Taylor and Lisa were talking. From what I could see, it was awkward going and then Taylor asked for privacy, but they were talking.

And I had things to check on, regardless.

My memories were fuzzy and details faded in and out, but I remembered Coil and Dinah Alcott. In my original timeline, Lisa and I had a plan, but... In this timeline, I was just going to murder the bastard. He was like a cockroach, if he wasn't put down fast he'd just come back and cause problems later.

In astral form, I traveled across town. Honestly, it kind of blew my mind to see how different it was. By this time in my history, Brockton Bay was fit to be condemned. It almost was, until I'd... persuaded Mayor Christner to rebuild instead. Leviathan had wrecked the entire town and breached the aquifer. Between that and the flooding, there was just a huge lake in the middle of town.

Here... The shoreline was kind of fucked. Looked like someone had nuked the beach from all the glass, but... Otherwise, the city was pristine. It was as if Leviathan had been driven off before he'd really gotten going and the city had had ample resources to rebuild what had been lost.

What had happened?

Finally, I arrived at what I remembered to be Coil's lair... to find it empty. And it looked like some people had been looting.

Well, wasn't that a bitch. Damned butterfly effect.

Still, I explored the abandoned halls of the facility for a moment, hoping to find any evidence of what had happened or where Coil, or Dinah, would be now and...

I wasn't alone. There was someone else here. A guy in a suit with a tophat who was also searching the facility for something. He seemed desperate.

Trickster. That's who it was. Leader of the travelers, the other group of teen and young adult villains that Coil had hired to run the city for him. In hindsight, that was a weird call.

There was something else though. Something... Important about the travelers and Trickster in particular that I was forgetting... Must have happened after the Slaughterhouse Nine came to town. My memory was kind of fuzzy in general but everything after that is...

Come on, seeing Alexandria and Defiant shook memories lose, but...

What was it? What happened? It feels like something I need to fix. Something where a lot of people will die if I don't fix it. Granted, everything felt like that.

I'm lucid enough to recognize my insanity but not lucid enough to do anything about it. It feels awful. But, well, my life was hell. Why shouldn't my afterlife be more hell?

Where was I? Trickster... Trickster did something really stupid and... Something, something about his... Pet echidna? Girlfriend? His pet girlfriend?

Girlfriend? Baby mama? Mother? Mother of...

That's it! Noelle, code name Echidna, after the greek mother of monsters. A worst-case scenario for what happens if you mess with Cauldron's vials. Who... Reacted very poorly when I killed Coil in my first timeline.

Well, this was gonna suck.

I materialized behind Trickster, startling him into turning around. "The hell are you?"

I raised a hand in a secure that I wasn't a threat. "I work for Coil. Are you Trickster?"

He was taken aback but quickly regained his composure. "Yes. Who are you? And where the hell is Coil?"

"I am Khepri. And... I don't know. Coil contacted me, told me he'd hired some people called the Travelers and asked if I could heal a girl named Noelle—"

"You can help Noelle?"

"Yes. I can promise you that by the end of today that she won't be suffering anymore." I avoided making eye contact. 'But, when was the last time you heard from Coil? He had hired me but by the time I got here it was." I gestured around the facility.

"I don't know, he vanished when the Slaughterhouse Nine came through town," he explained, "a few days ago his mercs quit and it looks like someone stole everything that wasn't nailed down."

Damn, a dead-end well, I could still take care of Noelle. "Okay, well, Gather up the rest of the Travelers and meet me at Noelle's containment room. I'll get her fixed up for you, no charge."

Trickster ran off. That... Was too easy. I don't think he's in his right mind.

I faded back to astral form and followed him because I honestly didn't know where Noelle was contained.

Eventually, everyone was assembled at the correct place and I manifested once more. I startled them all, I think, but only Noelle's reaction was noteworthy. She flinched, but... There was still some humanity in her.

"It'll all be over soon," I said calmly.

First order of business, before they could react, I created doormaker portals beneath most of the Travelers. They were from Earth Aleph so I put them back where they belonged.

Except for Noelle and Trickster.

Step two, before Trickster, realized what was going on I drew my gun on me. He'd try to stop me and even if I sent him home once he realized that there was only one way to help Noelle... The point is, he was a loose thread that needed snipping. Two pops and he wasn't anyone's problem anymore.

And that just left Noele, who started raging and trying to break free as soon as I'd drawn my gun.

"I'm sorry. You don't deserve this." I took a breath and began chanting. "I have given up everything..."

I Am Khepri

I came back to full lucidity and found myself kneeling in the fetal position, a stronger sense of self-loathing than normal strangling the small shred of humanity that was left in my black heart.

A few dozen blasters, organized by Lung, had used heat, fire, plasma, and radiation to destroy Noelle's body. Every single cell, leaving nothing but ash. An instant of agony followed by peace. And, as an added bonus, had disposed of Trickster's remains as well.

...Maybe having Vista create a space bubble around the ashes so that Miss Militia could safely shoot them with a Davey Crocket had been overkill but I wanted to make damn sure.

And now I just had to live with the guilt. Not like that's the worst thing I've ever done.

"Rest in peace. And please, never forgive me."

I faded to astral form and returned to Taylor's house and found her alone.

I manifested again. "How did it go?"

"With Lisa?" She asked. "Well, it was awkward and we really haven't figured out where we're going from here, but I think we're gonna be okay."

"That's good."

"...Where do you go when you fade out?" Taylor asked suddenly

"I don't really go anywhere, I just... It's like I've become a ghost. Just now I took the time to explore the city, remind myself of some things. I did help some lost kids get home, though."

Taylor smiled at me. "You're a good person."

I let out a small laugh and smiled back to hide the jagged dagger piercing my chest. "If you say so."