The energy rippled out as liquid lightning in a startling green-gold. A shockwave from one massive stomp that came with a roar of visible energy that rushed out, multiplied on impacts, then immediately suctioned itself back into crevices and cracks like water settling to the lowest point in a crevice.

The initial shockwave made buildings rock back, surfaces cracking or crumbling, and it nearly tossed us off of the roof.

I wrapped my arms around Tattletale, one arm at her back, the other hand at her belt, and flew as the energy cascaded out to envelop the building. Twisting in mid-air, I watched to see if I could make out our teams, even as I felt them scrabbling for holds, jumping, or rising precariously up.

The energy lanced through the deepest, darkest spaces of the buildings, while warping the edges that stood out the most, causing them to fork and flicker like flame. What had gone up hadn’t come down, with chunks of building now floating in the air, like everything had detonated and now moved in low gravity or slow motion.

Rachel rode a dog to an edge, leaping. The building beneath her apparently gave too much as the dog pushed out and down with its claws, making the effect more like jumping off a cardboard box than a proper roof’s edge. Sveta reached out to catch the dog around the neck and shoulder as it got only one paw around the top edge of the building. Straining, pulling to help the dog scrabble and find its grip.

I flew toward them, but the dog managed to heave itself over the edge before I was halfway there.

Titan Oberon didn’t raise its head as it put a hand up and out to grab a floating chunk of building. It flung the chunk at another building.

Through my Syndicate connection to Foil, I could feel the vibration as the target building shook. Parian seemed to have things well in hand, though. Cloth reached out to give the Heartbroken, Imp and Foil something to grab onto.

The injured heroes on the ground were fleeing some of the damage, as the road peeled up and floated into the air, edges flickering with the green-gold breaker energy.

I flew closer to them, putting a hand over Tattletale’s ear that was closer to my mouth before calling out, “Do you guys need help!?”

Negation.

There were only four of them now. Two were supporting a fourth teammate as they heaved up one end of a section of floaty road, then braced it with forcefield before using that as a ramp.

“Rooftop Champs finally getting to their namesake territory,” Tattletale muttered.

“Ah, that’s who they are? Only talked to them online, offered to bring them into Hollow Point. Looked up their leader’s portrait, recognized him in the crowd during the big briefing.”