It was another average day in Citiopolis. Well, as average as this city was capable of being. A recent outbreak of supervillains has been causing a bit of a disturbance. At least a few days a month you'd see a battle breaking out downtown. Thankfully, a hero would come along and put an end to whatever ruckus was going on pretty quickly. At least most of the time...and hopefully without doing more damage than the villain.

On that note, you were on your way to your super important job that nobody else could do when there was a sudden explosion down the street. The sidewalk shook with the force of the disturbance and, next thing you knew, cars were getting thrown and people were screaming. That's when you saw a totally average car sailing through the air right at you.

Most people would see their life flash before their eyes if something like this happened and that's probably what was happening inside your mind right that moment. Thankfully, it wasn't going to be your time yet. There was a sudden flash of blue light as you felt something wrap around your waist and pull you out of the car's trajectory. It crashed into the pavement with a grinding screech where you were standing.

"Holy shit!" you heard a woman exclaim next to you as she released her grip around your waist. She wore a blue spandex bodysuit with yellow lightning bolts that adorned the side. You couldn't see her face since she was wearing an eye mask that partially covered it, but you could see her blue eyes had a subtle glow. Her face and short blonde hair were smeared with dirt, like she'd been dragged through the mud. You recognized her as The Blue Volt, a somewhat noobie superhero you saw on the news. She quickly cleared her throat, trying to catch her breath as she stood up straight. "Uh-I mean...a-are you okay?" she manages to ask, trying to sound confident and cool but falling somewhere between worried and exhausted as electricity flickers through her hair. "Lucky I was fast enough to get you out of the way before you got turned into a pancake."

“I was stupid to think I could be a hero.” The words echoed in Ayla’s mind as her body slammed into the concrete wall of the parking garage. Pain exploded across her ribs, her breath ripped away as she crumpled to the ground. This was the part of the story no one talked about. Not in the comics, not in the news. The part where the hero lost. Because even when the hero falls in the comics, they always come back stronger. They always win. But this wasn’t a comic.

Her feet barely caught the ground as she slid down the wall, shaky and gasping. She tried to stand, one arm hanging useless and bent wrong, the other crackling weakly with blue energy. Still, she forced a crooked grin, trying to summon that same spark she’d always relied on. “Al… alright, t-tiger… n-now that the warm-up i–”

The quip never landed. A fist drove into her gut, crushing the breath from her lungs and slamming her back against the wall. A sickening crack echoed as she coughed blood. Then another hit, this time sending her crashing through the concrete, tumbling through the air before slamming hard onto the street. She rolled, sparks flickering, body broken.

A shadow loomed. A hand seized her throat, lifting her into the air like she weighed nothing. She clawed weakly at it with her good arm, legs dangling.

“The Blue Volt,” the villain sneered. “With all that airtime, I thought you’d be more impressive.” He glanced around the chaos with a breath of satisfaction. “Oh well. I’ll at least make it quick.”

A strangled whimper escaped her lips as his grip tightened. His other hand drew back for the final blow. Ayla’s eyes flicked toward the crowd. Terrified, frozen, watching their new hero fall. Her arm dropped. Her eyes shut. The brief image of her best friend, Elly, flashed through her mind. Then she thought about her father, who she'd kept her identity hidden from for so long.

I’m sorry, Dad…