A Waken 19.1
Summer was fading into fall all over again and I'd given up trying to track every change in the city.
Jogging along my tried-and-true route, it was almost unrecognizable. Why keep making the comparisons?
The Boat Graveyard was vanishing as King's Port was cleared. Yashima was eager to start shipping E-Carbon and jobs were flying into the Docks as everyone prepared for the harbor to reopen. With the influx of new capital, investment, and development, everything was changing. New apartment buildings were rising. Businesses were being opened and remodeled anew. The bus routes were changing for the first time in thirty years! There were droves of new people. Entire communities were just springing up over the course of weeks.
They were actually building an extension onto Winslow and adding a whole new set of schools in Captain's Hill.
A shame it took money to move people like that, but you can't fix every problem in the world.
And that's okay.
No one has to fix every problem in the world.
The city was better. The fruit of everything I'd done was finally coming together and I got to stick around long enough to see it happen.
It's the simple things. The grassroots. Stuff like being able to run on the same streets I'd always run, unmolested because the residents knew me and actually kept groupies and reporters away. They didn't like them making scenes anymore than I did.
It was a small thing, but it really brought my mornings together lately.
A few people waved. People I knew or who simply saw me running every morning. I waved back. Nodded. My hair was bouncing behind me, which I only noticed because it was fully restored. Right back to its unblemished glory. Finally.
Sometimes undergoing an unrequested evolution has a tiny upside.
Downsides too.
The constant whirl of emotions and thoughts that constantly brushed against the edges of my mind anywhere and everywhere I went was a strain. Even more so, the occasional Shard that decided to 'share' their opinion with me. They could be a very loud and obnoxious lot when they wanted to be.
Just sleeping had become something of a struggle. Administrator had to run interference like a whitenoise machine and drown it all out just so I could fall into slumber.
But that's life too.
Shit happens.
"Hey, boss," Hush greeted as I jogged toward the back gate. We had a back gate now. "Good run?"
"Yeah," I replied through controlled breaths. "All quiet?"
"Yeah." He tapped the armored knee beside him. "Not sure anyone is crazy enough to try while the tin men are on guard."
The Tieren stood over him, part of a set of eight that were guarding all the ways in and out of 'The Compound.' Formerly 'The Factory.'
I nodded and slowed to a walk as I crossed the perimeter fence. A large concrete quad greeted me, all the buildings on the three adjacent blocks to my factory now built up into one complex.
With the Wards gone, Chris needed a new workshop. Trevor deserved to move out of my old basement. A lot of the Irregulars were moving into Brockton Bay to finish school at Arcadia. Bough and others were tinkers themselves. Everyone needed space to work.
I just rolled with it.
Coming in from the back gate, I took a very quick and direct route. I crossed behind the warehouse containing my workshop to the complex once occupied by the Irregulars. They'd spread out to newer and better arrangements over the past few months. I took advantage of their absence by adding an elevator that went right to the top to a single quiet apartment I'd made for myself and my business.
My top was already coming off when the elevator reached the floor. I kicked my shoes off and bundled the sweaty clothes before tossing them in the hamper. The shower was already running so I just padded across the cold tile floor to the sink. The contacts came out of my eyes. They didn't fully hide the light, but a mild glow unnerved other people a lot less than the full light show.
Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about that here and I'd gained a new appreciation for simple things.
Things like running. And hot water hitting all over after running.
Standing under the water, I gathered my hair up and pulled it over my shoulder. It's like a massage but without the creepiness of someone else handling you. I never got how anyone found that relaxing. Well, no. I got the handling part just fine, just not the caveat where a stranger did it.
Muscled arms closed around me.
"Good run?"
I smiled, wrapped a hand over one arm while leaning back into Orga's chest. "Same as always."
Admittedly, most of the reason I'd built the apartment was to have somewhere private to be with Orga. I didn't exactly have a lot of that in my life. Celebrity cape status, you know? It's crazy how irrationally angry some people can get about the idea of some teenager they don't even know dating a guy. I didn't have time to deal with that and it's not like I had a place we could be alone together at my father's house or the workshop I shared with three other girls and Veda.
So sue me. I made a love nest. I killed two Endbringers, I could have a private place to be with my boyfriend if I wanted one.
To reiterate, simple things. Like privacy. Don't take them for granted.
And touch. That's a big one, especially after you've denied it to yourself for so long.
"I do need to clean my hair," I noted as we stood under the water.
"One more minute."
"Fine." Flatterer.
Two minutes later Orga stepped out and I got to work on my hair. I really liked having my hair back. I feel no shame reiterating that point. Suppose I did miss shorter hair being so much quicker and easier to manage—little things—but I'd rather have my hair.
After I finished, I turned off the water, dried myself off, continued taking care of my hair and finally wrapped a towel around myself before stepping back into the apartment.
Orga sat on the couch, a stack of papers in front of him.
I went into the separate room where the bed and dressers were and got dressed for the day.
Fully prepared about ten minutes early, I sat down on the couch to kill time.
"More contracts?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yashima is going all in. I might need Naze to send help. I doubt we can cover everything ourselves."
"I doubt Mirai or Naze will complain."
"I'm not either. It's just happening so fast. Chariot"—he paused—"ah, Trevor, really wants to get the first shipments of E-Carbon out fast."
"Proof of concept," I mused. "The sooner he proves it can work the sooner E-Carbon can start being used for construction."
That's how it went with the Helpers. We couldn't keep up with orders at the rate they were coming in. The first few hospitals had stellar results and we'd quickly patched the few errors that occurred. Nothing too serious. The little robots were especially popular for cancer wards where people really needed company but no one had that kind of time.
Even a robot was better contact than no contact at all.
Hopefully E-Carbon saw similar success. It was an integral component of the orbital array and elevator designs. Getting it going now would make it easier to build the big projects later. Veda was already getting refineries and mining up and running on 511 Davida. She was right on track to have the first colony begin construction in a year and be complete in ten.
We did technically need a way to tow the colony into Earth's orbit but Veda could figure that out. I had no doubt.
At my side, Orga continued reading the contracts. "Your Dad offered Dockworkers too. I think he's trying to hire more guys for the union and is fishing for anything they could do."
"I don't imagine he's having too hard a time," I assured him. "The port's starting back up. Trainyard too."
That thought brought a small smile to my face.
"What?" Orga asked.
"Random thought," I replied. "Probably nostalgic for him. Brockton Bay was a booming working-class city when he was young. Then the world went mad, and it all started going backwards."
Orga grinned. "Doubt that'll repeat anytime soon."
"Hopefully. It was my first goal when I started out. I wanted to change the city."
He grinned and his elbow gently pressed into mine. "Saving the world not good enough?"
"I'm ambitious," I jested, head craning back as I stretched my arms over my head.
I smiled, very aware he'd taken the chance to glance over my shirt and the arch of my back. Which, I fully admit, is why I did it. It's one of those simple things. Your boyfriend stealing glances when he thinks you're not looking because he's embarrassed about it.
I let him pretend I wasn't noticing even though we both knew that I did. It's strangely fulfilling to just be looked at and desired. Weird too because if any other guy looked at me that way I'd think less of them but whoever said attraction wasn't…
Whatever. I killed an Endbringer. I think I'd earned the credit to keep bringing it up. If I want to bask in my boyfriend still being very interested in me even after he'd seen everything there was to see, that's what I was going to do.
"What's the agenda this week?" I asked.
We were both so busy it was easier to plan any time together in advance.
"Lots of meetings," he answered. "Reviews." He tensed slightly. "You?"
"Same, though you know how anything could happen. Depends on what needs to get done. I need to go to that thing in Seattle tomorrow though."
He nodded, contemplating.
Shutting him completely out of my head wasn't really feasible anymore. I couldn't shut anyone out really. At best I ignored them. Administrator could make the Shards shut up or run static through our connection to drown them out, but all the people around me were like screaming children who didn't know how loud they were.
Given that Orga often thought about me when we were together—especially when we were alone—I couldn't tune it out too well. The emotions were raw and more than a little addicting in their own way. One big upside of budding telepathy; I never had to worry if Orga was still interested or happy with where we were.
I just knew.
I could just luxuriate in that. It was hard to put into words beyond 'warm' and 'safe.' I wasn't sure if those words worked though because that's how I felt being with him and I couldn't tell if I was just projecting sometimes. I did say budding telepathy.
It felt good though. Flattering and endearing. And despite my best efforts, it hurt sometimes because we both knew how it would end. Even if we didn't want it to happen that way.
"Not today," I assured him.
He nodded and pushed that sinking feeling away. We had that in common. We were both great at compartmentalizing.
"Plans?" I asked.
He thought for a moment and, finally distracted from the looming doom, he raised his head. "Ah. Shino. He's opening his sushi place this week."
"Finally got the health inspector to come by?"
"Spent half the night texting me." Orga reached for his phone and showed me. "I think he even cleaned everything a third time while he was waiting."
I chuckled. "Well he passed right?"
"Perfect score."
I nodded, and tapping into a lingering sense, I asked, "Worried about him?"
"Worried?" he asked back.
I said nothing, waiting for him to pick up the ball.
He did and with a sigh started mumbling, "Just be nice if everyone could stay together."
"He's not going to up and stop talking to you. You know that, right?"
He shrugged. "The whole point was to let them live their lives. If they want to go, they can go."
"You'd just like it if they stayed in touch?"
He grinned. "Maybe I'm developing a complex."
I smiled despite myself and sat up. "Maybe you're just a romantic."
"I—"
I kissed him. Hard at first and then just a peck after pulling back for air. He still got a mild deer in headlights look whenever I did that.
"Cya later," I offered as I pushed myself up to my feet.
Orga fought down his initial reaction. The one I desperately tried to ignore and that he promptly silenced—once again—lest it ruin the moment. "You're going back to your Dad's today right?"
"Dinner and some TV time," I said. "Want to check on Aisha too, if she's even at the house."
"Still running around at every opportunity?"
"She likes being a cape." I grabbed my bag from by the door and threw it over my shoulder. "But I'll come back here after dinner. Get some work done and…"
I trailed off and smiled, happy to let his imagination fill in the blank as I left.
He had a pretty good imagination and I'd already considered that I'd horribly overthought the whole boys things.
Turns out a guy who likes you just likes you. He couldn't care less how flat your butt is. He liked it because he liked you. I imagine the same principle applies to lesbian relationships but grain of salt. I don't have any experience with that.
Exiting the elevator, I turned toward the open courtyard that had once been the lot outside my factory. My factory was still there of course. The warehouse too. So were many new things.
Now Brockton Bay was home to the largest tinker-tech park on the eastern seaboard. We had more tinkers than Kansas City, home of Hero's tinker team. Former home.
The Compound was huge. Multiple gates. Our own distribution and receiving center. Full blown human resources and accounting. Basically the entire concept of the Factory blown up to massive proportions. With Medhall, Yashima, and Turbines behind us, we had financing and resources. Londo Bell too. The tinker-tech park. Lafter training people to use mobile suits. The Foundation and Veda.
A lot of technology was going to come out of Brockton Bay in the coming years. The city would change even more.
And it would be okay when I was gone.
I know that sounded a bit arrogant, but it would really suck for everything to fall apart after I left. No need to worry though. These were the best people to carry on and I could trust them. They'd figure it out.
After looking around, I checked in. "Veda."
"Good morning," she replied. We both knew she'd been around the entire time of course. Only my apartment was somewhat isolated from her system. And that was for her own good. I wasn't talking to my father about what I did with Orga in private and I sure as hell wasn't going to talk to Veda about it.
Maybe if she asked but I didn't see her asking me about that anytime soon.
Walking to the front gate I spotted Lafter and Weld already there. Sveta too, and Mouser, and Bough and about a dozen others. Many of the Irregulars lived on the Compound or nearby.
I wasn't sure if they planned to stay in Brockton Bay, but I hoped they would.
If the tinker-tech park took off, so would crime. Villains were already back to trying to get a foothold in the city. They were minor villains mostly focused on non-violent crimes—my preference for villains if you have to have them—but they could be a serious problem in their own way. Having an army of heroes on call would be a big help for Veda and Dinah going forward.
"Hey," Weld called as I approached.
Lafter turned and smiled as I came up. "Hear about Shino?"
"Morning," I replied. "And yeah. Orga told me."
She put on a knowing look, and I gave her a silent glare because both of us could play that game if she dared at this point.
"You going?" she asked.
"Unless something explodes," I answered.
"What about Shino?" Mouser asked, more than a little shifty-eyed because she wasn't as subtle as she thought she was.
"He's opening a sushi place," Lafter answered.
Mouser's mouth started watering.
"Just ask him out already," Sveta complained. "I'm tired of hearing you mumble in your sle—"
Mouser's head snapped around. "No," she hissed.
Sveta shrugged, apparently accustomed to her roommate.
"Pretty sure Shino is gay," Cyclops said.
"He swings both ways," Lafter revealed.
"You sure? I've seen him checking out Weld."
Weld looked away.
"Yup," Lafter agreed. "And I've seen him checking out Sveta too, and Charlotte, and Trevor. Trust me. He's open to anything, even if he hasn't come out and said it."
"So…" Mouser straightened up. "He's available?"
"Yes," Lafter and I said together.
"Bus," Weld noted.
We left the Compound, crossing the street to the new corner bus stop that occupied the former 'Protestor Corner' across from my Factory. I think the police got tired of dealing with it so the city just slapped a bus stop there and local ordinance didn't allow protesting within a certain distance of a bus stop.
The city council had conveniently increased that distance such that no one could protest at my front door anymore. They had to use the lot a block over where they could be adjacent to the property but weren't blocking any entrance or exit.
We shuffled onto the bus as its doors opened and I took a moment to appreciate the ad on the side.
The ferry was set to reopen.
Dad was happier than I'd seen him in years because of that alone. He'd fought so hard for so long to get the ferry running again. It was one of those simple things that I got to see his reaction when the news hit.
The bus itself was new, part of the complete revamping of Brockton Bay's public transit system. It had that sanitized and unspoiled smell of a new vehicle, plus a few screens that ran ads for the city itself and the local news.
Local news was hit and miss of course.
"—ffering little comment on the accusation that they instigated a confrontation with Londo Bell members."
The line itself drew our attention to the screen as it switched from a reporter at a desk to a cape.
The woman, dressed in a flashy red and gold costume, waved her hand toward the camera. "The only ones instigating are Londo Bell. We couldn't trust them to turn in the Straights and not recruit them like they have every villain from Bakuda to Bonesaw."
And that would be in reference to Jacksonville, Florida.
"They're really incessant about that aren't they?" Sveta asked.
"Why wouldn't they be?" Cyclops asked back, more than a little angry himself.
To be fair, more than a few members of Londo Bell were incessant about it too. Some of them didn't appreciate me hiding Riley in my basement. Saving dozens of lives at Sanc had bought her some good will, but she couldn't escape Bonesaw's shadow so easily.
And the Titans knew they could use that. It was, to be fair, one of the only tools they had while I was killing Endbringers.
The screen switched back to the reporter but I tuned it out.
Mission complete, Administrator announced. Threat eliminated.
Oh?
Weld, still watching the news, gave me a look.
I shook my head at him. A public bus was the last place to talk about anything cape related. Especially not with three groupies aboard who just wanted to take pictures of us for their Twitters.
"Meeting tomorrow?" he asked.
I nodded and he nodded back. I understood his frustration. Fortunately, Weld was a professional in his own right. He knew we weren't going to solve the Titan problem in the middle of the school day.
For the moment, we had capes on standby if the Titans moved from grandstanding to action. Lily had graduated last year and was able to take night classes to make herself available during the day. Veda was always available. Narwhal had already told me that if it really came down to it the Guild would side our way and I suspect Chevalier's yet unannounced team would do the same.
For the moment, the cold war between Londo Bell and the Titans was just that.
Cold.
And I think we all knew that the first person to shoot would lose a lot of support with how undetermined public opinion was.
I was still pondering that when something out the windows caught my eye. I turned my head, looking out over the back of my seat as the mural went by. It covered the side of a building tactfully. A starry night, with the moon off to the side and a city floating in space.
That gave me pause because I wasn't sure what it meant.
Coincidence? Seemed doubtful. Even after nine months I still wasn't sure what the effects of the massive GN Field really were. The immediate effect was obvious. It caused everyone's quantum brainwaves to excite and transmit. Thought became communication inside the field.
But people didn't seem to fully remember it. The memories faded and with time all that remained was a clear shift in behaviors, attitudes and expressions.
Did the artist of the mural imagine that scene, or was it a product of what they saw in the GN Field?
Without hunting them down and asking I didn't know, but it gave me pause about the ramifications of some actions and whether or not I really understood the consequences at all.
Some things aren't so simple.
"You're spacing out," Lafter commented. "Talking to Adi again?"
"You know she hates being called that," I reminded her.
"Yeah well she can either live with a nickname or deal because Administrator is a mouthful."
"I like Adi," Sveta commented. "It's cute."
"I'm not sure Administrator comprehends the concept of cute. She won't appreciate it."
"We'll just be sure to keep it to ourselves then," Mouser quipped.
The bus pulled up to Arcadia and we all joined the morning rush. Heads turned of course, and not just because a band of capes had walked into broad daylight.
Gladly stood at the front doors with one of the new teachers the district had hired to reduce class size. Newly promoted Principal Badgiruel was right past the doors, talking to a group of adults who were too well dressed to be parents but not official enough to be from any agency.
I passed them by and continued toward my locker.
It took me right past the school billboard—technically a whiteboard—where I stopped and looked at a poster that hadn't been there in the first week of school.
"Agitating, isn't it?"
I glanced at Chris, who'd already been looking at the poster when I arrived.
He wore a wry smile but his eyes betrayed how he really felt.
"You do all the work cleaning things up and trying to get people to start doing something about the mess they were in, and all of a sudden these assholes show up and start trying to steal all the credit."
The poster was red and black—because some people just have no self-awareness or sense of irony—and claimed to represent 'true' heroes. At the bottom in bold letters was the word 'Titans.' The poster was right next to the Londo Bell one Dean put up a year ago.
"Please tell me they're just punking us," Lafter grumbled. "Last thing I want is them moving into town. We just got rid of the last assholes!"
"Free country," I said. "They can do what they want." They'd just have to live with the consequences. Like everyone else.
Continuing on my way, I collected my books and went to my first class. Lafter and Chris shared a look. Lafter shrugged and went on to her first class.
"You're really okay with it?" Chris asked. We had the same first period. His eyes shifted, tracking a group of students who hadn't noticed us and were going down a different hall. Two of the boys were wearing shirts with the Titans' logo on them.
That was new too, but I'd suspected it might happen.
Ever since Alexandria accused Eidolon of being Teacher in Congress, David had been in overdrive trying to win public approval and support. As far as justifications went, 'I did what I had to do because the PRT and Protectorate were corrupted by Cauldron' wasn't bad, but too many people had died as a result of his actions to sweep them under the rug.
Still. It's amazing how readily people will take someone at their word. Especially people who a year ago would have called capes the cause of all the world's problems. The remaining pets David had in Blue Cosmos probably eased that transition a bit.
More than a few kids I recognized had gone from being anti-cape jerks to being pro-Titan aficionados in a matter of months and the thought process behind that was… Shall we say indirect.
Rage and bitterness could be its own sort of drug and some people lived on it.
But as with all addictions, there are hopeful stories.
"Hey."
Bridgette avoided direct eye contact, but the fact she felt so embarrassed and awkward made her braver I think. It took courage to realize you'd been a bitch and somehow I'd now met two girls who managed to turn it around. What were the odds on that?
"Hey," I greeted back. I took my seat and Chris took one behind me. "Good weekend?"
"Yeah," Bridgette mumbled, eyes forward.
"You know you can look at me, Bridgette. I'm not going to petrify you."
"I'm not think—"
She stopped as a very attractive boy entered the room. Very attractive. I felt a bit bad for him, oddly enough.
The one thing Hunch wanted was to be able to walk into a room and draw zero attention to himself. He'd lost the look of a Case-53 after the GN Field rolled past him and Administrator and I adjusted his Shard connection. Instead, he was now just preposterously handsome. And redheaded.
I suspect though—especially with three girls already going out of their way to acknowledge him—that Hunch would manage.
"Some guys have all the luck," Chris noted.
"You'll get there," I told him. Chris wasn't exactly unattractive himself. Working out did a lot for the appearance department in my experience. "You could try and actually ask someone out. Worked for me."
He shrugged. "Too busy."
I shrugged back, paying no mind to the weird looks everyone who entered the class gave me. "Make the time or don't complain about it."
"Just going to rub it in, aren't you?"
"You're the one asking for it."
"Did you really kill Leviathan?"
Bridgette flinched. The question had been on her mind all morning, delayed solely because Hunch came by. Now that she'd actually asked she felt stupid. Especially because the entire room heard her and had quieted in anticipation of an answer.
"Yeah," I said, my eyes forward. "It's dead."
I'd tried to convince it otherwise, but Leviathan wasn't as cognizant as the Simurgh. It was, as I suspect most of the other Endbringers were, a machine. A very complex and highly capable machine, but a machine all the same. It possessed no consciousness to reason with.
And with my answer, the consciousness around me became a flurry of emotions.
Relief. Exaltation. Hope. Uncertainty. Fear.
It was strange for me. I'd lived on the outside. Watched the world move around me like I didn't exist.
Seeing other people feel that way about me, seeing it isolate and surround them. That was a strange thing. So easy to overlook. So easy to underestimate.
"Well," Chris whispered as class started. "You still know how to grab everyone's attention."
"A blessing and a curse," I remarked.
One that repeated throughout the day. And in replay. It happened when the Simurgh died too.
I let it be, making no effort to try and assure or fix it. Some things you can't just fix. You need to let them work themselves out. As loathe as I was to admit it, I knew why Lalah Sune had played the 'cryptic bullshit' card so much.
Sometimes trying to fix something proactively just made it worse. Made people feel more isolated and afraid. More uncertain.
They needed the time to find their own answers and reach their own conclusions.
You can't force the world—or people—to be how you want it to be.
So I refocused some of my energy. Focused on making the days we had left matter.
That's why I set my schedule to have the second lunch period in the day. I'd gotten my GED over the summer if only so that when I made my way back I'd have an education. I didn't need the extra class the second lunch period afforded. I took it because nearly all my friends had that lunch period.
So I wasted fifty minutes of my day so I could have thirty more with them.
"Tired already?" I asked as I approached Lafter and Vicky in the hall. "The day just started."
"Don't remind me," Lafter grumbled. "Why is school hard?"
"Probably because you didn't go to any for a decade," Vicky commented. "I keep saying we should do a tutoring thing. A lot of the Irregulars didn't get normal schooling either. We could multi-task pretty hardcore."
"She's not wrong," Charlotte commented as she joined us. "Trevor probably needs the motivation. He spends so much time tinkering he does all his homework at the last minute."
"Worried?" I asked, knowingly.
"Shush." Her face was slightly red.
"Why am I the only person here who actually walked up to a boy and said 'date me'?" I asked. It really stood out when I thought about it. "I'm still the least attractive person here."
Lafter and Vicky were already preparing retorts but I didn't really need them. I was mostly being facetious.
"If I can pull it off," I declared, "anyone can. Vicky."
It was Vicky's turn to turn red. "What about me?"
I looked toward Dean as he hurried down the hall toward us. "You know what."
"We all know what," Lafter commented. "And I have a boyfriend! I just didn't ask him before he asked me."
"Excuses," I quipped.
We entered the cafeteria to a familiar but different scene. Charlotte and Vicky became guarded, though they hid it well. I strode confidently through the room, ignoring the looks, whispers and glares.
"So this is going to continue then," Lafter mumbled.
"New assholes," Vicky grumbled, "same old story."
When I first attended Arcadia over a year ago, the school had been visibly divided between those who supported capes and those who opposed them. Most students were earnestly in the middle with less stark opinions but it took remarkably few to force a split in a high school environment.
There were four big groups now. The neutral kids were still the largest, starting in the corner nearest the cafeteria line and spreading into the center of the room. In the corner by the exit into the hall were the Blue Cosmos kids who just couldn't let it go. Opposite them were the Titans fans. And ahead, by the door to the outside courtyard I always ate lunch at, were the Londo Bell kids.
Many of whom were literally members of Londo Bell, volunteering on weekends or occasional weekdays. Whenever they had the time.
"Hey Taylor." Max waved and Miriallia waved too.
"Hey."
It was fall and the temperatures were still cool rather than cold. The day was fairly sunny as the morning overcast broke up. It was nice.
"Hey," Charlotte greeted.
"Hey," Vicky greeted back, floating over the stone barrier and sitting herself down on it.
We were rapidly joined by others. Amy sat down beside her sister while I took a bench across from Charlotte. Lafter sat beside me and we all started fishing out our lunches. I turned my head as I removed a can of juice, listening and looking toward the sky.
"Looks like the Titans fans are going to keep at it this year," Charlotte noted.
"You'd think they'd mellow out at some point," Vicky commented.
She not-so-slyly looked over her shoulder as Dean came out to sit with a group of kids he'd known since his time in Blue Cosmos. More had come our way since the group collapsed, apparently persuaded by everything that had happened at the end that Blue Cosmos had been wrong.
"Did the Blue Cosmos kids ever mellow out?" Lafter pulled a sandwich from her bag. "Before Blue Cosmos went plop, that is."
Vicky frowned. "Fair." Her frown deepened, and she said, "You'd think they'd learn a lesson though. Blue Cosmos was scummy and everyone ignored it until it was thrown in their faces. The Titans are exactly the same. Worse even. They just overthrew another country."
"Syria was one of the first countries in the world to collapse to cape warlords," I noted. "And they've been exporting villains to other countries ever since. A lot of people have wanted something done about it for a long time."
"Because a bunch of capes overthrowing some other capes is such a huge status quo change." Vicky blinked and looked at me. I'd gotten pretty good at suppressing my telepathy so as to offer some privacy, but some things were obvious. "That's why you told Marteau off that day in France, isn't it? You didn't want to trade Djibril being a tyrant for us being tyrants."
"Basically," I confirmed. "It's a shame it can take people far too long to realize a terrible thing. They overlook it for as long as they can."
"Are you going to do anything about it?" Amy asked.
"No," I told her. "It wouldn't change anything. One cape warlord is the same as another, whether they try to frame themselves as a hero or not."
"You might want to consider something." Amy pointed. "David keeps putting his name in the headlines."
"Has he killed any Endbringers?" Lafter asked.
"He's not harboring villains by the bucket load."
"And are the Titans the arbiters of hero and villain?" I asked.
Amy shrugged. "Just saying. You still have Riley. I'll put even money it's only a matter of time before he uses that."
I didn't disagree. She was probably right.
David spent the past six months essentially obliterating the Elite and other 'fringe' villain groups. The unspoken truth of the cape world under the PRT was that many capes operated in gray zones, leaning heroic or villainous often based on where one happened to be standing. David didn't care about that and the PRT wasn't around to enforce it anymore.
Radical vigilantes and morally gray villains were being taken out left and right. Many were now trying to slip over to Londo Bell or corporate teams for protection. A lot of people, the hard on crime types especially, liked that. I couldn't even blame them. The PRT had chosen to take a back seat. They had reasons for that and people didn't give them much credit for it, but those policies created an environment where capes ran rampant.
David was propelling himself by turning against that.
That was saying nothing about his aggressive pursuit of global villains, terrorists, and whole countries. Romania first. More recently Syria. We'd had almost a month of him and a small team taking those warlords out, and instilling their own. They called it something else of course, but I failed to see how it was any different. I'd avoided trying to go to war with any government for that exact reason.
It was shady enough that I'd essentially brought my own villains into Brockton Bay to keep worse villains out. Most of those had moved on now. Too many heroes for them to operate, but we were getting new ones poking around. Thinkers and strangers looking to commit other kinds of crime. Veda and Dinah had their work cut out for them.
I was rambling.
The point of it was, Londo Bell had fought Endbringers yes, but I was the one killing them and getting the credit for it. Whenever I tried to share the credit, it just came off as humble to others. People liked focusing on a big hero more than a team of heroes even if the team was what they really needed. And while I'd become a larger than life figure for many, David was taking villains and gangs out on a tri-hourly basis.
People read that as me being the 'Greatest Tinker to Ever Live.'
The Titans were 'getting things done.'
"Let's talk about something less gloomy," Charlotte proposed. "I get enough of this after school."
"Yeah," Lafter agreed. "Let's talk about that date you still haven't asked Trevor out on instead."
Charlotte's face turned red. "Well, I—Uh—It's not that—"
Lafter pointed at me. "She went and did it. You have no excuses."
"She's not wrong," Vicky agreed.
"Says the person who still refuses to admit she wants to go out with Dean," I quipped.
Vicky turned red and Amy simply said, "She's right."
"When was the last time you had a date?" Vicky asked. "Every time I try to set you up with a boy—"
"I'm gay," Amy revealed. Though I suspected some of us already picked up on that.
Charlotte and Lafter's heads turned, watching the blonde sister rather than the frizzy haired one.
Vicky's reaction was more delayed. "Wait, you're gay?"
"Gayer than a rainbow."
Vicky's jaw dropped. "Since when?"
"Always."
"Well why didn't you say any—"
Abruptly, Administrator dropped from the sky and landed beside me. She sat stiffly, hands in her lap as she looked right ahead and became stiller than those guys who pretend to be metal statues for money.
Vicky and Charlotte stared.
It wasn't the first time Administrator had abruptly dropped in on lunch at Arcadia, but it was always a bit awkward.
"Hi," Charlotte tried. Again.
I chewed slowly. Administrator.
She turned her head very slightly. "Hello."
Vicky and Charlotte shared a glance and then looked at me. It was a reaction shared by most of the students in the courtyard. Even though Administrator had dropped by during lunch regularly at the end of the past semester, she still got a lot of looks whenever she did.
People didn't know what to make of her.
She was helping me deal with problems like the Endbringers, but David said she wanted to destroy the world.
It didn't help that she was still learning how to break the ice.
"Highly caloric beverages will increase your fatty tissue," she tried, noting Charlotte's soda.
Charlotte straightened up and cocked her head. "It's diet?"
Administrator stared, baffled how to respond to that.
She didn't really get small talk. And the silence drew out, which just made everything more awkward.
Assistance?
You could try asking how her day is first. Save the advice for later.
"Where has she been lately?" Vicky asked.
Lafter's brow rose. "Yeah. Haven't seen her about in like, a week?"
I shrugged. "She was killing the Machine Army down in Eagleton."
"Threat eliminated," Administrator declared in what she was trying to make a happy tone but ended up just being a creepy tone.
We were still working on how words were only a fraction of human communication.
"As in, the Machine Army?" Vicky asked. She looked at Administrator. "You killed the Machine Army?"
"Threat eliminated," Administrator repeated.
"Totally off-screen," Lafter jested.
"Had to do something," I noted. "That situation was about to explode."
The government had the sense to keep many of the Protectorate's barely known quarantine teams on payroll. Nilbog was still holed up in Ellisburg and the Sleer was still bottled up in a narrow valley in North Dakota. Both were too dangerous and terrifying to be ignored, and publicly known. Everyone in charge had to be sure to reassure people the end of the Protectorate didn't mean the quarantine zones were without capes to handle the bad guys.
The government had been more successful in covering up the horror of Eagleton, Kentucky. When a few of the capes assigned decided to leave and no one could really stop them, they just left. The Machine Army took notice. It had started probing defenses aggressively.
The Machine Army fell within a day.
The other six were just Administrator making sure she hadn't missed anything and picking off stragglers.
"I've confirmed the Machine Army's destruction."
Heads turned as Veda's second avatar walked up the steps to the patio, her tiny body draped in a sundress and kid's sneakers.
"Veda?" Vicky asked.
"Yeah." Charlotte pointed to the middle school across the street. "She convinced the school board to let her go to school."
Vicky bit into her sandwich and chewed. "Wry?"
"I thought it would be a valuable experience to acclimate myself socially and understand people better," Veda answered. "Technically, I am only a year and three quarters old. I think school will be a useful social experience for the future."
She looked up at Administrator for a moment and the tension in her gaze could be cut by a beam saber on 'wiffle bat' mode. She stepped around to my other side. Lafter scooted over and Veda pushed herself up onto the bench before turning and sitting. We sat there. The three of us—Administrator, me, and Veda—who'd started a lot of what the world around us had become.
It was surreal thinking about it. How far we'd come. Everything we'd achieved. It didn't feel like a year. It felt like four or five.
Almost as surreal as knowing it was all about to end.
Apologies.
Please stop apologizing, I pleaded. There's nothing to be done about it. It is what it is, and there's nothing more to say.
She still felt sorry, which did mean something to me but it just didn't change much.
It's almost time, isn't it?
I chewed slowly, waiting for her response. Reconnecting all the Case-53s back into the Network fully had bought us time. Administrator had used that to forge new connections, and shore things up. It staved off the inevitable collapse we needed to end.
But we could only buy so much time.
Confirmation, she answered. Almost time…
I said nothing, chewing my pita wrap and drinking my juice while we talked about the Machine Army, then Nilbog. There was an idea.
It was a pleasant, and quiet, lunch period.
But all good things end. Usually a lot faster than you'd like.
"It is time," Veda announced.
"Gotta go?" Charlotte asked.
"Yeah," I answered. "Time's burning out."
She took no exception to that comment.
Of the entire group, only Lafter reacted because only Lafter knew.
That tore me up a bit. I still planned to tell others—Charlotte for one—but I just… I didn't know. Kati and Dean had needed to know. They needed to plan for when I left. Relena too, of course. But everyone else? It was hard not to look at them and think that they might just have an easier time if they didn't have to think about it for a whole year.
Part of me wished I could go back and just not tell anyone because it was so awkward at times.
That's life though, I think. There's no right answers. It's not a test you can ace or fail. It's just a lot of things—small moments, and big ones—piled on together.
I wanted to claw in as many of those moments as I could.
We went home.
I dodged the reporters camping out the block. Nothing too fancy. I walked by, quietly smiling at the cameras and not answering the fiftieth iteration of the same questions. I had a PR plan to execute after all.
Fortunately, Administrator was floating overhead and she drew a lot more attention than I did.
Ever since David had responded to questions with 'I had to stop Scion before Scion destroyed the world' there was no end of interest or conspiracy theories about the second 'Scion.' Never mind that Administrator clearly and repeatedly identified herself as 'Zion' when asked.
That's the thing about the world though.
And the divide of opinion on Administrator was as stark as the divide of opinion on David. Noelle had first identified a former member of Cauldron as Teacher a year ago. Now Alexandria had repeated the claim and singled 'Eidolon' out as the man behind the name. David didn't deny it.
That was probably the best way for him to handle that problem, but Kati had a saying. The best answer you can give sometimes means the answer that damages you the least. Meanwhile, the so-called 'second coming of the monster who plotted to blow up the world' was being helpful and hanging out with her friends.
How frightening.
Dad had finally fixed that loose step—Mikazuki and Hush helped—so the walk up to the door was simple and comfortable.
I opened the door and entered, calling out, "We're back."
"Hey," my father responded from the kitchen. He looked up from the papers on the table. "Good night?"
"Fine," I answered. "School too."
We both knew precisely what had happened last night just as much as we both knew neither of us wanted to talk about that. Some things you just don't talk about with your dad. My relationship and accompanying sex life was complicated enough thank you very much.
I entered the kitchen closely followed by Veda.
Dad looked down at her, his reaction betrayed the surprise he still felt that the small girl was the same person as the teenager who'd been at the house earlier in the day.
"And you?" he asked.
"School is a strange experience," Veda answered, "but I suspect that is because the classwork itself is fairly simple for me to complete." Red rolled in from the living room, holding up a stack of papers with both hands. "I have already completed all my homework for the week."
"Good girl," I quipped.
"I try."
I crossed the kitchen toward the fridge. "Do it again."
Veda's head turned. "Why?"
"Does anyone else in middle school have the ability to multi-task and use a Haro to fill out their worksheets?"
Veda stared.
I pulled a juice carton from the fridge and started filling two glasses. "I didn't think so."
She was the one who wanted to experience life as others lived it 'as accurately as she could.' I was just pointing it out.
"She has a point," Dad agreed.
"Yes," Veda agreed. "Though, I wonder if it matters. Even if I did it with this avatar, the work would not take long."
"Tactile experience is a part of living," I reminded her.
One of those small things I keep bringing up. Noticing a pattern?
Administrator floated by then and Dad visibly stiffened. A myriad of emotions ran through him. Fear. Sadness. Anger. It was easier for him to blame her for what was going to happen than accept it. Instinctually, at least.
After a moment, he pushed all of that down and tried to be friendly. "Hello, Administrator."
She watched him, the guilt rising back up. "Greetings."
With that, she drifted back and floated up the stairs as she often did while visiting the house.
Dad frowned. "I—"
"It's okay," I told him. "It's weird for her too."
While Veda took a seat and Dad made room for her at the table, I turned toward the living room.
"Hey Claire," I said to no one in the room. "If you two could bring Riley over—" The portal opened before I finished. "Thanks."
A moment later, Pink came through and instantly turned toward the kitchen. Riley followed, dressed in something that probably worked as one of Sabah's costumes, but fitted for her size. Black and frilly with tall boots and stockings. She tied her hair into a pair of tails and had taken to black eye liner and lipstick.
It was… A look.
And her way of trying to reinvent herself.
"Is it technically curing cancer if the patient dies along with the cancer cells?" she asked.
"I doubt anyone cares for the distinction," I suggested.
"Yeah, I figured." She sighed, raised a phone, and pressed her thumb to the screen. "Starting again. Again."
Fortunately, we were still keeping her away from cameras. I wasn't sure how 'pixie goth Bonesaw' would go over on camera.
I held out the juice to her and said, "Come on. Dinner in a few hours."
Riley took a seat in the living room and reached for the remote while I returned to the kitchen. Dad was starting to stack his papers with Veda's help. Pink and Red were already cooking. Looked like Chicken Parmesan. Pink had been on an Italian kick lately and she would spend hours preparing the meal now.
"TV?" I asked as I went to the counter and took the second glass of juice in hand.
"Sure," Dad replied. "Something not news though."
"Obviously," I agreed.
I walked to the back door and opened it before she knocked.
Lisa stood outside with her hand raised.
"Hi," I greeted before taking a drink from my juice.
"Hey," she replied, frowning.
"Been a while."
"Yeah well"—she glanced at her hand and dropped it to her side—"been busy."
"Finally found a mover, huh?"
"Yeah. Folds space so two places exist simultaneously. Pretty sure it can be used to rip people in half just by looking at them but he's a lover, not a fighter."
"How many times has he hit on you?"
"The things I do because your altruism is infectious," she complained.
"Pink's gonna start dinner soon. Come on."
I turned, leaving the door open behind me. A quick check as I passed the basement door confirmed Aisha wasn't in the house. She'd been out and about a lot lately. She really liked being a Stranger and doing Stranger things. I think it enhanced her amusement that the Titans and others knew she existed at this point, but no one would remember knowing when she was actually around.
Absent very specific safeguards that Black and Veda could circumvent, Aisha was basically unstoppable without some power-based way to detect her. There weren't many capes who even remotely came close to being able to do that.
She was doing her homework still and while her grades weren't stellar, it was probably the best I'd ever get from her.
Good thing she had a promising future in caping, as long as we kept her on the righter side of things.
While I pondered that, Lisa took her time.
She waved her hand through the door frame. Checked the door itself. The floor. The ceiling.
"Are you seriously still in a prank war with the Haros?" I stopped at the door to the kitchen and looked back. She was. "I thought you all stopped that."
"We'll stop when I'm dead," Lisa declared.
She took a single cautious step inside and after a quick visual inspection, shrugged and closed the door. She immediately ducked to the side as if to dodge something flying out from the back of the door. Which didn't happen.
With that she seemed to relax and followed me toward the living room. She stopped, noticing Riley at the couch. Unlike Dad, she hadn't had months of having her around to get used to the idea of Bonesaw being just some kid.
"What brings you by?" I asked as she stood there looking into the room. I could tell she wasn't going to stay but it was polite to extend the invitation.
Plus I punched her that one time and I felt stupid about it now.
"You're really just playing house?" she asked back.
"Think about it."
Namely, the fact that try as I might and determined as I was to get back as quickly as I could, part of me was very afraid. Afraid that it would take too long. That even if I saw my friends again, my father might pass before I returned. I fully intended to make sure that never happened but I couldn't just erase the worry of it.
So I was going to spend time with my father. As much as I could.
Lisa grimaced and looked away. "Right. I thought you might want to know what You-Know-Who has been up to."
"You can just say Leet."
Lisa balked. "You already know where he is?"
"Essentially," I confirmed.
At that moment, a portal opened—Doormaker's—and Green dropped through it into my hand.
"Mission complete, mission complete."
I patted the top of his ball and Lisa narrowed her eyes. She had, admittedly, been a bit busy for months. We hadn't had much time to talk directly. Mostly we communicated with one another through Stella. Lisa hadn't been near me enough to use her power and see what was going on.
Which was good because I still had secrets that were best kept. Unfortunately.
Fortunately, Lisa recognized that and didn't call it out too obviously.
She looked around my home, eyes lingering in Administrator's direction for a moment. Then she set her lips in a line and really looked at me.
I let Green jump from my hand, certain he'd done what I needed him to do and that the ball was rolling.
Lisa's help was appreciated, but I'd been at this for nine months.
Nine months was a lot of time to plan with what a direct connection to Prime Future could do. My plan was already set. The pieces were all on the board. Had been for a while now.
After the Simurgh died, I looked at David and realized he couldn't win. Not in a rhetorical sense, but a very literal one.
On that front, not one thing had changed. As for Leet… Well, Uber made one last request and I wasn't callous enough to blow off the last wish of a dead man who wanted nothing but to save his friend.
Lisa swallowed. "Just how far ahead of everyone else are you right now?"
I smiled. "Enough."
"That's creepy."
"Says the girl who ran around claiming to be psychic."
"Says the girl who runs around and is psychic."
I grinned. "Ironic. Isn't it?"