The sharply dressed CEO slowly paces in his spotless, white lab. In front of him lie captured teens wrapped in mechanical tentacles against the flat wall. "I had Alfonse run a background check on all of you. You don't go to summer school. Half of you are barely passing normal classes." Raymond stops at Vee and leans in. "What are you really here for?" The hat on her head falls, revealing her black and white hair as she shouts, "You kidnapped Miss Steel! And you did it with a mech suit! Just like the one you built in the 80s, Power Metal!"

The teen girl's claim seemed to pause Raymond for a moment. After a few seconds of perplexion, the CEO begins to laugh a little. Now all of the band are confused. "Out of all the things I've been accused of in my years of business, that is the most wild accusation I've heard. Why would you even say something like that?" Vee yells with a steel face. "Because I was there!"

The smile on the inventor's face falls to a state of shock. "You know, the hair should've given it away." His grin returns. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I had nothing to do with your mother's death." "She's not dead!" Vee says, wrestling with the metal tentacles, "You kidnapped her! I know it was you! I heard your voice!" Now Raymond turns serious; his eyes show a certain level of empathy. He walks back to his desk and retrieves his bulky laptop. "The IBS released this footage today. I think you should watch it." Somehow Chester manages to laugh at the acronym, much to the others' disappointment.

Raymond places the laptop on the countertop in front of Vee. On the screen plays a poor quality CCTV video of Cerro Gordo High School's baseball field. Miss Steel can barely be made out, as well as Death Metal approaching her. A gruff, southern voice in low bitrate speaks. "Not talkative tonight?...You never had the best English...Iris, scan her vitals." Vee's mind returns to the night of the event as a British female voice speaks. "Sir, Miss Steel's heart has stopped." With a press of the spacebar, the CEO stops the video and closes the bulky laptop.

Now Vee wears a look of distress. "That's not right. He didn't sound like that." Rolling a chair from the desk, Raymond sits in front of her. His hands unite as he leans forward. "Trauma can affect how we recall things." "No." "This man's suit said her heart stopped." "NO!! I felt her heartbeat! She's ALIVE!!" "You have half of her power, right?" Vee freezes at the statement, so he continues. "Steel skin, light beams, heartlink. I've only ever seen you use steel skin in the news."

Lajon, Amy, and Chester look at each other with concern. Raymond was starting to make sense. "Last year, September 11th," says the CEO with a somber expression, "I lost my mother to the towers." By now Vee couldn't speak, only fight back her watery eyes. "I tried to deny it. Told myself it didn't happen...then I came home to dad all alone...he didn't last long without her." Despite twisting her face to stop it, a single tear escaped the girl's wild, angry eyes. Raymond carefully reached out his human hand to touch her shoulder. "Please take my advice...grieve."

With intense speed and strength never seen before, Vee breaks out of the mechanical tentacles. Her steel hands grasp Raymond by the throat, causing fear to enter his eyes. As the crying teen chokes her enemy, his face gradually loses its worry. Despite death knocking at his door, Raymond remains calm, while Vee's battle against tears continues to fail. Gradually her grip begins to weaken, until finally she lets go.

Rubbing his neck with his human hand, the freed Raymond clicks the mousepad on his laptop with his metal hand. The teens are released from the mechanical tentacles, causing Chester to drop head first on the cold floor. "Finally! I could feel all the blood in my body going to my head!" Amy puts a gentle hand on his head, then turns to Vee in sorrow. Lajon hugs the crying girl tightly, who struggles to clearly ask, "Is...is he right?" "I'm not sure. I'm sorry, Vee." He too sheds a tear on her hair, as Chester and Amy join the group hug.

Watching it all, Raymond opens the elevator doors and says, "I deeply apologize for all that's happened and wish I could do more." Vee wipes her eyes with her flannel sleeve and glares at him, unsure of what to believe anymore. Lajon helps her stand and leads the band to the elevator. He nods at Raymond, perhaps to give thanks. As they begin to enter, something outside the window catches the CEO's eyes. He shoves the teens in the elevator. Before they can understand why, an explosion shatters the window and shakes the entire skyscraper.

Inside the elevator doors begin to close, but Vee quickly gets up and forces them open with steel hands. "Wait!" says Lajon. This doesn't stop her from hitting the down button, and sending them away. Vee stands in the lab and finds Raymond crouching under a counter. However, what she found in the broken glass wall rocked her entire world. Death Metal's armored boots land on the edge of the floor, as he announces his presence. "What a great day for flying, Raymond! How 'bout I show you how high this suit of mine can go?"

With small cuts on his clothes and skin, Raymond crawls out from under the counter and stands. "Armstrong?" "You guessed it, pal," says the tough southern man, opening his faceplate to show his gray bearded face, "I'm here to discuss our past business." Vee looks back and forth as the men exchange words. "Business? We came to an agreement. I dropped my lawsuits against you!" "Lawyers, juries, judges. That ain't how real men settle disagreements." Raymond rolls his. "Right. Men blast holes in skyscrapers. You're insane!"

Armstrong deploys his left arm with rocketing speed. Raymond is taken by the hand by the detached arm and dragged across the room to his business rival. "Let's go for a ride, pal." *CLANG!* With mighty strength, a metal fist strikes Armstrong in the chest, sending him stumbling off the floor to the street below. Vee catches Raymond by his prosthetic arm. In this moment, the teen realized the opportunity. If she was so certain Raymond kidnapped or possibly killed her mother, this was the perfect chance to return the favor.

Raymond dangles above the thirty-two story drop, looking down and back up at the super powered teen holding him. Much to his relief, she lifts him up to safety. "Thank you," the CEO says out of breath, "Now get out of here before he returns!" "No..." Just as Raymond warned, Armstrong flies back up and spots Vee's metal face and arms. "...I need something to punch." "Lil' Miss Steel!" says the southern man, "I should've killed you like your mama that day! Guess there's always second chances!"