Gregory Mason picked his way around the ruined warehouse, making notes. He'd become quite familiar with the signs and scarring left by super-battles, and the damage caused by Mainstream was usually all too easy to spot - his blasts effectively atomised whatever they hit, ripping the molecules apart with contemptuous ease. He left smooth edges, sometimes with a slight warping due to the heat and the force of the shockwave.

There was none of that here - all he found was melted metal and burned stock. It looked like a huge source of heat had weakened the roof, which had collapsed, and then somehow the heat source had exploded and set the warehouse contents ablaze - exactly what it said on Mainstream's report.

Mason continued looking around, playing the role. One of the local heroes was stood nearby, a man named Volt, sleek and weird in his tight-fitting costume of dark blue and silver. Mason was aware of the hero, but so far Volt had done nothing to earn his ire - he wasn't a massive destructive force, and he tended to seek non-violent resolutions to his encounters. Right now he was chatting to some of the men in suits, but he turned and called out.

"Hey, buddy. Insurance guy!"

Mason froze. "Uh, yeah?"

"Your website's offline."

His mind raced. He had a dummy website address on his truck, but he'd never bothered to create a real one, figuring nobody would waste time looking. He shrugged. "I'll tell my boss. Do I look like an IT guy?"

"I hear ya," Volt chuckled, and turned back to his conversation.

Mason let out a breath. He remembered now, Volt had electrical powers, but also had some kind of technology thing going on. In this day and age, it made sense that would include internet access, somehow. It was unlikely that anybody would have detected Mason's intrusion into the police network before coming here, but you could never be too careful.

Mason moved away, closer to the epicentre, so Volt couldn't get a look at his face. He couldn't say for sure that the hero wasn't packing a camera, or a bionic eye or something. Here in the middle of the blast zone, he could dimly make out some kind of pattern scorched more deeply into the concrete. The cultists loonies had done something, some kind of ritual, and if they weren't already in police custody he'd have wanted a hard word with them about responsibility.

It was, he grimly admitted, lucky that Mainstream had been around. The cultists had all been knocked out by the explosion, and he'd pulled them clear. That didn't change anything, though. Just because he saved some lives this one time didn't make up for his crimes.

And some of the cultists had escaped. The two ringleaders, who should have been closes to the blast, had woken up and run off before the cops arrived, and were now on the loose.

Mainstream's statement to the police had mentioned another hero on the scene, one he didn't recognise. A woman, with red hair and a tail made of fire.

Mason had a fire extinguisher on his truck, along with the first aid kit and a bunch of emergency tools. Even out of costume he liked to be ready for any disaster. When superpowers were involved, you never knew what you were getting into, even surveying the scene long after the fact.

As if to illustrate his point, the fire-tailed woman chose that moment to suddenly appear in the air before his very eyes. She simply swelled into existence, as though emerging from a distant tunnel, and then she dropped to the ground.

She was taller than he expected, and astonishingly muscular. Her skin was a uniform dark grey, like polished stone, and her eyes burned in the dim light. Mason reached for his hip, belatedly realising that he was unarmed, and out of costume.

= = =

Zar looked around, uncertain. Was this the same place? Everything seemed? different, or was it? Last time, there had been only shadows - before that, flames had filled the space. Now it was bright, strange, and unfamiliar. She shook her head, setting aside the mystery for now.

In front of her stood a human, possibly a man, watching her with wide, cautious eyes.

"I mean no harm," she announced, baring her teeth in what she hoped was a friendly smile. "I am Zar Kael, a champion. She tilted her head, studying him. "You are? a man?" she ventured. This one seemed similar to Ty in general terms.

The creature swallowed heard and nodded, but took a step back. Human voices drifted from the far side of the space, and Zar glanced over to see several other humans gathered into a group. She tensed, her tail flicking. She wasn't ready to handle so many of these creatures at once. She turned her attention back to the solitary male.

"I am a friend," she said, lowering her voice to avoid attracting attention. The man remained silent, which was disconcerting. He was supposed to say something friendly, state his non-violent intentions, but his expression was guarded, his body language defensive. Maybe he didn't believe her.

She tried to remember her master's first question to her, and figured that was a good place to start. She took a breath, holding his gaze. "Who are you?" she asked, carefully.

"Greg."

Aha! It worked. She relaxed and smiled, her tail swishing a little more freely. "Why is there light here now? It was dark before."

"That was last night. Now it's eight in the morning," he said, eyeing her curiously. Zar hesitated, sensing a mis-step. Had she revealed too much of her ignorance, made herself seem weak, or foolish? Greg pointed upward, into the light, and she looked, seeing his expression soften slightly. "The sun is up," he explained.

Zar turned to follow his gesture. The impossibly-distant upper surface of this world seemed less distant, grey and hazy. Where it has been speckled with myriad tiny points of light, they appeared to have come together and formed into a single hazy blob.

"The sun?" she asked, pointing at the brilliant source. "The light?"

"Yeah. You really... don't know what the <I>sun</I> is?"

Well, that wasn't fair. She'd only just arrived, after all. "I know now," she replied. "The sun is light. Up there. I learn."

Greg raised his brows but said nothing, though Zar sensed impatience beneath his curiosity. He didn't seem to have Ty's quiet tolerance for her questions. She looked past him, noting that the structure still had openings where she could slip away and explore on her own, including one that led away from the other humans.

She decided to leave this man to his puzzling ways. "I go now."

She dashed out of the warehouse and into the open space, where the sun cast an illuminating light over the formerly-dark environment. The flat planes of the world, now fully revealed, stretched out before her, far wider and vaster than she'd grasped. The coloured lights she'd glimpsed from afar were not mere flickers but towering structures - buildings, she realised, each one a container for human lives, people who moved, worked, and lived within these immense constructs. Her mind reeled at the enormity.

In her world of shifting flames, no one had ever bothered to count the sparks that danced and surged through the maelstrom - why would they? Her kind were not really individuals, constantly joining and dividing, so she had no real concept of numbers, only quantity, but these humans, these individual, solid creatures, they were different. <I>How many of them could there be?</I> The buildings went on and on into the distance, filling her sight in every direction. An impossible quantity!

And then came a darker thought: <I>Where did they all come from?</I> In a world where things could break, where solid things could burn or fall apart, like the building she had seen aflame. Did humans break, too? Did they wear out over time? Was that why they feared?

Was that her purpose? To protect them from danger?

The larger, louder creatures were far more numerous now, rumbling along the straight, marked paths. She guessed they must avoid the shadows, only swarming in the light of the sun. Though imposing, then kept to their lines, allowing her to avoid them easily enough. They seemed oblivious to her presence, so she ignored them in turn - until one suddenly bellowed at her, a loud screeching honk that made her jump back, startled.

The huge, boxy creature veered off the path and ground to a halt right in front of her. She braced, unsure what to expect, and she was astonished when the side of the beast unfolded and a human sprung from within, waving their arms frantically and shouting.

"Lady, you're on fire! Your? your <I>ass</I> is on fire!"

Zar blinked, puzzled. She twisted around, glancing at her tail and flames dancing along its length. Was this really so alarming?

"My tail?" she checked, uncertain of his meaning.

"Yeah! I mean, I guess?" The man seemed flustered, glancing between her tail and her face

She tilted her head. "This is normal, I think. It has always been that way."

"Oh. Okay." He exhaled a sharp breath, still eyeing the flames with unease. "It just kinda looks dangerous, is all. And you really shouldn't be out on the streets dressed like that." The agitated man waved a hand toward Zar's body. "All, well, <I>naked</I> and weird-looking. Aren't you cold?"

"Naked? No? I don't feel cold." She glanced down. "What is naked?"

"You need clothes, woman!" The man plucked at his coverings. "The barbarian princess, cavewoman look is a bit revealing for a weekday morning."

Zar glanced down at herself. She hadn't given the fabric scraps much thought, but they did seem somewhat rudimentary. "I did not choose these, but yes, they seem? inadequate."

He made a barking sound. "Damn straight."

Zar paused to think. This person appeared concerned for her wellbeing, and might therefore be a friend. "I am Zar Kael, and your world is new to me. Will you help me?"

The man blinked, eyebrows lifting. "Is this, like, a cosplay thing, or are you actually serious?" Again he waved a hand at her body. "Because I don't know who you're supposed to be, but you are hot as hell, lady."

= = =

Mainstream and Steel Sentinel jogged through their morning patrol, sticking to the back streets and alleyways where possible. Ty gestured emphatically, trying his best to explain his encounter with Zar Kael that morning.

"She was <I>right there</I>, in my kitchen, and then - <I>poof</I> - she vanished!" Ty threw his arms up, exasperated. "I have no idea where she went, or how she did it."

Sam grunted, his voice echoing within his metal coating. "You any closer to figuring out what she is? I mean, she's not some possessed human, and she's definitely not from around here, right? Probably magical, like some kind of spirit." Sam shook his head. "Man, I hate magic. It'd be cooled if she turned out to be alien, though. Aliens are cool."

"Well, she's from another dimension, so she's about as alien as she could get." Ty shrugged. "If she were a spirit, that'd mean she was some aspect of our world, made solid. This is? different. Like, she's created from fire, but not like we'd understand it. Her entire universe was some kind of sentient flame. There was nothing else, no fuel, no matter, nothing but the fire itself."

Sam's brow furrowed, a frown so deep he even deformed the inch-thick metal layer. "Still so many questions. Where'd she learn to speak English? Why's she grey? Why's she got a tail made of fire, and oh yeah, why <I>does</I> she have a tail, anyway?"

"You're asking me?" Ty sighed. "It has to be connected to the ritual. Those guys summoned a being without shape and moulded it with their intent - gave it knowledge and commanded it to be their champion."

"So she's, what? Half-spirit, half-sculpture?" Sam flexed his shoulders, thinking. "But you wrecked everything mid-ritual, and she only got half the instructions. That <I>still</I> doesn't explain the tail."

"They're fire worshippers. Maybe they wanted a hellhound?" Ty suggested. "Or maybe most of them wanted a mighty warrior, and a few wanted a hot babe, and somebody else wanted a hellhound, and it all got? mixed up."

Sam chuckled, nudging him. "So you <I>have</I> noticed that she's a looker? I was starting to wonder."

Ty rolled his eyes. "I'm not blind. It just feels? wrong to see her that way. I'm pretty sure her world didn't have anything as complex as genders."

"Or bodies," added Sam, smirking.

"Exactly. I don't think she even knows what male and female mean. Or at least, not the way we do." He grimaced. "Biologically, I mean, not socially."

"Think she can? have kids?"

"Let's <I>not</I> have that conversation, okay?" Ty squashed that conversation, regretting the mental tangent. "Let's just focus on finding her."

Sam glanced around skeptically. "We can't search every dumpster and back alley in the city. She could be anywhere."

"Not quite," Ty corrected, a thought sparking. "She doesn't really understand doors, so she's likely to be outside."

"Doors?" Sam scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Doors?" He sighed. "This is a big city, and there's a ton of places she could get into. Open stores, automatic doors? plenty of places open at this hour. I'm telling you, she could still be anywhere." Sam's eyes widened suddenly. "Or, you know, she could be right behind you."

Ty caught the look and spun around. Sure enough, there she was - Zar Kael, standing in the alley with a bewildered expression, taking in her surroundings as if she had materialised out of thin air.

"Zar?" Ty's jaw dropped.

She blinked at him, her gaze narrowing slightly as she studied him. Slowly, recognition dawned as she took in his distinctive costume. "You! The man from the warehouse."

She didn't seem to connect that Ty and Mainstream were one and the same, but her face lit up when she spotted Steel Sentinel. She gave him a small, almost formal wave. "Hello, Steel Sentinel. I mean you no harm."

Sam raised an eyebrow, glancing between Ty and Zar, clearly amused. "Friendly greetings are a good start," he muttered, giving her a nod in return. "So, you remember me, huh?"

Zar nodded solemnly. "We have met. I remember you."

Sam let out a low chuckle. "Still got it."

Ty just stared in open astonishment. Zar had changed her clothes - or, more accurately, Zar had put on some clothes, but the outfit she'd chosen looked like something out of a fashion magazine's fever dream: a shaply-tailored business-suit in bright, eye-catching leather, paired with glossy black boots with bold block heels, and short, fingerless gloves that exposed her hands up to the knuckle. The jacket had wide, aggressively square shoulders and a collar that practically screamed for attention. And, as if all of that wasn't enough, Zar had opted to skip the blouse entirely, leaving her cleavage prominently on display.

Ty blushed beneath his mask. "Uh? Zar? Where did you get that outfit?" He gestured vaguely, his face a mixture of surprise, amusement, and - though he'd never admit it - a hint of admiration.

Zar beamed happily. "I have clothes now. It is strange? I have seen these coverings, my own were insufficient for a being of my nature. I am a champion, I chose these. People will not think I am poor, yes?"

Ty processed the confusing statements quickly. "Poor? Who'd think? who told you you looked poor?"

"Jacob. He helped me choose. I am a slay-queen, battle-legend, ultra-fabulous bad-ass superstar. That is the purpose of clothing, yes? To demonstrate your nature?" She paused, Jacob spoke quickly and his words, largely meaningless, certainly sounded impressive.

Sam snickered, clearly delighted. "Let's just say you're going to turn some heads."

Zar looked from one man to the other. "Is this not functional?"

Ty fought to keep his expression neutral. "Function, yes? but, well, maybe not the most? inconspicuous choice."

Zar frowned, trying to process that. "So? this does not hide me well?"

Sam grinned and patted her shoulder. "Let's just say you're dressed to stand out." He grinned at Ty. "What do you think, Mainstream? Be honest."

Ty groaned, he hated being put on the spot, especially regarding women's fashion. "It's very nice, I just wish you'd spoken to me before choosing something so wild."

Zar blinked. "Why would I ask you? I do not know you. I came here to find my master, Tyler, but? he is not here."

Sam chuckled, and Ty rubbed the bridge of his nose. This was going to be complicated.

Chapters...