Tynx sat in the tree at the park in a small town in Kentucky. His squirrelly tail twitched as he kept an eye on his charge: a high-schooler who was in the process of kissing his girlfriend.

"Tynx."

The young Aesceil - or guardian - jerked and whipped around. A Jianuo (a creature that basically looks like a cat-sized fox) was perched on a branch above Tynx. He had pale gray and white fur, and his amber eyes, a trait of all Aesceil, glittered.

"I'm sorry to startle you," the Aesceil said. "I've come to relieve you of your post."

Tynx tensed. He knew it had been coming. Ever since his confrontation with the chief of the Torrentia, he had never been the same. He was more jumpy. His sleep was plagued by nightmares. While he had protected his charge and even the younger brother, nothing could have protected him from the fears of his childhood springing to him.

While the help he had received to defeat his enemy (albeit temporarily) had helped, he wasn't quite back up to speed. He wondered if he ever would be. He tried hiding it from others, but he knew it was only a mater of time before his condition was found out.

Like today.

"Relieved?" Tynx couldn't help the stab of panic. "I'm doing just fine. The Torrentia haven't attacked--"

"Tynx," the Aesceil cut him off. "You have a new assignment."

"I- what?"

"You are being assigned to a new human," the Aesceil explained. "The Torrentis have targeted her. This one will be harder than any you've had."

Tynx laughed bitterly.

"I just came back from facing off with the worst of the Torrs," he said.

"But that was one," the Aesceil replied calmly. "This will be many."

Tynx felt a shiver pass through him.

"You will do fine," the Aesceil comforted. "The council knows your fears. Your mother does too. They aren't pulling you out of duty. Like you said, you faced the worst of the Torrs and lived to tell the tale. The Torrentia will think twice about attacking your new assignment with you around."

"Fine," Tynx said. He shifted into his Jianuo body and shook his red and white fur, relaxing into a familiar form. "Where do I go?"

"London, England," the Aesceil replied. "I will take over here."

Tynx nodded. In a suddenly flash of light, Tynx was gone.

He nearly got run over when he found himself in the middle of a London street.

He dashed down an alley and hid behind a trash can to get his bearings. As usual, the tugging string around his heart guided him to his new charge. He shifted into a swallow and soared over the London buildings, roads, and parks. The sky was gray and gloomy. Tynx missed the blue and the sunshine.

He soared over a regal looking wall. Men wearing red uniforms and tall, black fuzzy hats stood at attention by the gates. Tynx took a moment to watch them. Tourists took pictures with them, but the men were unmoving.

Baffled, Tynx moved on, resolved to observe these men later. He fluttered over a courtyard and to a huge building. It was like a palace.

The tug grew stronger. Tynx flew to a window and alighted on the sill and looked in.

Sitting at a desk was a stately woman. She had short, gray hair and was dressed in a graceful dress.

The tugging stopped. Tynx cocked his head. This was his charge? An elderly woman?

Of course, she lived in a palace.

Realization dawned on him.

A palace, wealth, power, guards.

This was the Queen of England.

He was in charge of protecting the Queen. Of England. The real queen.

Tynx tried to process this. A woman who already had guards, security. Now he was assigned to her. The Torrentia must be insane.

Then the building exploded.

Tynx yelped and fluttered off the sill. Smoke rose from a lower level. He saw darker smoke flickering through the fire smoke.

Torrentia.

Panicked, Tynx looked back at the queen. He needed to get her out of there. Which meant he needed to get in.

Security burst into the room and escorted the queen out. Tynx huffed in irritation and tried to find a way inside. Eventually he gave up and fluttered to the explosion sight. He would have to play catch-up, but maybe he could also hold off the Torrentia.

He shifted to his Jianuo form in the air and dropped into a run. He scampered over the rubble and into the building. He spotted three Torrentia making their way through the corridor.

"Hey!" He shouted. The Torrentia whipped around, screeching at him. They froze.

"Yeah, you remember me?" Tynx stepped toward them. "Good. So you know I'll destroy every last one of you if you so much as touch the Queen of England, right?"

The Torrentia hesitated. Tynx smirked and blasted a ball of white-hot energy from his mouth into their midst. The smoke-covered monsters screeched and scuttled in every direction. Tynx used the distraction to charge down the hall. He had to find the queen.

At least, that was his plan up until he was shot at from behind.

The bullet snapped off the floor, making Tynx yelp in alarm and dive behind a potted plant for cover.

"Come out and face me, villain," a male voice ordered. "Don't make me have to come and find you."

"I'm not the enemy," Tynx called back. "If you're looking for someone to shoot I suggest the smoke-monsters. They're the ones who are trouble."

"I don't think so," the man replied. "Henchmen aren't usually worth my time when their boss is on the loose."

Tynx had to wrap this up. The queen was getting away. "Their boss? I'm not their boss."

"Don't play stupid with me," the man scoffed.

"I'm not," Tynx said. "Now I have to go. You run along and shoot the monsters while I find who I'm looking for."

Tynx ran off and skidded around a corner just as a bullet pinged off the wall.

Tynx whirled around to face his new threat. "I'm a bit busy now!"

The man stepped into view, wielding a rifle. He had black hair, brown eyes, and a firm yet cocky expression on his face. Any normal Aesceil would wish they hadn't been seen. Tynx, however wasn't normal. He pretty much made it a habit of being seen. It made his job easier when his charge knew he or she had a guardian. They were more careful that way.

"Listen," Tynx tried again, "I'm not the bad guy here."

"Uh-huh, and I'm the Queen of England." The man snorted. "The palace is bombed and you are the first thing I see. Granted I wasn't expecting a scrawny fox, but still. Supervillains come in all shapes and sizes."

Tynx didn't understand half of what this man said.

"I'm not a villain!" Tynx said. "Now stay out of my way and get out of here. I don't want to have to protect you too."

"Protect me?" The man laughed. "Who said I needed protecting?"

Tynx fired an energy ball just to the right of the stranger. The man jumped aside, and the ball slammed into a Torrentia that had been lurking in the shadows. It collapsed in a smoking heap before disappearing.

Tynx looked at the man with an "I told you so" expression. He shifted into a human. A quick glance through a window revealed that he had picked his teenage form: long-ish dark brown hair, and his usual amber eyes. Dark blue jeans, black t-shirt and hooded jacket.

Not his best look, but he wanted to conserve his strength. You never knew when you needed an elephant or something.

The man lifted an eyebrow.

"Stay out of my way," Tynx warned, and he took off.

The bullet grazed his arm. Tynx cried out and grabbed the wound, turning around to face the man.

"I don't let supervillains go," he said, leveling the rifle.

Tynx snarled. He started to raise his hands. The man looked a little surprised.

The ball of energy spiraled into being and Tynx flicked it at this new threat. It struck the gun and fried it. The man dropped it.

"You ruined my gun," he complained.

"Back off and that won't happen," Tynx said, taking a step back. "Look, I'm not a supervillain, or whatever that is. If you want to play tough, I have at least two more of those monsters on my tail."

"Why should I believe you?" The man asked.

"Don't you think if I was whatever it is you say I am, I'd have killed you and not your gun?" Tynx gave a lopsided grin. "So get out of here before the Torrentia find you."

Tynx turned and ran off, ignoring his throbbing arm.

He ran into another Torrentia, but he disposed of it easily. Being a human with two long legs made running a lot faster. And now that he didn't have a maniac shooting him, he made more progress.

He found the room the queen had been in, but the door was closed and the security guards were unconscious in the hall.

Tynx shoved his weight into the door. Something scraped along the floor. The desk.

"Your Majesty!" Tynx yelled, pressing his mouth to the crack he had made. "Are you alright?!"

"Stay out of this, Floyd!" A low, rumbling voice barked. "Come any closer and she dies!"

Tynx froze. Who was Floyd? And who was with the queen? Torrentia couldn't talk, except for their chief. And Tynx had whipped his hide a while ago, so he wasn't coming back anytime soon.

"I'm not Floyd," Tynx said. "I'm here for the queen. I've been charged with protecting her. You don't want to be the one standing in my way."

The voice laughed. "You think you can scare me with your little speech? Come and get her if you're so keen on protecting her."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Tynx backed up and ran at the door. The desk screeched across the floor, and Tynx squeezed through the opening.

Whoever was in the room slammed the door into Tynx. His head hit the doorframe hard, and he found he couldn't breathe well.

Tynx could just see the queen, she was seated in a corner, looking a little disheveled but otherwise unhurt. He couldn't see his attacker.

"Now you listen to me," the voice said. "I am going to crush you-"

"Nope," Tynx gasped. With a pounding head he summoned another energy ball and slapped it into his enemy. There was a scream, and the pressure left Tynx. He slipped all the way through and stumbled to his hands and knees, gasping for air.

"Hello, ma'am." Tynx smiled at the queen as he stood. "Are you alright?"

The queen stared, shock paralyzing her.

Tynx turned to his enemy, who was recovering from Tynx's attack.

His enemy looked more or less human. He had a raven's wings and tail, but still pretty much human. He looked like a body-builder. His skin looked pale next to the huge black wings. He had dark eyes and wore a finely pressed suit. The right elbow of the suit was smoking.

"Who are you?" The man snarled.

"Someone you don't want to mess with," Tynx replied. "Why are you working with the Torrentia?"

"The who?"

"The... those smoky monsters?"

"Never heard of 'em," the man replied. "Now stand aside and maybe I won't kill you."

"No thanks." An energy ball swirled in Tynx's hand.

The raven man lunged at Tynx, his wing blowing the ball through the window as he tackled Tynx. Being so much smaller Tynx was crushed. He writhed and twisted, trying to break free, but the raven man's wings buffeted him, taking his breath away. It didn't help when the man's huge hand closed over Tynx's throat and squeezed hard. Tynx struggled to pull the man's hand away, choking. He kicked, but it felt like kicking an iron tree.

A gun fired. The raven man whirled around, still holding Tynx by the throat, but now the young guardian was half off the ground. He let out a strangled cry, still struggling. He had to get the queen out of this chaos.

The man from before stood in the doorway, aiming a security guard's assault rifle at the raven man's chest.

"You're slow, Floyd," the raven man sneered. "This runt made it here faster than you did."

"He killed my gun." Floyd shrugged. "So I had to get a new one. Now let him go so I can kill you."

Tynx was losing consciousness. He tried to stand, but his legs had apparently stopped working. He couldn't die like this. He needed to change into something that wouldn't be easily suffocated.

Of course that would have to be big. A lion would do.

"You cannot kill me, alien," the raven man scoffed. "This one couldn't."

"Well I'm not that one," Floyd pointed out. He fired at the raven man's head. The man jerked back, he let go of Tynx, who collapsed in a heap, half-conscious.

Tynx, gasping and coughing, struggled to his hands and knees. The raven man was holding his head. But when he removed his hand, Tynx saw a dent in his forehead. The bullet lay nearby, crushed.

A familiar screeching could be heard in the hall. Tynx coughed and struggled to stand, but every limb was shaking.

"I will kill you later, Floyd," the raven man said. He thrust his wings in a forward motion. A rush of wind pushed Floyd into the wall, and made Tynx lose his balance and slide across the floor.

"No!" Tynx rasped as the raven man grabbed the queen and smashed through the wall, soaring into the sky and flying away.

Tynx crawled to the hole in the wall and tried to shift. His body glowed and flickered, but nothing happened. He didn't have the strength.

This couldn't be happening. While it hadn't been the Torrentia that took her, the queen was gone. And Tynx had the lunatic Floyd to thank for it.

Tynx staggered to his feet. The room swam before him, and he stumbled. He watched as Floyd got to his feet.

"You!" Tynx whirled, advancing toward Floyd. His anger and frustration filling him. "This is your fault!"

"My fault?" Floyd repeated, brushing dust off the sleeves of his coat. "I just saved your life--"

"That thing escaped with the queen!" Tynx shouted. He knew he shouldn't be talking. He needed air. But he was too angry to care. "She was under my care, and you chased that bird-man off!"

"Believe me, I fully expected to kill him," Floyd said, checking the rifle. "And anyway, you were in my way as much you claim I was in yours. You ruined my rifle and I had to find a new one. You caused a delay."

"I don't care!" Tynx yelled, beginning to get breathless. "If anything happens to the... the queen it'll be my fault. I was supposed to protect her, I--"

Tynx coughed again. His chest heaved, sucking in air.

"Chill," Floyd said. "You need to focus on breathing."

"No, I need to rescue the queen," Tynx said. "I need to fix the mess you made. Now stay out of my way."

Tynx stumbled to the door. His legs buckled and gave out. Floyd caught him.

"If you go running after that guy, you'll get both the queen and yourself killed," Floyd warned. "My job is killing people like him."

"Yeah, and you did a great job at it," Tynx growled, pushing Floyd away and getting to his feet.

"A minor complication," Floyd said.

Sirens went off. Tynx groaned.

"My friend can help," Floyd said. "You nearly died facing him alone."

"He caught me off guard." Tynx glared. "I didn't realize he was a hulking man-bird. Won't happen next time."

Tynx pushed past Floyd and into the hall, where the guards were coming to. Tynx tried shifting again, but it didn't work.

Policemen appeared around the corner. Guns went up, followed by commands to freeze. Tynx groaned and lifted his hands up.

"Don't shoot!" Floyd appeared behind Tynx.

"Floyd?" A sergeant lowered his pistol. He looked exasperated, but at the same time unsurprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Investigating the explosion." Floyd shrugged. "So was he. A supervillain's kidnapped the queen and this kid's about to go after him."

"It's my job," Tynx growled.

The policeman waved down the other officers. Tynx felt himself relax as he lowered his hands.

"What do you mean, 'your job'?" The man who seemed to know Floyd looked at Tynx. "How old are you, son?"

"Hard to say," Tynx shrugged. "It's just my job. Now I need to fix the mess he-" Tynx jabbed a finger at Floyd, "-made."

The man looked up at Floyd, then at Tynx.

"Both of you are coming with me," he said at last.

"What? No! I have to rescue--"

"I know." The sergeant held up his hand for quiet. "I don't get why a teen is suddenly in charge of the queen. It sounds suspicious, but with all that I've seen I'm willing to listen."

"I don't have time for this!" Tynx said, marching forward to push his way through. "If anything happens to her--"

"Hold it." The sergeant caught his arm. Tynx turned and tried to pull away, but the officer was stronger. "I can't let you go waltzing off alone, unarmed, to face a supervillain."

"I don't care what you can or can't do." Tynx glared. "I'm not unarmed. I don't care if he's a supervillain or a freak of nature--"

"Same difference," Floyd said.

Tynx glared daggers at him. "I have to rescue the queen."

"No one's doing anything yet." The sergeant's tone was one of exasperation.

"Joseph-"

"Don't, Floyd. You're in almost as much trouble as this boy is," Joseph said. He passed Tynx off to another policeman. "Get him to the station."

"Let go!" Tynx pulled back.

"I wouldn't do that--" Floyd started.

Tynx slammed a ball of energy into the policeman. The man yelled in pain and Tynx bolted. He ran into a few more officers, but he forced himself to shift into a small bird and fluttered over the heads of the shocked law keepers and into the open air.

Tynx glided into the nearest park. The area around the palace was in chaos. People were screaming, policemen were rushing around, and small fires from the explosion were being extinguished.

Shifting into a human again, Tynx slumped against the tree, still trying to catch his breath. His arm still bled, and he pushed his other arm against it, grimacing.

He had been a complete idiot. He had let too many people see him shapeshift, nearly gotten shot and strangled, and let Bird-boy escape with the queen. Now he was pretty much a fugitive with no idea where the queen was. He didn't think he had ever bungled a mission this badly before.

First he had to put distance between the cops and Floyd. He couldn't risk another screw-up like that.

Tynx tried to shift again. He snarled in frustration when his human body only glowed faintly. He didn't have the strength to shift. He knew he could if he really focused, but he had tried that once before, and it nearly killed him.

He needed to find a place to recuperate and make a new plan. While this new enemy was the primary threat, the Torrentia were still at large. Supervillain or not, Tynx couldn't afford to forget his old enemies. They would be looking for the queen as much as Tynx was.

Tynx straightened and stumbled out of the park. He was already several blocks from the palace, and he wasn't worried about being caught.

Of course he should have been worried.

Tynx jerked in alarm when someone grabbed his arm and dragged him down a street.

"Don't struggle, just keep walking," Floyd hissed. Tynx huffed.

"You're hurting me."

"You'll live."

"Let go!"

"Stop struggling!" Floyd turned Tynx around to face him. "I'm doing you a favor, kid. Adams will be looking for you. Running off like that just put you on their list of top suspects right alongside the supervillain."

"So? They won't find me," Tynx replied. "You've seen what I can do."

"Yeah, and you could have killed someone," Floyd told him. "For all they know you're a shapeshifting supervillain, no better than the raven man."

"Well, I'm not a 'supervillain,'" Tynx said. "Now let go. I have work to do."

"Not yet you don't," Floyd said. "Just-"

"Jeffry Floyd!"

The voice boomed through the street. Floyd looked up. Tynx yanked back, but he didn't run.

His eyes were on the man flying with a pair of huge black raven wings.

"You have until midnight tonight," the raven man declared. "Present yourself at the clock tower and surrender, or the queen dies."

Tynx rushed forward. Floyd caught him.

"Easy," he hissed. "We can't go rushing into battle like that."

"Watch me," Tynx snarled. "Let go!"

"Just hang on a minute." Floyd pushed him back. He turned to the raven man.

"Why not settle this here and now?" Floyd yelled back. "I've got time. So do you."

"Midnight." The man looked down at Floyd. "Alone, at the tower."

The man flew off.

Tynx slammed his fist into Floyd's shoulder. Floyd staggered back and looked at Tynx in surprise.

"What was that for?!"

"I could have stopped him!" Tynx shouted. "The queen was my responsibility, and now her life is on the line because of something you did to tick that guy off!"

"Now hold on." Floyd straightened. "I didn't do anything. You got in my way."

"I got in your way?!" Tynx looked at him, incredulous. "I was trying to save the queen. You stepped in and shot him and chased him off!"

"I hunt and kill supervillains for a living," Floyd snapped. "If you hadn't been there I would have killed him then and there. But you were there, being strangled and in the way. Now I would appreciate it if you stayed out of the way. I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Ha, not a chance," Tynx scoffed. "That supervillain isn't the only bad guy in this picture right now. My enemies are after the queen like yours seems to have been."

"Your enemies?" Floyd cocked his head. "Those shadow monsters?"

"Uh, sure. But if I don't find her they will, and they will kill her."

"Well, you'd best run along and kill them before that happens," Floyd said.

"I'm not leaving the queen!" Tynx shouted angrily.

The coffee shop across the street exploded. Tynx staggered back, shielding his face, but he still caught a glimpse of several dark shapes among the screaming patrons who fled the scene.

Tynx rushed across the road, almost getting run over by a taxi. He raced into the shop and blasted a Torrentia with a small energy ball. The remaining Torrentia screeched at him and scuttled toward him, sensing his weakness.

Tynx snarled and summoned two energy balls, one in each hand. It was hard, but he had practiced a little. He hit one Torrentia and grazed the second.

"You want more?" Tynx challenged. "I can do this all day."

That was a lie. He probably couldn't keep that up for much longer. His wound was still bleeding, and his voice still sounded a little raspy. He had shifted too many times in between, which had used up a lot of energy.

A Torrentia sprang at him from the cash register, and Tynx slammed his fist into it, swinging it into a booth. He fired another energy ball at a Torrentia when he felt one of the monsters jump onto his back.

Its cat-like claws dug and ripped into his skin. Tynx screamed and tried to shake the Torrentia off, but it latched on tight. He tried to ignore it for now and focused on the rest, but they were swarming him. Another Torrentia clawed at his arm wound. Tynx screamed, trying desperately to shake off the creatures long enough to retreat and recover his composure for a second round.

Gunshots were fired. Tynx felt the Torrentia on his back leave, but it was painful. The others froze and looked at the doorway. Tynx, gasping, looked up too.

Floyd stood in the doorway, rifle in hand. He fired another shot and sent a Torrentia screeching and skittering into the shadows.

Tynx stood and launched another energy ball at a Torrentia. The monsters were fleeing. Tynx stepped forward to finish them and nearly got shot again.

"Stop it!" Tynx shouted. "That doesn't work! Don't let them escape!" Tynx burst into the back room of the cafe, firing ball upon ball at the Torrentia. But his attacks were too weak and the creatures melted into the shadows.

Tynx stood, gasping and shaking, his anger boiling over. He whirled around at the sound of footsteps. Floyd stood in the doorway, looking around cautiously.

"Why did you do that?!" Tynx demanded. "Guns don't kill them! I have to kill them!"

"They were about to kill you," Floyd said.

"I was fine!" Tynx shouted. "I've dealt with them before, and you barged in and scared them off!"

Sirens again. Tynx snarled and whipped an energy ball at Floyd. The man jumped aside, an expression of alarm on his face.

"Now hold on!" Floyd began, but Tynx blasted another ball at him.

"I told you to stay away," Tynx said. He knew he should be getting out of there, but he was too angry. First the queen had been kidnapped, now the Torrentia were still out there.

Policemen burst into the room as Tynx tried to blast Floyd into the wall. A gun was fired. Tynx ducked behind a shelf.

"Hold your fire!" Floyd yelped.

"What happened here?" One officer asked. Tynx recognized his voice as Joseph's. "First the palace, now here. Floyd--"

"It's not me, I swear," Floyd said. Tynx peered around the shelf's contents, but he couldn't see Floyd. "Adams, this is a lot bigger than supervillains right now. There were weird smoke monsters. Guns won't kill them."

"They only scare them off," Tynx growled. "Thanks to you, I have to find them all over again."

"Alright, everyone just calm down," Adams ordered. "Floyd, get over here, and tell your friend to stand down and talk."

Tynx sat back, gasping. He groaned when the gashes on his back pressed against the metal shelf. He heard Floyd and Adams talking.

"Shapeshifter," Adams said. "Come out with your hands up. Guns may not be able to kill whatever blew this place up, but they can kill you. Floyd tells me you aren't the enemy, despite what I just saw here. He says you're trying to protect the queen? Can you tell me why, and who sent you?"

It was time to go. Tynx grimaced and tried to shift. A bird, a mouse, anything small. His body glowed and flickered, but no success. It would take too much strength.

This couldn't be happening. Tynx tried to stay calm, but this was so messed up it made him panic. His first assignment to a person of power and he was about to lose her.

Tynx heard footsteps approaching. He gasped and tried to get to his feet. He looked at Joseph Adams, who held his hands up. His gun was gone.

"I know you have your job," Adams said carefully. "Floyd has his, but I have mine, too. It's already hard enough doing my job when Floyd gets involved. I'd rather not have you be the same way. We can help you. We'll get you patched up and rescue the queen."

Tynx searched Adams' face. He weighed his options. If he ran, he would be a fugitive. It would make his job a lot harder. If he accepted the help, it would be going against everything he had been taught. Stay out of sight, don't get caught by humans.

He had screwed that up in less than a day. He guessed if he tried to run he would be shot, and that wouldn't help the queen. And he had never been one to follow the rules anyway.

Tynx nodded. He grimaced as a spasm of pain rippled through him.

"Come on." Adams hurried forward and helped him to the door. "Let's get to the station and figure this out."

Tynx was jumpy all the way to the police station. He had ridden in cars before. He had even tried to drive one (that didn't go well), but this time seemed different. He was with people who he wasn't in charge of protecting. This made him nervous.

At the station Tynx followed Adams and Floyd down a hall to an office. When he entered, Floyd directed Tynx into a chair.

"We have a supervillain and a mass of little smoke-demons," Adams muttered. "One kidnapped the queen, the others blew up a cafe."

"They blew up the palace, too," Tynx said quietly.

"Yes, yes." Adams nodded. "Floyd, you better have info on this guy in your database. Shapeshifter, you stay put until i can get you fixed up."

Tynx didn't bother arguing as Adams tended to his wounds. He nearly attacked him when he poured alcohol over his injuries. By the desk Floyd was using Adams' computer. Tynx also formally introduced himself, and explained his job in as few and simple words as he could: he was a shapeshifter whose job was to protect people targeted by the Torrentia. He didn't go into the whole bit about the Torrentia stealing knowledge from their captives to integrate themselves into the world and later take over. They had enough problems.

"So you didn't want help because you and your kind work in secret," Floyd said.

"Pretty much," Tynx replied through gritted teeth as Adams poured more alcohol over a cut. He wrapped and secured the bandage firmly.

"Whatever happens it will happen at midnight," Floyd said as Tynx painfull slipped his T-shirt back on. "We can't risk looking for the queen. Raven-man will kill her."

"Why does he want you?" Tynx asked.

"Same reason as every other supervillain." Floyd shrugged. "I kill them. That usually makes them angry."

"So what do we know about this one?" Adams asked. "He has wings, a tail, and skin like iron. Not exactly a great combination for us."

"Guns don't do anything," Floyd added. "So whatever damage I do will have to be close-range, which means grounding him." He looked at Tynx. "That's where I'm thinking you can come in."

"Whatever gets the queen out safely," Tynx said tiredly. He didn't care anymore whose help he got or who he helped. His cover was blown anyway. "But I can't do much of anything without rest. It takes energy shapeshifting or attacking."

"We'll find you a sofa to crash on." Adams nodded. "And something to eat. We'll get the area around Big Ben cleared for whatever Raven-man has in store. Floyd, tell me you have more."

"I'll go out and find more," Floyd promised. "I'll be back later."

"What can I do?" Tynx asked. "I want to help."

"You can help by resting," Adams told him. "Food and sleep will help you."

Tynx tried to argue, but he was outnumbered two to one. Eventually Adams convinced him to rest. He ate a little bit and settled down on the sofa in Adams' office. The painkillers he had been given worked, and he was able to drift off to sleep easily.

***

Tynx felt himself being shaken. He gasped and jolted upright, swinging his fist. Someone caught him by his wrist, and another hand kept him down.

"Easy," Adams' voice broke through his sleepy consciousness. Tynx looked up at him. "It's just me. It's half-past eleven. You should be at the tower."

Tynx nodded and sat up, wincing at the stiffness. Adams watched him.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked.

"Probably not." Tynx pushed himself to his feet. "But I don't have much choice. The queen is my responsibility until the Torrentia back off. If there is another threat to her, I will take care of that one too."

"Best leave the supervillain to Floyd," Adams said.

"If the supervillain gets in my way while I am doing my duty, I won't leave it alone," Tynx told him. He headed out of the police station.

His body began to glow. He shifted into a hawk and took off. His wounds stung, but he ignored it and kept going. Tynx arrived at the massive clock tower and circled overhead. Floyd was below, waiting.

The tower finally struck twelve. Tynx kept his amber eyes peeled on the skyline, but he didn't see any huge raven man.

A huge crash startled Tynx. He wheeled about to see a gaping hole in the clock face. Raven-man had landed on the ground, unharmed, in front of Floyd.

"So nice of you to come by," Raven-man said. "I doubted whether or not you would come. I heard about the last time you were called up to a showdown. The Telepath, I believe. Quite the show."

Floyd didn't say anything. Tynx watched worriedly.

"Where's the queen, Raven-man?" Floyd asked. His voice sounded forced. "Return her and you can have me."

"In good time," Raven-man chuckled. "She's safe enough. I've had one of my henchmen send your police friend the location. Now you're mine. I will have fun watching you die."

"It might get boring after the third or fourth time," Floyd warned.

Raven-man laughed. Floyd whipped out a gun and shot him. Tynx watched, but Raven-man still stood.

"You tried that already," he said. "My turn."

Tynx dive-bombed Raven-man. He clawed at his face and beat him with his wings. Raven-man roared and swatted at him, but Tynx swerved away and shifted, landing as his teenage human form. He stumbled, and Floyd steadied him.

Raven-man looked outraged.

"You didn't come alone!" He bellowed.

"No, not this time," Floyd said with mock sympathy. "Meet Tynx. Tynx, meet Raven-man. There's not much of him to know. Recently arrived from the States. Raven-man, Tynx is who will be whipping you before I kill you. You kidnapped the queen."

"So what? Is he the queen's personal guardian?" Raven-man sneered.

"Exactly," Tynx snarled, conjuring two energy balls in his hands. "And you have just ticked him off."

"Did I now?" Raven-man smirked. "Well, I'm afraid that won't be remedied tonight. I made a few friends. You might know them."

The shadows began to move. Tynx stiffened as several dozen Torrentia crept out of hiding, hissing at Tynx with a look of pure hatred in their eyes.

"I'll deal with him," Floyd said. "You keep those demons away."

"With pleasure," Tynx growled. He whipped around, flinging the balls into the Torrentia. He nailed one, and they rushed at him.

Tynx fired more energy balls at the Torrentia before shifting into a hulking grizzly bear. His claws ripped through the Torrentia as they closed in, while he struck a few more with energy balls.

Tynx glanced at Floyd. The supervillain hunter was shooting into Raven-man's wings. The supervillain kept flying out of range, then swooping back around for an attack. Floyd jumped out of the way.

"I don't suppose you can turn into a dragon or a phoenix or some fire-breathing beasts?" Floyd yelled to him.

"I've never tried," Tynx replied. He sat down on a Torrentia. This attack took the rest off guard, and they hesitated. Tynx hit two of them with an energy ball. "It might too much strength to shift into something that big. Why?"

"I have a plan and it involves fire."

Tynx shifted into his Jianuo body, welcoming the familiar form. He snarled and leapt into the midst of the Torrentia. He blasted a path through them to Floyd.

"Like what kind of plan?" He asked, slashing a Torrentia away from Floyd. He ducked as Raven-man tried to whomp him with a heavy wing. "The kind that doesn't get us killed?"

"Probably not," Floyd replied, emptying his gun into Raven-man. "There's too many here."

"I'm working on it," Tynx told him. He snarled and fired more energy at a brave Torrentia. He shifted into a human again just as Raven-man's wing swung around. Tynx hit the ground hard, and the Torrentia swarmed him.

Firing more energy balls into them to hold them off, Tynx scrambled to his feet, charging more energy in his hands. While being a creature that could use claws and energy was good, being something that had double the capability of summoning energy was better.

"They just keep coming back," Tynx gasped, gazing around at the Torrentia that surrounded him. "There must be more than I thought."

Gunshots were fired. Tynx spun around to see the police pumping metal into the Torrentia. The smoke-monsters screeched and backed off, but seemed unharmed. It just didn't seem fair to have TWO enemies immune to gunfire.

Tynx, momentarily relieved of the Torrentia, looked at Raven-man. He gaped.

The supervillain's clothing was in tatters thanks to Floyd's bullets. But so was his skin. Underneath the ripped and peeling skin was shiny metal.

"Ah," Tynx said. "That would explain the iron."

"He's full of it," Floyd looked impressed. "I knew some parts of him were, but it looks like all of him is metal."

"So if he's made of metal, that means his wings--"

"Are as robotic as he is." Floyd nodded. "Get those off, and we can get close."

Tynx nodded. He glanced at the Torrentia. He was startled to see them retreating, hissing angrily. They obviously didn't yet understand they weren't being hurt.

"What does your fire plan involve?" Tynx asked. He shot two energy balls as Raven-man dove. The attack made him retreat, watching carefully.

"We melt him down," Floyd said, watching the supervillain. "We need a lot of fire, and we need to ground him."

"I'll do that," Tynx said. "You find the fire and get it started. The Torrentia will know a losing battle when they see one and retreat. They're already doing that now."

Tynx shifted into a hawk and took off. Raven-man saw him and flew after him. Tynx twisted and turned. Being smaller, he was faster. He zipped around and tried to make Raven-man as disoriented as he could. Then he gained altitude and dove straight for Raven-man's left wing.

Halfway down Tynx shifted into his human form. Raven-man saw the light and look up just as Tynx slammed into the wing. It made an awful cracking sound and screeched so harshly it would have made a Torrentia jealous.

Raven-man roared in anger and wavered in the air. Tynx bounced his weight on the wing as Raven-man tried to shake him off. Tynx refused to let go, and the two of them careened into the wall of the clock tower. The force of the impact sent debris raining down, scattering policemen. Tynx only tightened his hold.

Raven-man snarled and grabbed at Tynx. The young guardian yelped and bounced his weight off the side of the tower. Another crack resounded from the wing joint. Raven-man launched off the tower and down to the ground.

One solid wing pump was enough to snap of the metal wing. Tynx fell to the ground with a giant, feathered robotic wing on top of him as Raven-man crash-landed nearby.

"Fire would be great now!" Tynx croaked, trying to shove the wing off. He yelled when someone pushed it against him. Raven-man loomed over him, one foot on the wing. The other had lost a few feathers.

Raven-man glared murderously at Tynx and leaned his weight on the broken wing, crushing Tynx underneath.

Something smelly, disgusting, and wet splashed on the pair of them. Tynx spluttered and spat it out, recognizing it as gasoline.

Raven-man turned to face Floyd, who stood with a container of gas. Tynx grunted and pushed the wing off and scrambled out his feet. With Raven-man firmly on the ground, he looked around for the Torrentia. They were closing in again.

Tynx hurried to hold them off, but Raven-man grabbed him and held him in a choke hold. Tynx gagged at the strong stench of the gasoline.

"I wouldn't if I were you, Floyd," Raven-man said. "If I burn, I'm taking someone with me.

Floyd hesitated, scowling. Tynx saw the Torrentia circling the police. Tynx wriggled, but Raven-man's grip tightened.

"Go ahead, Floyd," Tynx choked out. "Light him up."

"I can't do that with you right next to him," Floyd said. "Move and then I'll torch him."

Tynx let out a strangled laugh. "I would, man, but--"

Tynx's words were cut off when Big Ben decided to explode.

Tynx struggled wildly. The Torrentia had apparently decided to end their relationship with the supervillain and destroy all of their enemies with one go.

With Raven-man distracted Tynx broke free. Floyd chucked the whole container at Raven-man and it clunked and skidded to the ground.

"Get out of there, Tynx!" Floyd yelled, grabbing a gun from Adams, who had just run up to them.

"No time!" Adams said. "The tower's going to come done on all of us of we don't get out of here."

Tynx ignored Adams and lurched for Raven-man, who had recovered from his surprise and was trying to run away. Tynx latched on to his other wing and pulled him to the ground.

The tower shook and began to fall, crumbling into pieces. The Torrentia had all disappeared, and the police were clearing out.

"Floyd!" Adams bellowed. Tynx looked up from grappling with Raven-man to see Floyd barrel into the supervillain.

Raven-man roared and struck out at both of them. Tynx ducked and tackled his legs. He winced when he hit metal, but it was enough force to knock him over. Floyd brought the butt of his rifle down on Raven-man's head.

The tower collapsed. Glass rained down on the trio as Tynx extricated himself from underneath the stunned supervillain.

"Light him up!" Tynx yelled. Floyd kicked the gas container closer and scrambled with the matches. Tynx growled and slapped a ball of hot energy into the gas can.

The area went up in the flames as the tower hit the ground. The crash was tremendous, and debris spun in all directions. Tynx was running, too tired to shift anymore, with Floyd right behind him. Raven-man was screaming as the flames licked up the gas that drenched him.

A piece of debris caught Tynx in the back of the head. He stumbled and fell, pain throbbing in his skull, but Floyd hauled him to his feet just in time for glass shrapnel to strike Floyd in the back and the tower to fall over them.

Tynx glanced up, shoved Floyd backward, and lunged over him.

***

The smoke and dust made it hard for Tynx to breath. So did the debris piled on top of him.

Floyd lay motionless and unconscious underneath him. Tynx coughed and tried to move. Rubble shifted, but it hurt his wounded back.

Now what?

Tynx called for help, but he only croaked pitifully.

They had been lucky. The hole where the clock face would have been had fallen their way. All they had to do was dive a few feet backward. They were still buried, but not as buried as they could have been.

"Floyd?" Tynx said. "Hey, wake up. I need your help getting us out."

Tynx heard voices somewhere above him.

"Over here!" Tynx forced his voice to a louder volume. "We need help!"

There wasn't enough room to shift into something strong enough to get them both out, and Tynx didn't want to risk causing a collapse.

Tynx yelled until he was hoarse, which didn't take too long. His muscles went slack, tired from straining against the rubble, and he blacked out.

Tynx blinked awake when he heard the debris being moved. He gasped, tears of relief appearing. Floyd was still unconscious.

"Help!" Tynx yelled.

"Hang on!" Adams' voice had never sounded so welcoming. Tynx felt the debris on his back get lighter, as soon daylight hit him. He squinted, and he felt someone grab his arm. He twisted around to see Adams above him.

"Floyd first." Tynx pulled away. "He... I don't know. He's hurt. There was glass, and--"

"Easy," Adams said. "Let's get you out of there."

"No, Floyd first." Tynx shook his head. "He needs help."

"Both of you need help." Adams smiled. "Lunatics, the pair of you. Now out you get."

Tynx helped Adams pull Floyd from the rubble.

"Help me get him home," Adams panted. "Then we'll get you patched up."

"He needs a doctor--"

"No, he doesn't. Now help me. My men will make sure the supervillain is gone for good."

"The queen!" Tynx started in alarm. He had totally forgotten.

"She's fine," Adams assured him. "We found her. Shaken up, but unhurt. She's safely in the hands of her guards."

"I should go--"

"Absolutely not," Adams cut in as they put Floyd in a police car. "You are in no condition to go anywhere but with me. I don't know how you survived that, but who knows how much more you can take? Get yourself cleaned up and taken care of before you take care of someone else."

Tynx gave in, too tired to argue anymore. He helped Adams get Floyd into Floyd's apartment. There Tynx learned Floyd was alien and had self-healing abilities (or the tiny bots inside him did).

Unfortunately Tynx didn't have this power, so he was subject to the stinging alcohol treatment. Adams gave Tynx a scolding enough for both him and Floyd. Tynx guessed it was all for him, and that Floyd got killed quite often.

Tynx took the scolding meekly. After a few hours of sleep, Tynx found Floyd up and awake, albeit looking a bit tired.

"Hey," Floyd nodded to him.

"Hi," Tynx pushed himself upright on the sofa, wincing. "Where did Adams go?"

"He went to survey the damage," Floyd replied. "We were 'ordered' to stay put. He even went so far as to post an officer outside the door." Floyd watched him. "What you did back there... Adams said it saved us both."

"Barely," Tynx smiled. "And if I heard right it did actually kill you."

"True," Floyd smirked. "But still... thanks. You were pretty gutsy out there."

"You were a madman."

"I'm flattered."

Tynx smiled and stood up.

"I have to go," he said. "While Raven-man is gone, the Torrentia are still out there, and I can't afford to relax while they're still after the queen."

"She has her guards," Floyd said as Tynx forced the window open. "Tynx, you aren't well enough to fight."

"I just survived the collapse of Big Ben," Tynx grinned as he straddled the window sill. "I think I'll be okay. The Torrentia think they've killed me, so when I show up again they'll rethink how worth it it is to capture the Queen of England."

Floyd watched him, then nodded.

"Take care of yourself," he advised. "And try not to get in my way again."

"Stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours," Tynx gave a salute. "I'll leave the supervillain killing to the one who knows how to do it. Tell Adams I said bye, and that I said thanks for his help."

"Will do," Floyd nodded. "See you."

"No, you won't," Tynx shook his head. "Not again."

It tired him, but Tynx shifted into a sparrow and fluttered away weakly. He managed to find the queen again, the tugging line having returned (it sometimes did that if he was away from his charge for too long). He remained in his bird form for the rest of the day.

The Torrentia did try another attack, but when Tynx got in their way, they scuttled off faster than Tynx had ever seen them scuttle. They didn't appear again, but Tynx remained in England for another week, just in case. Raven-man didn't show up either, but Tynx saw a few more supervillains.

This made him nervous, and he kept very close to the queen, but none of them ever gave him reason to fight them. They were always killed before too long. Once Tynx saw Floyd bringing down a supervillain. He debated going down to see him, but he decided against it. He would stick to the rules this time.