By the time Taylor was outside my house I had already created a few small hand tools to assist me with tonight's task.

I was in my suit and waiting when Taylor donned her helmet and turned on the communications.

"Hello Quartermaster. Can you hear me?" Taylor's voice came clearly over the comms. We had some pretty nice voice alteration software in place but that was only active when using the external speakers or phone system.

"Hi Lycaeni, loud and clear. Did you hear about Dinah Alcott?"

"Nope, who is that?"

"The mayor's twelve year old niece who was kidnapped while the Undersiders provided a distraction robbing a bank. Can you pick a place near you to meet, and I'll head over your way whilst Aria gives you all the information we have? Then we can make a plan."

"Where I am now is fine, it's at… okay. Yep there, thanks Aria." The HUD had popped up with a street map showing a new icon for Taylor's location and a dotted line showing a suggested route.

"My pleasure Lycaeni." Aria's voice came over the speakers just as clear as when she was talking directly to me.

I set off at a jumping jog. I was cheating a bit and having the suit pre-empt my steps which meant effectively it was carrying me. It was a lot less effort and meant I wasn't going to get tired so quickly though it'd slow my reflexes down significantly which meant I couldn't use it all the time. After hearing how much running Taylor did every day, I didn't think she'd bother using it all.

I was glad that I was effectively on autopilot as I might have stumbled when the vision appeared whilst jumping. I kept my focus more on where I was going so I only got briefest impression of an art studio with various painting, sculptures and crafting material around. Another skill power, this one for art. I wasn't half bad but now I was talented, not master level or anything but good enough that I could produce better work in half the expected time and be assured that if I wanted it to the art would be able to provoke a particular emotion. I was going to have to redo all the butterfly panels for Taylor's costume again. All the effort gone into making them detachable so I could reuse them when I made the final armor set wasted.

With it being dark, my SEP bracelet on full and keeping well clear of the traffic I didn't bother running at a normal speed and was there in a couple of minutes. The area didn't look too much different from where I lived, a bit more run down maybe, but with a little less vandalism. Probably a good trade. We were also a fair bit close to the boardwalk and a little close to the Docks proper.

"What's your plan?" Taylor's voice was fast and emotionless. I'd have to ask her about that.

"Drones. I can make machines that'll produce drones by the dozens. Coil's men are pretty distinctive, and they have been pretty active lately. Even if he's responsible he's unlikely to change his pattern right now as that'd confirm it was him. I want to have drones up and tracking them back to his base. Then we sneak in and either rescue Dinah or find the information that'll tell us where she is. First, I need the materials and I have the main parts. I just need a location and bunch of metal or even wood. I was thinking the old trainyards or the docklands. Even if I just leave them up overnight that should get me enough to get started. I can pull them down before morning."

Taylor stared at me for a while then quietly asked, "The Undersiders have their base in the Docks, do you think they might be able to tell us where Coil is?"

"Aria?" I asked.

"I have noted that the timing of a significant number of Undersider attacks on the Empire and the ABB have been advantageous to Coil's operations. However, there is nothing to indicate if they are being used as mercenaries or if they are part of his inner circle."

Taylor shook her head, "I don't think they know how Coil is using them. They didn't come across as very hardcore. I'd like to give them one chance to come clean, that's what a hero would do. Also, if you are with me then you'll be able to create profiles of them in case we need to fight them." Hero to dark hero in seconds. That was Taylor when she was angry it seemed.

"So, you want to go to their base?"

"No, that'll upset them. I'll call them. They gave me a number to leave a message. If they are still hopeful I'll join them they should be checking it."

"Okay. Can we set up the miner first?" I asked hopefully.

"Sure, I was first thinking near the old dry dock where there are lots of cranes and tall warehouses. It's not a popular place with the homeless and druggies, not enough shelter from the easterlies so you could probably set up for a number of days without an issue. However, it'll take a good hour or more to get to at a jog. Not as good but a lot closer is the old granary should be fine for single night and it's only a bit over a mile away. Follow me."

She set off at quite a pace and I had to struggle and cheat quite a lot to keep up. This was with me wearing power armor and her running with heavier than normal armor. I instructed Aria to put together an exercise program for me.

Half the trip was through industrial areas. Most of the places were wrecks but here and there was a well-lit place with normal looking security guards so industry hadn't totally given up on Brockton Bay ever out here.

Train tracks led north to the main yards and other tracks led further east to the docks. They no longer joined up though as a large section was all torn up. It looked there had been a big cape fight here. Several tall grain towers had gaping holes in them and from one a mass of grain had poured out. It was a moldering mess now.

I considered setting up the equipment within one of the larger towers and then realized I would have to cut though a ton of pipes and structure to reach the ground. I could gain some useful resources doing that, but I didn't have the space to store it nor the time to do that right now. A bit of scouting and I found the best location that I was likely to. An old construction site that had already been excavated down about twenty feet and fenced off. It even had old bull dozers abandoned within it.

"This is perfect."

I leapt down, letting the jump jets cushion my landing as I raced my way to the first bulldozer then remembered my tools were in the workshop.

I could feel Taylor's eyes on me as I jogged back up the ramp and unlocked the site office with my key.

Moments later I was bouncing a small hand cart holding a bunch of power tools and prepared hardware down the slope and shortly after I had starting to cut up the bulldozer repurposing the parts as I went along.

"How long it this going to take?"

"Fifty minutes or so. I've got all the main parts prepared. Just building the frame and mounts. Do you want to scout around or give me a hand? Either is fine." I wanted to make it clear I wasn't ordering her to help me.

"I'm already scouting around" she said as she walked down towards me. "I'll call and see if I can set up a meeting."

Taylor asked Aria to connect to Tattletale so I mentally instructed Aria to put that communication on a private channel, I wasn't sure that Taylor even noticed.

She soon rejoined the main channel, "Could be a while before I hear back, what do you need?"

"Aria can you indicate to Taylor any suitable material?"

"Yes Robert. Blue is for hand carriable. Orange is for those you'll need to use the cart for."

We both got to work and forty minutes later I had powered on the miner using power from a diesel generator I had repaired to better than new with an old pallet, packing tape and a roll of barbed wire. I had planned to connect it to the mains, but the generator was closer and easy to fix. Both the miner and smelter rumbled to life with a low growl, surprisingly quiet for such heavy machinery.

Once I was sure that both were working fine with various metals being extracted from the earth and processed, I nodded and turned back to Taylor, "Looking good, we can leave it like this. Did you hear back from the Undersiders?".

"Yep, going to meet Tattletale in about twenty minutes near the warehouse closest to the old Ferry, about half a mile east. I'll expect she'll bring at least Brian for backup and will likely be in costume. I told her I needed to talk but that I wasn't planning to join them. She didn't sound surprised."

We made good time to the meeting place, and I kept an eye out of the progress of the machinery via a remote link up that I had put in place. Aria could do it better than I, but it was my first heavy machinery and watching it work was very satisfying.

At the warehouse Taylor found an old car to sit on whilst I jumped up onto a two high stack of old shipping crates where upon I was immediately presented with yet another power. The room representing the power was a cross between an architectural firm's drafting room and a materials showroom. Easels showing complicated plans for all sorts of buildings were standing between displays of materials. The materials were the most eye catching as they were just so mixed up. Bamboo, then futuristic metals, grass weave displayed next to force field generators, ancient bronze clockwork door openers beside a display of glowing demonic flooring. As the vision faded, I gained the ability to seamlessly integrate all those materials and more into building designs. I had no idea how this was going to be useful. I already had a fantastic portable base. I guess if wanted to pursue a career as an architect or a builder it may help but I really didn't see me raising any buildings up in the short term.

I chided myself for thinking about the lack of usefulness of the power, and of the powers I had lumped into a similar mental category. I had so much power and some of them were fantastic, looking at the weird ones that came along was like complaining that some of the hundred-dollar notes that you have just been gifted were a little rumpled. I had already more different powers than I could keep track of. I needed to focus on what was important and just be grateful that the rest weren't replacing them.

Happy to have that clarified I waited out the rest of the time watching Taylor.

I noted her turn to face a certain direction well before I saw the Undersiders. She had about five hundred feet range on those bugs, pretty good but I still wondered if there was some way to extend that and had Aria make a note to remind me to discuss that later with Taylor.

I saw the three giant mutant dogs when they were about a block away. As the riders spotted Taylor they pulled to halt and there was a brief discussion between the four figures.

Two of the figures jumped down and started walking to Taylor. The two others with the dogs waited and watched.

I noted the slimer of the two, presumably Tattletale, glance around at one point seemingly looking for something. Possibly me if Taylor's report on her super intuition was correct. Whilst her gaze passed over where I sat she didn't seem to pick up where I was.

"Bug... no you've got a new name to go with your new look." Tattletale spoke once she was only a few yards away. Aria was transmitting the voice from the pickups in Taylor's helmet to me, so it sounded like she was right next to me.

Taylor nodded, "Hello Tattletale, Grue. You can call me Lycaeni."

"Lycaeni. Tats said you still didn't want to join but needed to talk. This isn't an ambush?" Grue's tone was reserved.

"No. Just needed to work out where you guys stand on kidnapping twelve-year olds."

"What? We don't do kidnappings." snapped Grue and then he realized Taylor wasn't even looking at him. He also turned to face Tattletale. "What's this?"

Tattletale frowned, "Look, it's just politics and she's probably getting a small holiday out of it away from overbearing parents."

"And if I told you she triggered with some sort of thinker power and someone who had access to PHQ's systems managed to delete the records of her doctor talking to the PRT not long before he had a fatal accident."

Tattletale froze.

"What's this, what don't I know here?" Grue demanded of both Taylor and Tattletale.

Taylor shook her head, "Seems your secret boss, Coil by the way, had you and another team distract all the heroes so he could kidnap the twelve-year old niece of the mayor. I'm guessing he either misled Tattletale here and just kept the rest of you in the dark. So, I wanted to know what kind of people you really are."

Grue turned to face Tattletale, "Tattletale, why didn't you tell me this?"

"I didn't think it was like that, the boss, Coil, well he knows my power, and this is not like him normally and, well, he also told me to keep it quiet."

Grue swore, "Well I don't like it." He swore some more whilst Taylor stood there watching them both. "But, damn I don't think we can do anything about it." He swore again.

"That's it? Well, screw being a rogue or pretending to be a villain. I'm a hero and I'm going to do my best to rescue her. I'd prefer you to help me but if not just stay out of my way and I recommend you find a new boss or go properly independent. You saved my life when I fought Lung and even though that also helped you out, I still owe you for that. So, I'm not going after you for anything you've done up to now and that includes the bank since you didn't know the fully story about Dinah. That, and I don't care about the money or all the busted electronics."

"Look Lycaeni, it's not that easy, the boss is helping out all of us with some pretty major stuff. Yeah, it sucks. But I've got my own family to look after." Grue stated.

Taylor turned to look at Tattletale.

"Coil's got resources. If we turned on him, he'd know in a moment. Look I'm not happy about it but Grue's right, it's complicated. I'd like to be able to help but, it's just not possible. I'm sorry."

Taylor shook her head and started walking away, "I suggest you stay a long way away from me from now on."

Grue took a half step after her, but Tattletale grabbed his arm and shook her head.

Taylor stopped out of sight from them and watched through my camera until the Undersiders had all left.

We returned to the mining setup in silence.

"I'm going to sleep here, then I'll pack all this up before heading home tomorrow. You can head home." I stated after a long quiet pause after returning.

Taylor shook her head, "This is more important. I'll stay here as well, I'll make something up for dad and school later."

I nodded but she wasn't looking at me.

I opened the base up and got to work building a drone assembly line. Taylor got to work collecting pieces under Aria's direction.

The only other thing that happened, before we both decide to get some rest sleeping on some simple camp beds that I built, was Taylor receiving a message on her phone from an unknown number.

'my services bought at gun point – exit plan is being buried downtown - L'