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Otis pushed through the double doors to the roar of the crowd. How many people were out there?

Darlene followed, then Zee, then Kade.

Joan couldn’t make her legs move.

A hand slipped into hers. Mark.

He gave a reassuring squeeze. Joan squeezed back. They shared nervous smiles, and then walked into the bright light of day.

And promptly hid behind everyone else on the wide landing.

As Otis stepped to the podium and greeted the fine citizens of Vector City, Kade shifted and made room for them. Darlene and Zee spaced themselves so they could all stand in line. Together.

Then Joan saw the full magnitude of the crowd—the news cameras and microphones and rapidly clicking digital cameras and way too many people. Mayor Thorpe stood off to the side in a blue suit that made his spray tan really pop.

Beside him, Padma waved to get her attention. She moved her hands in front of her face and mouthed, “ Smile! ”

Joan clasped her hands and kind of wanted a Supervillain attack to distract them all.

“Before we begin,” Otis said, “I am happy to share that Amazing Woman is recovering well. She sends her thanks for your support and well wishes. She has gone back into retirement now that Quake is no longer a threat.”

Joan sought out Sadie and Perry. They’d been given VIP access so she could find them in the front of the crowd.

Ah, there Sadie was in her easy-to-spot lime-green trench coat, grinning from ear to ear. Joan’s heart rate went down a notch.

Sadie winked at her and mouthed, “ Love you. ”

Joan smiled back gratefully.

Perry looked too cool for school in his sunglasses and overcoat, but he couldn’t hide the joy pulling at his mouth from his kids doing well. Gus was back at his condo, healed but weakened. Feeling her age and damn grumpy about it.

Otis went on with whatever talking points Padma had coached him to say about infrastructure repairs. He gestured back at City Hall with its boarded-up second-floor windows. “This building symbolizes that we may face adversity, but we always overcome it.”

Someone staring very pointedly at Joan caught her attention. Off to the right, in the sea of faces…

Greta.

She tilted her head, dryly amused. But her eyes were sad. Joan lightly shrugged one shoulder. This was not a day either of them had ever expected.

The crowd clapping distracted her for a moment. When she turned back, Greta was gone. Doing what she did best and disappearing. Joan could only pray to whoever was in charge that she never had to face Greta on this side of the law.

She laughed to herself. Grets would never get caught anyway.

“And now, the reason we are here today.” Otis glanced over his shoulder at the newbies. Oh, shit. “These past few weeks, Vector City has had protection from an unlikely source.”

Joan lost the ability to hear through the roar of white noise in her ears. Otis was talking and gesturing, Mark was grinning, but oh god, she had to throw up.

She found Sadie in the crowd again. Her hands were clasped on her chest, tears running down her cheeks. The pure love radiating from her gave Joan the strength to breathe and stand tall.

“Therefore,” Otis said. “And again reinforcing that it is on a probationary basis…”

Mark rolled his eyes at Joan.

“I’d like to introduce you to the newest members of the Vector City Superheroes squad, Ice and Spark.”

The other Supers clapped and turned in to face them. Otis vacated the podium. The crowd was lukewarm, but a few people whistled and whooped.

Joan moved to the podium beside Mark, who was waving to the crowd, enjoying this a whole lot more than she was. There were so many people and they were all staring at them .

“What’s up, Vector City?” Mark said. “I’m sure most of you are looking at us and wondering what two former Supervillains are doing up here with the good guys.

” He glanced at Joan. “We know we have a lot of work to do to earn your trust. But we’re here to make a positive impact and show you we really do want to make up for our past transgressions. ”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. A lot of disbelief and “Yeah, right” and “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But at least one of them could remember talking points.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know you all and really working for you. I don’t expect anything from you other than your trust. Which I will earn in time. I hope.”

His charisma brought a few chuckles. Good. Mark could charm them so Joan wouldn’t have to?—

“Spark, would you like to add anything?”

She gave him a look. Mark just grinned at her.

Joan forced her torso to bend toward the microphone, half expecting the ear-shredding feedback that happened in the movies. “Uh…”

She cleared her throat. Come on, Joan. You’re Spark. Act like it.

“Thank you for putting your trust in us. I’m going to do what I can to help the people who need it most. Everyone deserves a second chance. I’m really lucky to have been given this opportunity.” She gave a solid nod. “Thank you again.”

Relief flowed down her body as she stepped back.

“Oh my god, Spark is hot ,” some woman said, getting a ripple of giggles in response. “No, seriously, she’s hot!”

The heat burning Joan’s face had nothing to do with her abilities. She widened her eyes at Otis, telegraphing he could go ahead and wrap this up.

Otis resumed his place behind the podium. “Let’s have a nice round of applause for Spark and Ice.”

Joan could’ve collapsed against Kade’s thick arm, only he raised it for a high-five. “Good job!” he stage-whispered.

“We have time for a few questions.” Otis pointed toward the throng of press. “Yes, you there.”

“Is Breeze also joining you?” a male reporter asked.

“Breeze has decided to remain in the private domain. He has, however, reformed his ways and no longer poses a threat.”

Joan found Perry with an eyebrow raised above his sunglasses. Then she looked at Sadie again because she was such a comfort. A light in the storm.

“Next question. Yes you, madam.”

A blonde woman held her digital recorder high. “Flight, what can you tell us about the rumor that the Villains had access to a technology that could block your superpowers while boosting their own?”

“Can you confirm that there’s a way to inhibit superpowers from being used?” another reporter piped up.

Several others asked variations on that question. Otis looked a bit uneasy, then masked it with a smile. “We have possession of the items these most recent Supervillains were attempting to use. We’re properly storing them to ensure they will not be of any harm.”

“How can you assure us another attack of that magnitude won’t happen again?”

“Flight,” the blonde said. “Supervillains are unable to use their powers once they are apprehended. Can this sort of, let’s call it power blocking, also be used to fend them off?”

Otis raised a hand. “I hear your concerns and want to reassure you we’re doing all we can to shore up our defenses and protect our city. Adding two Superheroes is a big step.”

Really dodging the question there, Otis. Though people sure were focused on that tech despite everything else that’d happened during the battle.

“I have a question for Mayor Thorpe,” someone Joan couldn’t see stated. “Where did you pull from the city’s coffers for these additional salaries?”

Mayor Thorpe stepped toward the podium. “Ice and Spark are on a trial basis for now. No additional tax dollars are being utilized. Everything is well within our fiscal parameters.”

“What are fiscal parameters?” Mark muttered to Joan.

“Pretty sure not a real thing,” she muttered back. Just more buzzwords. Yeah, she was not going to talk in buzzwords. New and Improved Spark was about truth and honesty.

Otis set to concluding the presser (Padma called them pressers). If they had to go back inside and shake hands and possibly kiss babies, Joan would rather just go to HQ and get started fighting crime. Or go to Perry’s and make a nice dinner for everyone.

Mark snorted as he studied her face—er, what he could see of it. “You totally want to get out of here.”

“Can we just fly off and impress the crowd?”

“That would be fun.”

“Thank you, Vector City,” Otis stated with gravitas. “Our city.”

The crowd woo-hooed. Zee and Kade nudged the twins to wave to the crowd. To be united as a team.

The woman who’d proclaimed Spark was hot and her friends cheered loudly for her. For Spark.

Joan acknowledged them with a nod, making them go all “Oh my god!” She couldn’t help adding a lazy smile—she was supposed to be a queer role model now.

Then she turned that smile toward Sadie, the woman who got to have it whenever she wanted. As much as she wanted.

Sadie blew her a kiss with both hands and said, “Ice is so hot!”

Joan burst out laughing and did her best not to convey in front of the cameras how much she loved that beautiful redhead.

Tonight, though, she’d convey it thoroughly.