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“Keep telling yourself that, Nicky. Now, why don’t you explain to me in great detail Phase Two of your plan. I don’t think I understood it the first time.”

Jazz groaned.

“I’d be happy to,” Nick said, sitting up. “Maybe you should take copious notes just to be safe.”

Nick was almost home when he got a text from Dad, telling him he’d been called in to work early, and didn’t know when he’d be back. Nick wondered if it had to do with the Extraordinaries, but his dad didn’t respond when he asked.

The porch light was on, even though it was still daylight. Nick was about to put his key in the door when he got another alert. He pulled out his phone.

BREAKING NEWS: SHADOW STAR BATTLING PYRO STORM ABOVE THE STREETS OF NOVA CITY.

Nick stared at his phone, synapses misfiring.

It took him a moment to reboot, and then he nearly broke his key trying to get inside the house. The door banged against the wall as he threw it open, not even bothering to close it behind him. He ran to the living room, picking up the remote to the TV off the coffee table. He almost dropped it but managed to hit the power button. He flipped through the channels until he found the news.

And stared in wonder.

It was a live shot from the Action News chopper. A picture of Rebecca Firestone was in the corner, smiling wide and beautiful. Her voice was speaking over the sound of the helicopter, saying things likeI’ve never seen them like this beforeandThey’ve been going at it for the better part of an hour nowandOh my god.

But Nick barely heard her.

Because there they were.

Shadow Star and Pyro Storm.

It was quick and brutal, the camera barely able to keep up with their movements. They were on top of one of the skyscrapers in midtown. Nick thought it was one of the financial buildings. A sharp bloom of fire burst from Pyro Storm, rocketing toward Shadow Star. The hero managed to leap out of the way before he was burned to a crisp, climbing up the large antenna tower effortlessly. His shadow stretched out behind him, and as Nick watched, it reached out and grabbed Pyro Storm around the ankles, lifting him up and slamming him back onto the roof, cracking the cement underneath him.

It was vicious in ways Nick hadn’t seen before.

Yes,Pyro Storm was a villain, andyes,he was the archnemesis of Shadow Star, but it was always… not like this. They fought, but it rarely came to an all-out brawl. Pyro Storm would come up with some ridiculous scheme, Shadow Star would swoop in and save the day, and they’d go their separate ways. Hell, there were people who were sure the two were in on it together, that it was done for nothing more than attention. Usually, no one got hurt, no matter how harebrained Pyro Storm’s ideas got.

This was different. It looked like they were trying to hurt each other.

Or, rather, Pyro Storm was trying to hurt Shadow Star. All Shadow Star was doing was reacting. He was on the defensive.

Every time Pyro Storm lashed out, Shadow Star would move away quickly, knocking the villain off his feet again and again. Their mouths were moving like they were shouting at each other, but they were too far away to be heard.

Then Shadow Star turned his head toward the Action News chopper, and the camera zoomed in on his mask-covered face, his mouth the only thing visible.

He smiled.

Nick felt a chill race down his spine.

Pyro Storm brought his hands up and pointed them at Shadow Star. A swirl of fire grew in his hands. Shadow Star moved slowly. A ball of fire shot toward him, and a shadow rose up from the rooftop. It was shredded as the fire burst through it, but it caused the fireball to be deflected toward the helicopter. Rebecca Firestone shouted topull up pull up pull upas Shadow Star tackled Pyro Storm. The ball of fire went underneath the helicopter, missing it by a few feet, trailing flame and smoke behind it.

Pyro Storm snarled and kicked his feet against Shadow Star’s chest, knocking him dangerously close to the edge of the roof. Before Shadow Star could recover, Pyro Storm swung his arm out in a flat arc, a wave of fire roaring toward Shadow Star and—

Shadow Star fell off the other side of the building.

Nick dropped the remote.

“Oh no,” Rebecca Firestone whispered.

“No,” Nick said. “No, no, no. It’s fine. He’sfine.”

Even Pyro Storm seemed stunned.

He walked slowly toward the edge of the building, his cape billowing around him. Any moment now, Nick knew with all his might that Shadow Star would reappear and everything would be fine. He hadn’t fallen, because he was a hero and heroes never fell.