Silhouette's arrival was a welcome surprise, even if unexpected. Naturally, neither of us could drink the alcohol that he brought, but the others appreciated the gesture. While they were a little awkward about the S-Rank hero being here at first, they eventually thawed out.

"I guess the outfit stays on?" Belle asked, gesturing with a bottle of hard liquor she'd gotten from somewhere.

"My anonymity is a big part of my identity as a hero, so yes." He adjusted his position in the chair. "While we are not clones, you can imagine I look similar to Gunquake."

"Crazy to think that you're brothers."

"What is crazier is a group of heroes that get on well with each other without drama." The cyclopean yellow light on his helmet flickered.

[I'm not so sure about that. I almost killed Roy a few minutes ago.]

"No wonder you look so exhausted, brother. Out here training on your time off? I respect the work ethic."

[Just because Chevalier is gone, it doesn't mean we can sit idle. I'm a magnet for trouble, after all.]

Roxy downed the last of her drink and frowned. "You don't hang out with your team at all?"

"Not unless it's for a League-required reason. The others aren't exactly... the type of people I care to be around."

[And we are?]

Silhouette tilted his head. "On the day of the Arena attack, the League directed me away from the stadium. I ignored them to help you. Life is short, Gunquake, and for five years I wondered if I'd ever know what it was like to have family before I died again."

[I'm sorry that it's me.]

"Out of all the prospective brothers I once had, you can at least hold a decent conversation. We're both the same and different in many ways."

[Well, now that you're here and have shared your heart's desires, can I call in a family favor and invite you to train with us?]

"I can't trust that I wouldn't be watched from the city. My public appearances are few, and many would want to see me in action." He gestured dismissively with his hand. "S-Rank problems, you wouldn't understand."

[Surely at your level you have a better excuse than that.]

His yellow eye flickered again. "It's a perfectly valid excuse. If you are insinuating that I have other reasons for not fighting any of you, then I will take the bait. I have a deployable device that will prevent spying in a short area for an hour."

[Always prepared. Dare I ask who your arbalest is pointed at right now?]

Silhouette jerked his thumb back to the prefab unit. On the edge of the roof, a shimmer of fading invisibility revealed the large projectile weapon, which was currently lying facing out to the city.

"I'm cautious," Silhouette explained, "but not paranoid. I already have a directory of methods to kill every superhero in the city, so don't go thinking you are all special."

Roxy nodded sagely. "I had something like that until Chevalier blew my house up. Which hero do you think would be the most difficult to kill?"

"Traditionally speaking, Angel. While there are a handful of individuals who would cause me undue stress, an all-rounder is the most hassle to combat against."

[Where do I place on that list?]

His eye flickered again, some mirth in the gesture. "Like most of the populace, a single shot from a stealthed sniper cannon from great range is enough to end you before your life even knew I was tracking you. In terms of reaction times, there are few with the speed to-"

The door to the prefab swung open, and Roy stumbled out. He groaned and clutched his head before glancing at all of us. "Ah, shit. You've gone and replaced me already?"

"Come grab a seat," Belle scolded him. "And a beer."

"All is forgiven." He gave a sheepish grin and walked around to join us. "I feel rough as shit."

[Silhouette popped around for a social visit, that's all. Roy felt like he was close to a breakthrough, so I was helping him the only way I know how.]

My brother nodded. "Getting as close to murder as your conscience would allow. Two supers with breakthroughs on your team? I almost find that suspicious."

[I've been told I have the knack for raising those around me up.]

"Perhaps I should join you." His light brightened slightly. "Not that the two of us being on the same side would be any good for the city."

[Sometimes the past is best left behind us.]

Silhouette couldn't remember much of our old lives. As keen as I had been to probe his mind for any information about how things used to be—especially with him being more cordial—he wasn't that man anymore. He had found his peace as a hero, doing whatever the League had him do on the side. With his skillset, I was sure it involved some gray areas, just as our work did.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

There was friction between that knowledge and what I knew was coming up in our future. For the sake of Goldarch, it would pay dividends to have another ally on our side - especially one with such sway and power.

So I brought up Boss. Our last brother out in the northwest. What the Government might be doing with him, and how that would affect our city. He listened quietly, allowing me to get the whole story out without interjecting. Eventually, once I had concluded, his light dimmed, and he put his hand up to his chin in thought.

"Unfortunate. I was hoping that things could quieten down once the Arena attack had been dealt with. The forces around Goldarch that the World Gov had been financing or otherwise boosting are all but scraps now. A year or two of peace from meddling was expected. But this…"

[I'm not asking you to get involved, just forewarning you of what might come to pass.]

He held up his hand. "No, this is a family matter. My connection to our past is thin at best, but I cannot deny what is in my blood. I am unable to travel far from the city for several reasons, but as soon as their plans come close enough - you have my word I'll be involved."

I nodded, appreciative. The Natural Disasters would follow me to hell and back, but a war on the city was everybody's problem. We just had a more personal stake in finding a solution before it got too dangerous.

Silhouette stood and unclipped a device from his belt. "Alright then, enough about the future. Who would like to spar?"

As expected, Roxy was the first to show interest. Neither Ren nor Belle was a great close-range fighter, and both Roy and I were too exhausted to be fighting. Perhaps that was for the best, as if I were to duel my brother, we would both go too far trying to one-up each other.

Roxy took her trainers off and jogged out to join the stealthy super a little further from our gathering. I looked over to my side, and it looked as though Clara had spent the entire time since my brother's arrival sketching out parts of his suit. Possibly for ideas.

"No hard feelings, by the way, Dubs." Roy pulled his chair a little closer to mine. "We both know I would have won if you hadn't cheated."

[If this is an attempt to rile me up, it won't work.]

He sighed. "I feel groggy as shit, but want to keep training. Just have to rest a while, I guess."

"Refractory period," Clara noted, before turning her eyes our way. "I suggest you enjoy the show. You can still be useful without fighting each other."

Roy pulled a face, but turned his attention out to the desert.

Both heroes had squared up fifteen feet from each other, in a wide enough space that we shouldn't receive any ill effects from their battle. Roxy was limbering her muscles up, while Silhouette stood still and poised, like a fencer. He hadn't withdrawn his sword, and I wasn't expecting him to against Roxy.

Belle crossed her arms. "Roxy sure has come a long way this last month. You think she has a chance?"

[Silhouette is not lava-proof, and would probably take a full-strength punch the same as any of us. He will avoid her. At first, just to flaunt his superiority. Once she angers, then he'll continue dodging in earnest.]

"Huh." Roy took a sip from his drink. "I suppose you know that because that's what you would do?"

[Correct.]

Roxy got into a fighting position, eyeing up the impassive hero opposite her. With a growl, she leaped forward and punched. Silhouette sidestepped the telegraphed attack before leaning away from the wide follow-up.

"Is there a reason she's working up to using her full powers?" Roy asked.

"It's just how strength heroes work," Ren said. The elf fiddled with the rangefinder in her lap as she frowned at the fight. "If you go into every battle at your maximum, you'll end up disappointed when you overwhelm the majority of opponents. It's limit testing."

She was correct, to some degree. While Roxy had no qualms about destroying our enemies with few further thoughts past a closed fist, when it came to a duel, it was different. There was an innate drive within her to find someone as strong as she was. Or stronger. Starting basic and working up was just her way of measuring up.

After her next few punches were also avoided with casual movements from Silhouette, I didn't think it would take long before she switched gears. My brother hadn't really even tried to strike her back, other than a few deflections that made him look like a martial arts master walking circles around their apprentice.

Something sure to rile the super up.

Just as I had that thought, she made her first move. Her next punch came out flat. Silhouette went to step back, and a wall of drying lava burst up behind him. Silhouette had to roll to the side, only just avoiding her attack - which shattered the freshly made barricade. She turned and kicked out at him, drawing a wave of heated rock out toward the man as he rolled.

Silhouette froze in place, and the pelting of rocks went straight through his body. A neat temporary clone. Roxy realized just in time, dropping to a knee and bringing her left forearm up to protect her head. My brother reappeared beside her, his boot against her arm - successfully blocked.

Belle whistled. "I'll admit the escalation of tricks is popcorn-worthy."

I found it energizing. Whether it was just natural interest in seeing the matchup, or part of me connecting with either Roxy or Silhouette, I was figuratively on the edge of my seat. My metal toes wiggled back and forth as I hungered to join in. For now, I watched.

Roxy rose to her feet as my brother backed off. Her arms started to produce lava, and a wide grin crossed her face. Silhouette pulled his katana from his side, making sure to show her that he was going to keep it sheathed. She nodded in understanding before attacking.

Silhouette was much quicker. Not quite on a speedster level, but considering we were cut from the same material, he put me to shame in terms of agility. Despite his blade being covered and blunt, Roxy made every attempt to block it when he attacked. The lava dripping from her hands was both useful for offense and defense.

She burst a short wall up right under his feet, and Silhouette performed a quick front flip from the raised position before Roxy's follow-up obliterated the rock. She was working into her third phase. Area denial. Through swinging her super-heated arms and producing small stalagmites across the ground, she wouldn't let him get close enough to attack.

"Oh, shit," Roy murmured, nudging my chair. He needn't have bothered.

To all of us onlookers, it was obvious what Roxy had decided to use as her finisher attack. I was impressed, even if it didn't pan out. While she kept Silhouette's attention, thirty feet away from their skirmish she had forced the lava from one of her legs to snake out behind him. That explained the smaller spikes she was trying to attack him with.

This secret swirl of lava was slowly creating a volcano shape. It could be nothing else. At the top, it sloped to form an angle, like a cannon pointed right at them both. We watched in silence as the end of the rocky barrel closed off, allowing the interior to fill with hot air and fresh lava.

If it weren't for one thing, I might have stopped it there. Having my newly sociable brother turned into a melted corpse would be terrible for several reasons. Unfortunately for us all, I knew Silhouette was about to win.

On the top of our prefab, the sniper cannon clicked and fired.

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