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SuperWatch dinged from multiple phones and a small screen mounted on the wall. All four Villains had been spotted in the vicinity.

Joan crowded with everyone else around Ward as he brought up different exterior camera feeds. Prowl gleefully clung to one of the arched pillars while the three men called out something that looked like “Bring us Amazing Woman.”

“Go to Contingency Phase Two!” Ward said.

Kade raised his thick eyebrows at Mark. “Which one is that?”

“Fuck if I know.” He hastened to his mask and gloves on a side table.

“I can’t go out there like this,” Sherrelle said, dropping her suitcase to unzip it.

Joan’s fire swelled. She switched to Spark Mode. “Otis, turn the power blocking on. Now. Everyone get downstairs and hit them from both sides. We’re doing this our way.”

Mark and Perry grinned. They knew exactly what that meant: fight dirty.

Darlene adjusted her facemask in place, then met Joan’s gaze.

“Keep them near the building.” Joan shooed everyone out. “Gus, stay inside. We don’t need you as a decoy, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Joan didn’t give her the chance to refuse, hurrying to grab her own mask and gloves and jam them on as she ran down the hallway. Her heart pounded, exhilarated and anxious but focused. The rush she’d missed these past few months.

Then there was that odd muted tingle. She twirled her hand and, yep, no fire. This had better work on the Villains or else she’d truly learn what it felt like to be a norm.

She passed Perry and Kade on the main staircase. “You two come from the right with Darlene. Mark and I will take the left.”

“Rock and roll,” Mark said, giving her a fist-bump as she met up with him.

They exited into humidity and wind and an unusually overcast day. That irritating hum wasn’t there. Hopefully turned off along with Ether’s powers.

“We’re here for you, Amazing Woman!” Prowl called, then shrieked.

Joan rounded the corner in time to see her fall off the pillar. Squawk opened his mouth, but only a tiny squeak came out. Zee ran from across the street at a normal pace.

She launched herself at Prowl, tumbling on top of her. Prowl batted at her, still a tough combatant. Legs and bodies tangled around them as they tussled on the sidewalk.

“What did you do?” Prowl said, clocking Joan’s cheek.

Joan wasn’t about to give away their little secret. Prowl got yanked off her—Darlene. The Super got her in a headlock, but Prowl just laughed.

“So you do have that capability,” she choked out. “It’s a go, boys! Engage counter measures!”

She touched a ring-shaped metal patch on her suit. It beeped, and then she snarled and flipped Darlene over her shoulder. Squawk released a faint wail that grew in strength the longer it went on. The ground shook. What was going on?

Prowl hopped up and dug her nails into a concrete pillar. “Smash told us about how you prevent us from using our powers. So glad he got captured.”

“What do you mean?” Darlene demanded.

“It was all part of the plan to gain intel.”

Joan’s fire wasn’t burning, but her anger sure was. “He was in on this from the start?”

Prowl’s teeth gleamed wickedly as Darlene struggled to pull her down. “I told you we had a plan. Well, I had the plan. The others are just pieces of it.”

Quake said something to her that got lost in the noise.

Mark had been yelling as he grappled with Ether. “Ward has to turn it off!” came more clearly.

“Sidekicks don’t have authorization,” Otis said.

Squawk screeched again, bringing everyone to their knees. Prowl jumped on Otis.

Through the ringing in her ears, Joan made out Quake saying, “Bring us Amazing Woman or pay the price.”

So they were blocking the blocking? Unblocking? Now the plan needed to be getting away from headquarters.

Joan glanced across the street to check out potential?—

Oh, shit .

* * *

Sadie grasped the leather couch arm as she watched the mayhem unfold on TV. Her heart hadn’t stopped hammering since the unexpected alert that the Villains had arrived early with their own agenda.

Beside her, Tenia fingered the small gold cross pendant she always wore. Morris gripped his knees on the far end of the couch. “Why aren’t they fighting back?” he said.

The TV reporter with the aerial view in the helicopter asked the same thing.

The good guys struggled to recover from Squawk’s scream. How had the Villains regained their powers? Something with those metal rings on their suits? Sadie couldn’t explain it even if she wanted to.

A crowd was gathering in the street on TV, but it wasn’t office workers. Weathered faces dressed in black, gloved hands ready for action. The criminal element that had been promised the city from the new Villains. And with the Supers’ powers off…

Oh, no. No.

She lost sight of Joan. What was she doing? Was she okay?

Kade and Zee fought with Squawk while Mark and Ether traded blows. Perry was doing his best to distract Quake. Darlene struggled to get Prowl off of Otis.

Where was Joan?

Sadie couldn’t sit any longer, restless and desperately wanting to help. But she was on the western edge of the city to stay away from all this.

She clasped her hands in front of her mouth, willing the camera to find Spark. Then she spied a woman in black and red running into the mob.

“There.” She splayed her fingers at the TV. “There she is.”

Joan shook her hands, probably trying to find her fire. She veered to the right, dodging punches, doling out a few. She really knew how to fight.

A deep rumble sounded through the whirring of the helicopter and the reporter’s voice. The ground trembled, making Joan lose her footing.

Sadie gasped as Joan slammed into an office tower window. What was she going to do without her fire?

* * *

Joan blinked against the glass. The people inside the lobby startled and moved back. Norms who were worried and watching, unable to do anything about the situation.

She met the eyes of a short woman with curly dark hair. Saw her fear.

Determination welled up in her chest. She pushed off the window and gathered what little flickers of fire burned inside.

The gang was advancing on headquarters, so she got in there and sent heated strikes and kicks to the bodies closest to her. Narrowly missed a big-ass knife—not that it would do much to her suit, but still. She kicked it out of the dude’s hand and tried to melt it, but?—

A huge surge of energy shot through her. Flames blasted out of her palms. Yes!

She liquefied the weapon into the street, then stood tall. Ice shavings shot above their heads, and Otis soared into the air. Gus or Sherrelle must’ve deactivated the tech.

Prowl sprang onto Kade’s broad shoulders. “Get them!” she yelled. “Vector City is ours!”

The guys around Joan hesitated. She flared roaring flames on either side, making them reconsider and go around her. Who wanted to fuck with the one who shot fire?

She used the moment to study the scene. The criminals were mostly going toward Quake. Flanking and protecting.

They flew backward, knocked off their feet and tumbling to reveal Perry blowing a strong gust of wind. It rustled the hair on Joan’s wig and made her flames dance.

But it was Prowl jumping off Kade, calling for action. Prowl who’d said she’d had the plan. She was the mastermind, not Quake.

Darlene was doing her best to pursue Prowl. Exactly who Joan needed. She sent a wall of fire to block Prowl, who ran through it with an angry cry. Did it again, slowing her enough for Darlene to grab her arms and absorb feisty feline energy.

“Give her hell, Catch,” Joan said.

Prowl swung around and went to scratch Darlene’s eyes, only Darlene struck her palm into Prowl’s chest and sent her back. She jumped high and took Prowl down to the ground.

A hard thwack hit the back of Joan’s head. She stumbled, turning to see a scraggly-bearded, beefy guy about to give her another crack. “A sledgehammer?” she said. “Against a super suit? Really?”

She flared a flame at his hand, igniting the wooden handle and his glove. He screamed and dropped both. Then she shook her head and circled herself in a protective ring of fire.

The hostile group moved past her, but one person stepped out. Prowl.

“You’re mine, Spark.”

Joan caught a glimpse of Darlene trying to fight her way through. Prowl couldn’t lead the goons if she wasn’t there, so Joan waved out her fire circle and charged.

She grabbed Prowl under one arm and blasted into the air with fire from her free hand. She only got half a block away before Prowl slipped up her back and jerked Joan into a body roll. They crashed onto the roof of a dark town car, windows shattering.

Prowl climbed on top, pinning Joan to the dented steel. “I want you to watch as we take what’s rightfully ours.”

“It’s not yours for the taking,” Joan said, wrestling to get free.

“The superpowered are entitled to better things. We’re evolved.”

“We’re genetic freaks.”

“Evolved genetic freaks.”

Joan concentrated fire into her eyes. She lasered twin beams into Prowl’s suit to heat it up. Prowl bounced off her, patting her torso and going, “Shit shit shit, that’s hot.”

Sitting up, Joan said, “This was all your plan? Quake’s not the real problem?”

“Joan.” Prowl released a mean-spirited cackle. “Do you really think any of those dipshits could pull this together? Quake has the public image I needed. People are scared of who he once was. Now he’s just some rich old dude with a vendetta I used to my advantage.”

“So this has nothing to do with Amazing Woman?”

“I don’t give a crap about some five-hundred-year-old woman.”

“She’s ninety-three,” Joan gritted out.

“Quake’s the one who wants her. He paid for Squawk’s little invention in exchange for getting to demolish the city he hates.” She tapped next to the metal patch on her chest.

Joan gestured at it. “Squawk made that?”

“He’s a tech genius.”

“No kidding,” she couldn’t help saying.