Achilles' lungs burned as he ran through the city. Knight had called to say that Team Chaos was on the move, and he'd probably need reinforcements. Light Master should have been on the way as well, but Achilles' group consisted of Barrier Maiden, Hot Rod and Prime. Rose and Alchemist had stayed behind at HQ to take care of anything that might come up in their absence.
If only there was a better way to move through the city. The Subways wouldn't be fast enough, and running was exhausting. It really wasn't fair that Team Chaos had someone who could teleport them.
They were almost at the place Knight had mentioned. Prime motioned for them to stop and catch their breath. Achilles did so, nearly flopping down on his rear. Barrier Maiden was similarly tired. Prime stood watch while they caught their breath, though Hot Rod looked like he was chomping at the bit to get in there.
It made sense. This was his first response as a hero, after all. Prime gave them only a couple precious minutes to catch their breath before they finished the trip to the battle site.
They could hear people up ahead. Paris laughing, a woman's voice joining him. Knight was saying something, but they couldn't make out the words.
As they approached the last turn, Jumper stumbled out of the alley, a woman coughing and leaning on his shoulder.
"Jumper?" Achilles asked, frowning in thought. Didn't he avoid Legion activities?
"She needs help," Jumper croaked. "Paris is in there, along with Cold Snap, Shell, Ferry and a guy they're calling Corrosion." He let the woman down, and she leaned against the wall, tears in her eyes.
"Why is this happening?" she whispered. "What did Court do to them?"
"I can stay with her," Jumper said. "But Knight and Lightning need help."
"Help's arrived," Hot Rod said with a grin. "Wait until these jerks feel the flames of righteousness." With that, he darted into the alley to join the fight. Achilles glanced between Jumper and Prime quickly, then ran after him as well, Barrier Maiden on his heels.
Paris laughed when Achilles rounded the corner.
"Well, well, well. Achilles is here to play, is he?"
Achilles - James - remembered what Louise had said and a pang ran through his chest.
"Hot Rod, Barrier Maiden, Knight, take care of the others. I'll handle Paris."
The other three nodded and left him to it. Achilles steeled himself and walked forward.
"You doing okay?" Prime asked, kneeling down next to Joey and Courtney's friend.
"I'm fine," Joey replied, though he failed to hold back another cough.
"And who are you?" Prime turned his attention to the woman Joey had rescued. Though, really, Cleo was the real hero in this case.
"L-Lillie," she stammered. "Courtney's my roommate. I don't know why they're here - I opened the door and there they were. The one of them - he..." She trailed off and hugged her knees, trying to hold back her tears.
"Don't worry, Lillie," Prime said. "Courtney will be fine. The Legion is here now. Those hoodlums will be brought to justice."
"Lillie," Joey added hoarsely, "I think when this is over, Courtney will want to talk to you."
"About what?" Lillie snorted. "I seem to be figuring out right now that she's not just doing some safe job after being expelled from the military. Is she one of you then?"
Joey looked away, but nodded.
"She...would have done things differently if she thought you'd end up in trouble," he said. He was sure of that at the very least. Whether it meant warning Lillie, or never joining the Legion in the first place, he didn't know.
Seeing Lillie there, it hit Joey that he really should tell his family about Jumper. What if they were next? His hands started trembling, and he took a breath to steady himself.
"Can the two of you walk?" Prime asked. "We should get you to a hospital."
"No," Lillie said firmly. "Not until I know Court's safe. She's not just my roommate, y'know. She's like my sister practically - or, at least I think she is."
A sob escaped her and Joey and Prime could only watch in silence. Finally, Prime broke the silence.
"I understand. I'll stay here to protect you two until Achilles and the others get back. But if your conditions take a turn for the worse, I'm running you to the hospital."
A small portal opened up next to Joey's hand. He wouldn't have noticed it if a stylus hadn't fallen out of it. He turned it over in his hand and smiled. Neither Prime nor Lillie seemed to have noticed it, but knowing that Cleo was still looking out for them did his heart good.
Things would probably turn out okay thanks to her.
Achilles slowly walked forward, trying not to inhale too much of the poison gas. Paris stared back at him, like a formidable archnemesis.
But...
"Paris. Or should I say Dustin." At his words, Paris spat out a curse.
"That traitor tailor spilled, did she? Whatever. You know my name. That doesn't mean much. I'm still gonna take you out here."
The mist thickened. Achilles gritted his teeth, then pulled down his hood. Slowly, he pulled the mask from his face.
"It does matter, Dustin. You shouldn't be the bad guy." James tried to keep his expression from twisting, but the poison mist was even more oppressive without the mask to filter it.
"James...?" Dustin took a step back, as if he really hadn't seen it coming.
James didn't know how long they stood there, staring each other down. The poison made tears start forming in his eyes, but he fought to keep a straight face. He had to convince Dustin to join his side. He had lost contact with him, but being a superhero had always felt a bit empty. Probably because his best friend wasn't there.
"How long are you two gonna keep up the staring contest?" James and Dustin looked up, and Ferry was glaring at them from her perch just above the mist.
"Good question," Dustin said, seemingly resuming his Paris persona. "This makes things interesting. James, who would have thought you'd be the one behind that mask? Must be fate, really."
"Dustin, you don't have to be the bad guy. Join the Legion. We were meant to do this together."
Dustin slowly started snickering.
"Nah," he said. "I'm Paris. I like being Paris. In fact, knowing you're Achilles makes this even more fun. Remember the games we used to play? Well, now we can play against each other. I can't wait to see what happens next."
James stared at him in disbelief. Was this really Dustin?
"I was always stuck being one of two, y'know?" Dustin continued. "Sure we were an unstoppable duo, but now I'm an unstoppable solo. I kind of like the feeling. Ferry, let's get out of here for today. I think we've done enough damage."
"Sure thing, boss." Everyone else seemed to have been watching them, so as soon as the order was given, the villains regrouped and vanished.
The whole time, James could only watch in disbelief. Hot Rod, Knight and Lightning had tried to block off the bad guys' escape, but the poison gas was really making things difficult.
When the chaos settled down, Achilles could barely keep his eyes open. The poison mist was getting to him again. Coughs wracked his body freely as he fell to his knees. He heard people calling his name as the world went black.
