25 years after Houston was destroyed in a brutal supervillain attack, Jay Martin is accepted into the Texan Hero Network. Tasked with this sacred duty, he takes on the alter ego of Quickwit and vows to always protect Neo Houston.
Unfortunately, desp...
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So Jay really should have seen Stygian's intervention coming.
Frigid pauses in her assault to witness the melodramatic villain leap over the heads of citizens. He lands with a clack of roller skates; a purple, blue, and pink flag attached to his back waving heroically in the wind as he skids to a stop through several puddles.
Jay's eyes are glued to Gannet's glammed-up form, mind contemplating the fact that the villain most likely was meticulously changing into this flashy outfit as the heroes were being beaten to a pulp.
"Stygian?! Wha—we were here first! Find a different target!" Frigid growls.
The dark-haired villain cackles, his menace slightly diminished by his flamboyance. "You think I'm here to attack the heroes? No—I'm here to fight you."
Stygian spins gracefully on his roller skates, coming to face Jay with a wide grin. "Hiiii Witty! Let's have a truce today, okay?"
Jay nods dumbly as Brighteyes gapes, hand latched onto Ravenette's wrist. "Uhhhh...."
"Oh, and that goes for the rest of you too, obviously."
"You dare challenge us, sinner?" Hellfire bellows, "We are on a mission from God! Repent!"
Stygian grins, wings manifesting behind him. They arch high in the air, shimmering in the summer sun. "Are you sure? Because as an angel myself, I don't remember her ever putting you in charge."
Hellfire's face contorts with disgust. "Get behind me, Satan!"
The dark-haired man narrows his eyes, smirking. "Wow, you think I'm like God's hottest demon? What high praise."
Unable to take the taunting anymore, the priest conjures a massive blue fireball, launching it at Stygian with a roar.
Stygian dodges the attack deftly, lifting a nearby truck to shield the onlookers. He wastes no time retaliating against the duo, causing them to scramble away in fear as he launches the vehicle at them.
The heroes take the opportunity to remove their injured friend from the battlefield. After dragging Ravenette away to a safe distance, Jay readies himself to rejoin the fight. He turns to his two remaining companions. "Let's go, we need to help!"
Pixamena grimaces, eyes steely. "Heroes don't work with villains—it could be a trap, Quickwit!"
Jay tenses. "I'm using my power, trust me! He wants to help us..."
Brighteyes darts her eyes downward. "Even if we wanted to, the Network wouldn't allow it. Just wait for one of them to go down..."
"Fuck!" he growls, "clear the crowd then, I'll do it myself!"
"Quickwit!" Pixamena calls.
But Jay isn't listening. He grips his staff with white knuckles, running towards the villains. Quickly, he scales a large van, jumping off and landing a blow on Frigid from above. They tumble to the ground, ending with Jay on top as he attempts to pin her down.
