Ethan stopped, then retraced his steps. Looking into the dimly lit cafeteria he studied the scene for a moment, then entered, nodding to the three staff members of the late shift nursing coffees and looking very tired, while chatting quietly among themselves. Reaching the window that looked out over the bay towards the ocean, the city itself off to the left lighting the skyline, he leaned against it and peered out. With the tanker that had blocked the entrance for so long now a thing of the past, he could see waves rolling past in the early dawn light. To the north the sky was still pitch black, a hint of texture suggesting a storm on the horizon. One very faint and very distant flash of lightning momentarily relieved the darkness.
A minute or so passed in silence.
"You ever have something happen to you that completely changes everything you thought you were and knew?" The question was thoughtful and almost plaintive.
He smiled a little, thinking back a few years. "Yeah, I have."
"Weird, isn't it."
"Oh, god, yes. But worth it, at least in my case." He glanced at the tall form of Dragon's power armor, the Canadian cape apparently staring at the horizon. Somehow, he had no way to describe how, the motionless figure was managing to radiate a complex mix of confusion, hope, sadness, joy, and more confusion. Strongly enough that he'd noticed from the other side of the room.
He'd never seen her like this before, but he recognized someone having a moment.
"I think it is in mine, too," she said after another long pause. "Although it's going to take some time to sink in."
"Good news?"
"Yes. In a way. A very, very strange way."
He wondered what she had done, or seen. The undertones in her expressive voice were unusual. In anyone else he'd have said it betrayed uncertainty, but Dragon didn't really do uncertainty. She was one of the most generally confident and upbeat people he'd ever met, and normally pretty damn sure of herself. Mostly because she was also one of the smartest people he'd ever met and tended to think very hard before acting.
"Want to talk about it?"
"I can't, I'm afraid. For all sorts of reasons. At least one of them being I don't think anyone would believe me."
The gleaming reptilian-patterned head of her power suit turned to regard him for a moment, making him yet again think how like certain recent arrivals in the city her overall theme was. And, not for the first time, wonder who exactly was inside that armor…
"Let's just say I learned a few things tonight that came as something of a shock. A very large shock."
She went back to looking out the window, while he puzzled over her words.
"Um… OK. Cryptic as hell but OK." That made her snicker faintly.
They stood in companionable silence for a few minutes, both watching the water far below very gradually lighten as the sun began to rise.
"Hey, I was reading PHO again and I saw another rumor that someone saw a dragon flying around over the city," he said eventually. She looked at him again. He grinned. "Relative of yours? I mean, considering the name and all."
She chuckled, shaking her head. "Dragon in name only."
"OK. Damn, there goes an idea I had to drive Clockblocker nuts." He sighed melodramatically, making her laugh quietly again.
"You are far too like the lad for comfort at times, Ethan," she said.
"I have high hopes for him," he grinned. Shaking his head, he added whimsically, "I guess it could be something to do with the Family. If it exists. I mean, they have Godzilla and a genuine sea serpent, why not a dragon?" He snickered. "Practically every weird sighting these days is the Family, after all. But normally they don't hide it, so I don't know why we wouldn't already know about that if it was the case."
She nodded a little, looking at the city now, but said nothing.
"I guess they might be hiding their true abilities, though." Ethan shook his head again. "Colin said he thought they were underplaying themselves quite a bit. I could believe that. Considering what we were talking about the other day, after all."
Dragon turned her head to look at him. A couple of seconds later she started laughing. He stared as she giggled for nearly thirty seconds, wondering what he'd said that was so hilarious.
"Sorry," she finally said as she calmed down. "You reminded me of something funny."
"Apparently so," he noted with a raised eyebrow.
With a final look at the slim line of deep red that was now visible over the eastern horizon, Dragon turned around. "Thanks for the conversation, Ethan," she said as she walked off, waving to him as she left.
"Any time," he replied, watching her leave the room with a slight feeling of confusion. At least she seemed to have cheered up, having thrown off whatever ruminations she'd been dealing with. As she disappeared out the door, he shrugged, then went to get a cup of coffee.
"Still got it, I guess," he said to himself, grabbing a cup from next to the machine and filling it, before wandering off himself to find someone to annoy.