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“Yeah!” Mull flicked her off, agreeing with Ronnie for the first time she could ever remember. “Eat me, ‘Captain Planet’! Why am I stuck being ‘Ability’? I want to be ‘Power’ or…”

Rondel still looked annoyed and talked right over her. “What does ‘Heart’ even…”

Natalie leaned closer to them over the table, cutting them off. “We can do this. For once in our goddamn lives we can do something right . Don’t you understand that? Something we can be proud of.” Her voice broke. “Something… something Roy would have been proud of us for doing.”

Mull looked down at the table, processing the power of that idea.

Even Mercygiver seemed taken aback by that, his hate momentarily forgotten.

“No one has ever been proud of us.” Natalie whispered.

“Not once. But we can be the kind of hero that would be worth remembering. Someone worthy of wearing Roy’s mask.

Of being Roy’s daughter. Of having Oz’s love.

” She stood up, finishing her proposal.

“So, we have a choice to make: put our personal shit in the past and move the hell on, or watch as a man we love is killed in front of us. Again .” She swallowed, tears now falling down her face.

“We have to let it go, guys. I know we hate each other. But… but we have to let it go.”

“Fuck you, ‘Elsa.’” Mull said softly, in half-hearted sarcasm. “You can ‘let it go’ if you want, but I’m holding the fuck on.”

Mercygiver chuckled in amusement at the joke, then quickly tried to cover it, looking almost confused as to why he was laughing in the first place. Uncertainty passed over his face, as he realized he was slipping and Natalie was taking over.

They all pondered their options.

“I’m going.” Natalie announced firmly. “With or without you, I’m going to try and stop them. I don’t think I can do it on my own. I have no real power or skills. Like Mull said, without you, I am literally just an overly sarcastic salesgirl, who eats too much cereal. But I’m going anyway.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

“They’ve got Oz.” Mull finally announced, pulling her Kilroy mask into place. “I need Oz.” She put her hand onto Natalie’s at the center of the table. “I’m in. Let’s team-up and ‘Voltron’ these motherfuckers, Nat.”

Both women turned to look at their companion, waiting for him to make a decision.

“They’re going to kill him, Ronnie.” Natalie whispered pleadingly. “And us with him.”

“If you remember, I don’t like you! I’ve never liked you!” He shouted in petulance. “Frankly, I’m enjoying this shit.”

“But you do like you.” Mull snapped. “There’s no way out of this without us. You can survive with us, or you can die alone.”

“You don’t want Oz to die.” Natalie told him pleadingly.

“There’s enough of you in me, that I know that.

” She met his eyes. “You’re slipping. You’re not as ‘you’ as you once were and you know it.

And that scares you. Because no matter how much you might try to hide it, you don’t want to be you anymore. ”

“ You don’t know shit about me!” He roared.

“You want me to die, but you’ve never tried to hurt Oz, even though that would have been easier for you…” Natalie continued.

“Well, he did almost knock him out that one time.” Mull helpfully added.

“Besides that…” Natalie began.

“And there was that…”

“Ronnie doesn’t want Oz to be hurt.” She repeated with utter certainty.

“He doesn’t want to hurt any of our friends.

That’s why he didn’t kill them in Agletaria and why he quietly helped them deal with The Super-Person Resistance Movement.

He could have taken control and tried to kill them at any point in all of this, but he didn’t.

He could have used my hands to butcher Oz.

…But he didn’t. Because that’s not what he wants.

Whether he’ll admit it or not… that’s not what he really wants.

” She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“We left you.” She said softly. “You were alone in that cell in Agletaria and those people hurt you. And you saw that Roy was afraid of you. And then Mull and I tried to leave you too.” She shook her head.

“You don’t want to be alone. That idea terrifies you.

Makes you hate everything.” She took on a pleading tone, trying to get through to him.

“You won’t have to be alone if you come with us.

I know you want to. And you’ve seen the kind of man Oz is.

He’s not afraid of you. He didn’t try to kill you, his first reaction was to tell you you were hot.

He won’t let us down.” She nodded. “It’ll be okay, I swear it, Ronnie. Please …”

They were all silent for several breaths, the darkness around them utterly deafening.

Mercygiver slumped forward, accepting something.

“Alright.” Natalie recognized that the argument was over. It was now or never. “Let’s show these bastards what one evil bitch can do.” She stared off at something in the gloom. “Oz...”

“…is…” Multifarious stood up, joined by a hundred thousand shadowy and powerful figures behind her, each possessing a piece of her whole.

“… mine .” Rondel slammed his hand down on top of theirs.

****

“…Kill… me…” Nat choked out.

“Oh, I’m not going to kill you. Death is too good for you!” The guard shouted.

“…Kill me…” Natalie whispered again.

“I’m going to collect your DNA sample, then wall you up in a small room.

No windows. No chance of rescue or escape.

Oh, don’t worry, you’ll have food and water…

Death won’t free you from that prison. I want you to go on.

” He pointed at a TV which was mounted to the side of the van, then used a controller to turn it on.

The image displayed the Drews Thanksgiving Parade, which was about to start.

“I want you to watch as we destroy everything you’ve ever worked for and loved.

I want to feel the despair which comes from knowing that your entire life was for nothing .

That you will never again feel the Sun on your face, or the wind in your hair.

I want you to pray every night that I will return and put an end to your suffering and misery.

And then, once I’ve taken from you what I need and you’ve seen me standing over the ashes of your cherished life…

I may just grant your wish. You’ll know I will rule over the city you once protected and… ”

Natalie sat up suddenly.

“True, you could...” Mercygiver used Mull’s powers to remove his own bones, slipping his hands out of the cuffs, and then ossifying them again.

He grabbed the TV remote from the man’s hand, then smashed it against the wall of the van, shattering the plastic.

He slammed the largest piece of the plastic into the side of the man’s neck, sinking it deeply into his flesh. “…But then that happened.”

The man made an astonished gurgling sound, and Mercygiver pushed him off the side of the bed with a disgusted shove.

Mercygiver ran a hand through Nat’s hair. “As lovely as your plan sounded, I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass .” He turned as if the man were speaking to him. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

The man made another gurgling sound, as he clutched at the plastic shard, his eyes darting around the room in panic as he realized he was dying.

Mercygiver laughed good-naturedly. “Oh dear, I seem to have severed your vocal chords, haven’t I?

Well, no matter. I’m sure I can get by without hearing another of your thrilling monologues.

” He absently pulled up the guard’s chair and sat in it backwards, watching him over the top.

“Would you like my advice on how to be a successful super-villain? I realize that the information is coming to you a little late now, but perhaps if you’re reincarnated into someone competent , you could still put it to good use.

” He casually rested his chin on the back of his hands.

“If you are going to kill someone, don’t make it a complicated drawn out process.

No elaborate schemes or plans to ‘torture their souls’ or force them to ‘wallow in despair’ or any such nonsense.

Simply kill them.” He straightened in the chair. “I find it’s so much simpler, really.”

The guard collapsed to the ground, his body spasming in pain as he bled out and tried to stay conscious.

Mercygiver knelt down to straddle him, bending down next to his face, resting Nat’s forearms on his chest and looking into his eyes.

“That’s it… fight it . Don’t let me win.

You can survive that wound. You’ve never lost a fight in your life!

You still have so much to do… Fight to live !

Fight! ” Ronnie’s smile widened as he met his gaze.

“I’m enjoying this. Make it last for me… ”

The man’s eyes became fixed and his chest stopped moving. Mercygiver watched him intently for a few more minutes, then sighed. “How disappointing you turned out to be.”

Natalie shook her head at him in disgusted amazement. “You are so seriously messed up. I can’t believe you’re even a tiny piece of me.”

“Yes, I would suggest that you seek extensive psychotherapy, my dear.” He winked at her. “Tell the others that we’re leaving.” He held up the door key. “I have our deliverance .” He started walking towards the door. “Just be sure to remember who got us out of here.”

“Oh, anyone could have stabbed the guy, Ronnie.” Multifarious put the key into the lock and turned it. “Stop pretending like you did anything that the rest of us couldn’t have done.”

“I don’t want to stab anyone in the neck.” Natalie shook her head. “I say if Ronnie wants to do it, let him. ”

“Thank you, my dear, that’s very kind.” Mercygiver nodded. “’All for One’ and all that.”

Multifarious kicked open the doors of the van, revealing that it was speeding along one of the bridges out of the city. The Agletarians were apparently hauling ass to escape whatever it was their companions were about to do at her parade.

Behind the van, an armored Humvee kept pace. Inside, one of the men shouted something, then leaned out the passenger window to fire at her.

Natalie swore, hoping that Mull had some kind of “bullet-proof” power today.

Before the soldier got the chance to fire though, something struck him in the head and he slumped over in his seat.

A second later, another round struck the driver and the vehicle careened off the road and into the river.

Oz tore from the side street on Roy’s white motorcycle, gun in hand.

Natalie beamed, thrilled that he was okay.

He gunned the engine and caught up to the van. “I know you don’t need rescuing.” He shouted. “But I figured you might need a ride.”

Ronnie just seemed shocked. “He… he really does love you, doesn’t he.” He mused, sounding equal parts sad and amazed.

“He’s rescuing all of us.” Natalie reminded him.

“I’m fine with leaving Ronnie here.” Mull decided.

“He’s too good for you.” Mercygiver whispered in her head.

“Yep.” She ignored him. “But I’ll take him anyway.”

She stepped onto the bumper of the van, then vaulted up onto the back of the motorcycle behind Oz, wrapping her arms around him and feeling like the safest person in the world.

“You evil?” He asked her.

“Not currently.” She shouted back. “You?”

His mouth curved. “Not yet.”

She kissed him on the cheek, loving that man more than she could ever express. “Excellent. Sounds like we’re made for each other. ”

“Hang on.” She held on tighter, as Oz hit the brake and leaned into a 180 degree turn, the tires producing a screeching sound on the cold pavement.

“There’s a radio in my pocket.” He shouted to her.

“Call the team, tell them what’s going on.

” He gunned the engine and started rocketing back into the city. “ We’ve got a train to catch .”