Chapter 24

             Tiger’s father, Mr. Garrett, welcomed Mr. Sallustio and his associates as they entered the VIP room he rented in the Mirage. He then nods to his assistant, who then sent a prepared text to Tiger. Tiger’s phone buzzed, he read the text, and then quickly replied back.

            On our way.

          Tiger led Catgirl, Spektrum, Fox and Kid Lightning up stairs rather than to another elevator. They walked up several flights, and headed for what looked to be offices.

            “Okay, so what’s this favor again?” Fox asked. “All you told us was that ‘these guys were businessmen’, but are they corrupt and your father is trying to expose them?”

            “Whoa, whistleblowing,” Lightning said. “That’s bold.”

            “Well, y’know,” Tiger shrugged.

            The five looked around, but only Tiger knew what he was looking for.

            “There,” he said. “The server room. That’s where the info we’re looking for would be.”

            Tiger led the way over, but men in suits and with earpieces came out around the corner.

            “Hey,” one said. “You’re not supposed to be back here.”

            “Oh, sorry, man,” Tiger said. “We all got turned around trying to find the VIP rooms.”

            The other guard looked Tiger up and down, and it was clear on his face he recognized him.

            “You’re Tyler Garrett,” he said as he reached a hand for his earpiece. “Code Red, the Tiger is going for the treasure. I repeat-”

            The Spektrum zipped over as Code Red and dropkick’d the guard calling it in, then easily hit the kip-up to jump to give the first guard a jump kick to the head.

            “Seriously?” Tiger said as he walked to the server room door.

            “What?” Spektrum smirked. “They said ‘Code Red’.”

            “Don’t change anymore,” Tiger told him. “They’ll realize who you are, since you’re practically the face of the Power Surge. And for that matter, you three stay here. Kitten can help me check the servers.”

            “Do I have to?” she groaned.

            “It doesn’t take a genius,” Tiger said. “Just plug in these drives and we’ll worry about what’s on it later.”

            “So you volunteer me for this, and then you insult me?” Catgirl frowned.

            “Go ahead and go,” Spektrum said. “Your cousins and I can cover this.”

            Catgirl reluctantly followed Tiger into the room and they went down the aisles of large black servers.

            “Okay,” Tiger said as he pulled out two flash drives. “Just find the server that matches the number on the drive, plug it in, and let it do its work. You got it?”

            “I got it,” Catgirl said as she took one of the drives.

            Catgirl walked around, checking the servers against the drive.

            “Here it is,” she muttered. “9524G.”

            She looked around and found a USB port, then plugged the drive in. She saw on the little screen that was about as big as her phone’s that something was happening. Whatever software was on the drive, it started up on its own and went through several files. Then it apparently found what it was after and began downloading.

            “Okay, it’s doing things,” Catgirl said.

            “Same over here,” Tiger said as his drive found what it was after.

            They waited a few minutes, and Catgirl had a shiver go up her spine.

            “It’s really cold in here,” she said as she looked at the vents in the tops of the walls.

            “It’s for the servers,” Tiger explained. “If they weren’t being cooled like this, they’d overheat and crash.”

            “That makes sense,” Catgirl said.

            Tiger thought a moment, and then took off his jacket.

            “Cat!” Spektrum said from the door.

            He tossed his jacket to Catgirl and she caught it with one hand. Tiger held his jacket out, but it was already too late.

            “Thanks,” she smiled. “And, thanks, Tiger, for offering.”

            “Yeah, whatever,” he said as he put his jacket back on.

            “No, really,” Catgirl said as she put Code Red’s jacket on around her shoulders; it went from red to the salmon pink since it wasn’t on Spektrum anymore. “As royally obnoxious you get, you have apparently have a good side. You offered your jacket, and you’re doing this to help your father stop truly bad people.”

            “Uh… Thanks,” Tiger said, a little surprised and maybe confused.

            More security guards, in the same suits and with the same ear pieces, flooded the hallway from both sides of the T intersection. The Spektrum and Kid Lightning moved to meet them while Fox stood by the door.

            “They’re already in the server room,” someone said into all the guards’ ears. “You need to stop them before they finish whatever they’re up to.”

            The first guards up rushed and prepared to punch, but Spektrum and Lightning got to them first with their respective choices of kicks. Spektrum hit his guard in the chest while Lightning swept the legs. Spektrum used his opponent as a step up to the man behind him, and used his legs to grab and throw that man into the back of the first.

            Lightning ducked the broad swings from another guard, and countered with body shots. Lightning kicked high up and caught the man on the chin. Two more rushed Lightning as the one guard doubled over. Lightning rolled across that guard’s back to get behind all three, and then gave them Taser Tags! He simply put in electricity and ZAP, the three spazzed out and hit the floor.

            Spektrum felt one come up behind him, but he quickly spun all the way around behind the guard to wrap on a headlock. Another guard came from the left, but Spektrum gave him a back hand while switching the headlock to the guard’s right. Spektrum then used the dazed guard as a springboard to then drive the trapped head into the ground a la the “bulldog”. Spektrum had to get up quickly as more guards went after him.

            Lightning pushed a guard into the group going after Spektrum, and Spektrum added on by dropkicking all their heads together like a Newton cradle. Spektrum kipped-up again and with Lightning, they both thrust kicked into the guts of the next two guards up. They both then used knees to smack the guards’ heads and bring them back up. Spektrum jumped up for the Red Light while Lightning blasted forward with a straight palm strike. Spektrum dropped his guard to the ground at the same time Lightning’s guard hit the floor from falling.

            A few guards got past Spektrum and Lightning, but Fox was ready. They went to tackle Fox, two at a time, but Fox stood his ground. A third guard brought out a gun! He aimed right at Fox’s head! BANG!

            Everyone turned to look at the sound of the gunshot. The guard was shocked to see Fox’s skin was steel! The bullet dropped off his head, barely a scratch on the surface of Fox’s forehead.

            “Well that wasn’t very fair,” Fox scolded the gunman guard.

            Fox then pushed the other guards away before smacking the gunman with a back hand.

            “Ow!” Spektrum said. “That sounded like an aluminum bat.”

            “So you finally had to use that, huh?” Lightning said to his brother.

            “Well, I couldn’t let myself get shot,” Fox shrugged while more of his skin became steel.

            “How’re things going in there?” Spektrum asked the two in the server room.

            “I can’t tell if it’s slow or just a lot to download,” Catgirl said, “but mine is only at 41%.”

            “No, it’s definitely a lot to get,” Tiger said. “That’s about where mine is.”

            The guards Spektrum and the brothers knocked down started getting back up.

            “You boys want more, huh?” Spektrum said. “Fine by me.”

            Spektrum waited for one to stand all the way up, before he dropped him with another Red Light. Lightning used more Taser Tags, but he only has so many of those. Fox booted one guard into another, but had a guard jump on him. The guard tried to bring Fox down with his weight alone, but Fox simply swung him into a wall and he let go.

            Spektrum somersaulted under one guard’s wild swing and Lightning took care of him with a running jump kick. Spektrum sprang up and grabbed the next guard around the head. He let his momentum carry him, and he made a full rotation overhead to come back down for a “neckbreaker.”

            Fox guarded against the guards’ extendable batons. The different kinds of metals made loud PING sounds, but Fox wasn’t bothered at all. He waited for them to reel back again then swiftly kicked each guard in the hip, right to left. The two doubled over and he simultaneously drove his elbows into the back of their necks for the knockouts.

            Lightning hit one guard with a swinging back heel kick, then leaned back to dodge a punch. He grabbed the guard’s arm to judo throw him into two other guards, then looked back to see that first guard. Lightning jabbed his elbow into him, then shifted right to an uppercut.

            “C’mon, c’mon,” Catgirl muttered impatiently as she watched the percentage slowly climb.

            Fox and Lightning worked together, Fox helping his brother swing around and hit a spinning roundhouse. Fox mule kicked a guard coming up behind him, and fed him doubled over to Lightning’s knee thrust. Fox warned Lighting with a point of his finger, and Lightning ducked down. The guard running at him ran into Fox’s metal chest and crumpled as he fell back.

            Spektrum ran the walls to then spin and DDT one guard into the floor. He tripped up another guard from the floor, and dropped an elbow to keep him down. Spektrum leapt up for another Red Light onto another guard, ducked the punch of yet another guard, and came back with yet another Red Light.

            “I should’ve been Blue,” he said. “He’s got the stamina.”

            Even more guards appeared now, and the three of them all sighed from frustration.

            “Tiger, why don’t you go out there and help them?” Catgirl said.

            “Why? They’ve got that covered.”

            “Not when like a dozen more showed up! And if you’re going to tell me to go out there and fight with this dress on, you’re crazy.”

            Tiger thought about that while she sternly stared him in the eyes.

            “Fine,” he conceded. “I’ll go help them.”

            Catgirl smiled as she went back to her drive. Tiger straightened out his suit jacket, and walked to the door.

            “I guess you guys just couldn’t get the job done, huh?” he said with a big smirk on his face.

            “Talk big once you’ve helped us get it done,” Spektrum countered.

            “Oh I will,” Tiger said as he joined the three of them against the guards.

            The guards rushed the four, and both Tiger and Spektrum led the way against them. Spektrum threw hands and back elbows while Tiger used broad kicks and even some capoeira tricks. Tiger flipped, swept legs, spun into heel kicks and deflections, and Lightning and Fox came up to clean up after him.

            Spektrum used Overdrive to speed up, jumping off one guard’s knee to jump kick another, and then came back to give that first guard a neckbreaker. Two guards rushed Spektrum at the same time, but he hit them first with a two-for-one dropkick. He kipped up and leapt for double DDTs! Spektrum rolled back to avoid a stomp, and kicked that guard’s leg in the knee. The guard doubled over and Spektrum grabbed him around around the shoulders. He swept the leg while pulling back, and brought the guard down with the “complete shot.”

            Tiger caught a punch and swung the guard around by that arm. He used the guard to hit other guards, but he almost hit Spektrum

            “Watch where you’re swinging!” Spektrum shouted.

            “Maybe watch where you are,” Tiger shouted back as he stopped swinging. “Here!”

            He shoved the guard at Spektrum, who dropped him with another Red Light. As Spektrum stood up, Tiger was right in his face. But The Spektrum didn’t back down, he strangely felt most confident as Code Red.

            “We get it, boys,” Catgirl said as she walked over. “You both want to be the alpha.”

            Catgirl tossed Spektrum’s jacket back to him, and he caught it with one hand, without ever looking away from Tiger. The two stared down while Spektrum put the jacket back on—spectralizing it back to red—but Catgirl just rolled her eyes.

            “The drives are all down, by the way,” she said as she held the two lanyards up.

            “Finally,” Lightning said. “Let’s get out of here already.”

            Catgirl handed Tiger the drives, and he shoved them back inside his jacket pocket. He then pulled out his phone and texted his father again.

            Download complete. Heading home.

          “Let’s get going,” he said.

            The others started heading back the way they came, but he went the other way.

            “Where’re you all going?” he asked. “We’re using the backdoor this time.”

            The four turned around and followed him, but something about this alternate route felt off. Tiger seemed to know where he was going, though, and no one could think of a reason to question him here.

            The five of them used the stairs at the end of the hall and started going down. They reached the ground floor and found the backdoor. But the minute Tiger opened it, they were all face to face with another swarm of guards!

            “Get ‘em!” one shouted.

            The Power Surge teens hurried back inside in a panic, but the guards came flooding in. This hall was so narrow that the Power Surge almost had no choice but to go back up the stairs.

            “Here!” Tiger said as he ran out onto the third floor.

            The others followed him but the third floor was very open, like it was for accounting and the other business elements to the hotel. Because of the open floor, the five ended up spreading out, and it was easy for the guards to divide the five into three and two, with Tiger and Catgirl ending up near one of the manager offices while the boys ended up in the men’s restroom!

            “Damn it,” Tiger growled as he kicked a guard away. “We can’t be wasting time!”

            “Why not?” Catgirl asked. “We have the drives, so you can just look at the information later.”

            “Because we need to get this info out before Midnight, Eastern time!” he said.

            “What?!” Catgirl said. “There was a deadline on this and only now you say something!?”

            “Wait,” Tiger said as he spotted the computer in the private office. “I can email it all!”

            He kicked another guard away while Catgirl deflected a third. He then went inside the office and shook the mouse. The computer woke up out of sleep mode, and right to the desktop.

            “Looks like someone forgot to log out,” he grinned.

            He plugged in both drives and waited for the files to load up.

            “Hold them off while I send this,” he said to Catgirl.

            “By myself?!” Catgirl said. “Didn’t I just say I’m in no shape to fight in a dress?!”

            “Then just hold on for as long as you can!” he shouted.

            Catgirl growled, but she takes her frustration out on the closest guard with a scratch of her nails. Tiger clicked on the web browser, then on a tab for an email.

            “The massive downside to saving passwords on a browser,” he grinned as the information auto-filled.

 

            Meanwhile, Spektrum, Lightning and Fox backed up into the restroom. With the narrow doorframe, the guards ended up bottlenecked a few at a time. Fox pushed one into the paper towel dispenser, Lightning ducked and dodged near the urinals, but Spektrum was coming down from Overdrive running out. He ended up backed into a stall, and both he and his opponent stopped from the stench.

            “Ugh,” Spektrum said as he looked in the toilet. “Who didn’t flush after themselves?!”

            The guard still swung a punch but Spektrum dodged to then pull the guard in by that arm. The guard braced himself so he wouldn’t fall into the full toilet. Spektrum used the toilet as a step up then he climbed up the guard and the walls of the stall. He pushed the guard down with both feet, but the guard pushed back against the seat. Spektrum hoped no one would notice as he changed to Silver. With his extra strength, he stomped the guard again, and the guard’s face ended up in the toilet water!

            “Sorry about this,” Spektrum said as he turned back to Red.

            He stepped off the guard and onto the handle, to flush!

            “Blargh!” the guard sputtered as he got out of the toilet. “It went in my mouth!”

            Spektrum didn’t want to, but he kicked the guard in the face for the knockout. But before he could get out, another guard joined him!

            “Occupado!” Spektrum shouted as he jumped up over a stall wall to the open stall next to it.

            The guard followed but Spektrum kicked the door open to smack the guard in the face. Spektrum tackled the guard against the sink counter then threw him into the stall.

            “Time for another swirlie stomp!” Spektrum said as he jumped in.

            Spektrum shoved this guard’s face into the toilet water then stepped on the handle to flush. This guard sputtered his way back up, so Spektrum kicked him into a third guard. The two guards staggered, and while neither could see from the toilet water and stars in their eyes, Code Yellow used his Flash Kick to knock one head into the other.

            Fox smacked a guard with the back of his metal hand, but another guard gave him a sucker punch. It didn’t do anything to Fox but the guard hurt his hand. Fox then took care of that guard with a swift headbutt. Lightning threw a guard over head then kicked another in the stomach. Fox took care of that guard with a thrust kick to the face.

            “Those look a bit the same, don’t they?” Lightning pointed out.

            “I was about to say,” Spektrum said as he turned Red again. “Are you guys trained or something?”

            “Our grandfather,” Fox said. “Catgirl’s too, on her mom’s side.”

            “Cool,” Spektrum said.

            The next round of guards came in, and they paired off with the super teens again.

            “I don’t know why people think being Asian yet a martial artist is such a bad thing,” Lightning said as he bobbed and weaved with his opponent. “It’s not a stereotype, it’s embracing part of your culture.”

            “Maybe it’s just the oversaturation of it,” Fox said as he simply let his opponent hurt his hand. “Too many times, that’s the only thing an Asian person is in media.”

            “Well I’m a mix,” Spektrum said as he deflected several punches. “But I’ve ran into people who think I’m too ‘white washed’. But, what am I supposed to do? White is half of what I am.”

            “Really?” Lightning said. “What’s the other half?”

            “I’ve probably already said too much,” Spektrum said as he finally gave a counter punch. “Secret identities and all that, y’know?”

            “True,” Lightning nodded.

            In this distraction, a guard grabbed Lightning’s tie and pulled it behind him for a choke!

            “Crap,” Spektrum said.

            “Jeff!” Fox let out.

            But before either Spektrum or Fox could get to Lightning, other guards were on them! Fox had three on him pushing him towards the urinals. Spektrum was caught around the waist, but he managed to switch it around on him. But then the guard switched it back, meaning he must have some kind of wrestling background.

            Spektrum switched again, and both he and his opponent ended up by the wall. Spektrum pushed back and rammed the guy into the wall. The guard lost his grip, Spektrum finished by elbowing him into the wall again.

            Fox managed to ram a knee into the middle guard’s ribs, and that got him to let go. He slipped his hand around the guard on his right and shoved him into the lip of the urinal. Then Fox pushed the left guard into the wall, pried his left arm free to then thrust the elbow into the guard’s sternum.

            Fox and Spektrum turned to help Lightning, but he simply reached back and directly sent electricity from his hands into the guard’s arms. The guard let go and Lightning was no longer choking. Lightning then spun around and knocked him out with a palm strike that bounced his head off the counter.

            “You good?” Fox asked.

            “Yeah,” Lightning said between coughs. “So, what were we talking about?”

            The three were free to laugh now that all the guards were down and out.

            “We need to find Tiger and Cat,” Spektrum said.

            The brothers nodded, and all three exited the restroom.

 

            “The attachments are uploading!” Tiger shouted while Catgirl kicked a chair into a guard’s legs.

            “Then maybe help me now!” she shouted back.

            “Do I have to do everything around here?” he grumbled as he came around the desk.

            Catgirl mule kicked a guard in the shin, and the wedge heel’s edge added some real pain to the impact. Tiger kicked the hobbling man through a cubicle wall, then jabbed another guard right in the nose. Catgirl tripped that guy with a leg sweep then rose up with a roundhouse across the face of another. Tiger tackled him into two more guards while Catgirl deflected a punch. She sent that guard into a water cooler, knocking it over and spilling the water.

            Tiger got up from the pile of guards he toppled over, then ducked and dodged broad swings. He led the guards into the aisle between cubicles, letting the narrow space confine them for him. Tiger kicked a waste basket into the knees of the first guard, tripping him up. Tiger stomped the guard’s head into the floor, and used that to springboard at the next. He tackled that guard with all his weight then rose up with an uppercut for the other.

            Catgirl ducked and spun to sweep more legs. She mule kicked into the downed guard’s face. Much like her boots, these wedge heels were providing some great impact, and she started to consider wearing them more often. But while she was distracted with thoughts of fashion, a guard came up behind her and wrapped her in a bearhug!

            “Let go of me!” she yelled as she kicked her legs.

            Catgirl managed to kick another guard in the chin and another in the stomach while the guard holding her lifted her up. She swung her leg back and got the guard in the knee, but he held on through the pain. He still bent over enough for her to touch the ground. She used as much strength as she could muster and pushed backwards! They fell back into a cubicle wall, crushing it to fall onto the desk behind it. The guard let go and Catgirl got up quickly. She dusted herself off then adjusted her dress that was starting to ride up from the bottom and fall down from the top.

            Tiger used the cubicle walls to leap up and over a guard as he lunged in. Tiger then booted the next guard as he came down. He turned around to see the other guard get up. The guard turned around but into Tiger’s right cross! Tiger straightened out his jacket but another guard swung on him with a swivel chair! He hit Tiger in the back and Tiger hit the floor. Tiger tried to get up but the guy kept hitting him down!

            Catgirl saw Tiger was in trouble, so she rushed up behind the guy swinging the chair. She copied a dropkick from what she’s seen Spektrum do and knocked the guard off his feet. The chair clattered as she got up. Tiger got up and stomped the guard in the back. Tiger kept stomping, furious over the guard hitting him from behind over and over.

            “Tiger!” Catgirl shouted. “Tiger, stop!”

            “That’s what you get!” Tiger shouted at the guard as he stood over him.

            “Tiger, enough,” Catgirl said.

            Tiger calmed down as he dusted himself off and straightened out his clothes.

            “We need to check on the email,” he said with sudden realization.

            He and Catgirl hurried back to the private office. The drives were still plugged in, and the attachments had finished uploading. Tiger was relieved, and he finished it off by clicking the mouse on “send.”

            “Mission accomplished,” Catgirl smiled.

            “Yes, yes it is,” Tiger said. “Perhaps we should celebrate.”

            “Oh, yeah, more crab,” she said, mouth already salivating.

            “Actually, I was thinking of something much sweeter,” Tiger said as he leaned towards her.

            Catgirl was taken by surprise as Tiger stood very close, almost pinning her to the wall. He was leaning against the wall, propped up by his right arm, and his face very close to hers.

            “Umm…” she said as she tried to squeeze past.

            “Come now, kitten,” he said as he moved in closer. “Let’s not ignore the obvious.”

            “And that would be?” she said as she kept trying to make herself flatter against the wall.

            “There’s obviously chemistry between us,” he said. “I know I come on a bit strong.”

            “Like you’re body spray,” she said quickly.

            “I know I’m impatient and irritable.”

            “Oh so you’re self-aware and yet still act this way?”

            “But you said it yourself. I am a nice guy deep down. I do my best to do the right thing, especially for my family. We can understand each other in that, can’t we?”

            “Depends. Are you even listening to me?”

            “Plus, we have a certain something else in common,” Tiger said.

            Catgirl felt something furry brush up against her leg. She looked down, and saw a tiger-striped tail coming out of him! Then she looked up and saw the ears appear on his head.

            “You’re part feline?” she said.

            “Yes, I’m part feline,” he smiled. “So it’s almost like we were meant for each other, don’t you think?”

            “I highly doubt that.”

            “Well, I’m sure you’ll be saying different soon enough.”

            He moved in closer, clearly wanting a kiss.

            “No!” she said, pushing his face away. “I have a boyfriend.”

            “So?” he simply grinned as he brushed her hand aside. “He doesn’t have to know. Besides, you’re rather chummy with Spektrum anyway, it doesn’t exactly seem like a serious commitment to this ‘boyfriend’ of yours.”

            “No, that’s not… Stop!”

            She pushed Tiger as he tried to kiss her again.

            “What’s with you?” he chuckled. “I thought we were making a connection with how we were fighting alongside each other just now.”

            He started to press his body against hers, thereby pressing her against the wall.

            “There was no connection! No chemistry!” she said. “Get back already!”

            “If you really wanted me to back off, you’d be doing more than talking,” he grinned.

            Tiger pressed up against her more, and managed to get his legs between hers.

            “No…!” Catgirl said, her voice starting to fail her. “Please…! I… I haven’t even gone past first base…”

            “Seriously?” Tiger chuckled. “Not even once? How old are you?”

            “I’m only 15!”

            “What?!” Tiger said, eyes widening. “With this body?!”

            Tiger was shocked, and Catgirl was slightly relieved. She was sure he was reconsidering.

            “Well…” he said, a grin creeping back onto his face. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

            He started pressing up against her again, his waist way too close to hers. His tail started intertwining with her tail, and his chest pressed against her chest.

            “No!” she said as his face was skin to skin with hers. “Tiger, please, stop!”

            She closed her eyes, but that only enhanced her other senses. She felt his hot breath on her neck as she heard their heartbeats speed up. Just as she started to fear the worst, Tiger backed away. Did he have a change of heart?

            Catgirl opened her eyes, to see The Spektrum was there as Code Black! He had Tiger in a sleeper hold!

            “Spektrum!” she said, never so thankful in her life.

            Tiger flailed, trying to fight his way out of Spektrum’s grip. Tiger was starting to turn red, then purple.

            “Um, okay,” Catgirl said as she pulled her dress back down. “Spektrum, you can let him go. Seriously, it’s okay now. Spektrum!”

            Code Black felt Tiger fading in the sleeper hold. He waited a couple seconds more as Tiger’s arms started to drift down. He then suddenly shifted from sleeper hold to full nelson, popped his hips, and threw Tiger backwards overhead in the “Dragon Suplex”!

            Tiger hit the ground neck and shoulders first, and was folded up where he landed.

            “Ow!” Catgirl said. “But, y’know what, that’s what you get, Tiger!”

            Catgirl let her anger from almost being violated boil up inside her.

            “I can’t believe I thought there was good in you!” she said as she glared down at Tiger. “You fooled me into thinking you were a decent guy! But you’re not! You’re just a…”

            She started to trail off as she searched for the words.

            “A disgusting, perverted, egotistical… Asshole!!”

            Spektrum, still Code Black, looked over at her with surprise clear on his face.

            “Sorry,” she said timidly. “I know I shouldn’t cuss.”

            “No, I was actually more surprised that that was your first time cussing,” Code Black said. “You actually did it pretty well. And accurately, because that definitely describes Tiger.”

            “Thanks,” she smiled, weirdly proud with herself. “But don’t let my cousins know I cussed, they’d never let me hear the end of it.”

            “Speaking of, they were searching other parts of the floor. We should go find them.”

            Tiger groaned and grumbled as he finally fell over and unfolded himself.

            “You son of a—BAH!”

            Code Black interrupted Tiger with a swift kick to the face, like a football kickoff.

            “Don’t cuss, jackass,” he said.

            Catgirl snickered while Code Black walked back towards her.

            “Shall we?” he asked as he offered his arm again.

            “Why certainly,” she said as she linked her arm with his.

            “Now you’ve gone and done it,” Tiger growled as he started standing up; his voice was getting deeper as he spoke. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. I really liked this suit!”

            Tiger stood up, and his suit was tearing. He was bigger, from head to toe, and even his tail.

            “I’m going to tear you both apart!” he shouted, his teeth now a row of razor sharp fangs!

            What stood before Spektrum and Catgirl now wasn’t just Tyler Garrett, a young man with the nickname “Tiger”. He was now a 7 foot tall, 300 pound MAN TIGER!

            “You can’t do that, can you?” Spektrum asked Catgirl.

            “I sure hope not…” she said.

            Tiger lunged forward, and they both jumped back as he slammed his fist on the ground like a hammer. Tiger targeted Spektrum as he leapt forward! Spektrum changed to Code Red and leaned back like the Matrix, and Tiger crashed into a cubicle. Spektrum stood up and spun around to keep an eye on Tiger as he dug himself out of the cubicle rubble.

            Tiger threw a piece of the cubicle at Spektrum but he easily dodged it. Spektrum and Catgirl regrouped as Tiger stood back up. Tiger practically eclipsed the fluorescent lights at his full height. He walked up to the two of them, baring his fangs as he glared down his nose. He swung a punch at Spektrum, who ducked under and helped Catgirl get back of the broad swipe.

            Spektrum and Catgirl locked eyes and understood each other in a moment as he swung her around. She used both heels to hit Tiger on the cheek, and Tiger staggered down the aisle. Spektrum swung Catgirl again and she dropkicked Tiger in the back. Tiger fell forward, and then Spektrum and Catgirl flanked him.

            “Copy me!” Spektrum shouted as he aimed his foot.

            Catgirl nodded, and they both kicked Tiger in the hips. He flopped to the floor as Spektrum turned around. Spektrum and Catgirl both mule-kicked Tiger in the ribs and then Spektrum turned around. He jumped from floor to the top of a cubicle wall, and used it to moonsault backwards onto Tiger’s back, slamming him back onto the floor.

            “I don’t think I can do that,” she said. “And even if I could, I wouldn’t in this outfit.”

            Tiger started standing up, so Spektrum and Catgirl quickly moved back behind him.

            “I’m so glad you two are having so much fun,” he snarled with sarcasm. “Enjoy yourselves while you can, because this is going to get bloody very quickly.”

            Tiger spun around quickly, and the claws were out! He narrowly missed Spektrum, but he tore off a large piece of the suit jacket. Spektrum spun for a heel kick, but Tiger blocked with a forearm. Tiger swiped down, but Spektrum used his hand to slap his leg down and out of the way. Spektrum then reset his stance as Code Yellow and used the Flash Kick! But Tiger caught it with his massive paw!

            “Nice try, small fry!” Tiger sneered.

            Tiger spun Spektrum around, claws at the ready, but as Tiger went to swipe, Catgirl copied the Flash Kick to hit him in the paw! Tiger reeled back from the pain in his fingers, if you could call them that, and Catgirl followed up with a knee jammed into his ribs. Tiger doubled over, and Code Yellow hit him with the Flash Kick right on the chin!

            “Together!” Yellow said as he reset.

            Catgirl stood with Spektrum as Tiger steadied himself on his knees.

            “Three, two, one!”

            Together, Spektrum and Catgirl used the Flash Kick to hit Tiger right in the teeth! Tiger fell onto his back! Spektrum leapt onto Tiger for the pin!

            “One, two—“

       Tiger shoved Spektrum off, and he went flying over the top of another cubicle.

            “Spek!” Catgirl shouted.

            She headed his way, but Tiger used his leg to not so much kick Catgirl but shove her flying into a cubicle in the other direction. Tiger stood up and went for where Spektrum went. Spektrum flew out from the cubicle as Code Black and rammed his shoulder into Tiger’s gut. The tackle sent them both tumbling into the neighboring cubicle, knocking into everything from desk to computer to shelves.

            Tiger pushed Spektrum but he held on to what was left of Tiger’s suit. Spektrum rained down right hands onto Tiger’s snarling face, eventually changing it into both hands. He punched and punched, but Tiger wasn’t going down. Instead, Tiger swung and elbow and connected with Spektrum’s cheek. Spektrum staggered into a cubicle wall, and Tiger booted him through it!

            “Just had to be the hero, didn’t you?” Tiger sneered as he walked over the broken board. “Just had to ruin my fun, didn’t you? But now, I’m going to ruin your life! I’m going to rip you to shreds, then figure out who your family is so I can own them! It won’t matter what jobs they have, I’ll find a way. You’ll suffer as a crippled little worm that’s a burden to your broke little family. And then I’m going to enjoy every single, scintillating second playing with your little crush. Kitten and I, we’re going to have a hell of a time!”

            Tiger suddenly felt someone grab his tail. He looked back and saw Catgirl, with bloody murder in her eyes! Before he could even make a sound, she pulled back on the tail, and kicked him right between the legs!!

            Tiger yelled out in pain as he doubled over, and Spektrum, even as Code Black, winced and shielded his own groin.

            “Who’s playing with who now?!” Catgirl shouted as she still pulled on the tail.

            “N-No! I-I’m sorry!” Tiger said in a falsetto version of his Man Tiger voice.

            “Zaken-nya!” she shouted as she kicked him again!!

            “Oh…!” Spektrum let out as he winced more, changing from Black to Yellow.

            Catgirl reached back for another kick, but Spektrum quickly waved his hands.

            “Please, please stop,” he said.

            Catgirl helped him stand up while Tiger whimpered. Tiger changed back into his human form, his suit now a tattered mess that barely covered him up.

            “Sorry about that,” Catgirl apologized to Spektrum.

            “What was that you said before kicking him?” Spektrum asked.

            “Oh, I think my cat tongue slipped in there,” she said. “But it was… A Japanese curse word…”

            “Yes, yes it was,” Fox said as he and Lightning walked over.

            “We are so telling Auntie on you~,” Lightning teased.

            “Please don’t!” Catgirl pleaded. “Tiger really deserved it.”

            “I’m sure he did,” Fox said. “And there’s a lot of other stuff you’ll have to explain to us, but was the mission at least a success?”

            “Yeah, he sent the information to his father,” Catgirl said.

            “He did?” Spektrum asked. “Did you ever see what the data was?”

            “No, but I don’t care,” Catgirl said. “I just want to get home.”

            The three boys all agreed to that.

            “But what about the surveillance footage?” Spektrum asked. “We can’t leave evidence of us being here.”

            “Took care of that while we were searching,” Lightning said. “We found a security room and I fried the whole thing. No one can prove we fought like 50 guards to take their data.”

            “And I don’t think anyone would want to admit they got beat up by a bunch of teenagers anyway,” Fox added.

            “Alright, let’s get going then,” Spektrum said. “And Tiger, I think it’s pretty clear, we’re all done with you. You even try to make something more of this, we’ll all let the world know what Tyler Garrett is really like.”

            Tiger crawled away, one hand holding his wounded pride, while the four Californians hurried to the elevators.

            “Okay, the cameras might not be working,” Catgirl said, “but how are we supposed to get out of here? There are a lot of ways we’ll be recognized.”

            “Well, we could just become ourselves,” Lightning said. “Y’know, our normal, not super selves.”

            “I don’t know if we can let each other know what we all look like normally,” Spektrum said. “What if we’re made to identify each other?”

            “Would that really happen?” Catgirl asked.

            “Would it not happen?” he countered.

            “Staying super seems good enough for right now,” Fox said. “Here, you take my jacket and toss that torn up one.”

            Spektrum got rid of the damaged jacket, and it returned to its salmon pink. He took Fox’s jacket, and it was spectralized yellow.

            “What about me?” Catgirl asked, pointing to her ears.

            “I have an idea,” Yellow said. “Is there a gift shop?”

            After arriving in the lobby, Spektrum and Lightning found the gift shop on the opposite side of the lobby. Fox stayed with Catgirl so she could hide herself from most passers-by.

            “Bingo,” Spektrum said as he window-shopped. “Masks. We’ll get one for Catgirl so that when people see the ears, they’ll think they’re part of a costume just like the mask.”

            “What about her tail?”

            “Well, that’s… I dunno. But hopefully we can get out of here before anyone takes notice.”

            But just as Spektrum was about to walk into the shop, he realized something else.          

            “We don’t have money…”

            He and Lightning stood still as they thought hard on a solution.

            “Just take it,” Lightning said.

            “What? I can’t just steal the mask.”

            “What does one mask matter to this big giant casino?” Lightning countered. “Especially if Tiger’s right about these guys being all kinds of bad.”

            Spektrum thought about it, factoring in how time was of the essence and they needed to get out.

            “Fine,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to test how fast Red really is.”

            Spektrum shifted to Code Red and started Overdrive. He ran in the shop, snagged the glittery pink masquerade mask off the rack and ran back out.

            “Whoa,” Lightning said. “I think I blinked, because I missed that.”

            “You think their cameras saw?” Spektrum asked as he returned to Yellow.

            “No way, I fried the whole system, remember?”

            “Oh, true. Okay let’s get back to the others.”

            The four regrouped and Spektrum gave Catgirl the mask.

            “Aw, cute,” she said.

            She put on the mask and they did their best to be casual as they left. But then she realized something very important.

            “We don’t have a way home,” she said. “Tiger secured our ride into town, but how’re we supposed to make contact with Anonymous now?”

            The four thought on that by the door.

            “Well, maybe we can make it back to the Hard Rock Hotel,” Spektrum said. “From there we can find our way back to the airport.”

            “It’s a long way to go without a car or cab money,” Fox said. “But it’s the only thing we can really do. Let’s get going.”

            The four exited the Mirage and walked the Vegas Strip back down. The sidewalk was so crowded, Catgirl started falling behind.

            “Guys,” she called out. “Guys, hold on! I’m not as fast in these heels!”

            She realized it was hard to be heard over the din of the pedestrians and the traffic. She started getting scared she’d get completely separated, but then a hand reached back and pulled her forward. She saw the yellow jacket and realized it was Spektrum.

            “Oh,” she said. “Thank you!”

            “You’re welcome,” he said. “Just hold onto me, I can still see your cousins.”

            The two walked together, holding hands as Spektrum made sure to keep his eyes on the longer silver hair in low ponytail.

            “Your cousin’s really tall,” he said.

            “What?” she responded louder, so as to be heard over the general noise.

            “Fox is tall,” he said, matching her volume.

            “I know, he always has been, just like his dad.”

            “So, they said you’re related to them through your mom and their dad.”

            “Yes,” she said. “Though, I’m not sure they should’ve told you that.”

            “What does it matter? That doesn’t give away who you are.”

            “I suppose not,” she shrugged.

            The walk was long and with an awkward silence between the two of them. Part of the awkwardness was them holding hands, but both knowing Catgirl has a boyfriend, as she often brought up.

            “Sorry if I’m the best of a bad situation again,” Spektrum spoke up. “I don’t want you to feel bad the next time you talk to your boyfriend.”

            “It’s fine,” she said. “It’s just hand-holding, and for a good reason.”

            Another awkward silence crept in, but Catgirl cut it short.

            “And you’re not ‘the best of a bad situation’,” she said. “You’re way better than some consolation prize.”

            “I am, am I?”

            “Well, yeah,” she shrugged again. “I mean, Tiger kinda lowered the bar for all men everywhere, but you’re still great.”

            “So I’m ‘great’?”

            “Y-Yeah…” she said, feeling nervous. “Putting even the superhero stuff aside, you’re rather thoughtful. You gave me your jacket without even hesitating, and… if you hadn’t shown up, I dunno… I dunno what Tiger would’ve done to me.”

            That feeling of fear and shame washed over her again, but Spektrum squeezed her hand and it all went away.

            “It’s okay now,” he said. “It’s okay.”

            She sniffled, but then she smiled and nodded.

            As the four Californians walked up to a crosswalk, a bright blue Lincoln Navigator pulled up to the curb. The passenger window rolled down and a man with mirrored sunglasses leaned out.

            “Team Power Surge,” he said.

            The four of them turned to look in surprise. No one outside of the group knew that nickname.

            “Anonymous?” Fox asked in return.

            “Of course,” the man said. “Mr. Darklite apologizes for Tiger’s actions. None of us thought he’d be that self-serving.”

            Catgirl growled and her ears moved back.

            “Calm down, calm down,” the man said. “We’ll have our people look into appropriate disciplinary actions. Just hope in and we’ll get you all home.”

            The four Californians looked at each other, and all agreed with nods that this was legitimate. Fox opened the doors for everyone else, and Spektrum let Catgirl go in first. She went into the back and Spektrum followed by her cousins spoke up.

            “No, no,” Fox said. “If you two are sitting together, it’s in the middle.”

            “So we can keep our eyes on you,” Lightning added.

            “Oh c’mon,” Catgirl said. “You know we won’t do anything.”

            Her cousins conceded and they took the middle. Everyone buckled in, and the driver, who wore an all blue suit, pulled off the curb.

            “Wait…” Catgirl said. “A blue suit and blue car? You’re the guy who picked up Hayden, weren’t you?”

            “You saw the stuff online, huh?” the driver said.

            “Well, yeah.”

            “You’re also the guy who gave me my Anonymous card,” Spektrum said.

            “I told you you need to be more inconspicuous,” the other agent said. “But no, you gotta be flashy. Sorry for the late introductions, by the way. This is Fast Pace, and you can call me ATM.”

            The four passengers said hello while Fast Pace drove from the Strip to the airport, and the man with mirrored glasses pulled out all sorts of credit cards to get everyone tickets on the spot. Those credit cards clearly had some major money to them to pull something like that off.

            “Well, I guess this is good-bye,” Catgirl said to her cousins. “Until either the next mission or the holidays, at least.”

            “See you then,” Fox said.

            Fox and Lightning each gave Catgirl a full hug then gave Spektrum bro hugs. They left on one plane while Catgirl and Spektrum left on the other. The two were a bit shy around each other now, and ended up sitting on opposite sides of the aisle. They still sat in the aisle seats so that they weren’t that far apart, but having the space made it seem less… awkward.

            “Are you… Are you going to keep the dress?” Spektrum asked nervously.

            “Um… I dunno,” she shrugged. “It’s still really nice, even if it’s technically from Tiger. I might give it away, just so it doesn’t go to waste.”

            “That’s understandable. I’m keeping this suit, though.”

            The two laughed long and loud, but returned to being shy as they calmed down. They barely talked the rest of the way home.

 

            Needless to say, Tuesday was terrible for the four of them. They were so tired, that by the end of the day, they were grateful no villain nor criminal nor thug started trouble, as well as grateful for making it home for nice long naps.

            In Alameda, Zoey curled up with Neeko on the bed, without even taking off her shoes. The dress she brought home was hanging on the door of her closet, and the heels were hidden under her bed. The mask the Spektrum got for her rested on her nightstand, a nice little momentum of her first and maybe last Vegas visit.