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Quake looked past them, nodding and smiling. He gestured toward the street and said, “Does that belong to you?”

Joan did a quick double-take. Something was— Some one was standing on top of Hot and Cold.

Smash.

Prowl leaned over Lunk’s shoulder and cupped her hands around her mouth. “That’s the one.”

Smash gathered his strength and jumped high.

“No!” ripped from Joan’s throat.

Smash came down hard on the roof, collapsing the middle of the truck straight to the ground.

“Oh god, no!” Mark moaned.

Evil laughter echoed out of Prowl and Quake. “Oopsie,” Prowl crowed in delight.

Smash punched through the sides, sending bread and condiments flying. He wrenched the hood off the grill and lobbed it onto the sidewalk. The fryers would spill hot oil everywhere, and?—

“Watch the propane tank!” Joan yelled.

“What’s that?” Smash punched through the metal shelves. Paper cups and trays spilled out.

“Something on the back that will blow you up.” And everyone and everything around him.

“Oh, shit.” Zee pushed off the ground and sped over to put a stop to the smashing.

Too late. Hot and Cold was… Their dream was…

“I didn’t mean Goodbye, food truck literally,” Mark cried.

Joan stared dumbstruck at the twisted pile of metal that just minutes ago was the source of so much joy.

“That’s my friends’ food truck, you jerk!” Kade-as-Lunk swung at Prowl, who used his thick arm as leverage to swing from. She did a backflip and flip-flopped away. He chased in hot pursuit.

Zee managed to speed around Smash and disorient him, but they were clearly injured. Where the hell was Flight?

Fury engulfed Joan. Fire glowing in her eyes, hot enough to smoke through her clothes fury. She fisted her hands and turned back to Quake. Flight hovered above him as Quake battered the Super with rocks.

“Can I smash something else?” Smash said.

“Sure,” Prowl said, then slid between Lunk’s legs. “Knock yourself out.”

Joan stopped in her tracks. The other food trucks. No.

Mark mirrored her across the fissure as they raced back toward the sidewalk. Stopping Quake was critical, but protecting their friends was more important. They could be inside their trucks.

A Squawk cry rattled the loose metal and debris from Hot and Cold. Joan positioned in front of Powered by Plants, Mark in front of the creamed dairy experience. They blasted in one accord and created a thick blanket of steam.

She counted the seconds in her head. Her ears rang too much to hear what was being said around the park. Another rumble shook the sidewalk beneath her feet.

At thirty seconds, she and Mark stepped back. It had gone eerily quiet other than the ground crackling.

She glanced toward the park as the fog slowly dissipated. Quake was gone, but she couldn’t make out much else other than a whole lot of mess.

Her heart ached as the slanted back end of Hot and Cold came into focus.

“Holy shit,” someone said nearby. “Spark and Ice.”

Murmurs of Spark and Ice rippled through the small crowd around them. Crowds meant prying eyes and cellphone cameras. Joan tugged on her hood and met Mark halfway.

“We gotta get out of here,” he said.

“Thank you,” said a feminine voice.

“Are you good guys now?” someone tentatively asked.

Joan opened her mouth. Praise? Thanks? She didn’t know how to respond to that.

“But they’re Spark and Ice,” a third person chimed in with obvious disdain.

Sirens wailed and tires screeched. Time to go. “I need to find Sadie,” Joan said.

“You go.” Mark backtracked. “I’ll catch up.”

“What are you doing?” Their steam fog was letting up with every passing second.

Mark went to where Zee was sitting on an unconscious Smash. Zee nodded at whatever he said. Mark set a hand on their shoulder and said something that made Zee pat his hand. Joan just barely heard them say, “Get out of here.”

Where was Sadie?

Footsteps ran up and stopped abruptly. A horrified gasp, then “Oh god!” was a familiar relief.

Sadie clasped her hands on her chest, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Joan walked past her, murmuring, “I’ll be right back.” She hated having to leave but needed to protect their identities.

“Psst. Hey you!” someone whisper-called.

Joan fell into a fighting stance, searching the haze.

“Over here.”

It was coming from behind Powered by Plants. Someone waved her over. Mark joined her, and the voice said, “Both of you” in a Scottish brogue. Wren?

“It’s us.” Wait, that was Beth-Ann waving discreetly at them. “Hurry!”

They walked cautiously until a strong hand grabbed Joan by the arm and pulled her into the food truck.

She blinked against the dim lighting. Beth-Ann closed the back door as Wren dragged Joan and Mark to the center of their truck. They’d shut the accordion doors over their service windows and to block off access to the front.

“Get back,” Wren said. “We don’t want anyone to see you.”

“Uhh…” Joan started to raise her hands, not really sure what to do.

“It’s okay, Joan,” said Beth-Ann. “Your secret’s safe with us.”

“You saved our truck,” Wren said. “All our trucks, except…”

Joan peeked up warily from under her hood.

“Did the Villains know Hot and Cold was yours?” Beth-Ann asked.

Mark pulled the Viking helmet off, revealing tousled blond hair and a grimace. “They did.”

“So this was personal.”

“Oh yeah, it was personal,” Joan murmured. The gleeful grin on Prowl’s face…

“How did you know it was us?” Mark said, taking the purple jacket off.

Wren gave him a look. “Two people dressed like you who just happened to be here and made an effort to stop Smash from damaging the other trucks?”

“Who never let anyone in their truck while they’re cooking?” Beth-Ann raised her pale eyebrows. “I’ve always thought that was a bit strange, like you might be hiding something.”

An incoming call rang on her cell. “They’re safe,” Beth-Ann answered. “Do you have her? Great, I’ll let you in.”

“Who… What?” Joan turned in a circle, not having a fucking clue about what to do.

The rear door opened to Morris, Tenia…and Sadie.

Joan shoved past her brother to fold Sadie in her arms. Sadie squeezed just as tight. “Oh my god, you’re okay,” she breathed, then jumped back. “Wait, what? Mark, what are you… Joanie…”

“It’s all right,” Morris said, making sure the entry was secure. “We figured it out.”

“Thank you,” Tenia said. “You saved our lives. We’re so grateful.”

The vibe was a swirl of relief, confusion, adrenaline. Mark yanked the hood off Joan’s head. “We couldn’t stand around and do nothing,” he said.

Tenia undid the clasp on Joan’s cloak. “You need to change.”

“Here.” Wren handed her a sage-green-and-yellow Powered by Plants hoodie.

Morris gave Mark his red varsity jacket, while Beth-Ann handed Sadie her white coat. Joan’s brain spun with equal parts fear and gratitude as she slipped into the sweatshirt.

Picking up the helmet, Wren said, “We’ll stash these for you and get rid of them.”

“Why are you helping us?” Joan asked. “If you know who we are… What we did…”

Tenia smiled. “We know you’re nice kids who’ve always helped us out. Doesn’t matter what you did before. You did good today.”

“We’ll tell everyone that Spark and Ice saved us,” Beth-Ann said.

“Thank you,” Joan said, even though she’d rather no one say anything and let them vanish into the ether. Huh. Where was Ether? There had to be another step in their plan.

“I’m sure Joan and Mark want to see their truck,” Morris said, lightly emphasizing their names. “And Miss Sadie. We saw you getting people to safety. Are you a superpowered?”

“No, I’m a norm,” Sadie said. “That’s what they call the rest of us.”

“Nothing normal about what you did.”

Sadie gave him a tight smile.

Joan reached for her hand and clutched it tightly. “You did really great out there.”

“Me? You went toe-to-toe with Quake.”

Buttoning Morris’s jacket, Mark said, “Can we trust you not to share our little secret?”

“It’s dangerous,” Joan said. “Those Villains know who we are.”

“Absolutely. We owe you big time,” Beth-Ann said, and the others agreed.

“You’re our friends,” Wren added, which touched something deep inside Joan.

Friends. Friends who would protect them the way Spark and Ice had protected them.

Joan nodded in thanks. Sadie pulled her into another bear hug. “Your dream, honey,” she whispered through her tears. “I’m so sorry.”

“We’re all safe.” Joan rubbed her back. “That’s what matters.”

She caught Mark’s eye, silently accepting there was no going back now. They were in the fight to protect their city.