A nervous looking man in glasses stands in the shadow of a skyscraper, checking his phone. A black van screeches to a halt, and four men in black outfits, wearing black masks, dive out and run for the man in glasses. He sees them and runs, shouting for help.

A woman in a red costume appears on a nearby rooftop, nocks an arrow, and sends it flying. It hits one of the men in black, expanding into a net that brings him to the ground. She jumps to the next rooftop, trying to keep up as the man in glasses as he sprints in a panic away. Each of the three men in black outfits draws a baton simultaneously, their movements oddly synchronised. The man in glasses runs under an overhead train track, heading for the bright lights of a theatre in the distance.

Standing on the overhead train pillar is a woman dressed in a blue costume, watching the chase. She reaches out a hand towards the railway overhead power, and an arc of lightning flies to her hand. Then two more lightning bolts from below. An explosion, and the lights go out everywhere around. “Damn”, she says, looking down at a glowing and melted electricy transformer at ground level.

The sudden change of light surprises the woman in red, whose arrow flies a little wide, missing another of the men in black suits.

High on a nearby tower block, two men in costume look down at a whole section of city blocks go dark. They both jump from the roof, heading towards the darkness.

A black page is illustrated only with flashes of lightning, each one showing the four heroes engaging with the men in black. The man in glasses has run away, and the men in black flee once they realise they fight powered heroes. A notebook, lying on the rubble, and a gloved hand reaching down to take it.

A panel shows one of the heroes walking away… then he turns back. “Rakshasa”, he says. “You all look like you could use a little guidance.”

A four panel spread across two pages

Rakshasa

Red

Nightfox

Joule

Scarlett and Sienna are walking along the sea-wall at night, near the closed-up yacht club, discussing television. Scarlett hears a voice call out, asking for help – from the water. They both go to look, and there’s a blue, teenage girl who seems to have gills, in the water. “I sensed you were.. special and might help”, she says – and explains that her young brother, who is also blue, is missing. Scarlett and Sienna agree to look for him – and when they discover tracks that suggest he headed into town along with someone who leaves tracks inches deep in the grass – they change into their costumes… as Red and Joule.

The next panel shows them underground, outside what looks like a rave in an abandoned bus garage. “Who’s going in?”, Joule asks.

Rakshasa and Nightfox are on a rooftop looking down at a leathery skinner teenager running away from a shop. Rakshasa touches Nightfox on the shoulder, and asks “what do you see?”. Nightfox’s view of the street is drawn inverted black and white, and shows two police officers with guns drawn approaching around the corner. Nightfox says, “The cops. He’ll run into them. They’ll shoot.” The two of them drop down in front of the running boy. “Drop it”, says Rakshasa. The boy drops the bag, and they pull him into the shadows. The police run past, picking up the bag, and head towards the shop where the alarm is still going off.

“They’ll burn down my father’s house”, says the leatherskinned boy in a panic. “Who?”, asks Rakshasa. “The Outfit. No-one can stop them.”. Rakshasa says “Storm City is protected now. Tell us where to find them, and go home”

Joule is inside the rave, looking around. The old garage is full of people dancing. All sorts of people. Men in suits, people in wannabe superhero costumes. Obvious mutants in normal clothing. Homeless people… they’re dancing as well. She reaches out with her electrical senses… then pauses. “There’s another electrical power here”, she says softly on the communicator. Then reaches out to try and find the source of the power. The panel shows red waves of sound coming from the speakers, then… Joule is just dancing like the rest, her mission forgotten.

Rakshasa and Nightfox meet Red, who’s standing outside the depot. “I can’t go in, I’ll be recognised. Joule’s gone in to look for this blue boy.” Nightfox says, “We’re looking for a pair of mobsters, from the Outfit. ” “Joule’s not responding to the communicator”, Red says. Nightfox heads inside..

The waves of music wash over Nightfox, and for a moment he starts to dance, then he shakes hiself free. “No”, he says.. then into the communicator “Hang the DJ!”, and he flying leaps over a barrier towards the DJ.

TO BE CONTINUED