There was a brief pause before the Siberian moved, in which I noticed two things.

One, the Siberian truly was fast enough to claw Alexandria's eye out.

And two, it was a projection.

I cast Cuttlefish Skin over me and Jack, rendering us invisible to whoever was controlling the Siberian, then moved. Fire burned on my cheek as the Siberian seemed to blink across the space between us, the edge of her thumb knuckle deleting part of my cheekbone.
The tinnitus whine that came on during stress blocked out every other sound, my legs carrying me up the street at terrific speed. I glanced back over my shoulder just before I rounded the corner of the block, Siberian was just standing there. I was half terrified she could see through my invisibility somehow, but it didn't seem to be the case.

I put a hand to my cheek, flinching as I touched exposed bone marrow. Other Greg was handling pumping healing mana into it while I ran for our fucking lives.

My lungs filled with desperate breaths. I was a millisecond from having my brain scooped out. If I had eaten anything today I might've puked.

I noticed an ajar door on a townhouse nearby and made a sharp diagonal across the road to slip through it and close it softly behind me. I crept through the empty house, silent as a mouse, and slipped onto the couch in the living room. I lay Jack down next to me, shivering, and took a deep breath. Jesus fucking christ.

What a monster. Armsmaster had to know.

I got out my work phone, which was again blown up with texts and calls, then snapped off a quick message letting him know I'd captured Jack and the Siberian was a projection. He'd know what to do. I put my phone way, resting my elbows on my knees and holding my head in my hands. I was going to be fine, I think, I just needed a minute.

I sat back against the couch, gingerly touching my cheek again. Healed up fully even though my fingers came away red with sticky blood. I took another deep breath and dropped my spells, sinking into meditation.

I was too agitated for it to calm me much, but it did create a space in my head to work through things. I needed to get back to the PRT building, which shouldn't be too hard now that I'd lost the Siberian-

New quest 'Earn your stripes'!
You've discovered the terrible secret behind the cape formerly known as The Siberian, but now, you have to do what must be done before you're tracked down and killed by it!
Success: Kill the person controlling the projection
Failure: Death

How is it going to track us? We're too fast and invisible.

The answer came to me the second I asked myself the question. Jack. His power was going to lead it to me, and soon his power would start tripping me up. It was an obvious answer to a difficult question; why had Jack Slash lasted fifteen years as the head of the Nine while members were cycled through often with only months of membership before being killed or Birdcaged? He was subconsciously manipulating every parahuman around him, everyone dancing to his tune. Even he himself was being influenced, though it seemed he didn't know this.

I had to get rid of him. I stood up, a soft crushing sound echoing through the windows, heard only by my Echolocation enhancements. I softly padded over into the kitchen, peering out through the window and into the next house.

The Siberian was visible for a moment before disappearing behind a wall. Yeah, there was no way she could have known I'd not only stop, but stop in a building on this street. Unless she was going search every building for miles instead of heading straight for the most likely place I'd run, the safety of the Protectorate team.

I desperately needed to get rid of him, but if I did he just keep doing what he was doing after the Siberian broke him out of his shell. I slipped back over to him, picking him up, then quickly, invisibly, heading out the back door. A second later I saw the Siberian do the same, then turn to face me. The person in control couldn't see me, or I'd already be dead, and I doubted that they were aware of the fact that they were being nudged to Jack's location.

I slipped quietly down the back steps, over the fence and through yards until I came back into the area of the city with multiple story business buildings. I scaled the side of the tallest one, getting up to the roof.

I didn't want to do this. I really didn't want to. I headed over to one of those big, boxy industrial air vents and sat back against it. I'd fucked up earlier, I wouldn't make the exact same mistake half an hour later. I shifted until I was kneeling in front of Jack's cocoon and started melting the part around his head.

I had a feeling him talking would be a better motivator than anything I could do for myself.

He blinked at the sudden light, clicking his teeth to work away whatever soreness had come with having his mouth jacked open while he was trapped, then focused on me.

"I like that look on your face," he said, looking me dead in the eye. "What're you working yourself up to do?"

I didn't answer.

"Are you going to kill me, Dark Smoke Puncher?"

"I can't," I swallowed dryly. "I can't do it. I fucked it so bad earlier, when I couldn't stop Murder Rat-"

"Oh hoh," said Jack happily. "So you met Murder Rat? She was quite delightful before her degradation, but that means you met Bonesaw, too, doesn't it?"

"Arrested."

"And good for you! It won't be for long, we'll get her back, but the important part was you put in the effort."

I swallowed again, clenching my fists. "You're not getting her back, Jack. I can't make myself kill you, but-"

My voice broke, hands trembling. I needed to take both a nervous piss and poo. Nausea wracked me with shivers.

"You're not getting her back."

I dissolved enough of his prison to give me access to his hands. I grabbed his left one and he tried to shake my hand. My arm trembled as my breath came out in queasy gasps.

"Do what you have to do," said Jack, bemused. Confident. He was still confident, after all of this.

Lightning flashed out and I severed his hand, then threw up all over him. He wrinkled his nose but didn't say anything.

I pushed through, taking his other hand. Then his feet. I stared at them for a moment; Siberian would be here soon.

"Well, I'm thoroughly dismembered," Jack said crossly, frowning at me. "What now? Because you do realise Bonesaw will put them back for me and I'll be right as rain? Then I'll be coming for you, Dark Smoke Puncher. Oh yes, I will come for you."

I took off my visor and looked into his eyes. There was a part of my Mind magic that I had never used and never could use. I could read minds, at seventy-five Intelligence I was able to handle that strain even if I still couldn't understand what I was getting.

I could also transmit my thoughts, and I knew I could do it violently.

Jack blinked, cocking his head as much as he could, then I saw genuine understanding spread across his face. We stared at each other for a short while. Neither of us said anything.

You have created the spell 'Mind Crush'!

I blasted him. Fear. Pain. Rage. Desperation. Every dark thought of mine, every negative emotion, every seething impotent fantasy.

Jack's face went slack. The glimmer went out of his eyes. Braindead. A vegetable.

Quest 'Dance with the Devil' complete!
Success 1: Kill Jack Slash
Rewards: 100 000xp, Complete Encyclopedia of Parahuman Psychology, Switchblade of Variable Length

No! I didn't want… He wasn't supposed to die. I just, he wasn't supposed to.

Victory!
+60 000xp
Fancy beard cosmetic
Superior Quality Leather Pants

I clutched my head. A fucking beard?! PANTS?!

You have levelled up!
+5 stat points

I groaned quietly. I knew this was something I'd be praised for, even paid for; given Jack's bounty. I needed to go, I needed to get back to everyone.

҉҉҉

I dropped down onto the road in front of Amy and Taylor. Neither startled, assumedly Taylor told her I was coming.

"What happened to your cheek?!" Amy let go of the wagon handle and rushed up to me, gently touching the dried blood soaking into the fabric of my uniform all the way down my neck.

"Siberian."

"And Jack?"

The words reverberated in my brain, bypassing my ears entirely. I turned to look at Taylor, jaw clenched.

"Braindead."

In the visual realm, Taylor didn't move, but to my ears, I could hear what sounded like some kind of victory dance.

After a few seconds, she replied. "Cool, thanks."

Thanks. I looked away. Cool, thanks. I take out one of the most wanted criminals in the country for you, and this is what you give me?

Whatever.

"Don't worry about it," I said, waving Amy away and moving to grab the cart handle. "Get on, I'll run."

"The Bonesaw cart," said Amy flatly. "The cart with Bonesaw inside."

"I'll make a second cart, then."

Amy seemed to pick up that I wasn't really in the mood to snipe at each other because she gracefully shut her mouth and accepted a seat in a second cart.

"Are you coming?" I asked Taylor.

"No reason to."

"We're like five minutes away, just get in the cart."

҉҉҉

Soon I was walking back up to the PRT building. While I was away a majority of personnel had been deployed and what was left was a kicked anthill of activity all packed out the front in the street, blockades separating a military-style command tent from the rest of the city. I had let the second cart dissolve to spare Amy the indignity of being seen in it, whilst Taylor could render herself unseen.

As we approached the cordon a trooper captain was pointed over to us, along with his attached squad and their very real guns.

"Passwords."

I rattled off the current passwords, then my personal passwords.

There was a moment while whoever was on the other side of the captain's comms verified these. "Ok, you're good to come in. And what is that?"

He gestured at the cart I was pulling while one of his team started to shift the cordon enough for us to get through.

"Bonesaw. Panacea and I captured her."

The captain held up a hand and the troopers began to close the cordon again.

"One moment, please," he said.

Amy stepped closer to me, lowering her voice. "Are they going to shoot us?"

I nudged her comfortingly with my elbow, "Nah. They're going to get Armsmaster, probably. I think he's still here. In this kind of situation, the Protectorate gets full control, rather than the PRT having veto override powers, so he being head of the division has to stay where he can coordinate the situation. That, and they need a Tinker to check over Bonesaw and Kid isn't allowed."

True to my thoughts within the minute Armsmaster was storming out of the command tent, a look of hard fury in the set of his mouth.

"That's why you ran off, huh?"

"I had to save Panacea."

Armsmaster grunted. "I see. And Jack Slash is dead?"

"Not dead dead," I said tiredly. "But he's not coming back."

Armsmaster tilted his head back slightly and I got the impression he was rolling his eyes. "If only you were full Protectorate."

He turned to Amy. "Panacea, good to see you're safe. I'll have someone direct you to where you're needed."

Then to the apparently empty patch of space containing Taylor. "Do I need to call the M/S alert?"

"No," I said quickly. "It's Scarecrow. I invited her along."

Armsmaster's lip curled. "Well, I can't let you inside, Scarecrow. Finally, your insane vigilantism will be put to good use, go do whatever it is you do."

I was getting the sense Armsmaster didn't like her, or maybe it was just that my running off a mere second after he told me to stay put made him look like an idiot.

He turned back to the trooper captain. "Previously designated chain of command is in place, I'll be back soon. Dark Smoke Puncher, with me."

He moved through the cordon and walked off past us. I gave Amy a quick one-armed hug.

"See you later, homie."

"Bye, dude."

I grinned, then turned to Taylor, the smile sliding off my face. "We're even now."

She loomed back into sight, uncomfortably close. "Yeah," she said. "I guess we are."

I turned the cart around and power walked off to join Armsmaster. I moved into step with him, he still seemed pissed.

"I'm sorry I just ran off," I said. "I had to save Amy."

"I do understand," he said. "But after all this is through I'm going to need to give you a punishment. One month's suspension, with pay. What happened to your face?"

"You know how Siberian clawed out Alexandria's eye? It's fast, so much faster than it pretends."

"And you're sure it's a projection?"

"Positive."

"Good," he said. "Because I already gave the order to search for the projection master."

"I can help with that."

"Christ, no," Armsmaster shook his head. "We made a grave miscalculation. The real threat wasn't Shatterbird, it's the cape Crawler had engaged in Downtown. We've codenamed it 'Echidna'. If we can't contain it soon we may have to start bombing runs. Echidna has been spawning powered clones of Crawler for half an hour, along with what we suspect to be clones of Coil, Uber, Circus and Leet along with several civilians. Before I give your orders, know this. The clones are not people, they are constructs created by a power-"

"You want me to kill them."

"Yes, Greg, I want you to kill them. We're mobilising for exactly that, out-of-town reinforcements included. Weld is coming, I believe. You'll be under Miss Militia, so if you don't think you can do it, please let me know now."

I was quiet for a moment as we walked around the PRT building. It was the overwhelmingly rational option assuming the clones were just super-powered constructs. It was the option I'd been avoiding, Bonesaw, Murder Rat, Jack. They all deserved to die, and their deaths would save so many lives, it was an unequivocal good that they be killed.

I didn't want to, though. I didn't want to kill anybody.

But it would be better for everyone if I did kill them.

But I didn't want to.

But I should.

We continued to walk in silence as I came to my resolution.