INTERLUDE

Taylor leaned against the brick wall of the alley, her chest heaving, her hands trembling as she clutched the crowbar. The alley was a mess of water, webbing, and shattered debris, but it wasn’t over. Not yet. Mannequin’s form jerked and twisted, his modular limbs grinding against her makeshift restraints, peeling away threads of silk and water-logged glue.

She didn’t have much time.

“Stay down,” she muttered, pushing herself off the wall. She sent another wave of bugs surging toward him, focusing on weak points in his joints, trying to gum them up again. But even as she fought to keep him contained, her heart pounded with the knowledge that this wouldn’t hold him for long. He adapted too quickly—silk and water would only slow him down for so long.

Mannequin’s head swiveled, his featureless mask zeroing in on her. A long blade slid from his arm, glinting in the dim light. Taylor’s heart clenched.

“Think, Taylor. Think,” she whispered to herself, glancing down the alley. No reinforcements. No backup. Just her and a monster that wouldn’t stop until she was dead now. Her mind raced. She needed another plan, another trap, or failing that, a way out—something.

Before she could send her swarm at him again, shadows pooled at the far end of the alley. Dark tendrils slithered along the ground, curling around debris and creeping up the walls. Taylor recognized the oppressive weight of the darkness immediately, the way it seemed to absorb all sound.

And then a familiar voice called out from the mouth of the alley.

“Taylor! Get down!”

She turned just in time to see Brian sprinting toward her, his costume streaked with grime. The shadowy tendrils flowed around him like living smoke, and as he raised his arms, they surged forward, enveloping the alley in an instant and drowning out all light and sound. For a moment, Taylor couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything but her own laboured breathing.

“Grue!” she called, relief making her voice shaky. His power was their best shot at buying time. His darkness would disorient Mannequin, disrupt his sensors, give them an opening.

“Stay close!” he ordered, his voice tense. “We’re getting out of here!”

Mannequin froze for a moment, his systems recalibrating to compensate for the sudden lack of visibility. Taylor didn’t hesitate. Using the combined sensory input of her swarm, she gained a mental image of the surroundings and darted toward Brian, her swarm retreating to cover their escape.

“He’s still moving!” Taylor yelled, pointing toward the struggling figure in the shadows.

“I see him,” Brian said grimly. The darkness tightened around Mannequin, the tendrils clawing at his limbs, slowing him further. But even encased in shadow, the Tinker didn’t stop. A sudden burst of gas hissed from his vents, dispersing the darkness around him in a sharp blast.

Mannequin lunged, one of his blades arcing toward them.

Brian shoved Taylor out of the way, and she heard the clash of metal on concrete as he barely dodged the strike himself. “We need to go, now!” he growled, pulling her to her feet.

But Mannequin wasn’t letting them escape. His movements were jerky but relentless, his modular limbs clicking and shifting as he advanced. The alleyway felt smaller with every step he took, the walls closing in around them.

Taylor’s mind raced. “We can’t outrun him,” she said, panic rising in her voice.

Brian cursed under his breath. “Then we make a stand.”

Taylor pushed her swarm forward again, a relentless tide of venomous stings and clinging silk. Together, they held their ground, a tenuous barrier against the oncoming villain. Unfortunately, Mannequin’s limbs moved with unnatural speed, cutting through the air and forcing Brian back.

Mannequin’s movements were disturbingly precise despite the damage he’d sustained. He wasn’t stopping. He wasn’t slowing. And as such, the tendrils of darkness faltered under the onslaught as Brian struggled to keep his footing and concentration.

“Damn it!” he hissed, his voice strained. “He’s too fast—”

Before he could finish, Mannequin lunged forward, his blade aimed straight for Brian’s chest.

Taylor’s heart stopped. “No!”

But then, the world exploded.

A deafening boom shook the alley, and a gold-amd-white blur slammed into Mannequin with the force of a freight train. His body crumpled under the impact, limbs snapping like twigs as he was hurled into the far wall. The ground cracked beneath the force, sending a shockwave through the narrow space.

Taylor and Brian shielded their eyes as dust and debris rained down. When the air cleared, Taylor looked up, her heart pounding.

“Glory Girl?”

The blonde figure stood amidst the rubble, her hair wild, her face streaked with tears. Her glowing aura flickered erratically, a pale light that seemed to mirror her unstable emotions.

Mannequin twitched, his shattered form struggling to rise. He tried to fight back all the while, his blades flashing, but Glory Girl was faster, stronger. She screamed—a raw, anguished sound—and brought her fists down on him again and again, until the pavement cracked beneath them.

Taylor watched, frozen. This wasn’t a fight—it was a massacre. Glory Girl wasn’t just defeating him; she was obliterating him.

“Glory Girl, stop!” Taylor shouted, stepping forward, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of metal tearing and concrete shattering.

Glory Girl didn’t stop. She kept pounding at the wreckage, her sobs echoing through the alley. “You… won’t… take… anyone… else… from… their… family!” she screamed, her voice cracking.

Whatever had happened to her, whatever had been taken from her, it had pushed her over the edge.

Brian grabbed Taylor’s arm, pulling her back. “Don’t,” he warned. “She’s not stable.”

Taylor’s chest tightened. She wanted to say something, to do something, but the sheer weight of Glory Girl’s grief held her back—each blow sending cracks spidering through his once-impenetrable frame, until finally, he lay still, broken beyond repair.

Finally, Glory Girl collapsed to her knees, her fists trembling as they rested against the ruined shell of Mannequin. She was breathing hard, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

“I—I couldn’t stop her,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I couldn’t—”

Taylor exchanged a glance with Brian, neither of them knowing what to say. The alley was silent now as Glory Girl just knelt there, staring at the ground, her hands hanging limp at her sides.

But said silence was broken by the faint sound of sirens in the distance. Taylor took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus. They couldn’t stay here. Not with the PRT on their way and Glory Girl as she was.

“Grue,” she said quietly. “We need to move.”

Brian nodded, his darkness dissipating as he stepped back. Taylor reached out, placing a tentative hand on Glory Girl’s shoulder. The other girl flinched but didn’t pull away.

“Come on,” Taylor said softly. “Let’s get out of here.”

Glory Girl didn’t answer, but after a moment, she nodded. Together, the three of them disappeared into the shadows of the alley, leaving the shattered remains of Mannequin behind.