Operation: OnlyHeroes

I was supposed to be writing my Media Theory paper.

Instead, I was hiding my phone under the library desk, frantically trying to edit a press release about Trailblazer's "unofficial midnight visit" to a sorority house that mysteriously caught fire.

"Tobes," Jaden whispered across the table, snapping his fingers at me. "You've been typing on your phone like you're fighting demons."

"Midterm stress," I said quickly, alt-tabbing to my fake essay doc. 'Marshall McLuhan and the Medium of TikTok.' Totally believable.

Jaden squinted. "Since when do you use words like 'unprecedented synergy of optics' in an essay?"

"Okay. You got me." Long pause. "It's AI generated."

Jaden snorted loud enough for the librarian to shush him from three rows down.

"Figures. You're the type to let ChatGPT ghostwrite your love letters too."

"First of all," I whispered back, "those weren't love letters. They were... strategic communications exercises."

Mike leaned across the table, eyes lighting up. "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me the reason Jess ghosted you last semester is because you sent her a message that started with 'Per my last email'?"

I buried my face in my laptop. "It was concise."

"Concise?!" Jaden slapped the table, wheezing. "Bro, you wrote her a breakup press release."

"Correction: a draft statement for the record."

At that exact moment, my phone buzzed under the desk. I glanced at the screen:

URGENT: TRAILBLAZER CAUGHT ON LIVESTREAM AGAIN. SPIN ASAP.

My blood iced. Again? Already? I fumbled to hide the notification, but Jaden's eagle eyes caught the glow.

He raised an eyebrow. "What was that? Looked important."

"Emergency call from my boss. Seems important."

Jaden let out a dramatic gasp, clutching his chest like I'd just insulted his entire bloodline.

"Fake friends? Wow. That's rich, coming from the guy who skipped my birthday party to 'study.' Which, translation: cry into Uber Eats and binge Selling Sunset."

Mike pointed his straw at me again, smoothie sloshing dangerously. "And don't forget when he bailed on game night 'cause he had an early shift'—but then we caught him on Snap at 2 a.m. in a Waffle House parking lot."

"Okay, first of all," I shot back, backpack half-zipped, "Waffle House is a sacred institution, and I regret nothing. Second of all—" My phone buzzed again.

URGENT: TRAILBLAZER TRENDING WORLDWIDE. TWITVID REQUESTING COMMENT IN 5 MINUTES.

My stomach flipped. Shit. Five minutes? Even the Red Bull in my veins couldn't buffer me for that.

I fumbled for the library exit, muttering, "Look, y'all can roast me later. Right now, I've got... stuff."

I bolted, clutching my buzzing phone like it was a ticking time bomb, praying the universe wouldn't out me before Trailblazer outed himself... again.

I ducked into a study cubicle, slamming the door like I was barricading myself against the apocalypse. Phone open. Fingers shaking. Press release template glowing back at me.

Okay. Deep breaths. Crisis mode. I could handle this. Trailblazer trending was Tuesday-level chaos. I'd spin it. I'd bury it. I'd—

And then the feed hit.

Not a fan livestream. Not a grainy rooftop TikTok.

This was professional.

A crisp camera feed lit up my screen. Trailblazer. Mask torn. Hands zip-tied to a steel chair. A gag across his mouth. The background was some abandoned warehouse, all flickering lights and graffiti.

The caption?

"LIVE: Speedsters Need To Be Stopped."

My blood turned to ice.

The man on camera wasn't Blaze. Not really. He was background now. The real star was the one leaning into frame—sharp suit, sharper grin, eyes glittering like he'd just won the lottery.

"Good afterno, America," the stranger said, voice smooth as silk. "You know him as Trailblazer. Hero. Icon. Sex symbol. Tonight, you know him as... my guest."

He patted Blaze's cheek like he was a misbehaving puppy. Blaze tried to curse through the gag. The man only grinned wider.

"I've studied The Ascendants for years. Their weaknesses. Their scandals. Their little... habits." His smile curled. "Funny how easily the truth spreads when you put it on livestream."

The chat exploded in real time:

@JusticeStan84: IS THIS REAL??

@Foxes4Blaze: release my king or I SWEAR

@VoidMommy: ngl the suit is kind of hot??

@BlazedAndConfused: wait he just said habits what does that mean 👀

The villain leaned closer, eyes gleaming straight into the camera. "Optics, isn't that what you call it, Ascendants? What happens when the public sees you without your filters? Without your handlers? Without your PR team?"

And then, as if he could see me through the screen, he smirked.

"Without your... Latte Lad?"

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