A Monster Called Shift

Purrfect casually raised her hands up in a mock surrender. "Relax." The cat-themed hero let out a small snicker. "I thought you and I were friends. What's with the hostile look?"

Hope felt her tense muscles ease up a bit as her mom stepped away from the hero. "Friends? We've only met a few times. Also, I've sort of been attacked by three different heroes today, so I'm a bit paranoid."

Purrfect folded her arms and gave a slight nod. "The Hero Branch doesn't seem to be kind to those who don't instantly bow down. I'm in the same boat you are, simply for siding with Battery. Though I don't regret it for even a moment." Purrfect lifted a finger in a very casual manner, and a small bit of water seemed to be wrapped around it in a makeshift thread. The liquid flowed through the air, so thin it was almost impossible to see, and carried itself all the way into the sky, where it split off into four directions, each one attached to the neck of one of the Giants. "Since joining him, he's shown me a few interesting things."

"You mean like the ability to clone yourself?" Hope questioned. She had to admit she was a little jealous about that. Mr. Larison did make at least some sort of effort to teach her. Most of her hand-to-hand skills were thanks to him, and he had given her pointers on how to use her fire and her Lord form, but he had never unlocked an inverse or second power for her as he had seemingly done for Purrfect. It stung a little. "What's it like being a clone?"

"You'd have to ask a different Purrfect." The cat girl giggled and casually threw her hands behind her head. "You're looking at the real deal!"

"Really?"

"Yep! I'm the one and only Purrfect. Those other versions of me are the clone." The girl spun around and then placed her hands on her hips, puffing her chest out. "See, Daisy City is actually the place I grew up in. This land is my home. I joined the Daisy Sub Enforcers and served under Vampirica. Though since then, my entire team besides Dust Cloud sort of died in the battle with the Beast." Purrfect's smile faded slightly.

Hope winced a bit and nodded her head somberly. She had been there when it happened. She watched Boss and the other Daisy Sub Enforcers die. It hadn't been a good death either. Then again, most heroes rarely got good deaths. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be. As much as it sucks, I managed to pull through." Purrfect gave a casual shrug and forced her fake smile back on. "And like I said, now I get to work for Battery. Pretty cool. Speaking of pretty things, though... What's with you not being in costume?"

Hope looked down at herself and shrugged. "Well, my identity was kind of blown a while ago, and I only have one suit, and due to circumstances, it's... A bit tied up at the moment. Besides, I showed up in a van that had my face on it, and most of the world already knew about me. I don't really have any reason to hide right now. Especially not here in Daisy. This place is famous for never having any bad guys."

"True that." Purrfect giggled. "Though, that does concern me a bit. After all, I'm wondering why you thought it would be a good idea to bring in a villain to our city."

Hope felt a chill hit her instantly. Purrfect knew about Meta? Was Meta more important than she thought? Was there something she didn't know-

"I saw that suit you were wearing." Purrfect's smirk grew. "Battery told me all about it. That costume used to be a villain, right?"

"A villain!" Jane's eyes went wide with shock. The woman turned to her daughter only to find Hope letting out a relieved sigh. "Is she telling the truth, Hope? Is that Kevin kid a bad guy?"

Hope sheepishly looked away. "Well... I mean, not anymore." So it was Kevin Purrfect was talking about. That was good. If Meta wasn't considered a big threat or someone Purrfect knew, then it just meant Meta wasn't a major villain. "Kevin's chilled out now. I mean, he gives me cool whips and stuff now. My old costume couldn't do that. It's like I have Golden Weaver's powers or something when I'm using Kevin."

"I don't know how I feel about that." Jane let out a tired sigh. "I knew something was up with that boy. You just don't trust a backpack when it begins talking. Things like that aren't natural."

"Backpacks are cool," Hope responded flatly.

Purrfect watched the exchange with a sly grin. "I did watch you park that van on the beach, you know. It does make me wonder, who was that other girl you had with you? Did you and Sky not work out already? 'Cause if so, you always have me." Purrfect winked.

"Don't say it like that." Hope folded her arms and frowned. "Sky and I are doing fine. I think. Hey, wait! That's also none of your business! Besides, I really can't tell you anything about that other girl. I just sort of met her out of the blue. I don't get any bad vibes from her. At least none of my Hope senses are tingling. She is odd, though. Her name is Meta."

Purrfect's head cocked to the side. "Meta?"

"Yeah, it's sort of an odd name. To be fair, I use Cinder, and you're Purrfect, so I don't think either of us can talk-"

"It isn't that." Purrfect rubbed her chin and frowned softly. "Meta. Meta? Meta, Meta, Meta, Meta, M-" Purrfect suddenly stopped. There was something the hero had heard recently... Something mentioned a little bit before the Beast.

'They always have new faces. Only their leader looks the same. This year one of them will likely be taking on the appearance of a young teenage girl. At least that was who disappeared.' That was what Vampirica had told her team when they were being briefed on a certain villain group that only struck every couple of years.

"Oh." Purrfect said slowly as it seemed to suddenly click for her. "Hey, Cinder? Meta wouldn't happen to be short for anything, would it..." Purrfect seemed to grow rigid, and her face even paled a bit.

Hope frowned slightly. "I mean, I guess it could be. I never asked, though. Why?" She suddenly got a very bad feeling. Her Hope senses were going crazy.

"I think I know why the heroes headed for the beach now," Purrfect said hollowly.

"Heroes? Wait, are some people heading for the beach?" She balled her hands into a fist and glared at the cat-themed hero. "You were keeping me distracted, weren't you!"

Purrfect stepped away and winced. "I told you, I'm aware you had that villain in your midst. I don't care if you claim he's good or not, and I don't care if you're a Lord. I don't want villains coming into my city. I already tipped off the Sub Enforcers when the Giants saw them. By now, they'll already be arriving. That doesn't matter, though, Hope. That Meta girl is-"

"Save it." Hope gritted her teeth and grabbed her mom, scooping the woman up. Her mom let out a bit of a yelp, but she ignored it. She glanced back at Purrfect, and her look caused the hero to take another step back. "You better hope nothing bad happens to my dad."

And with that, she took off at her top speed, praying she wouldn't be too late.

Purrfect stood there for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm starting to see why Battery ditched you and replaced you, Cinder. Idiot. You should have listened to what I had to say. If you did, you'd know that other girl is someone you'd absolutely hate."

Outside of Daisy City, Alexander Lauren kept a closer eye on Meta as he watched the grey-haired girl work. Meta wasn't one for talking; the girl simply kept her back turned and worked in silence now that he had stopped speaking to her. His arms grew tighter around the backpack.

"I can't believe Hope would actually leave me alone with a bad guy," Alexander muttered. She could have at least given him a heads-up or something.

"She actually left you alone with two bad guys," Kevin said casually.

"Aw! Come on, don't tell me you're also evil, Baggy!"

"It's Shift! S. H. I. F. T. No more of that Baggy crap!" Kevin hissed. "And besides, I'm not really evil. I wouldn't say I'm good either. I don't give a damn about being a hero. I'm in it for my own goals. I'm number one on my priority list."

"I respect the honesty." Alexander chuckled.

"You and your daughter are way too nice."

"Are we?"

Kevin let out a small huff. "You are. It seriously makes me sick to my stomach. You're not better than me, you know."

"Dude, you got crazy cool superpowers. I'd never consider myself better than you. I'm just a squishy, frail human." Alexander responded with wide eyes. "I mean, I'd kill for a shot at having powers. Seriously, you and Hope are crazy cool when you're out fighting. I can hardly look away."

Kevin squirmed a bit, and the red fabric that seemed to make up his form shifted slightly. "D- Don't say something stupid."

"Aw, are you blushing?"

"No! I'm a man!"

"Actually, you're a backpack-"

"Trouble." Meta's words instantly caused the bantering to cease. The girl's head was still face down in the hood of the van, but she lazily lifted a single arm and snapped. A burst of energy seemed to crackle out of the girl's sword, which was still at her side, and in an instant, a large green dome appeared over her and the van, forged from solid, see-through, lime-colored energy. Alexander stared at the barrier with wide eyes. Neither he nor Kevin were inside of the dome with Meta. They were both still on the beach. "Keep me safe." The girl said softly and kept working.

"Safe from what-" Alexander let out a totally manly and not at all girlish scream as the ground next to him seemed to literally explode.

It happened directly to his right, a small softball-sized hole appearing as a loud 'booming' noise blasted out, and he felt himself be knocked over. Sand rained down around him, and his eyes stung. Kevin let out a low growl, and he could feel the backpack shifting and changing slightly in his arms as it glared at something he couldn't see.

"Geez, Halo, your aim's gotten a lot worse than I remember." A loud, booming female voice growled out.

"I wasn't trying to hit him." A second voice responded, this one being a much softer female tone.

"Yeah, War, that guy isn't our target. Just the red thing in his arms. There's no need to hurt him." A third voice, one that belonged to a young boy, stated.

"Oh please," the first voice was back, dripping with condescension. "He's holding onto the damn thing. He's involved somehow. Same for that grey-haired girl."

"Grey-haired girl?" The third voice let out a low whistle. "Oh, she's pretty cute."

"Not the time, Dust." The second voice said softly.

"Right... Sorry."

Alexander winced and rubbed the sand out of his eyes. He always hated stuff like this. It was coarse and rough and irritating... Slowly, though, as his eyes cleared, he found himself staring up at three figures that were on the other side of the beach, near the wall his daughter and wife had jumped over.

The first figure was a tall woman. She stood at nearly seven feet in height and had ginger hair that dropped down her back wildly, going past her waist. She wore what looked like worn-down rusty armor and a helmet that covered most of her head, save for the back where her hair came out. She was missing a right arm but didn't seem bothered by it. She had a large battleaxe that was placed over her left shoulder and was being carried by her remaining arm.

She was War God, a member of Fable's team, and someone who had managed to land a few blows on the Beast before her right arm was torn off and she was frozen by a cube of ice. It had taken her hours to thaw. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way, sir." War God stated in a booming voice. Her hand gripped down on her battleaxe. "I really hope you pick the hard way."

The second figure threw her arm out in front of War God, stopping the tall woman. Unlike War God, this person was a much smaller woman. She stood at average height and was nearly as gorgeous as Lady Time. She wore what looked like a small dress made of white feathers that covered her upper body and fell past her waist a bit. The girl's hair was snow white and seemed to float slightly, lifting up and down lazily. Her eyes almost held a golden glow within them, and she had a calm smile on her lips.

She was Halo, a member of Lady Time's team. After the death of Vampirica, she had been promoted, and now, instead of working for the Time Keepers, she was in charge of the new Daisy Sub Enforcers. And thanks to Battery's Giants kicking out Lady Time, Halo was currently enjoying her position at the top, where she thought she belonged. "No need to get any violent, War God. Remember, I'm technically your boss right now."

"Only until your team gets sorted." War God spat out. "Once the Sub Enforcers of Daisy have been rebuilt, I'm heading straight back to Fable's side." War God jutted out with her thumb, pointing it at the last figure. "You need to hurry up and find other heroes, Halo. This kid isn't cutting it as the only member of the Sub Enforcers."

The final member of the trio was only about eighteen, barely being an adult. He was young-looking, with shaggy black hair and a slight bit of facial hair that was just starting to grow in. Unlike the other two, he didn't seem to be in a costume, instead wearing a baggy green coat.

Dust Cloud was his name. He used to be part of the old Sub Enforcers for Daisy. His squad had been wiped out, however, and torn apart. He quit at first, trying to make a name for himself. Purrfect had left the team once he was out, cutting ties with him. His solo career ended fast, though, so now he found himself working for the new and improved Sub Enforcers. He was currently its only real member, though, since War God didn't count, which is a fact she loved to bring up constantly.

"Can we just get this over with?" Dust Cloud asked casually. His entire body seemed to crack, and in an instant, he exploded. Waves of sand and other small particles swirled around where he was, and they launched forward, carrying his jacket and pants. Unlike Wasp Nest, he didn't need to be naked to use his powers. In an instant, he appeared behind Alexander and pressed his palm to the back of the man's head. "You're under arrest, sir." Dust Cloud stated in a cool tone.

Alexander was on his knees, his eyes wide as he felt the palm press into the back of his head. "W- Wait."

"The backpack." War God growled out. "Toss it down. We know what it is. Purrfect tipped us off." The hero glared at the red monster in Alexander's arms. "You're a monster—one who worked for a low-level bad guy group that called themselves the Wandering Coin. I don't know what you're doing in my city, and I don't care. Your kind gets the same punishment every time I see you." War God smashed her axe into the ground, shaking the beach. "Death."

"Your kind!?" Kevin almost sounded offended. "Listen up, you racist bitch! I'm going to make you eat those words-"

"I warned you." Dust Cloud said simply. In an instant, his arm exploded to dust, the limb lifting into the air before reforming and dropping down at fast speeds.

"No." Before the hand could ram into Alexander's head, Kevin's form exploded into a mass of tendrils whipped out in rapid directions. They formed over Alexander, blocking the strike and shoving Dust Cloud back. Kevin's shape seemed to twist and change, growing large, and it kicked up a wave of sand and dust, blocking the hero's view of him for a moment. "It's been a while." The dust started to settle, and Halo felt her eyes widen from what she saw. "I think I'll rampage for a bit and cool my head off."

"M- Mars King?" Halo spat out in horror. "Y- You're a member of the Bad Timers!"

Alexander was now nowhere to be seen, nor was the backpack. Instead, a new figure stood. One that was covered in thick red muscles that formed his flesh. Demonic-looking horns stabbed out of his head, and a tail whipped back and forth. It was the spitting image of Mars King, though a bit slimmer and with a new addition. A silver color pulsed through the red. Metal claws stabbed out of the monster's fingertips, the Pod literally running through his veins.

"Mars King?" The new figure cracked his knuckles and gave a sly smirk. "Nah. Name's Shift. Consider me the new top dog around here."

It was very dark...

That was the first thing Alexander realized.

It was also very cramped.

That was the second thing Alexander realized.

He was trapped, his arms suspended at his side. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel something pressing in all around him. He heard what sounded like talking, but it came from all around him. "K- Kevin?" He asked. "Where am I?"

"Inside of me," Kevin replied casually. "I ate you."

"What!"

"Relax. You're not in danger." Kevin's voice chuckled. "Your daughter is kind of a greedy bitch. I told her my powers have limits now that Wish is gone, but it just went through one ear and out the other. I can't maintain my normal form as well, so I'm using you as a sort of skeleton. You're keeping me held upright. Don't worry, though; I'll do all the fighting. I'm going to take these three girls out!"

Back on the beach, Dust Cloud frowned as he stood back up. "Uh, I'm a boy-"

Shift kicked out as hard as he could, ramming his leg right between Dust Cloud's legs. "Not anymore, you're not!"

Dust Cloud looked unamused as his body broke down into a wave of dust, all the damage healing. The hero appeared behind Shift once more and tried to wrap his arms around the monster, but Shift's back was stabbed out, and several metal spikes came out. The silver spears rammed through Dust Cloud's body, once again shattering his form. Just like Wasp Nest, he was able to change instantly the moment his body was damaged, and he always healed when he was reformed. Also, just like Wasp Nest, he had the physical stats of a normal human. That meant he wasn't that strong. That was okay, though. He was never the muscle of the team. He was the distraction.

Shift let out a growl and swatted at the air as the dust blocked his view. A second later, though, he felt a wave of intense pain as something came crashing through the dust cloud and rammed into him. War God's battleaxe smashed into Shift's side, the hero having insane super strength as she sent the monster flying back. Shift felt himself be launched, and he crashed back first into the green barrier that formed around the van, shaking and cracking it a bit. With a flick of her hand, Meta easily fixed it, mostly ignoring the fight and continuing to do her job.

"You could lend me a hand, you know." Shift grunted.

Meta casually brought her arm out and gave him a thumbs up. "You got this." Her head was still down, and she was not paying any attention.

"I hate you."

"Okay."

War God came stomping forward, and she came out swinging with her axe, shattering the air around her. As her blow came out, Shift lifted both of his arms. His fingers expanded, and the metal blades that were in them jutted out. The Pod formed and flowed like a liquid, taking shape into a dome-like shield that was connected to his fingers. It blocked War God's axe and even shattered the blade, the hero's eyes going wide as she stared at her weapon. Shift just smirked as he watched the liquid metal pull itself back into his body. He ran a hand through one of his veins, feeling the liquid twitch inside of him.

"Okay, maybe I misjudged you. You're kind of helpful." Shift chuckled darkly. At first, he had hated the stupid metal thing. It fought him and seemed to despise him. Weirdly enough, though, after Cinder gave it a good talking to, it seemed to accept him and even worked with him to make the costume. Now, it was inside of him, giving him access to powers he normally wouldn't have. In a way, it felt almost as if he had Oxide's powers, as well as his own. The two of them would make for a good team. "Shit... I'm thinking about her again. Damn, I miss her-"

War God's grip changed, and her weapon glowed for a moment. In a flash, the axe was gone, replaced with an even bigger hammer, which she swung out with ease, even with one arm. It rammed into Shift's side, the monster having let his guard down. His head was whipped to the side, and he felt himself be smashed into the ground. Inside of the suit, Alexander whimpered a bit as he felt everything around him shake. It was almost like he was being flung around. Shift rammed into the ground back first, and he twisted his body and kicked up with his legs. He couldn't change his shape as much as he'd like, for fear of crushing Alexander, but he could do enough to hurt the one he was fighting.

Shift's feet crashed into War God's stomach, his strength causing the woman to gasp as she was kicked high into the air. Before he could fully get back up and ready for his next attack, more dust came into his view, and Dust Cloud appeared before him. The hero unleashed a strong punch, but it didn't even make Shift flinch. The boy lacked the strength to hurt anyone with super durability.

"That all you got?" The monster asked with a smirk. He backhanded Dust Cloud, his hand ripping through the hero's head, but just like before, he didn't actually deal any damage as Dust Cloud appeared behind him and grabbed him.

"Now, War God!" Dust Cloud yelled out, his arms gripping Shift tightly.

Shift's head shot up, and he watched as War God began to plummet down toward the ground straight for him. Her arm lifted above her head, and her weapon changed once more into a familiar thing all villains feared. A massive golden greatsword the size of a bus! War God had the ability to store weapons she collected and call upon them. That included weapons that belonged to other people. This was her prized possession. The giant blade the Victorian would use to cleave large monsters in half. War God swung down with the sword as hard as she could, forcing all of her inhuman strength into the blade.

Shift flexed out, his body literally exploding through Dust Cloud as he tried to get away, but it was too late. The blade came crashing down, and the entire beach around them exploded, the sand instantly turning into molten glass. Dust particles flowed in the air as Dust Cloud slowly reformed and dropped down onto a part of the ground that was glass. War God landed in a puddle of molten glass but barely paid it any mind, instead sending her massive blade away and replacing it with a simple spear. As soon as her blade vanished, she was what was left of Shift and let out a curse.

A metal ball was formed protectively around the monster. It slowly came undone and dropped Shift to the ground. The metal pulled its way back into Shift's red skin, and the monster growled, glaring at War God. "If that thing hadn't saved me, you'd have killed the guy inside of me!"

"Am I supposed to care-" War God was cut off as Shift blasted forward and rammed his fist directly into her face as hard as he could. It dented and caved in part of War God's helmet and smashed her down into the molten glass, causing her to hiss.

"You should care." Shift roared.

Over with Meta, the girl closed the van's hood, her barrier still up. Her arms were folded as she watched the fight. "He's a little stronger than I first thought. He might even be able to beat War God. I wonder what he plans to do about the dangerous one, though." Just like Meta, Halo remained on the sidelines, her smile not fading as the hero watched the fight.

War God gritted her teeth and tried to swing her arm up and stab her blade into Shift, but the monster stepped down on her wrist, his foot causing the metal to dent and creak. The hero cried out as her arm was shoved deeper into the ground and almost broke instantly. Before the bone could fully snap, Dust Cloud rammed into Shift as hard as he could, trying to tackle the red monster. It barely worked, only causing Shift's foot to slightly raise up, but that was all War God needed. She changed her weapon into a massive anti-tank rifle and jammed it into Shift's belly, pulling the trigger.

Alexander let out a loud yell as he felt a bit of pain in his stomach. The bullet never reached him, though, both Kevin and the Pod working together to wrap around the massive shell that rammed into them, slowing it down enough that it didn't break through Shift's flesh. Shift swung out with his fist and shattered the gun before War God could fire again, right as the woman stood back up. His other hand also rammed through Dust Cloud, exploding the teen again. War God formed a longsword and tried to slice Shift's head off, but her blade broke on his neck. Before she could recover, Shift's right hand grew bigger, and it grabbed the woman by the face, lifting her up. Then he began to squeeze.

War God screamed as her helmet began to bend and dent, as Shift's hand closed in. "Stop it!" Dust Cloud yelled. "You'll kill her!"

Shift glared at the other hero. "Am I supposed to care?" He asked, repeating War God's words. He squeezed down harder, feeling the helmet give out and shatter. War God was a bit sturdier than her helm and didn't instantly die, but now he was gripping her skull. He could feel it. He had the power to pop her head if he wanted to. He didn't, though. Instead, he squeezed down until he was sure she was filled with blinding pain, and then he rammed her face down into the ground, the molten glass having hardened. He used her head to bash into it and shatter the floor, and when he was sure she was knocked out, he flung her toward Dust Cloud. "She'll live."

Dust Cloud's arms shook as he held the tall woman, doing his best to keep himself standing. He stared at the monster before him with wide eyes. "Y- You really are a nasty villain."

Shift only smirked. "And you're a little too much of a bitch to be calling yourself a man. Get out of here before I gobble you up, you sissy-"

Pain.

Faster than Shift could even process it, he felt a wave of intense pain in his side. He wasn't the only one, either. Alexander screamed out, and Shift's left side became a mix of black and red blood, which flowed down. Shift's body shook, and he slowly glanced down to his side, which now had a small chunk taken out of it, the attack having gone all the way through and stealing a piece of Alexander's flesh as well.

"Just give up." Dust Cloud said quietly. "Please. You don't have to die."

Shift collapsed to his knees, wincing as he grabbed at his flesh. His body was already starting to heal, but Alexander's was another matter...

Halo stepped forward, but the girl's smile was still not gone. She had a kind look on her face and held both her arms out as if asking for a hug, but she was dozens of meters away still. "I'll give you a chance to spit out the person inside of you. You need only travel to hell alone, monster."

Shift gritted his teeth and tried to stand but could feel Alexander's body collapsing inside of him. "Y- You bitch. What sort of hero does a sneak attack like that?"

"The kind that wants to win."

"S- Screw you!" Kevin slowly pulled himself off of Alexander. The man was flat on his back, luckily not being in a section of molten glass. A small piece of Alexander's side was missing, a horrible stream of red coming out. Kevin's own body couldn't maintain its shape; instead, it shifted and fell, becoming a weird slime-like form. The Pod dropped out of him as well, taking on the shape of Hope's silver jacket. "S- Seriously, lady? You call yourself a hero?"

"I am a hero. I did fight the Beast, after all." Halo giggled. She had actually just attacked the Beast once before following Pretty Face into the bunker, hiding with him until the fighting was over. It wasn't that she was weak. She was strong. Almost as strong as Lady Time. She was also smart. Smart enough to know that she didn't stand a chance against the Beast. Halo raised her hand, three fingers coming up, as she placed her pointer and thumb together, making a hole that she brought up to her eye. "Time to die-"

A foot rammed into the back of Halo's head, and the woman felt herself be flung across the beach. She rolled across the sand and flipped over and finally landed on her back. Blood trickled down Halo's head, and she brought a hand up to feel the wound, her eyes wide. Dust Cloud also stared in shock.

"Y- You. I know you."

Hope placed her mom down, and instantly, Jane let out a cry and ran over to her husband's side.

Kevin craned his head up and found himself looking up at Hope as the girl stepped past him. "It's about time you showed up." Kevin chuckled weakly.

"Can you form my suit?" Cinder questioned. Her voice was flat and didn't hold the usual emotion.

"Sorry." Kevin shook a bit. "Not this time."

"That's okay." Cinder walked forward as Halo picked herself up. "I'll just do this myself."

Halo's eyes met Cinder's, and Halo felt her body freeze up. They were a striking blue, and they held a ton of anger behind them. Halo was strong. She was also smart. Smart enough to know that she just made a huge mistake.