Morning Patrol

Raphael stretched his muscular gray arms and stepped out onto the highest balcony of Raphael Tower. The morning sun painted Action City in golden hues below him. Streets bustled with humans, rhinos, and hippos heading to work.

"Another beautiful day to keep the city safe," he said, adjusting his red mask.

His paintbrush-shaped tower stood tall in the center of the city, surrounded by stone rhino statues that seemed to watch over the streets. Raphael loved this view. Every building, every park, every corner store looked vibrant and alive.

He activated his flight powers and soared over the downtown district. A hippo waved from a coffee shop window. Three rhino children pointed excitedly as he passed overhead.

"Morning, citizens!" Raphael called out cheerfully.

But as he flew toward the eastern neighborhoods, something felt different. The buildings looked... duller somehow. The bright yellow of a school bus seemed faded. Even the green traffic lights appeared washed out.

Raphael frowned and landed on a rooftop for a closer look.

The Fading Signal

From the rooftop, Raphael squinted at the street below. The yellow school bus that had caught his attention looked more like pale butter now. A red fire hydrant appeared pink.

"What's happening here?" he muttered.

His phone buzzed. The caller ID showed Maya Chen, Action City's lead weather scientist—a smart woman with short black hair who worked at the meteorological center.

"Raphael! Thank goodness you answered," Maya said breathlessly. "I'm getting crazy readings on my instruments. The electromagnetic spectrum is shifting across the eastern district."

"The what now?"

"Colors, Raphael! Someone or something is literally draining color frequencies from the atmosphere. I've never seen anything like it."

Raphael activated his x-ray vision and scanned the neighborhood. Through building walls, he spotted something alarming—families of hippos and rhinos huddled together, pointing at their fading furniture and clothes.

"Maya, this is spreading fast. How long before—"

A piercing screech interrupted him. High above, a dark figure zoomed across the sky, trailing wisps of stolen color behind like a comet's tail.

"I have to go," Raphael said, launching himself upward in pursuit.