Empathic Energy Conversion: the ability to absorb emotional energy and convert into another form of energy.

A few days after Tiana was admitted, Tyler convinced Josh to go and see her. Up until then, he felt responsible for what happened to her and didn't want to see her that way, fearing the worse.

But. Tiana is his best friend. She would want him there, right? Even if it was his fault she's been kidnapped. He didn't want to overthink it.

The hospital isn't busy, thankfully, so Tyler and Josh can go in regular attire without drawing suspicion. Tiana had been moved from the ICU to a more secure room in case a certain feline-based asshole tried to track her again.

She's hooked to all kinds of wires and tubes, having to lie on her side or stomach until the wound in her back healed. Her eyes are closed, her chest moving slowly with her deep breaths. Josh almost walks back out.

Tyler walks into the room first, nodding at Hernando, who's flipping through her clipboard, trying not to subtly to distract himself. "Hello."

"Ah, you must be Tyler," Hernando perks up immediately, rushing to shake his hand. "These two talk about you all the time, especially this one." He gestures at Josh.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Josh says, his face flushing.

He finally takes a step in in, pulls a chair up against Tiana's bed and sits, watching as her eyes flutter open, irises brown with a tinge of a rosy color. The white part of her left eye looks like it's filled with blood. She sends him a soft smile, reaching a hand out for him.

"Hey, bud," she says, her voice hoarse.

Josh grabs her hand and holds it, running his thumb over her stitched up knuckles. "Hey, kitten. How you feeling?"

"Like shit." Tiana chuckles, but stops in a coughing fit. "They pumped me full of drugs so I'll be fine in a couple minutes."

Guilt crawls up the back of his throat :He hates seeing her like this. So fragile that she could shatter any moment. Tiana's supposed to be the brave one that kicks ass and makes a name for herself, not the one who loses limbs.

She scrunches up her nose and flicks his with her free hand. "Looks like you're going to have to be strong enough for the both of us, Icarus."

"Oh, my god, you heard about that?" Josh groans, dropping his head onto Tiana's shoulder.

"Oh course I did," she giggles, petting his hair. "I think it's kind of ironic that I lost a wing but you're the one with the name."

Josh snorts. "Our lives are just giant jokes at this point."

"You're so right."

He takes a minute to relax and pretend that Tiana's skin doesn't feel as cold as it does, that he can't smell her blood, still fresh like an open wound.

"Have you heard from Hayley?" He asks, lifting his head.

Tiana's eyes go steely. "Yeah, she came over a few days ago. Wanted to apologize for nearly getting me killed." She flexes her fingers and Josh sees flickers of black smoke swirl around her free hand. "I wanted to strangle her."

"Yeah, me too."

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," Tyler says, his arms crossed.

"Are you defending her?" Josh scowls. "She betrayed us all, especially you. She lied."

"But for good reason," Hernando starts to say but he isn't listening anymore.

"She almost got Tati killed, and you're trying to justify her actions?" Josh stands, his body thrumming with furious energy. "Hayley's a liar and a horrible mentor." He takes a step forward, ignoring the expression of terror on Tyler's face." Nothing she can do now can make that better. Nothing!"

When he takes a breath to keep talking, Tyler raises a hand, putting a force field around Josh. Just around him. "Angel, calm down. I understand you're angry. I am too. But you're losing control."

Josh looks around. Anything not bolted to the ground is in the air, swirling in a small hurricane around him. Small blue specks float around the room, glowing brightly. That's new.

He grits his teeth, trying to calm himself down, but he just gets even angrier. There's something wrong with it. He doesn't get mad, not usually. When he does get angry, it's never this... intense.

Tiana's gripping the sides of the cot, but she doesn't look scared. She looks just as pissed. "He deserves to be angry. Hayley raised us like pigs for bacon! She deserves to die."

"Woah." Josh raises his hands. "Nobody deserves to die, not even-"

"You don't get what I went through!" Tiana screams, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't just lose a wing, Josh. Alley Cat shoved me through time. Yeah, I was fucking right the whole time. I've got time powers."

A sphere of black mass starts to coagulate around her, her eyes the only light from inside. The sphere solidifies and spikes out, penetrating the force field and shattering it.

"I'm going to kill Alley Cat. Not to prove myself to anyone, but so Hayley doesn't have to satisfaction of doing it herself."

Josh feels the heat coming off of the black spikes that barley missed stabbing him, Tyler, and her father. He steps between them, everything he'd somehow levitated dropping to the ground.

Tyler growls and goes to grab one of the spikes, his hand on fire.

"Wait, don't touch it-" he doesn't know how dark energy works.

As soon as Tyler's hand lands on the black mass, he screams in pain. The veins of his arm turn black, frost running up his fingers to his elbow. Josh leaps for Tyler's arm, tearing it off of the spikes, but the damage is already done; his palm is black and charred, the skin cracking and blood seeping through.

"What the hell did she do to me?" Tyler groans, leaning against Josh.

"I tried to tell you, dark energy is what the universe is made of." Josh glares at Tiana, who's face falls as soon as she sees what she's done. "It's hot and cold and pure energy."

Poof! The spikes disappear, leaving hit a of black smoke in their wake. Hernando is pressed against the wall, breathing heavily.

"W... What." He looks up at Tiana, confusion across his face. "Tatiana..."

Tiana curls into a ball. "I'm sorry, I just get so angry sometimes. I can't control it anymore."

Tyler grabs Hernando's arm and shoves him out of the room. "We need to have a hero meeting. I'll call you back in when we're done."