"Um-- Leslie S-s-streward, sir." she said in to the microphone in front of her. The feedback gave a painful hiss. Several of the shadowy figures sat around the table on the webcam briefly tapped their ears to reduce the volume. "I'm thinking about adopting the name 'Large Lass.'"

Leslie Steward was not the kind of girl you would call 'large' in any sense of the word. In her home-made purple domino mask and matching purple hoodie she barely cracked 4'10" and was routinely called a 'bean-pole' by her grandmother. Usually in between extra helpings of pasta. Still, she sat up a little taller, proud of her chosen name.

"Leslie," came the calm, adult voice on the other end of the call. It was the kind of father figure that would unironically use 'I'm not mad, just disappointed' and really mean it. "I need you to walk me through what happened that day at the bark. Bank. The Bank. Start at the beginning."

Leslie immediately felt the glow in her cheeks. She'd done her research. Literally. She knew that part of being a responsible hero was keeping detailed notes. She reached in to the middle pocket of her DYI utility belt and pulled out a small composition notebook. She thumbed back to yesterday morning and began reading. "Tuesday morning, 10/25. 0614. Sunlight wake-up. Not enough time for workout befor--" she shut her mouth.

"Get to the point where you entered the building." interrupted an impatient female voice from the other side of the table. She hit her fist on the table and made several coffee mugs rattle. Something animalistic came out from under her voice, the tone Deeping severally. "We did not convene to hear the diary of a school child."

"Oh." Leslie said, a little dejected. Suddenly she felt every bit of the '95 lbs soaking wet' she looked like, and withdrew a little in to her hoodie. She didn't know whom she was talking to, or where they were located, but she knew they were authority on these types of matters and they ushered her in to this room. All she had was the little laptop they had provided for her ontop the fold out table anchored in the bland wall. A microphone ran to the laptop via a wire and another wire lead to a camera perched high in the corner. She settled the microphone back where it was. The laptop seemed to be bolted in. This felt more like a very clean prison then a Super Hero Enrichment Center.

She took a few more moments to flip through the pages. All the expectant faces stared at her through the veils of darkness. Some of their eyes glowed. Some of their auras reverberated. All of them were waiting. "0723. When passing in front of the Newchurch 1st bank I saw a suspicious car with a masked man sitting at the wheel, engine idling." she parsed from her jotted notes. "Big male, Caucasian--"

"Skip." came a bored instruction.

"I'm s-sorry?" the little girl said.

"I said '**Sk-**ip.'" The breathy, non-descript voice came. It came like it constructed the syllables from the very air around it. "We told you to tell us what happened when you got in the bank. We want to know how you killed the two gunmen."

"Killed?" Leslie almost sobbed. There was a reality to what happened, and it was starting to set in. "Very well."

"When I saw the robbers I told them to stop. I s-shouted loudly and clearly that the police were on their way and, a, there was no need for them to increase hostilities, and instead theyshouldjust turn themselves in. T-t-they started laughing. One of them pointed their gun at this little girl's head and I knew what I had to do. I let my mouth hang open." Leslie said, giving a small demonstration, lowering her chin until it touched her sternum. "The longer I hold my mouth open, the more gravity I produce. I become heavy, eventually immovable and then things start to come towards me. T-the one further back noticed it first. His mean friend's hand was starting to bend towards me. He started screaming. By the time the second one started shooting his friend was already gone. ... I c-c-couldn't move away from the little girl in time so I focused on the other bad guy. Once he was gone I closed my mouth an--"

There was a sudden cry of steel as the chair beneath Leslie twisted and collapsed beneath her. The microphone had been obliterated and the laptop was shattered, the shell still bolted to the fold out section of wall, which had half of its hinge busted off. Leslie let out a loud sigh, making sure to breath it out her nose. She looked around the room. There was no clock. There were no windows. She wondered how long it would be before she could see her mother again.

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Meanwhile, Thousands of Miles below, on Earth.

"You CANNOT keep her UP THERE." Tiger-Mom hissed, slamming her fist in to the table. She let out a guttural growl, which morphed in to words. "She's a little child!"

"A... little child. With a black hole in her ^(throat)." retorted the ethereal Effervescence.

"Bubbles is right, Asami." Dog-Gone Dad chimed in. Both looked at him in disgust; one for using such a derivative name, the other for using her identity.

"A child that stopped an armed robbery without a three hour stand-off resulting in 5 hostages dead and the robbers getting away." TM said, flexing open her palms, extending her claws and raking them in to the table-top. "You should be holding a ticker-tape parade for--"

"A class A type elemental manipulator who tore through half the bank floor, obliterated two bad guys, yes, but also rrrruffled three innocent bystanders off the mortal coil. Two of whom she is apparently completely unaware of. She's a danger to herself and everyone around her. I'm putting my paw down. She stays up there until we can neuter her. Her powers, I mean." the caped canid tried to remain firm after he said he'd 'put his paw down' but the last few words came out with a whimper.

The tiger's claws nearly sundered the table as she stood up in a huff. "Whatever! The Grim Legion will not take the publicity hit for her disappearance. This black-bag bs ends here! We will be in contact with her parents and letting them know where the Justice Doers have stashed their daughter."

"Good luck with that. I'm sure they'll believe the cavalcade of rouges I see before me. Who's going to place the call? You, Asami? You'd be 2 sentences in to the call before you berated her parents for letting her out of their sight. Maybe Lying Luigi? He could NOT tell them WHEN their SON ISN'T. ... do I need to remind you that one of your members is named the Child Abdu--"

The dogging was cut short by a feline roar. Tiger-mom clawed through the air as if it might injure the hero's argument. She huffed twice and then quickly summoned up all the composure she could manage. She gave a snap. The dark lights all un-dimmed. The shadow assassin nation all fell in line behind her, along with a sheepish Luigi and Steve. She turned and marched out the room.

"I think you sc^(ooo)wed the ^(pooch) on this one, boss. You think she's just reminded of the child you two alm--" Effervescence suddenly felt a large paw on his muzzle.

"Shuda fugup, before I ice-breath you and turn you in to 50 cent yellow snowcones." DGD said, his eyes flaring red.