Alex took the elevator down to the HQ basement. He flipped a panel to hit a hidden button. It took him to the true entrance for superheroes. The doors opened.


The training room, cafeteria, recreation room, a large gym, and an intelligence room occupied the area.


Barria saw him and came over. "Welcome back, Techno."

"Thanks. Have they found anything yet?"

"Not yet. I'm sorry."

"May I take a look again?"

"Sure. Have you eaten anything yet?"

"I'm good."

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Eat first so you can focus better."

"Okay", he sighed. He took a nice helping of scrambled eggs, bacon, turkey sausage, and stopped in place. His hands trembled as a painful memory popped up in his mind.

Near him were chocolate chip pancakes, the ones his sister and mother had once made for him.

The other heroes behind him go around, but they saw him fall to his knees. His food splatters on the floor and the technological devices around them glitched out. He tried to remove his mask as he couldn't breathe. One hand clutched his chest as he felt his heart wanting to jump out of his chest. At that moment, he could "hear" every single piece of technology there all at once. He clutched his head from the splitting migraine.

Barria quickly threw a power collar on him so the pain would stop. The devices stopped glitching out. His mind was still blurry as his anxiety took over.

"Everyone, give him room to breathe!", she commanded with authority.

The heroes backed away. Prime threw his cape over Alex's head and removed his mask so he could breathe.

"I'm right here, Techno. I'm right here. I won't leave you."

Alex could hear the muttered fears under their breaths.


"What's his problem?"

"If he can do that, what else can he do?"


Barria's glare silenced them. Prime escorted Alex to his personal room. He pushed a button on a remote and the wall turns into a forest at night setting. Similar to the night they had their heart-to-heart conversation. He had him sit into a chair.

"You're safe. You are safe, Alex."

Prime removed the tie and unzipped his suit a bit to let his chest breathe. Alex started to regain his breath. His mind got clearer as they sit in silence. Alex gripped his knees out of shame. He felt so judged out there and what if someone had gotten hurt?

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. What happened?"

"Those pancakes reminded me of my family and it just brought it all back", as he gripped his own arm.

"It's okay if you want to let it out."

"I've done enough crying. I won't cry anymore until they are brought to justice."

"Alex, we cannot kill them. They will be put in prison to rot for what they did."

"They are unredeemable monsters. But I will try my best just to capture them."

Someone knocked on the door and Prime opened it to find Barria with a tray of food. She walked in and placed the tray on the table.

Alex forced himself to take a bite. He needed the energy to pursue Switch and his crew. They left to let him eat in peace. Afterwards, he left the room and found Barria covering the door with a plasma barrier with Prime handing him back his mask. The hero took a key and unlocked the power collar. Prime took it off his neck.

"We have something", he stated with urgency.

"We do? What is it?"

He followed Prime and Barria into the conference room. He saw that the other heroes weren't in the cafeteria. He's kind of glad that he didn't have to face them again.


The doors shut behind them as Quickness, The Marksman, and Aqua joined them. Aqua embraced Alex with tears running down and being reabsorbed back into her skin.

"I'm so sorry, Alex."

"Me too", the speedster patted him on the back.

"My condolences", the Marksman shortly stated. To Alex, it meant a lot for him to say that. Marks wasn't known for talking as much.

"Thanks. What was found?"

"This is the footage of the battle between Prime and the villain group led by Switch. I have to let you know that it's more graphic than what you're used to. This isn't even available to the public", Barria warns.

"What about the videos from people's cell phones?"

"Our company deleted that", Quick explained.

"Why did they do that? They could have held important pieces of infor-"

"Our company compiled all of the footage. The reason why they deleted the videos is because villains crave publicity. If we showed them using their destructive powers, it would rile up all of the other villains to do the same thing. We had to minimize that possibility from happening. The government also got involved to wipe out any memory of you attacking Switch", Prime informed him.

"Why? To protect the company's image? Was I no longer an asset in their eyes?", Alex speculated with anger.

"It's to protect you, Alex. If others saw how you acted, they wouldn't call on you for help nor help you when you need it. We wiped that image so you can maintain the good relationship you built with everyone", Aqua softly explained so he could understand better. 

"You looked like a villain with your rampage", Marks added coldly. Alex walked over with daggers in his eyes.


"If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you do the same thing? Answer me."

The black clad hero remained quiet which bothered Alex. This man chose when to say anything. The lights flickered on and off from his rising anger. Quickness stepped between them with hands out with Barria placing a barrier behind the speedster.

"Let's all calm down here. Marks, apologize for what you said", the speedster asserted to keep the peace.

"I won't."

"You are full of shit if you said you wouldn't do what I did. Did you lose anyone out there?!", Alex's voice rattled with rage.

The hero refused to answer him but continued to stare at him. Alex bit his tongue before he could lash out at them. He stepped away from Marks and leaned against a wall to calm himself. Barria removed her barrier and Quick stepped away. She let things quiet down and played the footage. The technopath paid close attention. 

It showed Prime finding Switch helping disguised, fugitive villains. There wasn't any audio, but Prime motioned for them to stand down peacefully. One of the villains got upset and attacked Prime with an acid spit. Prime moved out of the way to tackle him, but a female villain lowered her hands to "push" Prime through the ground. He was hindered by the intense gravity, but he used nearly half his strength to get out. A sonic scream hit him and the street behind him gets wrecked.


The villains started to run, and Prime recollected himself to capture them. Switch then touched the group. A trolley slammed into Prime, but he stopped it before it could harm anyone else.

Switch had led the villains away to safe hiding and came back to stall the hero. Prime goes to grab him, but Switch looked at someone and popped up in their position a safe distance away. Prime stopped himself, but Switch threw a bomb. Prime gently pushed the man out of the way, but the bomb went off when he tried to fly away with it. The bomb was powerful enough to push Prime back through several stores. Multiple people were injured or dead as a result.

The heroes were all upset from the destruction and loss of lives.

Back to the video, Prime chased after him with restrained anger. Switch used the entire environment as Prime smashed through a tree, a cell tower, and a hydrant. A car full of people appeared in front of the hero. Prime stopped the vehicle and told everyone to get out. They ran out the car so he could throw it at Switch. An empty car a block away took his place and collided with the car.


Switch pulled out a jetpack to fly away at a faster speed. Prime used his speed to follow him. Prime was getting close as he was the faster of the two.


Switch then fell out of it on and threw another bomb. He saw a flammable object and took its place. The bomb exploded, but Prime slapped it into the sky before it fully detonated. He then threw the flammable canister away, but another bomb was thrown out.

BOOM!

This explosion leveled the street as Switch was getting away. Although there was no audio, Alex and the others imagined screams of pain. Alex buried his anger to keep a close eye. Prime's uniform was damaged, but he was perfectly fine because of his skin. He continued to chase Switch down to Alex's neighborhood.

Prime was seen calling on the Power of Friendship to defeat this villain once and for all. Prime fired off his energy that would disrupt Switch's ability, but he was able to pull something off. He quickly replaced himself with people that made Alex gripped his weapon. His loved ones were forced to be a shield.

Prime stopped his attack before it could hit, but more bombs were thrown out. Multiple explosions occurred and the footage cut out before Alex arrived on the scene.

The lights flickered on and off in the entire building. The heroes looked at Alex and under his mask was utter hatred towards Switch. Aqua wasn't scared. She knew from experience what that rage felt like.

Alex calmed himself down before he completely lost it. Marks' glance annoyed him. "You got something to say, you selectively silent bastard?! I know what I want to do to Switch and I won't regret it."

His chilling words concerned the rest of the group.

"What he did was wrong, but I won't let you kill him", Marks silently warned.

"Who are you to stop me?"

"If you can beat me without powers or weapons, then I won't stop you. But if I beat you, then you must stand down and comply with what we say."

"Marks, stop it. You can't-

"Let's go to the training room now. After you."

"Stop it! Both of you!", Aqua separated them with a wall of water she raised with her hands.

"Let them fight, Aqua. They need to blow off some steam", Prime suggested.

She relented and pulled the water back in.


"I will stop it before it gets worse. Let's go", Quickness reassured her.


The hydro woman followed after them. They left the conference room and go straight to the training room. The windows were blinded to prevent others from looking inside the room. Alex threw his weapon and mask to the side to warm up properly with side lunges and arm circles.

I don't know much about him so try and stay calm. He's supposedly good with throwing projectiles, but what else can he do?

The Marksman briefly warmed up. Barria and the others stepped inside in case the fight goes too far. Alex ran at Marks and threw a hook. Marks pushed his arm away and hits him in the throat with a few fingers. Alex staggered back and coughed violently. Marks kept his distance and waited for him to get up.

Aqua goes to stop the fight, but saw Quick is crouched to jump in. She trusted his speed experience and stood back. Her fists trembled as she took deep breaths to prevent her past self from coming back. 

Alex got up knowing that he's an expert hand to hand fighter. His moves were deadly compared to his skills. Alex caught his breath and they resumed. Marksman charged at him and Alex put his guard up. Alex got kicked across the abs and fell backwards.

He charged in with a guard and Marksman raised up with both knees to knock him out. Alex's grabbed him by the knees and slammed him to the floor. Alex jumped back to avoid getting cocky. Marks stood up with a grunt from the pain.

That's the strategy I will use. Feint and counterattack. Just like Pops taught me!

"That was good."

Alex responded with a sliding kick. Marks jumped above and extended his feet to stomp on his ribs. Alex trapped him with his legs in a scissor hold to trip him up. Marks caught himself using a handstand to prevent his face from hitting the floor.

At that moment, Alex delivered a hard soccer ball kick to the face. Marks rolled around the floor from the hit, but he recovered. Some blood came down his nose and now he's serious. Alex kept his guard up in a cautious manner.

"How does it feel watching your family die?", Marks unexpectedly asked.

Aqua covered her mouth in shock.

"Marks! What the hell is wrong with you?!", Barria yelled.

Alex knew he's trying to lure him into a trap.

"You are no match for Switch. You're a helpless man who couldn't even save them", Marks continued to add salt to the wound.

Alex's body tensed up from the anger as heavy breaths leave his mouth. His feet were urging him to kick his ass, but it had to be a trick.

Marks rushed in at him and Alex got low at the last second to uppercut him. Marks leaned back and kicked Alex under the chin. Alex wasn't knocked out, but it hurt.

"Did it feel good to go on that rampage? Attacking him with everything you had and coming up short? Your family died for nothing", the fighting hero coldly stated without feeling.

"SHUT UP!"

He couldn't hold back his anger as he rushed in. Marks delivered a roundhouse kick to Alex's temple and clapped his ear drums. Alex was discombobulated from the attacks and found it hard to stand back up from his lack of balance. Marks then left him as it is over. Alex threw his metal weapon which hit Marks in the upper back. Marks was surprised to see he is standing up. Alex had manipulated his blood flow to regain his balance.

"I will make you eat your words."

"You already lost. I said, ''No weapons."

"I'm still standing, so it's a draw."

Marks was silent from his comment.

"Alex is technically right. It's a draw", Quickness interjected.

"Are you both done?", Aqua looked at both of them with welled up eyes.

"Yes."

"Just know that this was a teaching moment. Your quest for vengeance will be your downfall if you don't plan ahead."

Alex processed what he's saying, but he walked away from him. Aqua got him over to the medical room so he can be checked out. The nurse used a tablet to take an X-ray of his body.

"Good news is that nothing is broken. He just needs some medicine and rest."

"Never accept his challenges again. Marks could have killed you if we weren't there."

"I won't. He does these challenges?"

"He knows how to get under people's skin and uses that against his opponent. He would humble a few newbies who would brag a lot. Still, he should have apologized for what he said to you. I hate him sometimes", she pouted.

He's a scumbag, but he's actually right. If I don't plan properly, they will never be avenged. I would die from my own recklessness. That can't happen.

"Still, you did good out there. Not a win, but no one ever comes close to a draw with him."

Alex stood up from the table.

"Where are you going now?"

"I'm going to review the tapes and see what else I can find."

She knew he might get mad seeing it again.  "Would you like me to come with you?"

"I will let you know when I find something. Thanks, Aqua."

He went back to the intelligence room after walking past Marksman without exchanging a word. Alex played the footage of what happened again. His fingers twitched a bit as he downloaded a copy of the footage onto his phone for later. Afterwards, he went to the locker room to change into his workout gear. Marks then appeared from behind him.

Alex quickly threw up a guard, expecting another fight. Marks placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know what it's like to lose someone too."

Alex dropped his guard as Marks walked past him. He never expected that from him. He wore his mask to exercise with Quickness who's lifting at a blur. He saw the other heroes that were in line with him this morning and approached them.

"Hey. Just wanted to say sorry for this morning. I'm currently dealing with what Switch did. I...lost some people."

"I'm sorry to hear that. We will find him, Techno."

"Sorry about earlier."

"It's okay. Let's move on from today."

Alex then worked out some leftover stress until he dropped to his hands and knees. After a shower, he had a quiet lunch with Barria and Aqua. Despite the silence, he appreciated their company. He didn't feel quite alone anymore.


He head back to the hotel later and took his medicine to focus on a good night's sleep. "Kayla, Mom, Pops, Anthony, everyone. I will avenge you all."

The next day, he woke up fully recharged. He showered and ate breakfast at the hotel. He came back to his room and was surprised to see a vase of tiger lilies outside his door. He used his technopathy if there's anything dangerous about it, but nothing was found. He saw a note that widened his eyes.

"I'm safe, but I can't come to you. I'm sorry for your loss, Alex."-B

He was relieved to hear that she is safe but wondered why she won't come to him. He took the flowers with him into the room and placed them on the table.

He reviewed the footage of what he recorded. He used his ability to see where Switch could have gone after their fight. He then noticed that Switch slid under a sewer drain. Not much to gain from that since the sewers don't have any cameras in there except for something pink/purple that only lasted a couple of seconds.


He replayed the footage starting from the beginning. Something caught his attention now that he's using his ability. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he threw that question to the back of his mind.

He would have to go on a night patrol to get information. He looked up certain areas that were dangerous for people to go to. He then checked for any bars or nightclubs in those areas. During his research, he found a picture of someone he had seen before. He took out his phone and the resemblance was uncanny.


A different hair color and there's a mole on the cheek, but it's the same villain who used her gravity powers on Prime that fateful day. Her codename: Madame Heavy. The picture is old, but it's a good place to look.

He thought about contacting a hero. It couldn't be Prime because he had a recognizable face. It had to be someone who could slip in. Marks was unavailable since he had no contact information. That man was too private. Quickness could quickly check the area, but it might be a trap. Aqua couldn't be reached. He made his decision by calling on his phone.

"Barria, I think I found where to look for Switch's crew."

"How?"

"I did some research and I think I found Madame Heavy. It's an old photo, but it might be the best place to look."

"It wouldn't hurt to check. If we find one of them, we will alert the others. I will let Marks do some surveillance on the outside while we go in. I do have a question. Why didn't you call Prime first?"

"He can't sneak in."

"His face would give him away. When do you want to go?"

"Tonight?"

"Pick a spot and time and we will go from there."

Later that night...

Alex was wearing a beret, jeans, sneakers, and a casual yet comfy dark green sweater. A woman in a tight purple dress, high heels, and hoop earrings approached him.

"Ready for a good time?"

He almost didn't recognize Barria since he never imagined her like this. "I-I am. Please take it easy on me."

He was uncomfortable from saying that, but it worked to show that this is a first timer buying a prostitute's services.


Barria took him by the hand. "Let's get a drink first and then the night is ours."

She's way too comfortable to say that. He wondered what kind of life she had before this.

"You don't know the day I had. I had a man pay to watch me as I screwed his girlfriend. I hope it will be less weird with you."

She touched her hoop earring on her right side which was an established code. Marks on the rooftop across the street signaled back with a quick mirror. They saw cameras near the bar and Alex "removed" their presence from the screens.


They got in line and saw the people in front were showing something on their phones to the bouncers to gain entry. The bouncer scanned a phone and they're allowed in. ID wasn't necessary.

Alex "saw" the people in front of him have a QR code to gain entry. He "communicated" with the phone in front of him and cloned the information, hoping it would work. Barria held him by the waist like a lover would and he shyly looked away. The man of the couple in front of them showed his phone to the bouncer.

"Get out of my line", the bouncer warned.

"But I have the code."

"I won't tell you again", he threatened.

The man checked his phone. He's shocked as the code is nowhere on his phone. "B-But I had it!"

The bouncer stepped up to him and the man decided to leave with his girl. "Let's go."

"But baby, you promised me."

"Let's just go."

Alex showed his phone with the QR code. The bouncer scanned it and waved them in. Barria and Alex walked into the bar.

Loud electro music boomed as they saw people drinking and playing card games. Some people looked at Alex and Barria with a puzzling look. It was an uneasy feeling as anything can happen. Barria dragged Alex to the bar to keep up the act. Alex used his main ability to seek out any information he could.

Barria didn't see any bar menus for drinks. She hypothesized that the invited guests were known regulars. The bartender was silent as they got to the barstools. Barria hopped on the stool and she playfully stroked Alex's arm. His body shuddered from her touch.

"What would you two like?", the bartender asked.

"I'm going to let my man decide", Barria giggled.

"We will have two Acid Shots to start with and keep them going", he spoke confidently while holding the QR code on his phone.

"Splendid choice. Coming right up", after scanning the code. Barria had a great poker face to hide her surprise.

The bartender made their green vodka drinks. Alex took his glass and raised it for a toast.

"To a great night."

"Same here."

They chugged it down which left a burning sensation in Alex's throat. His whole body shuddered from the 110% proof vodka. Barria didn't react to his surprise. The bartender attended to another couple on the other side of the bar. Barria pulled Alex close to her as if to kiss him. She was actually whispering to him.

"I see her. Don't look back."

Alex restrained his anger as Madame Heavy took a seat at the end. The other patrons saw her and left her alone. She sat by herself with a satchel close to her body and the bartender poured a glass of scotch for her.

Barria pushed the ring for backup and Marks got the signal from her. He contacted the other heroes as he maintained a sniper's position.


An intoxicated patron came up to the bar. "You are so lovely to look at", he badly flirted with the villainess.

"Just stop. This is a bad idea", his friend warned tried to pull him away.

"Listen to your ami, if you want to keep your body as is", she warned.

The drunk scoffed at her as he goes to grab her arm, but part of his face melted as a focused spit of acid hit the side of his face! He screamed from the agonizing pain, but his friend stepped away out of fear. No one's giving the man any medical attention and the music didn't stop.


Alex's hero instincts wanted to kick in, but Barria held him in place. There's nothing they could do for him. The acid kept melting away and the drunk man died, leaving his brain open for everyone to see.

The large lizard man responsible spoke with a heavy Spanish accent after putting his mouth guard back on. "She warned you once."

"I had him to begin with, Lagarto."

"I know, but don't waste your powers on this asshole."

"Please forgive me. I warned him not to approach you, Madame", the alive friend begged to avoid the same fate.

"You're free to go."

"I will personally take care of your friend. Make better friends next time", the lizard man stared with slitted eyes.

"I will!", before running out of the bar.

Lagarto picked up the corpse with his tail to take him to the back. The villain quickly returned back to his cohort. Madame Heavy ordered them Acid shots to drink. Lagarto showed no pain while his friend coughed.

"Sacre bleu! You are lucky that you can handle the strong stuff."

"You will have more time to get used to it once we leave."

"Let's have another drink. To our final night together, before the old man sends us away."

Alex was able to hear their discussion by slightly lowering the volume of music. He whispered to Barria who held him close. The bartender made another round of drinks.

Madame Heavy saw the new couple down the bar. They looked like a hooker and her client based on their dress and behavior. She tapped Lagarto on his claw to "tell" him something. Lagarto got up and approached the couple. Alex turned Barria's face away and gave her a peck on the cheek to avoid suspicion.

"Hello."

"Hi", Alex responded.

"Forgive me for my actions earlier", the lizard bowed to them.

"No problem. He was a creep who was going to get it one day."

"Good man. I like you. What's your name?" He offered his claw to shake hands.

"My name is Jorge Gustavez", as he shook his claw.

Was that the name of the man he took from?, Barria thought while mentally preparing herself.

"I could have sworn this is not our first-time meeting."

"I do have a very familiar face. My friends recommended plastic surgery", Alex joked to keep up the ruse.

"I wasn't talking to you", his sharp jaws bared.

Lagarto quickly lowered his mouth guard to spit at Barria, but she enclosed him in a barrier and pushed him away. Madame Heavy sprung into action, but she got trapped by the metal under the bar. The metal tightly wrapped around her hands to prevent her from using her powers. The patrons were now scared as Barria is there with them.


The bartender pulled out a shotgun, but Alex used his powers to switch the safety on and eject the clip. He then pulled out his metal weapon and shaped it into a bat to hit him in the gut. He crashed against the alcohol display, causing some bottles to shatter on the floor. Alex wrapped the metal around him to restrain him.


Lagarto spat some acid at the metal so M Heavy could at least move around. The lights then changed and Barria's shield was no more. She, Alex, Lagarto, and M Heavy felt their powers restrained to a great degree. Lagarto couldn't find the strength to spit at them. Even Alex's bat returned to a plate. They all knew what that light is: power suppressors.

Lagarto charged at Barria who cracked him across his face with a shot glass. He swung his tail while dealing with the pain. Barria dodged and Alex used his plate to defend himself, but he got knocked over the bar. Barria jumped over and grabbed bottles to use as weapons. She threw them at Lagarto and M Heavy. Lagarto swung his tail to defend himself while M Heavy hid behind him.

Other patrons pulled out knives and machetes now that Barria is powerless. Alex grabbed the gun and put it back together with the safety off. He cocked the shotgun and aimed at the patrons.

"Back up!", he yelled. The bouncer heard this and came through the entrance with a pistol. Alex pointed at him. "Don't fucking move! Throw your gun towards her!", he threatened.

The bouncer didn't want to try it as he tossed his pistol towards Barria. Barria quickly picked it up and the patrons start backing away.

"You never held a gun before?", the lizard smiled with amusement. The gun was trembling from Alex's tight grip. He channeled his anger to take back control.

"Where is Switch?!"

Lagarto and M Heavy thought quickly. They recognized his powers based on what Switch told them.

It's the kid!, they thought.

"Let's all calm down. I will tell them to back off if you lower your gun", Madame negotiated.

"They leave first and we won't go after them!", Barria argued back.

The villainess motioned with her head to the patrons who started leaving slowly out the front door. The four of them were left in the bar, with the bartender wrapped up.

The entrance doors swung open and Alex almost shot Marks! One of the chefs came out of the kitchen during the distraction with a flamethrower, but Marks quickly killed him by throwing a knife into his head. Marks saw how scared Alex was and took the gun from him.

"We will be fine. Find Switch and do what you have to do! Backup will be here."

Alex refocused as he ran to the kitchen and felt his powers coming back. The other workers left out the back door, but two of them went to attack him with knives. Alex waved his hands to the left and a heavy fridge pinned them to the wall. They groaned from the pain.

He used his technopathy to see where Switch might be. He was going to go up the nearby stairs, but he gets thrown to the side from a sonic blast. He used the metal around him to form a cover around him before he hit the wall.

The sonic scream actually came from the front of the building where a villain used it to destroy the entrance. Barria and Marks got hit by the attack and the blast travels to the very back of the bar. M Heavy and Lagarto used this time to get out of there. As soon as they left the bar, their powers came back. The villain inhaled to unleash another scream, but Lagarto stopped him.

"Their backup will be here! Let's go, Shriek!"

Lagarto does a focused acid spit on the metal around M Heavy's hands which melted away. She breaks it apart and they leave.

Barria got up from the rubble with her ears ringing. Her dress had been dirtied, but she didn't care about that. Marks got out of the rubble okay. She ran to check on Alex since he was in the back. Her powers came back as he dropped his protective cover.

Alex was furious, but he kept calm to find them. He turned the cameras back to their normal setting and found them. Barria threw off her heels and formed barrier-like shoes around her feet to run in.

"Quickness! They are heading east down M Street!", Alex informed him with urgency.

"Found them!", the speedster confirmed.

Quickness went to cut them off, but they got instantly replaced with a car. Madame Heavy was now behind him with lowered hands. An invisible weight falls upon the speedster's entire body. He tried to run out from under it, but his feet felt like they were moving through molasses. She pushed further down. The gravity forced him down into the earth, leaving a large sinkhole.

She and the others kept running, but a car was flipped at them. Shriek screamed it away and the car fell elsewhere. The alarms then went off at the same time. They covered their ears from the cacophony. Barria saw them and formed a square barrier, but they were all replaced by trees. The trio of villains appeared a block down.

Barria saw Quickness at the bottom of the hole and made an enclosed barrier to lift him up to the street. The speedster's body trembled as he needed medical attention. Alex and Marks caught up with them. Marks took Quickness from Barria and motioned them to keep going.


Barria used a flying barrier square to keep up. Alex took up to the rooftops using his metal plate to cut them off.  He did another car alarm blast, but Lagarto spat acid all over the cars to muffle the sound as they kept running.

Barria threw a barrier at Shriek to stop him, but he got replaced by a mailbox that was on the street. Shriek was now behind her and screamed at her. She created another barrier in time to protect herself, but she got pushed into a building as she summoned another plasma shield with her free hand. Tremendous damage was caused by what they did. Barria saw the support beams were taken out and she was stuck holding the building together with her powers to prevent the screams inside from being silenced.

"Prime, I need your help!", she yelled.

"I'm on my way!"

"Aqua, Alex is heading down the street! He needs you!", she grunted while holding everything together.

"On it!"

Alex raised his hands and formed a barricade of cars to cut their path off. M Heavy used her gravity powers to clear a path. Alex threw a street pole at her, but she got replaced by one of the cars. She appeared next to where the streetlamp was. The lights grew brighter and the metal around them started groaning. Alex restrained his anger to focus on the goal.


He flinged cars at the trio to test Switch's limits. He was surprised to see that the trio were all replaced by cars a few blocks from where they are. The trio was getting out of his sight on F Avenue.


"Aqua, F Avenue is where they're turning!", he informed before jumping down. During his fall, he shifted the metal plate into boxing gloves. He hit Lagarto on top of the head and hit Madame Heavy with a hook to the jaw. A tooth was knocked out of her mouth as she hit the ground. Shriek inhaled, but Alex punched him in the throat to stop it.

Shriek and the others were held down by the lamp poles around them. Alex wrapped metal around Lagarto's mouth and shifted the metal plate into a machete.

"Where is he?!", he gripped his tail in a threatening manner.

"Let them be! I am who you want!"

Alex's face turned into rage as he turned around to find Switch. The number one villain didn't have his jetpack with him nor any tech for Alex to use against him.

"Let my family go and I am yours."

That line made Alex see red as the images of his loved ones flooded his mind. Alex attacked him with the machete! Switch replaced his weapon with flowers. Alex was surprised, but he resorted to his fists. Switch evaded his movements but got hit by a body blow to the ribs.

The trio tried to break out to help Switch. Alex goes to grab Switch around the throat to choke him out, but the villain replaced himself with a mailbox. Alex used the camera in the vicinity to keep track of his movements.

He was too focused on Switch that he didn't see nor hear the person who attacked him. He got knocked on his back as his right side burns as if it was on fire. He turned to attack and stopped in mid-motion. His jaw dropped.

"Brooke?"

At that moment, Switch snapped a power collar on Alex and used the knockout gas function. Alex tried to fight out of it, but his body went limp.

Aqua arrived at the location, but Alex and the group of villains were no longer there. She only found evidence of a fight with the destroyed metal pieces. She looked up and down the street and saw something reflecting light. She picked up the metal weapon that belonged to Alex.

"Techno?! Alex?!", she called out. No response. She went into a nearby sewer drain by changing her body to a semi-liquid state. Her body re-materialized back to a solid as she looked around with her flashlight on.

"Alex, where are you?!"

Nothing.

Aqua thought about looking for him but remembered the group of villains that have him. She had to wait for backup. She came out of the sewers.

"Everyone, I think they took Alex!"

Marks, Prime, and Barria headed over. Marks and Prime looked around, but they found no dead body. Barria felt awful as she started crying.

"He isn't dead. They would have done it already. We will find him, Barria", Prime assured.


Barria latched onto Aqua who held her close. If only I could have done more. Please live, Alex!