Silver Búho spotted Neon’s hulking figure from half a mile away as he soared through the air. He was hunched down behind a shipping container and tapping at his tablet. Silver dove toward his sidekick, who turned in time to see his glinting figure.

Neon waved him down furiously. “Could you be any more obvious?” he asked in a frustrated whisper.

“It’s fine. There’s no one out here this morning,” said Silver loudly as he landed by Neon’s side. Neon pulled him against the shipping container. His body thudded against the steel.

“You’re lucky I’ve already disabled the security feeds in the area.”

“See! I can always count on you. What have you found?”

“While you were lounging about the Parliament, I was able to cross-check some files. If my estimation is correct, the shipping container with the soon-to-be-stolen goods is right around here.” Neon pulled up a map of the dock and pointed to an area just a few feet away from their current location.

“I’ll go up and be the lookout,” offered Silver.

“No, Bú. I’ll need your help inside the shipping container.”

The superhero and his sidekick began their infiltration of the docks. Silver ducked his head and hunched, and Neon stuck closely to the sides of other containers. But neither could quite pass for inconspicuous given Silver’s height and Neon’s girth, especially when the two of them scurried on tippy toes with hunched shoulders across the aisles.

Neon searched for a particular identifying number on the sides of the containers, while Silver peeked around corners to check for guards. They appeared to be alone on the dock this morning except for a flock of squawking seagulls.

“This should be the one,” said Neon. Silver was accustomed to his lack of enthusiasm, but still, he thought Neon could at least take pride in his discovery. Neon’s expression, however, remained flat as he held his tablet to the digital lock on the shipping container. A holographic key formed from the tablet’s camera. Neon directed it toward the encrypted lock. He had to coax the hologram into the opening just right. He had a few false starts, as the sparkly purple key bumped against the edges and had to be reset.

“Want me to try?” asked Silver.

Neon ignored him and lined up the key one more time before sliding it masterfully into the lock. He turned the holographic key a quarter-turn counterclockwise. The clank of the releasing lock echoed against the steel container. Silver unlatched the door from the top and the bottom, and it swung open.

The air inside smelled of seaweed and warm mollusks. Neon looked like he was about to gag, but Silver quite enjoyed the pungent smell of the ocean.

The container was empty except for a single pallet. On it sat a small, black cube, which was about a cubic foot in volume. Neon, in a surprising show of interest, practically ran toward the box. It wasn’t even locked. He slid off the top, and a blinding, purple light emitted from inside. Silver had to shield his sensitive eyes, but Neon had come prepared with thick glasses that allowed him to stare directly into the box. He reached inside and retrieved the source of the light.

Silver strained to see what Neon held. It appeared to be a vial of glowing liquid. Neon looks quite handsome in this lighting, thought Silver to his own surprise. It was the first time he had really considered Neon in such a way. He shrugged it off.

“This is cephalite,” said Neon, as if that explained everything. When Silver failed to comprehend, he added, “It’s a man-made carbon chain --”

Silver just shook his head and interrupted his technical explanation. “What does it do?”

“The theory is that it could alter human DNA.”

“Why did you say it like that? Is it not human?”

“No,” said Neon. “Please pay attention. Cephalite is derived from octopuses. If consumed in high enough quantities, it could transform the human body.”

“You mean like, start growing tentacles?”

“Or suckers. Or develop neurons in your extremities. Maybe change your blood type.”

Silver held out his lanky but muscular arms and waved them in the air. “I could get used to a pair of tentacles.” He snuck up behind Neon, who had begun scanning the vial with his tablet, and wriggled his arms up and down Neon’s body.

Neon swatted his arms away, but in Silver’s playfulness, he accidentally brushed his hand along Neon’s bulge. Neon jerked his hips backward. Otherwise, he tried not to react, but Silver could swear he caught the hint of blush forming around his cheeks.

“We need to get out of here,” said Neon. He placed the vial back inside its container, closed the lid, and headed for the door.