Morning at the Man Cave is chaos.
Henry is half-asleep on the couch.
Christina is upside-down on the armrest, scrolling through her phone.
Jasper is eating cereal directly out of the box.
Charlotte is already working at the console.
Ray stands nearby drinking coffee like a man trying not to lose his mind.
Schwoz walks in carrying tools.
"…Good morning, emotionally unstable superhero family."
Henry groans.
"Too early."
Christina glances over.
"You're the one who stayed up watching conspiracy videos with Jasper."
Jasper raises his hand proudly.
"They were very convincing."
Charlotte mutters without looking up—
"You watched a guy claim pigeons are government drones."
Henry points.
"That man had evidence."
Christina snorts.
Ray pinches the bridge of his nose.
"…This is my life now."
Christina grins.
"Yeah."
Ray tries not to smile.
Fails slightly.
The Console Suddenly Beeps
Charlotte straightens.
"…Uh."
Everyone looks over.
"Something weird just popped up on police band frequencies."
Ray steps closer.
"What kind of weird?"
Charlotte pulls up footage.
Security camera video.
A masked figure.
Tall.
Fast.
Moving across rooftops.
Henry squints.
"…Another villain?"
Charlotte zooms in.
"He's not robbing anything."
The figure lands silently on a building.
Looking around.
Like he's tracking something.
Charlotte whispers—
"…He's searching."
Christina leans closer.
"For what?"
Charlotte zooms in further.
The camera catches something.
A photo in the figure's hand.
Henry's face.
The room goes silent.
Henry blinks.
"…Oh."
Christina turns slowly.
"…Why is that guy holding your picture."
Ray's voice drops instantly.
"…Everyone stay here."
Henry scoffs.
"Oh come on."
Ray turns sharply.
"No."
Henry stands.
"You're not benching me."
Ray's eyes flash.
"This isn't a villain attack."
Henry frowns.
"…Then what."
Ray looks at the screen again.
"…It's a hunter."
Across the City
The masked figure crouches on a rooftop.
Watching Swellview High.
He speaks quietly into a comm device.
"Target confirmed."
A voice answers through static.
"Kid Danger?"
The hunter nods.
"…Yes."
He loads a device into a sleek weapon.
"…Beginning phase one."
Later — Swellview High
Christina walks through the hallway beside Henry.
Piper trails behind them suspiciously.
"…You two are being weird again."
Henry sighs.
"We're always weird."
Piper squints.
"No."
She points between them.
"This is new weird."
Christina smirks.
"Maybe we like each other."
Henry chokes.
Piper's eyes widen.
"…WAIT."
Christina laughs.
Henry mutters—
"Please ignore her."
Piper studies them carefully.
Then whispers—
"…Are you guys dating."
Henry panics.
"No!"
Christina answers calmly—
"Maybe."
Henry dies internally.
Piper grins.
"Oh my god."
Outside the School
The hunter watches from a rooftop.
Tracking device glowing softly.
His voice quiet.
"…There you are."
He presses a button.
Henry's communicator suddenly glitches.
Henry frowns.
"…That's weird."
Christina notices.
"What?"
Henry checks the device.
"…Signal interference."
Too late.
A dart fires from across the street.
Christina sees it first.
"Henry—!"
She shoves him aside.
The dart hits the locker behind them.
Henry stares.
"…WHAT."
Students scream.
The hunter drops from the rooftop.
Landing silently.
Henry stands instantly.
"You're kidding."
Christina cracks her knuckles.
"Again?"
Piper yells—
"WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!"
Henry pushes Christina back.
"Stay behind me."
Christina glares.
"Absolutely not."
The hunter tilts his head.
"…Kid Danger."
Henry steps forward.
"Yeah."
The hunter raises his weapon.
"Contract accepted."
Henry blinks.
"…Contract?"
Christina mutters—
"Someone hired him."
Henry sighs.
"…Great."
Man Cave — Same Time
The console alarms explode.
Charlotte's eyes widen.
"Ray!"
Ray runs over.
"What happened?"
Charlotte pulls up the camera feed.
The hunter.
Outside the school.
Fighting Henry.
Ray's stomach drops.
"…No."
Schwoz gasps.
"Oh dear."
Ray grabs his gum tube.
"I told him to stay put."
Then—
He launches for the elevator.
Back at School
The hunter moves like lightning.
Henry barely blocks the first strike.
Christina joins the fight instantly.
Two against one.
The hunter doesn't seem worried.
He dodges both attacks.
Fast.
Too fast.
Henry pants.
"…Okay he's good."
Christina mutters—
"Annoyingly good."
Piper hides behind a bench.
Filming.
"This is insane."
Christina shouts—
"STOP RECORDING!"
The hunter suddenly grabs Henry.
Pinning him.
Weapon raised.
"…Target secured."
Christina lunges—
But she's too late.
The hunter fires.
A stun blast hits Henry.
He collapses.
Christina freezes.
"…Henry?"
The hunter lifts him.
Preparing to leave.
Christina's voice drops dangerously.
"…Put him down."
The hunter turns calmly.
"…Or what."
Christina's eyes blaze.
"You'll see."
But before she can move—
A red blur slams into the hunter.
Captain Man.
Ray roars—
"DROP HIM."
The hunter releases Henry.
Backflips away.
Studying Ray.
"…Captain Man."
Ray steps in front of Christina.
Protective instinct immediate.
"…You picked the wrong target."
The hunter scans them both.
"…Interesting."
Then he disappears into a smoke blast.
Gone.
Ray kneels beside Henry.
"…Kid."
Henry groans.
"…That guy sucked."
Christina exhales shakily.
"…You're okay."
Ray stands slowly.
Eyes burning.
"…Someone hired him."
Charlotte's voice crackles through the comm—
"We're tracing the signal now."
Ray clenches his fists.
"…Good."
Christina whispers—
"…He was after Henry."
Ray nods grimly.
"…Yeah."
And now the game has changed.