Fii had always imagined Prime as a bea of hope, the sort of hero you'd want on your side in a crisis.

  She gaped at the powerful Super h above the road. His armored suit, a sleek design of white and blue, seemed to shimmer in the m light. His cape rippled in the wind behind him. The most promi feature of his outfit was the golden emblem on his chest—a shield bearing the sigil of the Metropolis. The debris swirling around him danced like satellites caught in the gravity of a p.

  Prime. Leader of the Ultimate Guardians.

  It was said he possessed unmatched power and had single-handedly stopped more threats to humanity than anyone else alive. Fii never believed she'd see him in person. But here he was...in the slums...

  She had asked Edith about Prime's power before. Acc to her, he could move objects with his mind—Telekinesis, she called it. From what Fii could gather, Prime's Telekinesis seemed simir travikinesis. They both could effectively move things around, but unlike Fii's manipution of gravity, Edith described Prime's ability as him maniputing quantum fields to entater remotely.

  Something about...quantum tagging, maybe?

  She hadn't quite uood all the details back then, and to be ho, the sce made her head spin. She did recall oail though: he was even more powerful than she was. Though his abilities maed differently, he could use his power at a greater scale than her own.

  Prime nded gently otered street, the debris settling around him as if obeying an unspoken and. The m light cast an almost halo-like glow around his figure.

  His helmeted gaze swept over the se—over the slum dwellers, the ragtag gang members, and the crumbled buildings. The LED eyes of his visor locked onto Fii for a moment before moving on. Fii didn't move a muscle. She held her breath until he finally turned away. His head swiveled slowly as he assessed the situation.

  The wind seemed to die down around them.

  "Fear not," Prime's voied, moduted by his helmet to resonate deeply, eg across the streets. "The Ultimate Guardians have not fotten you."

  His words, meant to reassure, felt heavy with the promise of ht rather than assistance. Fii felt a chill run down her spine. She had heard stories of how Prime operated iropolis—effit, cold, and indifferent. He did what was o maintain order...and little else.

  Yet she couldn't help but marvel at his presence. How could a be in awe?

  Prime turned his attention to the enemy batants still suspended mid-air, their expressions a mix of terror and fusion. With a mere snap of his fingers, their bodies twisted and torted like undry wrung dry.

  Even the Adrenomancers, whose bodies were almost as as resilient as any Super's, met the same fate. Their screams rose to an ear-splitting cresdo before cutting off abruptly.

  Blood sprayed from their writhing forms before they hung limp and lifeless. In a blink, their bodies were reduced to torn ks. The corpses tumbled through the air in a grotesque dispy before spttering across the street.

  A hush fell over the crowd as everyoared wide-eyed at Prime. He dusted his hands off and adjusted his gloves before folding them behind his back.

  "The slums are safe now," Prime decred, his tone sounding more like a decree than a reassurance. "Most of the threats have bee with."

  Fii tried to suppress a shudder.

  Beside her, Kenzo kept his hand on his sword hilt but didn't draw it. He stared at Prime with wary eyes. He whispered, "Looks like the cavalry’s here, but who’s going to save us from the savior?"

  Kareem whistled low and long as he leaned on his massive hammer. "Wow...that's one way to finish this mess." He paused to cough harshly before tinuing. "I've heard of you...not like I need an introdu. Never expected to see you here though. Seems kind of weird for the head honcho to e all the way out here...didn't knoere worth the trouble."

  Prime tilted his head ever so slightly at the Ironcd Legion sub-leader. His LED eyes narrowed into slits. "You doubt our siy?"

  "Well...not saying that," Kareem shot back. "It's just that...you guys never really seem to give a damn about what happens out here...until now. Funny timing."

  Prime said nothing. He merely stood there in silence as he waited for Kareem to tinue. His silence was unnerving. Fii didn't think a single sentence could sound so intimidating.

  Virgil and Quinn moved to stand by Fii's side. They exged gnces but kept their mouths shut.

  Kareem held his hands up defensively. "Look...I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not happy to see you here...not that you're doing much besides ing up the mess after we did most of the heavy lifting. reciate your help though...so...thanks?" He gave Prime a mock salute. "Guess you got everything handled from here?"

  Prime turned away from Kareem and gazed at the assembled crowd of slum dwellers. Some looked on with wary expressions while others watched in fearful silence.

  Fii shifted unfortably. Her gut told her something wasn't right. She felt like a child standing before a stern teacher waiting to be reprimanded—worse than what Virgil usually gave her. Prime's demeanor uled her even more. She couldn't read him. But she had a feeling he wasn't here just to help. Not with the way he acted so casually about...all of this.

  "This," Prime gestured vaguely to the se around him, "is unfortunate...an avoidable tragedy. While the culprits have bee with, this...ret event...has exposed a... problem." His voice held no trace ret or sympathy. He might as well have been talking about the weather.

  Kareem scowled. "A problem?" He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Prime to eborate.

  "An ht," Prime crified. "Metropolis has been x in its governance over the slums. Until now, we've overlooked your...distasteful proclivities and mischief. But no longer. Your unity ot tio exist without order...without supervisioropolis will ensure you are...reguted."

  "I don't like the sound of that," Kenzo remarked under his breath.

  Kareem stared at Prime incredulously. "...What?" He leaned on his massive hammer for support. "Reguted? The hell you talking about?"

  Suddenly, his metallic body lifted off the ground and slowly levitated towards Prime until he hovered above the Super.

  "Hnngrrgh! Hey! Put me down!" Kareem shouted as he squirmed helplessly. He grabbed at the air as if trying to find purchase.

  Prime stood tall and stoic with his hands csped behind his back as he brought Kareem closer to eye level. "For too long you and the angs had freedom to do as you please," he stated calmly. "You have taken advantage of our leniency. That ends today."

  "Hey...we haven't done anything wrong! We were only defending ourselves...we're not hurting anyone here...well...no one who doesn't deserve it, at least!" Kareem snapped.

  Prime shook his head slowly. "Denial is futile. We have seehing...all your criminal activities...all your schemes. Your little turf wars. Your smuggling rings. Your human traffig...every...single...one."

  He raised his hand as if to examine his nails before g his fist tight.

  A deep groan escaped Kareem's mouth. The sound of metal bug echoed across the street. Blood trickled from the ers of his mouth. He twisted and writhed in pain. His breath came in shasps.

  "F-Fuck! S-Shoot him!" Kareem growled through gritted teeth. "K-Kill him...g-get this...bastard!"

  The Ironcd Legion gangsters quickly grabbed the discarded firearms lying on the ground. They took aim at Prime and opened fire.

  Bullets stopped mid-air as Prime casually raised his other hand.

  He flicked his wrist zily. The ons flew out of their rasps before they could fire another shot. The guns hovered over the street for a sed before snapping into pieces. Fragments rained onto the pavement.

  Several of the gang members fled in terror. Others stayed rooted to the spot in shock.

  Virgil tapped Fii and Kenzo's shoulders and whispered, "We o leave. Now." He started bag away slowly from the se. "Things are about to get ugly."

  "What do we do?" Fii whispered back.

  Prime snapped his fingers again. A handful of Ironcd Legion members—the ones who remained—were telekiically ripped apart on the spot. Bloody ks of meat spttered onto the road. Their screams cut short.

  Kareem's limbs began to stretd tort at unnatural angles as he was twisted like a wet towel. The pain in his voice rose to an agonized wail. His body bent and ed until it resembled a humazel. He gasped o time before his head exploded in a spray of gore aal shards.

  His lifeless remains hung limply in the air above Prime.

  Virgil turned away from the se and ushered the two of them towards an alley. "Run! Just...fug run!"

  Quinn had already bolted. Kenzo didn't o be told twice.

  Fii stared at the battered street, wide-eyed with disbelief. What the hell just happened?...How did things turn so bad so fast?...Why rime doing this? Wasn't he supposed to protect people?...Aren't heroes supposed to save everyone?...What the hell is happening?!

  "Get the hell out of here," Virgil urged Fii. "Don't draw attention to yourself...and don't interfere. You 't save everyone...not with this one." He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around before shoving her forward. "Go!"

  Suddenly, she saw Virgil get ripped away from her. He flew back towards Prime's position and hovered in midair o Kareem's body. His arms were forced behind his bad his legs were cmped together.

  "Virgil!" Fii cried. Her heart leapt into her throat.

  She ran towards him as fast as she could. Before she could reach him, something smmed into her side with enough force to knock her off her feet. She nded hard on the pavement. The impact jarred her already sore ribs.

  As she tried to stand up, she was lifted off the ground and thrown across the street. She rolled across the pavement until she crashed into the wall of a nearby building. A scream tore itself from her throat as her injured shoulder hit first. She colpsed onto her side in a heap.

  Prime's cold voice rang out above the sound of her ed breathing. "Stay where you are. Do not move."

  Her muscles went rigid. She tried to stand up again, but her body refused to cooperate. All she could do was watch as Prime levitated Virgil closer.

  "Virgil Maddox," Prime said coolly. "So we meet again...not uhe circumstances I hoped for."

  Virgil stared back at Prime with defiant eyes. "I'd say it's a pleasure...but it ain't." He gnced over at Fii. "Leave her out of this...whatever this is. She's just a kid. Let her go."

  Prime followed his gaze and tilted his head ever so slightly in Fii's dire. His LED eyes seemed to glhter as he scrutinized her.

  "I'll have several questions to ask you ter...once I'm finished here." Prime turned back to face Virgil. "It seems like your exile has...plicated matters...for both of us. A shame. You could've done great things...if only you had chosen to work for the greater good."

  Virgil snorted. "That ain't me...and you know it."

  "That is unfortunate," Prime remarked coldly. "Then again...I didn't expeything less from you...not after everything that's happened."

  "Spare me the bullshit," Virgil spat. "Let the kid go. She doesn't o be a part of this. Let her go home."

  Prime paused for a moment as if sidering Virgil's words. He turowards Fii and fixed his gaze on her for a few seds before responding. "Tell me, Backfire. Were you the one who provided the gear that she's wearing? An OptiMax cyber-helmet and a Dynatech bodysuit...did you supply them to her?"

  "You want someoo bme? It's on me," Virgil answered quickly. "She's just a kid...let her go."

  Prime tiaring at Fii silently. His LED eyes glowed brighter than ever before.

  "She's a Metahuman, I take it? Yet...she does not appear on our database. Most likely a slum dweller like the tin I've...taken care of." He gestured to Kareem's corpse before tossing it aside like garbage. "Iing...very iing. And you've trained her? Since when?"

  Virgil remained silent.

  "Very well...answer me this: why her? Why choose this girl as your successor?" Prime asked. "Why train someone from the slums? Someone so...unworthy...of su honor? Did you have pns for her?"

  "Go to hell," Virgil growled. "I ain't telling you shit."

  Prime nodded slightly as if he'd expected such a response. "I have my suspis...but I'll be sure to ask you again ter...in private." He waved his hand a Virgil flying into a shanty. The wooden structure colpsed around him. "I'd rather not deal with that disturbing apparition that seems to haunt you. We'll have plenty of time to catch up...soon."

  Prime gnced back at Fii once more. "e here," he anded.

  Her body jerked upright and marched towards him involuntarily. Her muscles strained against the invisible force that dragged her along. It was like being caught in a strong current—powerless to resist its pull.

  Was this what others felt like she used her gravikinesis on them? She didn't like it o.

  Prime's gaze followed her closely as she approached.

  "Kneel." His voice was firm but not loud. The slightest hint of impatience colored his tone.

  Fii sank to her knees in front of him. Her body trembled from exertion as she struggled to break free. A wave of nausea washed over her. Sweat trickled down her forehead. Her pulse raced in her ears. It took all her strength to remain upright. She couldn't stop herself from shaking untrolbly.

  "It appears you are not fully trained...a novice at best...no matter. I have many questions to ask you," Prime stated calmly. "But first...let us get acquainted. What is your name?"

  She looked up at Prime through blurry eyes.

  You think you're the only one who could do something like this? I'll show you.

  Fii trated and gathered as much gravitons around them as she could. She pushed against Prime's mental hold with everything she had.

  Slowly, she stood back up on unsteady legs while exerting her power to force him down—enough to crush the Metas she'd faced so far by a hundredfold. She could feel his power trying to teract hers.

  Kneel!

  Prime's LED eyes widened in surprise as he sank to his knees before her.

  "Urgh! What...?!" His voice had lost its cool edge. For once, Prime sounded uled.

  As he straio look up at her, Fii gred down at him through the cracked visor of her helmet.

  "My name...is Axion," she growled. "And you will leave us alone."