A Team Would Be Nice

Cinder steadied her arms, raising them up like a shield. She didn't know much about fighting, but she could tell just from one glance that Green Wolf was far scarier than anything she had seen before.

Battery, on the other hand, was slack. His arms were at his side, the only sign he was ready for combat, a faint golden glow slowly pouring from beneath his skin already.

"Who are they?" White Lamb asked, cocking her head to the side.

Green Wolf took a step forward, and it took all her willpower to not take one back. "These two? Oh, they're going to be my newest entertainment." He flicked his knife into the air, letting it spin before catching it. "Right, you two."

She tried to say something but found her throat had locked up. "Let him go." Battery said, nodding towards the man who was tied up. "Also, turn yourself in."

"Nah."

"Then we'll use force." Battery threatened.

"That's the plan." Green Wolf snickered.

She didn't like him. He was strong. Almost everyone knew that. At such a young age, he had managed to take over part of the city and swallow up several of the stronger groups. He was only in his twenties and already people considered him to be the next big bad. A villain that if you were to kill him, most people would throw you a party. It all came from his superpower.

A kinetic manipulator. All movement required kinetic energy, and Green Wolf could high jack his body's own usage, or the use of things he touched and toy around with it. This is what allowed him to slice people up from a distance. It also meant he was basically untouchable. You could punch him, but by the time your strike would land he would simply absorb all the kinetic energy making your blows do very little damage.

Rumor was this power even let him survive an attack from the Victorian with only a light paper cut.

"Why are you doing this?" She finally managed to speak. She kept her arms up at all times ready to block as the man's head snapped towards her. "You're the same as Red Ape."

"I'm the same as that loser?" The bad guy sounded pretty offended being compared to the madman.

"Yeah." She nodded, gripping her hand into a fist. "You're hurting someone for no reason. You kill people for no reason. I don't get it. You have powers like me. Why would you ever decide to not use them to help people? What do you get out of being a villain?"

The man seemed to pause for a moment. He actually pondered the question and finally found his answer letting out a hum. "It's fucking fun."

"Same answer as Red Ape. You really are no better than he is. We beat him, and we'll beat you too." She declared.

"Lamb, is there anyone else around us?" Green Wolf asked.

"Nowhere near our bubble." White Lamb said, slumping down.

"Good." Green Wolf looked down at a wristwatch he wore. "Then I'll give you both, let's say five minutes of my time. That sounds fair, right?" Whether they agreed or not, it didn't matter as a second later the man was already slicing his weapon out.

They were dozens of feet away from him, but it didn't stop them from dodging. An unseen force struck the part of the wall they had been standing at leaving a gash across it.

Green Wolf's laughter filled the room as he brought his weapon up, and down, left, and right, invisible waves of damage tearing everything apart. The only indication they had as to where his attacks would land was where the edge of the knife pointed to.

Green Wolf didn't just sit still though. That would have been at least a little fair. Instead he danced across the room with them, moving at inhuman speed and switching what hand held the knife in an effort to throw them off. Her eyes stung as she tried to keep up with his fast movements, and a blink was all it took for her to make a mistake.

He was on her in an instant getting so close she had no chance to dodge. As he swung she threw her arms up in an effort to block only to quickly realize how bad of an idea that was. Battery was faster though and before Green Wolf's blade could fire off its slash, he shot first, not aiming at Green Wolf, but rather Cinder. His energy smashed into her and instead of shocking her it clung to her body forming around her like a bubble.

Green Wolf's dagger sliced out, and she felt as if she received a gut punch as she was launched back, but the bubble around her held strong making sure she wasn't split in two.

"Thanks for the save-" She groaned, quickly rolling away as the villain slammed down with a slash aimed at her neck. She kicked at his legs as hard as she could, but the attack did nothing as soon as she made contact with him. She managed to scoot back and suck in her gut as she slashed at her, cutting through part of her jacket but thankfully missing her flesh.

The villain twirled the knife, and even from beneath his mask, she knew he was smirking as he went to bring it down, only for another beam of gold to smash into his back, causing him to stumble. She took her chance and shoved him with all her strength. It didn't do much, but he was pushed a little further away and forced to block another strike from Battery with his knife slicing through the beam of energy the hero launched.

Battery moved fast zooming across the room and placed his palm on Green Wolf's back while the villain got ready to unleash another slash. Just like the bubble he had put around her, his golden energy grew out, and he trapped Green Wolf in a barrier of light. The barrier rapidly began to shrink but Green Wolf simply flexed and it shattered to pieces blowing Battery back.

Green Wolf threw a knife at Battery, but the hero blasted it out of the air, the golden energy coursing through his body. Golden electricity seemed to almost dance on his hands and feet. Jack brought the fight to the villain, practically gliding across the floor in a second and reaching the man. Green met Gold as the villain blocked a punch with his bare hand.

Green Wolf kicked up and despite not reaching Battery the force of his attack still carried and slammed into Battery's gut knocking the man over. From his sleeve Green Wolf produced a new knife, this one a simple switch-blade which he flicked open causing the roof and floor to tear apart.

Cinder dived into the action, grabbing the man by his elbow. He might be immune to her punches, but she could still use her strength in another way. She spun and lifted him off of the ground and then let go, sending him hurling through the air, where he crashed into the wall skull first. White Lamb giggled as Green Wolf slumped down awkwardly from the throw.

"Thanks for the save." Battery muttered. He was rubbing at his left hand, the one that he had punched with, which was smoking, and she couldn't help but wonder how his heart was doing.

"Be honest, can we win this?" She asked quietly. Green Wolf was slowly standing back up, dusting himself off. The man wasn't even slightly hurt.

"We don't have to beat him." Battery grunted. "Being a hero isn't about just beating bad guys. It's about saving the day. In this case saving ourselves."

"Well, if you're going to be that way." Green Wolf chuckled. "I'll stop holding back." He produced another knife from his sleeve holding two of them now which he raised in an 'X' shape. "Twice the fun now!" 'X' shaped gashes carved into the walls, roof, and floor, in all directions spreading out. Then he swung out with both weapons.

She got ready to dodge but stopped when nothing happened. No attack came out. Instead, something far worse had happened. Green Wolf was gone. As in one moment he was there, and then the next he simply vanished. Mr. Larison froze up and his eyes narrowed as he jerked his head around trying to figure out where the villain could have gone. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she was forced to turn around, meeting the cartoon eyes of his goofy mask; his knife met her before she could even blink.

Teleportation of some sort. That was the thought that went through her mind. Somehow instead of unleashing a powerful slice Green Wolf had instead moved himself instantly with the kinetic energy. She stared at him and then looked down at where his knife was buried in her stomach.

Her hand shot up towards her stomach as a wave of red poured out of her, and she slipped, falling back, her face going pale. "Kid-" Battery was unable to try and heal her, forced to create his barrier around himself as Green Wolf unleashed two slices at him.

"You should focus on yourself!" The villain taunted. He crossed his knives together and just like before he vanished from sight. Her eyes burned, and she pressed down on her wound trying to remember her basic first aid knowledge.

"Behind you!" She screamed.

Green Wolf appeared behind Battery seemingly from nowhere. Battery jumped back blasting out another beam, but the villain held both his knives out away from him and then began to spin. The blades sliced through the energy, and all the kinetic force twirled around Green Wolf literally turning him into a makeshift tornado of sorts. His attacks were launched back wildly in all directions. She threw herself against the ground as the cuts went over her head.

Battery wasn't as lucky though and her eyes filled with horror as in a flash his right arm was torn clean off his body. Green Wolf stopped spinning and charged. Battery didn't even seem phased though and literally grabbed his arm from out of midair and smashed it back onto his stump. Golden light burst out and the limb reattached, and he swung out with it slamming a wave of gold into the caught off guard Green Wolf.

Green Wolf however was left unhurt and casually walked through the gold. He reached Battery and stabbed up his knife going into the man's throat. He ripped it out and red splashed down Battery's body as the man gurgled and stumbled back. The villain kicked out with his foot knocking the hero over.

"Look's like you weren't that good after all." He mocked. "I thought you two would be more fun but-" He stopped suddenly when he felt a hand on his wrist. He looked down and saw a set of fiery blue eyes glaring at him as Cinder tightened her grip and he actually winced feeling her nails dig into his arm. "And what do you want?"

Green Wolf was lifted off the ground as Cinder let out a scream so loud that if not for White Lamb's power, the entire city would have heard it. It was like the roar of a dragon as she used the same power she had shown in her battle with Red Ape. Her eyes seemed to glow red hot and what little of her black hair could be seen showed that it had switched to a bright golden color. A beam of flame blasted from her mouth! More like a laser than a stream of fire, it washed over Green Wolf, scorching the stone around him and super heating the air. White Lamb dove down, turning the table over as she stared at the display with wide, unblinking eyes.

Green Wolf's body was yanked out of Cinder's arms, and he was sent high into the air from the attack, screaming his lungs out as he was blasted through the roof of the warehouse.

She breathed heavily, her lungs aching, but still alive. Her hands went back to her stomach wound, and smoke raised off of her mouth which burned badly. Her entire throat ached but unlike last time she had managed to not fall unconscious. The red in her eyes vanished, and her golden locks shifted back to normal.

Slowly White Lamb poked her head up from the table she had used as a makeshift shield. "That was so cool! My power had to work double time to keep it all silenced to the outside world! Hey, want to join our team?" She asked innocently.

"You're next." Cinder groaned. She almost fell to the floor, grabbing at her stab wound. She went to take a step but stopped when something came crashing from above.

"That ruined my jacket!" Her eyes were wide, but slowly she turned around. Green Wolf had landed on his feet, and besides the fact that the coat of his suit had melted into his white dress shirt, the man was fine, putting out a simple shoulder fire." When my 'buddy' told me Red Ape lost to someone with a fire based power I'm guessing that's you? Man I was getting so hyped but you're a total nobody aren't you. Ah well."

Battery shoulder slammed him, having healed his neck wound, and he burst with a bright golden blast that caused Green Wolf to hit the ground rolling. Then vanishing he once again stood in the corner of the room holding his knives. He stalked low to the ground, watching them like a predator waiting to strike.

"You okay?" Battery whispered to her.

"He freaking stabbed me." She whined, rubbing at her gut.

"Yeah, well, he stabbed me a bunch, too, don't be such a big baby."

"I'm not. Have we even hurt him?" She groaned.

"Maybe a little." She felt his healing glow go through her, and as she stared at her stomach she watched as the wound closed, though it would leave a nasty scar.

"Okay, I think I have a plan."

"Gonna blast him again?" Battery asked.

"No." She shook her head. It might not have downed her, but that single use had given her a migraine. Next time she'd be knocked out for sure. "But I think I have a good plan. Think you can distract him?"

Battery rocketed forward, his feet crackling with lightning again as he threw a punch toward Green Wolf. The villain didn't even teleport, choosing instead to lazily dodge it. He tried to stab the man again, but Battery coated himself in his golden aura, the knife bouncing off.

He went to bring the weapon down again but stopped when he saw blood gushing from the man's nose and the fact the guy was gripping his arm. He couldn't help but snort. "Holy shit, are you having a heart attack while we're fighting? Am I so badass I made your heart give out?"

"Sorry. It gets that way when I'm around men trying to overcompensate for their tiny peckers." He collapsed on the ground gasping.

Green Wolf nudged the man with his foot, but the hero didn't respond. "Well, you're clearly having a moment." He shrugged and stepped by, only for Battery to kick up with his golden leg right into Green Wolf's junk. He gasped a little and stumbled, only absorbing most of that energy.

"Knew it was small."

"You'll die for that!"

And then a loud scream echoed out. Green Wolf snapped his head over just in time to see Cinder ram her fist into the face of White Lamb. The girl was just a regular human in terms of physical attributes, so she was unconscious before she even hit the wall. Instantly, the sound of loud sirens from outside hit their ears, and Cinder took a deep breath.

"Oh, don't you freaking dare!"

Green Wolf wasn't fast enough. "Help!" She screamed, using all her super strength in her lungs to really scream it, the noise rippling out, pushing away the nearby dust and even shattering a nearby window.

She, however, made one little mistake. Her ears nearly exploded from the force of the yell, her enhanced senses not doing her any favors for this. All noise cut out, and she could even feel blood running down part of her face as Green Wolf jumped towards her. He luckily never made it.

The roof was blown to bits instantly, water crashing down in waves, and the gravity in the room seemed to double, triple, and get so bad it forced them all to kneel. Three figures floated down.

Cinder was glad she was wearing a helmet because her eyes were shining with joy when Ocean Empress, followed by Poseidon, carrying Paragon, came down slowly. She struggled to speak, hearing nothing but a loud ringing. "We- We're heroes! Was the ones to call cops." The ringing in her head got worse, but she did her best to point at Mr. Larison.

She could see the three heroes all look at each other and discuss something, and then the gravity seemed to let up on her and Mr. Larison. As for Green Wolf, his mask covered his mouth, so she could tell he was screaming something, though she couldn't tell. She looked up when Mr. Larison placed his hand on her shoulder, struggling to stand and still clutching at his heart. He said something, and she had to shake her head and point at her ears.

Frowning, Battery let some of the golden glow seep out, and she winced as a loud pop went off in her ears, and the sound came blasting back. "I asked if you were alright?"

"I am not. Yelling with enhanced lungs is something I shall never do again."

Ocean Empress landed softly on the floor, her hair swirling around. She glanced at the young female hero, then the older male hero, who collapsed and grabbed his heart. Then finally, in the center of the room at the man who was chained to the chair. "You two shouldn't have fought this villain. You should have gotten the hostage out of there as soon as possible."

"He teleports." Battery grunted just in time for Green Wolf to vanish from where he was standing.

He appeared next to White Lamb and grabbed the girl. "Warp us home." He called out, and before they could even move, he and White Lamb suddenly vanished.

"Damn it!" All the girls screamed while Ocean Empress and Battery just sighed.

"Since when can he teleport," Paragon muttered. She stopped when her sister nudged her, and she turned to stare at the new hero, who was helping the man off the floor. "Right. Destiny, can you heal them?"

"No." Paragon and her family seemed taken aback when the red hero spoke. He was covered in stab wounds, which weren't bleeding all that bad, but he was breathing heavily and had to be practically carried by the young girl.

"What do you mean, no?" Paragon snapped, and even the other new hero seemed confused.

"I mean, no. My name is Battery. This is Cinder. We're new heroes, and I am using my right to refuse service. Legally speaking, a person has the ability to turn down assistance from a doctor, and this is no different. I don't want your healing."

"Dude you're covered in holes, and your daughter doesn't look much better," Poseidon said a little ticked off. "I'm guessing this is your first day right? Your costumes are a mess, and you two got in over your head. It's fine. You're not in trouble. Why, on my first day I tried to take on a Calamity and nearly-"

"I refuse your help."

Poseidon's eyes twitched, and Ocean Empress couldn't help but give a slight snort. "Okay, sir. We won't help you."

"Mom?"

"If he doesn't want help, then we won't. The last thing I want is a lawsuit on our hands because we healed him." The hero folded her arms. "That said, just because he is refusing help doesn't mean you have to." It took Hope a second to realize the question was at her. Once again, she was talking to one of her childhood heroes. "You said your name was Cinder, right? Do you want my daughter to heal you?"

She was about to answer but stopped. Paragon was silently staring at her, and for a moment she couldn't help but remember her father's state. She clenched her fist but took a breath. "I'm good."

"Seriously!" Poseidon threw her hands up. "God, you two are idiots. No wonder you tried fighting a freaking supervillain like Green Wolf!"

"Fine." Paragon turned away. "I won't heal you."

Cinder couldn't help but notice Battery let out a sigh of relief at that, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had seemingly gone more tense than ever as soon as Paragon entered the building, and she noticed his eyes never left the girl, as if waiting for her to strike or something.

"So, what's up with him," Poseidon asked, letting out a sigh as she poked the man in his underwear. He had fallen unconscious a while ago.

"He's in worse shape." Paragon shrugged.

"He was the leader of this base," Cinder explained. "Those two guys we called told us about him. They're part of the Wandering Coin, so we came to try and interrogate him. Turns out that villain beat us here." She winced.

Ocean Empress gave a nod. "We heard the Wandering Coin was nearby. The other Sub Enforcers were busy dealing with a villain they captured the other night, so we came instead. Imagine my shock when I find the two people I saved the other day." So, she knew who they were. That was. "I should ask. Are you two interested in joining a team?"

"Don't the Reservoir only offer spots to heroes with water abilities?" Battery asked slowly. He was awkwardly resting in the arms of Cinder and had given up on dignity.

"I wasn't talking about our team." The hero said, folding her arms. "Though, we have let others in ever since my other daughter awakened her power. I more thought your daughter could join the Sub Enforcers." Clearly, Ocean Empress didn't know everything about them. "It's safer, and you'll have access to more resources."

"I'm good," Cinder said, a stubborn look on her face. Sure, the Sub Enforcers were cool and all, but they were kids only, so Mr. Larison wouldn't be allowed in.

"You two are so frustrating." Poseidon sighed.

"Actually, Blue Girl has a point," Jack muttered.

"Blue Girl!?" Cinder decided she never wanted to hear Ocean Empress sound ticked off ever again. The hero looked ready to murder Battery at his words.

"What do you mean she has a point? I don't want to join the Sub Enforcers?" She muttered.

"Who said it had to be the Sub Enforcers." Battery gave a sly grin. "Someone we know is needing members for their new team, after all..."

***

"This is a new level of humiliation," Jack muttered.

"I will drop you." Hope threatened.

They were taking the rooftop way, as she liked to put it. It had been the only way to get out of there before the cops and others showed. Currently, she was holding Jack in her arms in a fireman's carry. He might have been strong and fast, but he didn't have crazy hops like her, plus he looked like hell after the amount of power he'd abused. With her strength carrying him, it took next to no effort.

The heroes seemed content with letting them leave, likely so they could get the glory of capturing a high member of the Wandering Coin, which would boost team Reservoir's rep. On top of that, they'd be able to get the information on where the gangs were.

That was fine with her, though. She had fun, got some drugs off the street, and came out alive, so that was enough for her. "Is this the place?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as they landed on the roof of a building.

"Yeah. This is the spot." Jack nodded.

They were no longer in their 'hero' clothes, having taken most of it off, and redressed like normal Civilians. Most of her wounds were small scars, though she was still very sore, just as Paragon had claimed, and Jack finally got his heart to settle down. He was lucky he was a Super with some healing because she was pretty sure he'd be long dead with the number of attacks he went into.

It took them a bit to climb down to the street, but when they finally did, they now stood in front of an old-looking library. Jack was the first to enter, and she followed, pushing her glasses up as her eyes adjusted to the light.

It had a musty smell, and everything seemed to be carved from wood. There were dozens of shelves, as well as two floors, a basement, everything covered in books from all over the world. Oleander Library wasn't a popular place, but it made more than enough money to get by. She had used to visit a few times with her dad. It was run by only one person who stood behind the counter. He looked just like he did the last time she saw him.

He was dressed in an old brown suit; his shoulders were slumped, and his head was bowed. He wore a pair of heavy round glasses, and his skin was dark. His hair was wild and untamed, unlike the last time they saw him. "Hello. How can I help?" The man stopped when he looked up and saw the two of them.

"Hey." Hope grinned. "So, is the rumor of you starting a new team true, Myth?"