#chapter four!

Marcel backpedalled to the couch when the other turned to him, plopping down on the cushion with a satisfied groan. To the side, Anthony was soundly asleep on their loveseat, snoring loudly with a little dribble of drool on his lips. The poor man took long naps to store his energy when he transformed into his panda form. He didn’t have to do it all the time, a normal sleeping schedule would have done justice, but he did not like taking the risk of losing energy if he had to be in his form for too long so he took naps any chance he could get. 

Marcel lolled his eyes to the side and found Evan a foot away from him, burning holes into the couch. “...What the fuck are you doing?” 

Evan rested a hand on his hip, squinting his eyes at the rather raggedy piece of furniture before replying, “Brock told me the couch needed some cleaning.” 

“Oh. Good call, this sofa is disgusting. Do you need me to move?” Marcel asked, getting up.

 Evan beamed, “Yeah, thanks.” 

Before pulling out small explosives from his pockets. 

“No!” 

Marcel smacked them away, glaring heatedly at his teammate, “are you insane? Why the fuck do you have bombs?” 

Evan frowned, “c’mon man, you said so yourself that the couch was disgusting.” 

“Evan, you just need to clean it! Why is putting explosives your first choice? Where the fuck did Brock say to blow it? We bought a vacuum with suction for a reason!” 

“... Are you sure? I mean it’ll be easier to just buy a new one… ” 

Marcel was seconds away from strangling him. 

“Just fucking clean the couch!” 

David looked up from his spot on their briefing table, the surface currently occupied by himself, his laptop and some snacks, and Brock, who was idly scrolling through his phone. 

“...Evan got into the bomb room again,” David said with a laugh, making Brock sigh. 

“I told Tyler that lock wouldn’t hold him out for long…” Brock replied tiredly, sparing a glance at Marcel throwing the vacuum at Evan before returning his attention to his phone. 

David peered over his laptop curiously. Brock had been on his phone the moment they returned from their daily patrol, the device appearing in his hands right before they entered the elevator and hadn't disappeared since. 

“Whatcha doin’?” he asked, lowering his screen slightly to see his friend better. 

Brock looks up after a second, cocking his head in amusement, “you first. You have been mumbling to yourself since you turned on that thing.” He motioned at the laptop, snickering when David dropped his head onto the table with a groan. 

“Oh, that. I, uh, I decided to try out online dating again. The first website hasn’t been working out so well… so I want to try out another one.” He turns the laptop around to show Brock the screen, “I’ve been working on my new profile. Do you think this is okay?” 

Brock took a look at it, opening his mouth to respond, before closing it, eyebrows raised in surprise. A second later he broke into laughter, nearly dropping his phone. “Grundle?! The dating website is called Grundle? That is the greatest name I’ve ever heard!” 

David laughed along with him, “yeah, the name is pretty stupid but the reviews were not so bad.” 

“I- haha- I don’t know man, it sounds kind of sketchy,” Brock said honestly, struggling to catch his breath. 

David shrugged, “Oh, yeah. It used to be a site specifically for booty eaters but it got taken over by a different company after that whole rule on NSFW content thingy went into effect. It did fuck all but hey, it actually works as a real dating website now so that’s a plus.” 

Brock’s face bloomed a light shade of purple from how hard he was holding in his laughter, “the fact that you said booty eaters with a straight face is making me lose it, I swear to God. But, uh, I wish you luck on that.” 

David grinned as he turned the laptop back around, rubbing nervously at his neck, “I hope so, I’m kind of losin’ hope at this point.” 

Brock’s expression softened, “it will, you’ll see.” 

The two share a smile, content with their chat even with the sound of an explosion and Marcel’s pterodactyl screech pierces the air. 

Brock’s phone beeped and he quickly dropped his head. He brought all his attention back on the little screen as he read the message, holding the small device carefully in his hands. 

“So, what are you doing?” David asked again, nudging his table mate with his foot. 

“I’m not doing anything,” was the reply back, fingers flying across the little screen. 

A mocking scoff. 

“He’s texting his bae,” Tyler said from his corner. He had managed to get Evan to hold down his dummy in return from saving him from Marcel’s wrath, the other man not looking too happy in being the martial artist’s assistant. 

“And Tyler is minding his own business,” Brock hissed back, eyes not leaving his phone. 

Tyler shrugged, lowering his leg from its position, “hey, it’s not really a secret when you keep giggling every other second and jumping out of your seat every time you get a notification.” 

The comment made everyone chuckle except for Brock, who flickered his gaze up to glare. 

“Hey, I haven’t been able to see him because of these stupid patrols. When I do finally get home, he’s already peacefully asleep in our bed. And when it’s morning, he’s already up for work. We haven’t had some downtime in a while so sorry for texting my boyfriend on my breaks.” 

He didn’t mean for his comment to come out as bitter as it did but the change of schedule has had a larger toll on him than he thought. He opened his mouth to apologise, but Tyler beat him to it. 

“No, you’re right. Sorry, I know it’s not easy spending time with your boyfriend with all this shit. My bad.” 

Brock deflated in his chair, “I’m sorry, too. You were just teasing me and I took it way too seriously.” 

Tyler walked over and slung his arm around the other’s neck, grinning when he began to complain. Not releasing his hold, he took the seat next to Brock and leaned against him. “So, what have you guys been talking about?” he asked, hoping to continue being on Brock’s good side. He didn’t want the sour feeling around them to return, even if it came from repressed stress. 

Brock squirmed in his chair to get comfy from Tyler’s added weight, swiping casually at his screen. “Not much actually, he’s been visiting this other mechanic’s workshop to learn new tricks. He’s hoping to get an internship there soon so he’s trying to get a good impression. He told me a minute ago that he’s over there right now so I don’t think he’ll be texting me much soon.” 

Evan strolled over at that moment, taking the spot next to David. “Hence why Brock is pouncing on his phone every time it makes a noise,” he mused. 

Brock threw one of David’s snacks at him, smirking when the snack hit him with a satisfying smack on his forehead. 

Evan stared back at him blankly as the snack fell to the floor. He jerked forward and grabbed another snack, ready to exact revenge, before a loud siren broke the peace. 

“Alert. Alert. Alert-” 

Everyone jumped from their spots and raced to the control panel where Scotty had already brought up the alert system. “Is Anthony up?” he asked as he flipped through the surveillance cameras, finding the one that had tripped the alarm with a quick flick of his fingers.

“I was up the moment Evan blew up the couch,” Anthony said with an easy smile, thumping Evan on the back, “what is it this time?” 

Scotty rolled his chair to the end of the control panel and flipped a switch, the room dimming and the large tv screen hanging above them lit up. There, a surveillance camera of a busy highway played. 

“Calling all units, we have a 915 in Vespucci Boulevard,” their transmitter played. Scotty fought the urge to roll his eyes at how static-y it relayed the message. “Suspects have escaped in a white van with no license plate and are currently speeding away. Suspects also appear to be heavily armed. Head with caution.” 

“Looks like they made it to the highway already,” he muttered. He focused the camera onto the main road where a large van is seen spiralling down the road, barely dodging the other cars around them as it sped up. 

Tyler frowned, “those are our guys alright. What’s the plan?” 

Scotty rubbed his chin, observing the surveillance camera calmly, “it looks like there are about three of them in the back, maybe more not counting the driver. We can’t see very clearly but they’re definitely armed. They might not have any powers.” 

The others nodded along. Tyler slips on his mask, “then we’ll only send some of us out. Scotty, you and Marcel stay here and monitor the cameras. Be in gear in case we need backup.” The two nodded.  “Evan and Brock will be our eyes in the sky. Keep the van in your sight and if you’re able to, stop it in its tracks.” 

Evan grumbled, “no explosives?” 

“You’ve had enough fun for one day,” Brock scolded, sliding his eagle mask on. His partner only grumbled further, extending his wings before following Brock to their jump pad. 

David jumped up and down, “what about me?” 

Tyler grinned, “you and Anthony will be my back-up. We need to take down those thugs as quickly as we can and retrieve whatever the fuck they’re trying to steal.” He clapped his hands with a shout, breaking the guys into their teams. 

The two flyers jumped to the skies while the other three made their way to their garage to take the Seven Mobile. 

“I still hate the name,” Anthony remarked as he took the passenger seat. 

Tyler rolled his eyes, “thank Evan for that.” He turned on the team’s shared communication device on his ear, “everyone can hear me?” 

“Clear,” Evan replied. 

“All good on our end,” Marcel said. 

The garage opened up and mobile shot forward, it’s sleek black design merely a blur as he entered traffic. 

“We’ll get here soon, keep things under control,” he tells the feathered team. 

“Roger that,” Brock replied. 

He and Evan had just reached the highway, the two cautiously flying above the busy roads. They scanned the roads for the rogue van, darting under elevated overpasses and gliding over intersections. 

“Ah, there it is!” Evan called out, pointing at the elevated road connecting to a roundabout section of the highway. A white van skids out of the roundabout and barrels down the highway. It looked like it was going out of control, the side of the vehicle creating sparks as it repeatedly hits the side of the road. 

“That’s definitely our guys,” Brock sighed. 

The two quickly dive for it, careful to not get too close to the unsuspecting drivers. However, as they get closer, Brock notices two new blurs on top of the van. 

“Vanoss,” he says carefully, making the other glide closer, “I think there’s something happening, use your Owl Vision to take a closer look.” 

“Alright.” 

Evan glides further ahead and locks his gaze on the van. His eyes slant and his pupils blow out, iris’ glowing a bright gold. In an instant, the blur came into focus and he could clearly see the van. The driver seemed to be struggling with someone in the passenger seat, their attention far away from the road. On the roof of the vehicle, one of the thugs was having an intense fight with someone else. 

Someone… oddly familiar. 

He focused on the other fighter and he nearly collided with Brock from shock. His partner caught him with a startled yelp, steadying their flight path before letting go. 

“What are you seeing?” he asked worriedly. 

The confidence Evan had felt before disappeared, leaving behind anger and disbelief. He clicks on their comm, his voice suddenly serious. “The situation has gotten worse.” 

“How so?” Scotty answered, the clicking of his keyboard audible in the background. 

Evan snarled under his breath, the sound surprising Brock from beside him. He didn’t get to say before the van smashed into the side of the road, breaking the wall barrier and flew off the overpass. 

Brock dives for it with a shout, but he too stops in his tracks when he notices the van stop in its descent. He didn’t need Evan’s vision to understand what’s going on. 

He could recognise that robotic arm anywhere. 

“No way…” 

It’s them. 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

“Does everyone understand what they’re doing?” Cartoonz’ voice came through Brian’s comm, gruff and powerful. He wasn’t sure if he'd ever get used to hearing it, the gravel in the other’s voice fitting perfectly with his demonic form; Brian wondered briefly if that powerful voice transferred to his human form as well, or if he had a human form at all. 

“Crystal clear, we’re ready to go!” Lui chirped from below him. Being the only one able to fly (besides Cartoonz), they had Brian carry Lui to their destination. The hybrid was ecstatic when he was first lifted into the air, shifting into the classic Superman pose without a pause before Brian threatened to drop him if he continued. 

“What am I, an Uber?” Brian grumbled, gliding out of the way of skyscrapers and rooftops. 

“I’ll give you five stars if you left me wall-run on that building coming up,” Lui said excitingly. 

Brian huffed before he shifted his rocket boosters under his feet, angling towards the glass building coming fast. With a grin, he changed his grip around Lui’s waist to now dangling the monkey hybrid from his tail. 

He squeaked loudly, limbs flailing around him, “h-hey! I’m fragile here! Let’s not drop the monkey!” 

Laughing teasingly, he went back to their original position and carried on. Below him and Lui, Craig followed them by a vehicle, having borrowed one of Delirious’ motorcycles that he used during chases. The telekinesis user looked ready to combust from how happy he was to drive the infamous vehicle. He had taken over a hundred pictures of the sleek blue motorcycle before he got on one, squealing with glee when the motor roared to life at the twist of the handle. 

Now, he rode the bike like a pro, dodging cars and other vehicles like nothing, his giddy laughter audible through their shared comm. 

Brian spared a glance to his side, catching a glimpse of Delirious chasing after him. The masked man skillfully tailed them by using the rooftops of the buildings, crossing large gaps with mighty leaps and carefully placed flips. He was a good distance away but that didn’t stop Brian from being impressed at how he was able to keep up with them at all, by foot no less, the advantage of flight doing little to shake Delirious from their field of vision. 

“It’s crazy that it’s actually him,” Brian mumbled. 

He has only encountered Delirious a handful of times, most of them ending with the former running for his life at the quick swipes of those glinting blades. Delirious was always there when one of his most devious plans were taking into effect. 

Once, when Brian used his nanobots to tap into the machines of the city and made them explode from a virus that he created, it was Delirious who stopped him. 

Not those stupid heroes from the organisation who were too busy saving people from their burning houses or from the explosions, nor was it that stupid bird hero he loathed so much, though he’ll give him credit. The bastard sure tried. 

That bird was close though, he had managed to knick Brian on his face from those blasted talons of his before Brian threw a computer and detonated it with his remaining nanobots. The explosion damaged the hero severely and he was able to escape in time. He would have felt bad about it if the bastard didn’t try to claw out his beautiful face.

No, it was the masked hero who found him trying to fly away, using one of those cursed knives to hit his booster and make him crash. It was one of the only times that Brian tried to fight him. 

And it was almost his last. 

Delirious tossed him to the side like nothing, deflecting his blasts using those blades and pinned him to the wall from his throat. Brian had tried to use his palm blaster but some water had somehow gotten into it, malfunctioning the system. His palm must have touched a puddle on the ground when he lifted himself back up during the struggle; it was completely useless now. 

He was incredibly confused. Why was the supervillain, Delirious, attacking him? Did he stumble into his territory? Did he offend him in some way? Did one of his nanobots explode something of his? 

It didn’t matter much in the end because with the way those fingers tightened around his throat, he was sure he was going to die.

He had thought he was done for, and when Delirious lifted that glinting knife over his head, he lost all hope. He shut his eyes on instinct, sending a final prayer to the God he prayed to take care of his precious boyfriend for him. 

But when nothing had come, he opened his eyes, only to find he was alone. Delirious had left without a trace. Brian would have thought he imagined it all if it weren’t for the painful sting around his throat. 

To this day, he still does not understand why he was spared that day. And now that he was working alongside the masked hero, he was hoping his mystery would be answered soon. 

“Vrroooomm~” Lui cried using his child-like voice, arms out to his sides as he mimicked an aeroplane. 

Brian rolled his eyes, “I thought you were going to drop the child gimmick when you became a hero?” 

Lui laughed, “force of habit. Isn’t it cute? Terroriser?” he said, dropping into the childish voice with a wink. 

Brian answered by doing a loop-di-loop in the air, smirking in satisfaction by Lui’s terrified shriek. 

“Knock that off,” Cartoonz replied tiredly in his ear and Brian apologised quietly, smirk not leaving his face. Delirious’ own laugh echoed through the comm and Cartoonz grumbled, making everyone else laugh. 

“Van coming in hot,” Ohm warned, “can you give us a better visual, Terroriser?” 

“No problem,” Brian said, “activating eye vision.” His robotic eyes shifted, activating the small cameras built on both his iris. He blinked a couple of times, focusing the lens until the blur disappeared. “All clear on your end?” 

“Perfect! You’ll be our eyes when we lose sight of you guys on the surveillance,” Ohm said happily. 

It’s not long before they find the van, the white vehicle driving crazily through Los Santos streets. Brian gets them close, just a few meters above the van. 

“Can you get a read on them, Ohm?” 

“Hold on…” 

Brian keeps them steady, slowly dragging his eyes over the vehicle and capturing as much as possible. He made sure to pay attention to the side of the van, hoping Ohm will be able to catch a few glimpses of their targets. 

“Yep, got some things,” Ohm returned, “there are five in total, all male. Two in the front, one as the driver and the other as their look-out. The last three are in the back guarding the stolen goods. The ones in front have pistols and a handgun tied to their hips while the others have more automatic weapons, two with AR-15’s and the last with a semi-automatic MPR. The things stolen look to be cash, jewellery, and some computers; the rest is computer chips and other junks.” 

On the side, the hear Cartoonz let out a little ‘Wow.’ 

“You can get all that? Even if you’re not there?” 

Ohm laughed, “As long as I can see them it should work even if through a screen. Though, I can only get a few things like their location and such. I can’t tell you their names, sorry.” 

“No way, that’s still great. Thanks!” Delirious praise. 

Brian rolled his eyes at Ohm’s shriek of happiness. 

“Do any of them have powers?” Delirious asked. The masked man ran out of buildings to jump so he switched to traffic lights and street poles to chase after them. Brian seriously wondered how he was able to do that. Was he secretly a ninja or something? 

“I cannot tell through a screen, but more than likely. The items they stole all came from different locations. It would be difficult to manoeuvre all those items to their van in that short amount of time.” 

The van reached a large curve and the criminals entered into the freeway. Looks like they were going to enter a roundabout. 

Delirious jumped off the final traffic light and perched on top of a street light on the sideline. 

“Alright, boys!” he called, a rather creepy laugh echoing through their earpieces, “showtime!” 

In an instant, Brian dives forward, increasing his speed until he and Lui hovered above the van. The thieves must have noticed them because the backdoors burst open, their weapons drawn. 

“All you!” Brian cooed as he let’s go of Lui, shifting his footing to dodge the sudden rain of bullets. 

Lui giggles as he lands on top of the van’s roof. The men give a startled cry at the thump of his feet above them. “Hiya!” Lui greets, dipping low when they change their target to him. He flipped upward, the bullets merely grazing past him. The thug in the passenger opens their door and climbs up, snarling. 

“Get him off of here, now!” the driver screamed. 

Lui whistled as the thug tried to balance themselves on the moving van, their pistol waving pathetically in the air. “Here, I’ll help you out,” Lui calls before darting his tail forward, wrapping it around the other’s wrist and jerking them up. They lost their grip of the pistol and it skidded to the side. The thug dived for it with a cry but the pistol slipped through their fingers and fell off the side of the van. 

“Aww, there it goes,” Lui said with a shake of his head. The thug whips back around with a snarl, fists clenched to the side. Lui slides into a fighting stance, smirking, “there we go. No need to use guns in a fair fight, yeah?” 

The other wasn’t much for talking, opting to rush Lui with a shout, fists swinging. 

Below them, the other three scramble to hit the intruder, shooting blindly at the roof. 

“Yo, mind if I rest here for a sec?” a voice said behind them and they quickly turn around, only to be smashed into the back of the van. 

Brian lands on the flooring of the van, hands resting comfortably at his sides. “Ah, much better. Flying really tires a fella out, y’ know?” 

He shook his head with a sigh when the idiots got back on their feet and immediately shot at him. The bullets bounced off his suit like they were nothing, the shells littering the floor around him with each shot. 

“I-It’s not hitting him,” one of them desperately cries, looking to their right at, who Brian guessed, was their leader. 

“Look,” Brian began, “why don’t you guys surrender now and save yourself the hassle, yeah? You get to go to jail with your limbs in place and I do a great job on my first day as a good guy. A win-win if you ask me.” 

The one to the left of the leader scoffed, “like we believe that! You just want our goodies, well you can’t have them! We stole them fair and square.” 

Brian raised an eyebrow at the accusing finger. He took a glance at the so-called stolen goods, snorting loudly, “that shit? I can make all of that in my sleep. And I already got a sugar daddy to buy me shit so the money is useless, too. Face it, you got junk.” 

Above them, he heard Lui grumble, “I’m not your fucking sugar daddy.” 

Brian grinned, “c’mon, you kind of are.” 

“I’m not your sugar daddy.” 

“What about if I say please?” 

“Fuck off, I’m busy beating this guy’s ass.” 

Brian crossed his arms, “but I have been good! Does this mean I’m not getting my allowance this week- Whoa!” 

He jumped out of the way from a humongous fist, the attack strong enough to break a hole through the van. 

Brian focused back on the thieves, shocked to see the one on the right no longer human-sized. Instead, an eight-foot wall of a man blocked his path, muscles clenching and scary veins bulging around their neck and arms. It roared at him, saliva coating their overgrown teeth. 

“Holy fuck! Get a load of Hulk over here!” Brian mused, dodging another punch before flying out of the back. The beast followed him, jumping out of the van and chased him with deranged fists, too lost in its power to deal a calculated hit. 

“Guess that means one of them was powered up,” Lui called back to him. 

Brian answered back with a groan after those fists finally landed a blow. He crashed to the ground, quicking hopping back to his feet before the thing smashed their foot on the pavement. 

“No… you think?! I never would have guessed.” He yelled.

He blasts them with his repulsors on his palms, flipping into the air while it is disoriented. He flies in a circular motion, building up his speed before turning back around and crashes into them, burning a hole through their stomach with an energy beam. 

It screamed in agony, throwing Brian off of them before clutching at it’s wound, whimpering. Brian doesn’t waste time and grabs them by their arm, increasing the energy on his boots to lift them into the air. They roar at him, thrashing wildly in his arms. 

“Don’t worry buddy,” Brian said through gritted teeth, “I’m just sending you back to where you belong.” He shoots forward with incredible speed, low enough to drag the man through the road, creating a large crack through the pavement. It cried out in pain, large hand grasping uselessly around their wrist. 

When the van comes into view, he switches direction and flies up, creating momentum with a few twists before he flings the man. It screams before it crashes back inside the van, crushing the other two into the wall. The impact sends the van out of the control and driver curses out loud, frantically clutching at the wheel. 

Still on top of the roof, Lui used his fingers to grip onto the side of the van to keep him from falling off, sparing a glare at Brian who waved at him cheerfully. 

The same couldn’t be said for the other thug, who flew off the roof with a scream. Brian caught them before they hit the pavement. Using one arm, he tossed the thief along with the others, cackling at their pained groans. 

With a huff, Lui swings himself over to the side of the van and taps the passenger window. “Hold on, let me drive.” Using his tail, he propelled himself through the window and broke in, knocking into the driver with a shout. 

“Fuck!” the driver cursed as they swerved to the side, just missing the incoming traffic. Lui took his chance to swipe the pistol out of the other’s reach and tossed it out the broken window, shrugging his shoulders when the driver gaped at him. 

“Oops,” he offered cheekily, ducking his head with a laugh at the desperate punch thrown his way. 

“Finish this off,” Luke suddenly warned them through their comms, “your reckless fighting is endangering the other drivers. Stop the van before any more people get hurt.” 

“Roger that, I’m coming back,” Brian called from above, rushing over. 

“I’m here, too!” Craig yelled and the two looked back, laughing loudly when they spotted their teammate hot on their tracks. 

“You took yer’ sweet ass time,” Brian teased. 

Craig huffed, “you try driving through frantic drivers. A semi almost killed me when they swerved out of the way of your fight with that muscle guy.” 

He was right, the two were so busy with their fight that they didn’t notice the carnage they left behind. The van had all but forced cars to crash into each other, some spinning out of control while others were destroyed for good. 

That… probably wasn’t good. 

“But hey! I caught a gun,” Craig enthused, waving a pistol over his head.

Lui shook his head in amusement, dodging another poor attack from the driver, “we’ll deal with that later. Right now, we need to stop this van. Terroriser, be ready.” 

With a quick swipe of his arms, he forces the driver under the wheel and locks him in place. Once he was sure the man couldn’t move, he swung his legs over and kicked them at their side. 

The man jerks the wheel from the impact and the van bangs into the side of the road’s wall barriers, creating sparks. The walls give in from the full force of the vehicle and it skids off the side, sending it flying. 

Brian boosts down and straightens himself out, catching the van before it crashes into the ground. Using his boosters under his feet, he stabilises the van between his palms and flies them up, grunting from the weight. He was glad he fixed the strength in his suit because shit, these assholes were heavy. 

“That’s… one way of doing it,” he groaned, placing the van carefully back on to the freeway. The whole left side of the van was dented and torn, scratches littering its entire surface. From the inside, Brian could hear numerous groans of pain, including Lui’s. 

“You okay in there?” he asked, knocking on the non-broken window. 

“I’ve been through worse landings,” Lui shot back, rubbing his sore neck. Brian laughed naturally. At least they were able to stop the van without any problem.

He opened the door to help his friend out, not suspecting the driver to suddenly duck under him and make a run for it. 

But he wasn’t bothered by it. 

Brian hums quietly to himself, calmly watching the thief get farther away. 

“One… Two… Three…” 

He lifted his hand and blasted him, cackling when the thief stumbled to the floor with a shout. 

Craig caught up to them a moment later, skidding to a stop in front of the van. He clicks his helmet off and gasps for air, “Jesus, you guys don’t mess around!” 

Brian shrugged while Lui hopped out of the van. Craig gets to work grabbing the items out of the van, using his powers to lift the boxes and bags while he picks up the smaller items. 

He also floated the five criminals over to him, wincing at the wounds. He gasped at the sight of the large hole on the overly large man, blood pooling around the wound. “Is he alive?” he asked in disbelief, shrieking when the thing groaned in pain. 

“I guess so,” Brian replied dismissively, blowing the tires up on the van in case the five get any bright ideas. 

The three took a moment to observe their new captives, disinterested in what they saw. 

The thieves were just that, thieves. A common rat that roams the streets, trying to make it big. They must have concocted this half-baked scheme to try and put their name out there, play with the big dogs. But, if all they had was guns and one powered up big guy, they were never going to make it far. 

And here they were, defeated so easily that someone like Delirious or Cartoonz could have done it in their sleep. 

‘I guess that’s why they let us do it,’ Brian thought, looking back.

He spotted Delirious peering down from above his light post, sitting cross-legged on the small light. 

‘This was not about if we were able to handle it, but how we did it.’ 

Delirious cocks his head, meeting Brian’s gaze. Brian flinches away, uneasy. ‘I wonder if we passed…’ 

Just as Craig finished tying up their captives, their earpieces zapped into life. 

“Get out of the way!” Ohm yelled. 

The three didn’t hesitate to jump out of the way, surprised by their teammates' sudden warning. However, they didn’t get to dwell on it for long before a car zoomed passed their vision, smashing violently into the pavement, exploding a second later. 

Brian looked at it in shock, “What the fuck- Shit!” 

He used his repulsors to fling himself to the side as a talon missed his face, the air from the force of the attack hit his cheek and backed up. 

He grinned darkly, he knew those ugly talons anywhere. 

“Early Bird. Fancy seeing you here…” 

Early Bird sneered at him, wings flaring behind him. “I don’t share the same sentiment,” he growled.

To his side, Vanoss lands next to him, tucking his wings close to his chest before spreading them wide. The force of his wings smacked Lui and Craig away from the captives, tossing them to the side. 

Lui manages to land on his feet, using his tail to stabilise Craig before he falls on his face. They quickly fall into a defensive stance, their easygoing attitudes disappearing. 

“This… is not good,” Craig mumbled, orange energy glowing uncertainly around his hands. Just as he said that three more figures landed next to the two heroes. 

Nogla stood next to Vanoss, eyes wide behind his mask as he looked at the three ex-villains. The same couldn’t be said to Wildcat, the martial artist glared down at them like they were insects, teeth baring into a snarl. BigJigglyPanda at least looked cuddly in his bear form, though those claws and canine teeth were definitely not friendly. 

It has gotten worse. 

“Oh, the gang is almost all here!” Brian said cheerfully despite sweating nervously under his suit, “where's wanna-be Robin? And the bat-wielding guy? Were we not good enough for your whole team to be here?” 

Early Bird hissed, “they’re on their way. But, we’ll make sure we hold you down before they get here.” 

Without warning, Early Bird attacks. The three move out of the way, but they are intercepted by the others, just barely missing Wildcat’s over kick and Nogla’s Sonic Shout. 

Brian ducked out of the away from one of Vanoss’ wings attacks, sliding onto his knees as Early Bird tried to strike his chest. 

“Look! We don’t need to fight!” Brian yelled, cursing as another talon goes for his face. 

“Yeah, we’re good guys now!” Craig followed up, using the cargo to block Panda’s rampage, the flimsy boxes doing little to stop the bear. They were destroyed in seconds, smashed into tiny pieces with a mighty sweep of his large paws. 

“Why can’t you turn into something like that!” Craig yelped, using the debris as projectiles. 

“I’m not going to turn into some Donkey Kong!” Lui argued back, cursing as Wildcat and Nogla neared him. 

The heroes didn’t let down their attacks despite their words. Brian was getting frustrated. 

“Didn’t you hear us?!” Brian said, blasting Vanoss out of his way as he flew into the air. 

“All I’m hearing is bullshit,” Early Bird hissed, kicking him in the stomach. 

Brian straightened himself in the air, thankful that his suit took most of the blow. “But, we’re telling the truth! We’re good guys now!” 

They ignored him. 

“Incoming helicopters!” Cartoonz screamed and the three looked up. 

Two helicopters come into view, one clearly armed with special forces and the other free of weapons.

“One is a reporters’ helicopter,” Brian realised, “and the other is-” 

He was interrupted by Craig’s shriek as bullets rain down from the armed helicopter. Craig took cover using a broken part of the road, keeping it afloat over his head while he ran away from Panda’s continuous attack. “This is getting out of hand!” he screamed. 

Lui growled low, picking himself up from one of Nogla’s attacks. 

He was getting tired. First, these stupid fucking heroes getting in their way. And now, the police force had to butt in their business. Being a good buy sucks. 

“Mad Ladd, take care of that helicopter. I’ll handle kicker here and Nogla while Terroriser takes care of our feathered friends.” 

He spun out of the way from Nogla’s sonic blast, using his hands to block out the piercing sound. His tail whipped forward and blocked Wildcat’s sudden roundhouse kick. “Fuck, that hurts! Do you have steel for legs?!” he complained, sliding out of the way to rub his poor tail. He didn’t have much time to soothe the ache before he had to use his tail to propel into the air to avoid another devastating kick. 

“All muscle, baby,” Wildcat smirked, twisting himself around and landing a harsh hit to Lui’s side. He tumbles to the floor with a cough, jerking back onto his feet as another sonic shout blasts him away. 

“Just a little bit more,” he mumbled, grinning as he took a defensive stance. Just a little bit more, he can do this. 

Above him, Brian flies around and hides behind the van, barely avoiding another one of Vanoss’ razor-sharp wings. 

“Alright, if you’re just going to be little bitches…” Brian growled before he powers up his arms. Once powered up, he gripped the edges of the van and lifted it over his head. With a shout, he flings towards the two bird hybrids. 

The two dodge to the side as the van misses them. They smirk down at him. 

“Your aim has gotten shittier,” Vanoss mocked, diving down. 

But Brian crossed his arms with a smile. 

“I wasn’t aiming for you, dipshits.” 

Just then, a shadow falls around the two birds and they jerk back, surprised to see the van floating above them. Glowing a bright, orange hue. 

They realised what was happening but it was too late before the van crashed into them. They smash into the ground, leaving a large crater. 

Craig grits his teeth as he picks up the van again with his powers and, using the attack as momentum, throws it towards the helicopters. 

“I’ve had enough of your damn guns! Fuck off!”

The people in the helicopters only manage to let out a terrified scream before both the van and the helicopter explode on impact. The force of the explosion sent the reporters in the air out of control and they were forced to flee. 

Gasping for air, Brian and Craig allow themselves a moment of peace as pieces of the helicopter fall around them. At least those fucking copters were out of the way.

Though the peace is shattered by Lui’s shout and they were instantly back on their feet. 

Panda was still at their heels, heavy paws destroying parts of the road with each powerful swipe. To their left, Lui was still fighting for his life. He was cornered, the debris of the roads blocking his path from Wildcat’s hits and Nogla’s blasts. He could only hold them off for so long. 

And to make matters worse, Vanoss and Early Bird were back on their feet, expressions murderous. 

“WrktheBoyWonder and 407 are getting close!” Ohm frantically called out. 

This is bad. This is bad. This is bad! 

Craig picks up Lui with his ability before Wildcat’s land another kick, quickly settling him next to them with a huff. He was getting tired, and fast. 

They group together, backs together as the five heroes surround them. 

This is very bad! 

Brian tenses, ready to fire another blast at the incoming heroes, before something shiny flies through the air. 

The five heroes jump out of the way when the shiny object turns to many, hitting everything in its path with scary accuracy. 

Brian’s eyes widened. Those were knives! 

One of the knives hits an abandoned car’s gas tank, oil oozing gradually onto the floor. Embers from the destroyed helicopter ignited it and in an instant, it burst into flames. The flames rose at a rapid pace, blocking the other heroes from reaching them. 

“Get the criminals and run!” Delirious yelled and the three whipped around to see the masked hero darting towards them, knives drawn to his chest. 

“What about the stuff?” Craig asked as he enveloped the criminals with his energy. 

“Leave it! Team Seven can deal with it,” Delirious replied, throwing another knife at the confused team of heroes. 

The three nod and take off. Brian goes into the air and grabs Lui and Craig, transferring most of his suit energy into his rocket boosters to keep them up while Craig keeps their captives afloat. They could hear the heroes scream at them to stop but they kept on going, only looking back when the screams turned more frantic. 

Delirious had continued to target more abandoned cars on the road, the oil spilling out adding fuel to the large flames. Cars began to explode as the heat became hotter, dark smoke emitting into the air. The smoke soon took up most of the area, too thick and high for Vanoss or Early Bird to fly through. They tried to disperse the smoke with their wings but in turn, they were adding more oxygen to the fire, making it larger. 

It was getting too much for the heroes, the toxic fumes entered their lungs as they quickly covered their mouths. 

“That should do it,” Delirious cackled. 

Vanoss heard that familiar laugh and he flapped his wings angrily, snarling. “I know you’re here! Where are you, Delirious!” He screamed through the smoke. 

Delirious looked back for a second, making out Vanoss’ form through the dark cloud. He smiled mischievously, chuckles echoing around the trapped heroes. 

He took out a knife and kissed it. “The next time we see each other, let’s be on the same side. Yeah?” 

He twirled it around his fingers and aimed it at the cloud. With the flick of his wrists, he threw the knife through the thick smoke before quickly running away. 

The knife flew past Vanoss and embedded itself into a semi-truck flipped over on the side of the freeway. The tank, already expanding from too much pressure, erupted from the gash. 

The heroes ducked for cover, “fuck, is he trying to kill us?!”

However, the tank did not spill oil. 

But water. 

The water flowed out like a wave, engulfing the freeway in one fell swoop. The heroes braced themselves as the water washed over them, coming up to their waists. The flames were slowly extinguished by the current, smoke dissipating little by little after the water settled. 

Soaked, the heroes took in the damage. 

Cars turned over, soot hovering around them from the leftover smoke, and broken pieces of the road sticking out of the ground. Most of the stolen goods from the thieves were destroyed, the remaining items either damp or malfunctioning. 

Vanoss clenched his fists. 

“DELIRIOUS!!” 

-

Brian followed Ohm’s and Luke’s urgent directions to a safe area in the city, dipping behind buildings and alleyways once he heard the police sirens. They found the location behind what looked like an abandoned store, windows boarded up and chains hanging loosely around the entrance. 

Brian dropped them down near the back entrance and entered the safe area with a few clicks of the lock. After they get the criminals inside, they close the latch above the door in case they were somehow found. 

Brian crouched under the boarded windows, peeking out from the small cracks with bated breaths. He caught sight of Delirious a few minutes later, his blue hoodie visible in the dim alleyway. He knocked on the door twice and Craig quickly opened it, closing it as Delirious scurries inside. 

He crouched next to Brian and observed outside, panting lowly behind his mask. They all breathe a sigh of relief when Delirious gives them a thumbs up, his signature laugh almost encouraging despite the creepiness of it. 

“Well… that could have gone better,” Craig muttered, sliding to the ground from how exhausted he was. 

They silently agreed, the rather distressing event finally catching up to them. 

“You can say that again,” Cartoonz growled, making them jolt. They felt themselves sweat as Cartoonz took deep, irritated breaths. 

“Someone wants to volunteer and tell the class what fucking went wrong or do you need me to?” he said sweetly. 

Brian felt himself blanch. “Uhh, we kind of hurt a lot of people on the freeway?” he said hesitantly. 

“Uh-huh.”

Craig raised his hand, blushing after he realised Cartoonz couldn’t see him if Brian wasn’t facing them. “We… killed some officers?” 

“And created more damage after the helicopter exploded, yes. Continue.”  

Lui crossed himself with a pout, “it wasn’t our fault that it happened… but we ended up fighting the superheroes.” 

“Which didn’t help the whole ‘reform’ thing if we’re fighting Los Santos’ golden boys,” Brian snapped. 

Cartoonz hummed, “which means…?”  

Brian lowered his head.

“We failed… didn’t we?” 

Disappointment washed over him all at once. Everything that could have gone wrong, did. 

Tremendously. 

The only thing good was that they got the ‘bad guys,’ but that alone wasn’t enough. They haven’t turned the criminals in yet, too occupied in hiding from the police and the other heroes that were no doubt chasing after them. The media would no doubt twist it around but who can blame them. None of their actions said ‘Hero’ to him. 

Lui and Craig deflated beside him, having come up with the same conclusion. Ohm whimpered quietly in their ears. 

To their surprise, Delirious chuckled. 

“I think you guys did pretty well!” he exclaimed, jumping up to his feet. “I mean, you had everything pretty much in control the entire time. Yeah, you destroyed some stuff but that shit can’t be helped. It’s not like the bad guys are going to play nice; if things get messed up because of a fight then that just means you did a really good job defending yourselves.” 

He lolled his head low, the blue orbs of those eyes brightened. “Besides, you would have been fine if those heroes didn’t attack you. They’re the ones that made things worse.” 

Brian and the others stood up, hopeful. 

“S-So! Does that mean we passed?” Craig asked meekly. 

Delirious tapped his mask, that infamous laugh returning, “not yet~ We still have some trash to take care of.” 

He turned his head and snickered at the criminals tied up in the corner, shivering in fear. Delirious sat down on the floor and crossed his legs, propping his head with his elbow. He motioned at the three, “what do you think should happen to these guys?” 

Brian thought for a moment, wondering if this was a trick question. He shrugged, “uh, don’t we take them to the police. Obviously in secret because I’m pretty sure they are going to shoot us on sight.” 

Lui rubbed his chin, tail wrapping loosely around his waist, “I think we should just kill them. It’ll be a hassle to move them and it’s not like we can let them go. Getting rid of scum off the street isn’t a bad thing, no?” 

At his words, the thieves shook harder, begging over their gags. 

Craig’s palms glowed and they were forced to the ground, their cries muffled. “I dunno, I think the right thing to do is turn them in. I mean, I’m not opposed to killing them either. They had no problem shooting at us.” He said flippantly. 

“Ohm? What do you think?” Brian asked, shifting his gaze so the other could get a good look at their captives. The thieves were heaving under the gags, pressed firmly to the floor thanks to Craig’s ability. 

Ohm answered after a minute, hesitant, “well… we’re supposed to be heroes now and I think killing is a whole no-no in the rule book. I vote for turning them in to the police.” 

Lui and Brian boo’d, teasing their teammate for the boring answer. Ohm whined at them to shut up. 

“I guess we should take them to the police station,” Lui said, making a move to grab them. They were all surprised when he was stopped by a sleeved arm. 

Lui looked up and saw Delirious had moved, blocking him from the criminals. 

“Yeah, it’s true. The hero code says to not kill when it’s not necessary. So, turning them in is the correct thing to do,” he stated slowly, lowering his arm. 

But, he then leaned forward and leered down at their captives, those blue irises glowing dangerously. He chuckled softly, eyes appearing to brighten further. “But, isn’t it the job of a hero to keep the scum off the streets? If we let them all go, who said that they won’t continue to be bad? Those prisons can’t keep them there forever, they can break out at any time. The next thing we know, we’ll be seeing their faces again causing havoc once more.” 

The thieves shook their heads frantically but Delirious ignored them. 

The three ex-villains frowned, taking his words in with unsure nods. 

“So… do we kill them or not?” Brian asked uncertainly. 

“Not all of them,” Delirious cooed. 

He circled around them, humming a cutesy tune un-befitting of the circumstances. He grinned. 

“We kill only the unredeemable ones.” 

He snapped his fingers, “release them.” 

Confused, Craig released the hold, the orange hue disappearing around the criminals in an instant. In a fluid motion, Delirious reached over and yanked two of them off the ground. Brian recognised them as the driver and the one who can transform, terror etched fiercely in their eyes as they gazed back at those dark depths of that infamous mask. The three left behind squirmed in their bonds, too afraid to try and make a run for it. 

Delirious cocked his head as he gazed at them. 

The cutesy tune stopped. 

“Only these two get to live, the others die.” 

Brian and the other reel back, surprised. What? 

“Why them?” Lui asked, more confused than he was before. 

The two in Delirious’ arm stopped in their struggle, also seemingly surprised by his claim. 

Delirious tossed the two to the side, not bothering to look back at them. “These three here will definitely attack us again if we give them a chance. Wouldn’t you?” 

They shook their heads rapidly, tears streaming down their faces. But, that didn’t sway him. 

“And these two have it in them to change. So, they get to live!” He dropped low to the other two’s eye level and laughed. 

“You will change, right?” 

The two didn’t hesitate to nod, their cries of gratitude muffled through their gags. 

Delirious clapped his hands in glee. “There you go! Mad Ladd, after we deal with their friends, why don’t you take these two to the police station and leave them on their front steps? You’ll be able to do it from a distance so you won’t be spotted.” 

Craig didn’t have a chance to respond before Delirious twirled around towards Brian and Lui, resting his hands comfortably in his pockets. “So,” he asked, rocking on his heels, “do any of you want to do the honours or would you like me to?” 

Brian shared a look with Lui, relieved to see the other just as baffled as him. They both shrugged their shoulders, deciding to not question it. 

Lui stepped forward with a confident smile, “it feels a little weird but I’ll do it. I was one of the people that voted to kill them so it’s only fair.” 

Before he could get near them, Delirious spoke up. 

“You know, you guys still have time to change your mind about working with us. This is not exactly what heroes do,” Delirious said, tone no longer playful, “Cartoonz and I did warn you that we weren’t exactly the best choice to learn to be ‘good’ from.” 

Brian regarded him carefully. 

He didn’t have to think it over, not really. Sure, Delirious’ and Cartoonz’ tactics were a little bit cruel, definitely stretching the definition of what a hero should be. And yet, it was probably the easiest thing to decide. 

“We don’t regret it all,” they all chimed in, sharing a smile with each other. Even Ohm’s voice mingled with the others, soft but sure. 

“To be honest, this actually makes my resolve more strong,” Brian admitted, scratching his exposed cheek lightly, “I was afraid that I wouldn’t be cut out to be a good guy. I’ve done a lot of terrible things in the past and I think some of my bad habits won’t go away that easily. Being this type of hero is very reassuring.” 

Lui smirked, “we want to be heroes that actually make a difference in the world. Not the candy sucking goody-two-shoes the government has for heroes.” 

“At least some of them get to live,” Craig said optimistically. 

Ohm laughed over their earpieces, “now that’s one way to look at it.” 

Lui reaches into his hoodie and pulls out a small pistol. He grinned as the three desperately tried to get to their feet. 

“Looks familiar?” he cooed, grabbing one of them and pressing the muzzle on their forehead, “I wanted to grab one of your more impressive weapons but this is all my friend could get…” he takes off the safety, a familiar rush seeping through his veins as their eyes widened in terror. 

“Lucky me, right~?” 

He didn’t waste time in firing the first bullet, chuckling at the way the body fell from the blow. The others screamed through their gags. 

One of them managed to get onto their feet and pushed their partner to the side without pause, making a dash for the exit. Lui merely lifted the pistol and shot, whistling in disappointment at the pathetic cry the thief made as the bullet went through their skull. 

“Wow, you would leave your friend? Just like that?” he tsked, twirling the pistol playfully in his hands. 

From the corner, Delirious cackled, “see? Wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice their own if it meant they lived.”

 Lui tutted, digging his heel on the last remaining thief’s head. Ah, it was the leader. “Some loyal men you got there,” he mocked, cocking the gun. With a final salute, he shot him in the back of the head, blowing the muzzle teasingly before playfully placing the pistol back into his pocket. He looked back at Delirious, smirking. 

Delirious clapped his hand, eyes sparkling, “you killed them so easily! I usually waste more bullets than that.” 

“That’s because you’re shit with a gun,” Cartoonz teased. His voice surprised everyone. The other had been silent since he scolded them. 

“I don’t suck! I just think knives are way cooler than guns,” Delirious sniffed. 

They could practically hear Cartoonz rolling his eyes, “right. I must be mistaken then.” 

“You damn right you are!” 

Ignoring him, Cartoonz returned his attention to the group. “Well, once Mad Ladd takes the trash to the station, I’ll count this mission as complete.” 

Craig bounced up and down in excitement, “does this mean we’re done?” 

Cartoonz jeered at him, “not so fast. We still have to have a team meeting to talk about the absolute bullshit you had me witness. Then, if team dipshits haven’t done so, we’ll have to go clean up the mess you caused, see if there is anyone else that is hurt. We also have to designate your own patrol route-” 

“Wait, wait, wait!” Craig interrupted, eyes sparkling. 

“Ugh, what?” 

“You said team meeting!” Craig replied beaming. Brian and Lui perked up, mouths gaping. “So? What does that have to-” 

“Does that mean we’re part of the team?!” Ohm squealed. 

Delirious laughed as Cartoonz groaned loudly, voice stuttering. Ohm must be shaking him in his happiness. 

“...Yes!” Cartoonz admitted with a sigh, “starting today, you officially be apart of our team-” 

“YES!” 

“WE DID IT!!” 

Craig and Brian shared a hug while Lui jumped up and down with a cheer. 

The two criminals lied forgotten in the corner, passed out after witnessing the first death of their friend. 

Cartoonz growled, “If I get interrupted one more time…” 

Delirious chuckled, “let them be happy, Cartoonz. They’ll eventually get tired of us anyways.” 

Cartoonz goes quiet over the comm but Delirious doesn’t mind.