"So have we just adopted this rooftop as our base?"

Victor glanced up, eyes adjusting from staring at slow-motion cars in the street below. "Hi Dante," he shrugged. "We don't have a better base, do we?"

Dante sat cross-legged beside him, fingers running along the ledge. "That cave would've been awesome. Too bad Doreen gave it to the inhumans who don't want to help us."

Victor shrugged. "It's pretty crammed. Doesn't have any privacy. I don't think it was that great."

Dante quirked an eyebrow, motioning across the utterly bare rooftop--minus the small shed covering the stairwell. And the antennae tower. "And this offers privacy?"

"It's got more space at least," he shrugged again.

"It's also colder. And it's wide open to the rain."

"Whatever," he leaned against the ledge, chin on his forearms, staring down at the whirring traffic.

Dante shifted positions. "Um, I was wondering...about the pa..." he swallowed. "Do you think it's fine that Squirrel Girl and Kamala went off to check out that boat shed incident by themselves?"

Victor turned, tilting his head. "That's what you were going to ask?"

Dante nodded. Rapidly.

Out of sight behind the stairwell, Ivy and Ette laughed.

"Ivy has Squirrel Girl's phone. They'll call if they need back up," he stared back over the ledge.

"Yeah. Of course." He didn't leave. "Soooo...unrelated, about what Squirrel Girl said in the park..."

Victor's eyebrows rose. A car blared down below. "What thing she said in the park?"

"Uh, the friends thing."

Victor frowned.

"Where she called the two of us friends? Remember?"

Victor glanced up, eyes narrowing. "Yeah, I remember that. What...about it are you referring to?"

Dante opened his mouth, shut it, then just scooted backwards. "Never mind. It was stupid. I...it's nothing. Last night clearly wasn't--" he shook his head, crawling to his feet.

"Wait," Victor said, and Dante paused. "I don't know what you're trying to say about Squirrel Girl randomly accusing us of being best friends, Dante. We're not. I hardly know you," Dante scoffed and stood, but Victor caught his wrist and dragged him back to a seat. "But you are one of approximately three people who actually trusts me. So I don't care what Squirrel Girl says about best friends or whatever else. You're too...much for that."

Dante quit trying to pull his wrist away and sat back on his heels. He blinked. "I'm too much? What's that mean?"

Victor fluttered his arm about. "Important? Uh...amazing? Messed up what I thought about everything? And I like it when I'm near you?"

Dante's lips tugged up in a brief smile. "Serious?"

Victor nodded, warily, arms sinking to his sides. "Was I not supposed to say that?"

"Oh yes, you were," he grinned wider, but it faded to a frown. "I mean...you can say all that, about trust and being amazing, and I appreciate it, but you shouldn't totally trust me, Victor. My powers are a ticking time bomb, I'm not in control of this. I didn't ask for..." he held up his palm, which stayed dark.

"Dante, I don't control my powers," Victor said. "How am I supposed to control every shadow? Or control the void where I teleport through? I can't do that."

"You don't have flaming hands either," Dante grumbled, hand dropping to his knee.

"I know," Victor shrugged, glancing to the pale horizon, the sun slowly sinking towards it. "And flaming hands look more dangerous than some shadows. But with my powers, I had to treat the shadows and void like I was welcome among them. Not like I was in charge and I could control them," he lifted Dante's wrist. "It's like this. Our fingers fit together, but neither of us is in control. Pretend like my hand is your powers, and your hand is you. Your actions and feelings. You could yank me where you want, but if you do I'll probably resist, and yank back. We have to cooperate," he slowly tugged Dante's hand in a circle, between their bodies.

"Wow. Who knew you were so wise?"

Victor blushed. "I told you, I had to figure out how to use my powers," he tried extracting his hand, but Dante didn't let go. Victor blushed deeper.

"Hey lover boys!" Ivy shouted across the rooftop. Victor jolted, spinning towards the sound. "Squirrel Girl's phone just went off. They need back up!"

"Right now?" Victor scrambled to his feet, dragging Dante after him.

Ivy and Ette jogged toward them. "Yeah," Ivy waved Squirrel Girl's acorn-shaped phone case in her free hand. The four of them met in the middle of the roof, Ivy panting slightly while she spoke. "Ms. Marvel said to meet in the warehouse alley."

"The one where this morning--"

Ivy's shrug cut him off. "I assume so?"

"I have a question," Ette motioned to Victor and Dante's hands with hers and Ivy's. Victor blushed; Dante hadn't let go. Or Victor hadn't? "Are Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel a thing too?"

Victor blushed harder.

"I don't," Dante hesitated, "I don't think so?"

"Ah," Ette pursed her lips. "So we're just twinsies. Couples twinsies?"

"That's weird. I think you mean quadrupleties," Ivy said, face glowing with the phone screen.

"Quadrupleties?" Ette scrunched her eyebrows together. "That's not a word."

"It's definitely not," Dante said, lip twitching. "I think it's a quartet."

"That's for music, actually," Ivy corrected.

Victor gripped Dante's hand tighter, nerves buzzing. His blush had faded, despite the discomfort niggling his stomach. Couples and twins? He'd hardly held Dante's hand yet. And besides, how long had Ivy and Ette been...together?

He shook off the thought, spinning a portal open beneath their feet. "Everyone ready?"

"What if I say no--" Ivy's voice cut off inside the void.

"Oops," Victor muttered soundlessly, to the black-violet emptiness. Dante hung frozen beside him, while Ette and Ivy floated open-mouthed, eyes trapped mid blink. "Sorry about that."

He flowed through the void, speeding across the city, floating the others in his wake.

Outside the warehouse, Victor formed a narrow portal and cautiously rose to the street. The yawning hole in half the warehouse wall confirmed his suspicions. The inhumans had escaped.

"--no thanks?" Ivy finished. Then stared at the asphalt and the warehouse, blinking. "Oh. Uh."

A high pitched wail made Victor jump, and a pulsing red light flashed against a gray building outside the alley.

"Sorry," Victor told Ivy.

"Psst! Over here!" Ms. Marvel's voice hissed.

Victor and the others turned towards the noise, from within the yawning hole in the warehouse.

"Come on!" Ms. Marvel hissed again.

"I'm not getting caught by the police out here," Ivy dragged Ette along, running for the gap in the building. "I am not going to jail."

"Let's go," Dante tugged Victor into motion. He whispered, "I didn't think the cops would still be around here this late. Wasn't it this morning when Squirrel Girl told us about it?"

Victor nodded, ducking inside. "I hope we have a good hiding place." Between the destroyed wall of the warehouse and their un-earthlike clothing, it wouldn't go well if the red lights and high-pitched wails came after them. Why, Victor didn't even belong on this planet. What would they do to him if they discovered him?

Inside the warehouse, warped metal--once forming the corner of the wall--littered the floor. Broken glass trailed in an arc beneath the nearest window, but the rest of the building stood empty. Victor frowned. He doubted the growing gray shadows hid an entire fishing boat. Where had that gone?

Two figures stepped from behind a sheet of warped metal. "Glad you could make it," Squirrel Girl whispered. "Can I have my phone now?"

Ivy nodded, stepping away from Ette and handing over the phone.

"So what are we doing in here?" Dante asked.

Ms. Marvel, cardigan exchanged for her navy blue costume, motioned them deeper into the warehouse. "We found something. There's a crack in the ground, and we think there's a large, open space down there. I only poked my arms around a bit though, since we couldn't see anything."

"What's so important about a hole in the ground?" Ette asked, more enshadowed the deeper they went.

"Squirrel Girl's scooter is currently hidden inside it," Ms. Marvel said.

"It seemed the safest place when the cops returned."

"We thought we could stash things inside. Like a secret base."

"Especially since you four have nowhere to sleep."

"That's it? What's up with needing backup?" Ivy asked. "I thought we were going to fight."

"Fight who?" Ms. Marvel asked. "The police? We're supposed to be on their side."

Ivy snorted. "No offense, but I have no interest in helping the police do their job. I want to take down the kree. That's it. Then I'll move to a pretty island or something."

Ette tilted her head, pulling up short. "Island? How about we live somewhere with a pretty garden instead? Or at least somewhere your ice powers would be helpful."

Ivy lightly punched her shoulder. "A tropical island is the best place for ice powers. Instant air conditioning!"

"Well, I still want a garden."

"Great! So we get an island, and a massive garden near here, and we hire Victor as our transportation services," Ivy grinned over her shoulder at him. He glowered back.

"Dante, can you make a fire?" Victor turned away from Ivy. "I crashed a boat in here, but I don't see it."

"Sure," Dante slipped his hand free and grunted, both hands bursting alight. Victor squinted, eyes slowly adjusting.

"There's no boat," Dante said. Victor frowned, pacing towards the center of the room with Dante in his wake. The others gathered in a corner, quietly murmuring.

"Dante, can you shine your hands over here?" Squirrel Girl whisper-shouted. A high-pitched wail squealed outside.

"One minute," Dante whispered back, his shadow bobbing across the concrete.

Crouching in the middle of the floor, Victor examined the dust. Mostly swept free, it held no footprints or tire tracks. But a vague, boat-sized line cut to the front of the warehouse, ending at the once-locked doors. Victor stood back up. "I think the police dragged the boat out through there," he pointed. Then he motioned with his head towards the yawning hole in the warehouse wall. "We've got more than one entrance into this place."

Dante's jaw hardened. "And this secret hole is practically in between them."

He sighed. "So it probably won't stay secret for very long."

"Dante!" Squirrel Girl hissed.

"Coming," Dante whispered, jogging away. Victor tiptoed after him, siren wails floating through the walls.

Dante's fire flashed brighter, and Ms. Marvel gasped. Squirrel Girl squealed, clamping both hands over her mouth.

"Whoa," Ette said.

"It's a whole extra warehouse," Ms. Marvel awed, bending over.

Victor pressed in between Squirrel Girl and Ette, peering at the door-sized hole in the floor. Dante held his hands near the jagged edge, illuminating a single corner of the secret...basement. Dusty boxes lined the walls, and Squirrel Girl's scooter stood, not-quite leaning against them.

"I'm going in," Ms. Marvel sat on the edge, stretching her legs down.

"Me too," Squirrel Girl crouched, waiting until Ms. Marvel slipped out of sight before jumping. "I'll catch the rest of you!"

Dante sighed. "Again?"

"You first, lover boy," Ivy motioned for Dante to go.

Dante gave her a withering stare and his hands flickered out. "That's not my codename." Shoes shuffled, then a muffled grunt floated from below. Firelight began flickering from the secret basement.

"Alright," Squirrel Girl hissed. "Next!"

Ivy dropped out of sight, then Ette, Victor glancing toward the gaping entrance to the warehouse. Red lights flashed just outside. "Come on!" Squirrel Girl called, and he dropped down, Squirrel Girl catching him and setting him swaying beside a heap of cargo crates.

"Now we just need a door," she panted. "And an elevator."

"Speaking of," Ette piped up, rubbing her fingers down one of the boxes. Trails of green grew then dwindled over the wood. "How are we getting out of here?"

"Portal," Victor said.

"Oh. Duh."

"How big is this place?" Ms. Marvel's voice floated, echoing.

"Pretty big, since I can't see you," Squirrel Girl whispered, peering into the gloom.

"Should I shoot a stream of fire?" Dante asked, both hands lifted by his head.

"Absolutely not!" Squirrel Girl hissed. She pointed wordlessly to the wood crates against the walls.

Dante grinned weakly.

Ms. Marvel returned to view in Dante's circle. "I walked out that way," she pointed behind her. "And I didn't run into anything. This place might be bigger than the warehouse above us."

A thump overhead made them jump, instantly silent.

"Shall we find out?" Ivy whispered.

Dante answered by treading away, dragging them along simply by holding their only light source.

"I really wish we had a door over that hole," Squirrel Girl whispered from the back of their line, wheeling her scooter beside her.

***

Victor and the others walked through the gloom and flickering firelight for solid minutes. They trailed the wall, lined with cargo crates, hardly speaking. Victor clenched his fists, on edge that the police might drop through the hole and give chase at any moment. Sure, he could beat them in a fight in this setting, but law enforcement rarely gave up that easily. Insistent, if not powerful, the few law enforcement authorities he'd encountered on bad terms had given dogged chase, making life and his assignment drastically more complicated.

They certainly didn't need that now, while working to take down Hala.

Splashes. Victor peered to the front of their line, arms reaching for the shadows.

"It's water," Ivy said, surprised. Their ragged line quit moving. Plip. "Definitely water. I can't freeze it up." Plip.

"Guys? I think we're under the bay," Ette said. Victor stared at the ceiling.

"Oh, I don't like this," Squirrel Girl muttered. "Good thing I left Tippy behind."

"Under the bay?" Ms. Marvel asked. "Are you sure?"

Plip. "I'm pretty sure," Ette said. They huddled closer.

"Could anyone make a torch? Or get me a long stick?" Dante asked. "I'm not sure how long I can keep burning."

"Well," Ms. Marvel stretched for the wall of cargo crates. "We may as well find out what's in here. Does anyone even know this place exists?"

"I seriously doubt it," Ivy muttered, crossing her arms and shivering. She kept staring at the ceiling.

"Great," Ms. Marvel's enlarged hands tugged on a crate from the highest row, scraping it forward. It halfway tipped, but she stretched out a foot and caught it. Ette grabbed her shoulder, and Ms. Marvel slowly lowered the box to the ground. It settled with a poof of dust.

"Uh, there's no way to open it," Squirrel Girl said.

"I've got it," Ette stepped forward, before Victor could summon a knife from the void. He lowered his hand. Plant growing would probably end up cleaner than trying to slice through the wood, anyway.

Ette placed both palms on the rim of the box, label-less and coated with dust. She scrunched her face up, and beneath her hands the pale wood sprouted green and spread waving tendrils into the air. She muttered, and the line of green spread, the box rim curling open in swaying tendrils and leaves.

Ette stepped back, panting, and the front panel of the box fell away, thudding to the floor. Victor winced at the rolling echo. "Oops," Ette hissed. Dante held his flame closer to the dark contents of the box.

"Stark industries!?" Ms. Marvel exclaimed, hands hesitating over a red logo on a smooth metal face.

"What--" Victor began.

A far-off thump echoed. "Who's down here?"

Victor clamped his mouth shut. A clicking, pinprick light flashed in the distance.

"I think we've been followed," Squirrel Girl hissed.

"No duh," Dante muttered back.