Character referenced in the chapter, El Chapo, as El Chipo
They parked deep in the open woods, where the trees stood tall, and the air hung heavy with heat. The forest felt too quiet, like even the cicadas knew something was wrong. Sarah popped open the trunk with a metallic clunk, the heat spilling out with the smell of dust and old gun oil. Veronica and Connor stood behind her, the boy clutching his arms, nervous, shifting on his feet.
"These weapons…" Sarah knelt into the trunk, pushing aside a rolled tarp. Her voice cracked a little. "I got them from an old friend." She lifted the tarp fully, and the weapons glinted under the sun. Her expression tightened, sadness pulling on the edges of her face. "He… died before he could join me to find Alex."
Veronica's eyes darted left and right over the arsenal. "Sarah… you haven't even told us what we're doing out here."
Sarah didn't answer immediately. She handed Veronica a laser rifle—sleek, chrome edges, humming faintly—then passed Connor a small Zero-Point energy gun that looked way too dangerous for a kid his size. She shut the trunk, tucking a handgun into her pocket and slipping a few detonators into her coat.
"When my friend showed me the weapons," she said quietly, "he showed me something else."
Connor looked up, small fingers squeezing the grip of his pistol. "W-what… what did he show you?"
Sarah turned around. Her whole posture changed—back straight, voice lower, older. "He put a tracker on her. She ran after she killed him."
"Who is she?" Veronica asked.
Sarah lowered her head. "One of the Nine. Vortex."
"Jesus Christ!?" Veronica's voice shot through the trees.
Sarah stepped closer, steady, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. I know you want to find her, but storming after a Hero who wiped out El Chipo's drug forces in minutes—who arrested every single one—that's suicide. That would take the US military days, Veronica. Days. And somehow my friend managed to get a tracker on her."
Veronica swallowed, panic flaring in her eyes.
Sarah checked her phone. A blinking dot pulsed on the screen.
"And I thought the cartels were already taken care of," Connor muttered.
"No." Sarah shook her head and started walking. "They're still crawling around. Selling. Hiding. Running."
Veronica stayed planted by the car. "Sarah… I'm sorry. I can't do this. This is too dangerous."
Sarah barely glanced back and smiled faintly. "That's fine. Keep watch."
Connor and Sarah headed into the woods. Dry leaves cracked under their boots. Sweat gathered on Connor's brow in the burning heat, and Sarah wiped her face with her sleeve.
"So…" Sarah said, glancing down at him, "Alex… she really liked you, you know? She wouldn't stop talking about you. You were like her best friend."
Connor kicked a rock, nervous. "Y-yeah… I guess."
"What did you two do together?"
"Sometimes we… played as the Nine. Before I knew they weren't really heroes."
Sarah's jaw tightened. "Some of them are horrible people, Connor. Like the ones who took my daughter. Electric Strike. Roadrunner."
"Then what about Inferno or Winthrop? Are they good? And if they are, why couldn't they stop them?"
She checked her phone, the tracker pulsing closer. Her voice lowered. "They're not stopping anything. Because they're all under one man."
Connor blinked. "You're not saying he's—"
"Yes." Sarah cut in, her voice cracking. "There's a possibility Inferno organized it."
Connor froze, jaw dropping. "But… but I thought—"
"That's what everyone believes," she said.
"So how do we get the truth out?"
Her phone beeped. Sarah's breath caught. She ducked behind a bush, pulling Connor down with her.
"There," she whispered. "That's Vortex."
Connor peered through the branches. His eyes widened. "Jesus… that's actually her. But what is she doing with… them?"
Sarah narrowed her eyes. "Oh my god… she's dealing with the cartels."
"What? But Veronica said Vortex destroyed them!"
"Apparently not," Sarah breathed. "Whatever this is… it's bad."
Across the field, Vortex stood with her hair messy, her suit torn like she'd been through hell and back. The cartel members clustered by a large black van, sweat dripping down their necks in the heat.
One of them stepped forward. "Kelly—"
"It's just Vortex," she muttered.
"Fine. Vortex," the man said, annoyed. "Our leader, El Chipo, wanted to remind you—you still owe us. For turning us in."
Vortex scoffed. "Dipshits, you're still free, aren't you? And I haven't been back in the Tower in weeks. I'm done serving you idiots."
She turned.
A cartel member grabbed her arm.
"If you leave," he said darkly, "you know what happens."
He raised his phone.
Vortex froze.
On the screen, a video—blurry, shaky, illegal, humiliating. Something she thought was wiped from the face of the earth forever. Something that would destroy her life.
Her lips pressed together hard. Her breathing stuttered.
"Where the hell did you get that?" she hissed.
"We're talking thirty years in prison," he whispered. "No more praise. No more cameras. Nothing."
Vortex dragged a shaking hand down her face. "What do you want?"
"We need you to fly to Mexico," another said, smug. "Free our brothers and sisters. Bring back El Chapo."
Vortex's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? The public—the Nine—they'll…" She shivered. "How are they supposed to spin that?"
"What if Inferno finds out about this?" the cartel leader whispered.
Her breath caught. Her eyes flickered with pure fear.
"…Fine," she said. "I'll do it."
Sarah tried leaning in, but she couldn't hear them. She adjusted her gun. "Connor, stay here."
"Wait—" he tugged her shirt, voice shaking. "I want to help. Please."
"No." Sarah squeezed his shoulder. "Please… for Alex."
Connor nodded, swallowing hard as she stepped onto the field.
Every step felt heavier. Every heartbeat louder. All she could see was her daughter's face.
Sarah raised the laser rifle, eyes locked on Vortex's back.
"This is for Alex," she whispered.
She fired.
The air split with a violent CRACK, the beam ripping through the wind and smashing into Vortex's back. A massive explosion tore open the ground, flipping the black van like a toy. The shockwave blasted Sarah off her feet, throwing her ten feet back.
Cartel soldiers scrambled, shouting.
"What the hell was that!?"
"Over there!"
Vortex rose slowly… on her feet. No burns. No scars. Only fury.
She shot into the air and blasted Sarah with a shockwave that hit like a truck. Sarah slammed across the field, rolling, her arm snapping with a sharp crack. She screamed, clutching the limp limb.
Vortex landed beside her, smiling through her messy blonde hair, eyes scanning Sarah like she was prey.
"Well, well…" she purred. "What do we have here?"
She grabbed Sarah's collar and lifted her off the ground effortlessly. Sarah's body sagged, barely fighting, pain twisting her face.
"Aww… arms broken?" Vortex mocked. "Too bad your friend's weapons didn't hurt me. Oh, what was his name… Peter, right?" She leaned in, voice dripping with cruelty. "I killed him. His insides were so warm when my hand—"
Sarah shook, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"Aww… you gonna cry?" Vortex shook her roughly. "Go ahead. Cry, bitch."
"Let her go!" Connor's voice cracked through the field.
Vortex turned, still holding Sarah. "Ohh? And how many of you are there?" She dropped Sarah like trash and walked toward him, amused.
Connor shook so hard the gun trembled behind his back.
"Aren't you tiny?" Vortex tilted her head. "You shouldn't be here, kid."
"And you shouldn't be taking my friends," he shot back.
The cartel snickered behind her.
"Hand over the gun," she said gently. "Go home."
Connor glanced at Sarah. She lay crumpled, barely breathing.
He took a breath.
"No."
He lifted the gun and pulled the trigger.
A violent blast erupted from the barrel—so sudden, so strong, it roasted the cartel behind Vortex into collapsing skeletons, their bones turning to ash.
Vortex slid back a few feet…
And stood there completely unharmed.
Connor flew backward from the recoil, smacking into a tree. His vision blurred. His head spun.
Vortex screamed in rage and flew at him.
Her fist smashed across his face. Blood sprayed. His cheek split.
Another punch. A tooth tore free.
Then another. And another. Connor cried out, his body going limp as she held him by the throat, slamming him into the tree, squeezing.
"Let… go…" he choked.
"You had your chance," she growled, stroking his bloody hair mockingly.
"Vortex!" Sarah forced herself up, clutching her broken arm, pulling something from her coat. "Let go of him! It's me you want!"
Vortex tossed Connor aside like a rag doll and stalked toward Sarah.
Sarah swung first.
The laser stick cracked against Vortex's ribs with a sickening CRUNCH. Vortex staggered sideways, coughing blood.
"You—BITCH—" Vortex screamed, clutching her ribs. "You broke them!"
"Connor!" Sarah yelled. "Go!"
He limped away as Vortex blew a shockwave at Sarah, who dove aside. Vortex swung a punch at her head—Sarah ducked, then uppercut her with the stick, breaking her nose and sending her flying.
"Jesus—f***ing—CHRIST!" Vortex screamed, blood pouring through her fingers.
"Where is she!?" Sarah roared.
Vortex lunged, grabbing Sarah's shirt and ripping it. Sarah tore herself free. "I told you, I don't know where your kid is!"
Connor stumbled through the woods, nearly falling until he saw Veronica near the car. She ran toward him.
"Connor?! What happened!?"
He could barely breathe. "Y-yeah… I'm… fine…"
A massive explosion rocked the forest, forming a huge cloud that blew the wind across the trees. Veronica shielded him as dust hit their faces.
They looked up.
The shockwave curled into the sky.
Veronica exhaled softly, almost in awe.
"…I doubted her," she whispered. "But she did it."