"This is where you were dragged away?" Foil asked. I gulped as I took a couple of steps back, the massive strand above never trailing behind.

"Something like that…" I turned towards Morgana. "I thought you said that this place was supposed to be a reflection of what the masses believe."

The cat huffed. "Yeah I know, which is why it's so depressing. Back home it looked normal on the surface, and the further down we went into Mementos the worse it got. But this? This entire place just looks so destroyed and hopeless."

"All that damage sure looks familiar." Foil hummed.

"Now that you mention it…" Parian gulped as she looked around.

Foil stepped beside me. "It's like an open wound...like the city hasn't healed."

"Makes sense with the nonstop chaos that has been hitting Brockton Bay," I said with a tight tone.

"Now what, Skitter?" Foil asked.

"We need to find the strands—" I pointed at the ones above us and then towards the city. "And figure which one belongs to the Teeth. But considering that they look distinctive enough, that should be easy to figure out."

"Distinctive?" Morgana asked. I turned to look at his bewildered expression. "What do you mean distinctive? They all look the same!"

I frowned. "What do you see?"

"A bunch of crystal moving and holding together," Morgana answered unsurely. His eyes widened and he started to look alert. "Don't tell me you're seeing something else!"

I turned towards the other two and pointed at the threads. "Are the two of you seeing those things looking like a representation of our powers or is it just me?"

"I think I'm seeing it? Mine looks like something stabbing through the air," Foil answered helpfully. I nodded, looking back at the cat.

"Seems like capes can see something you can't."

Morgana's eyes bulged in disbelief. "For real!? But how!?"

"Well you don't seem to have a thread above you, kitty." Parian looked, and recoiled slightly in surprise when Morgana hissed.

"Don't call me kitty! That's embarrassing! My name's Morgana!"

"Sorry Morgana," Parian amended quickly. "But my point still stands, I mean, you don't seem to have any connection to that tower over there."

"Because he isn't a cape," I answered. "Morgana's power comes from this plane, not from passengers."

"That's weird." Foil hummed. "Well, most of this entire situation is just weird to be honest."

"Something cognition," I murmured derisively.

The cat eyes narrowed, focusing on the colossal tower. "Speaking of passengers, we need to make sure that rogue passenger witch is still there and not planning on doing what it did to Dinah."

"But first we need to locate the Teeth," Foil cut in, looking up. "Though that might be simpler than what I had imagined."

Simple...when has anything ever been simple with us. I rolled my eyes beneath my mask. "Morgana, where is the rogue passenger usually located?"

"At the base of the tower," he answered with a huff, struggling against his bindings. "So can you let me out to take a look with you or what?"

"No, you're staying with Parian and Foil." I looked at the ex-Ward cape. "Foil, if he makes a projection of an exaggeratedly muscled man appear, do whatever it takes to stop him."

"You want me...to kill him?" Foil asked, slightly disturbed.

The question made me cringe harshly. I didn't trust Joker nor Morgana, but I sure as hell never thought of killing them. Hurting them to submission was always going to be an option, but not to put them down permanently. Looking at the shocked cat, it made the thought become even more difficult and hard to consider. I shook my head; it was an uncomfortable thought, but I didn't want for these two to get hurt either just because they hesitated.

"Not necessarily. Just…" I sighed and regarded the cat. "Just behave. I see the advantage of teaming up to fight against the rogue passenger."

"Geez!" Morgana exhaled, glaring at me. "You're so freaking distrustful! I mean, that's not always bad! But you're way too paranoid!"

I snarled at the cat. "Yesterday wasn't exactly a good day."

Morgana grumbled. "And how are you going to check up on Mementos?"

I hopped on Atlas. "I'm going to take Atlas for a quick flight around, it's much faster that way."

"Is that a good idea?" Morgana looked worried. "I mean have you looked in the air? That stuff is going to get you poisoned! Joker and Crow had to use me when I was a van to get around! Especially with those strands! Some of them had these weird effects whenever we got too close…"

"Van…?" Parian sounded bewildered.

I looked up at the threads hanging above. "They have adverse effects? And you didn't think to tell me this before?"

"What do you want from me!?" Morgana wiggled in his spider silk cocoon. "I kinda forgot when you had all those spiders wrap me up like a Christmas present!"

"I don't think you should take the risk Skitter," Foil pointed out. "I mean this place…"

I grunted at the point being made. "Things just keep on getting complicated. Fine, but…"

Morgana rolled his eyes. "I get it, I get it!"

I looked at the ex-Ward cape. "Foil, cut Morgana out of the spider silk."

The cape nodded, moving towards Parian. She whipped out a knife, the swiftness of her actions making Morgana looking uncomfortable.

"Um...I can get out by myself! Seriously! I'm an expert in getting out of—" The cat's words ended in a yelp when Foil swiped the blade downward and the spider silk split open. Parian helped Morgana by unwrapping the silk off him and letting him jump down to the floor. He stretched his arms and started jumping. "I take it back! You're pretty good with a knife!"

"Thanks…?" Foil holstered her weapon slowly. Morgana waddled forward, stopping by the small hill up and away from the beach. He turned and waved.

"Come on! Let's go!" I sighed, following after the cat. The other two walked behind me.

Parian hurried to be beside me. "Skitter, you're pretty tense."

"I don't like this place and I don't trust him." I motioned at the cat.

Foil hummed. "If this is a trap, it's three on one."

"Yeah, except that I don't know if those odds would matter with how chaotic and messed up these mental places can get. Just stay on your toes."

Climbing out of the beach made me realize how dense the air felt. A metallic taste soured my tongue and I gagged. Parian and Foil were having pretty much the exact same reaction as me. We started coughing, as we reached the streets of my territory. Morgana turned around in alarm, eyes narrowed.

"Damn! That was fast! Okay!" He jumped, spun midair and exploded into a puff of white cloud. A black van landed with a bounce. "Get in!"

Foil coughed roughly. "Wha—! What the hell?"

"Just get in!" I ordered as I rushed into the driver's seat of the van. I coughed, trying to get rid of the rancid taste. I heard the two girls get inside, slamming the doors shut. "Damn it, you and Joker should've given me a warning of this!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Morgana apologized. "But I was kinda preoccupied!"

"I know." I grunted, shaking my head. "Foil, Parian, you two okay?"

"A little…" Foil couched again. "Nothing I haven't dealt with before."

"Urgh...I feel like I'm going to puke…" Parian moaned. The van shook, bringing us all into high alert.

"No vomiting inside of me!" Morgana admonished.

Parian looked around. "This is so weird…"

"Yeah it really is," Foil agreed, before turning her full attention on her. "Are you sure you're okay? That reaction was pretty strong."

"Is that normal Morgana?" I asked.

"A little, Ren was reacting a little worse before he and Akechi got inside me." The vehicle vibrated. "Seriously, this place gives me the creeps."

"Yeah, well, welcome to Brockton Bay." I grumbled, grabbing the wheel. "Let's give this over with, fast. Where to?"

"You know where the hero guy's building is?"

"The PRT HQ? That's our destination then?"

Morgana hummed. "Place is elevated compared to the rest of the city. I guess people see it as a place where they can expect hope or help from."

I snorted, feeling some disbelief at that. "Right, they provide so much help. Most of the time they're scrambling and don't even know what to do. They even let a major villain infiltrate their ranks and get in a position of power."

"Do you need a reminder that it was you and the other Undersiders that made a lot of that possible?" Foil asked, tone a little bit annoyed.

I just looked at her, head tilted. "Armsmaster broke the Endbringer truce, during the Slaughterhouse Nine your director bombarded the city without care, and the PRT are compromised by some secret organization. We might not have helped in making things easier for the Protectorate capes, but a lot of their failings are their fault."

Foil sighed. "I know...you have some points, but still…"

I shook my head. "Drop it for now, if you want, we can have a discussion about this later." Unlikely, this is something that I really don't want to talk about.

"Ok."

"Let's go then. You two hold on tight." I turned back, getting nods.

I hit the accelerator and started to drive. Immediately I had to hit the brakes as the road in front sank. I tried to turn and avoid the bubbling water that rose from the hole and flooded the street. The sound of debris immediately had me swerving to the left, avoiding a chunk of a building falling on top of us. There was a crack right below us and I hit the gas hard, sending off us forward and avoiding a sinkhole. The car slid to a stop.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Morgana complained. "Be careful!"

I glared at the wheel. "I am being careful."

"It doesn't look like it!"

Parian leaned forward to the front seats, and I looked at where she was pointing. "It's the strands, they just hit the buildings and knocked a wall off. I don't think driving around the buildings is a good idea at all."

I looked at the raised hill where the PRT HQ was, and snarled at the amount of tall structures and debris on our way. "I'm taking the risk...I'm going out on Atlas and hurrying this up."

"What no!" Morgana sounded mortified.

"Skitter…" Parian was shaking her head. "That isn't a good idea."

"We're wasting time," I ground out. Foil placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I can drive us there, I think I can get the timing of when to avoid debris or the floor sinking."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

I sighed, scooting over to the passenger seat and allowing Foil to jump over to the driver's seat. Parian leaned in between us.

"Okay. Here we go," Foil said.

"Be careful not to smash my face!" Morgana ordered.

"He's such a noisy cat…" Parian murmured. I snorted.

Foil took off, driving us much faster and taking sharp turns. The floor sank where the vehicle was moments prior as the driver avoided the traps and debris. She took different turns when the road revealed itself to be blocked by a fallen piece of a building or flooded. It was a hassle, something I was glad I didn't have to worry about for now. At least I could still use my swarm. They hadn't been affected by the red mist. I began spreading my awareness through their numbers and felt the terrain.

"Take a left," I said to Foil. She looked at me, but did as I told her. "Keep going forward until the next right."

She obeyed the directions I gave her, making the drive become smoother. Atlas flew close to Morgana, keeping the mutated insect ready in case anything tried to attack. I looked out of the window and frowned at the devastation surrounding me.

Brockton Bay was a city damaged and worn. When I looked at the streets it made me realize how much the city had gone through in the past few months. So many fights, monsters and death. It was a miracle that the city hadn't fallen apart, that it hadn't been just carpet bombed into obscurity and left to rot. It had gotten close to that point. The city hanging on by thin threads.

But all those who stayed, brave and stubborn, made sure that those last few bonds wouldn't snap. The city didn't sink; instead it was rising. Brockton Bay wasn't going to be forgotten, not when every eye in the entirety of America was on us. The city could recover as long as we were all together, as long as we remained strong.

The citizens survived the mad Bakuda and the ABB's assault. The retaliation from the Eighty Eighty-Eight and Purity. Leviathan trying to drown the entire city. The Slaughterhouse Nine making Brockton Bay their playground. Echidna's rampage through the streets.

The city had gone through so much but we had endured. The people who remained through all the events understood what it meant to see monsters and survive. That's why no matter the cracks and tears, it wouldn't break.

But sometimes that wasn't enough. Being inside of Dinah's head was an eye opening experience. As much as I resented the so-called-thieves, the experience gave me perspective from an internal point of view. Brockton Bay may had held, may have survived, may even thrive in the future—but then, what did this scenery mean?

The image of a broken city sinking and drowning, filled with so many scars that it was barely recognizable as a city anymore. I could see the marks of all the monsters that had come barreling through these streets, their footprints crushing Brockton Bay.

Looking around at the damaged cityscape, it wasn't entirely destroyed. No, it was holding out through stubbornness and desperation. But it couldn't be denied how damaged and worn the city was. In reality, the infrastructure may be standing, but how empty were most of those buildings? How many were just looking for an out? How many felt like they were prisoners?