I couldn't wait to post this chapter so here it is early...Let me know what you guys thought about it! Did anyone guess it early? We are getting close to the end wonderful readers thank you for sticking with me! Please review!

Miss Thursday was certainly different in her mannerisms towards me than Miss Friday. She seemed to want a clear defined space between us and even though we had not touched she used hand sanitizer and applied gloves at the earliest station those were available. I tried not to be offended, but that was an obvious snub.

"Would you mind entering this booth here, Miss Ember? We have some immune-compromised so we do our best to lessen chances of bringing pathogens in." She pointed to a clear shower booth and while I assumed steam would melt my make up a little, I had gotten a harsher impression of her than she deserved. Maybe she was a caring doctor like they were supposed to be. Though I was still suspicious.

"Of course." I was still at the mercy of those who knew what was going on. I would be nice as long as that was an option. The steam smelt of chemicals, but was not the worst experience.

"Miss Ember, from our data you seem to be a very actions based individual, I could offer you a tour, but I assume you would prefer to skip it and meet him?" She put on reading glasses as she read from a clip board that had been set by the gloves. I was teaching a him which was at least a confirmation of a singular male student.

"Thank you." I did not know what to say in this. She seemed to want to be rid of me and not a talker like Miss Friday. Though I wanted to ask if they were sisters that seemed too much of a request.

"Would you mind putting these over your uniform? You can keep the boots, but we have a dress code here." I was confused by why I would need to change if I was just going to be meeting another villain.

"If I use my powers in clothes other than these, they could burn up." I decided to give fair warning as cotton burned and polyester melted pretty consistently.

"He will need to be introduced to you first, and it would be better if you appeared… less violent." She pointed to a pile of clothes that sat in a pile on a chair next to the sanitizer. Her head pointed towards the floor to show she was not watching me, but she did not turn her back. Modesty ugh. The selection included a black wrap maxi-skirt that accommodated my extra height with the shoes. The bottoms were just barely visible. A white blouse under a blue sweater that matched my lipstick was next and I was given oversized sunglasses that did not actually tint my vision. I looked like a sitcom aunt. Though I was certainly less intimidating. I subtly stretched and checked my mobility to make sure these would not get in the way.

"How do I look?" I asked and turned back to Miss Thursday. She raised up her face a little, but she did not seem too interested in looking at me.

"Better, please study this pamphlet before we start moving again." She motioned towards a wall with a display of pamphlets labeled house rules. There was a ban on swearing, raising your voice, and outside communication. I had to keep my language clean and change outfits. This was certainly a surprise compared to most interactions. "Understood?"

"As much as I can." I said honestly and clutched my own thumb since I was uncomfortable, but I had no one to hold onto. I wrapped the rest of my palm around to hide my nerves and hoped it appeared natural.

"If you step out of line, I will click my pen giving you a chance to correct yourself. Please do your best." Well that was as comforting as a fish landing at my feet. "Follow me." I followed her directions taking a little care to give her that room she wanted naturally.

It was a rather long hallway that we ventured down in near silence, my shoes were the only thing producing any sound. It made it more embarrassing to be alone with this stranger that didn't look like a stranger. Though eventually we made it to a large domed room where it felt like it was outside, but the sunlight was too weak for the brightness. There was a farmhouse and yard with a picnic table that contained two women and a younger boy. It seemed as if they were working on some book work while he was eating what I assumed to be grapes.

"Conner I would like you to meet somebody!" Miss Thursday completely shifted her tone to one of warmth and familiarity. She had also pasted a smile on her face as she waved him to come greet us. The door slid shut behind us so I assumed this was where I was meant to stay for at least a little while. He waved back and suddenly he was standing within inches of me. Speedster?

"You're really tall!" He looked to be around ten, but he sounded younger. He came up to my waist and also looked familiar, but it did not immediately come to my mind from where. I bent down so I was closer to his height. Was he who I was supposed to be teaching.

"Thank you." I said and offered him my hand as they did in plenty of first time Earth meetings instead of lip contact. He had a strong grip…stronger than human grip.

"Connor this is Miss Ember, she is going to teach you some games and play ninja turtles with you." I understood the reference only through Beast Boy. I would have to thank him for how his rants about sewers and pizza came in handy in one circumstance. Though it was interesting how she phrasing it.

"She seems fun, she didn't even cry when I shook her hand. " Ah he had put some pressure on purpose. I tried to remember where I could have seen someone like him. I didn't interact with many ten year old experiments though.

"Miss Ember should be less fragile than Aunty Thursday and your other Aunties so you can actually play with her. Just be careful, you want her to keep coming back to play with you." She smiled at him though I knew there was a warning there for me.

"I will Aunty!" He turned back to me and reached for my hand. "Want to see something I drew?" I looked at Miss Thursday for any pen clicks, but I had to assume it was okay to say yes.

"I would love to, Conner." I said and let him drag me to the house. He was not using super speed, but insistence was still there. On the fridge in this perfect movie set house was a flurry of stick figures. One that was green with a purple line around it's head was what he wanted to show me. I was fortunate I knew the names.

"That is Donatello right?" I kept my tone warm and on par with Miss Thursday.

"Right! He's my favorite! Who's yours?" He pointed to the other 3 green figures on the fridge.

"Leonardo." I was just going with the color of blue since I had not actually watched the show.

"He's okay. Miss Ember why do you talk funny?" I had gotten better at answering this question as it had been common for Earth children to ask.

"Because I like the way it sounds." It kept the answer positive and normally satisfied the child who answered the question. He was not at all what I expected from this job. He seemed sweet and like they were trying to keep him that way. Though I did not immediately understand all the pressure and stress if I was just becoming a playmate for a child. Though there was no doubt this was a special child.

"Can you help me put this all the way on the tippy top of the fridge?" He asked wanting to put Donatello up highest. I could have done this myself, but the more pressing impulse was to lift him up so he could do it himself. I gave in and picked him up by the waist and lifted him up. This seemed the right choice as he directed me to move him so he could redecorate the fridge to represent the best turtles with Leonardo just above Rafael. He asked me if I liked spaghetti and if I could do a back flip. I answered yes about spaghetti and preformed a backflip in a clear space in the kitchen being careful not to extend.

"Connor why don't you go play outside with Miss Ember." This came from one of the women I had seen earlier. She was in double denim and appeared to be one of the sisters from her face. Triplets? They were not impossible, but rare.

"Okay Aunty Tuesday, do you want to fly kites?" He asked me and I nodded. His eagerness reminded me of Ryand'r though I was trying not to compare the two. It would only hurt. He was part of some evil plot and any part of him I saw my own brother would make doing my mission harder. Though it was nice to be invited to play and be asked all the crazy little kid questions. I could not pin point his age, though he certainly was young mentally.

There was no wind to fly kites in this chamber, but he quickly showed how he created a breeze by taking a deep breathe and releasing it with force. It was a fun little magic trick he was fond of showing off and making his bird themed kites take flight.

"Can you fly?" He asked and I had to figure out a way to answer since kids were quick to pick up lies.

"I have friends who can, can you fly?" I decided that deflection was my best option. It gave no information about myself, but was an answer.

"No. I always fall." He said and seemed sad all of the sudden. " Though I can jump pretty high. Wanna see?" I gave a very enthusiastic response since I wanted to uplift him. He could indeed jump to the very top of the dome, probably beyond as he made impact and the entire thing gave a shiver. I moved to catch him since he had taken a hit and did not seem to be able to slow his impact or fall gracefully. His landing certainly needed work as I caught him at an awkward angle that for a normal human would have guaranteed a multitude of injuries.

"Are you okay?" I asked since that was often a necessary question when saving civilians.

"Am I going to get in trouble?" He had chipped some lights off the dome and had made a dent. It was not impossible, but I did not want worry to enter in his mood.

"Not from me, though you should work on landing better. I would not want you getting hurt." I said and decided that now might be the first time to teach him something. "Work on falling feet first." He nodded seeming interested in a game. I spun a little for added force and lobbed him so he would be just short of the ceiling. He was not as nimble of a projectile as most of my team mates, but he did not hit the ceiling and seemed to try. His head was falling before his heels, but practice was sometimes necessary.

"You are strong, Miss Ember." He said as I caught him adjusting so I could absorb the impact easily for him. I smiled and took the compliment. I was suddenly unable to prevent memories of Ryand'r from coming to the present. He would often float and fall unexpected me so I would have to stop whatever I was doing to catch him. He had the stubbornness to land on his face if I did not intervene in time. He loved his little game, even if it was inconvenient for us.

"Thank you, Conner. Do you want to try again?" I asked since I was not sure if this was as fun for him. Though my concerns were unfounded as he added a please into his demand of yes. We started this game and added new challenges along the way such as flips or accomplishing different poses before landing. He eventually wanted to try tossing me, which I told him another time since I did not trust his control of strength. Though I let him jump with me still holding onto his hands which brought me up with him. We did that a few times as I somewhat manipulated our rise and descent. Eventually we added tricks as his landing was getting significantly better. He had grabbed my hair a few times in midair to stay attached when I catered to a pose of his request.

"Why is your hair sticky?" He asked as we descended nearing the end of our game's interest.

"I paint it this color." It was the best way to communicate for him. He had dark hair naturally which probably made it extra apparent the unnatural hues in mine. Though earth hair often did not compare to mine.

"Why?" He asked and I knew that would be the bane of my existence. He was curious and I was not able to be as honest as I normally would like.

"It makes me feel safe." He did not seem to be thrilled by my answer, but there was not a better one.

"Could you paint it pink or green? Red would be cool too." He seemed interested if I could go rainbow which was quite adorable. I had almost forgotten we had observers on our interactions, but the awareness of being watched never left my thoughts. Conner was sweet and being a good kid, but what was his purpose? What was he?

He seemed fairly human from a glance, though shapeshifters did as well. He had advanced physical strength and speed. Though he could not access flight. He could simply be a powerful metahuman, but there had to be more with such an isolated and controlled set up. There was a destiny someone else had formed for him and had made the mistake of letting me cross its path. I would be a good partner and finish this mission to the best of my abilities, but Conner had brought out many positive things. I had no chance at keeping my true laugh at bay with his funny faces and enthusiasm. He reminded me of the best parts of Ryand'r.

A click of a pen caught my attention as he was showing me how he could hold his cartwheel. I had not known what I had done wrong since I had prevented any harm while doing my tossing game.

"Conner it's time for Miss Ember to go home. Say Goodbye." This was Miss Thursday and it looked as though she was coming to collect me. Her clipboard had definitely gotten use as papers were flipped off the edge.

"No!" This was the first time I had seen Conner be defiant in any way, but he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. Too tight. "She just got here! I want her to stay longer!" I moved to look at his eyes and noticed that they glowed a warning red. My brain caught up to all of his abilities as I remembered those red eyes when I first met superman. They had faded into a smile, but the threat of his resolve and power had stuck with me. I did not know how, but a younger version of superman was dislocating my shoulder.

"Conner, please." Miss Thursday said as he was obviously starting a tantrum.

"No!" He said and I definitely decided that I felt enough pain to interfere. I stood to my full height so he lost some leverage. I needed to figure out a way to deescalate without causing any injuries to myself or Miss Thursday, also not damaging my fragile approval of Conner. " We didn't play Ninja Turtles yet!"

"Ow!" I said and fell dramatically to the side taking him with me. He seemed to acknowledge my ow and change of movement. He let me go.

"Sorry Miss Ember." He seemed flustered and ashamed which luckily made his eyes fade out which was comfortable. "I thought you were strong." He looked like he could cry.

"I am strong, but even a strong person does not enjoy a dislocated shoulder." I slammed myself at the proper angle to shove it back in myself trying to calm the cry of pain that rose in my throat. "It is okay. I heal quickly." I forced movement to show it was alright and caught the flash of my remaining bangle. "Here, take this. I will have to come back for it soon and then we will play Ninja Turtles." It was an easier thing to part with and gave a promise.

"Okay Miss Ember, come back soon." He said as he took my bracelet and gave me one last squeeze a little more considerate.

"I will see you soon Conner. Be good." I added and walked on over to Miss Thursday whom had been diligently taking notes.

"I will see you for dinner Conor." Miss Thursday said and waved dismissively as she scurried quickly out of the dome. I followed her with some gap and turned around to see Conor pouting and tossing the circle up in the air. I had actually enjoyed my time with him, though now I knew the truth, I was eager to get back. I had a mission here. Though I did not exactly know if they would let me back now that I had seen everything. I did not need their permission, but so far I needed to play by their rules to stay in the game.

"I see why she picked you." Miss Thursday said adjusting her glasses as we made our way to the sanitizing station.

"Is that really all you wanted from me?" I was underwhelmed and confused by my task at the moment, babysitting was a joy and one I would do quite willingly. Though her face changed to an expression her sister wore so sinisterly.

"For today, yes. It was very important to make sure Conner could listen to you, and you wouldn't be another failure. Prepare to be back quite regularly, training will begin shortly. Oh and please wear these for your actual training. You do not need to be so brazen with that uniform." The way she said uniform made me think she believed it something evil. Modesty was annoying at best. Though I saw there had been a rack of work out pants and tops that seemed practical. They were solid black with a stretchy material.

"They may not survive a true use of my abilities." I was hesitant to have my clothes melt off while training here.

"I assure you they will." She picked up a blowtorch from one of the cabinets and did a demonstration of how they did not melt or smolder with direct heat. "They should also be your size. Please sanitize yourself before changing of course." I did not feel like asking where they had taken my measurements.

"Thank you." I said since I was still playing into this overly polite way of speaking. I heard her scoff.

"Please keep these within the facility like everything you have seen." I could tell that the venom in her tone was practiced. She suspected me.

"Miss Thursday, I will treasure our moments together fondly and privately." I wanted to unsettle her with a flirtish tone. I decided to leave my borrowed clothes behind so the action was punctuated by the removal of my top layers. Had I used this strategy to get Robin to cease nagging at me before we were dating, yes. It seemed to unease humans and if she was trying to make me uncomfortable with threats, I could make her morals tremble. She seemed to have a similar frustrated reaction, though I caught her eyes looking with concentration before sliding to the floor.

"You will find your escort the way you entered." She said and I watched a trickle of blood run down her face from her nose as she scurried away. I felt like I had gone a little far if I made her bleed just from embarrassment. Actions and lines were a little easier to use against villains and accomplices, they were not important to me. Well most anyway.

I found Wykkyd down the hall, my shoes gave me away early though from the limited amount of his face exposed he looked stressed. He was not one for words and I was done with false politeness so I walked up to him and just entered into a staring contest until he offered me a hand.

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Miss Friday was waiting for me as I was teleported in exactly the same spot I arrived. Wykkyd did not hang around as he quickly exited through the door likely headed home. I did not understand his involvement in this, besides he had some involvement in the lab. Maybe money was a factor as well.

"Welcome back, Miss Ember. I doubt my sister fed you so please come share some refreshments." I looked around hoping to see Fallen, but did not find any sign of him. It was strange he would abandon me, but I had to not let panic cloud any more chances at gathering intelligence. I felt like I still did not have enough, but I did get confirmation of some sort of genetic bond in just the greeting.

"Thank you, is Fallen around?" Maybe she had an idea where he was, though I was going to play nicer than I did at my departure.

"He left this for you, but has been gone a while. Come sit, I need to ask you a few questions." She patted the table top next to the beacon I had been using as Ember. I decided to sit on top of the bar next to her since it was where she patted. I did not particularly enjoy the stools here. She did not seem offended at least and got out her own clip board.

"Should I summon him now?" I asked not sure how to proceed with her being most open. They seemed to run off a formality that seemed practiced, though she seemed to break it when it was just us.

"Miss Ember your decisions around me are still your own." I felt like this was a continuing theme. She was trying to get me to reveal things about myself this way. Though in this situation I was not the lead. "I received word that you responded well with the subject. Would you describe that as accurate?" Subject and not Conor, interesting.

"I believe working with him is within my capabilities, though I still do not feel like I know exactly what you want me to teach him." I was being honest that I was a little uncertain what the job actually was.

"Control and self defense, nothing too sinister." I had a feeling it was not the case. "Please have something this is too much for just myself." She mentioned about the food and I decided that snacking on a cracker would not be too devastating. Though quickly wine was being poured in a glass for me, I did not reach for it immediately. "Miss Ember I hoped we had worked past that one unfortunate incident." She took a sip out of the glass and handed it to me to prove it was not laced.

"I simply do not have much experience with wine. It is not often my first choice. What convinced you I would be best for such tasks?" I sipped the wine not finding it thrilling or disgusting enough to react.

" I would be happy to expand your palate, Miss Ember. As to why you were chosen, you hold back in your matches. I'm sure you're already aware of that, but watching the metrics it's fascinating. The subject has limitless potential, which is why he needs to be able to be able to measure and control his own strength." I had been taking a sip of my wine when she raised a morsel of food to my mouth and fed it to me. The gesture was odd, like she was giving me a treat. Though the salted morsel was a wonderful addition to the wine.

"I assume my durability was also part of the choice." I wanted her to keep talking to determine if there were others she could have selected they viewed as valuable.

"It will certainly be an asset if he could experience consistency in instructors. How is your shoulder? May I see it?" I had put my jacket on after changing out of the civilian clothes they provided. It was sore, but not immobile. I went to shrug out of my jacket, but once again her hands came up to assist me. I decided to just remove the one arm than the entire jacket.

"He is quite strong, but I believe he was not trying to harm me." There was discoloration where I had popped it back into place, but I did not have a line of a bruise coating my torso. I was once again fed a bite of cheese on a cracker. I took it though felt a little annoyed at her tending.

"We have done our best to keep him sweet, I would recommend following the lead in making sure he does not pick up any bad habits. Is there a known limit to your durability?" I could instantly understand why they did not want Gizmo anywhere near him.

"Everyone has a limit." I offered as a nonanswer to her inquiry. I clicked the pager as I should had done as soon as I sat down. I pulled my jacket back up ready to just go.

"I suppose you are right." She took another sip from her own glass. She seemed disappointed I had signaled the pager. "I am disappointed in you."

"May I ask why, Miss Friday?" This was her own opinion. While I was not hurt by her disappointment an explanation could be valuable. I felt like I had more I needed to find before Fallen arrived.

"You rely on these men to come save you, when it's unnecessary. You make a lovely damsel, but you can end any distress by yourself." She wrapped her hand around my braid. "I could not keep you here with all of my strength and will." She was berating me for using other people.

"You are right. Though as you mentioned a strength of mine was my restraint. They make that task easier." I sipped on my wine again hoping the answer appeased her. I could fight my own battles, but allowing Robin to fight some certainly lessened casualties.

"Restraint sounds tiring if it requires assistance. I wonder what that would like, just letting yourself go." She wrapped her hand in a loop around my hair making a bracelet. "Would you ever show me?"

"I am content keeping some things a mystery." I answered trying to get past this. I didn't want to give up my practice for an accomplices whims. "Maybe when we get to know each other better." This was still a partnership and I had to appear flexible. She finally used my hair as a rope and pulled me down to her level. I had not seen the metal choker, but she placed and clasped it around my neck with ease.

"I can't wait."