The Exterminators Ch. 01 - Not So Secret Origin

Its blockade of force was pressed back towards its eye - its eye which suddenly flared with the tell-tale sign of a beam of its own. Shooting back at Cosmos-Maiden's powerful ray, the two concentrations of energy collided in a massive explosion, creating a storm of fire and smoke in front of it. Galacta winced and covered her face as debris flew towards her, her rival still actively flinging her enhanced-stream at the alien; when the dust settled, Galacta prepared to mock the Elf's failure, a wide grin touching her lips. But her chance to tell Cosmos-Maiden an 'I told you so' never came, the Orcess's jaw dropping at the result of the duel of superpowers.

The monster had been defeated! Where its billboard-sized eye once sat was now nothing but a gaping hole that cut clean through its entire body, Galacta able to see the partially-wrecked city behind it, not even its goopy, black slime filling the gap. Its massive form collapsed in on itself, sinking down to the ground beneath it, the remaining tentacles withering and shriveling up until it was nothing but a mountain of deflated, green flesh. Galacta stared slack-jawed at the visual display of her rival's accomplishment that she couldn't do on her own, trying to understand the incredible amount of power that she'd witnessed. It didn't make sense. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be real!

Cosmos-Maiden had never been that strong before!

There was a reason that Galacta was the head-honcho around here: she was able to do what other heroes couldn't! Never had she been bested in any way, only occasionally having to call for backup - but no one had even been able to do what she couldn't single-handedly! Wait, that was it. Cosmos-Maiden didn't act alone. She had Elixer, a new sidekick it seemed. Cosmos-Maiden had found a new hero Galacta hadn't heard about, one who could enhance the powers of others; she'd only heard about heroes existing like him, and they were incredibly rare and valued, yet the Elf was showing him off like a flashy engagement ring! Who the hell was this guy!?

"Well, well Galacta, looks like there's a new top dog around here," Cosmos-Maiden bragged, breaking Galacta from her deep pondering, "who ever thought we'd see the day!"

"Cosmos, what the fu-"

"I have to inform the mayor that the city is safe again. You can take care of the clean-up can't you, Galacta?"

Before the Orcess had a chance to respond, Cosmos-Maiden was already flying away towards her partner.

"Come on Elixer," she scooped him up in her arms and off the roof of the building he'd been waiting on, "let me show you the best part of being a superhero!"

Galacta glared at the pair as they raced away to their congratulations, undoubtedly taking all the credit for the alien's defeat. She had helped too! Cosmos-Maiden had been right though: half the fun of being savior of the day was the reward and admiration of the people; and for once, it wasn't her basking in success. Frowning glumly, Galacta turned to face the corpse of the monster, the clean-up squads and government scientists already surrounding it - they were there to remove its remnants and take samples so that they could study what made it so powerful. Sighing, Galacta floated down to join them, knowing they'd have requests of their own for her, orders really for what she could do to help.

...

It took several hours before Galacta's job was done.

She had been assigned to search and rescue, flying around the city to find anyone in peril who didn't manage to make it to one of the shelters; afterwards she had been asked to help with cleaning up some of the destruction caused by the battle. Several other heroes joined her, each one using their powers in ways that fit the situation, none brave enough to bring up that Galacta was doing the menial labor for the first time. Cosmos-Maiden and Elixer weren't amongst them of course, enjoying the rest of their night off, probably together - and that's where Galacta's thoughts had been fixated as she lifted buildings and carried civilians to safety.

If Cosmos-Maiden had such a powerful sidekick, she was certainly keeping him to herself. From the conversations Galacta had picked up with her super-hearing, none of the heroes seemed to know who he was - some clearly ignorant about the existence of Amplifiers - all of them just as confused as she was; it made sense the Elf wouldn't be so public about him. With how powerful his enhancement-abilities were, every crime-fighter would want a piece of him, and Galacta knew Cosmos well enough to know she wasn't the sharing type. She had to be keeping him sequestered for that reason, greedily hiding him for her use and her use alone.

But that would change.

Galacta wasn't about to stand around and let Cosmos-Maiden be the number-one heroine! No, that title belonged to her. It had for years and she wasn't about to let it slip from her fingers any time soon! She knew where the Elf lived, having been invited - not by Cosmos' own choice - to a soiree at her secluded mansion for the elites of the city, including the best heroes; and now that Galacta was finished doing the grunt work she was heading straight there! Having reverted to her normal form after the alien had died, she soared through the night sky as swiftly as she could, making a beeline for the other heroine's abode, ignoring the cheers and calls from her adoring fanbase.

Landing outside of her rival's enormous house, Galacta studied the outside of the mansion, which was situated far outside of the city. Shrub sculptures lined a paved walkway, split in the middle by a fountain adorned with a statue of the Elf's likeness, leading straight to a large pair of double-doors. Large glass windows covered the exterior, and, using her superior vision to penetrate the darkness, Galacta studied the inside of the abode, not seeing anything out of the ordinary; expensive furniture and marble busts decorated most of the interior, the rest of the decor minimal-but-expensive. Focusing her hearing, she didn't pick up much else either except what sounded like... moaning!?

Galacta didn't know what to make of the noise, only understanding it meant that someone was inside of the mansion.

Hovering in the air, Galacta made her way to the entrance, being as quiet as she could. Knowing Cosmos-Maiden even half as well as she was sure she did, the Orcess was confident in guessing that the heroine didn't have any security in place to deter intruders; there were no laser-tripwires, hidden cameras, or turrets disguised as furniture scattered throughout the mansion. Who would try to break into one of the most powerful people on the planet's home anyway? Opening one of the doors, Galacta let herself inside, shaking her head at the fact that Cosmos didn't even bother to lock them. Still floating above the marble-floor, she used the sounds of whoever was here to guide her, trying to remember the layout of the mansion while avoiding bumping into anything.

Up several flights of stairs and through many rooms later, Galacta had nearly reached the source of the noises, steadying her breathing in case the Elf was paying any sort of attention to her surroundings. Coming to what she guessed was Cosmos's bedroom, Galacta saw that the door to her personal chambers was half-open, the loudness of the moaning and some kind of slapping letting her know that regardless of where she was, this was where she would find another living person. Pausing outside of the bedroom, she peeked her head around the corner of the entry, not having a clue about what she'd find when she looked inside.

What she did was the last thing she'd expected!