The room they escorted us to after we arrived was nice. A couch with a low-lying coffee table in front of it. They had brought us some snacks and drinks. I'd tried a cookie, but Dinah had succumbed to fitful sleep, her head in my lap. She made occasional sounds that told me her attempts to rest were not peaceful.

It was just the two of us at the moment as Danica had excused herself to make some calls. She'd advised me that i could ask the guards for anything as she was posting two given the potential that Dinah would be a target.

I wasn't worried about anyone taking her while I was here, though. I didn't know what my limits were yet, but nothing I had done in testing the past few months gave me even a hint of actually having any. It was a bit frightening, actually when I thought about it, honestly. If had a direction, more precisely, a vector, I could control it. Some of the things I envisioned being capable of, though, required knowledge I didn't have. Yet. It was something I hoped to change as the range of what I could do would expand enormously if I was correct.

Dinah shifted and made a pained sound. Without even thinking, I moved a hand and lightly brushed my fingers through her hair. The gesture had an immediate effect and she subsided, though what I could see of her face suggested she was still pained. I frowned, worried about her. She hadn't explicitly said so, but based on the look in her eyes and the words of the PRT agent, I was fairly certain that her parents were dead. Worse, she might have been witness to it.

The man in the body suit. I couldn't think of who he might be, but I wasn't familiar with all of the heroes and villains in Brockton Bay. I had followed them for a bit, before, but since the locker, I'd had other concerns. Whoever he was, I was rather unhappy with him. Dinah was a little girl and he taken her parents, hunted her like one would a fox or such. All for what? Her power? Something even more unsavory?

I wandered off into thinking of things he could have been after her for and felt a little sick. Having powers didn't mean you couldn't be utter scum. There wasn't, unfortunately, a requirement that you be a decent person to get them. Otherwise, why would we have things like the Slaughterhouse 9. Or the Endbringers.

The door opened quietly, drawing me from my unpleasant thoughts. Colin appeared, looking rather tired and nodded to me before settling into a chair.

"Busy day?" I asked in a soft voice.

"Unbelievably so," he murmured. "We'd been dealing with surges in conflict prior to your meeting with Armsmaster and it seems like today everything decided to go crazy. We've had city hall breathing down our necks and had to pull all our available assets to try and deal with everything. It seems to have quieted down, though we had to call in a contractor to assist." He looked displeased for a moment, then it smoothed out.

"That man, Thomas Calvert, I assume?" I asked and he nodded.

"You're alright?" he asked.

"They couldn't touch me," I said, then glanced at Dinah. "She, on the other hand ..." I trailed off with a sigh.

"Dinah Alcott, you said her name was?" he asked, tapping on a portable tablet as I nodded. He grimaced at whatever he saw there. "Ah, yes. Unpleasant bit. And she may be a parahuman. Hrm." He frowned at something.

"Percentages," I said. "Stated if she went to her relatives, there was a twenty-two percent chance of being taken."

"Precognitive, Thinker," Colin said absently, his expression growing intent. "Excuse me a moment, Taylor. I need to make some calls and someone will be back in to check on you soon." He left quickly, still with that focused look on his face and I watched the door close, bemused.

"My but people come and go quickly here," I said to myself whimsically.

Colin Wallis strode with purpose, worrying over the information he had on hand and coming to a disturbing conclusion. The sudden activities today. The Travelers striking at one bank, the Undersiders another. Another round of Empire Eighty-Eight and ABB fighting along with the general nuisances that were the Merchants. And while the Protectorate and Wards were dealing with all of that, this villain they knew little of, Coil, leads a strikeforce after Dinah Alcott. The attempt results in her parents being killed and her being chased until she encountered Taylor.

"What's the status on the transports bringing in the soldiers and this Coil?" he asked brusquely as he approached Danica. She was one of the PRT's more effective agents and one he'd worked with in the past.

She sighed, looking somewhere between anger and resignation. "I took charge in bringing Ms. Hebert and Ms. Alcott in so we could be sure she was safe against other attempts." He nodded, not letting it show that his suspicions were that were she was was irrelevant as long as Taylor was present, from what he knew so far.

"Calvert was accompanying the transports bringing in the prisoners," she went on and now he knew it was anger she was exhibiting. "They got hit a few minutes ago. Hard and fast. Calvert took a pretty nasty bump, is the report I'm getting. This Coil character and his men escaped."

Colin took in a slow breath. "Anything on who was responsible for the escape?"

She shook her head. "I sent a request up through the appropriate channels to see if Dragon could find anything, but the traffic cameras in the area were taken out just before by an unseen assailant. It was well-executed and professional, whoever was responsible. Calvert said transports were hit from the side and he was out for a short time and came to to find the prisoners gone."

"Damn," he muttered. "This entire thing stinks."

"Coincidences are usually not," Danica said with a scowl. "Has the Mayor be informed?"

"I'm on my way to contact him and get some others in," Colin told her. "We still don't know what this Coil's abilities are, if any and as much faith as I have in your people, I want more on hand in case of anything unforeseen."

Danica chuckled faintly. "I'm not offended, Colin. There are limits to what we can deal with, I know."

He nodded and moved off after touching her shoulder, already accessing his phone and dialing a number.

"Mayor Christner, please," he said, looking at his tablet and sending a message to Triumph while he waited to be transferred.

Dinah had apparently relaxed from whatever had plagued her sleep when the door opened again. This time, it wasn't Colin. It was, assuming I had the face right from when election time came up, the Mayor. And beside him was Armsmaster.

I looked at Armsmaster first, trying to decide if my suspicion was right. The beard could be the same, but the helmet obscured much of his face and so it wasn't possible to get a good of the lines of his face beyond what was covered by the beard.

The Mayor looked at me, then to Dinah and I saw relief in the lines of his face. Was he her uncle?

"Ms. Hebert," Armsmaster said, his voice a baritone rumble. "Let me apologise in person in addition to what Colin has already relayed."

I nodded, permitting a small smile. Even if I was right, I wasn't going to be crass and parade the information about openly. "It was a misunderstanding, but thank you."

"I don't know about all of that," the Mayor said carefully, "but if I am given to understand correctly, I should be thanking you, young lady."

"It was what anyone would do, I'm sure," I said politely.

"I'm not so certain," he disagreed. "But nonetheless, you have my gratitude." He looked uncertain for a moment, then looked to Armsmaster. "You mentioned some issues?"

"Unfortunately," Armsmaster said grimly. "The individual that made the attempt on Dinah escaped from custody while in transit. We're still investigating how this was accomplished precisely, but our concern is that, given her apparent abilities, he will attempt to kidnap her again."

"And Dinah has parahuman abilities?" The Mayor asked, frowning.

"Some sort of precognitive ability if my understanding is correct," Armsmaster said. "Given her ordeal, we're disinclined to acquire specifics. I suspect she'll be largely incapable of its use for a few days. The medical team who looked her over noted some of the signs of overuse for powers of that type."

"Are there any we can task with keeping a watch on her?" the Mayor asked. I observed the byplay in silence. Armsmaster had some sort of angle here, but he was waiting to suggest it to the Mayor for some reason. "Triumph, perhaps?"

"I've advised him of the situation," Armsmaster said carefully, "I have a suggestion, though. It will seem unorthodox, sir, but hear out my reasons before you decide."

"Should I go?" I asked quietly before he could continue. "I'm not a PRT member, or a Ward or anything..."

"Stay, please," he asked, holding up a hand before turning to the Mayor. "Given the architect of the assault on your niece's escape and the fact that Ms. Hebert here was involved in preventing that, I would suggest Dinah remains with her. We'll assign a rotating cycle to remain on or near the premises with her so that they'll both be guarded."

The Mayor looked uncertain, glancing at me for a moment. "I don't disbelieve you, Armsmaster, but when you say she was involved in preventing it, are you saying ...?" He trailed off and Armsmaster looked to me, a question in his demeanor.

I made a decision.

"Mr. Mayor?" I asked, drawing his attention. "The reason the men and their leader weren't able to take Dinah is because I stopped them. I'm a parahuman."

Armsmaster made a rueful sound. "My first encounter with Ms. Hebert was a comedy of errors, unfortunately, but what I have determined of her abilities leads me to believe that keeping Dinah close would be the best course of action. Not, as I said, that I'm trusting either of their safety to just that, you understand, hence the supplement from our assets."

I blinked and looked at the Protectorate leader. "What you determined?"

"I've seen footage of the encounter with Stormtiger and Cricket," he said simply.

"Oh."

The Mayor still looked dubious, but he nodded his consent. "If you're certain this is best. Ms. Hebert, again, my sincerest gratitude. If there's anything I can do, let me know."

My hands tightened a little at the words. My mind flashed to the school and what was going on there. "Actually, Mr. Mayor, Armsmaster. There might be. I ..." My voice failed me as I tried to find words. How did I say this without sounding like I was demanding a reward for helping Dinah?

I cleared my throat again and took the plunge. "There is something I'd like to talk to Armsmaster about, Mr. Mayor, and it might be something you could do for me, if it isn't too much trouble." I had their full attention and I took a shaky breath. Here goes nothing ...