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Chapter Text

Return of Thundergirl

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Barb and Hank Thunderman were depressed, morose and heartbroken. Today was the third anniversary of their daughter’s disappearance. She just vanished without a trace, no reason, no cause and no one, no villain claiming responsibility.

They were beside themselves with worry still. The not knowing was the worst part of it. Phoebe was just gone. If there was a body or someone claiming to have taken her it would be different, they would be able to properly grieve for her.

Without anything they would continue to search for her in the hope of one day finding her. Everyone in the family was affected.

They had received word from President Kickbutt that she was coming to Hiddenville today and that the entire Thunderman family was going to be in attendance. Why? They didn’t know for certain, but they had a bad feeling about what this was about and what was going to happen.

Evelyn Kickbutt had just arrived in Hiddenville and was not looking forward to what she knew she had to do. The Thunderman’s were not only respected members of the Hero League, but she considered them to be close personal friends of hers.

To do what she knew had to be done, would hurt the Thundermans greatly, but it had to be done to let the healing begin.

As President of the Hero League, she had a responsibility to all heroes, not just one family. The Thundermans were not only friends, but to some small extent, family. The loss of their daughter was hurting not only them, but the whole community of Super Heroes.

It was two months after Phoebe and Max were accepted into the ‘Z’ Force and renamed it the ‘T’ Force after they discredited the ‘Z’ Force and hired on the entire Thunderman family. Everything was going well when without any warning Phoebe Thunderman, Thundergirl, disappeared without a trace.

No villain or villains took credit for the deed and no trace of her was ever found, even though her family relentlessly searched for her.

That was three years ago and still no trace had been found.

The ‘T’ Force neglected most of their duties trying to find their daughter/sister, except curiously her twin Max.

Immediately after her disappearance, Max was beside himself with worry, depression and anger, not caring about anything except finding his sister. He went after many villains in his search for his sister, none of them knew anything and seemed to make Max more anger. It was feared by the Hero League that he would revert back to his villainous ways.

Then suddenly after about a month everything changed. Max did a complete turn around and became reinvigorated and dedicated to being the best hero he could.

Over the years it just increased, redoubling his efforts for doing good. His younger siblings, Billy, Nora and even Chloe, took their cue from him making the ‘T’ Force one of the most successful and efficient crime fighting teams ever. Now that he was here, she would ask him about what caused the change.

The only ones not turned around were Hank and Barb, their parents, the loss of their daughter affecting them greatly. They were in the midst of deep depression, not knowing if their daughter was alive. As a parent herself, she could only speculate about how traumatic that would be. The loss of any child let alone their first born. She had her daughter, Simone, and could not fathom not only losing her, but not knowing.

Hopefully, this ceremony on the third anniversary of Phoebe’s disappearance would help the Thunderman family with closure and allow them to properly grieve and move on.

At the appointed time they arrived. Hank looking as distraught and heartbroken as she was at what they thought was going to happen.

Their children arrived with them, Max(20), Billy(17), Nora(15) and Chloe who looks 12 but in actuality is 5, wearing their ‘T’ force uniforms as Phoebe had christened the elite crime fighting force after she and Max became members of the ‘Z’ force, then disbanded it, creating the ‘T’ force when they brought in their entire family.

Finally, everyone was here, Sergeant Thunder and Thunderwoman, Phoebe’s grandparents. All of the Thunderman’s super hero friends, including Christine, who was Phoebe’s childhood friend from Metroburg gifted with super hearing. Phoebe’s non-supe friends, Gideon, Oyster, Wolfgang and Cherry. Mike Evilman and his son Link, Phoebe’s boyfriend.

When Phoebe’s grandparents arrived President Kickbutt went to them to greet them and offer her condolences. It was then she noticed what Sargeant Thunder was carrying.

“Sargeant Thunder, why are you carrying your Detention Zone Transporter?”

“My son told me that some villains were going to be here and I see he was right,” spotting Evilman, “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some villains to deal with.”

“I can’t let you do that,” President Kickbutt said stepping in front of Sargeant Thunder.

“Why not?” he asked turning to give President Kickbutt a suspicious look.

“Because he’s not evil anymore,” she said glibly.

“But . . .,”

He’s done good work for the Hero League.”

“Like what?” he asked in disbelief.

“He’s done the Hero League many services, but the most significant service he’s preformed was testing your eldest granddaughter.”

“Phoebe? How?”

“Before She became a super hero and protector of Hiddenville she started dating Evilman’s son, Link,” President Kickbutt stated nodding to a young man standing with Evilman and Hank.

“Phoebe didn’t know?”

“She knew. With Max’s help they did a search and found that Link was Evilman’s son. She sent a text and broke it off. Then Max behind her back set up a date. When Link arrived he told them he was Evilman’s son, Then Link found out Phoebe’s father was Thunderman.”

“Evilman planted his son to get the upper hand?”

“No, he didn’t know at first and when he did, he forbade his son from seeing her.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Phoebe and Link had other plans. They actually liked each other. This did bring up concerns with the Hero League. I contacted Phoebe and told the Hero League thought Evilman might be up to his old tricks and that she should investigate and contact us if he had so we could take him into custody.”

“And?”

“She found that he was planning to launch a missile at Hero League Headquarters,” she said looking at Sargeant Thunder to see his reaction.

Sargeant Thunder looked affronted, thinking that Phoebe had foresworn her oath as a Super Hero for the sake of her personal relationship.

“Since he’s here I take it, she didn’t do her duty?” he commented neutrally. However, something didn’t seem right as President Kickbutt was here and Evilman was present looking unconcerned at being in all of these Hero’s presence.

“Well, she didn’t follow orders. We told her that if she found evidence of Evilman going back to his old ways, she was to call the Hero League and we would handle it. That was all she was told to do.”

“She didn’t do that?” he inquired curiously wondering what she did do.

“No, she didn’t. What she did was to confront Evilman by herself, without backup or informing the Hero League of what she was doing.”

“She did what?” he said thinking she had lost her mind trying to prove herself.

“You heard me. She confronted Evilman by herself. At first, she tried to get him to turn himself in for Link’s sake.” Sargeant Thunder shook his head and thought, ‘Fat chance’.

“Evilman chuckled, then trapped Phoebe in a hide-a-bed in his store.”

Sargeant Thunder got worried, maybe he was the reason Phoebe was gone, revenge, as he was here and Phoebe was not.

“Evilman then changed his target from the Hiddenville Library to Hero League Headquarters, because of Phoebe’s interference.”

“And?”

“Phoebe affected her own release, then went after Evilman. After a brief fight, she used her freeze breath to capture him. Then his son Link came in and he tried to get Phoebe to release him for the sake of her relationship with his son,” President Kickbutt paused a moment to let Sargeant Thunder absorb all of this.

“What happened?”

“After a brief talk with Link, she finally called and informed the Hero League that she had taken Evilman into custody.”

“I don’t understand, why is he here then?”

“Because, he is working with us, the whole thing was a test to see if Phoebe would place her personal life before her duties as a hero. She passed with flying colors and did something even your son never accomplished. Captured Evilman.”

He smiled at that; his granddaughter was a true hero. He just wished she was still with them.

“His son Link has been made a hero and is currently the Protector of Hong Kong.”

“So, they’re not evil.”

“No, they’re not.”

“It’s going to take some time to wrap my mind around this.”

“That’s fine. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a ceremony to preside over.” So saying she turned and walked up to the podium.

As President Kickbutt approached the platform, Suzanne Thunderman as well as Phoebe’s non-supe friends all pull out their phones to record the ceremony, so that they would have something to look back on fondly and remember.

The ceremony began remembering Phoebe and all the good times they had with her the fun times and even the not so good times. Even those brought a smile to many faces, as they remembered one of their own and mourned her loss. The ceremony lasted only twenty minutes, but it was twenty minutes they would all look on in fond remembrance.

At the end of the ceremony, President Kickbutt unveiled a statue of Thundergirl, Protector of Hiddenville, to honor a fallen comrade. Everyone then started towards the Thunderman family to offer them their condolences on their loss. President Kickbutt took this opportunity to approach Max and move him slightly off to the side. His siblings noticed this and moved slightly to be able to hear what was being said.

“Max,” she began, “you’ll forgive me but you don’t seem to be grieving your sister’s loss.” His siblings were offended by the comment, they all knew how much Max cared for Phoebe, but before they could say anything to defend their brother he spoke.

“No need,” Max responded confidently, confusing her, his siblings and apparently his grandfather who seemed to have edged closer.

“What do you mean?” President Kickbutt asked. ‘Yes Max, what do you mean?’ They all thought. His siblings more interested than their grandfather, because Max often alluded to or suggested something but never came out and said. Maybe now they would get an answer.

“She’s not dead,” Max replied simply, absolutely confident in his answer. They were all shocked he would say such a thing. They wanted to know why.

“How are you so sure?” President Kickbutt asked. Shocked by the surety of his answer. He noticed that now his mother was trying to look like she wasn’t listening.

“Back when I was accepted into the ‘Z’ Force,” he began everyone listening raptly, “Doctor Colosso and his son, Balfour, captured us and was going to melt our brains giving us the IQ of actual rabbits. Thinking this was the end we decided to go out as a family, so we all held hands. It was the first time that Phoebe and I actually held each other’s hands in duress. When we did that, our twin power became active.”

“I am aware,” President Kickbutt says. The others all silently agree.

“Yes, but what no one is aware of is that the bond we share as twins increased and strengthened tenfold.”

“What does that mean?” President Kickbutt asked shocked. ‘Yes,’ the others thought, ‘What does that mean?’

“At the time we thought that the only way to sever the bond was if one of us were to die.”

President Kickbutt’s look of shock and confusion, which was mirrored in the faces of all those around them that had gravitated towards them to hear what was being said, including his parents. He elaborated.

“Two months after forming the ‘T’ Force, replacing the ‘Z’ Force, Phoebe disappeared and our bond was broken.” He said casually.

At that statement faces fell, looking despondent. Max had just confirmed that Phoebe was dead. Barb started to cry and breakdown. However, before she could completely lose it, a thought occurred to her. Earlier Max had stated Phoebe was alive, which contradicted his current statement, confusing her even more.

“I thought that I had lost her forever. I was headed into a downward spiral of despair, hate and rage. I intended to find out who it was that took my sister from me and make them pay in the most painful way possible,” Max said pausing a moment.

“I was so close to becoming a villain again.”

At that admission his grandfather took a hitched breath with a worried look on his face.

“I just didn’t care anymore, my sister was taken from me, but even worse than that, there was nothing to mourn. She was just gone,” he paused.

Everyone listening stopped to reflect on what Max was saying and realized for the first time how much he truly loved his sister, the lengths to which he was willing to go for her and realized then how badly they had misread their actions toward each other.

“A little over a month after Phoebe disappeared,” Max continued, “I was ready to implement my plan, cross a line from which there would be no coming back. Once that happened that would be it, I would be a villain forever.”

Everyone was listening in rapt fascination and more than a little afraid at what Max was saying.

“Just as I was packing everything I needed, I stopped and did something I hadn’t really done since she disappeared . . . I thought about Phoebe.”

“I thought about all the times she looked out for me, helped me, and was there for me. How she was the reason I gave up being a villain and became a hero.”

Everyone present couldn’t believe how much Max cared for his sister. They always fought, argued and were in competition against one another to be the best, a game of one-ups-man-ship. They suddenly realized that that’s what it was . . . a game. A game to challenge each other to be better. Looking back, they now realized that there was no real heat or animosity in their arguments.

“I took an internal perspective of my recent behavior and found that I was ashamed and disappointed in myself for even considering doing what I was planning. That Phoebe would be disappointed in me and my actions and that more than anything made me stop.”

“I couldn’t, I wouldn’t have my sister disappointed in me.”

“I took a deep cleansing breath and decided then and there to dedicate myself to being the best hero possible to honor my sister and all that she had done for me.”

Everyone listening was near tears at Max’s declaration to his sister’s memory? They were still somewhat confused as he had stated that their bond was severed but that she was alive, very confusing and not just for Billy.

“That still doesn’t . . .,” President Kickbutt began but was cut off by Max.

“I went to bed that night,” Max continued, “and slept more contentedly than I ever had. I even dreamt of Phoebe. A very weird, confusing and at times horrific dream, I dreamt that though see was not always safe, she was happy and had friends . . . some very strange friends.”

“In the morning, I woke feeling rejuvenated, more rested and more content than I could ever remember. I was at peace with myself, again thanks to Phoebe.”

“I got out of bed, stood up, closed my eyes and took a deep cleansing breath to clear my thoughts and prepare for a new day.”

“It was then that I felt it,” he began. Everyone was wondering what it was, “My eyes opened wide with shock. I thought I was going to pass out.”

“I realized then that my bond with Phoebe was back,” he said amazed that he was telling anyone about this let alone this many people.

“It was weak, unstable and tenuous as if it was trying to re-establish itself from a great distance, but it was there. I knew then that she was alive and out there somewhere.”

His family and the others listened to what he was saying, truly hoping that it was true, but no one had ever heard of a twin bond like the one Max was describing.

“I hope you’re right,” President Kickbutt said.

Barb wanted to go to her son and comfort him, but his grandfather beat her to it, approaching him and laying a hand on his shoulder, when Max suddenly swooned, dropping down to one knee and bowing his head.

Barb and Hank thought that the emotions of the situation were finally getting to him and he was collapsing in remorse.

The two closest to President Kickbutt and his grandfather, his mother and father, reached out to support their son. Wondering if he was coming to the unfortunate realization, despite what he had said, that his sister was truly gone.

Billy, Nora and Chloe closed in on him rapidly to support him.

“What’s wrong Max?” Nora asked concerned.

“Nothing,” he answered strangely, his head still bowed.

When he raised his head, everyone could see he had the biggest smile they had ever seen on him.

“Why are you smiling Max?” Billy asked curiously.

“I’m not smiling.”

“Sure looks like a smile to me,” Nora remarked.

“I don’t smile . . .,” Max said with satisfaction. Barb had a look of nostalgia as she remembered him saying nearly the same thing to Phoebe when he was a villain and had gotten the upper hand on her; the only thing missing was, “. . . I smirk,” he completed and there it was she thought.

Barb went to Max to ask him what was going on with him, when Chloe spoke up.

“What’s that . . . BABY?” Chloe said while pointing down the hill, to the previously empty large field below them.

Everyone on the hilltop overlooking the field where Chloe was pointing couldn’t understand what they were seeing. Suzanne Thunderman and Phoebe’s friends turned their phones to where Chloe was pointing, still recording everything.

They were shocked at what they were seeing, having never seen anything like it before. As they watched, many glowing reddish-orange rectangles began appearing out of thin air, looking very much like doorways.

Chapter Text

The Return of Thundergirl

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing

They were shocked at what they were seeing, having never seen anything like it before. As they watched, many glowing reddish-orange rectangles began appearing out of thin air, looking very much like doorways.

“Dad?” Link asked his father.

“I don’t know, son, Hank?” Mike Evilman asked his one-time nemesis.

“Hank?” Barb asked at the same time.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Hank responded.

Before anything more could be said, all of the glowing rectangles began rippling and people started to emerge from what seemed to be thin air. They were armored and carried a rod of some kind with a orange glowing tip.

They were all dressed identically in a reddish-orange cloth that was covered in black piece-meal armor and a helmet with an orange tinted visor. They began advancing, forming a sort of cone shaped perimeter.

The non-supes were trying to decide the best way of getting up and leaving without looking like they were leaving. Not wanting to get caught in the middle of whatever might be happening.

The Heroes present were watching all of this intently trying to determine a threat level and more importantly, intent of these strange looking people.

Hank, Barb and Evilman moved closer to President Kickbutt to question her, to try and find out if she knew what was going on and if she had any idea who these people were.

“Look at them,” Barb commented, “there must thirty to forty of them.”

“Fifty-three,” Max said off-handedly, “It’s a gift.”

“Hank, what do you think?” Evilman asked worriedly, not liking the look of these armored people.

“I think we should . . .,” Hank began but stopped in shock. When one of the men passed close by a tree a cat jumped out of the tree and towards the man hissing at him.

The man reflexively turned towards the noise and thrust out his orange-tipped rod at the cat. Just as the cat was about to pounce onto the man the glowing orange tip of the rod made contact and the cat was completely disintegrated.

Cherry took in a breath and was about to scream, when Oyster clamped his hand over her mouth to stop her. “We don’t want to let them know we’re here.”

Everyone was totally shocked by what they had just witnessed. No one had ever seen or even heard of a weapon like it. Even Dark Mayhem the worst villain they knew of didn’t have a weapon like that and all fifty-three of those men had one.

Hank and Barb were shocked to very core of their being. That simple looking rod could completely disintegrate something without a trace.

Barb’s thoughts then took a dark turn; she made an assumption based solely on what she had just seen.

Phoebe’s disappearance without a trace, did these men have something to do with her daughter’s disappearance? Like the cat, was her daughter in the wrong place, at the wrong time and . . . accidentally disintegrated?

Barb’s shock and disbelief quickly turned to anger, then rage. Her thinking going down a very dark path. She was beginning to charge-up to fry these villains for taking her daughter from her. She looked around a saw equal looks of shock and disbelief on the faces of her children, except curiously enough, Max, who was looking serene and thoughtful.

Max thoughts were, ‘So, that’s what happened.’

Looking at Max, she thought back to what he told them earlier and his belief, no his absolute surety that his sister was alive. That gave her pause.

Though she didn’t show it often Barb Thunderman was an extremely intelligent person. So, she began to think on what she had just seen. As she did so, her rage started to dissipate, but not her anger.

She began to analyze what had just happened and started to come to a completely different, but no less heartbreaking assumption.

When she looked at what happened in her mind as she processed the impossible, when the cat was disintegrated, all she saw was red. Now however, thinking on it she thought that the cat disintegrating looked awfully like the effect when her youngest, Chloe would teleport.

She then thought more deeply on what Max had said about his renewed bond with his sister being weak, unstable and tenuous as if from a great distance.

Could it possibly be that those rods don’t disintegrate what they touch? But in fact teleport them someplace else.

With that thought, Barb felt something she hadn’t felt in three long years, Hope.

President Kickbutt was standing there not knowing exactly how to respond to what they had just witnessed, though the incident with the cat opened up in her mind questions about the disappearance of Phoebe Thunderman.

Christine, Phoebe’s childhood friend from Metroburg, sidled up to President Kickbutt, “Would you like to know what they are saying?”

President Kickbutt smiled at her, knowing that her power was extreme hearing; her limits had not been found yet.

“Indeed I would, but I can’t hear them and although I trust that you would accurately relay to me what they are saying I also need to hear how there’re saying it.”

“I agree,” Christine responded in agreement while waving Max over to them, “That’s why we now have this.”

Max arrived and produced a device that looked like a miniature microphone and speaker.

“What’s this?’ President Kickbutt asked.

“With Max’s help we’ve developed an advanced parabolic microphone and speaker system that replicates my power though not as powerful as my ability. It will enable us to hear what’s being spoken up to five miles away as well as I do,” she explained while Max began assembling the device.

“Technology?” President Kickbutt asked curiously.

“SCIENCE!” Max exclaimed proudly. Barb smiled at that, remembering happier times.

“Fine,” President Kickbutt conceded somewhat reluctantly.

“It’ll take a few minutes to power-up. Until then . . . the one person with gold stripes on his helmet is chastising the one that disintegrated the cat, saying that he hadn’t learned anything, even after the last ‘INCIDENT’.”

“He says ‘Incident’ like it’s an important event.”

“He responds, ‘Yeah, but if it didn’t happen, we wouldn’t be here now and SHE wouldn’t be in command of this OP, which now greatly increases our chances of surviving this.’”

“Whoever this SHE is he respects her; a lot and it sounds like he fears her a little as well.”

The device completes powering up and all in the vicinity can hear the strange people speaking.

After hearing Christine relay what those people were saying, Barb became even more excited and anxious about what she hoped was going to happen. She however, was a little worried to hear that this ‘she’ was feared.

“Spread out and form a secure perimeter,” said the one who looked to be in charge, “to prepare for their arrival.” The others obeyed without question or hesitation as they quickly and efficiently spread out like a well-oiled machine.

Sergeant Thunder was reluctantly impressed with the professional execution being displayed. He sincerely hoped these weren’t villains; he didn’t want to fight them. This was obviously a well-trained and lead military unit of some kind. He however, couldn’t make out any unit designation or patches. Though with those uniform they could be villains.

Barb was shocked that possibly her daughter might be somehow associated with these ‘people’.

“Who are these people?” President Kickbutt asked Hank, “Should we be worried? They look like villains,” Unknowingly echoing Sergeant Thunder’s thoughts.

“I truly don’t know,” Hank responded, “I’ve never seen anything like them before and you’re right they do look and sort of act like villains. We should be prepared for anything. They do seem to be more organized than most. They also seem to be preparing for the arrival of others which I think means that these are just low-level foot soldiers getting things ready for their masters. Also, those glowing tipped rods might be a problem. We don’t really know how they will affect anyone with powers.”

With that said he recalled that one of them mentioned an incident. If he was here before and used that rod on Phoebe then we won’t even have . . . Hank choked up near tears . . . her body to bury and mourn.

His grief rapidly turned into rage at the thought of not only his daughter being gone, but that it was possibly an accident made him even angrier.

Mike Evilman standing next to Hank heard what he was saying and shuddered at the thought of losing his son the same way.

President Kickbutt saw not only the grief, but the building rage coming from Hank Thunderman.

“Hank, don’t do anything without thinking it through, we can’t afford to lose you as well.”

Barb saw this and placed her hand on his forearm in an attempt to calm him down.

With his wife’s touch Hank felt himself physically calm down and able to think again.

Just in time as the strange people started speaking again.

“Sir, Perimeter set, area secured, no threats located in the immediate area.”

That statement offended all of the supers that heard it.

“That was hurtful,” Max quipped.

“Very well,” he then reached up and touched his right ear and started speaking, “Area secured.” After he finished speaking all the reddish-orange doorways that they entered through closed and a new set of doorways opened, considerably fewer in number, only eleven.

When the first set of doorways closed, those near Max noticed that he began to slouch and bowed his head. At noticing this Barb perked up, getting visibly excited. Maybe Phoebe was on the other side of the doorways and when they closed the connection was weakened.

This was sort of confirmed a moment later when the new set of doorways opened and Max perked up again, with a bigger smirk than before. This had her even more hopeful of seeing her daughter again. And yet she was slightly fearful, or more accurately, nervous, due to the comments of some of those men that had already come through.

“What now?” President Kickbutt asked becoming apprehensive and concerned about what was happening.

They didn’t have long to wait as a new group of people radically different from the first group began emerging from their doorways.

While the first group through was dressed identically, those in the second group no two were dressed exactly the same.

Chapter Text

Return of Thundergirl Ch3

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Eleven new reddish-orange doorways opened after the first fifty-three closed leaving behind fifty-three armored people. The new doorways were in a straight line left to right across the field and behind the people. They began to ripple as before as more people started to come through.

Suzanne Thunderman still had her phone out and was diligently recording everything that was happening, as were Phoebe’s non-supe friends, although from a safer perspective. Laying on the ground.

From the far-left doorway two young women emerged.

One was white with short cut brunette hair, wearing a yellow body suit with black highlights and on her upper left chest she had a disc bordered in black with a black ‘X’ on a red field. She appeared to be unarmed.

The other young woman appeared to be Asian and dressed very colorfully, she had on a black leather body suit with silver highlights and had multi-colored hair. Barb thought she dressed like her daughter, Nora, would describe as a cos-play girl. Unlike the first woman this one was armed with what appeared to be a multi-linked metal whip of some kind. She also had a black bordered disc with a black ‘X’ on a red field, on her upper left chest.

A team of some kind, thought Barb. They didn’t to her appear to be villains, though she thought that the emblem that kind of vaguely reminded her of the cross-bones of a pirate motif. Not of the good.

From the door to their right emerged a man with dirty blond hair who looked supremely fit, wearing some kind of purple armor on his torso with a purple head piece that exposed his face and the top of his head, for whatever reason. Over his armor he wore a tan trench-coat and oddly enough was carrying what looked like a deck of playing cards. Otherwise, he appeared to be unarmed. Immediately after he emerged, he began looking around searching for possible threats.

Barb could see Hank, his father and Evilman sizing him up as a potentially serious threat, not knowing what if any powers he might have. Though to Barb he didn’t look like a villain.

Through the next doorway to the right emerged a black man, also supremely fit, wearing dark sunglasses, a goatee and a dark leather trench coat. He also appeared to be armed with a sword vertically strapped to his back, a bandoleer with numerous metal spikes, two large pistols mid-thigh and belt that had numerous knives and extra magazines for his pistols. He didn’t show any emotion on his face at all as he scanned the area for possible threats.

In the middle of his chest, he had a metal square that was rotated forty-five degrees with a glyph or symbol of some kind etched on it that she didn’t recognize.

Through the next doorway emerged an older woman with reddish-brown hair that was slightly graying, that was wearing a red leather halter and red leather shorts and red thigh high boots. She appeared to also be in supreme fitness. She appeared to be armed with two Sai’s and numerous knives.

Through the next doorway emerged two people, a man and a woman. The man was wearing a red body suit that concealed everything but the lower half of his face. His head piece had what looked like to little wings drawn on either side of his head and in the center of his chest was a gold bordered disc with a golden lightning bolt on it over a field of white.

For some reason the image made her think of ‘HERMES’. She wondered if he had super-speed like her son Billy.

The young woman was unassuming, had strawberry/blond hair and was wearing normal street clothes.

Neither appeared to be armed.

Through the next doorway emerged what looked like a middle-aged man and a young woman that had somewhat similar features to the man. His daughter perhaps.

The man appeared to be in his late forties to early fifties, with dark hair starting to gray and mouton chops. He had hard eyes Barb saw as he looked around.

Like the first young woman he had on a yellow body suit with black highlights, but both his well-muscled arms were bare and he had bracers or gauntlets of some kind covering his forearms and hands. He also had a black bordered disc with a black ‘X’ on a field of red on his upper left chest. Barb was now more convinced that they were a part of a team of some kind. Hero or villain, she wasn’t sure.

The young woman with him had shoulder length black hair and had on a short sleeved pink tee-shirt exposing both of her arms, blue jeans, sneakers and it looked like she had a pair of sun-glasses hooked in the front of her shirt collar.

Neither of them appeared to be armed.

Barb was wondering, why bring an unarmed child to a potential conflict? Then looked over at Chloe and shrugged.

The next person to emerge from their doorway was a man covered completely in a form fitting red body suit with black highlights, black eye patches and white eye pieces that exposed no part of his actual body.

Barb thought that he was definitely a villain, he sure looked like it.

He was very heavily armed, with two swords crossed on his back, two large gold pistols mid-thigh, two daggers in each boot and on his belt, he looked to have several small knives and extra magazines for his pistols.

Barb was wondering if he had any powers, but with all of his weapons he may not need any. Around her she noticed Hank, his father and Evilman looked to be having similar thoughts.

All of those thoughts came to a screeching halt when they all saw the last man emerge from his doorway. At least she thought it was a man, it was man shaped. ‘Finally, something I can use my powers on to full effect.’ She thought while smiling, it wasn’t a happy smile.

The final being through his doorway was the most outrageous and shocking of all. It sort of looked like a man, if a man were seven or eight feet tall and looked to made of metal while built like a body builder.

Like some of the others, he was dressed in a yellow body suit with black highlights and his arms were bare, further confirming that he appeared to be metal. On his upper left chest he had a black bordered disc with a black X’ on a field of red.

‘Definitely part of a team,’ Barb thought.

He appeared to be unarmed, but if he were in fact made metal it probably wouldn’t matter. Hank who was known as the strongest man alive was thinking that he might have difficulty with this one.

Everyone on the hilltop overlooking the open field where all these people just came out of nowhere, were stunned and unsure of exactly how to respond to what was happening as never had anyone present ever dealt with anything even remotely similar. Yes, they were super heroes dedicated to defending and protecting the weak and innocent from villains, but these people hadn’t actually done anything villainous, except disintegrate a cat accidentally.

Now that they had two different groups to compare, through their experiences they concluded that the first group looked as though they consisted of low-level foot soldiers, while the second group was composed of mid to high level enforcers for their villainous? Leader. All were somewhat unsure about the villainous part.

Especially since the second group looked to be a mix of possibly heroes and villains based solely on the way they were dressed, as they still hadn’t committed any overtly villainous acts yet.

Thinking about it, they weren’t ones to throw stones as they themselves had a good mix of heroes, non-supes and reformed villains with them.

If they were villains they didn’t know if they could prevail against them as they didn’t know what if any powers these people had.

President Kickbutt was about to call for additional support, when the older man in yellow spoke to the man in red and black after they had formed a secure perimeter.

“Wade, I think it’s safe enough to bring her in.”

Now they at least knew the name of the man in red and black and they figured if they listened further, they might learn the others.

Barb’s excitement grew, could the ‘she’ they were speaking of possibly be her daughter, she thought anxiously.

“Are you fucking serious, Logan? Is that a joke? Safe enough! She could probably kill everyone here without much effort, well except for you, me and Laura, of course,” Wade said as he nodded to the young woman.

“Of course,” Logan said shaking his head ruefully.

“You know I can hear you,” said a voice from an unknown woman, presumably on the other side of the doorway, sarcastically. When Barb heard that voice, the voice of a young woman by the sound of it, she knew in heart who it was, it belonged to the one person she thought she would never hear from again. She smiled unashamedly.

Then she frowned after thinking about what she had heard this Logan and Wade saying about possibly her daughter. Saying that this unknown woman, possibly her daughter, could easily kill everyone except for this Wade, Logan and the young woman now identified as Laura. What had happened to her daughter? She looked around at the others near her and saw them frowning as well, Hank, Link, her children and President Kickbutt. Sergeant Thunder was frowning as well, but had a more subdued and thoughtful expression on his face. Max, however, was still smirking.

At a look from Wade, Logan sighed and reached up to touch his right ear, obviously a communication device, saying, “It’s time to come through princess.”

“I told you to stop calling me that,” the unknown woman responded with exasperation, as though this had been going on for quite a while.

“Your point?” Logan replied.

As logan said this, the eleven doorways closed and one more opened. When the new doorway opened, Barb noticed Max standing taller and straighter than she had ever seen him, with the smirkiest, smirk ever.

She turned, watching the doorway intently, hoping beyond hope. A silhouetted form emerged from the doorway that then closed immediately.

The individual that emerged was most definitely female. Barb’s breath hitched in her throat as she looked intensely at the woman, shocked by what see saw, this couldn’t possibly be her sweet Phoebe.

Max’s response at seeing the woman emerge from the doorway was immediate and joyous, ‘Phoebe’s a badass.’ “Now that’s what I call a suit,” he proclaimed, it kind reminded him of the time Phoebe was possessed by Dark Mayhem’s power, but far more intimidating and manacing, “I have so got to get one of those!”

Barb on the other hand had a totally different and much more subdued reaction as she looked at the young woman that just emerged from the doorway. Her mouth dropped in shock and her breath hitched. Her eyes widened as big as saucers in shock as she saw the young woman and how she was dressed. It reminded her of the time Phoebe was possessed by Dark Mayhem’s power. That worried her the most.

Like Wade, she was wearing a skin tight form fitting body suit, but unlike Wade hers was completely black.

Also, unlike Wade her head/mask only covered the right side of her face, covering her cheek and right eye. The top was open like the man in purple, allowing her luxurious brunette hair that looked to be woven into a tightly braided single pony-tail that fell down her back and ended mid-thigh. The end looked to have something shiny tied into it, which could be seen as the pony-tail swished back and forth as she walked.

Most ominous of all though was that like Wade she was very heavily armed. She appeared to have two crossed swords strapped to back, two large pistols holstered mid-thigh, a pair of daggers in each boot and on her belt, various small knives and extra magazines for her pistols.

All of this shocked Barb Thunderman, but what shocked her the most as she was taking in this young woman was her chest.

More accurately what she saw on her chest, that was the most shocking and at the same time filled her with the most joy.

Specifically, it was the emblem she wore. It didn’t appear to be a part of the body suit, it was too colorful, and while the suit looked like new the emblem did not. It appeared to be wore and tattered and burnt at the edges with pieces of blue cloth attached as if from and older suit, but it was worn with pride.

It was a yellow ‘T’ bordered with red and blue, with the right side of the top cross ending in a lightning bolt.

A yellow ‘T’ that she and the rest of her family were currently wearing. The emblem of the Thunderman family.

As she reached up to touch her emblem with her right hand she whispered softly, “Phoebe,” as she grabbed her husband’s right forearm with her left tighter.