The Blower File: Part 4

"If you ask the special function

Of our never-ceasing motion,

We reply, without compunction,

That we haven't any notion!"

--W. S. Gilbert, Iolanthe--

Boris Blower didn't really need an entire office building in order to produce 'The Blower Hour.' Only a few rooms on the top floor were really taken up with this, but he had made a point of buying up the entire building so that he could get his name attached to it.

Fortunately, Boris's office was on the top floor, conveniently near a skylight. Sky guessed that Boris used this as a secret exit when he wanted to switch to his persona of Bone Crusher. Hooded Angel--who was the most experienced at that kind of thing--pulled the skylight quickly and noiselessly from its place and then Sky, his invisibility shield on, dropped down into the room below.

It was a fairly ordinary looking room, not all that different from the offices Sky saw at EPAC. There wasn't much of interest in the room. But there was one thing...

"I have a bad feeling about this," Sky commented wryly.

There, tied to two of the chairs in the office, were Discus and the Forester. "Greenshade, come down," he called out. If it was a trap, Greenshade would stand a better chance than he would.

When he spoke, the two captives looked up. At the same moment, Greenshade floated down into the room.

"I'll have you free in a second." Evidently, the possibility of a trap had not occurred to him. Or maybe he just wasn't worried.

"We can wait." The Forester's voice broke quickly and abruptly through the silence. "Stop the broadcast."

"What?"

"Hurry! It's in the next room."

Sky coasted through the office to the adjoining room which he now realized was the broadcasting room itself. It was empty, but he could hear Boris's voice booming all around him, apparently from a recording.

"This is Boris Blower and I want to thank you all for tuning in today. First of all, I think it is time you learned that I have another name, a name besides that which you all know and love. That other name--"

"Yfi, are you here?" he asked calling into the microphone on his exoskeleton.

"Check."

"Crash that computer."

"On it."

Suddenly Boris's voice faded away and static filled the air.

"Got it. Just in time, too. He had dynamite on that recording."

Sky pivoted and returned to the other room. By this time, Greenshade had freed Discus and the Forester while Hooded Angel and Parkour had dropped down and joined them.

"What happened?" asked Hooded Angel, throwing his cape back.

"What does it look like happened?" asked Discus bitterly.

"Well, just superficially, I would say it looked like Bone Crusher cleaned the floor with you," said Sky calmly.

"It was not quite as bad as that." The Forester still stood and spoke with his accustomed dignity. "It was not Bone Crusher who defeated me but my old nemesis, Big Foot. To have clashed and held one's own against such an opponent is no dishonor."

Sky narrowed his eyes. "Wait. Big Foot was here?"

"Discus, start at the beginning. What happened?"

Discus pushed back her cowl and from an inner pocket of her robe produced a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. "We went to Blower's house like you told us, Hood--all four of us. But as soon as we got there, we were ambushed--there was Bone Crusher, Big Foot, the Bell Ringer, and Snow Angel. We weren't prepared for anything like that."

"Our efforts were not enough to hope for victory with those kinds of odds," added the Forester.

Sky nodded. Time's Detective wasn't much of a fighter and, though she would never admit it, Discus was beginning to slow down as she grew older. The Forester and Silence together wouldn't have the skills to take on Big Foot, the Bell Ringer, and Snow Angel if they had been caught at a disadvantage--to say nothing of a super-powered Bone Crusher. "So, what? Bone Crusher was having some kind of antihero convention?" he asked.

"Be quiet," Hooded Angel ordered sharply. "Go on, Discus."

"Not much more to tell. They brought us here. Bone Crusher said he was going to broadcast the truth about himself and about the Futureplex. He said he was going to reveal all our secret identities."

"He had some really nasty things to say, too," added Yfi, speaking from Parkour's earpiece. "Especially about you, Discus."

Sky chuckled.

"You find anything about this situation funny?" Hooded Angel was clearly stressed and becoming irritable as in consequence.

"Sorry, Hood--I know this isn't a laughing matter--I was just trying to picture the reaction of the folks back at EPAC when they heard about me."

"I'll have to admit, some days I think having a good excuse to give up my civilian identity would be welcome. But this proves how much we have to fear from Bone Crusher--not only does he have superpowers now, but he knows everything about us."

"And he's got powerful allies," added Greenshade. "Though I'm a little surprised the Bell Ringer would go along with something like this. He's never liked the Futureplex, but he's never actively fought against us before, either."

"The worst part," finished the Forester, "is that he is holding our friends."

Sky nodded. Since Silence and Time's Detective weren't there, he'd figured that Bone Crusher and company must still be holding them. Obviously, he had left Discus and the Forester here as a sort of challenge to them--Bone Crusher had figured that they'd show up here. Or, at least, someone had figured it. Bone Crusher had never been that much of a strategist. Unless the Heroic Ion had already begun boosting his intelligence, Sky guessed that the Bell Ringer or Snow Angel was actually making the plans. "Well, Hood, what's our next move?" he asked. "Should we contact the Futureplex? This could be war now--they'd probably be willing to move."

"I doubt it. At least, I doubt they'll be willing to call Heroman which is the only thing that might help us.”

Sky tapped his fingers against his control rods and then glanced at Discus. "Was Bone Crusher flying?"

"I never saw him fly. Fact is, he didn't do much of anything. It was the others who did most of the work."

"So most likely the Heroic Ion hasn't given him his full powers yet or he hasn't figured out how to use them. And if that the case, there's a good chance that they're all still here in McHenry City."

"But where? I mean, what are they after?" asked Parkour.

Hooded Angel sighed. "This is getting more complicated by the minute."

Greenshade nodded. "Bone Crusher isn't just trying to escape from the law anymore. That radio broadcast was a declaration of war. He has allies, too. He is not just fighting against the Futureplex now, but against the world."

"You don't really think--" began Parkour, his eyes going wide.

"If Bone Crusher gains full access to the powers of the Heroic Ion, then nobody will be able to stop him, except Heroman," said Sky. "And even if he never gets as powerful as Heroman--which I don't think is possible since he's getting the Heroic Ion so late in life--with the aid of those kinds of allies, there's not going to be much anybody else can do to stop him. And while I don't think Bone Crusher has the imagination to try to overturn the government--let alone take on the whole world--he could definitely establish himself as force completely outside of the law."

"The only chance we have," finished Hooded Angel, "is to stop him before the Heroic Ion fully activates--which apparently it hasn't done yet."

Sky shook his head. "I still don't like the odds. I know the Futureplex may not want to alert Heroman, but is there any way we could?"

"Not in time. I have no idea where he is. He could be halfway around the world somewhere for all we know. For that matter, he has a civilian identity like you and me but none of us know what it is. Probably he's out washing dishes or sweeping floors or whatever it is he does for a living. And we don't have any way to contact him."

"Well, that's just lovely. Yfi, can you check with the police computers? Maybe they would know something that's going on."

"All right."

Hooded Angel nodded. "You and Greenshade better zip around the city and see if you can find anything. You can cover ground quicker than any of us and aren't likely to be spotted."

"Check. Can we go ahead and break comm silence? At this point, there's not much the Futureplex could do even if they found out we're here. I mean, they're going to find out sooner or later anyway."

"Yeah, you're probably right. We're going to need to be able to communicate and it's sure a lot secure to do it with our communicators than any other way. And you're right--even if the Futureplex finds out we're here, there wouldn't be time for them to do much."

"No chance of Bone Crusher listening in?" asked Greenshade.

"They locked him out of the comm system yesterday," Yfi answered-- "as soon as they arrested him in the first place."

"All right then."

Sky nodded and then floated up through the opening in the ceiling. "Greenshade?"

"Here."

"How about you cover the northern half of the city and I'll take the southern? If either one of us sees anything, we'll contact each other."

"Sounds good to me."

"Yfi, do you have anything?"

"Not yet. But I'll keep an ear open."

Sky had reactivated his invisibility shield. Using the computer wired into his exoskeleton, he quickly routed the optimal route for covering his section of the city. Of course, if Bone Crusher were hiding in a building, there wasn't much he could do about it. But he didn't think Bone Crusher would be hiding.

He was used to his work of watching and searching and could do it with half of his mind. The other half of his mind was thinking over the news which Discus had told them. When Snow Angel had stopped them, he had been afraid that she might be there to ally with Bone Crusher. Now he knew he had been right--in fact, she had been working with him even before they got there. Snow Angel's cryogenic powers made her a dangerous opponent and she hated the Futureplex and its heroes. That she would end up mixed up in this did not surprise him much. Then there was Big Foot. He was a kid from Ripley, New York who has been born with a rare genetic mutation which gave him a hairy, inhuman appearance and super-human strength. (Dr. Genius theorized that this genetic mutation surfaced periodically throughout history and was responsible for all the legends of the Big Foot and the Sasquatch and so on.) He had received a lot of bad treatment because of his freakish appearance and had become bitter in consequence. He and the Forester had clashed fairly frequently, but Sky had always considered him more of an antihero than an actual villain. He wasn't stupid but he wasn't much of a strategist either, so he was probably just being manipulated by one of the others. Finally, there was the Bell Ringer. The Bell Ringer was an ordinary man who had become a vigilante in order to track down his son's murderer. Though he lacked some of the training of the Futureplex's heroes, his brilliant mind and his personal passion had made him a force to be reckoned with. His tactics were always a little more ruthless than those officially endorsed by the Futureplex and he had always resented any interference from either the Futureplex or the government in his own private war with crime. However, Sky had never imagined he would team up with Bone Crusher and Snow Angel. He was a master strategist, though, so it could be that he was organizing everything. But, then, why?

"Greenshade, do you have anything?"

"Nothing."

"Hood? Anything show up there?"

"No. And we're moving out. Blower may come back here."

"Isn't that what you want?"

"If we're going to fight him, I don't want to do it on his own turf. We'll take up a position somewhere in the area where we can keep watch on the building without being seen."

"Check."

For some time there was silence.

Of course, if Bone Crusher and Company were hiding, there wasn't much chance of finding them this way. But if they were out in public doing something, there would be a chance. But doing what? Sky felt pretty sure Bone Crusher's original intentions had only been to escape from the Futureplex. Well, he had escaped now. But he couldn't just go back to his previous life and that radio broadcast proved that he wasn't even going to try. So what would he do? With allies like Snow Angel there would be a lot of things he could do--but what would he?

"What on Earth!??"

Sky raised his eyebrows at this sudden exclamation from Greenshade. "Find something?"

"Nothing relating to this case, no. But I just saw someone that I know--someone I wouldn't have thought would be here in McHenry City."

"A friend?"

"More like an enemy."

Sky frowned and made a few adjustments to his instruments. "By enemy, you mean a criminal? Or is it your church boss?"

"My church doesn't have a boss, actually. No, it's one of the people I clash with as Greenshade."

"Are you going to engage? And if so, do you need backup?"

"Yes and probably not."

"I like that word probably." Sky made a few more adjustments. "I've got a lock on your position. I'll be there in under a minute."

When necessary, Sky's exoskeleton could move at unusual speeds, covering the ground (or, rather, air) at a remarkable rate. He pushed it to one of its higher settings. He didn't really like getting personally involved with battles if he could help it--especially not today--but he had a feeling he'd better. He couldn't help thinking that it had to be more than a coincidence that brought one of Greenshade's enemies to McHenry City on today of all days.

He found Greenshade in the business section of town, hovering a few yards above the street.

"He's robbing a bank," remarked Greenshade in a rather puzzled tone of voice.

"That's good business if you can get it," returned Sky. "Though it's hardly worthwhile these days with the government so good at tracking stolen money."

"It's totally outside of his MO. Robbery isn't usually his thing."

"What usually is his thing?"

"Intimidating and/or beating up people for money. Usually works for one of several factions or gangs which operate in my area."

"So, he's an enforcer?"

"Pretty much--but one of the nicest enforcers you'd ever hope to meet."

"Somehow those are words I never expected to hear come out of your mouth."

"The kid is pretty good at what he does."

Sky nodded. In front of the bank were a security guard, two policemen, and a couple of random citizens--if they were not exactly unconscious, they certainly were in no shape to do much more about the present situation. "I see that. But if he doesn't have super-powers, I don't see how he could pose much of a problem for you, Greenshade."

“One on one, he isn't much of a problem. But unfortunately, there are other people to consider. Right now, he's got several of the bank's customers and tellers captive in there and..."

Greenshade was interrupted by a voice, projected by some kind of amplifier. "I can still see you hovering up there, Green Guy. Let me say this again 'case you didn't hear me the first time. Leave me alone and everyone's happy. Don't leave me alone and--well--you might be able to take me to jail, but these folks in here will go to the hospital with multiple contusions, confusions, concussions, and the such like."

When he heard the voice, Sky face-palmed, or at least came as close as he could while wearing his exoskeleton. "I forgot you're not like Hood--you don't randomly call anyone under the age of thirty 'kid'. Just how old is this enemy of yours?"

"About thirteen. Don't underestimate him--he knows his stuff."

A moment later, the bank doors slid open and Sky could see a dark-skinned figure standing in the doorway.

If Greenshade hadn't told him the boy was a teenager, he probably would have guessed he was no more than ten. He had to be very short for his age. He wore a three-piece white pin-stripe suit and nearly-reflective black shoes. He wore his hair in dreadlocks. Using his sensors, Sky couldn't detect that he carried any weapons.

"And if you're thinking of sneaking in all ninja-like," the boy continued, in a careless, cocky voice, "let me tell you that I've got control of the bank's security and if you set or float foot or other bodily organ on these premises, it'll set off an alarm and lead to the serious havoc of life and limb--or limb anyway--of the ladies and gentlemen inside."

"Do you really think you can get away with this?"

"You know what your problem is, Green Guy? It's the same problem most people have. You always ignore the Fine Print."

"Look, Fine Print--"

"Fine Print?" repeated Sky under his breath. These days, everyone good and bad seemed to go by titles, but some people really needed to think them through more carefully.

"What are you after? The money in there will be too hot for you to handle."

"I've got my contacts. Anyway, what's it to you?"

"Is this all about money to you, Fine Print?"

"Hey, it's a free country, i'n't? A place of free enterprise and ingenuity. I'm just doing what I'm best at in order to make ends meet. That's not a crime, is it?"

"Actually, in this case, yes."

Sky rose slowly and began flying over the bank. With Greenshade keeping Fine Print (seriously, he still couldn't believe that name) occupied, it gave him the opportunity to interfere. Fortunately, since he was invisible, the boy wouldn't even suspect that Greenshade had an ally. And the bank's electric eye technology wouldn't detect him so long as his invisibility shield was active. However, he couldn't enter through the front doors while Fine Print was standing there so that meant searching for another entrance.

"We've all got to do somethin' with our lives, and this happens to be what I've done with mine."

"And that makes it right? Right to hurt innocent people and take things that don't belong to you?"

"Look, are you a superhero or a preacher, Green Guy?"

Sky almost laughed to himself at that one.

"And suppose you get caught? Then what? You really want to end up spending the rest of your life in prison?"

"Saves payin' for a nursing home, now, do'sn't?"

Sky had found the side entrance. Unfortunately, it was a door that opened with an electric eye. Of course, he could open it manually, but that would still set off an alarm. "Yfi, are you there?" There was no answer. Apparently, her consciousness was no longer linked to the computer in his exoskeleton. Well, he could try to hack the bank's security system on his own. He had been the Futureplex's primary hacker until Yfi came. He might be able to open the door or get other information that would suggest a plan of action.

"And what about when you die?" asked Greenshade.

"I'll worry about that when it happens."

"Now, come on--even from your point of view, you've got to realize that it will be too late to think of it then."

"Well, it's going to happen whether I think of it or not, so why bother? Do you lecture all the people you chase or is it just me? 'Cause much as I appreciate the compliment, I wish you would cease, desist, and generally stop it."

The security systems were ridiculously easy to hack. Within seconds, he was logged into the central security system. Viewing the feed from the security panel he noted that Fine Print had moved back from the front door but was still standing in the front lobby of the bank. His hostages were tied up behind the teller's desk.

Sky frowned thoughtfully. Given the set-up, there was a simple way to trap the criminal. If he had Yfi's help, he could probably have done it remotely--but as it was, he couldn't interface with the tech he needed--he'd have to slip into the bank and do it manually. With his invisibility shield, he could probably do it without Fine Print seeing him, but there was some risk. His shield didn't make him completely undetectable and there were ways--especially inside--that he might be spotted.

He spoke into his comm. These things were shielded in such a way that Fine Print shouldn't be able to hear them from either end. "Greenshade, exactly what powers does this kid have?"

"Some degree of tech skills, though not advanced as yours. An incredible amount of nerve and audacity. And his fighting skills are unbelievable. He's essentially created a whole new form of martial arts, one in which his small size works to optimal advantage. The consolation is that once he hits his teenage growth spurt, it'll probably throw him completely off balance--but in the meantime, I think he could beat Hooded Angel in a fight mano a mano. He's quick too and seems to have unusually keen senses--enough so that I don't like risking too much on the speed and stealth of my armor."

"What are the odds he would have some way of detecting me?"

"Small."

"Not good enough. Can you distract him a little more by talking? And make sure he doesn't get out the front door. If you can do that, I should be able to keep him from getting to his hostages. By the way, just for curiosity, do you talk so much to all the criminals you chase?"

"No. But Fine Print always seems willing to talk even if he grumbles about it. And sometimes I think he's not entirely comfortable with his work--no matters what he says about it--and I've thought I might possibly be able to make him quit it."

"Good luck with that."

At that Fine Print interrupted them again. "Are you still floating around here, Green Guy?"

"You should know by now that I don't give up."

"And neither do I. So unless you wanna be responsible for a deal of bodily duress, distress, and other things of an unpleasant nature, maybe you should go hover somewhere else."

"So, tell me, Fine Print--what are you going to do with this money once you have it?"

Sky knew the riskiest part of the plan was the first step--opening the door. It was a simple matter to override the bank's security measures, become visible just long enough to activate the electric eye, and then slip in. In theory, anyway. And without Yfi's advanced hacking abilities, it was the best option he had. But there were some fairly major risks in it.

"Look, if I wanted financial counseling, I'd go to a professional, now woul'n't I?"

"That's a lot of money. More than you get for one of your regular jobs. Of course, you'll probably have to pay a fairly hefty cut to whoever helps you get rid of it. There aren't many fences who would touch money this hot."

"Thanks for the strategy tips. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He was in. There had been one fearful moment when the door had seemed to stick, but now he was inside. And frankly, now that he was in he wasn't worried much longer. Though he didn't want to use them unless he had to, he did have weapons of various kinds wired into his exoskeleton--weapons that would probably neutralize Fine Print before he could harm his hostages if it came to that. When Sky had first joined the Futureplex, his job had been solely that of an observer and a hacker, a gatherer of information. It was a job for which he was perfectly suited by training and aptitude. He also had the skill to pilot the experimental exoskeleton--something no other test subject had been able to do. He had never wanted to do more, to become an actual superhero. He had never been a fighter except for the occasional friendly wrestling match with his brother. He didn't like to think of himself as a coward, but he also preferred the distance from situations which his role as an invisible watcher in the sky had given him. However, the longer he had worked with the Futureplex, the more his role had expanded and the more additional tech had worked its way into his exoskeleton. He still wasn't much of a fighter and the times he actually engaged with bad guys often went badly--and he certainly still couldn't believe that Hooded Angel had thought he would be a good antagonist for a super-powered Bone Crusher--but when all was said and done, he couldn't honestly say he was just an observer any more either. Still, whenever possible he preferred to use stealth over combat. And considering that Fine Print seemed perfectly willing to continue arguing with Greenshade, he was fairly certain he could accomplish his task here without engaging the boy.

Greenshade had said something else but in his concentration Sky had missed it. But he heard Fine Print say, in seeming exasperation: "Look, if you're going to keep pestering, harassing, and otherwise bothering me, I think I should be able to return the favor. If you're going to criticize my work, why shouldn't I criticize yours?"

"Well, to begin with, yours is immoral and mine isn't."

"Yeah, well, let me ask something. When the world comes to an end and we're just sitting back and watching it explode, how much difference will it make whether you were a hero or a criminal? It'll be gone by then anyway."

Sky frowned curiously. Was that a reference to The Restaurant at the End of the Universe? He wouldn't have pegged Fine Print for a Douglas Adams fan, but it was hard to say.

He was halfway across the lobby of the bank now, floating invisibly only a few inches above the floor. There was a clear path, so there was no trouble there. Fine Print was turned to the doorway. Sky thought he was using the shiny coating on one of the front pillars to keep an eye behind him, but that would distort his vision enough that he wouldn't notice any slight anomalies that might be created by his invisibility shield.

"And what if the end of the universe really isn't the end of the world?" asked Greenshade. "What if--in the sense you mean--there is no end to the world? What if we are all destined to go on, somewhere?"

"You trying to scare me, Green Guy?"

"Would it be wrong if I were? But you're the one who dragged the end of the world into this. What if the end of the world isn't an event, but a person?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

There. Sky had crossed the lobby. Floating up, he easily crossed a partition and dropped into the cubical beyond. And there it was on the wall--a lever enclosed behind a glass case. He made a few calculations in his mind. The timing might be tighter than he had thought, but it still should be enough to trap Fine Print.

He waited until Greenshade started to answer and then he shattered the glass with the glove of his exoskeleton and pulled the lever down. Even as he did, he pivoted and rose so that he had a clear view of Fine Print.

As soon as Sky pulled the manual override lever, the bank's primary security measure activated--and a wall began lowering from the ceiling, a wall which would seal off the front of the lobby from the rest of the bank. At the sound of the glass breaking, Fine Print whirled. And as he did, Sky activated a control rod with his left hand and a flare of blinding light exploded in the boy's face. It seemed to stun him for about two seconds, and that was enough for the partition to lower almost to the floor. He dove and tried to roll under but by then it was too late. He turned back towards the door, but Greenshade had dropped to the ground and stood in the doorway.

“Well, that takes care of that,” said Sky, speaking into his comm. "Now we just have to get the police here. But that might be--what's that interference?" The Futureplex communicators were the latest tech and always had perfect reception. And yet suddenly the channel was racked with a weird, piercing static.

"You're the tech expert." Sky could barely here Greenshade's words over the static.

And then he gave a sharp intake of breath as he suddenly recognized something about the static. It was talking. It was distorted, but it was human speech. And then he knew exactly what it was. "Yfi! What's wrong?"

The static continued, though it seemed to become more coherent.

"Yfi! It's Sky. What's wrong?"

"I can't find him!" It was understandable now, but still unlike Yfi's ordinary voice.

"Parkour, you mean?" Sky now had a pretty good idea what was wrong. Yfi depended on Parkour as a sort of anchor to reality amidst the madness of the digital world in which she was imprisoned. If she couldn't find him, she would begin to lose control of her consciousness.

"I can't find his earpiece or his tablet."

Sky frowned. One piece of technology might break down, but it seemed odd that both would break down at the same time. "What about Hooded Angel's comm? He should still be with Parkour."

"Nothing. I can't even get to any device in their area--not even by a landline."

Sky shook his head. That seemed absurd but he didn't doubt Yfi's word. But how could that be possible? What could cut off all communication to an area so effectively?

"Yfi, listen to me," he said, trying to speak as calmly and confidently as he could. "Encrypt yourself in the computer in my exoskeleton and I promise you I'll get you safely within physical distance of Parkour--close enough we can transfer you by USB if necessary. Trust me."

"All right--just hurry."

Sky's finger hurried over the controls of his computer. First, he hacked the controls of the bank's climate control center and then emptied into a nearby vent the contents of a special sleep gas bomb he had been saving for just such an occasion. Since Fine Print was in a confined space, the gas would probably affect him and at least make him groggy enough that he wouldn't be able to escape. If the police showed up, they should be able to capture him even without the help of he and Greenshade--because he had a feeling they wouldn't be around to help.

"Do you have any idea what could have happened?" asked Greenshade.

"No." Sky floated out of the bank and rejoined Greenshade outside as he continued tapping on his controls. "I'm trying to figure out where Parkour and Hooded Angel would be. They left the BBB, but they didn't say where they were going. There's not much of interest in that immediate vicinity. Some generic office buildings, a tattoo parlor and--" suddenly Sky broke off and suddenly he felt a cold shiver possess his body for a moment.

"What's wrong?"

"Greenshade, I'm going to tow you. Your armor is essentially weightless so there'll be little added strain and we can travel faster that way."

"What about Fine Print?"

"If I'm right, he's the least of our worries. Even if the police don't get him, I don't think he'll be able to finish robbing the bank--and even if he does, the police will probably be able to trace him later."

"But why are you so worried?" Greenshade pressed as he grabbed the line which Sky fired from his exoskeleton. "What else is there in that area?"

"A retro video game store."

"And?" Greenshade seemed a little confused by that answer.

"According to my computer, that store has on display a copy of Tetris for the Sega Genesis, valued at roughly fifteen thousand dollars."

"I don't get what that has to do with anything."

"I just thought of the one thing that could block all communications, block it enough to even stop Yfi--a Court Order."

"What are you talking about, Sky?"

Sky didn't answer directly. "Greenshade, who is your arch-enemy?"

"As a super-hero, you mean? It would have been the Control Center but they've been disbanded for years. So, now--I suppose it would be Fine Print. He's the only person I've actually fought on more than one or two occasions. Though I certainly never thought of him as an 'arch-enemy.'"

"Uh-huh."

"But--"

"I don't know what's going on or who's causing it, but I do see a pattern. Fine Print is your arch-enemy. Snow Angel is Hooded Angel's and Big Foot is the Forester's. And if the pattern holds true--"

By this time, they had reached the BBB. Sky had pushed his exoskeleton to almost the full extent of its speed (though he had been slowed somewhat by the added air-resistance of Greenshade's armor). As he had suspected, he found Hooded Angel, Parkour, the Forester, and Discus outside of the video game store that was just around the corner of the BBB. And they were in the middle of a battle.

"--we're about to meet my arch-enemies--the Flying Aces."