Athena looked again at Set, then back down at the glowing egg down in the furrow. “How much longer?”

“Patience, Athena. Patience.”

“If you’re going to make me wait while my students could very well be dying, you could at least give me an explanation as to why.”

“You’re right. I do. I’ll keep it simple. Your friend Beauty isn’t dead; she’s just in the process of a transformation. A transformation you went through, I went through, as did hundreds of others. A transformation we cannot rush.”

“So why the hell are we even here?”

“Because we need her ready for action immediately, and if she drains the power off of us, she will be.”

“Why her? Why now? Stop talking in damn riddles!”

Set sighed. “Thousands of years ago, Nephthys ruled over all of Egypt. Millions died at her hand. She killed her brothers, my progenitor included. Only her sister, a woman named Isis, could stand up to her power. Isis sealed Nephthys’ powers and locked her in a tomb for thousands of years to keep her from continued reincarnation.”

He closed the helmet again. “She died when her time came, and unlike her brothers promised to reincarnate only when her sister returned. That time has come.”

“Isis? Beauty is Isis?”

“The acid field you took as a metahuman defect was merely a protection method. It was there to keep her safe until the time came for her to rise.” He looked down in to the jagged hole. “A time I believe has arrived.”

Athena turned her attention downward as well. Shots of white light burst through cracks in the glowing pink shell. The light blazed out as the shell fell away. Athena could see nothing but the light as it grew and grew. She watched as a shadowed figure rose from the furrow.

A young woman, maybe early twenties, stood before them. She wore nothing over her milk chocolate skin though her long flowing hair fell over her breasts to just above her waist. Her features were strong, her face perfectly and elegantly formed. She looked like Beauty, but older, more regal. She held her head high as she looked at them.

“Athena? Where am I? What happened to me?”

“It’s a long—”

“You will know soon enough.” Set grabbed Athena by the shoulder and dragged her towards the naked woman. “Know only that you are Isis, and our final hope.”

Set’s armor disappeared around him, leaving him only in a pair of blue boxers. He reached out and rested his hand on the woman’s shoulder. He yanked Athena’s hand up to do the same on the opposite side.

“Take our power and knowledge. You will need them in the battle ahead.”

Athena watched as Set’s eyes turned solid white. Beauty’s did a moment later. She felt her own vision haze over. She felt suddenly weak, as though she hadn’t slept in days. Her legs gave way beneath her. She knew she was falling in to the dirt, but she could no longer care. She could no longer feel. Everything faded to blissful unconsciousness.

The naked young woman emerged from the hole and looked down at the unconscious forms of Set and Athena below. They would sleep for several hours safely hidden from sight.

She had other matters that required her attention. She summoned her energies. White cloth formed around her waist and midsection and connected to a golden breastplate. Her hair fell back, held in place by a golden tiara with a glowing amber gem. Leather boots and golden arm bands completed the ensemble. Now in proper attire, she shot skyward.

Isis would see her sister to her end today.

*****

The Nephthys-animated Apostles closed on them. Wave morphed his arms in to sledgehammers and sent them to batter the face of Balrog. But the massive degen only staggered at the blow. Despite a bloodied face, he continued towards them.

Rubicon hurled lightning bolts at Goldbug and Foxfire, but neither budged from their continued movement, despite the obvious damage done them. They continued forward like zombies, utterly unaware of the damage done them.

“What do we do?” Wave said. “We can’t win like this.”

“You will have to give up your foolish morals, young man. It appears our foes must be destroyed.”

Rubicon turned and hurled a blast of lightning at Detritus. The Apostle burst immediately in to flames. A follow up blast forced him in to a scorching inferno. “We do what we must.”

“Down.”

The voice was as strong as the goddess they faced, but it came from the blasted hole in the roof above. Wave’s eyes looked up at the white and gold clad woman that floated down from the air. She raised her hands and streams of white light flashed down and cut in to the Apostles around them. One by one each of the Apostles fell, cut down by the streams of energy coursing through them. They dropped to the ground, unconscious and unmoving.

Across the room, Nephthys’ grin faded. “Sister.”

Isis landed in front of Wave and Rubicon and stared down Nephthys. “I have come to stop you, Nephthys. Stand down and return to your tomb.”

Nephthys lunged forward and sent a spiral of energy towards Isis. “Never! I will not be imprisoned again.”

Isis raised a hand and the blast of energy dissipated around it. “You cannot win, sister. I carry the power of three.”

“You wouldn’t dare bind me again! You know what I can do to you.”

“I do. That is why you must fall.” She turned her attention back to Rubicon and Wave. “Attack her with everything you have. Now.”

Wave didn’t argue. He saw Rubicon pause momentary, before raising his own hands to attack. A hammer-like blast of water and a lightning bolt flew out and struck Nephthys simultaneously. She cried out as the blast staggered her.

Isis was already rising up from the ground. She held her hands at her side as they burned with energy. White light coursed between her fingers, growing in intensity by the second. After several endless seconds, she raised her hands and unleashed the burst at the ancient queen.

“I am sorry, sister. I cannot risk your return to power again. This time, I must stop you forever.”

The energy coursed over Nephthys. Flakes of cloth and skin burned away from her body as she struggled to cover her face from the burning light. “Please, Isis. Show mercy please!”

Isis’ expression did not alter. “The time for mercy is over, Nephthys. Goodbye.”

“No! Noooo!”

Nephthys’ skin burned down from fair and beautiful to dry and desiccated in seconds. Seconds later, it burned and melted away down to bone. That too flowed away, leaving nothing but dust in its wake.

Isis dropped hard to the floor. She landed in a crouch and gasped for air. Her clothes faded away as her head dropped to the concrete. She lay naked and unmoving.

“Is she—?”

Rubicon shook his head at Wave’s question. “No, she will live. Whoever she is we owe her much for the destruction of Nephthys. We have much work to do in the mean time. See about awaking your comrades. I will secure the Apostles.”

Wave nodded and went to rouse the rest of the team. Solid and Thief took little more than a light splash in the face to awaken. He signed “calm” to Solid before explaining the rest to Thief.

Solid saw to Balloon Boy and Cheetangus, as both seemed to be suffering from concussions. But it was Flint, his chest literally shattered by Cyberpath’s attack, which drew the most concern. Wave gently lifted his unconscious form and carried him down to the backup med lab on the subbasement floor below.

As he strapped the team’s mentor to the diagnostic table, he said a silent prayer for Athena and Bagheera. His thoughts turned dire. Without their leadership, can the school survive? Can Epsilon?

He pushed the thoughts away for another time. He focused on the medical devices. He suspected he would have his hands full with Flint’s health for some time to come.

*****

Thief ignored the rest of the team as he rushed across the room to the young girl the Apostles called Pathway. She lay on the floor near the pile of ash that was once Nephthys. Her head was down on the floor. Her body twitched.

“Emma, are you all right?”

She said nothing. She continued to twitch.

Thief bent down at her side and reached a hand down to her back. “Emma, are you all right?”

As his hand brushed against his sister’s back, she screamed. Her head flew up and he could see the glow in her eyes.

“I will not die!” Her voice rang through the room even as another voice echoed along with it. Thief stumbled back in shock at the voice of Nephthys.

“You will not destroy me so easily! I will not let my sister win this day!”

Thief grabbed Emma by her arm. “Let my sister go!”

Emma smiled. “You are a fool, mortal. Release me or perish.”

Thief tightened his grip. “Let her go, witch!”

Emma’s body glowed. “Pathway is mine, fool! Mine to do with as I please.”

Thief could do nothing as the energy portal opened behind his sister. He held fast on her arm, but the added power of Nephthys made her strong.

“No! Let her go!”

Emma laughed and the maniacal laugh of Nephthys echoed over it.

“Please,” Thief said. His voice became more pleading. “Please!”

The portal exploded in to a dazzling rain of light. Thief looked past Pathway just in time to see Air Raid barreling towards them both.

Air Raid struck Emma in the back. Thief fell beneath her and lost his grip, even as Air Raid soared skyward.

“Let her go!” Air Raid’s voice rang through the room. “Take me instead! You’ve already cost me everything. I won’t let you do the same to my friends!”

Emma and Nephthys laughed. “Self-sacrificing fool! You wish to lose yourself then so be it!”

Air Raid cried out in pain. Emma fell from his arms. Thief rushed across the room just in time to break her fall.

Thief could only watch as a change came over the winged metahuman. His bat-like wings darkened from gray to black. His eyes became hollow black spheres. Veins appeared on his skin even as it darkened to a brownish tan.

Air Raid turned and flew up through the blasted ceiling and out in to the night sky. Thief could only watch him go.

Rubicon walked to his side. “Is the girl all right?”

“I think so. Yeah.”

Rubicon nodded “Then we can thank the gods for small favors on this day. Go, get her to a medical station while I see to the rest of your friends.”

*****

Mindset eyed Rubicon suspiciously. Her head felt like a thousand needles stabbing in to her skull. But the leader of the Brethren seemed to be on their side. He made no move against the remaining members of Epsilon. Solid seemed okay with his presence. His only goal seemed to be the detaining of Nephthys’ minions.

She set out to awaken the rest of the team, but her head still felt heavy. It felt like something was weighing her down, like something satin the back of her skull.

“Shh. Let’s not think about that.”

A shudder rushed down her back. She tried to speak, to respond telepathically, but she couldn’t.

“I have lots of plans for you, my little Mindset. We’re going to have so much fun together.”