"I still believe in heroes." - Nick Fury

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For some inexplicable reason, it was starting to feel like the week before Winter Break: school was still in session, but it lost its usual urgency. Chase went through all his classes at the Royal Academy in a kind of stupor, using his single blunt pencil to take lightly scribbled notes he knew he would never be able to read and unintentionally eavesdropping on more than a few juicy conversations. 

By this time, most of the Order kids knew that Adrian was in prison. While calling roll, the teachers replaced his name with a frown and an awkward pause. His empty seat was a conspicuous feature of most of the Academy's usually full senior classrooms, including Chase's Differential Equations lecture hall. Chase twiddled his thumbs as he half-listened to the teacher drawl on, staring at the chair in front of him. Not too long ago, it had been occupied by the classroom's loudest presence. 

Adrian was always surrounded by a gaggle of other students, showing off some stupid gadget or the other. "Oh, don't worry, it's waterproof!" He'd say before dunking his ThornPhone in his water bottle."Mr. Harrow! Don't make me contact your father," teacher would snap, causing him to instantly grow quiet. But this was only temporary- not a few minutes later, he'd crack a dirty joke and some prim-and-proper Arcana City girl would slap him across the face while everyone else erupted into peals of laughter. An annoyed teacher would then angrily mutter something along the lines of "... and these are our future leaders."

Adrian had never been particularly kind to Chase, especially after their tension over Juliana, but Chase couldn't deny that he'd been the life of the Academy. It was hard to believe that someone so genuinely fun was a traitor to his country. Every time Chase's eyes drifted to the chair in front of him, the sinking feeling in his stomach deepened. 

"... I can't believe he's gone." 

"Well, he isn't gone forever yet. He still has to have his trial and that isn't going to be until after the princess's birthday." 

Clearly, the two girls who used to sit on either side of Adrian were having the same thoughts that Chase was. 

"It's just... it would make sense if he was accused of vandalism, or theft, or even drug use. He's always been a little reckless, always partied a little too hard- everyone knows that. But treason..." the first girl mused as she pulled her straight, brown hair up with a sparkly scrunchie. 

"I mean, that's what happens when you break up with the princess, I guess," the second girl put her hands up in a don't-ask-me gesture, laughing. Her statement was obviously meant as a joke, but the first girl's expression immediately turned foul. 

"I know, right. It's so suspicious. Juliana breaks up with Adrian, then she- supposedly- gets together with the new Hewkin guy and now Adrian's in prison for betraying Arcana to the Jackers? I'm just saying, if you had the power to get your ex locked up..." 

Juliana would never do that! Chase wanted to scream in horror and disgust. But he knew that if he had an outburst, it would do nothing but lend merit to the girls' suggestions. A few moments later, a long bell beeped twice over the loudspeaker, signaling the end of class. He had never been more grateful for the sound. Quickly gathering his meager school supplies, he shoved his arms into the pockets of his threadbare jacket and followed the sea of students pouring out of the classroom in a mad rush to either get home or make it on time to their Supplements in other buildings. 

Chase made his way down the now familiar path to his own Supplement, passing posters for various fundraisers, student council elections, and the spring formal. He paused in front of the gym's huge double doors and let out a meditative sigh. It was oddly comforting to know that, while the Order was fighting what was possibly its most important battle in generations, life in Arcana went on. But it was also terrifying... it reminded him just how much was at stake. 

"You coming in or what?" A voice called from inside the gym. Chase couldn't see the speaker because of the paper that had been discreetly placed over the windows, but it sounded like Hayley. Opening the door, he was faced with a busy scene. Juliana wore a strapless crimson gown with her hair pulled up in a complicated-looking updo. Chu stood behind her, a timer in hand. 

"Ready, set, go!" Chu called as she pressed 'start'. Juliana gave the bow on the back of her dress a sharp tug and stepped out of it, revealing the familiar red suit she wore underneath. But there was something different about the Crimson Angel suit... it took Chase a moment to realize that a portion of it was missing. Right before his eyes, the sleeves and mask began to grow out of it, washing up Juliana's neck and down her arms until she was fully costumed. 

"Three and a half seconds," Chu shook her head. "Someone could kill you twenty times in three and a half seconds! It must be faster." 

"That's the largest percentage of the suit I can have pre-formed without it being visible underneath my dress," Juliana protested. "And besides, we've agreed that me suiting up at the party is an absolute last resort: it would make it nearly impossible to protect my identity. Just think of how everyone would react if I disappeared from my own birthday party and seconds later, the Crimson Angel flew in." 

"Juliana... that 'last resort' is more likely to be necessary than you think it is," Chu scowled darkly. "I've fought enough villains in my life to know that they fall into two general categories: brooding loner or total drama queen. Ravenna is obviously the latter. Her pathological need to make a scene is so great that she wouldn't miss the golden opportunity that your party presents. I strongly suggest that all of you find ways to hide your suits under your party outfits, especially since, for a period of time, the Alpha Box will still be in the palace and Commander Dev and I won't be there to babysit you." 

"Hmm," Juliana picked up her dress and hung it over the bleachers, still not looking totally comfortable with the idea. "Hey, Chase," she smiled, motioning him over, when she realized he was standing there. 

"Hi." Her tired grin felt like a punch in the gut after all the gossip he'd been hearing about her. He just hoped that after the Alpha Box was successfully moved, they'd be able to resolve the Adrian situation and clear her name. 

"So, have you figured out a way to sneak your helmet into the party?" 

"Couldn't I just leave it in the PROBJet like I usually do? If we really do run into a... situation, I'll probably need to be up there anyway." 

"We can't just have the Jet hovering above the palace in plain view of thousands," Juliana sighed. I'll tell you what- why don't you wrap it up like a gift? No one will suspect a guy at a party with a gift." 

"So I'm going to be carrying around a gift box the size of my head all night? I'll look like even more of a loser than I already do," Chase laughed.

"That's the price of being a hero," Juliana's eyes lit up for a moment before she grew more serious, probably remembering the gravity of the task that lay ahead. 

"Okay, kids, discs! You know the rules." Chu ordered. "I'll be timing. 3...2...1... ". Somehow, in the past few minutes, she had obtained a stack of automated frisbees and was holding them in both arms. 

The members of Project PROB frantically readied their suits and weapons, most of them unprepared for Chu's instructions. When she simultaneously released all the discs into the air with a grandiose gesture, Chase was barely strapped into his helmet and was still adjusting the settings on his cameras. 

"Get into position quicker! The enemy won't give you a count down," Chu grumbled crossly at the sight of PROB's slow start, but quieted down when they quickly made up for it. Juliana chased a disc up to the roof of the gym, pressing a button on its side before doing a complete 180 degree turn, gluing her wings to her sides, and diving to grab another one that was sliding across the floor. 

"Open!" Chase yelled into his microphone as the probabilities optimized. Following his instructions, Juliana opened her wings at the last minute, preventing her from slamming headfirst into the ground and beginning her smooth ascent upward. 

"Woohoo! That was a perfect dive!" Hayley shouted encouragingly as she ran sideways across the wall. Her whip flew so quickly around her head that it was barely visible as it knocked drones out of the air. Beneath her, Roy lifted his mace with a powerful swing, sending one drone flying into another. As he monitored the probs, Chase saw a pair of drones approaching in his rearview camera. Swinging around with agility he didn't know he had, he drop-kicked one while sending a poison dart flying into the middle of the other. Bullseye. 

"And... that's all of them!" Chu blew her whistle as she looked down at the frisbee-covered floor with measured pride. "Forty eight seconds for twenty drones. This is a new record." 

"Go Project PROB!" Hayley took a break from wrapping her whip up around its handle and pumped her fist in the air. 

"Go Project PROB!" This time, the others echoed her with neither embarrassment nor hesitation.