"How about 'Ghost'?"

"There are three 'Ghosts' spread across the continental U.S."

"Okay, so mix it up a little. What about, I dunno...'Geist'?"

"You live in the same city as the Empire 88 and you're seriously suggesting that?"

"Um…"

"And on top of that, there's a Shaker named 'Geist' in Germany. I think he's the eighth Most-Wanted or something."

"Right, no-go on the German. Phantasm?"

"West-coast independent."

"Seriously? Ugh. This is why you need to join a team. PR consultants are evil, but at least they're good at this stuff."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, and take a few moments to deeply regret telling Glory Girl that I hadn't chosen a name yet. Or maybe I just regret not choosing a name in the first place. Either way, I'd really love to not be dealing with this right now. I swear, she must have been working on this list for the past two days. "I've done my research you know." Most of it earlier today, granted, but the point stands. "I know my options, I just haven't...settled on one, yet."

She snorts, finally pops the tab of her soda. Despite her concerns, it doesn't fizz everywhere. I take that as a sign that my own is safe to open. "Alright, Miss Picky. What do you have all lined up for yourself?"

Not as much as I would like. I take a long drink, totally not stalling at all…

"Vexation?"

"Pffft. 'Look out, it's Vexation'!" She rolls her eyes. "Next."

"Crow."

"That has to have been used. And if it hasn't been, there's probably a reason for that. Try again."

"If you're just going to shoot them all down…" Who's defensive? I'm not defensive. "Void-walker?"

"Eh...you definitely need a different costume, then. 'Cause you can bet that some idiot on PHO is gonna call you out for 'ripping off' Shadow Stalker."

I hadn't really thought of that. Damn. "Superhero names are hard." I sigh, shake my head. "Whatever. It's not like I'm out to make a big splash or anything."

"Oh, trust me, it doesn't matter. If you don't pick a name, somebody is going to pick one for you. It might be okay, it might be god-awful, but either way you're stuck." She reaches over to nudge my shoulder. "You've got to be able to come up with something."

"You've got a lot of faith in my creative talent." I smile, and lapse into silence, enjoying the view, the cool wind.

"Yeah, well, what are friends for, y'know?"

...huh.

I take a deep breath, watch a car crawl along the street below. And, after a long moment, I set my soda down on the ledge beside me, rising to my feet and pulling up my hood. "Let's go beat up strangers in dark alleys."

"Do you have to put it that way?"

I teleport to the roof across the street.

"You know, I paid for these drinks!"

xxxxxxxxxx

I almost feel sorry for this guy. He watched three of his friends get tossed around like rag-dolls, barely dodged a flying dumpster, and now it's finally sinking in that he's pointing a tiny handgun at a girl that could probably juggle live hand-grenades without breaking a sweat.

"D-don't move! Don't...I'll...I'll shoot! I swear to God I'll shoot!"

Glory Girl just smiles, and touches down on the ground again. "Yeah, okay. No problem." Her attention shifts over his shoulder. "So, you said you were going to demonstrate."

Yeah, I guess this'll do.

The first part requires no more effort than my usual teleportation. Between one moment and the next, the entire block lights up in my perception, and my awareness stretches out to encompass a thousand little lives. With a vague gesture and a thought, I gather a cloud of flying bugs between me and the gunman; it's not enough to hide me from view, but it gives me one more layer of distraction in case he manages to actually react.

The next bit is a little more tiring. I take a deep breath and clench my fist, focusing on my power and the feeling of tiny claws prickling across my skin, bristling fur and feverish heat...my breath goes out of me, for a moment, and a couple dozen rats scurry out of my sweatshirt and down my legs. It's a feeling I'm getting used to. Not sure whether that's a comfort or not...

Maybe I should focus on the idiot with a gun, though. I shake myself out and direct the rats at him before he can do more than turn around. They screech, and jump him. He starts screaming, as he drops to the ground. Once the gun is out of play, all I have to do is walk up and kick him in the stomach, drawing the rats off of him with half a thought and leaving him whimpering and harmless.

"Whaaaat the hell ?" Glory Girl is ten feet off the ground, her expression a mixture of fascination and disgust. "You couldn't have warned me you were about to do that? Seriously?"

"Hey, you told me you wanted a demonstration." I rub at my face, trying to ignore the irritating pressure that's been building for the past half hour. Using my power like this doesn't seem to be helping, but I can deal. "They're under control. You don't have to worry."

"Uh...right." She hovers lower, by degrees, gingerly touching down...only to jolt back into the air with a shriek when one of the rats darts toward her again. "Holy- Crow!"

I can't help it. I smile. "I thought you didn't like that name?"

"I need something to call you! Asshole!"

"I'm pretty sure that won't fly with the press."

"Ugh...it's like the second coming of Clockblocker tonight." She rubs her face, shudders, and levels a glare at me. "Seriously, just...get rid of those things."

I shrug, guide the rats into a regimented formation behind me. "They'll disappear in a minute." I can dismiss the normal bugs, though, spread them out until they're practically invisible again. I do just that, and refresh my control of the rats while I'm at it. Just to be safe; they're vicious little things if I leave them alone.

That just leaves these guys...I don't think they're actually a part of any particular gang, but they were all armed and definitely waiting for someone to jump. Worth the effort, I think. "Are you going to call this in?" She's got a cell phone, which has been making contacting the authorities much easier.

"Not much point this time." She crosses her arms irritably, and I feel a twinge of regret. Maybe the rat thing wasn't as funny as I'd thought. "No drugs, no automatic weapons...I wouldn't be surprised if one of these guys had a record, but I don't really feel like babysitting them while we wait for the cops to show up and sort them out."

...wait, what?

She heads for the roof, and I almost follow, stopping to wait the ten seconds or so it takes for the rats to start dissolving. Then I follow her, breaking into a jog when I realize she's already flying ahead. "Hold on, we're just leaving them there?"

"Usually, beating them up is enough." She glances back, rolls her eyes, and darts over to the next roof before stopping. I'm at her side a second later, and she continues at a walking pace. "Discouraging, humiliating, and, y'know, it's a deterrent. Or it should be."

"Okay...I think I get that…"

"And we're not as 'official' as the Protectorate, so it's not like I can make actual arrests." She sounds pretty frustrated, and I guess that's fair. I'm not sure what I can offer for that, so I just keep quiet. "Oh, sure, I can offer a statement, and there's, y'know, legal stuff that makes that kind of thing work for independent heroes, but in the end, even if I dropped the jerks at the police station, half of them would probably walk."

…

"Is that, uh...really?"

"Yeah, it's ridiculous." She turns to face me, drifting lazily from side to side. "And then the cops get mad because you're 'wasting their time', even though, y'know, if they were doing their jobs, then we wouldn't be out here cracking skulls."

Shit. "Uh, yeah...makes sense." I'm such an idiot. Going out a 'fighting crime', but I've got no idea what...I guess it doesn't matter, now. Even if most of the assholes I caught went free, I still stopped a lot of bad things from happening. Nothing to do about it now, so I follow Glory Girl up and across the street-

And now my ears are ringing. Which is great. Tonight is just great. "So...what's next?"

"Well, we could talk about the fact that your powers are teleportation, night vision, and, y'know, creating rats and stuff to attack people with." She drops back enough to poke me in the ribs. "'Cause that kinda came out of left field."

"It definitely hasn't helped with deciding on a theme."

She laughs, relaxing visibly. "Freaking grab-bag powers." That sounds like a 'no hard feelings' to me, which is a major relief. One problem down, one weird headache to go.

And, actually, "Can you hear that?"

"What?"

"That ringing." It's not just my ears, I'm pretty sure of that now. Or, at least, I don't think it's just my ears. I'm pretty sure that when your ears ring, it's not...directional. "And...I'm not sure. It sounds kind of like creaking wood."

"Uh, no." She gives me a weird look, stops to listen for a second. "Yeah, I'm definitely not hearing anything."

That's...is that a bad thing? "Here, I think it's somewhere in that direction." I start walking, and she trails after me. "C'mon."

"Yeah, sure. We can check it out. No problem."

It's nice to know somebody doesn't mind putting up with me.

"Okay, seriously, it's been two hours. We've been going in circles in the docks, which is all kinds of potential trouble. And honestly? You're starting to freak me out, here."

It takes me a few seconds to actually respond. I'm too focused on the feeling in my head. The sounds. "I think...I think it's…" No, not there. Further. "I think I'm narrowing it down."

"That's what you said half an hour ago."

Did I say that? Maybe. I think I'm closer now. I'm adjusting. "This way."

"What-" I teleport, wince as the feeling shifts. I'm still working out directions when Glory Girl catches up. "Okay, that's getting really old. If you're just going to ignore me, I'm heading home."

I nod, absently. "Sorry." It's definitely...yeah. I think that's it. "That building."

"What about-"

There's no rooftop access. It's an old building, in obvious disrepair, but that's no surprise for this area. A few uninhabited rooms; I check, first with my enhanced vision, then with the senses borrowed from the bugs that infest the place.

The place I want is on the third floor.

"Crow, I swear, I'm gonna-"

I put my hand on her shoulder, and we're inside.

"-kick your...really? Really?" Her voice drops to a hiss, and she grabs my sleeve. "We're breaking into places now? Really!?"

"Nobody's living in this apartment." Maybe something to do with the exposed insulation and recently repaired drywall. I pull away, edging toward the door. I can see something inside, and my head is pounding...I push it open, and stare.

Glory Girl says something, but I don't really hear it.

"You were called here, but I still find myself impressed. You've found one of my Shrines." I almost jump, as he appears. The Outsider. Exactly like I remember...and I'd half convinced myself it was a dream. "It isn't unique, but it holds meaning all the same. Because it is the first that you've found." He moves to the side, and my eye is drawn to the...'shrine'. Broken boards, lashed together with electrical wiring and tape and draped with what looks like a bed-sheet.

"What are those…?" They're dark, pulsing things. They make my fingers itch.

"There was a time when people carved my Mark into bone, seeking my blessings. These Runes are symbols of my favor, in the hands of my chosen. Gather them, and you will reap great rewards." I take a step forward, despite a moment of...resistance. "In more recent times, they fashioned charms for luck, and to ward away evil. These, too, will serve you well. If in different ways."

I swallow, take another step. "Did you-?"

"No...these things are not of my making. But I...appreciate them, nonetheless." He looks past me. "You may come to appreciate them as well. I suppose time will tell."

He's gone. The shrine pulses. I reach out for the thing settled in the center of the shrine, round and thin and almost fragile-

"-row! I said snap out of it!"

I yelp as I hit the wall, blinking away the haziness that had settled over me and...and...what the hell? "Glory Girl?"

"Finally!" I can't help but flinch as she shoves me again, scowling ferociously. "You just completely zoned out on me, and then you started…" She trails off, shudders, and looks over her shoulder. At the shrine. "Crap...this is waybeyond freaky, okay? We're leaving."

"But-"

"No buts! That thing was messing with your head. We're getting you away from it, and then we're going to call...somebody...about this. Okay?"

"I'm not-"

"That wasn't actually a question. You don't have to agree with me for me to drag you out of-"

Something outside goes boom. And I try not to whimper as Glory Girl digs her fingers into the wall beside me. "You've got to be kidding me." Another boom, a little further away, and she turns her back on me. "Seriously!? Has the entire world gone crazy tonight!?"

"...are we going to-"

"Yes, we're gonna check it out!" She stalks over to a window and yanks it up, breaking the lock in the process. "Now get your skinny butt in gear before people explode!"

And she's out the window. I can hear the staccato pop-pop-pop of gunfire, not far away. Something is definitely going down. She's going to need backup.

I hesitate. Then I don't.

The carved bone trinkets are heavy in my pockets as I follow Glory Girl out into the fight.