A steady rain pattered over Metro City's industrial outskirts, each drop drawing faint lines across the haloed glow of distant floodlights. Beneath the sparse illumination of a half-rusted streetlamp, The Vanguard sheltered behind crates stacked near an abandoned security checkpoint. Across the fenced yard, an old Empire Technologies research facility loomed—dark windows, corroded signage, and the distant hum of dormant machinery. They had come seeking clues about the meteor fragments' dwindling power and, ideally, answers to the riddle of Alex's unique immunity.
Mira (Echo) closed her eyes, tuning her empathic senses to the quiet night. Tension lingered in the stagnant air. No active hostility yet, but a lingering anxiety seemed baked into these old walls. She reopened her eyes and met Elena's (Pulse) gaze, who nodded slightly, visor reflecting the distant lightning flicker. Mira sensed Elena's silent determination—this mission mattered deeply.
Marcus (Vortex) leaned beside a cracked concrete pillar, rain dripping from the hood of his improvised rain-guard. He focused on the environment: a distant generator hum, puddles shimmering under faint neon, and the subtle whistle of wind around warped metal beams. He caught a glimpse of Li Chen (Mirage) adjusting a band along her sleeve. He said nothing this time, simply acknowledging her presence with a quiet nod before scanning the perimeter again, letting any personal warmth remain just a low ember at the back of his mind.
Striker (Gabriel "Gabe" Torres) knelt near the chain-link fence, eyes narrowed. His subtle precognition tugged at him, warning that not all was as it seemed. The old soldier in him expected guards or drones. The emptiness felt too easy. He stiffened slightly and tapped his earpiece. "I don't like this," he murmured.
Alex (Superman) hovered inches off the muddy ground, arms folded, keen eyes scanning for movement through the darkness. The meteor fragments were getting weaker—some phenomenon was draining or changing their energy. Understanding that might explain how his powers worked differently, why nullifiers failed against him. The team had followed a trail of leads to this facility. But no guards, no alarms so far—suspicious. He glanced at Striker, noting the soldier's unease.
Elena tapped a small device attached to the fence, sending a timed pulse that disabled a rusty electronic lock. "We're in," she whispered. Her voice carried softly under the rain. She half expected turrets to stir or cameras to swivel, but nothing happened. The silence pressed in.
Li Chen raised a hand, weaving a faint illusion to cloak their silhouettes as they slipped inside the compound. Raindrops passed through her illusions, refracting light just enough to blur their forms. She concentrated carefully, mindful not to overdo it and risk alerting hidden sensors. A distant creaking metal door somewhere within the facility sent a shiver through her spine. She tightened her focus.
As they approached a side entrance, Elena interfaced with a weathered keypad. Sparks flickered across her visor as she bypassed old encryption. Still no alarms. The door hissed open easily.
Too easily, Striker thought. He stepped inside first, senses on edge. A corridor greeted them—dim emergency strips of amber light along the floor, dusty consoles, and old posters curling at the edges. The smell of old coolant and rusting metal hung in the air. Mira slipped inside next, scanning for emotional residue. She felt faint traces of old fears, but nothing immediate.
They found a small data room early on. A terminal stood waiting, unlocked. Elena approached, fingers dancing over keys. "Partial logs," she whispered. "Mentions of meteor fragment research, solar radiation correlations…" Her heart quickened—this was what they sought.
Alex hovered at the doorway, impressed by their fortune but unsettled. "No security at all?" he said softly.
Marcus stood behind Alex, adjusting his stance. "This place was supposed to be high-priority, right? Why leave it so exposed?"
Li Chen's illusions flickered slightly in tension. "Feels like a setup," she murmured.
Mira stepped back from the console Elena worked at. Empathically, she sensed a subtle contrivance in the emotional imprint here—like fear staged long ago and left as a trap. "Elena, be careful," she advised quietly.
Elena nodded, brow furrowing as she accessed a file titled "Fragment Energy Divergence." Initially, she found references to unique solar synergy—hints that a certain subject's cells metabolized meteor energy differently. This subject might explain Alex's immunity to nullifiers. Elena's pulse raced. Just as she tried to copy the data, the screen flickered and went dark.
A sudden mechanical groan echoed down the hallway. Lights flashed red. Li Chen cursed under her breath, illusions distorting as her concentration wavered. Striker raised a hand, signaling silence. Mira felt panic spike in the corridor beyond.
From a side passage, an automated turret whirred into life, scanning with a faint red laser. No simple empty lab after all. Marcus clenched his jaw—he had prepared for this. Alex hovered closer, ready to intervene. But they'd agreed: subtle if possible.
The turret fired a silent, focused energy beam at knee-level. Striker pulled Elena down behind a console, sparks showering the far wall. Li Chen cast a quick illusion—flickering, unstable under stress—making it seem the corridor extended empty, tricking the turret's sensors. Mira projected a calming field to keep the team steady, their hearts pounding. Marcus read the wind patterns and guided a subtle gust to misalign the turret's aim.
Alex considered smashing straight in, but if the turret had backup systems or alarms, that might lock down the facility entirely. Instead, he used a low-intensity burst of heat vision to sizzle the turret's sensor array without destroying it outright—just enough to blind it temporarily.
With the turret disabled, they rushed to another data terminal in a side office, hoping the original logs were copied elsewhere. Elena hacked again, this time bypassing a hidden partition. She extracted a fragment of code—partial references to "Subject A" and "Solar Integration Protocol." Enough to confirm that Alex's powers worked on some unique principle involving solar radiation bonding with meteor-derived energy. Not a full explanation, but a tantalizing clue.
Mira sensed the tension easing as they backed out of the office. The mission had grown complicated, but they adapted. Striker watched Elena secure the data. Marcus hovered near Li Chen, giving her space after that stressful illusion under fire. Mira took a slow breath, grateful no one was hurt.
They slipped back outside into the cold rain. The facility's silence had been a misdirect—a honeytrap of easy data leading to a hidden security system. But they outsmarted it, escaping with partial information. Enough to pursue more leads later.
Alex rejoined them at the perimeter, having provided quick support. He noted their shaken expressions and the new data chip Elena guarded. "Rough going?" he asked quietly.
Elena nodded. "We got something, but not everything. It was a trap—someone wanted us to believe it'd be easy." She looked at the data chip's dim glow. "At least we have a piece of the puzzle."
Marcus exhaled, wind stirring droplets around him. "We'll study it carefully, figure out what it means."
Li Chen said nothing, merely pulling back her hood. The tension had been real; her illusions tested under duress. She met Marcus's eyes briefly, a grateful flicker, then refocused on the city lights. Small moments, scattered, subtle.
Mira sensed Elena's relief and underlying admiration, felt Marcus's quiet appreciation for Li Chen's skill, and sensed Striker's measured respect for this method of heroism. Alex hovered, contemplating the fragmentary clues about his immunity. The team's synergy had carried them through traps and misdirections tonight, forging trust and understanding without explicit declarations.
They returned into the city's restless night, rain washing away footprints and tension. The next steps lay ahead—analyzing data, anticipating Sovereign's next move. Tonight proved nothing would come easily, but they had learned to adapt, trust each other, and glean victory from subtlety and skill.