Tracy Chance ducked, narrowly avoiding the swiping limb of one of the beasts, its arms ending in a sharp point of bone where the flesh seemed to run out - which it wielded like blades as it pressed its attack. She was forced to move on the back foot, Nathan too retreating as it took potshots at the two of them, the boy managing to catch one of the hooking blows on the edge of his blade, forcing it up with enough strength that the gangly monster nearly lost its balance - wavering on long, thin legs that seemed more shin than anything. 

Tracy saw the opportunity, running at a full sprint before leaping, pulling her legs in, and forcing them out in a dual kick, her boots meeting the thin chest of the mantis-person, sending it sprawling back in a heap of itself. 

An arrow whizzed past her skull, and she peered back just long enough to receive a nod from Lord Valor, the hero's hood raised and casting a shadow over his face through which only the purple glow of his goggles was visible. Its tip burst and expanded, forming a net of a similar steel alloy as the grappling blades, which wrapped itself around the mantis-man, tightening more with the creature’s struggling. 

She hated how easy it had been to slip back into things, how natural this all felt when she knew it was everything but, and yet…Tracy couldn’t shake the sensation in her chest. A tingling, nauseating sort of excitement like an addict receiving the fix they’d both been yearning for an dreading. 

She’d missed it, as much as she knew better. She’d missed this so damn much. 

Tracy held both grappling blades with points facing Monster Maker’s mount, its legs both the width of tree trunks making ample targets for the maneuver, as she tried her best to harden her resolve for the task at hand.

It had been years since she’d done anything quite so acrobatic and physically demanding, scaling the bridge having been the first time in a while she’d pushed herself in such a fashion. She knew there was no room for slip-ups putting herself within arm's distance of that thing. Its skull was flat and wide, eyes dull and expressionless in a face that looked almost serenely placid. Still, the rest of it was a swollen mass of muscle with four large arms that appeared to have come from separate bodies, and in-built valleys in the flesh of its shoulders where Monster Maker held tight.

It would crush her instantly if it got ahold of her. For a moment, she felt the urge to tell Nathan they’d have to reconsider the plan. Somewhere in the city, Jenna lay in a hospital bed because of people like him, scum who chose to unleash terror on the world, breaking others as a result of their own brokenness. Her hands tightened around the handle of the blades, cold resolve creeping through her every fiber.

No, there would be no reconsidering.

Reconsidering, and second-guessing, were all a luxury for Tracy Chance. And right now, for better or worse, she was Galaxy, she was the woman trained by one of the world's greatest goddamn heroes, she was the woman in the mask - and some bad guys needed stopping. For all the complexities her life had thrown at her, this was the rare, simple equation.

She clicked down, firing the points of both blades simultaneously, lowering herself into a crouch as they met flesh. Another click, and she was being pulled across the glass with a slingshot-like effect. Galaxy was almost sledding through the dirt as she struggled to maintain balance, the muscles of her core burning with exertion as she drew nearer to the monster.

It was above her now, time seeming to slow despite the suddenness of it all. Tracy sucked in a breath, doing her best to hear only the pounding in her heart as she let her mind empty of all the panic and worry that was likely only to cause her to freeze up in a key moment, momentum drawing her nearer to her target as she slingshot herself forward. 

“Kill her, crush her skull, kill her now!” Monster Maker’s voice was a shriek, his face red and bulging spittle flying free with every word. 

The hulking beast attempted to follow the command, raising one of the four fists and dropping it with crushing force. 

The left blade popped into place uselessly in the four-armed monster’s leg, and she gripped the other in both hands as momentum carried her between them.

Its fist collided with the ground in the place she’d occupied only milliseconds before, as she kicked the heel of her left foot into the dirt, turning her forward slide into a twist using the grappling blade to fix her to the monster, and allowing the cord to wrap around it’s right leg. She came to a rough, rolling stop, releasing the handle of the blade as she skidded through the dirt, leaving it and the length of wire that extended from it momentarily free. 

Still, the force of her movement seemed to yank it off balance, causing the monster to sway momentarily, dropping another of its arms to catch itself and maintain balance, a third working to pull free the blade fixed firmly into its left leg. Galaxy coughed hard, tasting an unpleasant mix of iron and dirt, as she spit out a thick glob of brown blood. Despite the injury, it was all she could do not to laugh, a sort of delirious excitement coursing through her paired with adrenaline and surprise at just how well her end of things had worked. 

“Now, KR!” she called, wiping away a trail of blood with the back of her palm. 

Something collided with her back, driving her facefirst into the dirt again as clawed fingers dug into flesh. For the first time that day, Galaxy was thankful for the unusual nature of the funeral forcing her to wear her costume as the claws of her attacker shredded through her pantsuit, stopped only by the mesh fabric of the costume beneath which absorbed the brunt of the blow. 

She had no time to watch Kid Rocket and ensure his follow-up blows were a success, as one of the creatures attacked, legs wrapping around her midsection as unnaturally long arms wailed away at her with fingers that ended in sharp points of bone. She fought to turn despite the vice grip around her waist, allowing herself to face the creature, catching one of its bony arms by the wrist as she fought for momentum. Teeth gnashed mere inches from her face, sending long trails of drool trailing across her cheek as she fought to hold it at a distance, the scent of blood, irony, and sickly sweet, and rotting reek of an open wound all she could smell on its breath, the result of human skin torn and stitched to fit the impossible jaw.

It was strong, but the length of its arms made them difficult to maneuver, and she gripped the wrist with the force of someone whose life depended on it, closing its other arm beneath her armpit as she reeled her head back. Her forehead collided with the creature's face, crushing its small nose with an audible crack that seemed to reverberate through her skull, leaving Galaxy momentarily hazy though unable to stop pressing the advantage. Another headbutt, this one making her ears ring and eyes water from the force of it, but she could tell her opponent was getting the worst of it, eyes wide and almost crossing, jaw hanging slack. 

It’s in shock, she realized, and the fact that the creature was still human enough for such recognizable emotion made her skin crawl. Still, she knew she needed to press the advantage, twisting herself until she was on top of the beast, holding it in place by its spindly wrist which granted it little room with which to fight for purchase. 

With the moment of respite, she could afford to check on Kid Rocket’s progress, the realization of which made her stomach turn at the thought of the boy having engaged the hulking monster of a creature that secured Monster Maker. Yet a quick glance abated her fears, as she watched the boy hurtling through the air, leg outstretched to connect with a sidekick to the side of the creature's head as he was carried along the line of a grappling blade. 

He connected, setting the four-armed monstrosity to stumbling, all four of the arms reaching for the earth in an attempt to balance itself, as the beast dropped momentarily to one knee.

It was just the opening they’d been searching for. She’d gone low, throwing the beast off balance and keeping it stumbling, and he’d gone high, aiming to take advantage of the lack of purchase to get the monstrosity to either completely topple or stumble long enough to allow a clean shot at Monster Maker. They had the latter now, but likely not for long, she knew they needed to strike.

“Lord Valor, KR, Kraken, anybody - hit him!” 

Galaxy nearly lost her balance while calling out, the thin, clawed beast she’d been occupied with bucking and twisting beneath her like a wild animal. She had a knee pressed to its throat to prevent it from taking any chunks of flesh as it gnawed aimlessly at the air in hopes of reaching her. 

Only the adrenaline that coursed through her, granting a level of strength far beyond her usual, and the iron grip she maintained around its wrists prevented it from breaking free, forcing Galaxy to lean forward and press more of her weight against the thin creature's chest, until she could feel ribs and bones, far too many of each, under her legs. Beside them, hardly four feet in distance sat a pile of wood scraps that had at one point been chairs. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of what she needed, a particular piece that had broken off into a jagged point, almost a spear of wood.

Tracy extended her right foot, attempting to drag it near with the toe of her boot and in the process nearly lost control of the monster beneath her, which seemed to recongize her precarious positioning and increase its straining. She stumbled, still maintaining hold of the wrists, but losing her mount, and in an instant, the creature was back on its feet and attempting to bear down on her despite her grip on either arm, jaw working as though on a broken hinge.

Galaxy dropped to her back, the tattered remains of her suit jacket coming loose as she began an upside-down army crawl towards the woodpile, hands still occupied as she fought to maintain control of the monster's wrist. 

The sound of an explosion from somewhere nearby made her ears ring, and seemed to set the beast into a frenzy as it pulled back, hands scratching madly at the holes on either side of its head that must have been ears. It was all she needed to act, scrambling for the makeshift spear and gripping it in both hands as her opponent regained its senses and pressed the attack. It was in the air before she could turn to face it, and as she did so it was just in time to catch sight of a mouthful of filed fangs moving towards her. 

Schlump. 

She could feel it before she heard it, a wet popping that seemed to reverberate through her arms and down the makeshift spear as it pierced naked flesh. The gurgled, once, then twice, swiping uselessly at her as it glanced down at the wooden stake that had made its way clear through its chest, sticking out of its back now slick with dark blood, before dropping into a spasm.

She felt…sadness, as she stepped over the body, sadness for the person it had once been, and what she’d been forced to do to them. That sadness quickly became anger, as she returned her attention to the fight at hand.

Monster Maker lay on the ground, moaning to himself, one fat hand clinging to his nose from which blood seemed to pour like a fountain. His four-armed creature lay only a few feet away, the top half of its body all but gone in a mess of blood and viscera. Lord Valor stood a few yards away, bow still raised and pointed, another arrow notched, the tip of which glowed with an ominous red light that seemed more a warning to Monster Maker than anything. 

“The next one is for you, fat man,” he chided, a cool sort of confidence carrying every word.

“I’d suggest you call off your…things before you end up like your impromptu horse over there,” he ushered towards the remains of the creature Monster Maker had been riding, still smoking and twitching from whatever arrow Valor had loosed.

The commotion seemed to have all but died down, as it seemed every creature and mask still capable of paying attention had their eyes on Monster Maker. 

“No…no, not my fault,” he muttered, hands running through his hair like claws, “No, no, no! You don’t get to trick me! To steal from me! I’m an artist, and - and that” he ushered somewhere behind them, towards the stage or what was now left of it.

“Does anyone understand what he’s on about?” Lord Valor asked, glancing in the direction of Galaxy and Kid Rocket.

“No idea,” Nathan breathed, eyes narrowed.

Tracy shook her head, though, in the villain's words, she found that familiar sensation again - like she’d located a puzzle piece to a puzzle that had yet to even reveal itself fully.

“That isn’t art, it’s a cheap imitation! That’s not what my gift is to be used for and you TRICKED ME! Tricked the Monster Maker and I won’t - I won’t have it! It -”

The sound that came was like a firehose, liquid shot forth with incredible force and speed, as what looked like a cannon blast of shadow collided with Monster Maker’s face. The force of the blast sent the villain reeling, leaving him in a heap.

Tracy spun to find the source, Kid Rocket, and Valor doing the same as all seemed to be caught off guard by the sudden attack. It was Kraken who approached, tentacles at either side of his head moving in a twisting sort of way that spoke to agitation, ink still running along the sides of one.

“That’s enough of the madman’s babbling. I’m burying a friend today, and I don’t have time for it, or the risk that he sics his monstrosities here back on us,” the hero spoke, waving a hand to indicate the creatures that watched the scene with glassy-eyed confusion. 

“Sorry to be so abrupt, ma’am,” he offered Shereen, “But I feel it’s best if we get this one locked away, and continue with the service. I’ll make sure he’s handled, personally.”

Tracy could feel it again, that nagging instinct as she watched Kraken lift the man with one arm, and start typing something on his phone screen. 

Something was going on, of that much she was certain. There was something untoward going on, and it involved the death of Darkstar, Monster Maker’s attack, and if her instinct was to be believed Kraken, one of the world's most beloved heroes, the world's supposedly smartest being, and member of The Sovereign. 

Two things occurred to Tracy there for the first time, that things regarding the death of Darkstar may not be nearly as cut and dry as they appeared, and the second was that she wasn’t sure she could trust the Sovereign. She needed to speak with the family, Clay, Nathan, and even Catspaw.