Evelyn Deavor was sitting cross-legged on her couch as she absentmindedly flipped through channels. The penthouse was dark except for a single lamp and the light from the television. The curtains were drawn, on the coffee table were several half-consumed glasses of wine.

Her phone rang.

"I hope you have encountered success in your recent ventures, Ms. Deavor," said a man's voice.

"How did you get this number?" she snapped. "I told you to only contact me through…"

"Ms. Deavor, you know as well as I do how easy it is to access a person's private information."

She flipped from a Western re-run to a cheesy reality show, and once again switched the channels. There was no such thing as decent entertainment these days. She didn't answer the man on the phone.

"I would like to know if the money I've invested in your recent government enterprise…"

"You will get the data I promised you after I find the Parr children."

"That is exactly the problem. It has been two months and you still don't have a clue where they went, do you?"

Frustrated, she stopped channel-surfing and stood, beginning to the pace the room. "It takes time to handle the politicians." Her brother was always better with that. She sighed, already bored of the conversation. "It won't be long now. Nearly every country has approved the program, and once it is in place the only supers out on the streets will be your's. I know you didn't call me just to pester me."

"Of course not. My associates have achieved contact with someone who is ready to offer his services. I am sending him to meet with you in a couple of days."

Evelyn scoffed. There was no one on Earth smart enough to help her in what she was working on. Not even the scientists Homeland Security offered her could do anything more than irritate her and distract her from her work. "Who is it?"

"You'll know him when you meet him." The line disconnected.

Deavor plopped back onto the couch, swallowing a couple of painkillers with one of the glasses of stale wine. She grabbed the remote, but before she could switch channels an interesting story on the 10 o'clock news caught her eye.

"The Nation-State of San-Fransokyo affirmed in a news briefing this afternoon that they will not be affirming the New Supers Act. Public support for the city's heroes likely played a part in the decision."

Evelyn's stare became darker, more focused as the channel showed images of the renegades. From the surveillance she'd conducted, she'd concluded that their abilities came from their technology rather than true superpowers. When she'd first seen them on TV, she'd even admired their technical knowledge and skill. But now they continued to mess up her plans, and something had to be done about them.

The supers had taken everything from her. First, her parents. Now, her brother. She'd thought, at first, that public hatred was all she wanted to do. The public would hate the supers and then she wouldn't need to worry about them anymore. She and Winston could live in peace and he would finally get those silly ideas out of his head. They could do good for the world, real good, unfettered by the public's need for "a hero". But no. They'd brainwashed her brother, and he died believing in the same story as her father. He expected someone to come to his aid instead of escaping with her while he had the chance.

He chose them over her.

And now, she was going to make sure no one ever put their faith in these heroes again.