforcements were currently charging them. And after the kind of noise that Iceburn tends to make when she really lets loose, that was as shocking as anything else.

"On it." Mirage walked to Quiver immediately, gesturing for him to turn. They both flickered out of sight as she did so. "I'm not sure if you're joking or not. But we might as well do it while we have a moment." She'd gotten fairly good at medical care while the team had been healing. It was even fulfilling for her, in a different way than hero work. Her hands were cold and yet gentle as she checked him over.

"I agree with going further in. Let's get this done and back to the others." Even as she was speaking, those outside her quick illusion could see a visual shift, like Mirage and Quiver were behind a warped pane of glass. Distored, but visible.