Ranford Tremble was not happy. This was meant to be the start of a completely normal and relaxing weekend with no worries and no sweat. He had planned to get some extra sleep and watch a couple of movies.

Instead, Ranford was crouching outside a tall building at four a.m. in a blue-and-gold rubber suit.

He shivered as a gust of early-morning breeze cut across his cheeks and sent tingles down his spine. The cold wasn’t too big a problem for him. Ranford, also known as Golden Lion Man, possessed a body temperature higher than that of ordinary humans. However, the very thought of facing another enemy mutant at another laboratory chilled him to the bone.

It had been two months since he had gone on any missions—not that he was complaining or anything. Merely seven weeks ago, the team had faced off against a murderous fire villain who had threatened to destroy Ranford’s town. That battle had given him enough insight into how powerful Jacen Lee and his mutants were. Ranford could not bring himself to imagine what dastardly abilities the eight loose superhumans had.

He glanced up at the building next to him, trying to distract himself from these thoughts. The massive block letters of the “Neutron Laboratories” sign shimmered faintly under the light of dawn. His team had told him that this laboratory was heavily guarded with state-of-the-art defense systems. But Ranford knew it wouldn’t be much of a problem if SHRIKE wanted to break inside. Mutants powerful enough could probably shred through the defenses without much effort.

There was a strangely tense atmosphere around Neutron Labs. Ranford knew that the other team members were just as anxious as he was. Alex was the only exception. According to him, it had been too long since he had fought anyone, and Shark Man could not wait to get back in action.

“Ranford, can you pinpoint the enemy’s location for us once more?” came John’s voice through Ranford’s earpiece, interrupting his train of thought.

“Sure.” Ranford lifted his nose high in the air and took a deep sniff. Hundreds of scents rushed into his nostrils at once. He focused, trying to filter out the different smells and leave only the ones he was targeting. “I think the enemy is about a mile away now,” he announced.

Alex snorted through the communications system. “A mile away? Come on, man. I’m falling asleep just waiting for these guys to attack.”

“Is everyone in position?” came a third voice, which Ranford identified as Abby’s.

“We all should be,” replied John. “I better check again just to make sure.”

“Ah, right,” said Alex. “Just like the last five million times you checked in the last ten minutes.”

John ignored him. “Does everybody still remember the plan?”

Ranford nodded. Then he remembered that the other members of the team could not see him. This was because they were all scattered around the massive laboratory.

“Yep,” he muttered instead.

“Yes,” said Abby.

“Alex?” questioned John.

“Not really, no,” replied Alex. “I’ll be fine though.”

A groan and a loud smacking noise came through Ranford’s earpiece, which he assumed meant John had face-palmed. “I literally recited it to you five times! How many times do I have to—”

“Not my fault. You had, like, ten different plans. Did you seriously expect me to remember all of them?”

“No, no, no,” hissed John. “The first one was the main plan. The second one was the main backup plan. The third one was the second backup plan. The fourth one was the reassembling plan. The fifth one was in case we have to retreat, and—”

“Whatever.”

Ranford decided to ignore the rest of the bickering and focus on tracking their approaching enemies instead. If he was being completely honest, he didn’t remember the entire plan either.

After a while, he was able to hear the faint screeching of tires, which surprised him.

“I hear vehicles,” he declared after clearing his throat. “The enemy is on wheels. It’s too early to tell how many cars there are, but they will arrive soon. John, you might want to get our men ready.”

John shushed Alex, who was still complaining about the oversophisticated plan. “All right,” muttered the leader of SHRIKE. “I’d better give everyone another brief explanation. Do all of you know what we’re doing here?”

“We’re stopping a robbery,” answered Alex impatiently. “Somebody’s trying to break into the building.”

John sighed. “Yes, indeed. Thank you, Alex. As you all know, we are at Neutron Labs, a research facility that is famous for its high-security measures. This is because the top floor of the laboratory contains a special biovirus that could be deadly if it falls into the wrong hands. If my calculations are correct, someone will be trying to steal it in about five minutes. Our mission is to stop whoever it is.”

“You really think that person will turn out to be one of the eight loose mutants?” asked Alex skeptically. “That seems a bit far-fetched. It’s been two months since Lee set them free.”

“That is a good question,” came John’s response. “Someone has committed three other robberies in the past two months. In each robbery, a virus was taken from a laboratory. We thought the similarities of these crimes were very suspicious, especially because of the evidence left behind. Therefore, we determined that the perpetrator was probably a mutant. Then Mariana and Paul predicted that Neutron Labs would be the person’s next target, and here we are.”

“Don’t worry, team,” said Ranford. “I’ll try my best to make sure whoever it is doesn’t get to the virus.”

“So will I,” announced Abby.

“Excellent,” declared John. “I am grateful to you all. With you, we have a good chance of succeeding.”

“Are the agents in place for the ambush?” asked Abby.

“They are,” confirmed John. “I stationed the other SHRIKE agents to guard the virus on the top floor. This is in case the robber gets past us. Alex, I think it may be best if you head to the third floor and assist the others.”

Alex grunted with dissatisfaction but said nothing else.

Ranford stood up from his position and moved forward to get a better view of the streets. He crouched by the left corner of the building, concealed in the shadows. There weren’t many streetlamps in the area, and a regular human would struggle to see, for the sun had not yet risen. Luckily, Ranford had recently discovered a new ability that came in handy during such situations: night vision.

Now that he had a better vantage point, he continued listening intently to every screech of brakes and squeal of tires. Based on what he heard, there seemed to be more than one enemy car heading toward Neutron Labs. The scent of gasoline and rubber wafted into his nostrils, alerting him to the vehicles’ positions. Determined not to let their opponents slip through his fingers, he continued tracking whoever they were across all the roads and streets. Before long, the vehicles were nearing the building.

“Incoming,” mumbled Ranford into his earpiece. He took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself. “I think the mutant has brought some accomplices. There are plenty of people coming our way.”

Okay, Ranford,he thought. Keep your cool. Stay calm. It might not be as bad as the fight with Calefactor. All we have to do is follow John’s plan.

He watched nervously as a large white van rumbled around the corner. Immediately, the vehicle’s blinding headlights illuminated the dark environment like shining beacons. Ranford ducked farther behind the building. Next, one after another, four other identical vans turned onto the avenue leading up to the building. The five enemy vehicles cruised slowly along the pavement and came to a stop in front of Neutron Labs.

“Everybody get ready,” John whispered into the earpiece.

A seemingly long, tense moment passed. No movement came from the vans.

What are they doing? Ranford wondered. He tilted his head toward the vehicles and listened intently.

“What’s the matter, sir?” came a deep, gruff male voice. “Why did we stop?”

A second later, the headlights of the five vans turned off, and the door of the first van was flung open.

Ranford frowned and squinted. A pair of shiny black shoes came into sight, followed by some trouser legs. The man stopped for a few moments, obscured by the van door, and suddenly slammed it shut with one hand.

Assisted by his night vision, Ranford could now see the man clearly. He was about six foot four and had a muscular build, tan skin, and long, tangled black hair. He wore an unzipped leather jacket, corduroy pants, and a metal chain around his neck. Most importantly, there was a strange aura around him, which made Ranford sure that this person was a mutant. 

The mutant looked around and strolled across the avenue. His eyes darted across every corner and inch of the pavement as he scanned it intently. He then turned and walked back toward the vehicles.

Ranford gulped.

Next, the rear door of the same van swung open, and a burly man clutching a rifle stepped out.

“Sir, what’s happening here? Why aren’t we progressing?” he asked, visibly bewildered.

The mutant frowned. “I’m picking up something,” he hissed in a deep rumbling voice.

Beads of perspiration started running down Ranford’s forehead. As they trickled down his neck, he closed his eyes. Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me.

“Show yourselves!” demanded the mutant. His eyes swept once more across the whole area.

“Bro, a mutant with superhuman senses?” exclaimed Alex.

John shushed him. “It would appear that he can detect vibrations in the air,” he whispered in a fast, panicked voice.

Luckily, the mutant didn’t seem to notice anything. He trudged back toward his companion, the burly man.

“It seems I was wrong,” he muttered.

Ranford sighed with relief. That was close.

Suddenly, the mutant whirled around and waved his right arm in one swift move. A small black projectile whizzed through the night air and sailed directly toward Ranford’s hiding spot.

Shocked by the sudden attack, Ranford scrambled sideways. As the object barely missed his right ear, he recognized it as a pointed throwing knife.

At the same time, Alex leapt out from behind a cluster of bushes on the other side of the avenue. Before anybody had time to react, he yanked out a rifle and fired back at the enemy mutant. To his shock, their opponent simply hopped aside with ease.

“Alex!” hissed John. “I thought I told you to go to the third floor!”

“Yeah, but then I would miss out on all the action. Our cover’s blown, man!”

The moment Alex finished his sentence, the rear doors of the four other vans swung open simultaneously. About thirty men in black uniforms and full-face gas masks poured out of the vehicles and returned fire at Alex. In response, the incredibly agile Shark Man dashed across the pavement and dodged the shots. Unsure what to do in the midst of this pandemonium, Ranford snatched a nearby brick and hurled it at a random henchman. The unsuspecting man was knocked out and fell to the ground.

“Take the lights out!” snarled the mutant, who was obviously the leader of the uniformed men. Hearing this, his followers all concentrated their fire at the streetlamps on either side of the road. Within seconds, all the lights were out and the avenue was pitch-black.

It was already hard to see properly in the dark night, and without the streetlamps, it was completely impossible. Alex could only fire blindly at where he thought the vans were while retreating to the bushes.

“Uh, guys, I could really use some help here!” he shouted.

Ranford had no choice now but to leap out from behind the building and join the battle. In a swift move, he darted toward two uniformed men and knocked them out with both hands. Then he performed a spinning kick, sending a nearby henchman flying several feet into the air. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted John and Abby rushing out from their hiding spots to assist.

“Capture the mutant!” hissed John.

Ranford nodded, cocked his fists, and dashed toward the muscular mutant. Instead of retaliating, the man in the black leather jacket simply stood there and stared at him. Then the enemy mutant exhaled sharply. A large plume of neon-yellow gas spewed from his mouth, forming a smokescreen between the two of them.

Shocked, Ranford skidded to a halt. The gas had an irritating, pungent smell, and he realized that it was highly toxic. Golden Lion Man opened his mouth and released a powerful roar of sonic waves to clear the area of the yellow gas before directing his attack toward his opponent. But the mutant was no longer standing there.

A slight metallic crunching noise came from the left. Ranford whirled around and found the mutant on top of a nearby streetlamp, leering at him. Surprised by his opponent’s speed and agility, he fired another sonic roar. Before the beam hit its target, the tan, muscular mutant kicked both of his legs against the side of the streetlamp, which swung him forward and launched him into the air like an arrow. Ranford watched helplessly as the mutant gripped onto the side of the Neutron Labs building.

Even though the building had no visible spots to cling to, the agile mutant climbed upward at a frightening speed. He passed the first five floors in no time and continued making his way up the side of the building. John groaned and fired a lightning bolt past the building to illuminate it.

“Whoa,” said Alex as he elbowed another uniformed man to the ground. “This dude can wall crawl! I shall call him . . . Spider-Man. Oh, wait. That one’s already taken. General Spider? Nah, that doesn’t sound good. Argh!”

The SHRIKE team fired at the wall crawler, who simply dodged each attack. When he reached the top floor of the facility, the mutant delivered a strong kick to the window, shattering it into pieces and triggering an alarm. He swung sideways, slid in through the window, and disappeared from sight.

“He’s on the top floor of Neutron Labs!” said Ranford. “He’s heading for the virus! What do we do now?”

“The three of you go after him,” replied John. “The other SHRIKE agents are guarding the virus, but I doubt they’ll be enough to stop the mutant. I’ll stay here and take out the rest of these uniformed men. Follow Plan C like we discussed.”

Ranford wasted no time. He sped toward the streetlamp that the villain had used to reach the building and performed the same action. He managed to reach the windowsill of the second floor and grab on to it. Below him, Abby used her gravity manipulation abilities to vault up the wall. Ranford leaned sideways and used a grappling gun that he had borrowed from Alex to get up the side of the building. Before long, he had reached the shattered window on the top floor and slid in. Abby hopped in behind him with a laser disc in hand. Seconds later, Alex climbed through the window.

Ranford glanced around and found that he was in a long hallway.

“Okay, careful,” he muttered. “Neutron Labs has a lot of heavy defenses. I think we should—”

“Whatever,” said Alex. He took off down the corridor, triggering a dozen more alarms.

“Wrong way,” said Abby.

Alex turned around and headed in the other direction.

Ranford sighed. “Alex, quit it. We can’t just randomly barge around.”

Abby nodded. “We should initiate Plan C like John told us to.”

“Ah, right. Plan C.” Ranford paused for a moment. “What was that again?”

Abby sighed. “Seriously? Was I the only one listening during John’s briefing? It’s—”

Before she could finish her sentence, all the lights in the hallway instantly went out, plunging the entire top floor of the laboratory into darkness.

“Somebody’s cut the power!” she said. “The mutant’s got to be heading toward the virus, which is in a secure room on the right. The other agents should be guarding it there.”

Ranford nodded. “Let’s go then.”

He took off down the hallway toward the virus room as the other two followed closely. Together, they zoomed through the corridors as fast as they could. Ranford, who was in the lead, sniffed the air deeply, trying to catch the scent of the mutant robber.

Suddenly, a shuffling sound came from above. Ranford stopped in his tracks and stared at the ceiling. From the corner of his eye, he could see a black shadow darting away. Creeped out, he spun around and saw nothing. He sniffed deeply again and realized there was another mutant in the area.

Now on high alert, Ranford glanced around, listening for any trace of the mutant. There was nothing.

This guy is really stealthy. Even with my night vision, I can’t catch him.

A short chuckle came from above. Ranford whirled around just in time to see the black shadow on the ceiling slip around the corner. Without thinking, the SHRIKE team raced after him. They sped through the hallways, determined to stop the sneaky mutant from reaching the virus room. However, the black figure was extremely fast and barely stayed in their sights. To top that, the figure kept alternating between wall climbing and regular running. Ranford fired sonic beams at him from behind, but the villain was simply too speedy.

“We have to hurry up!” said Abby, panting. “The virus room is just ahead of us.”

Hearing this, Ranford bolted forward like a cheetah, his legs becoming a blur as he left the other two agents behind. The black shadow was mere feet away from him now, and in a few more seconds, he would catch up. But the mutant took a sudden sharp turn, catching Ranford off guard. He skidded to a halt and immediately followed, but when he rounded the corner, all traces of the enemy had already disappeared. He groaned in disappointment and attempted to locate the mutant once more. A moment later, he saw a black shadow lurking near a large metal door.

Wait! he thought. That’s where the virus is! Why didn’t he trigger any defenses?

The black figure turned around and saw him. Ranford prepared to fire a sonic beam, but before he could, the villainous robber yanked the door open in a flash and slipped into the room that held the virus.

“No!” shouted Ranford. He flung himself toward the door, but it was too late. It slammed shut, causing him to crash to the floor. A thundering alarm came from inside the room.

What? How could the door be opened so quickly? I thought there were heavy defenses! Was it because he cut the power? That’s impossible! It can’t be that easy to get into!

A desperate Ranford threw multiple punches at the door, causing a slight gap to appear between it and the doorframe. He peeked through the gap into the room, and his heart skipped a beat. The mutant was standing next to a smashed glass case. In his right hand was a bright-orange test tube.

“The virus,” breathed Ranford in disbelief. “He’s got it!”

He watched helplessly as the villain slipped the test tube into the folds of his leather jacket.

“No, no, no!” yelled Ranford at the metal door. “Stop!”

A flash of blue light came from the room. Ranford heard the pained shouts of the villain, followed by a dull thud. Bewildered, he leaned over to peer through the gap again, but before he could, the metal door slid open. In front of him stood a tall bald man, whom Ranford recognized as SHRIKE’s computer specialist and suit designer, Paul.

Paul grinned. “You weren’t paying attention to the plan either, were you?”

“What—”

Paul stepped out of the doorway. “See for yourself.”

Ranford scanned the dark room cautiously. Shards of shattered glass were scattered across the concrete floor. The alarm that had been set off by the mutant had already been shut off. However, the most shocking sight was the mutant himself. The criminal was lying on the ground limply with both eyes closed. Multiple Taser darts stuck out of his unzipped leather jacket. Standing next to the unconscious villain were five agents in SHRIKE uniforms, holding Taser rifles.

Just as Ranford began to figure out what had happened, multiple footsteps came from the hallway. A few seconds later, Alex and Abby walked through the door.

“I see Plan C was successful,” remarked Abby.

Alex’s jaw dropped.

Ranford realized what had happened. “You guys set up an ambush for him using the virus as bait. Then you took him out with Taser rifles!”

“We did.” Paul grinned. “The security systems were pretty easy to deactivate. Neutron Labs is going to have to improve its defenses.”

“Wait, but what about the virus?” asked Ranford in confusion.

Abby rolled her eyes. “You mean the one he put into his jacket? That was a decoy. The real virus is hidden away safely.”

Ranford took a moment to marvel at John’s elaborate plan. He nodded. “So, where’s the real one?”

“Ah,” said Paul. “Here’s the fun part.” He held up a pistol that was attached to his belt. “It’s hidden in the magazine of this gun. Nobody would ever think to look for it here.”

He pulled the magazine out from the gun, and sure enough, Ranford could see an orange vial hidden among five bullets.

“Genius,” he declared as Paul slipped the magazine back into the handgun.

A sudden twitch caught Ranford’s eye. He frowned and glanced at the unconscious villain.

“What?” asked Alex.

“Nothing,” he replied. “I just thought I saw—”

The mutant’s eyelids fluttered open. A throwing knife whizzed directly toward Paul’s arm at the speed of lightning. Shocked, Paul yanked his arm back. By then, the criminal was already on his feet, brushing the Taser darts off his body. The room descended into complete chaos.

“Paul, give it to me!” shouted Ranford.

Paul tossed him the pistol containing the virus as another throwing knife flew past his left leg. Abby generated two laser discs and attacked the opponent with both weapons. The criminal performed a backflip and grabbed on to the ceiling with all four limbs. The SHRIKE agents all fired their Taser rifles at him, but he ignored the electrified darts as if they were mere flies.

How is he immune to Tasers? thought Ranford in bewilderment and exasperation. Is that one of his powers? Is he immune to other attacks too?

“Get the virus out of here,” hissed Alex.

Ranford strapped the gun to his belt and sped toward the doorway. Before he could exit the room, though, a sharp whistling noise came from behind him. He instinctively spun around and saw three pointed throwing knives flying straight toward multiple pressure points on his forehead. Taken completely by surprise, he leapt aside as the knives grazed past his hair. If not for his superhuman reaction speed, he would have been done for. Being a former army member, Ranford had dealt with throwing knives before. But he had never seen anyone with such incredible precision.

A few seconds later, he snapped back from his shock and retaliated with a sonic roar. The wall crawler, who was still hanging on to the ceiling, dodged the beam effortlessly. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the strength of the attack, and his unzipped leather jacket was promptly blown off. This left him wearing only a white sleeveless shirt.

At the same time, Abby flung a green laser disc toward his right arm. In that split second, everyone looking in the general direction was able to glimpse a large black tattoo on the criminal’s right shoulder. It depicted a creature with two large pincers, eight short limbs, and a curved stinger.

“Is that . . . a scorpion?” asked Ranford in bewilderment.

“Really?” Alex responded. “Hey, I think I got a name for this guy: General Scorpio!” Then he frowned. “Where? I can’t see it.”

“There, on his right shoulder.” Abby hurled another disc. “See?”

At that moment, Alex froze as he laid eyes on the tattoo. His eyes widened in shock. “Oh no,” he muttered.

The newly named General Scorpio took this opportunity to fling two throwing knives in Alex’s direction, depriving him of his rifle. Scorpio retrieved his jacket, dropped down from the ceiling, and launched a kick toward Shark Man. Alex let out a pained grunt and flew backward into a wall. The other agents tried to help, but they couldn’t do much because of the mutant’s agility and immunity to Taser darts.

Ranford, who knew Scorpio would come for him next, took off without a second glance. He bolted straight out of the room and down multiple hallways, making a turn whenever he felt like it. Right now, he didn’t have any particular plan in mind. He simply wanted to get the virus as far from the robber as possible. After several more turns, the clanging of weapons and firing of rifles began to die down. He was left all alone in the dark and empty hallways of Neutron Labs with no intention of slowing down.

Why did Alex react like that when he saw the mutant’s—I mean, General Scorpio’s—tattoo? he pondered. There’s nothing special about it. It was just a scorpion. Maybe he has the power to freeze whoever sees his tattoo?

He shook his head, chuckling slightly at his own ridiculous notion.

There was no evidence that he was being followed, and at one point, he wondered if the agents had already taken Scorpio down. However, he didn’t think it was safe to make this assumption, so he decided to search for a secure location in which to hide the virus. Before he could do that, though, he had to confirm that the coast was clear.

Have I really lost Scorpio? thought Ranford. Probably better to be safe than sorry.

He threw a quick look over his shoulder to make sure. At that same moment, a banging noise came from in front of him. He turned back, only to find a slab of door hanging open in the hallway before him. He tried to brake, but it was too late; he slammed directly into the chunk of wood. Head spinning violently, Ranford took a few steps backward.

A second later, General Scorpio leapt out from behind the open door. The villain waved his right hand, and a fistful of throwing knives flew out from his sleeve. Together, the projectiles formed a deadly net that forced the still-dazed Ranford back. Scorpio took the opportunity to launch two straight punches at his opponent, who barely managed to block them. Ranford grunted. He was surprised by the scorpion mutant’s immense strength, which rivaled his own. The criminal delivered a roundhouse kick and a few hand swipes. As Ranford countered the attacks, he identified Scorpio’s fighting style as a blend of kickboxing, karate, and jiu-jitsu.

Oh, this guy’s good,he thought.

The two proceeded to exchange multiple blows, gradually realizing that their opponent was not to be underestimated. Ranford in particular began to fear for his own safety. Scorpio’s strength was not yet on his level, but the criminal was clearly a superior combatant. To top that, the villain’s knife-throwing abilities had been refined to the utmost extent. There were several times when the villain had almost managed to get his hands on the pistol containing the virus.

I can’t let him get the virus,thought Ranford. We have to figure out a way to capture the mutant. This may be our only chance. My best shot is to stall him until the others arrive. Then we can bring him down together.      

General Scorpio was growing more impatient by the second. As he parried Ranford’s right hook, the villain reached into his black leather jacket. When he pulled his hand back out, a glint caught Ranford off guard. After taking a closer look, Ranford saw that he was holding a long sharp dagger with a curved black blade and a shiny golden handle. Carved into the bottom of the blade was the symbol of a scorpion that was identical to its owner’s tattoo.

Scorpio thrust his weapon toward Ranford, who jumped back and retaliated with a sonic roar. The villain’s dagger curved through the air and hurtled toward his opponent’s ribs. Golden Lion Man countered the jab with a swipe before Scorpio struck again, this time toward his elbow. Ranford was forced to take another step back.

Scorpio, wielding his black blade masterfully, swung it through the air at unnatural curved angles. For some reason, its movements reminded Ranford of a scorpion’s stinger. He gradually started to become dizzy just by watching it. The dagger kept coming at him and taking him by surprise. If the same situation persisted, he would run out of room to back up into. Ranford became more and more anxious while Scorpio became more and more encouraged. Just when it seemed as if the villain had run out of tricks, he suddenly flung five knives at once. As soon as Ranford dodged the projectiles, he nearly got kicked in the stomach. Not waiting for him to respond, Scorpio made a swift turn and tripped him with his other leg. Golden Lion Man fell to the ground and received two more kicks. He scrambled back up, but the merciless Scorpio gave him a hard shove. The hero stumbled and fell backward directly into one of the rooms in the hallway.

Ranford fired a sonic roar, but the villain was already gone. He got to his feet again and threw a glance at the ceiling as a black figure passed by.

“Not bad,” remarked a deep, rumbling voice. “The darkness isn’t a problem for you either. You have abilities too, don’t you? I wonder how that came to be.”

Another blur of motion flashed past the ceiling. Ranford fired another sonic beam, but of course, it missed its target.

“So you can see in the dark too?” he asked, trying to stall the villain. His eyes swept around the room for anything that could be used as a weapon. There were countless chemicals, a large cabinet in the corner, a transilluminator on the desk behind him, and a sink. Nothing would be of much use.

Scorpio laughed. “I don’t need to see you. I can feel you.”

Ranford abruptly felt a fist pummel him directly in his stomach. He grunted and toppled over onto the desk behind him. The desk fell over, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground in a mess of broken test tubes and odd-smelling chemicals.

There was another blur of motion, and Scorpio disappeared once more.

Golden Lion Man tried to push himself up, but his elbow hit something hard. He glanced sideways and found the transilluminator lying right next to him, below the fallen desk.

All of a sudden, a mechanical whirring filled his ears, and a brilliant flash was emitted through the room. Ranford reflexively shielded his face with his hands. When he opened his eyes once more, the once-dark room was filled with purple light. Although he was baffled, his eyes widened in amazement. Then he witnessed an even stranger sight.

General Scorpio was glowing. The villain’s head and hands were a vibrant shade of neon purple that shone brighter than the horizon at dusk. Completely oblivious to his own condition, the criminal scuttled across the ceiling and stopped right above Ranford.

Before, trying to see Scorpio had been like attempting to catch a speeding mosquito in broad daylight. Even though Ranford had excellent night vision, the mutant had kept disappearing from sight. Now, it was like seeing a waving flashlight in the dead of night. No matter how fast the flashlight waved, it was clearly visible.

At the exact same moment, everything clicked in Ranford’s mind. He glanced down at the transilluminator in amazement.

General Scorpio doesn’t just have a scorpion tattoo,he thought. He has the abilities of a scorpion too. He is extremely agile, can climb walls, and can produce toxins. Transilluminators emit ultraviolet rays, which I can see with my super-vision. And it’s a well-known fact that scorpions glow under UV light.

Before this train of thought could develop any further, Scorpio abruptly released his grip on the ceiling. The villain turned himself around in midair and dropped down toward Ranford with the tip of his blade facing downward. Ranford hid his smirk and pretended not to notice at first. At the very last second, he launched a sudden uppercut that sent the villain flying into a wall.

General Scorpio was shocked, but he managed to get back up at the same time as Golden Lion Man. Although the villain had no idea what was going on, he knew he had to act fast. While ducking one of Ranford’s blows, he discreetly reached toward his opponent’s belt, trying to grab the pistol containing the virus. Noticing this, the hero retaliated with a perfectly timed kick that sent the villain flying out of the room.

“Game over, man,” declared Ranford, who prepared to fire a sonic roar in case Scorpio made any sudden movements. “Stay where you are.”

Scorpio shrugged. “You guys caught me by surprise, and I respect you for that. Next time, why don’t you mind your own business, though?”

As soon as he finished his sentence, Scorpio turned around and bolted down the hallway. Ranford tightened his grip on the pistol containing the virus before realizing that the villain wasn’t going for it at all. Instead, Scorpio was heading straight toward a nearby window. It took Ranford a second to realize what his plan was, but by then, his opponent was a step away from escaping.

No! he thought. Is he just going to retreat? He hasn’t gotten what he wants yet!

It was too late to do anything. He could only watch as Scorpio leapt toward the window in an agile bound. Then out of nowhere, a green laser disc hit his left leg, causing him to crash to the floor in pain.

“Step away from the window,” commanded a firm voice. Ranford turned around and saw Abby standing next to the fallen villain, multiple weapons in her hands. Scorpio’s eyes darted from her to Ranford, and he grudgingly did as he was told.

Ranford grinned. “Nice work.”

He rushed forward to apprehend Scorpio and then noticed that the villain was sniffing the air with a sinister grin on his face. Before Ranford could reach where the two were standing, Scorpio suddenly let out a loud sneeze. An extremely large puff of toxic yellow gas instantly rushed down the hallway. At the same time, the sound of shattering glass could be heard amid the smoke.

Ranford released a powerful sonic roar and dissipated as much of the gas as he could. Once it was safe, he and Abby rushed over to the broken window. The two of them stared out the side of the building, but all they saw was the pavement below. Far in the distance, the rising sun cast rays of golden light across the landscape. No trace of General Scorpio remained.

It took a few seconds for reality to sink in. Ranford slowly stepped back from the window, feeling dizzy, disappointed, and strangely relieved. He let out a long sigh. “Scorpio’s gone,” he muttered.

Abby reported something to John through her earpiece and turned to Ranford. “Where’s the virus? Did he take it?”

“No. It’s right here,” said Ranford. He detached the pistol from his belt, yanked the magazine out, and carefully examined the orange test tube inside it.

Abby let out a sigh of relief. Then she frowned. “Let me see that.”

Ranford shrugged and handed the virus over.

Abby’s eyes widened as she shook it around. She tapped it twice. “This isn’t the virus! This is the fake one we used to lure him!”

A nasty feeling crept up Ranford’s spine. If he was shocked at Scorpio’s escape, it was nothing compared to what he felt now.

“Oh no!” he exclaimed, pinching his nose. “Scorpio had the fake virus in his jacket. He must have swapped it with the real one when I wasn’t noticing.”