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The walls of The Hub reverberated with the sultry sound of Clara’s voice as she belted out a slow and seductive cover of “Nothing Else Matters.” From his favorite table in the far back corner of the club, which still provided him with a fantastic view of not only the dance floor, but the stage as well, Scott sat with him arm around Alexa as they watched Clara and Keira’s band, “The Queens of Nowhere” perform. With everything that’s gone on over the last few weeks, from Alexa’s parents coming to town and her father making Scott’s life a living hell, to the clear and present threat presented by the Hounds of Humanity, this was the first time in what seemed like a lifetime that Scott was able to spend any quality time with Alexa or any of his friends for that matter. In fact, just after returning from assisting a stranded fishing vessel in the Sea of Japan, then a quick stop in Pacific Point, California, Scott learned of the Hounds’ attack at Lost Haven University earlier in the day. The fact that the attack happened while he was away from Lost Haven bothered him. Learning of the attack after the fact, and knowing that he was too far away to help left him feeling vulnerable and angry. 

“Are you alright?” Alexa said in a whisper as she leaned in close and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before resting her body against him.

“Yeah, I was just…” he started to say but she cut him off.

“Thinking about the Hounds. Me too.” She finished his sentence. “We’ll take care of them.” She finished with an air of determination in her voice. The attack at the campus had shaken her to the core. She had been in her office at Winstone when the attack happened, and she hadn’t learned of the attack until it was too late for her to do anything. However, she decided that they will worry about the Hounds of Humanity tomorrow. 

Tonight, they will worry about each other.

Scott looked out at the dance floor and watched the crowd, and he noticed a difference between this crowd tonight and past crowds. There was a palpable tension in the air. People were uncomfortable, they were afraid. The Hounds of Humanity had been effective in striking fear into the hearts of people all across the country, however, these people that were in The Hub on this night refused to allow that fear to rule their lives. So they were here, singing, dancing, and drinking. Then suddenly, something told Scott that something wasn’t right. There was a screech of tires just outside of The Hub. 

“What’s wrong?” Alexa asked as Scott began looking around the club, trying to find any signs of trouble.

“I’m not sure, I just hear…” he was cut off as the lights inside the club went out, and there was a sudden flash of movement as the doors burst open and a number of men in black body armor rushed inside. “They’re here.” Scott said.

Scott looked around the club lately, and even with the lights out there was still some light coming in from the streets. He knew that he had to do something, or people were going to die. Unfortunately, there were too many people inside the club, and there was nowhere for him to change out of his civilian clothes. It was clear that tonight Icon would not be making an appearance; Scott would have to deal with this without the benefit of his alter ego. 

”Stay here.” He said to Alexa before springing into action. Scott bounded from the table and moved toward the Hounds who were at the front of the door. However, he wasn’t fast enough. Before he could reach the assailants, they had already begun shooting. 

Scott watched bodies dropping to the floor as he made his way toward the first of the Hounds, who he met with a backhand slap that sent the man soaring through the air, crashing hard into two other gunmen which sent them crashing into the wall behind them. He then turned his attention to another gunman, who was targeting the patrons at the bar. Scott raced toward the man, moving faster than the average person, but not so fast as to draw attention to himself. He hit the man with a right cross, dropping the gunman before he was able to get a single shot off.

“Oh no, you’re not having all the fun.” Alexa said as she joined the fray. She was met almost immediately by one of the Hounds. She stopped short as he leveled his assault rifle at her, but instead of backing away, she motioned like she was throwing a punch, and instead of making contact with her fist, a small bolt of electricity jumped from her hand and hit the man in the chest, causing him to jump back as if he’d been hit by a truck, the electric shock he received causing him to empty his bowels.

Up on the stage, the band had gotten to safety. Clara head lead her band mates to the back where they would try to get out of the back exit. However, Keira stayed behind. She ducked behind one of the large amplifiers and watched the chaos as it unfolded. She wanted to help, to tend to the wounded if she could, however, the flying bullets kept her pinned down, forcing her to be a spectator to the carnage. Amid the chaos, she saw that some people were fighting back. While most of the club’s patrons ran for cover, some were fighting back. Of those who were fighting, she immediately saw Scott, one of the club owners and someone who had become a close friend was right in the thick of it. He knocked a couple of the gunmen down with a single punch, then spun around and reverse clotheslined another, which sent him crashing halfway across the dance floor. Then she watched as another of the Hounds crept up behind him and pulled out a revolver, and fired three shots which looked to hit him square in the back. She cried out for her friend, then looked on in amazement as he simply turned around and shoved him, which sent the man flying.

“Oh my…” She uttered to herself in disbelief.

The attack was short, but brutal. Fortunately, Scott and Alexa, along with a number of the other club goers acted swiftly and drove the Hounds of Humanity thugs off. When all was said and done, fifty three people were wounded, twelve were killed. However, if it wasn’t for the actions of a brave few, the number of casualties would have been far greater. As the LHPD secured the scene, Alexa walked up to Scott and put her arm around his waist. He looked down to her and as their eyes met, a silent resolve was shared between the two lovers.

The Hounds of Humanity were going to be stopped before they could be allowed to hurt anyone else.