You guys wanted this follow-up… Fair warning, there’s no happy ending to this one.

...

Cloudburst knew he should have checked in on Null more often, but the villains had been learning. Ever since Cybertech had rampaged down Richmond Street, things had changed. Attacks near public spaces had become more deliberate. Some went out of their way to have flashy displays. While others began trying to hit major infrastructures.

“That was the third attempted robbery this week.” Freestyle laid his head down on his arms. “Where are they even getting all those weapons?”

Night Wolf nursed a mug of coffee as she asked, “How many casualties this time?”

Cloudburst reluctantly replied, “Not too many, but not zero either.”

“You’re sure we can’t get Null to help out more?” Blaze tapped the tabletop in irritation, his powers causing the surface to sizzle.

Snow Raven shook her head. “No, they’ve got eyes on him now. The last two weeks have only confirmed our suspicions.”

The past few months had been rough. The first time they suspected anything was when a small-time villain blew up a local monument. Despite the chaos and threats of violence, he surrendered when Null arrived. That was when the Supers Collective had begun limiting Null’s activities. Cloudburst and the others had to work overtime to compensate.

“We need a plan, dammit!” Blaze seared a hole into the table. “Anything to slow the villains down! Strike fear into their hearts.”

“Are you hearing yourself?” Freestyle shook his head. “That would go against everything we stood for!”

“And letting so many people die isn’t?”

Cloudburst rubbed his temples as the familiar argument began anew. But before they could start brawling, an alarm sounded.

Night Wolf looked over at the computers. “Another one?”

Cloudburst squinted at the text scrolling past. “No, something’s – ”

An explosion rocked the building. Then, an oversized metal fist punched through the far wall. The impact shook the floor and knocked everyone off their feet. A robotic faceplate peered into the room, one electronic eye scanning them with a red light.

“Supers identified.”

Blaze and Cloudburst recovered at the same time. They raised their hands, sending plasma and lightning leaping through the air.

“Attack! Get outside!” Cloudburst tackled the robot while Blaze dove into its chest.

The construct teetered and fell backward from their combined attack. Screams rang out as the metal frame crashed through a building. The smell of blood filled the air.

“Blaze!” Cloudburst built up energy in his arms and drove them into the robot’s head.

As electricity danced across the machine, Blaze reemerged holding wires and metal. The robot stopped moving, but the damage had already been done. The street was ruined, and several bodies lay beneath the rubble.

Then, a hollow clapping filled the street. “A bit disappointing. I thought my battlebots would have fared better. Oh well. What’s the human term? Quantity over quality?”

Explosions rang out in the distance as two more of the bots crashed through the streets. An android strolled toward them even as the other Supers landed nearby. Only one villain had that sarcastic and inhuman voice.

“Cybertech.” Cloudburst stepped forward.

The robotic villain had been quiet for months. The constant attacks had kept him from thinking about Cybertech much.

“What a shame Null isn’t around. I’m sure his power would’ve been much appreciated right about now. Too bad no one ever thought anything of him.”

Cloudburst felt his heart stop. They know.

“I mean, have you seen the articles of the Sham Hero? That saying really caught on, didn’t it? What was it again? ‘First on the scene, never does a thing’? I can’t even claim responsibility for that one. That was on you humans.” Cybertech opened their arms. “The rest of it was child’s play. All I had to do was manipulate what bits of media he saw and…”

Electricity hissed through the air. Cloudburst accelerated forward and put a fist through the android’s body. Cybertech only laughed in that broken way of theirs.

“Face it, Cloudy. The time of humans is coming to an end. And you Supers will only be complicit.” The android’s eyes dimmed before the body fell limp.

Cloudburst threw it aside in disgust.

“Snow Raven, Freestyle. With me. The rest of you, hold the line until we can bring Null here. We need to stop Cybertech before they destroy the city.”

No one questioned his orders. Almost two dozen Supers leaped through the air to engage a different battlebot. Cloudburst turned to the remaining two.

“Grab ahold.”

“Ah, man. You know I hate traveling like this.” Freestyle complained but grabbed onto Cloudbursts’ hand.

Snow Raven did the same, though the worried look in her eyes did not wane. With a surge of energy, a cage of electricity surrounded them before launching into the air. As they flew, a track of lightning appeared and guided them to their destination. Freestyle let out a grunt as they accelerated. A moment later, they landed near a small ranch outside the city. Cloudburst did not wait for his compatriots to recover as he went and knocked on the front door.

“Null! Are you in there?” A cold feeling filled the pit of his stomach when there was no response.

With a grunt, he kicked open the front door and went inside. It did not take long to find Null. Cloudburst exited the home as the others approached.

“Cloudburst… is he…” Snow Raven seemed as exhausted as he felt.

He shook his head. Freestyle kicked the side of the building with a sharp curse. Snow Raven only bowed her head. Even now, the battlebots rampaged through the city. Bursts of fire and plasma spiraled into the air as Etna and Blaze did what they could. They would not hold long against Cybertech, not while trying to protect the innocents as well.

“He had a wife and child, didn’t he?” Snow Raven looked back toward the building. “Are they also…?”

Freestyle let out a scoff. “You mean you didn’t hear? They got divorced a few months back. She took the kid. Pretty sure she couldn’t handle all the negative press, even if they never knew her.”

Cloudburst blinked, stunned. Null never said anything about a divorce.

Another explosion shook the city, reminding them of what was at stake. Cloudburst took a deep breath and rubbed his stinging eyes.

“We have to get back.” His voice cracked a bit at the end, but neither of the other two acknowledged it.

The mourning would have to wait – Cybertech had made their intentions clear. But even as they flew back toward the fighting, his confidence waned. The world had become a darker place with the loss of his friend.

...

A few bits of inspiration:

One Punch Man – similar mockery, but Null was not as resilient against the public

codeki’s comment – it got me thinking about how Cybertech was not human and couldn’t care less if there was collateral damage

Ultron – naturally