Amy Dallon sat in her chair, staring in a strange sort of shock as the man with a monkey tail left. She sat for a moment, trying to think even as her mind kept stalling.

Inhuman. That person had been inhuman. He'd seemed so normal at first. Spiky black hair that somehow pointed up and curled down at the same time. Brown tanned skin, and bright chocolate eyes over a slightly too large nose. He was very large, with the mass she usually saw in more physically fit people, though that was diminished by his injuries.

Then she touched him. At first, his DNA was strange. She let her power 'flow' into his body, touching on every cell, avoiding the brain on instinct. He felt similar to humans. Same number of organs, same basic build. But his body was very different at a basic level. For one thing it was as if his skin, bones, and muscle were made of something stronger than any human beings. If every human in existence was made of bronze, he would have been titanium. That was odd, because brutes tended to have something that gave them their strength almost as a side effect, like her sister's forcefield, or Uncle Neil AKA Manp Maybe he was a Case 53?

Then she noticed he had no corona pollentia. She hadn't even been looking for it, but its absence seemed to scream out to her. In every parahuman she'd ever encountered, some form of the part of the brain that allowed superpowers existed. Until now. Which could make him a Case 53.

Then she'd healed him. And her world changed.

It had been so simple. Find the parts that allowed natural healing, and push them to accelerate, sacrificing fat as fuel. The process was far more complex than that of course, but to her it was the simplest way to explain it. Of course, that had been when her powers suddenly seemed to scream at her.

Power. Pure and unmitigated power. An ocean in a storm. Her powers were taken up and swept into it as she felt the dam within the man collapse. She could feel it. Life itself, that spark within every living being on the planet, only this was less a spark and more like a thunderstorm exploding across the skies.

That was how she felt. Like a child standing in a field, watching in awe as the raw beauty of lighting above her took her breath away. So much life, stretching out into the distance, crackling across the skies, creating goosebumps against the skin, leaving chills even as it warmed.

Then it was over. The vast majority, an infinite amount of power, faded away. Within the man, a mere drop of that life remained. But a drop of infinity is a massive amount.

And now she sat in her chair, unable to understand what she'd seen. Ever since she'd gotten her powers, she'd felt like they could go out of control at any moment. That she had to limit herself, be careful. She kept to a rigid set of rules, rules meant to protect others. And she was starting to get a handle on them, or so she'd thought.

But now, it was as if her powers had gotten a boost. She could feel the life around her now. As if the man had become a catalyst, she felt the same spark all around her. Weak in most cases but it was there, pulsing in what must have been a twenty foot space around her.

It was so beautiful. How hadn't she seen it before? That piece in every person that radiated energy and power that pulsed with warmth, with energy? How do you explain color to a man who has been blind all his life? Because that was how she felt. As though sensing the life all around her was not just some new aspect of her power, but an entirely new sense.

Then, a pulse came from within herself. She gasped. The pulse came again, then settled down. Her powers didn't work on herself. That was one of her weaknesses. Which meant she couldn't scan herself. So this new power wasn't connected to her original one? Had she triggered again?

A new pulse of life, larger than the others, came inside her range. She tried to focus in on it, her practice with using her original powers to sift between injuries giving her enough experience to do so, if clumsily. The new pulse was coming from the sky. Soon it was at the door, and rushing in.

"Ames!" Her sister came in, as stunning as ever, to Panacea's extremely guilty pleasure. "Where is he!?"

Victoria Dallon was tall, blonde, and gorgeous. She also had a talent for violence, and a mind brilliant enough to be creative about it. Her sapphire eyes glittered as she looked around, ruby lips curled as she looked around.

"Who?" She blinked, having been staring at Vicky with more interest than usual thanks to being so thrown off by the new revelations of the last few minutes, then smiled. "Oh yeah. He left a while ago. He was nice."

"Nice?" Vicky calmed down, turning to look at her sister. "Ames, what happened?"

Her poor sister looked so confused. But all Panacea could feel was that pulse of life in her sister. So big. Not as big as the man's, but larger than the civilians outside. And beautiful. "He was… so much." Amy said, dazed. "And he had a tail."

"A… tail?" Vicky cocked her head to the side, fists unclenching.

"A long monkey tail."

"…Ames, is that innuendo? Because I'm still kicking that guy's ass if it is."

What?

The mousy young woman blinked. Then her freckled cheeks went a brilliant shade of red. "Vicky! Nothing happened! He really had a monkey tail!"

"Oh." The blonde powerhouse sounded disappointed for some reason. "So, Monkey Cape? As a cape name?"

"I…" Amy rested her face in her hands and sighed. "That's a terrible name."

"What's wrong with Monkey Cape?" Vicky asked, smirking at her sister. Then she frowned. "And by the way, what the hell with being here in the first place!? You're supposed to be resting!"

Amy winced. "Yeah. I will. Just… a few more people?"

Vicky stared at her sister thoughtfully. Then she nodded. "Yeah, okay. But we need to talk about you coming out her so late. And talk about the Monkey Cape later."

"But not to mom." Amy said desperately.

Vicky scoffed, smiling once more. "Course not." She used her best gangsta voice. "I ain't nevah narced on nobody!"

Amy smiled back. Even as she did, the pulsing warmth of life around her continued. She saw it in everyone, including the father and daughter pair that came in next as Vicky stood next to her like a bodyguard.

And it was beautiful. For the first time in a while, she found herself truly invested in her healing, rather than going through the motions.

It had been worrying her for a while. She felt so indifferent these days. Simply healing people over and over, not really caring if they lived or died. It had started to worry her.

Now though, she could feel the light inside them. Some larger than others, but all with a different 'taste'. The way they suddenly swelled after a healing never failed to amaze her. She despaired that without being able to share the power, she'd never be able to explain why it amazed her so.

For now, she healed, and enjoyed the warm flicker of her sister's life beside her.

And in subspace, a shard of something bigger began to learn.

-

Assault wasn't known for being the deepest or most conniving thinker. Except for those who really knew him. As Madcap, he spent hours planning before actually moving on a target. He didn't like to advertise it, his life tended to be a lot more fun these days. But you didn't survive as a hero without being damn smart, and he could still put his head to figuring out problems.

Gohan was not really a problem. Assault liked the younger man. He was fun, had a good sense of humor, and was pretty relaxed. But he was also a mystery. On the surface, he seemed like an honest guy. But anyone who watched him, spoke to him, could tell there was something under the surface.

Assault had brought him to a small conference room. Gohan was working at his new laptop, a pair of earphones plugged into it as he stared intently at the screen. He typed at regular intervals. As he worked, his lips would move slightly, as though he was reciting a prayer. Assault looked at him thoughtfully.

When Gohan had gotten his official rating, Assault and Battery had immediately been called in to Piggot's office.

-

"You are to watch him closely." Emily Piggot said seriously as she sat behind her desk.

Assault frowned. "Is that really necessary? He seems cool."

"I agree." Battery said as well. Armsmaster was there as well, standing next to Piggot. "From the recordings we've gotten, and response now, he's pretty normal, as parahumans go at least. And he does want to work with us."

"And if it's genuine, I'm going to feel foolish for my paranoia." Piggot said. "But I've always thought feeling foolish is better than feeling dead."

"You weren't me at my high school reunion then." Assault quipped.

"He is powerful." Armsmaster told the pair. "On the higher end of the scale for Brute and Mover ratings, a low Thinker rating that only makes his other abilities more useful, an apparent familiarity with his abilities, and it's possible he'll only get stronger."

"Don't forget the monkey thing!" Assault added.

"Yes, let's not forget that." Piggot said. "Which leaves the question. How does he know for certain about it? Have we heard of any Endbringer-style attacks happening on the full moon?"

"Maybe he was in an isolated area?" Battery asked.

"Maybe." Piggot said. "But as of now, that can be ignored. I'll be talking to some surgeons about amputating his tail, as according to him that will prevent the change. But as of now, we have a parahuman with a mysterious past and plenty of power. I would like to make sure he is on the up and up. To that end," She looked directly at Assault. "Watch him. If he turns out to be a sleeper agent, then we find out who he's working for. If not, then as I said, I will hopefully only feel foolish."

"…who do you think he could be working for?" Assault asked.

If Piggot was thrown off by Assault's seriousness, she didn't show it. "Some of the think tank have their bet on Crane. He fits her martial artist motif at least. But if he has anything to do with her, it would at most be as a former student. Subterfuge is just not her style. There is no way he is ABB or Empire 88 material, given his ethnicity, and the Merchants are not the 'long-term' types. He might belong to some other crew, or an outside source, but that just gives us too many options.

"Really, this whole thing is only a problem because he has no corona pollentia, appeared out of nowhere with no history and clear familiarity with his powers. Without those three issues, he'd be an immediate win." Piggot sighed, the fat on her chin jiggling. "So watch him. Make sure he isn't a threat."

"Wait, go back." Battery said. "He doesn't have a corona pollentia? I thought that was impossible for parahumans?"

"Apparently not." Piggot said. "There are some theories. But for now, it's yet another mystery."

-

"Oh come on!" Assault was brought out of his thoughts by Gohan's frustrated yell.

"What's up man?" He asked.

"I just realized why I was having so much trouble with that Tai Chi video." Gohan sighed. "I guess I should have thought of it, but it was almost too stupid to consider—"

"You were having trouble?" Assault asked skeptically. "The way the eggheads were talking you had it mastered."

"Yeah, I did." Gohan turned his laptop around so Assault could see it. "But my powers had trouble making them fit. And now I know why. Look at this."

Amused by the anger in the other man's voice, Assault leaned down to look at the screen. On it was a video online of a man going through some martial arts movements.

"Okay, so what am I looking at?"

"Real Tai Chi." Gohan said. "As opposed to the hack who made that video. That's why I was having trouble. I was trying to follow movements that were thrown in to look good. I don't know the deal with that guy in the approved video, but this guy here is the real deal."

Before Assault could respond, the door opened. The pair looked up to see a blonde woman enter. As she came in, Assault considered what he'd just learned.

Apparently Gohan's powers could figure out the difference between real martial arts moves and someone waving their arms prettily. That was good news. Probably kept him from trying to copy something ridiculous.

Oh well. Probably something for the think tank to figure out.

For now, Assault would watch the other man. He seemed like an okay guy, didn't have the stick up his ass certain others did, and hell, was just plain a nice dude.

-

Armsmaster wasn't good with people. If Dragon or Militia ever knew he had that thought, they would probably accuse him of understating things (In between bouts of hysterical laughter of course). But he believed that flaw was one worth living with.

Still, even he knew he had a tendency to be harsh in his judgement of others. And when the parahuman named Gohan had come in, he couldn't help but dislike him on some level. It wasn't the man himself that bothered him. It was everything surrounding him.

First, he had no corona pollentia. The part of the brain known to produce superpowers was entirely absent to his helmet's software, meaning he should not have any powers at all. And yet, he did. The thinkers and lab techs had theorized that his powers had worked to create his body, with even his corona pollentia being replaced with something more efficient as part of the process. Regardless, it made him an oddity amongst parahumans. Except for Case 53's. If he was one, he was very lucky compared to most Colin had heard of. The tail marked him as one, and his claims of being able to turn into a large ape fit as well, but those were far less obvious than other 53's who often had far more obvious features that separated them from the rest of humanity.

Second, he was a mystery. A parahuman of immense power showing up out of nowhere wasn't unusual. One with no records at all was something else.

And finally, there were his powers.

Superhuman strength, speed, and durability, all of which would grow exponentially with time. Not to mention his ability to absorb martial arts skills in little to no time, allowing him to become a master with none of the hard work others had to go through.

Armsmaster prided himself on his hard work, on working night and day to become the best. He'd often gone without sleep to squeeze out that slightest bit of extra efficiency in his tech, or to protect his skills as a fighter.

And having yet another Parahuman who would get exponentially stronger overtime, with a fraction of the work he had to put in, just didn't sit right. First Dauntless, who everyone in the PRT agreed would one day reach Triumvirate levels of power with his ability to empower objects. And now Gohan, who would do the same with his own body.

It helped that the two were nothing alike. Gohan was far more relaxed than most parahumans. Dauntless always seemed smug, as though no matter what came he would be able to handle it. Gohan had a similar confidence, but it was somehow less challenging.

If Dauntless was a jock who seemed like he was moments from bullying someone, Gohan was the one who made friends with every clique in the school.

A dated analogy perhaps. School bullying wasn't a serious problem anymore. But it was one Armsmaster felt was appropriate for the situation.

In any case, Gohan was going out for his first patrol. It was just a dry run, but if things went wrong they would be able to get a better read on him.

As he considered the new situation inside the workroom he often worked on his halberds in, an alert came to his computer. He couldn't help the slight smile that came on his face when he recognized the alert. It disappeared quickly, but the feeling that produced it did not. He pressed the alert.

"Dragon."

"Colin." His fellow Tinker sounded happy, like she had good news. "Have you spoken to Kid Win today?"

"No, I haven't. I had no idea that you did."

"He reached out to me actually. Sent me a message through some of the PRT channels. I intercepted it. Apparently he's found his specialization."

Colin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Chris had been having trouble with that for a while. It was the cause of his lack of focus when it came to his creations, leading to him often leaving things half-finished due to a lack of direction.

"And he sent a message to you?"

"Yes. Apparently someone suggested it." Dragon sounded hesitant. "Gohan."

Gohan?

"Did he say why?"

"No. All the message says is that Gohan's request helped him discover his specialization, and Gohan suggested I might be able to help him further with the designs. He apparently wasn't going to go to me, but when things went well…"

Gohan again. The new parahuman was once again proving to be a mystery. How did his request help Kid Win? Why suggest Dragon as a possible resource? She was known as the world's greatest tinker, but could there be more than that?

"I'll go visit him. Would you like to listen in?"

"If you don't mind."

-

"I swear Puppy, it's this big!"

"I've seen Defiant's tail, you don't need to keep repeating that joke." Battery hid the smile that came with the pout her husband gave her. It surprised her sometimes, how much she now enjoyed the habits of her former rival. They used to annoy the crap out of her.

She was coasting along with Assault on their motorcycles, Gohan jogging alongside them. She couldn't help a bit of jealousy at his speed. She could technically get even faster, but she couldn't sustain it for anywhere as long. He also didn't seem to have the reduction in his ability to affect the world that Velocity did, though he did apparently need to eat about as much as a pack of bears to sustain his powers.

The younger man had proven to be a very relaxed sort. There was a running theory that he was either a second generation trigger or an older one, as he had displayed none of the psychological issues of most traits. Battery had her own ideas.

Gohan may have been a Cauldron serum user.

He had all of the traits of one. A large amount of powers for one. No real indications of the issues other capes had.

She had to wonder how he'd gotten a hold of a serum however. He had apparently been homeless before Assault found him. Had he traded for favors, like she had? If he had, then did he still owe any?

Battery tried to push aside the thought of what the favors might be. She'd had nightmares about it sometimes. The thought that another might be under the same Sword of Damocles as her was a sad one.

"So all I'm saying, is that pretty much all grenades are flash-bangs aren't they?" Gohan asked Assault.

"I don't know, I've seen some tinker-made bombs that don't do that." Assault said.

"Oh come on, those barely count!" Gohan scoffed. "They should call them something else. Like naked grandma grenades."

"Oh my god!" Assault yelped, horrified. "Why would you make me think of that!?"

"Because that thought, like flash-bangs, make you want to claw your eyes out."

Battery shuddered, sickened as Assault laughed while cursing the younger man.

At least the two were getting along. Assault had often despaired that he didn't really have anyone he could simply relax around on the Protectorate. It was good to see him having fun.