A Waken 10.1
Lafter and I stood off the street in an alley, phones in hand.
I admit, there are worse ways to pass the time.
"Hello, I'm Labyrinth!"
At first, it surprised me the PRT let her keep the name. Then I noticed the surprised look on the face of the PR guy standing beside her.
She wasn't supposed to say that.
She probably wasn't supposed to pull a piece of paper from her robe either. It was a crude drawing, but effective. Elle in her old Labyrinth costume with her hands restrained.
She forewent a mask in her new costume. I guess she didn't see the point since she was outed. Her new costume consisted of a black cloak over a yellow robe, with golden trim on the cloak in geometric patterns. It didn't look too different from her Labyrinth costume honestly.
The reporters didn't take it seriously. Maybe because of the big goofy smile on Elle's face as she did it. Maybe because to take it seriously seemed too absurd. The PRT carefully managed its PR events.
The PR guy tried to play it off, referencing Clockblocker. Unfortunately, he seemed so distracted by the name he didn't seem to notice her drawing.
"She has an ironic sense of humor," the man pleaded.
"Why do you want to be a hero?"
Labyrinth produced a picture of herself looking into a wallet with a little puff of air.
"Charity work will look good on my college application!"
Lafter started shaking.
"How is the PRT addressing your educational needs?" Someone asked.
"I've been taking art classes!" Another paper, colored in amber with big exclamation marks at the center. "I like abstract art! It can mean whatever you want!"
"I don't get it," Lafter mumbled. I think she did get it.
The next reporter asked, "How are you fitting in with the other Wards?"
"They're nice."
She did not produce a piece of paper.
Oh no.
"Are you nervous about going on patrol?"
"I'm very good at walking around doing nothing!"
Her next picture showed a little stick Labyrinth walking through a field of trees and flowers.
It occurred to me that if the PRT operated like Kati at all, then they coordinated what questions would be asked. They probably told Elle beforehand. It backfired. All that did was give her time to produce ammunition.
I watched the PR guy die a little more with every answer. Honestly, why are the cameras still on?
"Could we see a demonstration of your power?" One reporter asked.
"Hmmm." Elle taped her chin. "I guess. Something simple?"
She rose up from her seat and held her hands out.
"Tada!"
Two pillars rose from the ground on either side of her. I'd seen her do so before, on a video attached to her PRT file. These pillars looked a lot less scary. Plain and white, made of a smooth stone that shimmered a bit.
And she apparently prepared them beforehand.
The pillar on the right had a piece of paper taped to it, the words 'missing child' written on the surface. It came with a picture of herself waving. On the left, the pillar said 'wait for me'. She drew four figures into the corners. A welder's mask, a gas mask, a snail, and a newt.
The PR guy said something about technical difficulties. She gave a huge smile right before the cameras finally went off.
Lafter couldn't stop laughing.
"That was amazing! How did they let her do that?!"
She's fucking with them.
I asked Ramius about her. She said Labyrinth agreed to join the Wards with little prompting. Was this her revenge on the PRT for not letting her go back to Faultline? I couldn't really hold that against them. Legally speaking, they had to keep her. She was a minor.
On the other hand, the PRT never gave a damn about her before her mind got fixed. They left her to Faultline for nearly three years. I doubted she gave a damn about them telling her she couldn't go back.
Nine months till she turns eighteen.
She'd just wait and then go back to her…Family? Some of those pictures were messages. Walk in the park, and wait for me.
Not my problem either way. Though, the moral lesson came at an oddly opportune time.
People are not pieces on a board.
"My sides hurt," Lafter said, still laughing. "I think I might need Panacea!"
"She's going to make Piggot's life hell."
"Convenient." Lafter grinned, her laughter suddenly dying. "Isn't it?"
I grinned back at her. "Very."
I turned, glancing across the street.
"Where's the truck?" I asked.
Veda brought up the feed on my visor. Orange followed the vehicle, a short truck with Medhall written on the side. The thermal cameras confirmed the presence of at least one person inside the truck with the cargo, in addition to the driver.
"Don't pick a fight," I reminded.
"Me? Pick a fight?" Lafter waved her hand. "Never."
"You do tend to taunt," Veda pointed out. "This is dangerously close to breaking the unwritten rules. We must be careful."
Lafter frowned. "Great. Now you're both lecturing me."
"It'll be fine. Something only happens in one out of twelve possibilities. If we end up that unlucky, we just have to hold out till Queen comes crashing down."
The suit hovered in the sky, hiding in the cloudy night sky.
We waited for the truck to pull up to the distribution center across the street. Orange flew low enough to get a good look at the truck's tags. Same as the ones in Schwarz Bruder's accusations. Of course it was. They needed it exactly where it was supposed to be to avoid any real problems.
Too bad for them.
"Let's go."
I broke into a run, Lafter right at my side. Veda drove a van up and swung the tail end around to the fence. I jumped, stepping over the hood and onto the roof. Lafter got ahead of me and jumped the fence first.
I came down right behind her, feet hitting the asphalt hard.
Honestly. The Empire was taking things for granted if they thought things would go any other way.
I pulled a saber from my belt and flicked it on.
"Hello!" Lafter sang with a smile.
The men ahead of us all froze, some mid-step.
Green and Purple flew in behind me and started sweeping through them. The truck parked under an overhang, a hastily constructed one from the look of it. Something to hide smuggling from above, I supposed. For all the good it did them.
Someone blew the whistle. Released serial numbers of missing shipments and the tags of a truck they were shipped on. Even an independent cape could take immediate action upon spotting said vehicle.
Purple circled the men. "Nobody move, nobody move!"
"911!" Green cried. "911!"
"This vehicle matches the description of one used to ferry drugs illegally to a parahuman gang," I announced. "I'll have to ask everyone to stay where they are."
"Or don't." Lafter walked along the side of the truck and leaned to peek at the back. "I'll have to ask you to exit the vehicle."
"Checking checking."
Purple flew into the open back of the truck, right past the head of one Melody Jurist. The woman silently turned to a tall man toward the back of the group around me.
"If you all cooperate," I proposed, "you'll probably be fine. I'd be willing to bet none of you really knew much about this. Just sit tight."
"What do you think you're doing?"
Bradly Meadows did not seem happy.
He glared at me, the muscles in his arms bulging and his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He wore a blue button up shirt and dark slacks, though he didn't wear them well. The man's greasy hair said he was unaccustomed to working in a professional environment.
I watched him carefully, and Melody Jurist. She climbed out of the truck at Lafter's insistence, still looking to Mr. Meadows for instruction.
But honestly. Hookwolf is a hot head, not a moron.
"Following up on a tip," I answered. "Purple?"
"Serial numbers match," she said, flying out and holding a piece of paper. "Serial numbers match!"
"Then it seems Schwarz Bruder's information pans out."
Mr. Meadows bristled.
"Regular gold star citizen," Lafter quipped.
I took the paper from Purple, saying, "I figured the Empire would rapidly try and put all these drugs back where they're supposed to be. Can't have them actually missing when the authorities come looking. What with the entire board accused of willingly supporting a parahuman gang."
Queen repositioned above. Veda came down from the clouds and ignited the GN drive, letting the green light reflect from above.
"If you're concerned for your safety," I said, "I understand. Please. Wait inside the distribution center. The police will be here soon."
Mr. Meadows wanted to fight. I could see it in the way he seemed ready to lunge forward from where he stood. But it was impossible not to notice Queen flying above. Just a little added reason to not be a moron.
Lafter leaned against the truck and waited.
"Police will arrive within five minutes," Veda revealed through Green. "I do not observe any Empire capes within the immediate area."
I looked away from Meadows. "Then it shouldn't be a problem."
He took the hint. The group took my offer of stalking off and waiting in the distribution center. Mission accomplished.
Veda toned down the light show but kept Queen on standby.
"Be on guard," I said to Lafter.
"I know, I'm not a goldfish!"
We waited.
I saw the red and blue lights outside the fence across the yard. The distribution center was fairly big, sitting in an underpopulated section of Captain's Hill. Trucks lined the lot and the loading docks. Medhall moved a lot of drugs that didn't need refrigeration through the center. Including those it put in the Empire's hands.
A security guard frantically talked to someone on the phone. It didn't stop three vehicles from pulling into the fenced off area. One sedan, one black and white, and a PRT van.
A pair of officers came out of the black and white. Both looked to the sedan as two men in suits stepped out. Troopers piled out of the PRT van.
Fortunately, we actually called 911 before the truck arrived. Otherwise someone might have had time to brood and be dumb. Do something like put a mask on and try to cover things up.
But five minutes wasn't enough time for that.
So Dinah foresaw. More or less.
Prism followed the troopers out of the truck, and Ramius was right behind her. The costumed woman looked at the two men in suits—detectives I figured.
"Lyle," she greeted.
"Prism." The more handsome of the suited men waved as they approached Lafter and I. "How's the cape business going?"
"Same as it always does. Never a dull moment."
I walked up to stand behind Lafter.
"So, what's the story here?" 'Lyle' asked. "Evidence of the connection between Medhall and the Empire?"
I held the paper out to him.
"I started looking for this truck after Bruder released his accusations. I found it and followed it here. We've already confirmed the serial numbers match."
"Very proactive of you." He took the paper and held it out to his partner, an older balding man with a bored expression.
"And you acted on that information?" Prism gave me a hard look.
Ramius looked worried.
The rumors spread online. I did threaten the villains in Brockton Bay. I put the video on Youtube. Millions of people had watched it by now. Everyone knew I'd shown Rune something that proved I could follow through with my threat. So naturally, everyone went to accusing me when some random guy shows up and starts throwing around specific details and accusations.
"It's not me," I said firmly. Indignantly, I added, "The name wasn't even spelled right."
"He clearly has no respect for my language," Lafter grumbled.
"You don't have an accent," Lyle noted. He watched as his partner climbed into the truck with the paper.
Lafter shrugged. "Ich hab hart daran gearbeitet, ihn loszuwerden."
sys.v/ she worked very hard to lose it
I'll ask about that later.
"Piggot still wants to talk," Prism stated.
I watched her with a frown.
Was she the one sent to spy on me? If I were whatever Illuminati was hiding within the PRT and Protectorate, I'd set one cape on permanent watch in Brockton Bay. Triumph was my leading suspect.
Dinah said she saw him helping Cranial escape several times, back then. We wrote it off as a master effect at the time. Now? I thought maybe the plan was to let her escape, either to finish her plans in secret or to kill her out of sight.
Eidolon only blew her apart when she seemed ready to tell Dragon something.
I had no way of really knowing what the exact motivation was. Not that it mattered too much. I couldn't trust them either way.
I glanced at Ramius and reiterated, "It wasn't me."
"We should talk about it anyway," she warned. "This may be a master or stranger. Someone trying to make use of your threat, or something else. Someone is trying to hurt the Empire and they're dancing in a gray zone."
"Dangerously," Prism added.
Lafter looked down at me.
I gawked. "Lafter!"
"What?" She looked away. "I don't think you did it. Mostly."
"Traitor, traitor!"
"It is possible Schwarz Bruder is a thinker," Veda suggested. "Someone who has chosen to pursue matters in a way distinct from most capes. There was an individual in the past who operated along such lines. He used advanced programming skills to hack computer systems and expose criminal enterprises."
Richter. "Bruder could be exactly what he says," I countered. "I doubt I have to tell anyone here that there is a connection between Medhall and the Empire."
Neither Prism or Ramius disagreed. I knew the PRT was aware of it. They didn't act because it touched close to the unwritten rules. The PRT prioritized public safety. Exposing Medhall was too risky to them. It could explode.
"The information released seems tailored," Veda observed. "Whoever Schwarz Bruder is, he explicitly avoided anything that might identify a cape."
"Well, we'll find out." Lyle conferred with his partner briefly. "I doubt Medhall can avoid the hounds now. It's one thing for a nameless whistle blower to make an accusation. It's another to have proof of the accusations."
They nodded to Prism and walked toward the officers by the police car.
"Why is the PRT here?" I asked. "I was under the impression this fell on the side of other investigators."
"It does," Ramius replied. "But those investigators always call the PRT and Protectorate because of the risk that they might come across capes. Watchdog will inevitably be called in. There's no way to avoid it now."
"I know. Let's see what happens, I guess. Bruder's next target, if there is one, will probably identify how he'll conduct himself going forward."
I turned my gaze to 'Lyle'. "Do you know if he's dirty or not?"
"Never met him, Though Prism seems to know him. I imagine he can't be that bad."
Fair.
More police showed up. The officers started taking names and phone numbers. I didn't see Bradly Meadows or Melody Jurist, but I didn't see much at all standing on the sidelines.
"We do need to talk," I said to Ramius. "That old cafe? We haven't used it in awhile."
Ramius nodded to me. Prism was off with the troopers, keeping an eye on things.
"Queen can remain on standby in this area," Veda said. "In case there is a problem."
Ramius gave a nod. "I'll tell Prism."
"Give me an hour? I can meet you there."
I'd had plenty of time over the past week to think. About what I wanted. About how I'd achieve it. About the responsibility that came with it. What I was willing to give up.
I will not go back.
"Do you want to stay here?" I asked Lafter.
"Why not?" She smiled. "Maybe I'll find someone with some seedy tattoos and proceed to taunt them mercilessly in deutsch."
"Purple can hang with you. Orange is nearby."
"Got it."
Veda brought the van around and I climbed inside.
"I'd say that went well. Let me guess. Our guests bailed?"
"Indeed," Veda confirmed. "I observed several individuals leave through a back gate."
No matter. The evidence was the drugs they'd tried to put back.
It was kind of unclear what the PRT was supposed to do with someone like Hookwolf, a man whose identity was known to them. Technically, the unwritten rules held that you didn't go after capes in their civilian lives. They didn't actually say what to do if you stumbled across someone whose identity is already known to you.
Letting him go was the cleanest option. I'd have a chance at him later. Securing an investigation into Medhall took priority. That, and I hardly needed to be accused of unmasking Hookwolf at the moment.
Ramius and I hadn't used the Downtown Cafe to meet since those two weeks I attended Arcadia.
I arrived there early in casual clothing and got one of the private rooms in the back. Ramius showed up on time, wearing a simple skirt and blouse. She'd bunched her hair up into a tail and put a hat on. Changed her makeup too.
She worked fast in an hour.
She sat and after ordering sodas she asked, "How are you?"
"You don't have to ask every time we see each other," I noted.
"You've been different."
"I've been thinking."
I pulled my phone from my pocket, hesitating. I forced the fears down. I refused to go back.
"Here." I held the phone out. "Look at that chat. Note the time stamps."
Ramius gave me an odd look, but took the phone. She looked over the screen and then looked confused.
"Lalah Sune?" she asked. "Who is that?"
"In a moment. "You see the time stamps?"
"Yes. Right after the incident with the children. Why?"
"Swipe left."
She did. I steeled myself for the reaction.
Ramius stiffened and shook. "Taylor. What is—"
"Time stamp," I said.
I didn't blame her. Watching myself falling apart with Lafter holding me? Not the image I liked to foster of myself. Sitting atop Astraea's wreck didn't help.
"I'm okay now," I insisted. "It's the time stamp that matters."
"This is not okay!" She rose up slightly. "Taylor, what is this. Why were you—"
"The time stamp, Murrue."
She stopped, staring. I never called her by her first name. I kept things professional. No, no I kept things distant. I called her Ramius, not lieutenant.
"Thank you," I said. "For being the first person I could bring myself to trust."
Thinking back, she was the first. I treated Dinah cautiously for a long time. Even when I let her in, she told me she was afraid and wanted me to keep her safe. That was mutual benefit, not trust. I only trusted Lafter and my Dad again after Murrue. I put a kill switch in Veda. I told myself I did it to protect the world, but that was crap.
I did it to protect myself.
"The time stamp, please."
I felt stupid. If I'd taken a moment to think, I could have recorded what I'd seen Over There. Nine Eyes. Lalah Sune. That place. It just didn't cross my mind. Unlike the Haros my mask didn't record automatically, and neither did my phone.
But I did have proof.
Proof of something impossible.
Ramius looked at the phone again. The time was in the corner. She looked at it, and her mouth opened.
"Do I look like I'm in any condition in that video, to send messages to anyone?"
"Ho—"
"I lied," I admitted. "I remember everything that happened that night. That's why I was a mess and needed Lafter to take care of me for a bit. That's why I've maybe been a bit odd lately."
She raised her head.
The timestamps aligned. I didn't know how. Time passed differently in that place? Dinah and Veda remembered sending the messages though, but by the time they would have done it we were all back and in the warehouse.
"It might be related to the many world's hypothesis," I surmised. "Or it's something screwier. Quantum physics holds that time is absolute, but relativity presents it as malleable."
I glanced at the phone. Quantum mechanics. Was that the key that Lalah Sune considered to be the path to that place?
"In any case, I try not to think about it. It's a bullshit paradox."
"You're saying time got twisted around? You did something and then came back to before…" She trailed off and set the phone down. "What's going on Taylor?"
"I want to keep trusting you," I answered. "Because it's about more than not being like those people who stood by and let me suffer. It's about how to reach my goal. And I can't do that if I can't trust."
You can't change the world without changing people. I wasn't sure about changing people yet, but how can you expect them to do better if you can't extend trust?
"Do you trust me, Murrue?"
She frowned. "Yes, but I worry about you."
"I know. I don't think we can continue working together if I hide this. It's too big. It's going to influence everything I do going forward. And I'm asking you to help me."
"Tell me what's going on."
I did. Not everything. I kept Labyrinth's consciousness to myself. Told Murrue she was unconscious when Lalah Sune 'mended' her connection. Labyrinth's trust wasn't mine to extend. I also kept what I knew about Scion to myself. There were things on that front I was still looking into.
I'd cross that bridge if I got her to believe me about powers being alive and at war.
At least that way, if she did betray me, she'd only tell the PRT and Protectorate what I thought they already knew. That avenue could produce its own options. If anyone tried anything, Veda could threaten mutually assured destruction.
No, they already know I can do that. That's why they're just watching.
Murrue handled it better than me at least.
Everyone did, apparently.
"Why would you hide this?" she asked. "Taylor, this is—"
My jaw slackened.
She believes me.
Did I really have that little faith? I couldn't discount that she was spying on me. Well, I guess she always had been but not in that sort of way. It was kind of her—NO. Murrue sided with me too many times. She stuck her neck out for me at the PRT's expense. She believed in what she did.
No one in their right mind would ask her to spy on me.
"Why did the Chief Director bench the Brockton Protectorate and send Hero in?" I asked. "And how did Cranial know to arrive in March, when Aisha hadn't even triggered and Labyrinth's power's scope wasn't public?"
She knew about both those things. She'd been there when Piggot got the call from Los Angeles, and we both discovered the connection between Coil and Cranial.
I reached for my drink and stirred it. Honestly, I wasn't that thirsty.
"Teacher," she mumbled. "You think Teacher is involved with this?"
"I know he is. It's the only way events make sense. What I don't know, is if the Chief Director is being used by him, or opposing him. To be honest, I'm not sure it matters at this stage."
"Matters? Taylor, you're implying that the PRT has been completely compromised at worst, and is facilitating assassination at best."
"I am. And that's why I can't trust them. At least, not anyone outside Brockton Bay." Even then. "This kind of thing would be held close. I doubt Piggot or Calvert are aware of it, and the local Protectorate was benched."
"The Triumvirate."
"Yes. Hero all but confirmed to me he knew about powers and that Lalah Sune exists, though I'm not sure he knows who she is specifically."
I looked her up. There were no pictures of her. Just scattered mentions in the news. It's possible the Cape Illuminati never connected her cape persona to the 'green eyed woman with dark skin' they knew about.
Murrue tapped a finger against the table, frowning.
"I don't know what you want me to do."
"Trust me," I said. Begged. "I'm not crazy."
"She's really not."
Murrue flinched and turned. Aisha pulled her hood back, revealing her face. The goggles I made for her were pulled up to her forehead, a rebreather hanging around her neck and off her face.
"Hello," Black greeted, sitting on the table in front of her.
"Aisha Laborn," Murrue mumbled.
"Imp," she grumbled. "Unwritten rules lady!"
"She was awake when I arrived at the thing Lalah called Darkness," I explained. "I'm not sure how. Maybe being close to her power helped it fix whatever went wrong with her trigger."
"I saw the tail end of all of it," Imp said. "Including the part where you pointed a lightsaber at a bug monster!"
"You're just going to keep harping on that, aren't you?"
"It was stupid! What if it ate you?!"
"I'm pretty sure it likes me, for whatever qualifies as like for them."
Murrue looked between us. "And now, you're?"
"Sticking around to screw Teacher over for what he did to me and Brian. And everyone else I guess. Seems like a total dick. Though, screwing with Nazis is fun too."
Murrue straightened. She snapped her head around, looking at me.
"I lied more for Prism than you. Sorry."
"Lafter overplayed her line," Aisha quibbled.
"It seemed to work to me."
"Why?" Murrue asked. "Why would you—"
"I've invented capes from whole cloth before." In for a penny, in for a pound. "Schwarz Bruder is how I deal with other problems down the road. Like the Elite, and Accord. Who in their right mind will want to set up shop in a city with an unknown cape who constantly blows the whistle?"
"You're skirting with the unwritten rules."
"I'm straightening them out," I retorted. "From a safe distance. The unwritten rules cannot be twisted into letting capes hide criminal activity behind their secret identities. Schwarz Bruder rejects that absurdity."
I became too afraid. Absorbed in my fear. If I beat the Empire, what next? If I beat Lung, what next? How do I stop the next villain from coming along and doing the exact same thing. How does the cycle break?
How does the world change?
Not one bit if you're too busy asking to do anything.
"The information released does not expose any cape identities," Veda pointed out through Black. "However, certain individuals will have a hard time disproving some of it without coming very close to outing capes."
"Catch twenty-two," Aisha added. "They're free to out themselves if they wish."
"The unwritten rules are bullshit," I declared, drawing Murrue's attention back to me. "Have I ever told you I think that?"
"N—No."
"I keep to them, because it keeps people safe. Parian's family. Trevor's. Dad. Kids walking to school who might otherwise be caught in the crossfire. But things can't stay like that. Medhall is the proof. New Wave was right. There's no accountability. No responsibility."
Their only mistake was trying to do everything at once.
Murrue frowned.
"I'm not going to do anything crazy," I said. "That…is going to take a very long time to change. Mostly, I want to have my cake without the racist sprinkles."
The woman across from me looked confused. She pondered that for a moment.
Then, "Medhall. You're after Medhall."
I nodded.
"Blue Cosmos has lobbied legislation concerning corporations involved with Parahuman gangs. I think they've actually managed to pinch the Elite a bit the past few years. The laws are clear. Medhall will be put into receivership while the investigation goes on. The Empire can't use it anymore and it can remain a core element of the city's economy."
"The company is too big to fail," Veda agreed. "It is one of the state's most important employers. It will not be allowed to go under."
"And I'm sure someone will take a shot at me over it," I mused. "I'm fine with that. I'm tired of the Empire being so good at hiding."
Murrue sighed. "You spelled the name wrong on purpose."
I smiled. "Who's going to believe I can't spell?"
"Why are you telling me this Taylor?"
"I told you already. I want to trust you."
"But I—"
"This is no longer a question of whether or not I can work with the PRT," I explained. "It's a question of who in the PRT I can work with. The system isn't just negligent, it's corrupt. I'm sure there are reasons. Everyone has a justification."
I pulled my straw from my cup.
"But that doesn't really change anything. A hero takes responsibility. I'm the one in the position to know what I know and do something with it. So that's what I'm going to do."
Murrue sat in silence for a time.
Aisha looked between us. "I think I'm gonna go. You two look like you need to make out or something."
I started in embarrassment, though I wasn't sure why. I calmed down in a moment.
"Sorry. This is kind of heavy."
"That's putting it lightly."
"You do what you think is right. I can't ask you to violate your conscience. But I don't think I have to. You know right from wrong, Murrue."
I narrowed my gaze.
"What happened to Cranial. Abandoning Vista to keep secrets. Everything about Teacher. It's wrong. People are not pieces on a board. And if things are at their worst, Teacher is the one running the PRT or his opponent is."
"Priest and Victory," Murrue said, hanging her head. "That's what she called them?"
"They all have names like that."
I kept my agreement with Administrator to myself too. I didn't need her misconstruing things as a master/stranger situation. Honestly, it amazed me she hadn't already suggested it. She still might, behind my back.
But I would not go back. I'd come too far to let myself backslide. I would not return to that shell of a girl, too afraid of betrayal to be human.
Some people I needed to keep secrets from. Dad would be safest if he didn't know. Trevor wanted to remain a step away from hero business. Charlotte shouldn't get roped into how big things were becoming.
I'd protect them. I'd take responsibility for them.
With a heavy voice, Murrue said, "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I wanted to protect you. To prevent you from dying young like so many others."
"You still might." I put on my best smile. "I'm sorry. I chose a long time ago, the kind of hero I'd be." Even if I didn't have the words for it then. "I'm taking responsibility for this, and acting."
"So you are."
She folded her hands together and rested her forehead against them.
"What do you want?" Before I could speak, she said, "And I know you want to trust me. Thank you. But I think you want something else too."
Figures.
"I want to know more about Teacher. If I'm right, this lawsuit is just a smoke screen. The entire scheme was a smokescreen for Cranial's attempt to reach that place. Or I'm wrong, and it's not. If so—"
"The PRT is the organization that has the information that can help you figure that out?"
"One of them." I needed to consider my next talk with Dean. "I'm curious if there are other things that have been covered up. It could tell us exactly who is pulling the strings in the PRT and Protectorate and why."
"You're asking me to betray my oath."
"I'm asking you to do what you think is right." I picked up my phone, looking at it carefully. "We have to know the truth."
I got up, prepared to let her think for herself.
"Why tell me about Bruder?" she asked. "You could have kept that to yourself."
I waited, hand on the door knob.
"Because I know myself. I know the people around me. There needs to be someone to tell me I've gone too far. Especially for what comes next."
I walked out of the cafe and down the street. I felt bad for her. I didn't want to dump it all on the table and leave her to sort it out. But I didn't want to hammer her either. She'd make up her own mind.
I went home.
"Taylor?" Dad called. "You're home early."
"I'm taking the night off from tinkering."
"Okay…"
If I learned one thing, I definitely learned I needed to take better care of myself. Driving my mind and body to the point of breaking could be disastrous the next time something huge happened. I might not be fortunate enough to have no immediate enemies out for my blood then.
Taking time for myself isn't the same as doing nothing. I can't help anyone if I can't help myself.
So, I went up to my room, found a book, turned on some Canary and sat down to read.
Though first, "You're sure you don't want me to take it out? I could."
"It is fine," Veda assured me. "I cannot be certain I will not become a threat in the future. In the distant future, there should be someone with the power to stop me."
Be for others.
"Okay."
"You should also check your right pocket."
I reached in and found a paper note. Aisha. Damn that was going to take getting used to. But, good luck to anyone tracking the girl no one remembers and only passes important information with paper notes. Good luck indeed.
Deal. 3 days. N is still recovering. ~ F
I smiled, taking a saber from under my pillow and burning the note in the beam.
I felt kind of bad for Armsmaster. He was a classical hero. A hero of laws. He based some of his tranquilizer formulas on samples of Newter's power, but he couldn't just go and get the real thing.
I could.
I never put on the mask for laws. Laws constrained me and I ignored them when I didn't care. Maybe that's not heroic, but I knew full well that the law didn't always line up with what was right.
Ironically, I put on the mask for people. People who betrayed me. People who stood by and left me. People who were weak and couldn't fight the world themselves.
There's a joke there somewhere.
"Good news. We get to slay a dragon."
"I will prepare. You are certain about the approach?"
"If it goes bad, we just do what we'd be doing anyway. Let's see how far trust takes us."
I picked up my book and let myself hum to the music.
"Tomorrow."
