A/N: Quick interlude

Hannah rubbed her eyes, taking her mind off the paperwork before her, considering what had happened earlier that evening.

Someone else who remembered the titans.

Someone else who knew something of those things.

Mind you, that didn't mean much on its own. Comparing the notes, however briefly, didn't give her much information. Save one.

Those things were doing things to people, to give them powers. Then promptly and immediately hiding the fact they'd done so.

Why?

That thought kept her pace slow as she slogged through the paperwork. What made Taylor different enough to remember? Something about how her powers worked?

However those worked. It seemed as if her power was giving her the set for a vampire. Rising from the dead, drinking blood, turning into bats. But where did the teleporting come in?

And where, exactly, did she get the strength to punch out Lung? She's avoided mentioning that to Danny Hebert, but it was still worrying.

A tap came from her doorway. She looked up, her eyes crinkling.

Neptune stood there, looking curious. One of the newest capes, he worked exclusively with emergency services, usually with the fire department.

"Don't worry, I'm all right, I'm a little distracted."

He signed carefully, slowly. He was still learning sign language. Hannah learned it pretty quickly. It helped them communicate. He had to use a text-to-speech app for most other people.

Much trouble. Third kidnapping. No ransom. Asian block.

She nodded. "ABB working. Anything to follow on?"

Not much help. Need. He paused, searching for the right signs. Truth-seekers. Can't do.

Hannah sighed. "And you don't like feeling useless. Anything come back, John?"

He tapped the side of his head. No. Nothing past two months.

"I'm sure we'll find something. Give it time."

He looked unsure, and shook his hand back and forth. Doubt it.

"So..." Vicky said with an air of blatantly-false casualness, "Who was that with Miss M?"

"A new cape," Amy replied. Mid-flight conversations like this were good. They helped distract her from the damned feelings she got when Vicky was holding her so...closely, "Or at least one I'd never heard of. Scarlet Knight."

"And...?"

"And what, Vicky?"

"Is he cute?"

"W-what?" Amy would've whirled around if it didn't mean squirming out of her sister's iron grip. And falling to her death. The latter more than the former.

"C'mon. Don't tell me you didn't use your power to peek under that armor. Which screamed edgy badass, by the way."

"I didn't use my power at all! And Scarlet Knight is a girl," Amy sputtered, quickly thinking back for any indicative pronoun-use from Miss Militia. Finding none, she added, "I mean...I'm pretty sure she's a girl."

"You're only pretty sure?"

"There was a bit of a weird reverb in her voice. I think her armor was some kind of tinkertech. But I'm still pretty sure she's a she."

"It wasn't the hair, was it? Guys can have hair that nice, too. It'd fit with the 'sexy vampire' thing he had going on."

"Okay, Scarlet Knight is still probably a girl, but you are not going to refer to her as a 'sexy vampire' if anyone asks about her."

"Geez, fine...hey, are you okay? You look like shit."

"Gee. Thanks," Amy grumbled, but she was starting to tense up. She knew what Vicky meant, and she knew that Vicky knew-

"You know what I mean, Ames." Shit. Please not this. Not right now.

"It's...I'm just tired. I'll feel better after some sleep."

"...alright," Vicky sounded like she thought it was anything but 'alright,' but to Amy's relief she seemed to drop the issue. They flew in silence for a few minutes.

"So..." Vicky began with that insufferable tone again, "If he...oh, don't make that face. If 'she' wasn't there to get patched up, why go to the hospital at all?"

"She was there to get some packs of...blood," Amy only fully realized what she'd said once it was too late to stop, "Vicky, don't you dare-"

"-set you up on a double-date with the sexy vampire boy? That's a great idea, Ames!"

A knock on a door.

The door opening.

"Alan Barnes? I'm Agent Jansen of the FBI, this is Agent MacGregor. We need to speak with you and your daughter."

Alan Barnes paled.

Madison stood still. From the outside, she would have seemed stoic. It was a simple facade.

"You are aware of the penalty for perjury, Miss Clements? If you're making a false statement, there can be very serious consequences here. The police department is not a service you can use to resolve petty grudges."

She nodded. "I'm aware."

The cop nodded. He was a tall man, balding, and professional. He set her sworn statement into a folder. "We'll do what we can for you and your family, Miss Clements. I'll assign protective detail until we can get word on this Sophia Hess."

Madison nodded, managing a weak smile. "Thank you, officer."

He smiled gently. "Austin. Jake Austin."

She went to sit down while he made some calls, her breath shuddering.

Her mind wandered. Focussed, then wandered again.

Please. She whispered in her heart. Let me not be afraid anymore. Let me do the right thing once. Let me fix my mistake. I can't change what I did, but let me do better for everyone else.

She straightened. Light filled her. Cold, strong, emotionless light. Light with reason. Light with purpose.

It filled her vision. She knew it. She knew how to make it.

Madison's mouth was dry. She needed to build it. She needed to forge it. She needed iron and silver.

For the first link in the chain.