A Waken 13.4

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. This was not helping my headache, which had dulled into a faint sensation of a screwdriver twisting in my ears. Better than nails to the eyes, honestly.

"No one's hurt?"

"No," Veda answered. "The Stranger seemed interested solely in gathering information."

"Information that doesn't make any sense." I sat up straight and pressed my back to the wall. "You could find out everything he asked on the internet." My friends, who I trusted, who ran things. Those weren't secrets. Why bother asking about them? "And we're sure the workshop wasn't breached?"

"I have checked twice," Veda said.

Could someone have gotten in and compromi—No. It was impossible. Master and Stranger effects didn't work on Veda because she wasn't human. The PRT and Protectorate should know that.

"I think we were being watched," Orga offered. "Had the feeling the entire time we were standing there."

"But you swept the area," I pointed out.

"I am not infallible," Veda admitted. "It is possible I've missed something."

"We—" Wait. "Did you just say I've? As in 'I have' with an apostrophe?"

Veda was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Is that strange?"

"I mean… You've never used contractions before." Weird how I didn't really notice.

"I've been working on grammar," she said.

Orga made some kind of noise, reminding me of his presence on the call. "I asked Mika to look through the cameras. I'll let StarGazer know if we find anything. Shino is checking around the apartment building where the Merchants live and Aston and I are about to check our building."

Right. "I'll look at the video when I get back. We might want to speed up building practical defenses for the factory grounds. Maybe take the nuclear option. I'll have the money soon enough."

"I will inquire as to the necessary papers," Veda said. "One block, or two?"

"One will do."

It was an extreme response, but I'd expected taking it for some time. Thankfully, the buildings north and west of the factory were abandoned. I could grab those cheap. The buildings to the east were mostly condemned. That would mean dealing with the city. South, I'd have to talk to whoever the property holders were and see about buying them out.

Establishing a one-block perimeter would let me turn the area around my factory into a literal fortress.

I lowered the phone and turned to find Lafter standing oddly close to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"What? Fine."

"Sure?"

I shook my head and stepped around her. "It's just turning into one of those days."

Realistically, it was always one of those days.

I walked out of the alley and stepped back onto the street. Red and blue lights from sirens filled the space as darkness fell. Short winter days and heavy clouds. We had such a dry summer, I almost forgot about rain. Flashes of lightning illuminated the sky in the distance and the wind picked up enough to ruffle my hair.

How poetic.

Slipping between two separate groups of police, I made my way toward the gash left in the street. A few of the officers turned to look at me but said nothing. A good forty feet of road lay in ruin, collapsed into a trench by Faultline's power. No one was seriously hurt of course, save Mockelburg's bodyguards who gallantly defended him from attack.

They sat off to the side with paramedics. One noticeably glared at me as I moved. I ignored him. I didn't like admitting he actually had reason to be angry at me, even if he didn't know it. They'd both be fine in the end. Newter's power was perfect for injury-free takedowns.

Exia and Kyrios stood at the far end of the trench, near where Mockelburg's limo sank into the ground. Sonic stood off to the side with Hartford's Protectorate Cape, Robin. They were talking to the chief of police, an older guy in a long coat and wearing glasses.

"Something wrong?" the coated man asked as I approached.

He wore an orange and black costume, form fitting like most Protectorate capes. Unlike most, he actually bore a short cape with feathers at the end, and a hood over his head. I wasn't sure how a Robin remotely related to his powers—he was a brute—and just assumed he took the name because it was the state bird.

"Just a troublemaker back in Brockton Bay," I said. "It can wait."

I turned my gaze to the left, watching as Mockelburg talked to cameras. Ranting and raving no doubt about capes this and capes that. He'd been oddly well collected when I approached him, refused to really talk and apparently had been ignoring the police too. The first thing he did was find the nearest camera and start growling at it.

"What a tool," Sonic grumbled to my right.

"Par for the course." I glanced at the guy in glasses. "You're the chief of police. Isn't he required to give a statement or something? It's all anyone ever wants from me after one of these."

The darkened lenses hid his eyes, but his frown was sufficient to translate his mood.

"Let him rant," Robin suggested. "He'll tire himself out and we can make any statements quick and easy."

The police chief—Neate from what I heard others say—nodded. "Blue Cosmos loves nothing more than making a spectacle of itself. Let him talk. He can't avoid us forever."

"You're from Brockton Bay." Robin nodded to Lafter and I. "Any reason this outfit would make a run at someone here?"

"Faultline's a mercenary," I explained. "If she did it, she was paid to do it. Best way to know why is to ask Mockelburg why someone would send a cape after him."

"Because he's an asshole?" Sonic offered.

"Faultline is a professional." I rolled my eyes at the looks of skepticism that got me. "She operates as one, at least."

"Fought her before?" Robin asked.

"No. Her team was generally left to its own devices because they don't do jobs in Brockton Bay."

"Don't shit where you eat," Chief Neate muttered.

"Even doing one here is a bit close to home."

Robin nodded and crossed his arms. "And your interest?"

He honestly couldn't sound more suspicious, but I beat the most paranoid of thoughts back.

"Grue's old team attacked the PRT and tried to free the asshole who outed me."

He was like those directors Tagg mentioned. He didn't want an outsider coming into his city and stirring up trouble, let alone two whole teams of outsiders. Not with Hartford's reputation for being a fairly quiet and low intensity city. He'd quietly accept a revenge excuse. It meant my appearance wouldn't be habitual and with Faultline being a mercenary she wouldn't stick around either.

Sonic looked between us, apparently aware of the tension. She avoided it, asking instead, "Will they attack again?"

"Depends on what they wanted." Chief Neate rolled his head back and looked up at the cloudy sky. "We'll need to ask Mockelburg about that. Whenever he's done."

"They probably won't hit here again," I suggested. "Too much heat."

"Where is this guy from?" Neate inquired.

"Providence," Robin answered.

The police chief huffed. "Well, at least any more messes won't be on our front lawn."

I watched the two curiously. Neate and Robin seemed to know one another well. Sonic too, but obviously a teenage girl wasn't going to be as chummy with two grown men no matter how long she'd been around. It was a stark contrast from Brockton Bay, where the police rarely interacted with the PRT or heroes. I only interacted with regular beat cops a handful of times, and detectives once, in my time as a cape.

Things probably worked differently without any dedicated PRT elements and just a few local heroes and villains.

Meanwhile, Mockelburg kept blabbing.

"Are we really going to just stand here?" I asked.

"No," Neate answered. "But let him talk for a bit or Blue Cosmos will accuse us of harassing the victim."

"He's right," Robin agreed. "Just let him keep blabbering."

I was not in the mood for waiting.

Dinah had continued checking on what she'd seen while we waited. She'd asked the question to herself two more times, gathering as many images of what might happen as she could. Thankfully, Protectorate costumes were easily identified.

Chevalier. Ursa Aurora. Prism. Young Buck. Flash. Lafter.

She'd seen over two dozen different capes and Wards, but those ones she'd managed to pick out from her knowledge or from Protectorate PR images. They were all in the visions fighting men and women in body armor with guns. Military-grade ones too. Automatics. Armor piercing and explosive rounds. The kind of stuff you use to take over a small country.

I almost expected that though.

What I didn't expect was that Blue Cosmos' little army had capes of its own. Most wore suits rather than costumes and Dinah didn't know any of them. Except the one that was easy to spot—Gully, a Case-53. She looked mostly human, except she was basically a giant. Eight feet tall, muscular to absurd proportions.

But Gully was a Ward, in San Diego. Why would she be fighting on Blue Cosmos' side? And she was on Blue Cosmos' side. Dinah saw her three different times. In two of them she was fighting the Protectorate and in another she clearly stood behind the Blue Cosmos line and wasn't attacking them.

I couldn't wrap my head around it.

Everything Blue Cosmos said about capes, all the demonizing and hatred. Why would any Cape fight for them? Not helping the Protectorate I could get, I wasn't exactly an unbridled fan, but backing bigots in a fight against them? I couldn't figure what would motivate that. What possible reason was there?

Everyone is justified.

If everyone is justified, justification alone wasn't good enough.

Everyone is justified. Everyone has an excuse.

I was distracting myself.

I knew there were capes in Blue Cosmos. Teacher's pets at least, accomplice capes were something I should just assume. I wrote them off too soon maybe. Assigned them the role of villain and stopped thinking of their involvement as shocking.

But Dinah didn't see capes acting behind the scenes.

She saw them in the open, where anyone could see.

How the hell was Blue Cosmos going to swing that?

"Think he's doing it?" Robin asked.

"I'm sure he is," Neat replied.

I raised my head. "Doing what?"

Both men—and Sonic—turned to me.

Robin tilted his head. "Not familiar with Duncan Mockelburg, are you?"

"Not particularly? Does he talk funny?"

A commotion rose up in the crowd ahead. We all looked, watching as someone forced his way through the crowd of reporters and onlookers. I recognized the old man as he moved, though I didn't remember his face being so angry.

Xavir Londo grabbed Mockelburg's arm and pulled him away from the camera.

I watched wide-eyed as he angrily whispered at the man, then turned to the camera and said just a few words. Then he grabbed Mockelburg and pulled him away from the crowd. The police line closed in and kept the cameras from following. Londo kept snarling the whole way and for some reason Mockelburg seemed chastened.

I felt like I was missing something.

Londo dragged Mockelburg off to the side behind a van, out of sight of the cameras.

Then Londo just started snarling.

"What am I missing here?"

"There's a reason Blue Cosmos doesn't put Mockelburg in front of cameras," Neate said with a small smile.

"He's a jerk?" Lafter asked.

"He's too transparent."

Transparent?

I noticed on a second look.

Mockelburg was a bit frazzled. His hair looked a mess. His suit was disheveled and dirty. I didn't see any injuries. No bruises or cuts...

Mockelburg was smiling.

Had he been smiling the entire time the cameras were pointed at him? Why the fuck was he smiling, did he want to look happy he was attacked? No wonder Robin and Neate let him blab. If I were Londo, I'd be pissed too.

Londo kept snarling for nearly a minute, then pointed at us and nodded. Mockelburg wasn't smiling anymore. He started to speak, but another quick word from Londo shut him up.

Robin turned and asked, "Are you okay?"

Sonic shrugged in response.

My brow went up behind my visor.

Londo marched Mockelburg to us, glaring into the man's back as they went. Thinking back, I remembered the man saying something about rock stars and cameras. Maybe he didn't like showboating, especially when the boater was so gleeful.

Neate raised his voice as the two men grew closer. "Mr. Mockelburg. May we get a statement?"

The man looked nervous as he glanced over his shoulder at Londo. "Well. Surely you don't need me to tell you." He raised his hand toward us, that smile started to creep back onto his face. Could he just not help but gloat? "Clearly, someone who wishes to silence our movement has brazenly attacked me in broad daylight."

"It's overcast," I pointed out.

The guy actually looked up.

Trusting this guy to do something shady was starting to make sense. He stuck to the party line, and was happy to do it. Even if he got caught, Blue Cosmos could write him off as a lone loon. Probably wouldn't even talk if arrested. He seemed the type to take it as a point of pride to go down with his ship.

Mockelburg was the perfect idiot.

"Faultline is a professional," Robin said. "She doesn't do anything on her own. She does it because she was paid."

"Make any enemies recently?" Sonic asked.

I glanced at her, because the question seemed kind of self explanatory—Blue Cosmos—but she was looking at Lando, not Mockelburg.

Mockelburg looked at her and started to speak, but Londo snapped again.

"Stop showboating and talk, Duncan. I shouldn't have to manage you like the rest of the brats."

And like that Mockelburg stopped smiling. "What do you expect me to say? It's fairly obvious that I was attacked." He pointed at us. "Figuring out why is their job!"

"It helps when you're not an asshole," Sonic snapped.

Londo snarled. "Don't stoop to his level, Gloria."

My back straightened.

They knew each other, and not just because Sonic's identity got leaked.

Londo quickly shifted his attention back to Mockleburg. "Get on with it. There's more important business than your grandstanding."

"You could try starting at the beginning," Neate suggested.

The man sneered at us. "What do you want from me? I left my room to go to an important meeting and then those ruffians flooded the street in that power that made everything black."

"Grue," I noted. "And then?"

"And then they attacked us, you and your machine showed up"—he glanced at Sonic—"and her, and they ran off."

"I saw her talking to you," Sonic said. "Faultline's the one in the welding mask, right?" Lafter and I nodded. "Yeah. I saw it in a gap in the smoke. She was talking to you and you were talking back."

Mockelburg shrugged. His façade faltered slightly, taking on a more nervous air. "Just ranting from a madwoman. It didn't make any sense."

I hid my frown as best I could. It was a shitty excuse, but it would unfortunately do. I couldn't disprove it without revealing more than I could afford. The problem with the perfect idiot is that he was a loyal idiot.

That's what backup plans are for.

"I can't help but feel like there's more to it," Neate said. "Both your bodyguards aren't talking. Neither is the driver. All three seem unwilling to speak before you do. A rather odd defensiveness for the victims."

Mockelburg flustered and pointed at the police chief. "You dare—"

"Shut up, Duncan," Londo snapped.

"Newtype, Newtype."

We all turned as Green rolled toward us from between Exia and Kyrios. Our heads craned down as he came to a stop and popped one hand out. A piece of crumpled paper stuck between his fingers, dirtied by dust. It was torn at one end.

"Delivery, delivery!"

I crouched down and took the scrap.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"Scrap of paper," I said.

"I meant what's on it."

"I found this in the tunnels below," Veda said from Green. "I believe Faultline's team used them to approach the area."

"It's burnt here," I noted. Nice attention to detail, Veda. "Looks fresh. Something someone wanted to hide?" I smoothed the paper out and read aloud. "Phantom Pai? Probably means Phantom Pain. There's some numbers and what looks like the first few numbers and letters of some street addresses."

Neate pulled a notepad from his coat. "What are they?"

"114 W-I-L-L-I, then the page is burned. 845 H-U. 66 F-I-R-maybe S? A first street maybe."

"There are no addresses in Hartford matching these addresses," Veda noted.

"Do they mean anything to you Mr. Mockelburg?" Neate asked.

I rose up slowly and turned to look at him. I knew what all three of those addresses were, of course. The question was how Mockelburg would react to them.

The answer was with barely hidden nervousness.

"How should I know?" he asked back. "Shouldn't you be chasing those villains and asking them these questions?"

"They're long gone by now," I said. "These could be places they intend to meet up or go next. Maybe drop off points."

"Why are you all standing here blabbering while the villains are getting away?!"

Wow.

We all stared at Mockelburg blankly. He was the one who decided to make his own assault a media circus, not us. We'd been waiting for him to stop talking to the cameras for a good thirty minutes. Faultline would have had plenty of time to vanish by now if I didn't already know exactly where she was.

Someone was getting unhinged.

"Weren't you just blabbering at the cameras a second ago?" Sonic asked, saying what I think we were all thinking.

The man stuttered over his own words and Lafter grumbled, "Would almost think you were hiding something, but that would be victim blaming."

"I don't have to stand for this!"

Londo growled. "You can and you—"

Mockelburg turned, shouting at the air about capes suppressing the 'rights of the people' as loudly as he could. It got cameras flashing. Asshole.

"Not much we can do if he refuses to tell us anything," Robin mumbled.

"But if he did that, we might do something." Neate gave a sardonic grin. "Then what would he complain about?"

"Fucking child," Londo snarled. "Sniveling little cretin like he's always been." I glanced at the man. Was he agreeing with us? He glanced at me. "What was that second address?"

I raised the paper. "845 Hu-something?" Londo's eyes narrowed. "You know it?"

He hesitated for a moment, and his eyes shifted to Sonic. They lingered long enough for me to look at her. She wasn't meeting his gaze, her arms crossed over her chest. The fuck was going on there?

"Duncan's primary office in Providence," the man said. "It's on 845 Humphry."

"That would make sense," Robin said. "Staking out his businesses. Tracking his movements. Implies something more intense than a quick smash and scare."

"Gathering information is for knowing something," Neate said. "The other two addresses might tell us what Faultline, or her employer, is looking for."

Robin nodded. "Give me a copy. I'll send it in, see what I get back."

"And how long will it take for the PRT to get back?"

"You know how it is, Jam."

Jam? He was looking at Neate. A nickname or something.

Robin waved his hand to the air. "We're not exactly a priority here, but Grue helped assault a PRT division. That might light some fire and get us a quicker response than usual."

"I'll find it faster," I said. "I can find secret identities, I can find some street addresses."

Robin and Sonic gave me blank stares I ignored. My focus remained on Londo as he walked off after Mockelburg. A heavy truck towed Mockelburg's limo out of the collapsed roadway, off to the side with only a pair of police officers keeping watch at a barricade. They started talking, and Mockelburg seemed a lot more chastened than before.

I stood and waited for a moment, hoping Mockelburg would get his phone and send someone something.

Stupid.

He could do that three weeks from now and I'd still find out about it.

"Let's go, Lafter. Nothing else to do here."

I turned to Exia and pulled out my own phone. Faultline was waiting to compare notes and I wanted to know precisely what Mockelburg said to her.

"Wait a sec."

My fingers ripped Exia's clavicle and I turned to face Sonic. She looked up at the helmet. The face sat back with the chest open, staring slightly upward.

"It's taller than it looks on TV," she mumbled.

Okay… "Did you need something?"

She flinched, turning her eyes to me. Sonic hesitated, arms going behind her back. She glanced to Lafter, then to me, and then to Green as he rolled over and started climbing onto Exia. She watched him scale the suit and slot himself into a space just behind the right shoulder. Red occupied a similar space on Kyrios.

The silence dragged out, not that it was actually silent. Sirens, reporters, onlookers, police. The sources of noise were many and really obvious now that I wasn't focused on something else. Kind of distracting actually. Very throbbing in the skull area.

Eventually, Sonic spoke up.

"Are you recruiting?"

"Recruiting?" I blinked. "You want to join Celestial Being?"

"Well..." She averted her eyes. "I graduate High School this year? Then it's off to college but I mean, I'm not going to be a scientist or anything." She raised her hands and indicated to herself. "I've been Sonic since I was eight! Being a hero is all I want to do!"

I processed that for a few moments.

She kept talking.

"So I know Brockton Bay has a community college. Nothing super fancy but yeah. What am I gonna do with a big expensive degree other than feel good about it?"

A week ago, part of me worried Vicky would ask to join. I'd have said yes if she did, but the question scared me. I didn't want to look like I was poaching capes from New Wave. Same reason letting Missy run off on her own worried me.

"Sorry." Laughter. Forecast. StarGazer. Even Chariot. I went to them. "No one's ever asked before."

She smiled weakly. "Is there a 'first come first serve' bonus?"

I stepped down from Exia and looked at her.

Damn my paranoia.

"What about Robin?" I asked.

"He can handle Hartford," Sonic said confidently. "Nothing happens here, and I know at least two of our local thieves for hire are thinking of leaving. Circus said she already ditched one city to get distance from you."

"Circus?" I forgot all about her. Him. Them. "They dropped off the radar ages ago."

"Showed up over the summer," Sonic elaborated. "Actually kind of friendly, in a creepy sort of way?"

"You're okay with leaving him to it then?"

She hesitated. It seemed genuine. "World's bigger than one city." She turned, looking down the street. "They don't need me here. Not really, and it's not like Brockton Bay is that far off anyway."

While she turned away from me, I looked toward Londo. He called her by her first name—Gloria. She didn't like him, and Robin knew well enough to ask her if she was okay.

"What's the story with Londo?"

Sonic flinched. "It's not important. Just… something that happened a long time ago."

I frowned. "He knows you."

"Before I got my powers. He didn't even know about them until the PRT screwed everyone over. Been on my case about it from time to time since then."

The PRT screwed her over?

"I'm being stupid, aren't I?" Sonic—Gloria—turned back to look at me. "You didn't ask me and I'm being rude."

I watched her face, searching.

"No," I said. "It's not rude. Sorry, I just wasn't expecting anyone to ask. You don't graduate until the end of next spring, right?" She started to smile. "I'll think about it though, now that you've asked."

"I could use someone else to help with the grunt work," Lafter said to my left. "Just saying."

"I don't make you do grunt work."

"Because I keep finding new people to do it for me!"

I ignored the tease and said, "There's no rush. We'll figure it out and know what we're going to do by the time you graduate."

I turned and climbed into Exia.

"Wait! Do you need my number?"

"I can find it."

The suit closed around me and Sonic said in a low voice, "That's kind of creepy."

"I'm a know-it-all."

The GN Drives started up. Kyrios lifted off first, and I pulled Exia back after it. Queen was circling back toward us in the distance. I didn't know the exact range of Sonic's hearing, so I kept quiet until we were well away by a few hundred feet. It shouldn't extend that far.

"You're suspicious," Lafter murmured.

I looked toward Kyrios as Queen caught up to us. "That didn't seem odd to you?"

I just learned Blue Cosmos had capes, or would have them, and now a cape I didn't know wanted to join me?

A pet? Or a sympathizer who wanted to infiltrate Celestial Being and see what we knew? I could rule one out easily, but how far could Dinah's power go in trying to find out if she was a spy? Now that I knew Blue Cosmos had capes, I couldn't rule out any number of things.

Sonic was an experienced hero, and her power was strong. Even played into my theme; information dominance. Veda. Dinah. Aisha. They all supported it. Made it so that Laughter and I alone could hit harder than anyone would expect two capes to hit. Sonic's power let her move and strike at range, but she also had super hearing. Another source of information I could exploit.

I wanted to build a movement, didn't I? That was the whole point… Except…

The timing was strange. I'd never met or spoken to Sonic before. I got fan-mail, but I didn't track who sent it. And the red flags. Red flags everywhere. PRT screwed her over? I could see someone thinking that...but circumstances...

"It's easy enough to see if she's a Pet," Lafter pointed out. "Just ask Dinah."

"But it might not be just pets now. Did you hear what she said? The PRT screwed her over?"

"They kind of did, didn't they? They lost all that stuff that outed all those capes."

"The PRT has downplayed mentions of Teacher since the event," Veda noted. "They do not want to admit that one cape has continually penetrated their security. Her response is in line with what the public thinks has happened."

"It also means she might be sympathetic to any group that opposes the PRT. And then there's Londo. There's something going on there."

"She didn't seem to like him," Lafter stated.

"That doesn't mean she isn't being blackmailed or threatened."

This wasn't what I wanted to do. I wanted to trust. To believe that there was someone out there who thought like I did. That there were others who wanted more. Fuck Teacher. Fuck him for making something hard when it shouldn't be.

"If Dinah's possibilities prove true, we will need help," Veda said. "It is possible Blue Cosmos', and Teacher's, goals may well be to divide capes."

"That's… That makes scary amounts of sense."

Could that be Operation British? Break down the Protectorate and what remained? Blue Cosmos had chipped away at the Elite for nearly a decade. Corporate teams tended to be small and relations focused. They weren't real heroes ready to deal with real problems. Most gangs were city based.

It was still insane to me that anyone wanted to really wage a literal war against capes, but if you wanted to do it you'd have to deal with the Protectorate and the Wards.

"It was like that in the camps," Lafter said.

"Camps?"

"After Behemoth. The groups who wanted more food and water went after those who were alone. They were easier to get stuff from."

I stared at Kyrios because Lafter never talked about that. She'd hinted more than once that her time in the refugee camps wasn't pretty. I didn't need to know what happened. Orphan girl with no one to look out for her? I could guess.

"It may be more vital than ever to grow Celestial Being," Veda said. "To prepare for what may come. Blue Cosmos might start by targeting cities like Hartford, where capes tend to be isolated and operate individually. For all we know, they have already started."

We may be too late.

Damnit.

That would be smart. If Blue Cosmos chose to act now, in the shadows, they could eliminate a lot of capes and hide who did it. Capes died all the time. It was common for no one to have exact ideas how or why.

But... "The timing."

"I will inquire tomorrow to see if she is a pet," Veda said. "As well as investigate any connections between Gloria Bell and Xavier Londo."

We did have time, and Sonic probably wouldn't be the first or the last cape to ask. I wanted a movement, and I'd have to find a way to do that. Might as well start now and define the lines… But even if I did welcome her to the team, how much should I say? The more people told a secret , the less secret it became. It was too soon to let Teacher or the Cape Illuminati onto how much I knew.

So what, become my own Illuminati?

Fuck.

I was already my own little Illuminati. That couldn't go on forever. It would twist itself, twist Celestial Being, twist me. Eventually, keeping secrets stops being about protecting others and starts being about protecting yourself. If I wanted to fight this scheme, I'd definitely need a larger and more coherently organized team. Something that could stand against the chaos Teacher wanted to unleash.

I needed to accelerate my timetable.

"We'll figure it out," I said. "Right now…"

I trailed off, turning my head down. The overcast sky might turn out to be in my favor.

I throttled back the GN drive and let Exia drop. Kyrios followed, and then Queen. Throwing Exia's feet under me, the thrusters fired a quick burst that arrested the fall and I hit the dirt. The small clearing sat outside Hartford to the southwest, and was sparsely populated. Just in case though, I waved Exia up as I stepped out of the suit.

It closed and rose back into the sky. Kyrios and Queen followed, while Lafter, Green, and Red came alongside me.

Veda would fly the suits around for a bit. If anyone asked, we were joyflying.

The cottage at the end of the clearing looked innocuous enough. Homey and maintained, but timeworn. The van parked off to the side, hidden in the tree line. Figures moved in the windows as we approached, and the door cracked open.

Gregor ushered the four of us inside, and I quickly glanced around until I saw Aisha sitting on a couch.

Her brother stood to her side, Spitfire right behind him with her mask on the back of the couch. Newter crouched by the window, and Faultline stood next to him looking out. Everyone was present.

And I didn't know where to start.

I noticed a bandage around Spitfire's leg. "Are you okay?"

She blinked and glanced down at her thigh. "Fine. Just a scratch."

I nodded. "Thanks for grabbing Aisha."

"Not that I needed grabbing," she grumbled.

"It was the right call," Faultline said. "We need to proceed carefully now. If there are capes working with Blue Cosmos, we need to account for the possibility they're guarding information and people. Shakers. Masters. Strangers. They're all ideal for that role and the kind of capes Blue Cosmos could deploy without drawing much notice."

Aisha groaned. "We already knew there were capes! I could have followed that blonde prick! Tracked where he went!"

I swear I just had this conversation.

"They won't be that stupid," I said. "I've already got Mockelburg's phone bugged. That'll tell us more than anything Azrael says in person with less risk of exposure. Faultline's right. This changes things. We need to figure out the timetable before it's too late."

"It's crazy," Grue said. "How do they expect to win an open fight against capes? The PRT—"

"Gave up such efforts after Ellisburg," Veda cut in. "But the vast majority of capes are not Nilbog. Gunshot wounds remain the leading cause of cape deaths."

Contrary to popular belief, only some capes were bulletproof. "We need to warn the PRT."

Silence followed that statement, but no disagreement.

Newter broke it, asking, "Do we? They're in on this shit too, aren't they?"

"The PRT is corrupt and broken"—and run by a shadow cabal—"but there are good people there. Good capes. They're going to be blindsided."

For what?

A world without capes? Impossible. How would it even survive the Endbringers? If anything, unbridled sectarian violence would only unleash more capes. More trigger events. More violence. An endless cycle.

That's what he wants, isn't it?

A world where 'naturals' reigned supreme? How would you maintain it? The law already barred capes from many government positions, restricted their access to markets, and curtailed their ability to use their powers in mundane ways. The natural order Blue Cosmos so wanted already existed and it was falling apart. It wasn't sustainable.

That's why they're so angry.

They're afraid.

Fear is hate.

"Forecast didn't see a war in the halls of the protectorate. It's on the streets. In people's homes. This isn't going to stop with bloody noses, bruised egos, and waiting for a chance to break out of custody. If we warn the PRT, people will die. If we don't, more people will die."

Anyone on the side of 'more people dying' is wrong.

"How would they not already know?" Spitfire asked. "This is kind of big and we found it in two weeks."

"Think Tank," Faultline pointed out. "We already suspect it's compromised, don't we?"

"We do," I said.

"It may be insufficient," Veda said from Green. "The point of leaving such a delicate and inflammatory matter to Duncan Mockelburg would seem to be how easily he could be dismissed."

"The perfect idiot," I sighed. "He didn't reveal much, but he did get nervous when we mentioned Phantom Pain and the addresses." Why get nervous about a web forum though? "Veda, go digging into Phantom Pain's new website. There must be some reason the name is being used."

"It's the perfect place to recruit extremists," Faultline hypothesized with a shrug. "People who go there are already sad and angry. It's easy to twist that around if you tell them how much sadder and angrier they should be."

"There still might be an election angle to this," I conceded. "Capture enough political power next year, and Blue Cosmos could effectively delegitimize the PRT and the Protectorate legally."

"They won't just stand down."

"No, they won't. And it'll become all the excuse Blue Cosmos needs."

Faultline turned to look at me, her face grim. "Tops, we have until next summer to change the course. Maybe less. Assuming it's even possible."

I didn't want to think about that. The possibility that I came into the game too late to stop the pawns from massacring each other. Set to kill one another mindlessly toward someone else's end. An end I still didn't have any idea of.

Lalah Sune told me there was a war on the other side too. That Priest and Victory were fighting. Wars had goals. While it might be as simple as achieving supremacy, what was the point of reigning supreme over ashes and dust? There had to be more to it, and the only person with the answers didn't have a phone number and lived somewhere I still couldn't reach.

Spitfire turned her head. "What do we do next, Melanie?"

Gregor and Newter did the same, and even Grue did. Guess he accepted he was sticking with them.

Faultline kept looking out the window, her dark expression holding firm. "How are you planning to warn the PRT?"

A good question.

"Schwartz Bruder?" Veda offered.

I rejected that immediately.

"No. The PRT already suspects he's connected to us. We need to make it more organic." I pulled up the addresses on my visor. "What are you doing next?"

Faultline mulled for a bit, and then said, "I might look for more muscle. If there's a war coming, I want to be ready for it. That's long term though. Short term, Mockelburg didn't say much, but he mentioned a few names. I might pay one or two a visit."

"In a public setting?"

"I could."

"Any place that might point to a building full of illegal guns?"

"One or two."

I nodded. She'd go hunting her information, and we'd continue to chase. She'd give us the slip at some point, but we'd find something else in the process. The PRT would get their early warning, one big enough Teacher couldn't use his control of the Think Tank to lock it down.

"Good old smash-and-smash?" Lafter asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Meanwhile, we'll keep an eye on Blue Cosmos' communications and movements. With all the bigwigs in one place, there are going to be talks about whatever Operation British is. Aisha can stick around and I'll leave Red and Black to back her up."

I turned to the girl. "I'll bring you your Nobody costume. That way, anyone who spots you will assume you're helping Faultline. First sign of trouble, you bail. No chances."

Aisha waved her hand. "Bunch of worry warts, the lot of you."

Newter shifted around, saying, "Being kind of nonchalant, aren't you?"

"I'm a black girl in America. This shit is old hat."

Parian said something like that once. "Be careful. I don't think these people will hesitate to kill if it means protecting their plans."

Which was the other side of the equation. How far did this plan go and who was in on it? Mockelburg and Azrael clearly, but who else? Londo clearly didn't like either of them. I saw the divides in that meeting. Some of Blue Cosmos' leaders didn't like one another. You could cut the tension.

Maybe one or two would talk? Could they flip?

I need to talk to Dean.

"There's one more thing to consider," Faultline added. "What is big enough that Blue Cosmos could justify such extremist action?"

"Do they need to?" Grue asked.

Yes. They did. "Everyone has a justification."

And I didn't know, but I suspected we'd find out before it happened. Teacher was willing to do whatever it took to get his way. I'd seen that already.

"We should go," Veda said. "You have an appointment to make."

I left Red with Aisha. Green climbed onto Exia after it landed and we flew back to Brockton Bay.

My headache hadn't gotten better. If anything, it was worse. The pain had traveled from my ears to right behind my eyes, which was a thousand times more annoying.

Veda was right.

Something was wrong and I was being stubborn in ignoring it.

"I'm going to go home," I said as we approached Brockton Bay's city limits. "Lafter, are you hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Dad's ordering pizza tonight I think."

"Taking the night off and not working yourself to death?"

"I don't work myself to death." I'd probably get nothing done with the fucking pain behind my eyes anyway.

"Could've fooled me."

Her tone startled me. I'd rarely heard her speak with condemnation, least of all directed at me. "Lafter, is something wrong?"

Kyrios shifted ahead of me. Lafter had a peculiar way of flying. She liked to drift, swinging back and forth while Veda and I tended to stick to straight lines.

I could hear the hesitation in her voice, and maybe a bit of regret. "You know you don't get to not care about yourself anymore, don't you?"

"I don't—"

"What would happen to all of us if you were gone? Veda and Dinah and me. Your dad. You almost died, barely a week ago and now you're hiding things." What? That was close, but what was I supposed to do? Let Othala skewer a man alive? "Everything that's happening now, it's happening because of you. Taylor, you don't get to be that selfless anymore."

I started to reply but the words died. Lafter was admonishing me? That was… That was new.

We set down in the backyard, and when Lafter stepped out of Kyrios she was smiling and jovial. Her normal self. She greeted Dad as he let us in the door and started teasing Pink about how we weren't letting her cook for the evening. Pink said something about gourmet ice cream in response.

"Taylor?" Dad asked. "Is something wrong." A hand raised to my right eye, and I winced as the pain spiked. "Taylor?"

"I—" Fuck. "I'm going to go take a shower real quick."

Dad frowned. He was hesitating, but differently from before.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I inhaled a single ragged breath. "I think I need to see the PRT's crazy doctor."

Dad's expression sank. "You said the headaches weren't that bad."

I frowned. "I lied."

Dad started to turn red, and his fists balled. Fuck if that wasn't the most emotion I'd seen on his face in weeks. Was it backwards that part of me felt happy to see that reaction?

"Do you need anything?"

"I need to call Murrue."

I started toward the stairs and rather than go straight to my room I went to the bathroom. It was procrastination, but showers usually helped me feel better. I'd call Murrue and take a nap afterward. Fuck my eye hurt.

Such a shitty day.

Stranger tries sneaking into my factory. A cape wanted to join my team and may or may not be a spy. Blue Cosmos was planning an actual race war. They had guns ready and were collecting capes. Lafter and Veda were both telling me to stop being stupid.

Standing under hot water only helped so much.

I turned the water off and stepped out. Nearly tripped when I saw the mirror. I grabbed the towel bar to right myself, blinking my eyes frantically as I looked at the reflection.

Nothing.

I went forward and leaned on the counter. Never notice how much you blink until you try to get a really good look at your eye and try to decide if it's glowing or not. Turning my face from one side to the other, I didn't see anything.

Was I seeing things? Great. Headaches and hallucinations.

Shaking my head, I pulled a towel around my body and collected my phone from my costume. In my room, Green sat on my bed, watching a flock of birds perched on a neighbor's roof. I sat down next to him and pressed a palm to my eye again.

It still hurt as I listened to the phone ring.

"Taylor? Don't—"

"Murrue."

Must have been something in my voice, because she stopped. There was a pause on the line. Did she say don't? Don't what? There was shouting in the background. Was something going on? I could hear Murrue whispering to someone, and the sound of a door closing. The background noise became muffled and more distant.

"What's wrong?"

I grimaced. Normally, if I was tinkering or focused on something the pain wasn't so bad. I could distract myself from it. Just sitting in my room with nothing to do?

"I think I need help."