Quick and Marks were still at the same spot where Prime fought Alex. Marks sipped some tea while secretly worried about Quick.


He had been staring out into the water with dulled green eyes. His life sensor determined that Barria was never going to come back. He kept trying to smile, thinking that a trace of Aqua was still out there. Next to him was a pile of emptied cans, pizza boxes, and candy wrappers.

"Quick, how long will you stay out here? The service is tomorrow morning at 10. We know what she's capable of, but maybe.....they were wrong about that."

"I might be late. Go home. Your girl shouldn't be worried about you."

"She understands how I am."

"Still, you should be with her right now. I won't be mad."

"What about your date?"

"I broke it off."

"Was it bad?"

"No, she was great. I just can't be with her as I am now."

The Marksman didn't know what to say next.

"Aqua would always tell me to take some things seriously. I only joked around to annoy her, but she was right. It took that day to make me realize what I've been doing wrong. If I was more serious, I could have saved Alex so this would never happen. He wouldn't be brainwashed, and they would still be here", as the speedster lobbed a rock towards the horizon.

"If there's a way to save Alex, we will bring him home. Just like we did with you", Marks placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I will see you tomorrow."

Marks left in his glider jet back to his mansion home. He flew underwater into a hidden cave to park his vehicle. After securing his jet to a large magnet, he entered a large computer room with a giant monitor and someone in a chair who waited for him. A Japanese woman around his height with long, silky black hair with gentle brown eyes that had been crying for his loss. 


Her toned body described the training she had before.  Marks knew what her past was like and made sure to keep it a secret from everyone else.


"Denise."


By the drop in his voice, she knew how much pain he was in. She ran over and latched onto him and he finally cried. She continued to hold onto him, even kneeling to his level. They refused to let go of each other.

Quickness continued to stare at the ocean. Day turned into night as he felt a cold breeze. He wrapped the blanket around him, before entering the tent that Marks left for him. The warmth brought him to sleep as he soon as he laid down. He woke up the next day and scrambled up from the time. It's 1 pm. He missed the funeral service.

"Shit! Did I put the alarm on silent?!", as he got up to get ready. He was putting the tent away until he heard something. A faint cry for help.

He closed his eyes and sharpened his hearing to pick up the voice. The soldiers' talking and walkie talkies were tuned out along with the crashing waves.

"Quick, I need you."

His eyes shot open as a lump developed in his throat. He ran out to the shoreline in the direction of the voice. The voice stopped speaking and he thought he was losing it.

"Is it because of my lack of sleep? No, idiot! I heard her. Show me where you are. Don't let it be false hope."

He used his life sensor again and found something close to the water. Small, but it looked like a heart as he carefully picked it up.

"Fresh water!", Aqua's voice spoke clearly from the heart.

He didn't hesitate as he got a fresh-water bottle to put her inside for the time being. He took the camping equipment and zipped over to his apartment far from the hero base. He went through his cabinets and filled a large pot to place the heart stone inside.

"Aqua! Please answer me. Let this be real."

The heart lifted up on one side, but fell back down. He saw that she was extremely weak and that it will take time. Still, he cried happily as he clutched the pot close to him. 

"I almost gave up on you. I'm glad I didn't. I promise to be more serious from now on. I won't let this happen to you again. Oh, let me tell everyone the good news!", as he got out his phone.

"Don't tell them", she warned with a whisper.

"Why not?"

She didn't respond. He didn't understand why, but he hung up the phone. "Okay, I won't. Just rest for now."

He got a call from Prime and went to his room.

"I am so sorry about not making it there. I overslept", the speedster apologized.

"It's okay."

"Was the service nice?"

"It really was. Barria's favorite diner brought some food for the reception. I saved you a few bags."

"I appreciate that."

"If you ever need to talk, I'm always available."

"I will."

"Will you stop by later?"

"Yes. I have to go now. Bye."

He hung up and spoke to Aqua's heart. "I will pay my respects to Barria. I will let her know you're still here. I will be right back."

He sped to Barria's grave that's adorned with beautiful purple tulips with pictures of her most heroic actions. Next to her, Aqua's grave adorned with blue periwrinkles.

"Hey. They picked a good picture of you. Plus, your favorite food was here. Sorry, that habit is hard for me to break.....I enjoyed the time we spent together and... The good news is that she's okay", he whispered the last part.

He checked his phone for what he missed. He saw that Prime delivered her eulogy and all of the heroes were in attendance. Barria's mother and sister were present. Compared to her, they both had normal brown hair, but he saw the similarities. She was the spitting image of her mother and that made him pause. He wanted to give his condolences to her and apologize for his absence.


Something then caught his attention and he blinked twice.


In attendance was Dr. Lin who's in the background. He thought it was odd since Barria was known to be creeped out by him. Prime would have known that too. So why was he there?

Should I ask Prime? Was he in charge of the guest list or was that someone else? Still, they wouldn't invite him if they asked us about it. Could this be related to what Aqua said?

A lot has happened that day for him so he needed to pace himself. He zipped over to the hero base which was undergoing repairs with Prime helping them out. Grant was catching up on paperwork for the damages.

"Hey, Grant. Long time no see."

"It's good to see you too, Quickness. I can't believe this even happened."

"Me neither."

"I feel guilty."

The speedster was confused.

"It's my fault that Alex got to this point. Now Barria and Aqua are dead because of me", he explained out of shame.

"Don't think like that. No one could have predicted this to happen", he patted his back. 


When Aqua is better, I'm going to ask for the truth.

"This is all just awful", Grant sighed.

"Is there something I can do to help?"

"If you don't mind, just help clear the rest of the debris."

Quick took all the rubble out of the way in less than a minute.

"Thanks for that. You saved us a lot of work!", Prime appreciated.

"Is there something else I can do?"

"Nope. The government will help with the repairs so we will let them handle it. Oh, I got your food."

Prime handed him several greasy bags of burgers, fries, and a drink tray of milkshakes.

"I can't wait, but I'm not hungry now. I saw Barria and Aqua today."

"Oh."

"It still feels weird, but I promised them that I would step up more as a hero."

"I will support you."

"It's going to take time, but thanks. Prime, what will we do when Alex comes back? Will we arrest him or -

"Arresting would be the first option so he can face a proper trial. If that doesn't work, I'm afraid we would have to do the second option."

"Wait. If he was brainwashed like I was, can't we undo that? He wasn't in his right mind."

"And if he finds out the truth, it would only hurt him. I don't know how he would react after that. Justice still needs to be delivered for what happened."

"Hold on. I know I wasn't too far gone when Memento did that, but can't we be merciful to him?", he argued.

"I know. But the system won't be. I tried convincing the Attorney General, but she won't listen to me. He hijacked a powerful government weapon. I'm sorry, Quick."

It made him sick inside, but he had to swallow it down so he could take care of Aqua.

"Oh, is it possible to see Barria's mom? I want to offer my condolences personally."

The mighty hero pointed to the back to where Barria's room was. He heard sniffling from inside as placed the food by the door. He saw the mother of the slain hero clutching her daughter's clothes. Her other daughter was holding her. Both had puffy cheeks from all the crying, but the mother's eyes were bloodshot red.


The speedster softly knocked on the frame of the door. The mother didn't look up, but her daughter looked up to see Barria's teammate.

"I first want to apologize for missing the service. There's no excuse for my absence. I'm sorry", he spoke gently. Barria's sister walked over and hugged him.

"It's okay. We are all suffering in different ways. I know that sis told me good things about you. You were there for Naomi when she needed it. Your character gave the strength she needed", she told him.

"I just wish I could have done more."

"I think about that too. If only I could stop her from going out there. I could never tell her no."

Going through those memories reduced her to tears again. The speedster gave her a tissue and embraced her. Time passed as she lets go of him.

"I'm sorry for ruining your outfit."

"It's no problem. Ma'am, I can only imagine the pain you're feeling. Naomi was a great person. I will never forget her.....Since this place will be undergoing repairs real soon, it will be noisy. Let me set up a room for you two to stay at in the meantime. Stay as long as you want."

"That's too kind of you. We can't do that."


"Sure you can. I will arrange it all and everything will be covered", he politely grinned.


"Thank you."

"If you need anything else, just give me a call."

"Will you avenge my daughter?", Naomi's mother finally spoke up.

Quick turned back and thought before speaking. He did want to avenge Barria, but he didn't want to have Alex imprisoned for being brainwashed. Still, could he even argue against someone who had just lost her daughter?

"You can count on me. The team and I will make sure of that."

The speedster made a few calls outside the room. He then talked with them. "You're already checked in. You just have to pick up the keys. I also arranged a taxi to take you. Oh, and her stuff will be sent to your house if you like."

Naomi's family embraced him out of appreciation. Her mother took some of her daughter's clothes with her to keep before leaving the base.

Quickness ran back to his apartment and quickly changed into comfortable clothes while setting up the air fryer to re-crispify the fries. He quickly looked around to see if his apartment was bugged when he was out. He found nothing there to his relief until he remembered his phone. In case of emergencies, their phones would be chipped to find them. He ran and returned with a bought burner phone.

"Hey, Aqua. I spoke with Barria's family to offer my condolences. They are in rough shape, but I helped them out. I'm sorry for your loss as well. I know how much she meant to you", he spoke with a hushed tone.


"Thank you", she sadly told him. He sat in silence with her.

Later, Aqua's heart lifted up one side in a happy manner before falling back down. Quick smirked as it was the aroma of fries that made her react.

"I'm glad that hasn't changed. I will change out the water for you later. When your body comes back, I will bring all the fries you want. I also want your perspective of what happened that day. When you're ready to talk of course."

He saw no response from the small heart. He used the air fryer to reheat burgers and added jalapenos to them. He ate slowly to enjoy his meal.

"Naomi, you always had a great taste in food. I hope I'm eating the way you preferred."

He slurped his milkshake in silence as turning on the TV would be pointless. People would continue to bad-talk Alex's name despite never knowing him at all. He also didn't want to expose Aqua in her weakened state.

Despite several burgers, fries, and shakes, he wasn't squeamish thanks to his overactive metabolism. He cleaned the bathtub and filled it up with cold water before gently dropping Aqua's heart into it.


"Is it better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I will see you in the morning."

He set up a sleeping bag near the bathroom door so he could hear her if she needed help. The speedster hoped Aqua will be better in the morning.

----

He woke up the next day to check the bathtub. His eyes widened to see that the heart had gotten bigger from absorbing some of the water around it.

"Feeling better?"

"A little."

"So it might take longer for you to get your body back. That's okay. Just keep resting. You look better than before. Are you in a better mood to talk?"

"Not yet. I think I can only do... short sentences. Talking is–

"A lot for you. I got it. Save your voice. I will change your water now."

He carefully scooped her heart out and placed it in a container of water. He drained the tub and refilled it. He then puts her back in.

"I know you can do it. I believe in you. I have to go on a patrol, but I will be back later."

"Don't trust...Prime."

"Did you say: don't trust Prime?", the speedster asked for clarification.

Her heart rested without responding. The speed hero knew from experience that she wouldn't say something if she didn't mean it. Aqua would say what's on her mind but in a respectful way. He clenched his hands. What if Prime lied to everyone about what happened during his fight with Alex? Could Alex be innocent? But did Alex work with Switch?

He had to get more information, but the area experienced a blackout that day. There had to be a way...

He decided to zip over to Alex's hotel room while wearing civilian clothes. A pair of government agents stood outside the room. He zipped outside to find an entrance from the back, but they had someone keeping watch.

He went down to the bar to re-think his plan. He thought maybe Marks might know something. He shot him a message on his burner phone.

                                   "Fancy a drink at the hotel near base? I will be here for a while."

Marks doesn't drink beer so this should arouse his suspicion.

He waited for his response. He slowly drank down another pitcher of beer and almost waited for an hour. During his waiting time, Quick quickly disabled the video cameras near the area and inside the hotel without anyone catching him. He was about to leave when a man in bright, casual clothing bumped into him.

"Sorry."

He then felt a light tap on his shoulder and he knew it's Marks. The fighter had brown wavy hair that was always kept under his suit.

"Hey, buddy! How about that drink?", the fighter unexpectedly spoke in a chipper tone.

The speedster rolled with it. "Definitely. Two of what I'm having please", he told the bartender.

"How about a booth?"

"Sure."

Marks sat in a booth where he's closest to the exit and so he can maintain an eye on his surroundings. He placed his beer to the side.

"Did you find anything?", Quick asked him.

"I owe you for last time", Marks took out some money and placed it on the table. The hero took it.

"Thanks."

"I still find everything strange about that day. Something tells me that there is more to what happened."

Quick agreed with his eyes.

"It's okay if you missed the service. Did you know he was there?"

"I found out later and I still don't know why."

"Hmm."

Quick was hesitant if he should tell Marks about Aqua's well-being. Marks saw something was on his mind.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I'm trying to distinguish the facts from the lies and this is all complicated."

"Have you talked to him about this?"

He shook his head. "Everyone is a suspect until my gut instinct tells me otherwise. Thanks for the drink. I will buy the next round."

As he got up, Quick wrote something down on a note to quickly slip into his pocket. The men
went their separate ways. Quick arrived at his apartment and took out the money. There was a card with Dr. Lin's name and contact information.

He checked on Aqua and the heart had grown a little bigger. He refilled the tub with fresh water.

"You don't have to say anything. I know what you said earlier, but the good news is that Marks is on our side."

Her heart lifted up a bit when he says that. "So he knows?"

"He knows something's off. He gave me information on Dr. Lin. I think he's involved somehow. What if he was the one who brainwashed Alex to attack you?"

"Alex wasn't...brainwashed."

"What?!"

Aqua couldn't find the strength to keep talking.

"Just rest, Aqua. We will try again tomorrow."

He got on his burner phone to research Dr. Lin. There was a mention of his business as a professional psychoanalyst, but nothing else. He tried to find pictures of him, but none are available which he found weird. Level 5 people and heroes in that category would have their identities extremely hidden.

Why is he an exception to that rule? I will find out when we meet tomorrow afternoon.

----

Meanwhile, Marks kissed Denise when he returned home.

"Glad to see you back", as she smiled.

"You as well."

"How did it go with your friend?"

He took out what Quick put into his pocket. He hid his facial expression very well.

"It was great. I need your help with something in the bathroom."

"Sure."

They entered the bathroom and Marks ran some water from the sink. Denise saw he's crying happily as he showed her the note.


                                 "Aqua is alive and is in a safe place. She says not to trust Prime."

Denise covered her mouth in surprise and embraced her lover tightly. "It was a great day after all. So we need to be ready."

"No. You promised not to return to that life", he wiped his face.

"I know, but it's for a good cause this time. I'm going to watch your back out there. Just like last time."

He recollected himself. His face went back to calm stoicism as they head towards the living room. Pushing a button on an urn opened up to reveal a set of stairs. Denise and him head down there to the lab underneath. Besides the advanced computer lab were archery targets and twin katanas with a violet akuma mask with small horns on top. Denise lifted the case up and dusted off the items.

"I've been a little rusty", she admitted while drawing the blades.

"Let's fix that", he got some darts ready to prepare her.

-------------

The next day, Alex and the others kept training. Brooke was firing at metal targets levitated by Alex and Shrink was working on his cardio by sprinting. During this, Exodus went to Gizmo.

"Hey, Gizmo. Can you boost my powers like you did for M Heavy?"

"Sure. But that machine is fried from her power output. I do have a different method."

"How does it work?"

"Nanobots in your bloodstream to expand your limits. They will only provide a temporary boost so it's up to you to put in the rest of the work."

She consented to it. He injected her with them in the vein of her right arm.

"Also, I constructed some weapons for you", as he brought out a belt of grenades. Specifically colored blue, emerald, and purple. He explained how they work.

"Whoa. That is insane. But...

"I know. You don't like confrontation. This will help prevent situations from getting worse for them and you. I know you will use them wisely with your powers."

She took the belt of grenades after being reassured by him. She then latched onto him with a hug around the waist.

"Thank you so much."

"You're...uhm, welcome."

She left the room excited to test them out.


Gizmo drank some kombucha to help with his sobriety. It's a bitter taste, but it would have to do so he could help them out. He gathered some metal parts and started attaching them according to the blueprint he came up with.

Exodus showed off the grenades to the others. "Hey, everyone! Gizmo hooked me up. You should get behind me now."

They noticed the grenades were colored in different ways. Brooke recognized the colors as she knows what they made her think of. She wondered what will happen.

Exodus picked a wrecked car as her target and took out a purple marked grenade. She flipped a switch on it to the up position and threw it. The grenade detonated, but shrapnel didn't come out from it. A field displayed to everyone else's surprise. The car and objects around it floated in midair.

"So that's what Gizmo meant when they would help us", Brooke understood.

"There's a lot we can use for that. Our enemies won't be expecting this", Alex thought out loud.

She picked out another purple grenade but flipped the switch to the down position before throwing it. Another field appears, but the car and the objects fall with a heavy thud. They made a groaning sound as dents appeared on the car.

The field disappeared as the car groaned from the lack of pressure.

She took out an emerald grenade, removed the pin, and "accidentally" dropped it within a foot of them. Alex shielded everyone with a wall of metal and placed himself in front of Brooke.

"Look, it hasn't gone off."

Alex slowly lowered the metal wall and what she said was true.

"None of them will go off unless I want them to because of Gizmo's nanobots inside me", she casually explained.

"Why didn't you tell us that?!", he shouted at her.

"I-I wanted it to be a surprise. Oh, I am so stupid", she saw his worried eyes.

Brooke held onto Alex as his shoulders heaved up and down.

"Just...don't do that again", he begged with subsiding anger.

"You're right. I should have told you. Time to get serious now", she exhaled.

She picked up the green grenade, threw it above the cars, and detonated it. A ball of acid dropped and melted through the car and objects.

"Damn. Will we really use that against enemies?", Shrink asked with concern in his voice. Even though he had killed people, this might be a step too far.

"No. It will be just to make them back away. Is that what your intentions are, Alex? You don't want us to hurt anyone?", the thief asked him.

"I give you full permission to use it against the psychics and Prime, if it comes down to it."

"Against the psychics?", Brooke asked with surprise.

"This wasn't the first time they helped Prime. They looked too comfortable helping him. What if they helped hide away all the evils he did?", he reasoned. The others came to the same conclusion. He could be right.

"Alright. I will support you 100%."

"And here's the final one. I would totally cover my ears before it goes off", as Exodus applied ear plugs to her ears.

She threw it at a pile of scraps. Shrink covered his ears. Alex covered Brooke's ears while she did the same for him. Exodus detonated it.

A short piercing scream came out that pushed the pile to fall over and scatter. She gave a thumbs up to show it was safe to hear.

"That is insane! So cool!"

"That will be more of a last resort. Plus, Shriek gave me plenty."

They heard a knock on the wall behind him and it was Shriek, holding a mug with steam coming out.

"Glad you like my stuff", he spoke with a strained voice.

Brooke ran over and embraced him out of appreciation. "Thank you so much. You didn't have to do that."

"My power will return to full strength after some time."

"Still, it must have been a lot. Thanks."

"No problem. Continue what you're doing", before taking a sip of honey lemon tea.

Exodus was repeatedly tapping her temple with an index finger.

"What are you thinking?", her partner asked.

She was just about to do it, but she remembered how Alex reacted.


"I can use my portals to drop grenades for whatever use I want. Like if I wanted to correct my throw."

"That's good thinking. How about I try something?"

They spent the rest of the time implementing the grenades into the practice until they exhaust the supply for today. The scrapyard was full of destroyed and scattered parts after their session.

 "That was a lot for today. I'm glad to see us use this."

"Let's get some lunch."

"Go ahead. Alex, can I talk with you real quick?", Exodus asked him.

"Sure."

He gave a quick kiss to Brooke before she left with Shrink to the cafeteria. He gave Exodus his full attention.

"Again, I'm sorry that I scared you like that. You have been through a lot and almost losing Brooke must have reminded you of that."

"I also had a nightmare that she was....killed by Prime."

"I-I didn't know", her eyes widened.

"I already lost loved ones. I don't want it to happen again. So I want to make sure that everyone comes back alive."

"We will. That's why we will train hard every day and prepare for every possible scenario. We have a good leader."

"Me? A leader?"

"You're already doing a great job without assuming the role", she gave him a short embrace.

"Thanks. Let's eat now and come to it later tonight. By the way, thanks for helping Brooke and I get together."

The teleporter appreciated the compliment. They ate together and thought of the progress they had made. Lagarto and the others pulled up chairs to sit with them.

"How's it going?", the lizard hybrid asked.

"Great. Thanks to all your help", Brooke smiled.

"Anytime. When do you think you will be ready to start it?", Madame Heavy inquired.

"I want us to be extra prepared so I don't know yet", Alex answered.

"We will be ready when Techno says so", Shrink replied to her question. Alex glanced at him for saying that with genuine honesty.

"Do you still want to go by the name of Techno?", he wanted to make sure.

"Despite being a villain, yes. To be honest, I do like the sound of Judas. Seems poetic. I will go by Techno for now."

"So what would that make us?", Exodus asked.

"Kayla, my little sister, would call us antiheroes. Not exactly heroes, but not villains either. We have good goals, but we won't do it in a typical hero fashion."

"Anti-hero? That sounds a lot more fun", Exodus grinned.

"And we will display that on our debut! I'm going to make sure that we will wear the coolest costumes!", as the teleporter thief pointed at herself.

The former villains were happy to see them getting along well. It reminded them of their younger days as a team.