SteelStar flew in his metal form, trying to maintain the proper frame of mind. As tempting as it was to fume on how he’d lost another chance to get his side of the story out, he had a job to do. He flew straight to the building marked on his smartwatch as the hostage situation, though he didn’t know what he’d do when he got there.

Suddenly, he got a message on his watch, “SteelStar,” came Silent’s voice. “Head back to headquarters.”

“Not the hostage situation?” SteelStar enquired.

“Their first demand,” said Silent. “Is that all superheroes stay away from the building. If they see you approaching, they’ll start killing hostages.”

With a heavy heart, SteelStar replied, “Roger that.”

As SteelStar changed direction, Silent said, “Don’t worry. This kind of demand isn’t unheard of. We’ll find a way around it.”

###

Sister Nature strolled through the building, the black oil across the floor parting at her feet before reforming behind her. Her minions in animal masks were forced to wear flame retardant boots as they guarded the exits. With Sister Nature’s oil covering everything, all they had to do was keep people from leaving. She didn’t bother to gather them together; she just had her men point their guns at the hostages to keep them inside as there were no exits above the ground floor. The hostages just stood in the back of the room near the elevators, their bodies covered in oil.

The supervillainess strode to the reception desk and looked it over. Once she found the intercom, she turned to the hostages standing in the center of the room. Though her face was hidden by her deer skull mask, her tone suggested a stern expression.

“Who works at this desk?” she asked.

The hostages didn’t answer as they stared back fearfully.

A moment later some oil on their heads, the size of a raindrop, flared up with flame, burning a small patch of their skin and making them cry out in pain.

“Who…works…at this…desk?” Sister Nature demanded.

“M…me!” said a woman, stepping forward.

Sister Nature pointed at the reception desk, “Does this intercom allow you to make announcements to the entire building?”

The poor woman said, “Yes Ma’am.”

“Show me.”

A moment later, Sister Nature made an announcement to the entire building, even the people trapped on the upper floors, too scared to move.

“This is the sister of nature calling, so listen up. By now you’ve no doubt noticed the substance covering every surface, including your skin. That substance is my wrath, and I can sense all those touched by my wrath. If anyone attempts to escape, I will know, and you will perish in a fiery blaze.”

###

SteelStar, Elementus, and Demigoddess arrived at U.H.E. headquarters around the same time. Watching from atop a rooftop, Speedclaw stood watch, his feline eyes scanning the building as he hid in the shadows. He saw SteelStar and Elementus fly in while Demigoddess took great leaps before entering. Looking at the red clad superhero, Speedclaw shook his head. They hadn’t been expecting her, and her powers could be a problem. He’d have to let Sister nature know about this.

Meanwhile, the three superheroes found Paramount, Silent, Speedshock, Animage and her dog in the U.H.E.’s communications room. The large room had technicians manning computers as well as a large viewscreen towards the back. The viewscreen currently showed the building in question, completely covered in that black oil. Even the windows, previously melted open, showed a thin film of oil preventing entry and exit.

In the center of the room Paramount stood by an intercom, the voice of Sister Nature coming through loud and clear.

“I understand what you’re saying,” said Paramount. “But I can’t meet your demands if you don’t tell me what they are.”

“Right now,” said Sister Nature over the phone. “I just want you heroes to stay away from this building. I’ll tell you my demands when I’m ready to receive them.”

And she hung up.

Paramount frowned, “That’s unusual. She usually opens with her demands.”

“So, what do we do?” asked Speedshock.

“I’ve already taken control of insects near the building,” said Animage, closing her eyes. “I have eyes one both the hostages and the hostage takers.”

“Very good,” said Silent. “Leave the rest to me.”

“Won’t they be expecting you?” asked SteelStar.

“To some extent,” said Silent. “But I make certain I’m never seen entering or leaving headquarters. If the enemy doesn’t know when I’m here, it’s harder to plan around me. Sometimes I don’t even tell Paramount I’m at headquarters, just to keep enemies guessing.”

Paramount smiled, “Yes, he’s good at that.”

SteelStar nodded. The Silent Wraith was the only superhero here with the ability to get close without being seen.

“As for the rest of us,” said Paramount. “We need to watch out for any signs of Tholatite. I highly suspect that this hostage situation is a diversion.”

“Say,” said Demigoddess. “I’ve been thinking. I could handle any bomb they might use. I could just absorb the explosion.”

Paramount gave her a serious look, “Have you ever absorbed Tholatite energy?”

Hesitantly, she replied, “No.”

“Right, and I know for a fact that there is at least one form of energy you can’t absorb, so if you can’t absorb Tholatite energy, then the explosion will kill you. And I know you can’t just absorb the electricity from the detonator like SteelStar.”

Demigoddess sighed, “Again, no. I can only absorb energy from electronics as fast as it’s given to me.”

“Right,” said Paramount. “So, absorbing from a battery that lasts two hours would take two hours. That’s why SteelStar is here. He’s better with electricity. He can disable the bomb before it goes off. If that fails, we can keep you as a backup, but I’d rather not take unnecessary chances.”

SteelStar backed away sheepishly, uncertain if he deserved the praise. Demigoddess, meanwhile, fumed a bit as the others in the room watched for her response.

Finally, she replied, “Fine.”

“Gunning for the spotlight, Demigoddess?” Speedshock asked teasingly.

“Shut up,” she snapped quietly.

SteelStar and Elementus smirked.

###

“Lady Nature,” said a henchman in a tiger mask, “We have some problems.”

“What is it?”

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“Just got contacted by Speedclaw. He saw the superheroes entering U.H.E. headquarters. He hasn’t seen the wraith.”

“That’s to be expected,” said Sister Nature. “It’s possible he’s not here, but even if he is he won’t reveal himself until it’s advantageous to them. Since we can’t prove if he’s here, there’s no point in demanding he show himself. What are the other problems?”

“Well,” said the Henchman. “Speedclaw spotted Demigoddess entering the U.H.E..”

Under her mask, Sister Nature frowned. That could be a problem. Demigoddess could absorb almost any type of energy thrown at her and expel it right back at her opponent. If she could absorb the Tholatite explosion, then their plan would fail.

“Alright,” said Sister Nature. “Contact Biomaster. I know how to deal with her in person, but we need her away from the bomb. Get him to set up a distraction that she would be uniquely qualified to handle.”

“Understood.”

As Sister Nature spoke with her subordinate, one of the hostages had inched closer and closer, moving slowly to avoid being noticed by Sister Nature or her henchmen. A few of the hostages noticed him but remained silent out of fear. Once confident he was close enough, the man grabbed a chair and ran forward, aiming the chair directly at Sister Nature.

The oil on his body ignited in a moment, a sudden burst of flame that hid his form, and in the span of a second the man was a pile of ash on the floor.

Many of the hostages cried out in fear as they backed away. Sister Nature turned to them, a pair of angry green eyes looking out through her mask.

“Let that be a lesson to those who disobey me,” she said.

###

SteelStar found himself pacing back and forth. He knew if he approached the scene then hostages would die, but all this doing nothing was driving him crazy. Paramount stood next to the intercom, his arms folded as he wore a steely expression. Glancing at him, SteelStar thought Paramount looked completely and utterly undaunted by the situation. Thinking about what Elementus had said, he wondered if Paramount was just as worried as him but was better at hiding it.

Looking around, the other heroes were just as stoic. Speedshock, Animage, and Elementus all wore expressions similar to Paramount’s. Even Animage’s large dog seemed stoic, sitting by his mistress’s side like a statue. The only person, SteelStar noted, who didn’t look stoic was Demigoddess. She looked bored, very bored.

Suddenly her head moved in his direction and SteelStar turned away to keep pacing. He didn’t want to trigger some conversation with Demigoddess, and hoped she hadn’t noticed him looking. Everything about this woman just irritated him, and the idea that anyone could be bored in this situation got under SteelStar’s skin like nobody’s business.

A moment later, one of the technicians spoke up, “Paramount, sir, we have reports of a reactor leak in the east weak. We’ve got a radiation hazard.”

Paramount levitated and flew over, looking at the technician’s screen as the other superheroes came up. Seeing the footage, Paramount frowned.

“Seems we do have a reactor leak,” said Paramount, turning his head.

“Great,” said Demigoddess, moving towards the exit. “I could use something to do.”

“Wait, Demigoddess,” said Paramount.

“I can absorb radiation,” said Demigoddess dismissively as she kept walking, “Don’t sweat it.”

“Demigoddess!”

She ignored him, exiting the room. The moment she left, Paramount gave an exasperated sigh.

“Hey,” said Elementus. “If she wants to go, let her.”

“You’re missing the point,” said Paramount. “That leak is clearly a diversion.”

Everyone else blinked in surprise.

“Really?” asked SteelStar.

“I am,” said Paramount. “We have some of the best people in the world working here. Things like this almost never happen except by design. That can only mean one thing. Gaia-born is here, and likely the Tholatite bomb.”

Everyone, from the superheroes to the technicians, looked at Paramount in shock.

“They wouldn’t dare,” said Animage. “Besides, security would have picked up an attack.”

“Maybe,” said Paramount. “But Biomaster’s monsters have always been unpredictable. He might have found a way.” He turned to the technicians. “Announce an emergency check in for all staff. I want to know if there’s a single place in this facility that’s compromised aside from the leak. As for you, Elementus, go after Demigoddess and keep an eye on her, just in case we do need her for the bomb.”

Elementus sighed, “Roger that.” And left the room.

SteelStar, meanwhile, looked at the leak on the screen and had a feeling that things were about to go very, very wrong.

###

The Silent Wraith flew in a one man flying vehicle the size of a fighter plane, but far sleeker and smoother than military models. The device was equipped with cloaking panels rendering it invisible, as well as a sound dampening device, making his approach undetectable. The ship had four jet engines on hinges, two at the back and two towards the front, and when the vehicle reached its destination, these jet engines turned forward to slow the ship’s momentum before turning down to hover.

Still cloaked and soundless, the vehicle opened a panel on its underside, allowing an equally cloaked Silent to drop down to a roof, crouching. As the panel slid shut above him, leaving no trace of his ride, Silent slid a rifle shaped weapon off his back. The top of the rifle was adorned with a scope while the end of this rifle had a wide barrel with small darts stuffed into it.

Stepping up to the edge of the roof, the invisible superhero pointed this weapon to a window down below, scoping out the building. Through a melted window, with a thin film of oil separating them, Silent saw Sister Nature pacing, surrounded by her henchmen. Silent’s mask then showed a computer overlay with data from his mask’s scanner, displaying a number by each individual’s head. This number represented the number of darts the gun would shoot at the target, a dosage matching the target’s overall body weight. Most of the henchman need anywhere from five to eight darts to put them down depending on their size, while Sister Nature would require three.

He couldn’t shoot through that oil, as Sister Nature could set the oil to deflect projectiles with a small explosion the moment it came into contact. Silent would have to find a way around that. Since his communicator was inside his suit, it was unaffected by his sound dampening field, and he was able to contact Animage without problem.

“Animage,” said Silent in his distorted voice. “I have the building in my sights. Have you found a weak spot in Gaia-born’s perimeter?”

“Nothing yet,” Animage’s voice came through his mask loud and clear. “They even have people in the sewers beneath the building.”

She could see them through the rats and roaches down there.

“Well, keep looking,” said Silent. “If you find something, keep me posted.”

###

“Sir,” said one of the technicians. “The workers from warehouse 3B aren’t responding to communications.”

“Alright,” said Paramount. “SteelStar, with me.”

SteelStar turned to metal as both he and Paramount levitated to fly out of the room. As they flew, hallways going by them in a blur, Paramount suddenly winced, and SteelStar could sense a change in his electromagnetic signature indicating stress.

“You okay?” asked SteelStar.

“Yeah,” said Paramount. “It’s a psychic attack. Probably from one of Biomaster’s creatures. It’s nothing I can’t resist, but I won’t be fighting at full strength today. Don’t worry, this was expected.”

SteelStar still frowned. One of Paramount’s weaknesses was a his fairly weak telepathy. If he was forced to defend himself from an attack on his mind, it would take enough concentration to weaken his other abilities, such as his internal telekinesis. To take advantage of this, you would either need a psychic scrambling device, which was rare and hard to come by, or you’d need a sufficiently powerful psychic. SteelStar supposed someone like Biomaster could generate psychic creatures whenever he wanted, which was a shame. SteelStar had always wanted to see Paramount in action, but he wouldn’t see him at his best unless they could deal with the psychic beast.

They kept flying, and soon found the underground warehouses. Each warehouse was hidden behind a giant metal blast door down a gigantic hallway. Paramount flew to one marked 3B and pressed his hand against the palm reader. When nothing happened, Paramount knelt beside the door.

“Help me with this,” he said.

SteelStar knelt beside Paramount as the two of them pushed their hands down, breaking the floor and reaching under the metal blast doors. With a mighty heave, the pair of superheroes lifted the door up as it groaned. When they got it over their heads, they stepped inside and let the door fall behind them with a crash.

The first thing they noticed were the dead bodies on the floor. The second thing they noticed was the dead wasp like creatures on the ground, stingers expended. Finally, they noticed a giant tunnel in the wall towards the back.

“Find the bomb,” said Paramount.

The two of them flew into the air, over the rows of shelves, but before they got very far, they heard something, a sort of grinding noise like bark scraping against itself. Looking up towards the tunnel in the back, they saw six thick, black tree branches enter the room.

Miles away down the tunnel, Black Ash had set himself up to keep anyone from interfering with the bomb. He had grown his two extra limbs, extending from the side of his torso, and extended all six of them so he could attack the heroes while keeping himself outside the bomb’s blast radius. Each branch grew an eye, allowing him to see into the room even from such a vast distance. On his shoulder rested a bird with its head glowing, the psychic creature suppressing Paramount.

In the warehouse, Paramount shouted, “Find the bomb and disable it!”

The elder superhero flew down and began punching the branches. Each branch made a fist, the eye on it sitting between knuckles. Paramount punched the branches to bits as they came at him from every conceivable angle, his fists moving at incredible speed as he dodged back and forth. Even though his punches shattered the branches they connected with, each tree limb regenerated quickly.

SteelStar didn’t waste time as he flew above the shelves, looking down between the rows and rows of shelves. It didn’t take long to pick out an object that didn’t belong, something with a pale, sickly blue light. SteelStar landed quickly, expecting Tholatite bomb. While the object he found did look like something giving off Tholatite energy, it didn’t look like a bomb.

It resembled a giant lump of flesh covered in slime. The lump pulsed, the sickly light coming from its core. Now that SteelStar was paying attention to it, he realized that’s its electromagnetic signature was that of a living thing, and yet this living thing had a core of Tholatite.

The bomb was a living thing.

“Paramount!” cried SteelStar. “The bomb is alive!”

“Alive?” cried Paramount as he kept punching the branches down. “Can you absorb bioelectricity?”

With a desperate look on his face, SteelStar shouted, “No! I can’t!”

If SteelStar’s skin wasn’t made of metal, he would have paled.