Disclaimer: Schneider's backer and Nickelodeon own Victorious and it's characters. I'm just borrowing some and seeing what happens when we give them powers.

:}

Trina wasn't feeling too good about heading home, not with what her contacts told her. 'Both Beck and Robbie have been sent out to check some places where those fleeing sailors might be heading. Both guys ran into high end mercs, and that means fights. Mom wants a debrief to go over what they saw, while we rely on that hyper evolved sea creature that protects out bay to gather up the smugglers before there's any chance they get killed to shut them up. I just wish Sea Slug wasn't such a great guy, cause then I could be more upset. I mean, wow, who'd have thought a hyper evolved and enhanced slug could be such a hero…' Her mind wasn't fully focused on what she was doing, to the point where the built in computer in her new toy activated the autopilot to alert her to the fact that she was close to home. 'Damn, this thing is good.'

"Trina, glad to see you made it." Her father called from where he was parking.

"Dad! Jade… JADE!" The Latina moved to talk to the younger girl. "So, how'd it go? The rescue. I mean, god, we're talking human traffickers, assassins, and the first real action half our team has seen. I need details, cause I was out, charming a nerd into getting us some toys, and I missed the chance to confront some bad guys."

"Can was maybe talk about it later." Jade harrumphed. "I just want to cuddle into my girlfriends arms and maybe get this over with so I can put what I saw behind me."

"Just, Andre's here." David warned them both.

"Still?" Trina asked. "I thought, maybe, he'd be home by now. I mean, Meri told me he'd found out who Constable was, and that had to have rocked his world. I have no idea how he's gonna handle it when he figures out just how many of his friends are involved in this world."

"Which is why Tori is busy keeping it as normal as humanly possible for him." The father explained as they made their way up the stairs from the garage to the house. "Okay, Jade, go to Tori. I'll talk with Holly, see how she wants to do the debrief."

The three of them entered together. "Trina, I need to talk to you." Meredith said as soon as they entered.

"Jade, come, sit." Tori called to the pale girl.

"Yea, come, sit." Andre echoed. "We were just talking about… America Sings, yea, we were talking about the new season of America Sings, which I understand will start in just a couple of weeks, and they haven't' even shown any teasers of the really bad auditions. We need us some of that."

"Except you hate the bad singers." Trina noted, walking towards the yard with Meredith. "Okay, what do you wanna talk about?"

"I may be having a relapse of my Warpath crush." Meri admitted. "I just, I wanted to make sure that was a hard no before I went and looked for someone to love, cause I've had the second worse dating history of anyone I know, and that's counting both you're forced celibate period, and Tori. God, the human waste she finds to date. They look good on paper, then the slimeing commences."

"Sad thing is, I spent hours with Lenard, and now I'm thinking this offer looks good." The untalented girl admitted. "God, I wish I could, cause I'm not totally against this. Just, I'm not really Bi, just, er, I can do the sexy things, I have the attraction, but I don't get the romantic feelings that come with. I'm into guys, and if I was able to love a girl that way, I'd be the luckiest woman on earth, except maybe for Tori, cause lets be honest, her powers, kinda cheating. I do wish, cause you'd solve so many of my problems, only, not that kind of girl."

"Okay." Meri sighed. "Hate doing this, but maybe Andre…?" Her hopeful voice hinted more at solving a friends problem then any real desire to have the girl dating him.

"Or, maybe you could date him." Trina suggested. "Not saying he's not a real catch, cause if you could nail him down, the boy is majorly romantic, in a noncommittal kinda way. Just, I don't think I could want to do more with him then be friends. Honestly, he's never even bothered to try and be my friend. Cat, she started trying form the first day she was Tori's friend. Beck, he's been nothing but a jerk to me, but I do admit, I kinda bring it out of him. Rob, he's wanted something from me, but at least he's been on my side, kinda sorta. Jade, she's been my friend, at least since Dahlia joined the side of light. Just, I wish you could solve my issues the way Jade did Tori's."

"Yea." Meredith nodded. "Knew it was a long shot, but I had to try."

"You gonna be okay?" The taller girl wondered.

"Maybe." She shrugged. "Could have done without the expose about your sisters friends. Anyways, I'm gonna go back and try not to look menacingly at Andre. You, talk to him, see what he's thinking about all of this, and maybe we can get through tonight without me feeling any smaller."

"Yea, but at least I got Lenard to agree to make a copy of the bike he gave me, just for you." Trina smiled.

"How's it ride?" Meri wondered as they drifted back to the house.

"He salvaged something Techbanger built, so it's kinda amazing." Trina admitted. "Lenard can make another, cause he's studied the chiz out of it. So, couple of weeks, and you'll get your own. Assuming he doesn't mess it up, you'll love the thing."

"Lenard does Tech well." Meri agreed as they joined the others. "Yo, Dre, where's Jade?"

"Talking to Misses V." Andre said, unknowingly using her code name. "Said they needed to go over a couple of things."

"Probably just needed to check in on how Jade's probation is going." Trina speculated.

"I'm here!" Robbie announced as he flowed through the still open french doors, turning solid from his misty form. "I just glided from the plane as we were close, and shifted to mist…. Andre?!"

"Him too?" The musician cried, briefly shocked. "Wait, of course, him too. Now, if they said he was teaching guitar, which I know he's almost as good at as I am, or maybe comedy, then I'd have been less suspicious, but ventriloquism?" He managed to find his equilibrium. "Just, you said they dropped you off, you glided, and then misted… Not sure who can do that, so..."

"I wanted you to go to the base, get changed, THEN come here to talk." Holly scolded him as she emerged from the office area in a hurry. Once again the relaxed attitude her family and charges assumed around her home had added to her problems, or maybe offered a solution.

"I was wondering why we didn't wait for…" Jade started, only to stop.

"I just told the pilot I could get wherever from any high place." Robbie told them. "Had me this neat trick where I shifted forms as I de-misted, so all yous saw was Robbie."

"Almost enough to cover your terminal nerd vibe." Meredith told him. "And me all rebounding, cause I have this girl crush on Trina, and she's not even Bi. Totally sucks…"

"Besides, they debriefed me on the way to the airport." Rob added.

"Who…?" Holly's voice was a frost so cold it threatened to burn.

"The local police." Robbie tried. "Maybe Santa Barbara?"

"And why would they debrief one of mine!" Her words were sharp, even as she kept her voice even, threatening but not hostile. "Sorry, you wouldn't know, but they just stomped all over my jurisdiction."

"It's just, there were a couple of new things about Slaughter I felt they needed to know…" Robbie tried. "Like, he can reach into this extra-dimensional space where he stores all those weapons he uses."

"And you're not the one I'm pissed at." Holly snapped, cutting short his now second debriefing, making him wait just a touch longer. "Yes, you tell them that, but then you talk to my people, let us craft the police report, as well as the other paperwork we're gonna need to do anyways. Let us do our job, protect you, protect the programs."

"Programs?" Andre wondered.

"Blue Generation Initiative, the oldest." Meredith explained. "Then we have Project Redemption, and then the new program, the Metahuman Internship Administration. Yea, MIA, cause of course it is."

"And those programs are MINE!" Holly added. "I've been involved since near the beginning, and I'm the one who's been right about what to do, almost every time. I'm the one who's making them all a success, and I'm doing it by understanding the teen mind. The next generation of heroes, I'm helping train them, and I'm the one who has to protect them, their rights. So of course, I do the debriefings, me or my staff, and we're the one's who make sure your rights aren't violated, so you and the others can feel safe after you take whatever risks to save lives. So, of course, I'm pissed that they stepped all over my jurisdiction. They need to respect that, while the arrest happened in their jurisdiction, the meta's who they needed to stop the threat, those are lent out through the authority of the Los Angeles Police department, and my programs." She tossed her hands up in the air. "Andre, could I have another moment of your time, please?"

The boy reluctantly walked over to her. "Yea?" He asked. He was nervous about speaking to this now agitated woman, worried that he might just be the one she takes that frustration out on.

"I'm gonna see if we can finagle the funding to hire you to help ride herd on my charges." She told the boy. "A part time job where you monitor the stuff that happens at Hollywood Arts, and make sure no one slips up and gives away the farm. That'll include covering when they do, using any explanation you can think of. Just, we need someone not so close, or rather, not yet one of them, to stay focused on what they do so we can keep some kind of cover, maybe allow them as normal a life as possible. I mean, you've seen what I'm working with, right? Plus, some of them might not even wanna be heroes," She tried not to glare at her eldest, "or might be willing to be full time. I just, it'll be easier if they're all protected. So, yea, let me see what I can do, and then, we can bring you on board, and I'll hope that whatever force is running through your social group, drawing what, four of you into my world?"

"Five." Meri chirped.

"You gonna let me in on the truth, cause I get the feeling you're leaving chiz out." The musician pushed.

"Once you're hired, as individuals are willing." The director of the three projects promised. "Just, please, you're the one I'm counting on to cover when they mess up. And as you can see, they will mess up."

"I so can do that." Andre agreed. "Um, how many of them know about…" He hedged.

"All of Blue Generation." Meredith told him. "But we're the originals, and we know a hell of a lot more then most of the people working at Project Redemption."

"Okay, good to know." Andre nodded as he returned to watching TV.

"Know about what?" Jade asked Tori.

"You'll find out." The girl whispered, cuddling in a touch to make sure her girl would understand how much she cared.

A short time later, they got word from Beck letting them know he'd checked the other, alternative spots, and didn't find anything worth worrying about. "Beck won't be here tonight, he had things to do." Holly told Rob, even as Jade took her turn, did her second debrief, and filed in the director on what she'd faced in her part of this little action. "I'm wondering why the major reaction?" Holly mumbled. "Be ready, I might need to have you guys check a few things out. Until them, relax, and make sure you guys know to be ready when things happen."

Jade wanted to relax. 'This shit just got way out of hand. Two mercs, three if we count Harbinger, meaning this was worth worrying about, which means my good deed is gonna have repercussions. God, what the hell did I stumble into, and why wasn't Sea Slug helping me out… Oh, yea, cause he only deals with the harbor, and that shit was over fifteen miles out. God help me, those hyper evolved critters are a wonder, but what the holy hell am I doing in this business." Her eyes shifted to the side. 'And how long as Tori been groping me? God, get in the game, Jade, cause your girl just made a move, and I don't even know what to do…'

"You back?" The Latina asked. "Good, I don't want you freaking out. Whatever it is, we'll handle it. We have a lot more support people then LA Justice, cause we're working with the police. Fun for you, cause this time, the po-po, they're gonna be helping you out. So, relax, cause I feel a little off groping you without a hamburger costume involved."

"Yea, never gonna live that down." Jade said, but tried to enjoy her girlfriends attention. They settled in for some music, cuddling, and a more PG 13 evening as Tori felt Jade wasn't ready for more yet.

The next day was oddly chaotic. That morning the county approved the budget, and Andre was brought on board, filled in on a few details about just who he'd be covering for, as well as the resources he'd have to help him. So Andre showed up at school with intent, looking for the various members of his clique, watching for the ways they might not be covering their secrets nearly enough. 'New job, new responsibilities, and part of that is covering for my friends. This, it's weird.'

It felt more off then he'd expected, because he now knew more then almost any of his friends did about just how much support was hidden at the school. 'Jade, Tori, Trina, Meredith, and sometimes Beck all train in the subbasements before school. First, we have multiple subbasements. Second, they're often used by the police for training's and such. Mostly, we have multiple subbasements.' He nodded to one of the custodians. 'Yea, of course.'

After a preliminary scan of the area, he went to the stairs to check and see if anyone was using them yet. 'Everyone of them is studying Martial Arts, except Beck, who is studying tech, so he can better take care of his stuff. So, soon, we'll have our girls heading up to attend class… Cat should be taking one of those classes. Doesn't mater that, once she turns on that psychic field thingy she becomes so strong. For them, knowing how to fight is a necessity. Probably for me too.'

He saw one of the faculty give him a quick nod. 'Not one of the meta's, but one of us. Turns out that almost a third of the faculty is affiliated with the police programs in one way or another. That means we have us a strong presence here. Principal Helen, she may not have known how infiltrated this school is, but she was one of Mister Abra's apprentices, so she can be a bit of a heavy when she wants to be. That means, my job is hella easy here. Just, most of them don't work for or with Project Redemption of the Blue Generation initiative. So, right now, I'm Misses V's eyes and ears here in the school.'

The boy had a lot more to worry about then a cousin who had a thing for Blue Steel. 'Jade is the Black Dahlia. Should have seen that coming, but somehow, she just, it feels like she would have been hella easy to figure out if she was. Jade, she's cunning, dangerous, but anything but subtle. Not when she's acting, or at least plotting revenge. So, her with the kinds of magic she supposedly has, yea, that's scary on a whole new level.'

"Yo, Andre, how're you doing, man?" Posey asked. The boy had been legitimately surprised when he found out she wasn't considered a metahuman. "I was wondering, maybe you could help me with my songwriting again? I have a whole new set of songs to show you…."

"Look, Posey, I get it, you write about what you know." The boy said, feeling that this moment, it'd be okay to engage with the girl. "Just, what you know, it's not just outside of so many peoples understanding, it's a stereotype. Honestly, you should just let others write your stuff for a while, or work with someone with a bit broader understanding of the world. Just, you want music to speak of your experience, but also to connect, to allow others into your world. Music can be a powerful tool, but only if there is some common ground for the audience to use to connect with you, so they can follow along with the narrative. Songwriting is about more then just sharing your experiences. It's sharing them in a way for others to understand what you're trying to explain. Yea, so, I have this new job, won't have the time to help you out, but I can send you someone who can help you. Just, please, when they do help, have an open mind. I want you to succeed, cause I think, once you get past the weird, and you're whole, er, weird, you have something to say."

"The only reason they knew I had something to say was I got up there and said it." Posey quoted.

"Something Merlin Scoggins once said. Country singer, early sixties, could have made an impact, but as he later said, went left instead of right, and wound up making some bad choices. Bottom line, he was proof that while you can have talent and drive, sometimes it takes good choices as well. So, yea."

Andre nodded. "Okay, we're getting someplace. Look, my friends are coming, so I have to go…"

"Wait, what were they doing in the basement?" She wondered.

"Oh, they have all kinds of rehearsal space down there they just don't always use. You know, cause it's so far down, and it can be a hassle getting permission to use it, but once you do… Yea, they were getting ready for something." He tossed out.

"Plus, lap swimming in the pool before seven." Tori added as she walked past. "Yo, Andre, how's your morning been?"

"Morning." Jade nodded.

"Morning." Meri added as she rushed past.

"Everyone's in a hurry." Trina sighed. "Blondie, you missed it. Beck was down there doing some kind of dance rehearsal. Small window in the door, saw every move. He even took off his shirt at one point….."

"Like my men a touch darker, thank you." Posey said, almost eating Dre with her eyes.

"Good to know." Trina chuckled, and walked past.

"Look, I gave you what advice I could, so…" The musician smiled, and hurried off after his friends. 'Beck will be okay, cause Trina used him as a shield. That means he's done, and probably showering. Hell, for all I know, he really could have been working on a dance number down there. No one ever said you couldn't use the truth to cover, so…' He made it to class, and started his first real day on the job, eyes open for any problems he might have to solve.

Across town, V was getting the initial interrogation reports from her contacts in Catalina. 'The crew didn't know anything of value, beyond what they were transporting, and how valuable… Wait, they had strict orders not to rape or use any of the passengers. That's not normal. It makes it feel like maybe the passengers, the cargo, they weren't all victims, except the crew were willing to let them all drown, so… Okay, lets get Major Crimes in on this, cause I'm thinking there's a connection somehow. Did we just let something in? Or was it even darker? Whatever, I'll contact Mister Cadabra, have him check things out. One way or another, I need to know why someone was wiling to put a bounty on those sailors lives…'

:}

New job for Dre, and some measure of closure for Meredith. So, what do yo think of Andre's new gig? Think he can handle the truth? And how will this affect Trina's love life? Inquiring minds want to know.

Thoughts?