Firetop was drenched.

Matthew Mist had somehow managed to increase his control over the element of water, and constantly drove Firetop back as a horde of stocky henchmen ran amok around the prestigious marina. Firetop had managed to stop a few of these strange people, but it seemed that for each one he knocked down, another two appeared. He had no choice but to signal the EFB for help, and had managed to get part of the message through before Matthew Mist’s water funnel had shattered his communication device.

“If your friends come“, Matthew taunted, “I shall drench them as well. I’m now new and improved, and with this army willing to help me I’m unstoppable. My friends, take everything you can from every boat in the marina. Everything. Cushions. Covers. Jewels. Don’t forget the jewels!”

Firetop rolled his eyes, and was about to send a fiery blast towards his opponent, when Matthew noticed what he was doing and sent another blast of water instead.

“You do realise Firetop, that water and fire do not really mix. The water will always quench the fire.” Firetop spluttered as Matthew kept this latest blast on him longer than before.

Muriel Magnificent flew in and knocked Matthew over to one side, stopping his watery blast. Firetop rolled to his side to catch his breath. Lycralad used his molecular altering abilities to fuse the leggings together of one of the stocky henchmen who carried a microwave out of one of the boats. The henchman fell forwards, flinging the microwave into the air. The Cloud swiftly leapt in and caught the microwave before it crashed to the ground. Bettystretch stretched her arms around five more of the henchmen and bound them together, although one slipped through her grip and plunged into the marina, as Betty misjudged the henchmen’s weight. Without a second thought, the Diver disappeared beneath the murky waters of the marina after the slippery henchman. Firetop sent a blast of flame across the path of another henchman who carried a jewellery box, in an attempt to stop him, but he just walked through it. Matthew sent a wave of water over to Muriel, who managed to fly above its path; the water instead knocking another henchman into the marina’s waters. Lycralad used his abilities again on another pair of henchmen, this time binding their arms to their sides, but a third henchman grabbed him from behind. The henchman shoved Lycralad forwards, and caught hold of both his ankles. He swung him around above his head, as if Lycralad weighed nothing. All the time he was striding forwards, and let Lycralad go as the Cloud stepped out from the boat where he had just returned the microwave. Lycralad bashed into the Cloud, knocking him down, but Lycra had managed to make himself weigh considerably less just a second before, so the Cloud was soon up again. Lycralad flew into the air. The Cloud managed to grab hold of a rope and wrap it around another henchman who had stepped on board the boat to retrieve some more booty. Bettystretch caught another henchman, and threw him on top of the others she was keeping pinned down by her elongated legs. Firetop used another of his blasts of fire to send another henchman into the water, who was swiftly scooped together with the other two by the Diver. He then leapt out of the water with the henchman to set them down dockside. Muriel Magnificent caught another henchman by his arm, but instead of turning him around, the arm came away in a burst of sparks.

“Eeeyaghhh!” Exclaimed Muriel, as the arm exploded. She flung it away. She looked up, and instantly noticed the other henchmen bursting apart in tiny explosions at their joints.

The Diver let his captives go as soon as they erupted into sparks. Bettystretch leapt off her captives as they did the same, shrinking back to normal size as she did so. The Cloud dropped the rope he was using to tie up his captive, as the henchman’s head left his shoulders in a shower of electrical shards. Matthew Mist tried to send another burst of water over Firetop, but Lycralad used his material fusing abilities to bind Matthew’s arms to his chest; Matthew ended soaking himself this time. He spluttered as he fell to the ground. Lycralad flew over to a very wet Firetop.

“Robots again!” He said, looking on at the very strange scene ahead of him.

“Again?” Firetop asked. Lycralad smiled as he saw Firetop using his internal heat to dry out his uniform, surrounded by a cloud of steam. Lycra looked over to Matthew.

“This is good steam, Matthew. Just in case you missed it!”

Matthew rolled his eyes and groaned at Lycralad’s very poor joke, and muttered something inaudible under his breath.

Muriel Magnificent landed beside Lycralad. “I wasn’t expecting that…” she said, looking at the scattered robotic body parts before her.

“I should have done,” Lycralad commented, thinking of the events of the previous hour.

“What’s going on?” Firetop asked. “I’d followed Matthew Mist here as I could tell he was up to no good, when suddenly this ‘army’ appeared following every command Matthew gave.”

The other superheroes joined their colleagues, all looking out over the marina.

“I’ll get the harbourmaster to let the owners know of their belongings,” The Cloud commented. “I think we’ve managed to save them all, but they’re obviously not in their correct places now.” He walked off toward the marina office.

“Another bunch of robots attacked the bank earlier, Firetop.” Lycralad explained. “But that time only their heads blew off.”

“Gross.” Firetop pulled his face.

“Matthew Mist will know something.” Bettystretch added, looking to the space when Matthew had originally sat. “He’s gone!”

“Lycralad!” A familiar voice called out from around the side of another of the harbour buildings. “Are you looking for this?” Constable Jones from the bank earlier walked around the corner, with two other policemen behind, and a handcuffed Matthew Mist struggling to walk in the middle, cuffs also around his ankles.

“Constable Jones!” Lycralad smiled. “Twice in one hour! Thanks for apprehending Mister Mist here for us!”

“No worries, Lycralad. More robots?”

“Yes. Robotic thieves seem to be the order of the day today. We still have no clue as to who is behind it though. It can’t be Matthew here.”

“Oi!” Matthew grumbled. “You will get nothing from me!” He declared stubbornly.

“That much is obviously apparent,” Firetop quipped with a broad grin, “you look even more clueless than the rest of us!”

Bettystretch’s comms alert sounded, shortly followed by Muriel’s and then the rest of the group (apart from Firetop). Muriel read aloud the words on her device’s display. “From. Invisible. Charlie. Mid. Museum. Surrounded by. Dozens. Dressed the. Same.”

“Sounds like more of our friends…” Lycralad commented. He looked at the policeman. “Sorry to leave you with this mess again, but we have to go!”

“I understand, Lycralad. Go for it!” He watched as the team sped away into the sky. He looked at another policeman and Matthew Mist. “And we think we’re busy…” he commented.