Morning Patrol

Iron Artist soared between the gleaming towers of New Art City, his blue-and-black supersuit cutting through the morning air. The twelve-year-old superhero adjusted his reflective visor mask as he approached the Iron Art Gallery Tower, the city's most prestigious art museum.

"Another peaceful day," he murmured, landing gracefully on the tower's observation deck.

Below him, the city bustled with activity. Humanoid lions in business suits walked alongside human artists carrying oversized canvases. A deer-woman with antlers decorated in paint splatters chatted with her girlfriend near a sculpture fountain.

Iron Artist activated his X-ray vision, scanning the gallery floors below out of habit. Everything appeared normal—visitors admiring paintings, security guards at their posts, the usual morning crowd.

But something felt different today. A faint metallic hum echoed from somewhere deep within the building, barely audible even to his enhanced senses.

"Probably just the new climate control system," he reasoned, though his power sensing ability tingled with an unfamiliar energy signature.

He decided to investigate.

The Silent Witness

Iron Artist stepped through the gallery's main entrance, his boots clicking against the polished marble floor. The metallic hum grew louder as he moved deeper into the building.

"Good morning, Iron Artist!" called Ms. Willow, the elderly security guard with silver hair pulled into a neat bun. Her kind eyes crinkled behind wire-rimmed glasses. "Early patrol today?"

"Just checking on things," he replied, activating his power sensing ability. The strange energy signature pulsed stronger near the contemporary art wing.

As he rounded the corner, Iron Artist froze. The wall where the famous "Starlight Dreams" painting hung yesterday now displayed only an empty frame. The artwork had vanished completely.

"Ms. Willow!" he called, rushing back to the entrance. "The Monet reproduction is missing!"

The elderly woman hurried over, her security keys jingling. She stared at the empty frame, shaking her head. "That's impossible. The alarms never went off. I've been here all night."

Iron Artist scanned the area with his X-ray vision, but found no hidden passages or secret compartments. The painting had simply disappeared without a trace.