“Hahahey,” Robert let out an exasperated laugh. “Great work team, couple more calls and—”

  His terminal shut down as the power went out.

  Robert stood up as Royd breathed, “Not good bro.”

  The SDN Security System began repeating a warning over the speakers: “Critical systems are down. Please evacuate the building. This is not a drill.”

  “Backup generator?” Robert quietly asked Royd.

  “Should already be on,” Royd answered.

  Beef started barking and ran away.

  Robert’s eyes went wide. “Chase.”

  They rushed downstairs and Royd pried the doors open to the lab with his suit while Robert ran to Chase’s room. He skidded to a halt in front of it and pried the door open enough to slip his body in between. Beef squeezed in with him. Luckily, everything about Chase’s vitals looked stable.

  Robert breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down, seeing Beef scrabbling to get up to Chase. Robert picked up the dog and set him on Chase’s lap just as he heard a loud bang from somewhere else far off in the building.

  “Alright, take care of him,” he told Beef, and headed for the door.

  Back in the lab, Robert found the door ajar and the room strangely vacant. He walked further in and spotted Royd in the next room where the suit was located. He was struggling with something invisible.

  They burst back into the doors where Robert stood, and Royd said, “I trusted you, Visi! You were wrong for dis! I defended for you!”

  Visi reappeared in Royd’s hands—he had her held by the arms and shoulders. She kicked at his face and said, “Fuckin’ put me down! I didn’t do anything!”

  “No! No!” Royd protested. “I caught you! I caught you red-handed!”

  They continued to struggle through the room as Visi said, “You think I’d let you catch me if I was doing that? Use your head!”

  “Hey! HEY!” Robert yelled. “The fuck is going on?”

  Visi lightly kicked Royd’s face.

  “She try steal your mech suit,” Royd said.

  “Oh, fuck off,” Visi spat, kicking again.

  “It break my heart brah, but Visi is a traitor. She played all of us.”

  “That’s not what I was doing,” Visi protested. “I’m trying to help you.”

  “I trusted you,” Royd said, looking her in the eyes.

  She stopped struggling and he sat her down on the floor.

  “Never again,” Royd said. He pulled her wrist up and ziptied her to a bench.

  “Woahwoahwoah!” Robert said.

  Royd reached into her jacket and pulled out the tiny, familiar blue cartridge. He held it up in his palm for Robert to see.

  “Holy shit,” Robert breathed. “Is that the real…” he picked it up, staring at it disbelievingly.

  “She bring da keys to steal da car,” Royd pressed. “But I stop her.”

  “You fucking idiot!” Visi spat. “You need me!”

  “You brought da Astral Pulse,” Royd said. “You already do enough.”

  “You don’t know what’s coming!” Visi protested.

  “What are you talking about?” Robert asked.

  They all looked up at the security monitors. Royd picked up the remote and changed feeds, displaying cameras with SDN staff. They had their hands up, slowly backing away from Red Ring members filling into the building with weapons drawn.

  “She bring dem here,” Royd stood up, clenching his fists.

  He walked to another computer that displayed more cameras, and Robert followed. Vans pulled up with more goons, Galen was on his knees with his hands on his head, and Coupé stepped menacingly into view. She looked up at the camera they were watching her on, then threw a dagger at it.

  “Faka,” Royd breathed. “We undah attack. Watch her, I go get power back.”

  “You need my help,” Visi said.

  “You helped enough,” Royd countered. “I going.”

  “No, wait,” Robert grabbed Roy’d wrist. “Call in the Z-Team. They’re ready to handle something like this.”

  “That’s not gonna work,” Visi said. “They have jammers up. You’re not gonna be able to call out or call in. It’s why this place isn’t already swarming with heroes.”

  “You sure know a lot about their plan for someone not involved,” Robert noted.

  “Look, they tried to recruit me,” Visi admitted. “Of course they did. But I said no.”

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  “Bullshit,” Royd spat. “Watch her. I go get the power back on.” He grabbed Robert’s shoulders and they crouched down together. Quietly, Royd said, “I moved the Mecha Man suit to the Rec Room. Here. Take dis.”

  He offered Robert a taser.

  Robert picked it up and tested it once. “We’re fighting the Red Ring, Royd. I’m not walkin’ home from fuckin’ yoga.”

  “All I got bruddah. Aye.” Royd placed his hand on Robert’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to her kine bullshit, okay? You keep her tied up.” Then he took his leave.

  Robert tested the taser again and moved to watch the security feeds.

  Visi mockingly said, “I got some pepper spray you can borrow if that’s not enough.”

  Robert watched Royd sprinting down the hallways on the security feeds. He sighed and walked around, pulling up a chair and watching the space where Visi sat invisible. After several seconds, she reappeared, looking right at him.

  “Alright, untie me,” she shrugged.

  When he didn’t respond, she said, “What? Why’re you looking—”

  “You didn’t lie to me,” Robert said, “but you didn’t tell me the truth.”

  Visi hung her head for a moment, then looked up at him. “I’d love to sit here and explain it all to you, but a pile of Red Ring assholes are streaming into the building right now—”

  “I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me,” Robert shrugged.

  “I was worried… Shroud would come after you.”

  “Well, he did.”

  “So if I gave it to you,” Visi said, “he’d have the Pulse right now.” She looked conflicted. “I was… I was trying to protect you.”

  “Yeah,” Robert let out a dry laugh. “Well, the internal bleeding I got from your old boss doesn’t make me feel all that protected right now.” He stood and checked the video feeds again, spotting a good with two sharp blades attached to the underside of his wrists. He was waiting for the elevator, scraping the blades together and sending sparks flying.

  “Thumbstick,” Visi breathed.

  “What?”

  “It’s his name,” Visi said. “Cause he sticks you with—” she struggled against the zip tie, then growled. “They’re all fuckin’ idiots, Robert, but they’re dangerous! I’m not fucking around. Untie me. He looks stupid but he is a killer. You don’t have powers. You need my help. Just, let me help you. Please.”

  Robert’s jaw set in frustration. “Goddamnit. Alright.” He moved to the desk and looked around, then moved to a shelf.

  “What’re you doing?” Visi asked.

  “I’m looking for something to cut you loose but his toolboxes are locked.” He moved to another bench.

  “What’d he do that for?” Visi asked.

  “Oh, I fucking wonder Visi. Why would he lock his tools up around invisible criminal thieves?” Robert glanced back up at the video feed. Thumbstick was still waiting for the elevator, still grinding his blades together.

  Robert moved to another box and started rummaging through it.

  Visi called out, “Robert!”

  He looked up at the security feed. More men stepped up next to Thumbstick, and they all stepped onto the elevator together.

  “Oh great,” Robert sighed. “Good.” He stepped over to Visi with a pair of green scissors he found.

  “Are we in kindergarten?” Visi asked, taking the scissors.

  Out in the hallway, the elevator dinged with the arrival of their adversaries. Robert moved over near the door, his trusty taser held ready. Carefully, he leaned out to peek.

  Thumbstick stood menacingly at the end of the hallway, his silhouette framed by the elevator.

  Robert ducked back in.

  Visi disappeared.

  A moment passed.

  Thumbstick sprinted past the door, continuing down the hallway away from them. Robert sighed, letting his shoulders drop.

  Visi reappeared. “The fuck was that?”

  Robert peeked out into the hallway again. Thumbstick was holding his groin, dancing around muttering, “Fuck, come on, come on! Fuck, fuck, come on, goddamit!”

  He started banging on the locked restroom doors.

  A sound caught Robert’s attention, and he looked back at the elevator. Thumbstick’s rifle was laying on the ground, the elevator doors repeatedly trying to close and bouncing back open off the weapon.

  “Come on, come on man!” Thumbstick muttered. “Oh my god, dammit, come on, why would you even need a key card for this stupid shit.”

  He tried swiping a keycard and it did no good. He threw it at the door. “I hate this place!” He started kicking the door to the other restroom. “God, come on, open it. Come on, fuck!”

  Finally, he looked around, and said, “Alright, alright, fuck it, fuck it, okay. Okay!” He moved up to a large, potted plant that stood between the two restroom doors. A moment later, the sound of liquid spattering dirt could be heard. “Oooooh yeah,” Thumbstick sighed. “God… Oh thank you…”

  Robert looked back at the rifle, then the taser in his hand, and started stalking towards Thumbstick.

  “Oh yeah, alright,” Thumbstick sighed again as he continued to pee. “God, thank you, fiddle leaf fig brother, fiddle leaf fig—”

  A purple energy bolt shot past Robert slamming into Thumbstick’s back. The goon slammed forward into the wall, then fell on his back, unconscious. Piss went everywhere as he went down.

  Visi stood holding Thumbstick’s smoking rifle. She lowered it down and moved toward Thumbstick. She poked his head with the rifle.

  Robert walked towards them. “Hey, nice juh—” he slipped on the piss covered floor and almost fell. “Nice uh, nice job.”

  Visi stepped closer and they looked at Thumbstick.

  “Why are his nuts out?” Robert asked.

  “Oh, thought that was normal,” Visi said. “You mind helping him?”

  “Why would you crinkle cut your balls through your zipper if you don’t have—what’re you asking me?”

  “Can you just put his dick away? Feels like the dignified thing to do.”

  “Dignified for who?” Robert asked.

  “I know the guy a little,” Visi said, “and it’s bad enough he’s unconscious…”

  “Fuck,” Robert groaned. “Alright.” As he helped Thumbstick with his little problem, he muttered, “...piss everywhere.” He stood back up, holding his palms out in disgust.

  “Thank you,” Visi said. “That was very decent of you.”

  Robert shook his hands off with a grimace.

  They moved back to the lab and spotted Royd fighting a group of goons on the security feed.

  “Alright, go get your suit,” Visi said.

  “Wait, shouldn’t we stick together—?”

  Visi disappeared.

  “Hate it when she does that,” Robert muttered.

  He moved out of the lab and started running toward the Rec Room. He turned a corner and came across a goon armed with a rifle, but the man’s back was to him. Robert ran forward, launched in the air with his fist cocked back, and knocked the guy to the ground right as he turned. He gave him one more good punch when they were on the ground to make sure he stayed there, then he kept running.

  By the time he made it to the Rec Room, Robert was out of breath. But there it was, a tall, looming figure covered in a giant cloth, obscuring it from view. Robert reverently strode forward and grabbed the cloth, pulling it aside to reveal his suit. The chest cavity opened up, and Robert stepped in.

  He removed the Proto Pulse and set it in his cupholder.

  He inserted the Astral Pulse.

  It locked in place and the suit powered up. As all lights indicated operational status, Robert couldn’t help but smirk.