Step 2.3

Getting to the PRT HQ downtown took at least forty-five minutes from my workshop. Against my better judgment, I spent the night getting ready. Took me hours to figure out how to build a de-amplifier that let a wireless signal through a quality Faraday Cage. The secret is letting the signal fade into Earth's electromagnetic field while still being distinguishable to a receiver.

Needless to say, it needed tweaking.

"You…tend t…meet…PRT?"

"Dragon asked," I said. "Feels kind of cheap to refuse, and if the gangs do try anything, there's not much I can do to stop it on my own."

The suit stood behind me, a little more along than the day before, but not by much. Only so much I could do without the GN drive. The Haros busied themselves fitting the GN compressors to the frame. I built about thirty, giving me twenty spares for testing or repair.

"I…ill hel…"

"You don't have to," I said. "There's a lot of work to do around here, and I don't know how much you'll be able to do. Most of the gangs don't really run themselves high-tech."

"I will help."

I paused from my work, looking into the nearest camera. Maybe not the best time to bring it up, but it bothered me. Broaching the subject felt tricky. Veda, in a way, was just doing what I programmed her—Huh, guess that her thing is sticking—to do.

Be for others. Be selfless. Help. I thought I'd worked my way around any potential problems with that little line of insight, but what healthy person did nothing but help others? People have to help themselves too. How do I fix that, if it even is a problem?

Maybe I'm just overreacting.

"Well I can hear you clearly now," I said after pushing my other thoughts aside. "We'll just have to hope it keeps working inside the PRT building."

I grumbled as the mask slipped into a backpack with the rest of my costume and weapons.

"And now we go to the next awkward meeting of the week."

This is becoming a theme.

I left the garage in plain clothes. As I suspected after the incident at the mall, getting into costume is easier than getting out. No one paid me any mind a few blocks from the PRT building as I ducked into an alley. It felt utterly bizarre to be changing my clothes in public. The dumpster and trash cans hid me completely, but standing in panties with dozens of people just ten feet away is incredibly unnerving.

Once I stepped back onto the street in my mask and costume I decided I'd rather be naked and out of sight. It was far less nerve wracking. Every head turned my way. A few phones went up as people took pictures.

The self-consciousness hit me fast and hard. One foot in front of the other, I kept thinking. Left. Right. Left. Right. I forced myself to keep going. I wouldn't be able to hide in my suit twenty-four seven even after I built it. A seven foot machine just couldn't go everywhere. People were going to see me, or rather Newtype. Best get used to it.

As I made the final approach to the building, a whole different kind of attention fell my way. They stood casually, but one by one their heads turned my way. Blue Cosmos announced their protests for three in the afternoon, but it seems some people arrived early. There were already about a dozen in a line across the street from the PRT HQ with picket signs.

I felt far too uneasy looking up at the PRT building to care about them. Turning back crossed my mind most of the walk, but especially so standing at the bottom of the steps. My mixed feelings all came to the surface. The sense of betrayal, the anger, and the disgust. Last time I walked out laughing like a madwoman.

I can't walk away. Not like them.

I couldn't. This is what heroes do. Set aside selfishness for the greater good. Something like that. Newtype is a hero. Maybe the Protectorate didn't do enough, but they either kept the city in some state of not burning up, or the villains were a lot nicer than I thought. With the entire team off in Kurdistan that left what? New Wave, and a bunch of independent solo heroes?

I took a deep breath and pushed on. Definitely stubbornness. Can't run from everything forever. Taylor Hebert lived her life in fear, and what did it get her? Newtype isn't going to be that kind of person.

It's just a meeting. I'll leave if I don't like where it's going.

No one shot me any glares as I entered at least, and the receptionist gave a warmer smile than the last one.

"Hello miss. May I help you?"

"A Trojan horse flew off with my sister."

"Well that is unfortunate," she said with transparent sympathy. "If you'll go through those doors there"—she pointed to a familiar set flanked by a pair of troopers—"someone will be right with you to write up the report."

I took a moment to survey the lobby before going on my way. Despite the growing crowd outside, a tour group formed at the entrance to the museum and a band of schoolchildren with a tired looking older man ran through the gift shop.

"Trojan horses do not fly," Veda said in my ear. "Do they?"

"No," I whispered.

The entire phrase was nonsense. Probably the point. Who on Earth walked up to the PRT building and said that but the person told to say it?

A small girl and two troopers waited for me on the other side of the door. Short, with shoulder length brown hair, a green dress with armored chest piece, and a visor over her eyes.

I couldn't help noticing the twelve-year-old Ward had a better bustline than me.

"Vista," she said with a smile.

"I remember. Newtype."

The name caused a small twitch in her face. Did I say anything scary to her the last time? She seemed friendly then. Unless she found my mad exit crazed and bizarre, in which case, go me.

Way to make friends, Taylor.

Not unfair either. Whatever the heroes did, I doubted Vista had much input at her age.

"You here for the meeting?"

"Yeah. Dragon told me about it."

She stumbled a bit. "Dragon? Dragon Dragon?"

"Um. Just the one Dragon?"

"Huh." She glanced to my waist and stepped back. "You need to surrender any weapons. You'll get them back when you leave."

I tensed. The troopers stood stiff as statues behind her. Their helmets hid their faces completely, and when Vista held out a plastic bag I didn't see much choice. I left my pistol at the workshop, but I brought two beam sabers.

She got one.

The other remained unassembled in my pockets. I chalked it up as a win for everyone. They got their little token, and I got to keep something on hand for protection.

Vista sealed the bag and wrote my name on it.

"Meeting is the second door on the right."

I nodded and continued down the hall. My paranoia rose up again as I cracked the door and peeked inside the room. Instead of a trap though, I saw someone in a loose beige robe with a smooth white mask.

He gave me a simple, "Hi."

"Hi?"

"Sere."

"Newtype."

A woman in a blue and silver outfit rose from her seat as the door closed. "Prism," she greeted. "Thanks for coming."

At her side Aegis nodded and gave me a polite wave. The nervousness in his eyes said he remembered our last encounter.

Well so do I.

I didn't expect to see Prism though. "I thought the Protectorate was still in Kurdistan?"

"Dauntless and I came back after Blue Cosmos announced their protests. Armsmaster wants eyes on the city, and there's not a lot to do in Kurdistan right now but look intimidating." She looked behind me toward the door. "Will StarGazer be joining us?"

"She doesn't do well with people," I said.

Aegis raised his head. "So, there are two of you?"

"Dragon mentioned you guys were debating that," I mused aloud. Aegis and Prism showed the same surprise as Vista. "What? Is it that weird?"

"She's the greatest tinker in the world," Aegis said. "Even Hero didn't manage to snag that title. So…yes?"

I shrugged and settled in against the wall halfway between Sere and the door. I didn't think much of it in the end. So I talked to Dragon once, and my AI plays tabletop games with her... okay yeah it's weird.

Kid Win greeted Aegis and Prism before introducing himself to Sere and me. He'd changed his armor since last time, or worked out enough to really bulk himself up. I think it took him a moment to remember the tall, thin girl in the hoodie, but the recognition rolled over him like a wave.

"Um. Ah." He stumbled over some 'ohs' too as he tried to think of something to say before giving up. He turned instead to Prism and asked, "Who else is coming?"

"We're waiting for New Wave," the heroine said.

New Wave actually out and in costume?

"How many of them?"

"Lady Photon and Panacea went to Kurdistan as volunteers, but the rest of the team is still in town."

"The rest of the Wards should be here soon," Aegis added. He glanced at me. "Maybe some of the local vigilantes and Browbeat." He paused for a second and turned to Sere. "Dazzler?"

He shook his head. "She doesn't do meetings."

I knew little of the vigilante scene outside of Shadow Stalker. I knew on PHO a lot of people debated if some vigilantes even had powers or were just psychos with guns shooting at criminals. Browbeat. I saw something about a cape named that during my last look through Haystack.

But that first part…

"All the Wards are coming?"

Aegis nodded.

Fuck.

From that point on my spine shot rod straight each time the door opened.

Valiant and Clockblocker arrived first. They paid me little mind as they crossed the room. Clockblocker patted Kid Win on the back and greeted Aegis.

All four of them went oddly well together.

Aegis in the rust red, Kid Win with his red and white armor, Clockblocker in white with moving clocks all over his costume, and Valiant with the whole shining knight getup. Some people liked to joke that between Miss Militia, Stratos, Dauntless, and Armsmaster, the local Protectorate looked like a comic book spec ops team. The Wards, on the other hand, seemed to fit their own bill as kid adventurers with a sci-fi angle…and my costume went with that and I wasn't even in the Wards.

Valiant leaned back in his chair with a phone, playing some kind of game. He didn't say anything to anyone. Clockblocker on the other hand…

He's the kind of guy whose smile you can hear in his voice.

"You're Shirt Face, right?"

I frowned. "That's not my name."

"Seriously?! It's awesome! What villain ever wants to admit to being outdone by a hero named Shirt Face? Whose costume is a shirt around her face?! I'll bet the reason Uber and Leet haven't come back is death by embarrassment!"

"Clock," Aegis warned.

Kid Win looked like he wanted to hide in the corner, but Clock kept going.

"You could do the whole Mouse Protector thing. Just embarrass all the bad guys until they give up. It works pretty well for her—"

Aegis snapped a little louder. "Clock!"

"What?"

Prism shook her head. "Don't fanboy before the meeting."

"I'm not!"

"Just be glad she can't see him blushing," Valiant said.

"Dude!" Clockblocker turned to his teammate. "I'm not blushing!" He glanced at me. "I'm not blushing. Honest."

"Thou doth protest too much," Valiant deadpanned.

Aegis looked like he wanted to groan, while Prism watched the whole scene with a tired frown. Kid Win eyed the corner more carefully.

I, meanwhile, contemplated having a "fan" and thought about Uber and Leet coming after me for revenge. I did kind of get them caught, in a way, and then robbed Leet's workshop. They escaped weeks ago, and I put no real thought into it at all. What if I missed a tracker, or if one of the parts I used contained software giving away the workshop and Veda's servers?

Now I'm going to go back and check everything again. Again.

"Sorry," Clockblocker continued. "I just thought the whole hacking cameras to hide your face, screwing with Uber and Leet's stuff, and then robbing Leet's lab was pretty awesome. I've tried finding you on PHO, but you don't have an account and you never really talk to anyone so—"

I felt a bit confused. "You know we've met, right?"

"Have we?"

"I came in to visit a few months ago."

Still took him a few seconds to go "Ohhhhhh. You're that tinker girl. Sorry. Sorry. That whole day is a daze." He pointed at his helmet. "Real easy to nap with a full helmet." Prism's frown turned a little tighter. "I think I dozed off a bit after you arrived and when I woke up you were gone."

"Smooth, Clock."

"What?"

Valiant turned his head. "Just said she put you to sleep."

"No, I didn't!" He turned to me. "You didn't!"

Aegis shook his head again. "Do you have to put the hole in front of him?"

The armored Ward shrugged. "I want to know if he can reach the CUI."

I found myself lost.

Watching them joke and mess with each other completely clashed with the image of capes in my head. Playing around at a time like this? My arms closed around my chest, and I just watched it play out. Clockblocker kept trying to defend himself while Valiant found ways to throw his words back at him. Aegis interjected here and there, and Prism looked on the edge of chewing them all out.

Is this what they do when they're not out?

I recognized the next capes to arrive.

They all wore white outfits, with their own logos. Their costumes struck a chord with me. Whites, with reds, blues, and golds. Usually white and then one of the others. Anyone would peg them as family. All the women, Brandish, Laserdream, and Glory Girl bore heart shaped faces and blond hair. The men sported broad shoulders and large muscular builds. Especially Manpower. He earned that name and I'm in a room with New Wave holy shit.

Trying to wrap my head around that, I missed the blue-haired member of the team approach me. "Are you Saber Girl?"

"Newtype," I corrected.

"Newtype huh? Newtype of wha—"

"Eric." Manpower clasped a hand on his shoulder and waved to me. "Sorry. He's a fan."

"Me too," Clockblocker called from the table.

How on Earth do I have fans? "I haven't really done anything."

"You stole Uber and Leet's stuff," Laserdream said. "PHO loved it." She nodded toward Shielder. "He did too."

"Leet's rant was epic," Clockblocker claimed.

"Rant?" Shielder laughed. "He went into conspiracy theories!"

Clockblocker found it funny enough to slap his hand on the table a few times. "Did he seriously have a tinker-tech hot glue gun?"

There again. The image of capes in my mind clashing with the scene before me, leaving me completely lost. That, or I'd been alone with Veda for so long I literally forgot how to interact with groups of people.

Is this a serious meeting or a cape convention?

"It's pretty hilarious." Glory Girl floated rather than walked, and I tried not to think about how I'd never be that pretty. "Is it true you're a super computer hacker and you crashed all of Uber and Leet's servers?"

"That would be V-StarGazer," I answered. "She does all that stuff. Not me."

"Oh?" Glory Girl glanced around. "Where is she?"

"Bad with crowds."

"Hmmm." The sensation faded away once she floated back. I noticed it, but it mixed in with the rest of my mounting confusion. "That's a shame. Not that I'm going to knock my powers, they're awesome, but I alwa—"

I didn't hear the rest. The door opened and my spine wasn't the only part of me straight as a rod.

Sophia didn't even look at me as she entered.

She looked at everyone in the room, sure, but her eyes just swept past me like they did everyone else. Even with her face behind a mask I recognized the air of contempt around her, and the way Kid Win straightened up a little and avoided looking at her.

I might have contemplated that, except for the rush of fear. I didn't even run, for fear she'd strike me from behind. It had been months since I last saw her, but put me in the same room as Sophia Hess and it all came right back. Newtype, whoever that was, was gone in a flash with Taylor Hebert in her place.

I forced my shoulders to relax and lowered my arms to my side. It felt like the entire room knew my fear anyway. My eyes started wandering, searching for the distraction—there was always a distraction—before she hit or pushed me.

Some way to ensure I couldn't say I "saw" her do it.

Veda noticed somehow. "Taylor? Are you well?"

I shook my head, unable to answer without anyone hearing. Thankfully the visor hid my eyes, or everyone would see me watching Shadow Stalker like a hawk. Did she know? Taylor Hebert vanished around the time Mask appeared. How many tall skinny girls with long dark hair and wide mouths could there be in the bay?

Should have made a mask that covers my mouth.

"Hey? You okay?" Glory Girl leaned towards me, and I abruptly leaned back. "Oh sorry. You were just kind of standing there and staring off into space."

"I'm fine. Just-I'm not so good around crowds either."

"Oh, sorry." She floated back and waved as New Wave took seats opposite Prism and the Wards. Glory Girl, Shielder, and Clockblocker kept engaging me in conversation.

I participated only to distract myself from Sophia's presence.

In the end it all came down to the same thing.

"Can I have a lightsaber?"

"Beam saber," I amended.

Clockblocker nodded. "So, can I have a beam saber then?"

"No," Prism said. "Stop joking around. This is serious."

"I'm just lightening the mood."

Vista entered, along with a few guys in costumes that made "Shirt Face" seem like a quality piece of work. Football pads and paintball masks? One of them even painted a gaudy skull onto the chest like that old comic book hero from before capes were real.

Right behind them came a huge boy in a blue and yellow spandex outfit. He greeted Aegis and Clockblocker before taking a spot against the wall beside me.

"Browbeat," he said. "Newtype."

I'd missed my own sense of loneliness somehow. Winslow taught me how to feel alone in a room full of people. I regretted coming to the meeting, in part, if only because it reminded me of that dreadful sensation and how it pushed me into myself.

"I think this is everyone," Vista said as she sat down at the end of the table with the Wards.

Prism nodded. "Dauntless is working with some PRT teams and the BBPD to keep an eye on things at the moment. Deputy Director Calvert should be here any—" The door cracked open. "Here he is."

The asshole who covered up what Sophia did to me, it turned out, was a tall, skeletal man. Thin described everything about him. Thin brow, thin lips, thin hairline, and a cleft chin with a thin line. He towered over me as he entered, and almost the entire room except for Manpower.

I'll admit to a morbid curiosity. I knew Sophia's face. The kind of person she was. In that vein, who was Thomas Calvert? Incompetent bureaucrat, corrupt prick, lackey to the system? I wanted to know what it was. Why does someone working for an organization that claims to protect people from parahumans screw someone over to protect a psycho like Sophia?

The rage helped with the fear. It helped me focus.

"It's about a quarter past noon," he said with a glance around the room. "I'll assume this is everyone who intends to arrive. I see a few unfamiliar faces."

"Sir." Prism nodded to him as he sat down. "Sere is an independent from the suburbs." She pointed at the group of guys in paintball masks. "The Men of Mayhem are a group of vigilantes from Springbrook just outside the city." Her hand turned my way. "Newtype was formerly known as Mask and Saber Girl. And this is Browbeat."

He nodded to everyone in turn, but his eyes lingered on me. "And StarGazer won't be joining us?"

"She doesn't do well in crowds," I repeated for the third time.

"I see. I hoped to apologize to her. She keeps sending us excellent information about gang activities in the city, but we've found no time to act on them."

Found enough time to take photos in the aftermath of an Endbringer attack.

"Well. I'm sure you can pass my condolences along to her, yes?"

"Yes," I said sternly.

"Thank you all for coming. Amid ongoing concerns that the situation in Kurdistan could become a war, there is unanimous agreement. NATO and from the heads of the PRT, MI6, Interpol, the Protectorate, King's Men, and Internationals believe leaving the area at this time will simply result in war. It is hoped that by keeping heroes on site, all parties will remain at the negotiating table."

The room shifted as Calvert's speech began. Everyone seemed more focused. Backs straighter, hands at their sides or folded on the table. I barely heard a breath. It felt more in line with my expectations. Serious business. A bunch of capes lined up in a room talking about something that mattered.

And I'll give one thing to Calvert. He knew how to hold a crowd.

"This is likely to absorb a great deal of the Protectorate's manpower, possibly for weeks. Standard protocol dictates that one member of each team return, but with Blue Cosmos grandstanding, Prism and Dauntless have both come back. There's still concern about keeping the criminal element in line. For that reason, I've asked the local independent community to come in so that we might discuss cooperation."

Brandish stood in front of the other members of New Wave, and asked, "Is there a sense the truce won't hold?"

"Kaiser will stick to it. No causing trouble during an Endbringer attack or in the immediate aftermath. Any gains he makes while the Protectorate is away can easily be reversed if he pushes too hard. Coil as well, in all likelihood. He's cautious about keeping low to the ground. The ABB and Merchants are another story, to say nothing of the Undersiders."

Brandish didn't seem to like Calvert's answer for some reason.

"What specifically do you need from us?"

"A united front," Calvert said. "A show of solidarity to everyone that there are still heroes in the bay, and that criminal elements are not free to do as they please."

"You want a PR stunt," one of the Mayhems said in a harsh voice.

He was taller than the other two, and fatter. Not 'out of shape' fat, he clearly packed a set of guns on his arms, but he still carried a bit of a pot belly.

Guess I'm not alone in being angry with the heroes.

"Public relations are important," Calvert replied. "Without assurances, the public can panic easily."

Brandish shot the Mayhems the same ugly glare she'd given Calvert. "And what form would this solidarity entail?"

"Patrols," Prism answered. She glanced to the Wards and then to me and Browbeat. "Not necessarily joint, but public, where we can be seen. Let everyone know we're watching."

"We'll do it," the tallest of the Men of Mayhem said. "But we're not going to ignore any crimes."

"We don't expect you to," Calvert retorted smoothly.

A folded piece of paper came out of his pocket. He handed it to Prism, who passed it along the line of Wards until Vista gave it to Sere. He looked around the room, eyes stuck on me for a second.

When it got to me I still felt torn. Veda created a fake email and put it on my visor. I wrote it down.

On the one hand, this is what heroes do, right? Keeping an eye on things, protecting people, and not letting the bad guys win. On the other hand, the PRT and Protectorate. Neither endeared themselves to me, as evidenced by how I kept one eye constantly on Sophia.

Worst case scenario, I'd just shut up in my workshop and do nothing with whatever they sent me.

"I also want to be clear," Calvert continued. "As discomforting as it might be, Blue Cosmos has a right to protest. The PRT, BBPD, and everyone here, has no authority to interfere. Radical members of Blue Cosmos like confrontation. While you're out in public, they'll try to bait you. Don't fall for it. It's bad enough they're going to antagonize the gangs."

"We'll coordinate patrols using the contact info here," Prism elaborated. "If everyone is willing to wait, we'd like to set up a preliminary schedule to get out ahead of Blue Cosmos' protests."

No one left, though I wanted to. I needed sleep, and to escape from personal discomfort. What did it say though if I was the only one to walk out? Again…

Prism and Calvert looked over the paper and started whispering to each other. The Wards on one side remained in a sort of sitting attention, except for Valiant. He leaned back in his seat and stared off into space. Across from him Shielder seemed to be doing the same, while Glory Girl and Laserdream talked. Brandish, Manpower, and Flashbang talked amongst themselves.

"Kind of weird, huh?"

"Hmm?"

"This." Browbeat shrugged. "I mean, it seems kind of normal."

My tongue pressed into the top of my mouth. "It crossed my mind."

"So, you messed up Uber and Leet, huh? How'd that work?"

I shrugged. "It happened."

"Well hopefully it was more graceful than my first encounter with a villain."

I tried to think back to meeting the groupies, stealing the 'henchmobile' and robbing Leet of his stuff. Yeah. Graceful.

"Sovereign and Hellhound kicked my ass," he said.

"Hellhound and Sovereign?" I didn't know much about the latter. No one did, outside of her slimmed down Victorian-era dress and mask. "How'd you get into a fight with them?"

"Just during a patrol. I was trying to figure out my limits. Those dogs really hurt."

Nice reminder. "I've been avoiding any of that until I'm ready."

"Smart. Looking back, a lot of things I could have figured out without patrolling. Kind of regret not taking things a bit slower."

And this feels normal.

Browbeat seemed nice, and Sere. New Wave too. Maybe they weren't that active anymore, but I couldn't say I held a grudge against them. The group I did hold a grudge against…I felt the animosity waver. Still there in my mind, but they all just seemed too normal. More than that, Kid Win and Vista both seemed uncomfortable around Sophia.

It's all too normal. Why?

Maybe I didn't know normal anymore…

"Alright." Prism stood up and drew everyone's attention. "We see no reason to disrupt New Wave's dynamics. Can three of you do a patrol right now? Preferably in the air."

Laserdream and Glory Girl nodded. Shielder said he'd go as well.

"We work at night," the tall Mayhem said.

"We can plan around that," Calvert answered. "For the solo heroes, we'd like to pair you off with members of the Wards and Protectorate."

Browbeat nodded. "Today?"

"If you're willing. Browbeat with Aegis and Shadow Stalker." I tried not to look relaxed at that. "Clockblocker and Vista with Sere. Kid Win and Valiant with Newtype." His eyes narrowed for a second. "Clockblocker and Vista can take the console right now."

"If everyone is agreed?" Calvert might as well assume it was, since he didn't wait for any answers.

Prism walked around the table and started talking to New Wave. "We're going to meet with Blue Cosmos' local branch leader in fifteen minutes. Try and get some kind of agreement to keep things calm, for what little good it will do."

"Not much," Glory Girl said as she floated from her chair.

I shifted my weight uneasily. Last chance to back out. Just leave and give some excuse about how I was busy and didn't have the time to go walking around town.

"Newtype." Calvert waved his hand toward me. "If we could have a moment."

The rest of the room emptied quickly. The Mayhems first, then New Wave and most of the Wards. Aegis, Kid Win, Valiant, and Shadow Stalker stayed behind, along with Browbeat beside me.

And they were all looking at me. Recruitment pitch? Another sad attempt to understand our "misunderstanding"? I waited for the shoe to finally drop. The little trap they'd all carefully laid after inviting me here.

"What is it?"

Instead Calvert said, "How good is StarGazer with computers? Can you tell us anything about her ability that might help?"

My brow twitched behind my visor. Not the line of questioning I'd braced myself for. "Like what?"

"Can she access networks remotely?" Kid Win clarified. "Does she need a hard line? Is she a thinker, a tinker, or a shaker? We have no idea how her power works."

Prism nodded. "We'd like you to agree to power tes—"

Calvert raised his hand and stopped her. "We'd very much like both of you to undergo power testing and register as independents, but more pressing matters concern us at the moment."

Not what I expected. It left me looking for an angle. I hadn't forgotten about Dragon's power testing suggestion. Rather, I ignored it. My powers weren't the PRT's business, and I didn't want them hunting down whatever I built and trying to muscle in on me. My search for Toybox turned up all kinds of unsavory stories about how the PRT approached tinkers, and I could easily see them twisting the GN drive into some kind of public health hazard to strong-arm me.

"If we provided a connection to the city's traffic cameras, would she be able to watch them and alert us to problems?"

"Wh-What?"

"The city traffic cameras," Calvert reiterated. "If we make them available, can she use them?"

The angle, I thought.

"She could," I said cautiously.

Back-trace the connection to Veda's servers? Wouldn't work. Even if they started tracing through the VPNs, Veda could alter her connection path so quickly they'd never keep up. Wanting to get info about her supposed powers? Maybe, but the information I gained from having access to traffic cameras for a few hours outweighed anything they'd learn.

Calvert smiled. "We can arrange it. Being able to see what's going on around the city has always been one of the biggest challenges in fighting the gangs."

"Right…"

"We can make the arrangements on our end and send an IP address to you," he said. "For now, would you be willing to take part in the first patrols? I'm sure Kid Win and yourself have projects." Another smile. "I know how tinkers become absorbed with their work."

"I'm not ready to patrol," I replied in as firm a voice as I could muster. "I only came because Dragon asked me to."

"It's fine if you don't have much equipment," Prism said. "All we really want is for heroes to be seen on the streets. Remind people we're still here."

Calvert jumped in before I could speak. "An hour of your time. Walk around with Kid Win and Valiant for a bit."

"I'd rather—"

"It's clear that somewhere along the line, missteps have been made. I'd like to think we're big enough to move past them. The city is more important than the feud between you and us."

Being the better person fucking sucks. Especially when someone you hate throws it right in your face.

I left the room more than a little confused. Did he bribe me with the traffic cameras, convince me by being reasonable, or goad me by pushing just the right button? I couldn't tell. I felt a weird sensation. Like deja vu but without actually seeing anything. He wasn't the person I expected to find behind a cover up. He didn't seem nearly sleazy enough.

I retrieved my saber on the way out. One of the two troopers from before handed me the bag. A brief inspection didn't turn up any sign of tampering.

Kid Win and Valiant followed me, the former still clearly wanting to say something. Valiant noticed too, I think. He shook his head. He fished his phone from a pocket in his armor and turned his game back on.

"Just get it out," Valiant prodded. "Don't got all day."

Kid Win flinched. "Well. I—Um—"

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"I"—he took a deep breath and finally started talking—"just want to know if it's something I did. Something I said? You just stormed out of the building, and when Miss Militia came back she looked really worried. Now everyone thinks you're racist or—"

"Who thinks I'm racist?!"

The ping of Valiant's game died for a second. "Stalker."

Sophia, you bitch! "I'm not racist."

"Oh. Touched a button, methinks." Valiant chuckled behind us, his body facing the front doors while Kid Win and I walked under a set of stairs.

"I'm not a racist," I repeated.

"Okay," Kid Win said. "I thought-Well, maybe I was being too nagging about your—"

I took a deep breath and shook my head. Why did I feel like the bad guy again? Kid Win definitely looked younger than me. Not by much. Maybe thirteen or fourteen. The kid thought he messed up, and I…I knew what that felt like. Blaming myself for things I didn't do. Beating myself down for it while others rubbed it in.

He's barely any older than Vista. He's not the one I should be angry with…What is it with today?

I pulled him aside once we stepped through the door.

"Look, you didn't do anything wrong, okay? I was kind of excited to meet you and the Wards until-It's my business, alright? But it's not you. You're not the problem."

Kid Win nodded. "Okay."

Behind me Valiant asked, "What is the problem?"

"Valiant."

"What?" He waved Kid Win's concern off. "She's the one who went storming off in front of a whole crowd after chewing Halbeard and Aegis out. I'm curious." He turned his helmet to me. "Stalker kicked your puppy, didn't she? She always struck me as a puppy kicker."

I didn't want to admit how close he was…And he was close, wasn't he? My eyes narrowed under my mask. How many of them really understood who Sophia was?

"Valiant." Kid Win walked around me. "Sorry. We keep meaning to get a muzzle for him."

"As long as I get dinner and a movie first," Valiant replied.

Kid Win's face turned red, and I tried to figure out how the hell he got a cape name like Valiant.

"PR picked it."

"Huh?"

"My name. PR picked it and I didn't care so…" He trailed off and shrugged.

I said that out loud.

"The rest of us think they were trying to be ironic," Kid Win said. He glanced around the lobby. "Um. We should probably go. Vista just got to the console. She's uploading the route to my visor now."

Again, my brow rose. "Just like that?"

"Just like what?"

"We're just going to go? No recruitment pitches? No lecture about how I'm a reckless teenager?"

"Um. No?"

"Piggy said no recruitment," Valiant revealed. Kid Win uttered a hushed "don't call her that" but Valiant kept going. "Everyone knows you're pissy about something."

I frowned at being called pissy.

"Hey. Their words, not mine."

Kid Win sighed. "Everyone's kind of worried about scaring you off a third time."

"They think you'll come around," Valiant added. "But you won't."

Damn right I won't. I stepped back, wishing really hard that his helmet didn't cover his face. "And how do you know that?"

"I'm a people person," he drawled, each word dripping in sarcasm. He slipped his phone back into a pocket in his armor. "We going or not? I got a raid tonight."

Last, last chance to just walk away.

But I followed. I kept going back to Winslow and endured for a long time. Because I didn't want to quit? Back down? Finding out Sophia was Stalker broke my desire to even try, but maybe I felt that determination coming back as Newtype.

No one was going to run me out of being a hero.

We walked out of the building together, a trooper actually pushing the door open and holding it for us as he passed inside. I almost stumbled as the wall of noise struck me. I'd never seen so many people in one place and I grew up in a city.

"No more heroes!"

The words blended together. If not for the picket signs I'd never understand them. Corralled between barricades and police cars, the crowd stretched all along the street as far as I could see, all chanting in some garbled squeal.

"No more masks!"

You get used to people as far as the eye can see, but seeing them packed together like sardines screaming and thrusting their fists into the air…

"Equality for all!"

Dozens.

"Justice as written!"

Hundreds.

"For a pure blue world!"

Thousands, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Yeah. Whole different experience.