An hour or so after Clarke had left, the Vanguard were called out again to do battle; a new villain called Cytana had attacked the Omegatropolis Technological Institute at the head of a small army of minions from The Legion. After a pitched battle that took several hours the Vanguard fought Cytana at the heart of the institute,  where he'd attempted to steal a prototype of a matter transfer device. In the ensuing battle the device was activated and detonated spectacularly, leaving a a 20 by 20' hole in the room...And no Valkyrie as she and Cytana had been standing next to the device when it exploded.<br/>Pulling back from the field of battle one friend less the Vanguard for the first time suffered a loss that was not easy to deal with.<br/><br/>And so, Christmas comes and the city is in a festive mood; the villains mostly in hiding after the Vanguards and freelance heroes battles against them and stability created. However, at the Vanguard HQ, one room lies empty and abandoned, and a cheerful voice always eager to give praise or support is silent.<br/>And outside, shadows draw nearer...<br/><br/>Shadowcat found herself eye to eye with Monkey King, one of the better known freelance heroes of the city. He'd joked and chatted with her before vanishing in a puff of smoke; seemingly taking in her worth. Now, days later she finds herself watching the city from the rooftops, her presence made a matter of interest in several newspapers as they cheer on "The Teleporting Terror!" in her fight against the bad guys of the city.