DC: Zoom

"I'm here, reporting live," the news Reporter said, her voice tense. "Footage has surfaced from last night, showing a man identified as Zoom murdering the captain inside the police station, along with several officers. Please be advised, the footage you are about to see is graphic and disturbing."

Charlotte sat in the classroom, watching the screen as the teacher played the footage, her eyes wide with satisfaction.

"I think I'm finally moving," Mr. Lawson muttered, letting out a heavy sigh.

"In further news, the captain and several officers who were murdered last night appear to have been working with the Crimsons. The FBI uncovered extensive evidence in the captain's office, and on his desk, a single word was carved into the wood—Guilty."

Charlotte grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she headed for the door.

"Bye, Mr. Lawson," she said over her shoulder.

"Yeah, bye," Mr. Lawson waved. "Tell your brother I said hello."

"Of course," she replied with a small smile before stepping out.

Her thoughts lingered on the news. Looks like my brother made a big scene. Give him an inch, and he'd take a mile. But what could she do? He didn't care about human life—he never had. And yet… there was still something there. Some piece of humanity buried deep inside.

Before deleting the alley footage, he had let someone go. A junkie—a woman Charlotte knew.

I would of killed her. She wasn't innocent. She had a child, yet she still poisoned herself.

And her brother had spared her.

Charlotte exhaled. Maybe there's still something left of him after all.

"Hey."

Charlotte barely spared Joseph a glance as he stepped in front of her, his expression expectant.

"What do you want?" she asked, voice flat.

"Nothing much," he said with an easy grin. "Want me to walk you home?"

She scoffed. "No thanks. Unlike you, I actually have a permit to drive."

 She brushed past him without a second glance, making her way to the parking lot. Slipping into her brother's car, she gripped the wheel, her fingers tapping against the leather.

Why does he even need a car? she wondered. He can run anywhere in seconds.

Not that she was complaining—at least she got to enjoy this Hellcat.

As she cruised through Central City, the neon glow of streetlights flickered against her window. On the poorer side of town, shadows loomed, stretching over clusters of homeless figures curled beneath tattered blankets.

Then—she heard it.

A cry for help. Faint. Distant. Something no normal human would have picked up.

Her hands tightened on the wheel. Without hesitation, she pulled over, reaching for the black medical mask in her glove compartment and slipping it over the lower half of her face.

As she stepped out, the air around her shifted. Her raven-black hair shimmered, turning silver in an instant.

She followed the desperate voice into a dark alley, her presence unnoticed at first. A group of men loomed over a terrified woman, their laughter low and sickening.

One of them caught sight of her.

"Damn. There goes our fun," he muttered as the woman took the chance to break free, sprinting past Charlotte without looking back.

Another man turned, his gaze dragging over Charlotte's frame. A slow smirk curled on his lips. "Eh, no big deal. This one's younger… and has more curves."

Charlotte felt bile rise in her throat.

One of them reached for her, fingers stretching toward her chest—

And then, in a single instant, his hand was gone.

A wet, gurgling scream tore from his throat as blood sprayed across the alley walls.

The men scattered, their screams tearing through the alley as they ran for their lives.

Charlotte stood motionless, unfazed. Dark, razor-sharp wings—pure black energy, lethal as blades—unfurled from her back, gleaming under the dim light. Her eyes burned a deep crimson, glowing with an eerie intensity.

Without hesitation, she struck.

Heads hit the ground before their bodies even registered what had happened. Silence fell.

Her wings faded into nothing, her silver hair darkening back to its natural color. At the same time, her glowing silver eyes flickered red for a brief moment before settling back to normal.

Stepping over the carnage, she made her way back to her car, calm, unbothered.

Before leaving, she did one last check—no cameras.

Satisfied, she drove off without a second thought.

Unknown location:

"Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events?" Talia mused, her voice smooth yet laced with intrigue. "You're telling me your entire operation in Central City was dismantled… by a single man?"

She studied the image, her sharp eyes narrowing. "Impressive. He's fast."

"The Crimsons are willing to pay handsomely for his death," the voice on the other end said. "That bastard cost me valuable merchandise."

Talia smirked. "Then you'd better make it worth our while." Without another word, she ended the call.

She turned to her assassins, snapping her fingers. "Listen carefully." Her gaze hardened, a silent command in her expression. "Find out who he is. If he has loved ones… take them. Leverage is a powerful tool."

One of her men hesitated. "Ma'am, how do we stop something like that?"

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she spoke, her eyes glinting with something almost playful. "We've got weapons laced with meta-power dampeners, but as we saw they didn't do much. However, there's one thing—this footage of the red speedster being slowed down by some kind of freeze gun. Now, that… could be the key to taking him out."