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Of all things that April Newton might've imagined doing with her day, "fending off an alien invasion" was certainly not one of them. She had hardly had time to process what was happening before it happened. In an instant, the skies above Century City were swarmed by honest-to-God spaceships, and they made no illusions about coming in peace. April hadn't been given even a moment to think, to breathe, to strategize. She watched in dazed horror as the invaders opened fire on downtown, bursts of white-green light lancing through skyscrapers and pummeling the street. The city was still reeling from the largest earthquake in living memory, and now these vultures were compounding the casualties. Horror swiftly turned to anger, which April channeled into her flight as she screamed towards the fray.

It was like the Sentinel drone attack multiplied by a factor of ten. On that day, the destruction had at least been centered around the City Hall area; by contrast, the aliens were attacking indiscriminately, spreading over the entire city like a plague of locusts. They were faster, too, able to act independently in ways that drones simply couldn't. In short, it was a challenge the likes of which Miss Megaton had never faced. If ever there were a time for her to find out just how much she'd grown as a hero, this was it. Not that she had been left much of a choice: if she failed, Century City would not survive the day.

[i][color=ADFF2F]No pressure.[/color][/i]

Whatever these things were, they were fast. [i]Incredibly[/i] fast. Even at her top speed, Miss Megaton was struggling to keep up with their exceptional maneuverability. As she weaved between buildings, she got a bead on one of the rogue starfighters. Its flat black hull seemed to swallow the sunlight, and from this distance, she realized that calling them "vultures" was not far off; the chassis had an altogether bird-like appearance. Wing-mounted laser turrets provided the spacecraft's firepower, but -- much to the alien pilot's misfortune -- the ship did not appear to possess any rear defenses.

It would have been all too easy to simply take the shot, blow the starfighter and its pilot to kingdom come. But Miss Megaton wasn't a killer, and whatever else they invaders might have been, they were clearly sentient. She would have to find a better way. [color=ADFF2F][b]"Let's try clipping your wings,"[/b][/color] she muttered to herself, taking aim. She fired a small burst, which connected with a previously invisible energy shield. The air around the starfighter's wing rippled in a bright yellow hue, dispersing her blast harmlessly. Now alerted to Miss Megaton's presence, the pilot yanked the spacecraft sharply down, curling away from her in an evasive maneuver. [color=ADFF2F][b]"Shit!"[/b][/color] the hero blurted out as she dove after it.

[i][color=ADFF2F]Lesson learned,[/color][/i] she thought as she accelerated to keep pace with the nimble ship, [i][color=ADFF2F]They're not as fragile as they look.[/color][/i] She wouldn't make that mistake again. Her cape snapped around her ankles as she tried to match the starfighter turn for turn. Her powers gave her an above-average tolerance for g-forces, but even still, she felt her field of vision narrowing as she struggled to keep pace. Miss Megaton abruptly broke off the direct pursuit and spun wide around an approaching building. These invaders may have had the advantage in speed, but they were dealing with Miss M on her home turf. If she couldn't fly faster, she'd just have to fly smarter.

Sure enough, her shortcut brought her around on the spacecraft's flank. [color=ADFF2F][b]"Gotcha!"[/b][/color] With a clear shot at the ship's wing, Miss Megaton adjusted the strength of her radiation blast to compensate for the energy shield. This time, her shot struck true. There was a flash of yellow light as the shield failed, followed by a small explosion. The loss of its wing sent the starfighter into an immediate tailspin. Miss Megaton watched as the damaged craft spiraled down to the street, smashing through the glass awning of a nearby bus stop as it crash-landed. Nodding to herself, the hero said, [color=ADFF2F][b]"That's one,"[/b][/color] and set to the task of finding another vulture to ground.

She certainly didn't have to look far. With how crowded Century City's airspace had become, Miss Megaton had her pick of the lot. She set her sights on a starfighter just above her current position; somehow, she doubted that the pilot would anticipate an attack from below. Squinting into the sunlight, she fired herself at the hostile spacecraft like a human torpedo. At her top speed, Miss Megaton could be a force to be reckoned with. This time, she didn't bother with any radiation blasts. She didn't want to chance a miss and alert the alien pilot. Instead, as she drew near, she threw out a fist and braced for impact. The energy shield proved no match for her as she punched straight through the starfighter's wing.

Peaking high in the sky, Miss Megaton took the opportunity to target multiple starfighters at once. As she twirled to a stop, she held out both hands and fired radiation beams in a wide arc around her body. Like highly-concentrated lasers, the beams cut through any ship unfortunate enough to find itself in their path. Miss Megaton saw a fireworks show of yellows, reds, and oranges as her attack severed wings and cut through engines. In one fell swoop, the cylinder below her was almost entirely cleared of hostiles. At the same time, however, her show of force had drawn the ire of the swarm, and suddenly there were more ships than she cared to count closing on her current position.

[color=FF4500]"How's it going up there?"[/color] came Jefferson's voice suddenly.

Miss Megaton grit her teeth. [color=ADFF2F][b]"Not the best time to talk!"[/b][/color] As she shot forward, she felt the heat of laser blasts skimming the surface of her cape and narrowly avoiding her head and shoulders. She was pinned down by enemy fire on all sides, and she felt her pursuers closing the gap with each passing second. Spinning over onto her back, Miss Megaton looked down at her feet and returned fire with a volley of her own; the nimble starfighters easily swerved out of danger, but it spread them out enough to create a brief opening to make some maneuvers. She righted herself and banked hard, using a nearby building for cover.

The sudden change in direction had worked as well as Miss Megaton might've hoped; while some of the enemy fighters stayed tight on her tail, many had broken off pursuit and were now scattered. With a little more room to operate, the hero went back on offense. She spun herself around, catching the nearest pilot unawares as she squared up her shot. The spacecraft swerved, but it could not avoid having its wing blown off. Miss Megaton surged forward through the resulting explosion, using it as cover to get the drop on the alien's wingman. By the time the smoke had cleared, it was too late for the next starfighter to evade a scatter shot of radioactive bursts that perforated its engine and sent it tumbling to the earth.

There was little time to celebrate, however. Miss Megaton felt the wind knocked out of her lungs as a starfighter finally connected on one of their shots. Absorbing the laser blast in the back, Century City's lone defender was thrown through the air at incredible speed. She hardly had time to brace for impact as a high-rise rose up suddenly to meet her. Crashing through the plate glass windows, Miss Megaton was driven through no less than seven cubicles in what appeared to be a mundane office building. To add insult to injury, a computer monitor fell from the eighth cubicle's desk and cracked her on the shoulders. Wincing, she pushed the damaged electronic aside as she clamored to her feet.

With wide eyes, Miss Megaton looked up to see one of the enemy ships through the hole that she had just punched through the window. There was a flash of light as the laser cannons powered up, and it was all Miss M could do to project a radiation shield in time. The barrage hammered into the side of the building, sending glass shards and shredded paper everywhere. She felt the impact against her shield, each blast another jolt up her arms. Her feet began to slide, and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold the protection long. She quickly changed tack, channeling her energy into the shield until it expanded out in a wave. The eruption of force was more than the spacecraft could handle, as it got swatted out of the sky. It [i]also[/i] had the unfortunate effect of turning that floor into a giant crater, but at least the building had seemingly been evacuated in time.

With a moment to breathe, Miss M brought a finger to her ear and buzzed Jefferson, who was no doubt watching everything unfold from his homemade "command center." Through the gap that was once the side of a building, Miss Megaton could see the ongoing destruction enveloping downtown. [color=ADFF2F][b]"Jeff, I'm doing what I can here, but there's just one of me and so many of them,"[/b][/color] she said, deflated.

His response was sympathetic yet clear. [color=FF4500]"Well, I wouldn't count on the cavalry coming to help out,"[/color] he explained. [color=FF4500]"Ships like this have also touched down in Pacific Point, Lost Haven... Anyone who's ever donned a cape is up to their neck in this."[/color]

She sighed. [color=ADFF2F][b]"There's gotta be a better way. In the time it'll take me to wipe out these drones..."[/b][/color] She let her voice trail off. Something in the distance caught her eye. Focusing her vision to increase receptivity to light -- an ability that Jefferson had been training her on and had lovingly dubbed "telescopic vision" -- she was able to see with supernatural clarity a sleek helicopter swerving between buildings, currently being pursued by a trio of alien starfighters. Furrowing her brow, she told Jefferson, [color=ADFF2F][b]"Hold that thought,"[/b][/color] and took off on an intercept course.

The aliens were too focused on their quarry to see Miss Megaton coming. Dispatching two of them with quick radiation blasts, she swung around to get behind the third -- but not before it finally connected on a glancing shot that took out the helicopter's tail rotor. As the civilian craft began to spin out, Miss M wasted no time neutralizing the threat with a radiation beam through the vulture's wing. Once the starfighter was gone, she accelerated to catch up with the spiraling helicopter. Diving underneath it, Miss Megaton took hold of the craft's hull and guided it to the nearest unoccupied rooftop. She set the large machine down as its engines and main rotor wound to a stop.

At this distance, she was finally able to make out the Zenith Dynamics logo on the side of the helicopter. That made her frown. Her frown only intensified when the door to the helicopter swung open, and she saw the now-familiar face of Isaac Vance, Zenith's CEO. For his part, Vance didn't seem nearly as bothered by encountering her. As he removed his headset, Vance stepped out of the busted helicopter and smiled. [color=9370DB]"That's the second time you've saved my life in only a few short months,"[/color] he remarked. [color=9370DB]"Once more, and I'll have to think about putting you on retainer."[/color]

She was in no mood to humor him. Vance may not have been working for Zenith Dynamics when her father and her best friend Daisy's father were killed in an "industrial accident," but he still represented the company she associated with all that pain. Zenith was hiding something about that day, and April wouldn't rest until she found out what it was. [color=ADFF2F][b]"In case you hadn't noticed, this isn't the best time to be flying. That little stunt could've gotten you and your pilot killed. Now, if you'll excuse me--"[/b][/color]

[color=9370DB]"Wait!"[/color] She was halfway turned around when he reached out and touched her arm. Not forcefully, but enough to cause her head to snap back around. Her eyes flashed green for a moment, and Vance held up his hand in surrender. [color=9370DB]"I wasn't up there for a joyride,"[/color] he explained, [color=9370DB]"I was [i]trying[/i] to get your attention. And whaddaya know? It worked."[/color] He offered a nervous laugh that went unreciprocated.

A vulture buzzed overhead. Vance flinched, anticipating an attack, while Miss Megaton held strong. Still, to be safe, she watched it pass before returning her attention to the man in front of her. [color=ADFF2F][b]"What do you want, Vance?"[/b][/color] she asked, seeing no reason to mince words.

[color=9370DB]"To help,"[/color] he replied somewhat wearily. As he began reaching for something inside his jacket -- a movement that made Miss Megaton's body tense -- he continued, [color=9370DB]"You're never gonna stop 'em all, not like this. Your only chance -- [i]our[/i] only chance -- is to cut off the head of the snake."[/color] As he said that, he nodded in the direction of the monolithic mothership that had been ominously hovering above the city. Finally, he produced a large metal disc and held it out for Miss Megaton to see. [color=9370DB]"This device will disrupt their communication frequencies; they won't able to coordinate their attack. With any luck, they'll be forced to pull back."[/color]

She raised an eyebrow. It sounded too good be true, which often meant it was. Still, she was in no position to turn down an offer of assistance. [color=ADFF2F][i]"What do I have to do?"[/i][/color]

[color=9370DB]"Plug and play,"[/color] Vance replied as he dropped the device into her hand. [color=9370DB]"But to get them all, you'll have to attach it to a computer on the mothership."[/color] Miss Megaton grimaced. Vance could try to make it sound simple, but she knew a frontal assault on that ship was going to be no easy task. Seeing her expression, he offered, [color=9370DB]"You've got this."[/color]

His vote of confidence carried little weight in Miss Megaton's eyes, but a part of her appreciated it all the same. Tucking the device under her arm, she set her jaw and took off in the direction of the monolith.