IUSTITIA NIGRUM

As the group of thieves went over the plan one last time, Umlaut couldn't help but think how lucky he was to have been recruited by Mister Mèngxiǎng. Umlaut was a small-time thief but now he had a chance at a big score. Umlaut possessed the ability to control shadows and this superpower gave him nocturnal vision. However, when he used his superpower, his eyes glowed with a bright light, forming two bright dots that seemed to hang in the air. It was because of this he'd chosen the codename Umlaut. This side effect of his superpower had been his greatest weakness. He could manipulate shadows and use them to conceal himself, a perfect skill for a thief. Unfortunately, with his shining eyes, he was always at risk of giving away his position. Halos, electronic devices that concealed the wearer's identity by projecting a holographic image over their face, were of no use. The light radiating from his eyes pierced the hologram produced by the Halo. 

Since joining up with Mister Mèngxiǎng, Umlaut's control over his superpower had increased ten-fold. He could now use shadows to compensate for his shining eyes. Mister Mèngxiǎng, formerly the villain Nightmare Ninja, possessed the ability to enter a sleeping person's mind and manipulate their dreams. For weeks, Umlaut and Mister Mèngxiǎng had joined in meditation. While in a meditative state, Mister Mèngxiǎng entered Umlaut's mind and guided his dreams. In these dreams Umlaut was able to practice and perfect his manipulation of shadows for the equivalent of days at a time during each meditation session. Then when Umlaut came out of the meditative state, his body was able to manipulate shadows at the same advanced level as in his dreamscape.

Umlaut would need his new shadow manipulation skills for his role in the upcoming heist. He wasn't the only one Mister Mèngxiǎng had recruited and given special training through shared meditation. Corroseva's superpower gave her the ability to excrete acid from her hands. After training with Mister Mèngxiǎng, she'd learned to create a dormant version of the acid and inject it into projectiles, which she then could launch from mechanized gauntlets. Once the projectile struck its target, the acid was released and became active. 

Hooke had been training with Mister Mèngxiǎng the longest of the three recruited thieves. Umlaut was not sure if Hooke was his codename or given name and was too intimidated to ask. Hooke was almost seven feet tall and was incredibly strong, but super strength wasn't his superpower. Instead, he possessed the ability to shrink himself to microscopic size. Before training with Mister Mèngxiǎng, Hooke's strength became proportional to his size when he shrank. Now he was able to project his superpower as a field around his body. This allowed him to keep his strength even at his smallest size. He'd also gained the ability to project and maintain an energy field through solid objects allowing him to shrink and lighten them as well.

The final superpowered member of the group was Nightmare Ninja, Mister Mèngxiǎng's protege. Nightmare Ninja's superpower allowed him to control a monstrous spirit. He could give material form to the spirit, which took on the shape of an Oni. The Oni had a wild mane of hair, sharp teeth that extended from its mouth in an underbite, and two stubby horns that grew from its forehead. Nightmare Ninja could send the Oni psychic commands, and though the two were spiritually linked, the Oni could also think and act on its own. Mister Mèngxiǎng had been the original Nightmare Ninja until he'd been seriously injured. Even after he'd recovered, he was no longer fit enough to operate in the field and had passed the mantle on to his apprentice.

The group of thieves was rounded out by several henchmen, each called Zhùlî, followed by their surname. Mister Mèngxiǎng, Nightmare Ninja, and the henchmen were all former citizens of the Shintdi Empire. They had all belonged to a rebel faction that had been crushed by the Empire's heroes. They managed to evade capture and fled to the Unified Catholicity of the Americas, setting up their base of operations in the city of Sacremastu. From there, Mister Mèngxiǎng had recruited Umlaut, Corroseva, and Hooke. Now after weeks of training and planning, the group of thieves was ready to pull off their first big heist. Their target was an art show being held in the Soter Ballroom. The city's wealthy elite were expected to attend the event, and the pieces being exhibited were each worth millions. If everything went according to plan, Umlaut's share would make him richer than he had ever dreamed possible. 

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A few hours later, Umlaut was in position. He stood a few buildings down from the Soter Ballroom and waited for the signal. The proceeds from tonight's art exhibition, sponsored by the St. Callixtus Society, were supposed to go toward the underprivileged. The Church often held these sorts of fundraisers. Aside from aiding the Church's charitable endeavors, they were a chance for the members of high society to congregate and show off their wealth and status. The Church had hired private security and Umlaut knew there were sure to be heroes stationed nearby. Luckily, Mister Mèngxiǎng had planned for this. He'd arranged for a distraction that would draw the heroes away. As the thieves made their way toward the ballroom, Mister Mèngxiǎng had set off a succession of firebombs across different parts of the city. The explosions were sure to draw any heroes away from the ballroom and provided cover for the thieves to move into position.

Umlaut watched as the wealthy attendees arrived at the event in their limousines, either oblivious to the recent explosions or simply uncaring. He took note of the fancy cuff links and expensive jewelry and once again thought of the big score that awaited him. Umlaut glanced over his shoulder to make sure Zhùlî Chen had found a place along a side street to park the non-descript van. Zhùlî Chen would be their get-away driver once they'd accomplished the heist. Umlaut knew that Nightmare Ninja and Corroseva were currently completing their assigned tasks. 

Nightmare Ninja was working his way through the sewer below, headed for the ballroom's sub-levels. Once there, he would disable the ballroom's security, alarm, and camera systems, and sabotage the building's back-up generator. Then he would proceed to the main level, incapacitating any security guards he happened upon. By now, Corroseva would have climbed to the ballroom’s roof. Once there, she would incapacitate any guards stationed on the roof and plant a device that would jam cell phone or radio signals within and around the ballroom. Meanwhile, Hooke had taken out the guards stationed at the back of the building and like Umlaut, was waiting for the signal, at which point he'd enter the building and secure the rear exit.

Umlaut thought over the diagrams of the Soter Ballroom they'd studied in preparation for the heist. The actual ballroom took up most of the building. There were only two doors that led into the ballroom. The main door opened to the long glass atrium at the front of the building, and it was that door Umlaut was responsible for securing. The second door led to a loading dock at the back of the building. The ballroom itself was elegantly decorated. There was a large dance floor and a stage against one wall, with a kitchen at the other end of the room. Ornate columns stood equidistant from the center of the ballroom and its walls. A lattice of steel beams ran between the columns. From the lattice hung lights and the fire suppression system. The center of the domed ceiling was filled with large skylights. Normally the skylights would let in light from the moon and stars, but tonight the sky was overcast. Without the powered lights, the ballroom would be pitch black. This is exactly what the thieves were counting on.

Less than a minute later, the signal came. On the outskirts of the city, Mister Mèngxiǎng set off a bomb that destroyed the Sacremastu Power Plant. The sound of the explosion rolled across the city. Seconds later, every light in the city went out. The blackout was Umlaut's signal to move. He solidified the shadows around him and used them to run above the heads of the crowd at the front of the ballroom. With a motion of his hand he sent a wave of shadow at the two security guards stationed by the front door. The shadow wave slammed the guards into one another then Umlaut sent a second wave that knocked them into the building's wall. One guard was knocked unconscious, but the other guard tried to draw his gun. With a flick of his finger, Umlaut created a lash of shadow. The shadow lash whipped across the guard's jaw and knocked him out. 

Umlaut pulled out two pairs of handcuffs and quickly cuffed the guards. He was proud to be a thief, but he was not a killer. He would do whatever he could to keep from crossing that line. He knew that his compatriots did not share this ideal, but he didn't care. As long as they accomplished the job, he didn't see the point in needlessly taking another person's life. Umlaut entered building and saw five guard spread out in the atrium. They were so preoccupied by the blackout and the fact their comms were no longer working that they hadn't noticed Umlaut knock out their comrades and enter the building. 

Using shadow lashes Umlaut, incapacitated the two guards on his right. He turned to his left just as the remaining three guards noticed his glowing eyes. They drew their guns and fired as Umlaut raised a shadow shield in front of himself and began to count gun shots as he elongated the shield into a wall. He ran down the length of the wall, preparing to counterstrike as soon as he reached its end. As he rounded the end of the wall, Umlaut saw Nightmare Ninja walking up behind the three guards. Nightmare Ninja drew his sword and cut down two of the guards as the Oni tore out the throat of the third. Then the Oni rushed across the atrium and finished off the two guards Umlaut had knocked out when he entered the building. Then the Oni returned to Nightmare Ninja and hovered around his body as a cloud of vapor, waiting until its physical form was needed again.

Nightmare Ninja activated his Halo and the device projected a large glowing face that hung in the air above his head. They entered the ballroom and Umlaut secured the doorway with a wall of shadow. Nightmare Ninja addressed the crowd inside the ballroom, his Halo amplifying his voice.

"Ladies and gentleman. You are at our mercy. Please throw your wallets, jewelry, and any other valuables onto the floor. Comply and you just might make it out of this alive."

As the crowd began to comply, the members of the private security team who had been stationed inside the ballroom drew their guns and converged on Nightmare Ninja. Standing on the steel lattice above and wearing a pair of night vision goggles, Corroseva was ready for them. Using her gauntlet launchers, she picked the guards off one by one with her acid infused projectiles. As their comrades fell, a few of the security guards tried to drop back. Returning to his regular size, Hooke appeared behind them and cut down the remaining guards with a sub-machine gun. 

With all the guards taken care of, Umlaut used shadows to gather up the valuables that had been tossed onto the floor by the crowd. Hooke moved about the room and began shrinking down the works of art. Corroseva surveyed the ballroom from above as Nightmare Ninja and his Oni circled the perimeter, each keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity and making sure that the art show's attendees were throwing down their valuables. Umlaut was elated that the heist was going even better than they planned. Little did the thieves know, there were still obstacles standing between them and their getaway. 

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In the kitchen, posing as a caterer, was Brother Thomas. He had been hired as extra security by the St. Callixtus Society. Brother Thomas used to be a criminal, but had been rehabilitated in prison. His criminal past prevented him from becoming a true hero, but he had been allowed to don the title of Brother after being re-baptized into the Church. Now he acted to protect the interests of the Church's most devout parishioners as a private security guard.

Brother Thomas' superpower allowed him to shoot laser beams from his eyes. He didn't have complete control over the beams and the room was crowded with innocents. Lucky for him, Corroseva had given her position away as she’d picked off the other guards, and she was high enough above the crowd that he could use his superpower without risking injury to the crowd. His vision had adjusted to the darkness enough that he could see the other thieves milling about the ballroom. Brother Thomas pulled his gun and held it at the ready. Then he fired a laser beam upward at Corroseva.

Much like Umlaut's superpower, Brother Thomas' came with a major disadvantage. His eyes had to charge for a few seconds before he could fire a laser. While charging, his eyes glowed with bright light. It was only because of this light that Corroseva survived Brother Thomas' attack. The light in his eyes caused a flash that, because Corroseva was wearing night vision goggles, momentarily blinded her. The searing pain in her eyes caused her to lurch backward. The resulting movement allowed her to avoid being hit by the laser beam, but she lost her balance and fell from the metal lattice.

Brother Thomas pointed his gun at Hooke and fired. The first bullet hit Hooke in the arm, but the next two whizzed over his head as the thief shrunk down to half his normal size. Hooke turned and fired back with his sub-machine gun and Brother Thomas was forced to duck behind cover. 

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Umlaut saw Corroseva falling and used shadows to catch her before she crashed to the floor. He wanted to help his compatriots against the superpowered security guard, but he needed one of his hands and most of his concentration to maintain the wall of shadow that was blocking the ballroom's main entrance. Then he saw the Oni stalking across the room toward Brother Thomas, and felt confident that Nightmare Ninja would deal with the security guard. 

The Oni sprinted toward where Brother Thomas crouched behind cover. He saw the Oni coming and blasted it with a laser beam. The beam disrupted the Oni enough that it lost its physical form and was forced to return to Nightmare Ninja. Hooke reloaded his sub-machine gun and took up a new position. He fired at Brother Thomas and the security guard just managed to roll behind a table that had been overturned in the confusion caused by the blackout. Brother Thomas popped up, ready to fire back at Hooke, but he did not realize that Nightmare Ninja had moved in behind him. Nightmare Ninja drew his sword and cut off Brother Thomas' head in one fluid slice. 

Having defeated Brother Thomas, the thieves went back to their assigned tasks. Soon Umlaut had gathered all the valuables and Hooke had shrunk down and secured all the works of art. Even with the intervention of Brother Thomas, they had finished their tasks almost two minutes ahead of schedule. The thieves made their way toward the ballroom's main door, ready to make their escape. Suddenly, the glass in the ceiling above shattered and Father Gabriel flew into the ballroom.

All the thieves instantly recognized Father Gabriel. He was a famous hero and one of the most prominent and powerful members of the Church's group of state sponsored heroes, the Vindices Catholicus of the United Americas. Two long tentacles made of viscous, bright red plasma extended from Father Thomas' shoulder blades. His superpower allowed him to physically manipulate this plasma into any shape. 

The thieves all jumped into action, ready to take on Father Gabriel. Hooke shrunk down to microscopic size, presumably to move around behind the hero. Nightmare Ninja and his Oni each moved to flank Father Gabriel from different sides. Corroseva fired projectiles from her gauntlets and Umlaut sent a wave of shadow toward the hero. With one tentacle, Father Gabriel easily blocked the projectiles. The other tentacle emitted bright red light that dissolved Umlaut's shadow wave. Then both tentacles shot forward before Corroseva or Umlaut had time to react. The tentacles hit both thieves with such force that they were thrown against the opposite wall. 

At the last second, Umlaut managed to form a solid shadow between himself and the wall. The shadow cushioned the impact, but Umlaut was still left dazed. As he regained his senses, he took stock of the situation unfolding around him. Corroseva was unconscious and Father Gabriel had already subdued Nightmare Ninja. He knocked Nightmare Ninja out and the Oni lost its physical form. Umlaut saw the bags of valuables lying several feet away. One by one they seemed to disappear. Umlaut realized that Hooke, at microscopic size, was shrinking them down. 

Umlaut wasn't sure if Hooke was double crossing them or was just dedicated to completing the mission. He didn't have long to contemplate it as one of Father Gabriel's tentacles whizzed across the room and came down hard across his back. Umlaut's head struck the floor and he lost consciousness. He would awake several hours later in a detention center, having been apprehended by Father Gabriel. He was sentenced to one year in prison for his crimes against the Church.