Spectacular World

"Put me down!"

"Never! This is perfect! You're small enough for me to pick up again! This brings back so many memories!"

"I'm not that small, dad!" Hope let out a strangled whine as she was unceremoniously lifted up by her father, who swung her around wildly.

"You're so tiny and cute!" Back before the accident, her father used to pick her up all the time and let her ride on his shoulders. She had been a young kid back then, though. Now, she was practically an adult, no matter how young her new form looked, and the thought of someone like Sky showing up and seeing how helpless she was in her father's arms was too much to bear with.

"Dad!"

Alexander didn't let go. The man kept his arms around his daughter, squeezing her tightly. She looked up at him, taking his appearance in. He wasn't as muscular as he had been before the accident. Despite that, he looked far better than the last time she saw him. His skin had more color to it, and a small beard was starting to grow back. His hair was combed down the same way Mr. Larison's always was as well. She had never really noticed or thought about it too much, but both men looked sort of similar.

"Was it Sky who fixed you?" She asked, quietly resting in her father's arms.

She didn't see how his smile strained a bit. "Yeah," Alexander lied. "Sky fully cured me after..."

"After I died."

"Your mother and I never stopped believing. We knew you'd come back."

"I didn't though." Her voice strained a bit, and she wiped at her eyes. "Dad, I- I actually did die. I should be dead now. It wasn't through my own skill or power that I was able to come back from something like that. I- I mean, look at the city." She pulled her face out of her father's shoulder and looked at all the destruction. Even after months had passed, the Giants still hadn't been able to fix all the damage. Buildings were still knocked over, power was out, roads were flooded with debris and cars, and massive pits scattered the ground. "I failed."

"You didn't fail at anything, Hope." Her father placed her down and gripped her shoulders tightly, looking down at her. "You should have never been there in the first place. The heroes had no right using kids at all. The Victorian or that Battery guy should have done everything. They're the number one hero; it's their job to keep everyone safe. You're just a kid."

"But I'm a hero, dad-"

"You're just a kid. My kid."

She shook her head and was about to say more but was cut off when the door to the roof burst open. Faster than she could even react, she felt her clothes suddenly tense up. "Oh shit, I'm not emotionally ready to see Ashley yet; I'm out!" Kevin blasted off of her, dripping to the ground like Doc did in his yolk form. The red blob flowed into the drainage pipe and vanished leaving her and her father baffled. There went her Super suit.

She didn't even have time to process it as a loud squeal came from the doorway. She turned and stared, feeling a smile come onto her face. It was her friends. Oxide, Metal Ronin, and Wasp Nest all stared at her in shock, processing what they were seeing. Wasp Nest kept blinking, while Metal Ronin just kept scanning her up and down, making sure he wasn't seeing a ghost. Behind them, she saw Wyvern's younger brother, Drake, who looked just as shocked. Myth was there also. His face was pale, and he kept shaking, one hand reaching out to her.

Then her eyes met Sky. The healer shoved their way through the small crowd and stumbled out onto the roof, looking directly at her. She was shocked to see how much Sky had changed in so little time. The girl was standing tall now instead of hunched over and had seemingly fully ditched her mask, wearing only her lab coat. Sky also most troublingly looked a lot like Wish had, now sporting white hair and red eyes.