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	Pandora transitioned seamlessly out of the hard ground of Passenger Island and into the ocean. She could travel much faster by manipulating the water currents instead of having to focus on converting the area around her into water and then sealing it back up. Zooming by fish and under passing ships, she eventually made it into Brookside. The device, as of yet, had not beeped. To be perfectly honest, Pandora wasn’t quite sure how it all worked. Technology had...somewhat passed her by, in recent years.

	As she transitioned back into concrete and dirt, Pandora began to sweep the entirety of Brookside and Watervale in order to hopefully find the source of these captured superheroes. She was travelling at about forty miles per hour. Unknowingly she was beneath a long row of commercial buildings, franchise shops and restaurants. The device she held in her palm beeped, and she glanced down at it, briefly pausing. Something just went by very fast, but it was already gone. Was it a malfunction? Treading “water”, Pandora hesitated. Carefully she began to circle the area she was in and try to pick up the signal again.

A fair distance away, a figure appeared to be slowing down from an incredibly fast speed. The street and sidewalk were barren and seemingly devoid of life, although that wasn’t too surprising given the usual activities that occured in Brookside. A few seconds later, that figure began moving again, returning to the point in which the device began to beep. The beeping seemed to last significantly longer, however, since the figure was moving at a much slower pace. 

If she was listening carefully, Pandora may have heard someone say something - the volume of the voice, however, was too low to tell if anything except the fact that it was said with a questioning tone.

Pandora studied the device questioningly, raising an eyebrow. Blowing ‘air’ bubbles between her lips, she realised there was probably some HERO who was also on the lookout that she just happened to come across. No one else would be able to know where she was unless they also had a device, and villains probably wouldn’t come to seek her out afterwards. 

Pandora floated over to where she knew the sidewalk was and emerged partially through it, only the top of her head and eyes above the surface. The three inches of the concrete around her head looked like the rippling surface of a pond. Raising an eyebrow she glanced around for the cause of the disturbance. 

A short distance away, a costumed figure was looking around frantically, and didn’t seem to notice that part of someone’s head was poking out of the ground. He was most likely the individual that the device detected, and judging by the sound of the small cube he was carrying, Pandora was correct in her guess that he had a device as well. He spoke once more, and this time was easily heard due to how close he was.

[color=8B4513]“H-Hello? Where are you? I’m here to save you probably, guys!” [/color]

	Pandora rolled her eyes and emerged further from the sidewalk, up to her waist. She leaned on the sidewalk with her elbow and supported her chin with it. [color=fdc68a]"Over here."[/color] She stated bluntly. 

The figure jumped away slightly from the source of the voice, before noticing there was a woman sticking halfway through the concrete sidewalk. He seemed to soften somewhat leaning against a nearby building as he spoke. [color=8B4513]"Oh god, you scared the crap out of me… Oh man… Okay I’m good, I’m good. Alright, I’m- Huh, you don’t really look like you need saving… Have you been kidnapped and just broke out?"[/color]

	Pandora briefly broke eye contact and glanced away. [color=fdc68a]"No. I don’t need help. I’m looking for the missing heroes, too. Obviously."[/color] She sneered, as if her being in the concrete was somehow not a questionable occurrence.  She looked him up and down. A large, bulky, black armored man who’s personality didn’t seem to match his aesthetic at all. It looked like he put it together out of things he found in his closet and a thrift store. She thought for a moment about what to say.

	[color=fdc68a]"If we’re going to work together on this it’s best we get acquainted. I’m Pandora. I can swim through the ground. You are?"[/color] She asked, gesturing expectantly towards him. 

The man seemed to deflate slightly since his assumption had been wrong, but he quickly assumed a pose that one would expect to see more often in a superhero cartoon than in actual heroic work. It seemed he had prepared to introduce himself before.

[color=8B4513]”I’m glad you’ve asked, Pandora. I’m THE BULLET! With all the speed and justice of a Bullet, I cruise through the streets of Castleburg, seeking to punish evildoers and save the citizens from evil!”[/color]

When he noticed that his listener was less than impressed, Chad coughed slightly in his hand, and dropped the pose. 

[color=8B4513]“I’m, uh… I’m pretty fast, y’know?” [/color]

Pandora nodded as she got a sense of this wannabe’s personality.  [color=fdc68a]"Right...bullets, of course, are known for being implements of all things virtuous."[/color] She said with fake enthusiasm. He was, however, a speedster. Able to dodge bullets, punch super fast, run very fast, react very quickly. A very powerful set of abilities, she assumed incorrectly.

[color=8B4513]“Thank you! Usually people just say something about Murderers using guns, and I have to tell them that THE BULLET doesn’t kill!”[/color] Chad seemed to speak in a somewhat defensive tone, and mumbled something under his breath after he finished speaking.

 [color=fdc68a]"Well, whatever. HERO didn’t inform either of us of each other’s existence, which is a good show of coordination. I suppose we ought to continue splitting up and covering more ground. If you find something, you should use this thingy to contact Hugo Powers and tell him to tell me where you are. If I find something, I’ll do the same. Sound good, Mister Bullet?"[/color] 

	Chad seemed to pause somewhat as Pandora finished speaking, and his voice was a bit more annoyed when he responded. [color=8B4513]“It’s, uh, actually THE BULLET, not Mister Bullet… easy mistake, it happens on the forums a lot. They use more, uh… explicit words though...” [/color]

He quickly shifted focus, however, and his voice was back to being a normal tone.

[color=8B4513]“W-wait, more importantly, are you sure about splitting up? Usually splitting up doesn’t turn out well for anyone. I should know, I watched a lot of Horror mo- uh, documentaries… about that.” [/color]

Chad had also seen a lot of Saturday morning cartoons, and the idea of splitting up always seemed to cause more trouble than it was worth. Of course, unbeknownst to Chad, real life was not a crappy horror movie or children’s show, and he time that could be saved far outweighed the near non-existent danger that splitting up may have caused.

The woman halfway in the ground had an expression flash across her face that was hard to describe. It was a mix of disgust and derision. She couldn’t quite tell how old he was under the mask, but he was acting like a child. Is this who Hugo Powers sends into battle? 

 [color=fdc68a]"Look, Mister Bullet, if we split up, we find them faster. If we travel together, we may never find them in time. We can use these devices to contact each other. With your super speed you should be able to react and dial me quite quickly, and with my powers I can retreat easily and contact you. So there’s nothing to be worried about. If you really want to be safe, you can just go home and watch more cartoons."[/color] She explained her plan as if she were talking to a five year old, with careful hand motions. A five year old that she couldn’t stand, apparently. 

Chad seemed to get annoyed again, but he was much quicker to respond after Pandora finished speaking. [color=8B4513]“It’s… It’s THE BULLET, it’s written out in all caps, so it seems like it’d be, uh, easier to remember.” [/color]

He sighed afterwards and seemed to admit defeat. It was a combination of Pandora being absolutely right, as well as Chad being upset he was talked down to on his first day. 

[color=8B4513]“I guess I’ll go explore the Watervale. Be careful, Pandora.[/color]

Pandora made a gesture that was somewhere between ‘duh’ and ‘finally’, and then vanished beneath the surface of the sidewalk, leaving The BULLET alone. His device would indicate that she had begun to swim towards Brookside. 

	Seeing as he had committed to his second choice, Chad turned around and made his way back to Watervale. Even if it was less likely to find them there, his familiarity with the area would make searching all the easier. Anxious from his first meeting with another Hero, Chad started running.