The call came at 3:17 a.m.
Elena and I were still tangled in bed, bodies warm and slick from another passionate round. She was curled against my chest, her leg draped over mine, when my emergency comm buzzed on the nightstand. I answered immediately.
The voice on the other end was the President's chief of staff — tense, clipped.
"Thick Chick. Loverman. We have a Code Black. A massive asteroid is on a collision course with Earth. Impact in less than 48 hours. It's bigger than the last one. Our defenses can't stop it. We need you in space immediately."
Elena sat up instantly, her purple aura flickering to life. "We're on it."
We suited up in record time — masks locking into place, auras flaring. No time for goodbyes or hesitation. We launched from the garden straight into the upper atmosphere, then beyond, violet and purple streaks cutting through the night sky like comets.
The asteroid was enormous — a jagged, irregular rock the size of a small mountain, hurtling toward Earth at terrifying speed. It glowed faintly with Riftmaster's dark energy signature. We could feel it from miles away.
Elena flew beside me, golden highlights in her hair catching the starlight. "This feels wrong," she said over comms. "Too obvious."
"I know," I replied, pushing my violet energy to maximum. "But we have no choice. If it hits, millions die."
We reached the asteroid in minutes. It was even bigger up close — tumbling slowly, surface cracked and glowing with unnatural purple-black veins. Elena and I positioned ourselves on opposite sides.
"Together," she said.
We unleashed everything.
Elena went golden — her most powerful form — pouring raw energy into a massive nova blast. I matched her with violet strength and concentrated pulses, trying to alter its trajectory or shatter it into manageable pieces. The combined force was immense — the asteroid shuddered, cracks widening, chunks breaking off.
But it wasn't enough.
The damn thing was reinforced with Riftmaster's energy. Every time we damaged it, the dark veins pulsed and repaired the fractures. We pushed harder — flying at full speed, slamming into it with superhuman force, blasting it from every angle. Sweat poured down my face inside the mask. Elena's breathing grew labored over comms.
"We're slowing it," she said, voice strained. "But not enough."
Then the distraction became clear.
While we were occupied in space, Riftmaster made his real move.
Reports flooded our comms from ground control:
The President of the United States had vanished from the White House.
The Prime Minister of the UK was taken from 10 Downing Street.
Leaders from France, Germany, China, Russia, India, Brazil — all gone in coordinated strikes.
Riftmaster's clones had appeared simultaneously across the globe, kidnapping heads of state and key government figures.
He had used the asteroid as bait. While the world's greatest heroes were distracted in space, he struck at the heart of global power.
"Fuck!" I shouted, slamming my fist into the asteroid again. A large chunk broke off, but the main body kept coming.
Elena's voice was tight with rage. "He played us. We have to finish this rock first — then go after him."
We poured everything we had left into one final combined attack — violet-purple helix spiraling around the asteroid, golden energy from Elena's nova form pushing against it with godlike force. The asteroid cracked violently — breaking into several large pieces instead of one catastrophic impact.
The fragments entered Earth's atmosphere. Most burned up. One large piece hit the Atlantic Ocean, far from major landmasses.
But the impact was still devastating.
A massive tsunami formed, racing toward the Caribbean islands. We dove after it at maximum speed — Elena teleporting ahead, using golden energy to slow the wave, me using raw strength and violet blasts to break up the surge. We saved countless lives, but damage was inevitable. Coastal towns on several islands were flooded. Buildings collapsed. Thousands were displaced. The death toll was lower than it could have been, but it was still too high.
We returned to the surface exhausted — suits torn, bodies aching.
The news was worse than we feared.
Riftmaster had the world leaders. He broadcast a new message from an unknown location:
"I have your presidents. Your prime ministers. Your kings and queens of industry. Surrender Thick Chick and Loverman to me within 24 hours, or I will execute them one by one on live television. The choice is yours."
The world was in chaos.
Elena and I stood on a rooftop in New York, watching the panic below. Sirens wailed. People cried in the streets. The weight of billions of lives pressed down on us.
"We're not strong enough right now," Elena said quietly, her hand finding mine. "Not after the asteroid. Not after pushing ourselves this hard."
I squeezed her hand — chest tight with frustration and fear. "If we don't surrender… he kills them all."
She looked at me — eyes filled with pain, but also resolve. "We have no choice."
We contacted the remaining government officials. The message was simple and heartbreaking:
We would surrender to Riftmaster.
The Super Couple — Earth's greatest heroes — were walking into a trap to save the world's leaders.
As we prepared to turn ourselves in, the anxiety settled over us like a heavy blanket. Riftmaster was back. Stronger. Smarter. More dangerous than ever.
And this time, he held all the cards.