"Yo, Erin, have you heard?" Whoever was on the other end of the door began knocking violently.

Erin groaned. With her lifestyle, sleep was hard to come by. She appreciated what little she got for reasons just like this one. As the knocking continued, she shouted at the door, "I haven't heard shit, but if that's you, Mateo, I'm about to hear your fuckin' screams if you don't shut the fuck up!" The knocking promptly stopped. With a scowl, Erin picked up the pack of cigarettes she kept next to her mattress and took out a cigarette. She had eleven left; that'd maybe last her two days. She took one and lit it, opening the front door to her apartment.

As she expected, it was Mateo. That Colombian fuck. "What the hell am I supposed to have heard, Mateo?" she growled, pulling the cigarette from her mouth.

Mateo was unimpressed by her attempted intimidation. Sure, he had stopped knocking, but he had been close to Erin long enough to know that she wouldn't actually hurt anyone she didn't really have to. "Turn on your damn TV. It's all over the news," Mateo pushed his way through Erin and into the apartment. He turned on the TV for her, flipping to one of the dozens of news channels.

Erin walked over slowly, paying close attention to the reporters on screen. As she processed what was going on, her bitterness over being woken up turned into that familiar feeling of intense anger that seemed to run in the family. She was about to open her mouth to speak, when another figure appeared in her doorway. Erin would've been upset had that figure not been her best friend, Amelia. Hell, sometimes Erin had to remind herself that basically all of her closest friends lived in the same damn building as her.

Amelia glanced at the TV and nodded at Mateo. "So, you're going, right? Erin, you have to go."

Erin threw the remains of her cigarette butt at the wall, adding to the many stains of ash resulting from many thrown cigarette butts. "Blue Harbor is almost two hundred fuckin' miles away, Amy. If I could figure out how to fly I could be there pretty quick but I can barely keep myself afloat for a few minutes."

Amelia began to speak, but the ring of Erin's phone cut her off. Erin grit her teeth when she checked the Caller ID: Robert. That asshole. She answered the phone.

"Oh, good, you picked up. I wasn't sure if you would or not," Robert seemed to hiss into her ear. Erin gripped her phone tightly.

"What the fuck do you want now, Robert?"

"Well, I heard the news about Blue Harbor and thought you might want to head over there. Only one of us can fly, if I recall correctly."

Erin began to shake. She knew where this was going. "I don't need your help. I can get there myself."

"You can get there yourself in two hours. I can get you there twenty minutes from now."

"Yeah, but you can also get back just as quickly. I don't get that luxury." Erin looked at Amy - the look the French girl was giving her seemed to insist that Erin take whatever offer Robert had in mind. Erin was split; she wanted to get to Blue Harbor and help deal with Meltdown, but she knew Robert would take full advantage of the absence of any heroes in Angel City. Why he was so intent on breaking everything as a result of his rage was lost on her, but Erin knew that leaving him unchecked in the city would cause a lot of damage. On the other hand, who knew how much damage Meltdown would cause at Blue Harbor?

Erin knew she didn't have much of a choice. A nuclear meltdown at Blue Harbor would be catastrophic for both Angel City and Valle Dorado. "I'm gonna kick your ass for this, Robert."

"That's what you think. Now hurry up and get your ass on the roof." Erin knew Robert was grinning through the phone, and it took all her effort to not smash her phone there and then. The phone beeped as Robert hung up. Erin put it in her pocket.

Erin threw on a brown leather jacket and zipped it up, heading towards her window. She looked at Mateo and Amy as she climbed out to the fire escape. "I'll call you when I'm wrapped up at Blue Harbor. Robert will be coming back first, so text me a play-by-play of what he's up to if you can." Mateo and Amy nodded, and Erin launched herself off the fire escape and to the roof.

There was Robert, standing all proud and mighty. Erin wanted to hit him, but she needed him first. "Grab my hands, sis. Just like when we were kids," Robert smiled darkly, knowing the kind of advantage he would have with Erin out of the city. It had been too long since he was last active, and the Blue Harbor development was perfect for him. He'd be free to make as much noise as possible, and maybe steal a bit of cash along the way.

Erin grabbed Robert, and the two departed for Blue Harbor.

[hr]
As they neared Blue Harbor, Erin spotted Meltdown, being confronted by someone else in what looked like a ninja outfit. "Drop me there. And don't think I'm not coming back for you, you fucking dick."

"Man, if you weren't my sister, I might just drop you from up here," Robert faked being insulted, beginning his descent towards the pair of metahumans on the ground. Robert dropped Erin ten feet from the ground, Erin slowing her descent using her own powers. She glanced back up at him, and he gave a mock salute at her. "See you later, Erin. I've got some mayhem of my own to cause," Robert grinned, flying off back towards Angel City.

"Bastard," Erin muttered, turning back around towards Meltdown and the other metahuman. She opened her fists, preparing to launch herself into the air. "So, whose ass am I kicking first, huh?"