Gothschilde walked over to Aurora and Redline with the other two present members of the Tenebrous Concordat.

 

“All right,” she said. “Put your shininess as low as it’ll go.  I’ll spread my darkness even more.  The brighter you stay, the harder it is to keep our space knit together.  When it gets darker, just walk straight ahead. When you emerge from the darkness, we’ll be on the other side of this distortion field.”

 

The two nodded and followed and their environment grew dark and darker to where only a pool of semi-intense light remained around Aurora.  Redline put a hand on Aurora’s shoulder, a comforting and gentle hand but one also seeking reassurance. 

 

“Are you alright?” the speedster anxiously asked.

 

“I have to be.” Aurora smiled. “No matter what happens, I’ll fight.” 

 

She did her best to dim her aura as much as she could but couldn’t do much with it.

 

Out of nowhere, despite the light coming off Aurora’s body, brightly illuminating everything for a few paces in any direction, a hand materialized on Aurora’s shoulder. A powerful one. Aurora saw teeth glinting in her natural illumination effects. 

 

She was relieved to find that it was Big Evil and not Onslaught. “Just keep walking.  Stay calm,” he was oddly warm for his nature.

 

Big Evil dropped back behind the two into the tailing shadows, his gleaming eyes the only thing that remained visible to normal eyes. His eyes were fastened onto the two. 

 

Even though Gothschilde was working with them, Aurora felt gradually growing ill.  The darkness was eroding at the edges of her light, tempting her to let her aura shine to keep the darkness from devouring her whole.  She kept a tight hold on her powers while they shuffled forward, following the noises of the footsteps of Gothschilde and Crimson Coil.

 

All the while, Aurora was doing her best to ignore the creepy feeling of the darkness, silently devouring her energy. As they moved, Aurora could swear she heard voices, small and far away.

 

She saw a vision of an ambulance, sirens wailing and lights flashing, as it slammed at her.  Aurora shrieked and blocked instinctively as the illusion passed through her and moments after it harmlessly rushed through her, she darted ahead. The air of excitement and dread felt as though everyone was on a roller coaster that had just gone over a kind of a hill.  There was a fluttering sensation in Aurora’s stomach.

 

Redline moved to the fore of her and asked, “Are you alright?”

 

Big Evil laughed and patted Aurora on her back and when Aurora turned her head to look at him, she spotted Crimson Coil and Gothschilde emerging from the darkness in front.

 

When Gothschilde emerged, she looked bored and frustrated. “What’s all this commotion? Let’s continue.” She turned her back on them, but Big Evil reached out to stop her by putting a hand on one of her shoulders.

 

“Wait… there’s something else here,” the demon muttered.

 

“Good,” Gothschilde replied. “There should be.”

 

“No.” Big Evil said, “I’ll go first.” He pushed ahead of the two. “Move cautiously.” He growled as he continued along the corridor and disappeared. The slapping of his feet on the stone echoed, indicating that he’d turned a corner ahead. Moments later, he screamed in pain and stumbled back. Gothschilde rushed to his side and the rest ran after.

 

“You idiot!” she cried out.

 

The moment she neared him he swept a huge arm and knocked the loli villain away. “S-stay back!” He grumbled. “Mystic… disruption… m-my hold here… broken…!” Big Evil struggled to get up and flames started to lick around him.

 

He was suddenly enveloped in a bubble of pure blackness. “Coil!” Gothschilde barked, “Wrap your coils around my bubble! I need you to fortify it!”

 

The Crimson Coil gestured and the black ‘egg’ around Big Evil was wrapped by her red bands.  Gothschilde looked at Aurora. “What are you waiting for, heroes! Help him!”

 

Redline smiled and charged around the corner. Aurora looked at Gothschilde to shake her head.  Even though she had mystical ability, so to speak, she couldn’t do anything that would help her hold onto Big Evil. Gothschilde’s darkness dissipated as she moved away.  Thankfully, they’d safely passed through part of the anomaly.

 

“I’ll scout ahead and see what might have affected him with Redline,” Aurora said as she rushed ahead to see that Redline was charging around what looked like a small green gumby-like creature. 

 

Aurora stared at the thing and let her light out a bit more now that the shadows weren’t gnawing at her as she prepared for a fight.  She wasn’t yet sure that this creature was a threat.

 

“What are you?”

 

The creature looked at Aurora with a grin. “Hello, sweetie. I’m an agent of the powers who own the stolen piece of darkness in this saucer… and now that the containment rituals have failed, I’m working to get this whole area turned into an intermediary zone for my masters. I’m sort of an emissary. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in a job?”

 

“Care to explain further?” Aurora asked. “Are you a villain?” Aurora remained guarded.

 

“Get out of here!” the little green creature said, swinging at Redline, who was whizzing around him. After being shooed, the speedster dashed back to Aurora’s side with a grin and a shrug.

 

“I wouldn’t exactly call my master evil. Just not in alignment with what Humans consider to be good. But since they’re the originators of all existence, I would think that everyone should try to be more in line with them. You’re all basically squatters, so I’m offering you both a job. Come work for my team. I’ll give you whatever it is you most value in this backwater.”

 

“Oh, thanks. That makes things much clearer.” Aurora smiled as she put her hands together and blasted him.

 

Her blast bowled the creature over and he gasped, asking, “What did you just do?!” he exclaimed, rubbing his chest where he was hit as he rose.

 

“MindifItakeitfromhere?” Redline asked as she charged at the green critter and started running around and punching.

 

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” he cried out. He gestured and a slurry of darkness rose at her feet, slowing her motions. It stuck to her costume like glue and her momentum caused strings of the substance to stretch and tear, but she was getting slower by the second. 

 

Aurora grinned and dialed up her brightness. It flinched and gasped as she formed a light-pillowcase and dashed forward, scooping him. “Grab it!” she said to Redline who was closer.

 

A flash of a smile dawned on Redline’s face and she picked up the end of the pillowcase to start spinning it, slamming it repeatedly against the floor.  The creature inside the pillowcase threw up, exclaiming as the semi-transparent case filled with its green goop. 

 

Redline's legs came free when its power was interrupted and she whacked it against the cave’s walls, coating him like fried chicken in a bag, or more like an egg-wash.

 

About ten seconds later, the green critter was mumbling and Redline rushed back to Aurora. “Good teamwork!” she gave Aurora a high-five. “You wanna run ahead or wait for the bad guys?”

 

“Hmmm… good question.  Why don’t we explore a little, though I guess it could still be dangerous if anything else’s lurking,” Aurora suggested.

 

As they set out along the tunnel, Redline moved restlessly, showing impatience, but she wasn’t complaining about Aurora’s pace. “That was a pretty good trick you played on that guy. I’m pretty impressed. I thought you were usually a solo player.”

 

Aurora smiled. “Thanks. Usually I am, but I don’t plan to be forever. I’m not like M.A., though I wouldn’t mind becoming more like him, with lessons and some of the amazing resources he has to become a better detective.  Anyhow, be on your guard. There may be other tricks or traps placed in our way. I wonder what we’ll do when we reach this shard thing?”

 

“I’m keepin’ an eye out.” Redline said with a grin, pointing at herself.

 

The two walked, but they heard Gothschilde cry out from behind. “Hey, you two! Stop going so far ahead!”

 

“Do we stop for the princess's short legs?” Redline asked. “I think that unless we run into another area of crazy space, you and I can handle just about anything together.”

 

Aurora hesitated. “Actually, no matter what we do, we’ll have to deal with the people behind no matter what.  I’m tempted to say that we should set a good example for them.  Villains routinely backstab each other. It’s a thing they do.  As long as they keep their end of things, I want to say that it’s our moral duty to keep our end of the agreement, but I still don’t want her getting that power-up.”

 

“Ha… good thing I didn’t make any deals.” Redline chuckled. “Okay, though, I’ll default to your decision on this.” She stopped.

 

“They waited and Gothschilde reached them with a look of frustration. “You idiots better wait up! With my familiar down, all I have is you and Crimson Coil,” she huffed. “And I’m not here to help you, you’re here to help me.”

 

Aurora grinned at Gothschilde as she commented, “Big Evil’s down for the count? Sorry to hear that. For a demon he was surprisingly… maternal. Maybe you’re rubbing off on him. For being all darkness and gloom, you’re kinda cute. Shall we continue?”

 

“I’m not cute!” Gothschilde said sharply, “And he’s only protective due to the nature of my contract with him! He’ll be fine, but to be sure he doesn’t get banished and break the contract, I’m leaving him in the bubble with Coil’s coils wrapped around him.  She’ll be along in a moment.” Gothschilde took a few breaths and bent over slightly. “I hate to run,” she added after having not done more than a brief jogging, at best.

 

“Doesn’t really count as a run in the superhero business,” Redline mumbled.

 

“Shut your mouth!” Gothschilde growled at Redline, pointing a finger sharply at the girl, as if she was objecting in a video game.

 

“You should watch it too, you know,” Redline said, tapping her foot impatiently. “You’re also holding us back. If it weren’t for you, by now we’d have been at the end, probably.”

 

“Without me, you’ll never reach the end, you idiot!” Gothschilde said, straightening her dress. “Stop rushing ahead. I’m not going to start sweating on your accounts.”

 

Aurora gestured and with courtesy created a little shopping cart with a baby seat. “Here you go.” She smirked. After all, she’d just mastered the creation of constructions with wheels.

 

Gothschilde glared. “What the hell is that for?” she asked.

 

Aurora looked at the gloomy villain petulantly, knowing that she couldn’t be any older than her real age. “It’s a shopping cart, dummy.  You’ve never been to a supermarket, I guess.”

 

“Don’t make fun of me! I’ll break you dead!” Gothschilde growled.

 

Redline’s face turned red and she was barely able to control a sheaf of laughter. “Better watch out, Aurora.”

 

Gothschilde turned sharply and started stomping down the corridor ahead of the two. “Try to keep up with me.”

 

The two looked at each other and Redline shrugged.  They moved to catch up and Aurora dispelled her glowing construction of a shopping cart.