Amy

I walked down into the basement, Void was finishing something.

"We need your help."

I stood in front of him, he was silent.

"I'm a war cape, I make a point of not getting involved in these things Panacea."

I clenched my hands.

"They're killing people Void."

He looked tired.

"A lot of villains kill people, a lot of heroes kill people, you get involved once, you're expected to get involved again and again."

"People need us."

"The streets never change Amy, before Parahumans you had crime, you had violence, the players might change, the tech might change but the streets don't change, not really."

I stood over him.

"You could make a difference."

He looked tired.

"I've already done that, people expect heroes to give and give and then one day you wake up and there's nothing left."

He continued working on something, armor I realized.

"Just this once, please just this once."

"And then you ask for help again later, because it's really important, the world's always in crisis of some sort or another."

He soldered something else.

"You think you can remain neutral forever?"

"No Amy but I can pick my battles, and I don't like my odds in this fight."

I crossed my arms.

"I'm fighting my own war Amy, you're fighting yours. I helped you out right? You're alive right? Take it for what it is."

I smelled more ozone as he continued to work.

"This affects you too you know."

He shrugged.

"Everything affects us in some way or another, if the government wanted the Nine gone, if they really wanted them gone, they would be gone Amy."

"That's bullshit."

"Is it? They could send Ironwood in to handle it, hell he would probably be happy to handle it, they did go after his family, but they don't. Someone important is looking after them, protecting them, you think you're going to be the one to end them?"

He chuckled.

"Nah...the Nine will still be around, the might have to clone some fallen members, they might recruit some new psycho to play with."

"I expected more out of you."

He frowned.

"I have a gift for disappointing people, you can't live up to other people's expectations forever eventually you have to be yourself."

I clenched my hands.

"I thought we were friends."

"I found you and nursed you to health over what, a period of a week? We're aquantances Amy, ships passing in the night. You're going your way, I'm going mine, that's the way it is, the way it was always going to be."

"Void."

"That isn't my name you know? You don't really know anything about me, and honestly I don't know anything about you. We're strangers."

"I need your help."

He stared at me, I could see the tiredness in his eyes, the thousand yard stare, I knew it well I had one myself.

"You're going to have to carry that weight."

He turned back to his work. I went upstairs and put on my armor, Vicky waited for me outside.

"So...um you and Void."

"We have a job to do."

It wasn't worth talking about.