A Waken 19.2

Shards aren't that different from people.

They have personalities. Personas. Masks they wear that make them comfortable and safe. They're just a lot less overt than people are. It wasn't necessarily obvious at first glance. All Shards had a certain serious business-first demeanor to them.

Take Armamentarium for example. It's actually quite playful. Energetic. The polar opposite of Hannah. In how Hannah presented herself at least. It even had regrets, constantly looking back and wishing it hadn't been so rushed to configure. Wanting to devise more complex and interesting mechanical forms instead of being confined to those Hannah could comprehend.

She actually could make more advanced and fancy weapons. The problem was she needed to understand the base mechanics to form them. That was something Armamentarium could have accounted for if it weren't so rushed.

It was interesting how the two of them played against one another. They reminded me of a slapstick comedy duo. One straight-laced and serious and the other wishing it could screw around a bit more.

Curiously they matched the sort of dynamic Stratos and Transference had, except I wasn't sure how much I should read into that. Or the fact that Chevalier, who I knew had dated Hannah when they were my age, was all serious just like his Shard was.

Conditional.

No, you will not build an orbital cannon from the spare parts.

Administrator non-verbally agreed with me, though her reaction was far more ragged. I gathered she'd been getting this a lot.

Tell a bunch of beings they have the chance to do all the things they never had the opportunity before, and they were more than willing to run with it. Unfortunately the Shards mostly had data they'd never had occasion to use and most of that data involved doomsday machines.

Contingency.

Just because String Theory threatened to blow up the moon doesn't mean she could actually do it! I've looked at the F-Driver's design, she'd have been lucky to hit the moon, let alone destroy it.

Destroyer really needed to lighten up. He made a good conversation partner at least.

I'd long grown accustomed to public events. They were all the same really. You show up in a well done room, someone gives a speech, then someone else, and maybe a few more. People ask questions. They schmooze. Pictures get taken and someone eventually—probably three times out of five—tries to grab someone's ass and then acts innocent when called out on it.

It's really quite boring when the glamour and existential dread of being the focus of so much attention finally wears out.

Though, it helped that I wasn't the topic this time.

This time, I got to just show up and be supportive while fading off to the side at the first chance. Not that it fully immunized me from attention. I was wearing my costume and was now one of the most recognized capes in the world. Killing an Endbringer will do that to you.

People noticed me no matter what I did.

Some I liked.

"No Kinue?" I asked. "The two of you have been sharing bylines a lot lately."

Havier's brow rose. He was a man in his late twenties and he cleaned up pretty well. He was also a rotten liar, even without accounting for the telepathy.

"I'm not sure what you mean," he said.

"There was the one piece on Sanc," I recalled. "And another about the broken triggers. Then that one about the incident with my GN Field in New York."

"I thought you didn't care to answer questions about that."

I maintained my facade, saying, "I said I didn't see the point in more questions because there's not that much to say. I went messing around with quantum brainwaves and got more than I bargained for."

"So you've said." He wasn't a good liar, but he could spot a lie when he saw it and he saw right through mine. "You never really explained how those brainwaves related to stopping the broken triggers. More like you glossed over it I'd say."

"I said that explaining it in words was impossible due to the limitations of the English language."

"Glossed over it," he repeated.

He wasn't wrong.

Answering questions about New York and the GN Field were complicated. Words like master were thrown around, even months later. Few people had ever come after me to complain or press charges—those who did didn't make it far—but it was something that lived in the news despite the bigger stories about the death of the Simurgh or the final demise of the PRT.

It was a minefield, I admit.

You don't just drop a bomb like 'aliens are real' on the world. Certainly not on top of everything else going on. You have to ease people into it. Let them start working it out before they write you off as insane.

Which gave me a very agitating appreciation for how Lalah Sune refused to give straight answers back when I wanted them.

"Think of the world as data," I proposed. "You contain data. A lot of data, stored in multiple states simultaneously and with stacking complexity. Everything about you, even if you can't do it yourself, can be expressed as some form of value."

"Seems reductive."

"It can be," I agreed. One of the biggest issues in dealing with the Shards going forward might well be their habit to reduce anything and everything down into base values. "But bear with me. You are data. Data, once defined by some form of expression, can be transmitted. That's what quantum brainwaves are. They are brainwaves that can be expressed as data and thus can be transmitted."

"You're talking about telepathy," he said dismissively. "Everyone knows telepathy isn't real."

"I didn't call it telepathy. I called it transmission. And as to why I thought it would work in fixing broken triggers, broken triggers are a data problem."

Havier cocked his head slightly. "A data problem."

"Imagine you were trying to build the data of a human being but you suddenly found yourself lacking the instructions for the frontal lobe."

"Frontal lobe?"

"The decision making center of the brain. Now you have a person, but they don't know how to make decisions. What do they do?"

"Sit there," he answered lamely.

"Possibly. Alternately, you try to make the frontal lobe from nothing and fumble your way through and end up with a person who falls out of their chair and flails about. They break the chair, flip the table, spill the punch all over the spectators, and someone drops a gun that they grab and start shooting wildly. It's a mess, all for lack of a certain few pieces of data."

"This metaphor feels impossibly esoteric."

"That's fair. Like I said. It's hard to really explain this in English. I could do it in math but I doubt a college math professor would have an easier time explaining it than I have."

"For someone known as a capable speaker," Havier noted, "you're struggling with this one."

"Which is why I don't see much point continuing to answer the same questions for the fiftieth time. I didn't master anyone. Yes, things got weird and that's because everyone was transmitting quantum brainwaves to everyone else which was not exactly what I'd intended to happen. As far as I know, no lasting damage has been done and I'm trying not to make use of that system anymore."

There were about a dozen other reporters lingering nearby. I didn't like them as much as I liked Havier or Kinue, but they'd write their own stories. Keep the conversation going. Make people wonder.

Meanwhile, I had to wait for someone to ask the all-important question on their own and without me handing it to them.

"Is any of this related to your eyes?" he asked.

That was not the question.

"Yes and no," I said, "but that I'm less qualified to comment on."

"Your eyes didn't used to glow."

"Nope."

"You know you're not exactly doing yourself any favors? Keeping obvious secrets isn't exactly ideal when your biggest critics keep accusing you of having too many secrets."

That's part of why I liked Havier. He wasn't afraid to risk upsetting someone when he knew he was right. And he pursued his questions by any means necessary.

"And how many secrets does this critic have?" I asked back. "Missing for about ten years? Multiple conspiracies? He doesn't even deny it."

"He also says your golden friend wants to destroy the world."

It's a shame the Machine Army wasn't a more well known problem. Maybe if she went and dealt with Ellisburg but we'd agreed that humans would deal with humans. Nilbog, whatever else he was, was human. I didn't even know the full story about what happened at Ellisburg.

There was no good reason for what he did there, but everyone had a reason.

"Back and forth, back and forth," Havier chanted. "No one knows which of the two of you is lying the most."

"You make it sound nefarious. I don't think I'm nefarious."

"Neither do I," he assured me. "But that doesn't answer unanswered questions."

"Neither does constantly asking the same questions over and over again." I smiled. "You know the definition of insanity, right?"

"I know that question is a terrible cliché," he bantered.

"You should tell everyone else," I responded glibly. "I'd appreciate it."

"Seems like that would be a good thing to have given the track record of people who earn your ire."

"When have I ever hurt a reporter?"

"There was that time Tom asked about Bonesaw and you somehow managed to logically work your way to how his own daughter hated him in a way that didn't sound irrationally personal."

I averted my eyes. "Well he was asking for it."

"You could have her do an interview. Saying she's just a kid is one thing but actually sho—"

"No," I said firmly. My lips set into a line and I looked forward for a moment to assess how many of those around me could hear. "Jack Slash used her as a spectacle. Paraded her around while he made her dance to his tune. I'm not going to do to her what Jack did."

Havier raised a hand defensively. "Just figured I'd throw it out there. You know she's going to have to show her face eventually? Can't exactly stay holed up wherever you're hiding her."

"Someday," I agreed. "Just not now." I shrugged. "Any other article concepts you want to pitch?"

"Heard there was another standoff in Houston."

"If you want to call it that."

"I heard a fight almost broke out and Lafter had to intervene."

"I wasn't there so you'd have to ask Lafter. I don't run Londo Bell."

"But everyone in Londo Bell listens to you."

"That's their choice." I thought for a moment and added, "Though, if someone were to ask me, I'd say it's only a matter of time before there's a fight. The way the Titans keep showing up with no warning or coordination… Someone's going to get hurt eventually and it'll probably be some bystander who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Happened a lot with the Protectorate." Havier scowled. "They were good at covering it up."

"I was convinced to warn the PRT when I did things," I noted. "I think I was a bit lucky before that. No one goes running around with scissors in an ideal world."

"And in an unideal world?"

"The least you can do is send a memo. Have scissors. Am running."

"That alone is more than I think you've ever said on the subject."

"I just don't see the point in pointless squabbling between heroes," I lied. "Not anymore. There are more important things to do. The public will be the judge of what they want from us eventually."

He choked out a laugh and quickly swallowed it back. Straightening his face out, he raised her glass and took a sip. "Not the interview I was aiming for."

"Sorry to break your heart."

"I'm used to it."

I rolled my eyes. "You could just tell her you like her."

"Hm?"

"Kinue." I stepped to the side and turned. "It worked for me."

It was weird being the person who handed out dating advice.

I left Havier and sent a quiet message to Veda.

Kinue was supposed to be here. That she wasn't meant one of a very few number of things. Things that made me concerned.

Veda: I will locate her.

Taylor: Just make sure she's okay.

Taylor: If she's busy we'll leave her be.

Taylor: I can always find her myself tomorrow or something.

I crossed the room and left the gaggle of reporters behind. A few tried to follow but I was getting very good at weaving through crowds. People had a tendency to move out of my way on instinct. I tried to use that power for good.

Like stopping some guy from walking right into a woman by walking between them.

Saved his drink and her dress.

Heroic deed of the night complete.

Well, first heroic deed of the night.

The room itself was fairly simple. No one bothered with any huge or fancy decorations. Just a few touch-ups to fit the philanthropy mood. Crisp white tablecloths. Nice but not opulent chairs. Mountains of tiny finger foods that weren't even remotely filling.

"Ever notice how weird charity events are when you think about them?" I asked.

Trevor turned his head as I approached. He'd mostly stuck close to Chris and Missy, who were themselves sticking close to Miss Militia and Stratos. The Wardens wanted to show they didn't go their own way because they had anything against the Protectorate.

Now that the Protectors were up and running, the whole group thought that point was important and it was Win and Vista's turn to make an appearance.

"How so?" Trevor asked. He was in his full costume, plated with armor rather than bare and filled with tools.

"All the money spent raising money could probably just go right to the cause," Missy noted. "You know. Without all the overpriced food and drinks."

"These kinds of things are mostly just so rich people can feel good," Chris agreed. "But that's how it is sometimes. It's what we have."

"Still though." I shrugged. "It's weird."

"Lots of things are weird," Missy noted.

She nodded forward and I glanced over as Chevalier fielded questions from one of the reporters who wasn't following me around.

"We disagree with the way the Titans have handled the Romanian situation," he said. "Overthrowing tyrants just to become tyrants themselves isn't the answer to the problems currently facing people around the world."

"How do you intend for the Protectors to avoid some of the same pitfalls?" the reporter asked. "Your intention is to go into very unstable regions."

"Two Endbringers are dead," Chevalier pressed. "We left those regions to rot because we were focused on defending ourselves. Now we owe it to those left behind to help them and we can't do that by placing them under our boots."

At his side, former commander Noa said, "The Protectors will navigate the on the ground situations as we find them and it is not our intention to impose our will onto others but to protect them."

"You don't think your help could be of more use at home?" another reporter asked.

"There are plenty of heroes to help here," Chevalier answered. "Londo Bell. The Wardens. Even the Titans. With so many villains and gangs going under before a wave of renewed heroism, we believe our experience could be of greater help in parts of the world with no heroes. Places that are indeed dangerous and filled with pitfalls. Things we have experience in navigating."

He answered the question while conspicuously standing under the banner of the new team.

A shield with a domino mask peeking over the top.

They'd made a challenge for themselves. One I'd explicitly tried to avoid for its pitfalls. They had experience though, and unlike those of us in a younger generation of heroes, they'd lived with swallowing things they didn't like.

"Think it'll work?" Trevor asked.

"No," Missy said firmly. "It won't."

"They should try anyway," Chris insisted.

"I think so too." I smiled. "And who knows. Maybe it will work. Local villains and warlords could be a problem, but some of them are just people trying to survive. Give them the chance for something that involves less dying and some might take it. It could all start from there. Get the parts of the world that have fallen apart back on their feet."

"People are shitty," Missy claimed.

"And you should ask Lafter about that," I retorted.

"Why?"

"Because she'll have an opinion on it." I glanced back to Trevor. "And you should just hurry up and ask Charlotte out. It's getting unbearable watching the two of you not do anything. Even Vicky and Dean are doing something."

Trevor paled slightly. "That's a sudden—"

"Surprise attack," I declared. "Invite her to Shino's sushi opening. It's this Friday. You can even phrase it as a not date if you want."

"She's right," Missy agreed, thankful that the subject had suddenly shifted about as much as Trevor was nervous.

"Why is this about me all of a sudden?" he pleaded.

"Because we're getting older," Chris answered glibly, "And women have been allowed to speak their mind since at least the 1900s."

"Taylor."

I perked up at the voice having sensed her from before she entered the building. "Murrue."

I turned, finding her approaching me from the side. We'd talked on the phone more than once but I hadn't seen her in almost a year. She wore a sleek dress that was modest but not too modest. Her hair was longer than I remembered, and styled in a more feminine fashion than the practical and simple hair of a PRT employee.

I was about to compliment her when I saw the figure trailing behind her.

I met her eyes, surprised that I hadn't noticed her sooner.

She was all silver from head to toe. Even her hair. And short. Even shorter than Dinah or Missy. A simple blue sundress hung from her metallic shoulders.

Chloe Kholer. The girl from Hartford. And Combinator, of course. The once sick Shard I'd seen that very first time in Shard Space. It was hers, though I hadn't realized that until just then.

Odd.

I'd rarely seen the people I'd helped after I'd helped them. There was Dean of course and others, but mostly the people I set out to save were strangers. And they stayed strangers.

"He—"

Before I could finish, the girl rushed forward and grabbed me.

I almost tumbled. She was heavy, far heavier than she looked. Her entire body had been converted into liquid metal, holding the shape of a small girl solely because she willed it to be that way.

Heads turned and whispers followed. Murrue stepped in quickly, standing between Chloe and the crowd to obstruct their view.

I balanced myself and put a hand on Chloe's shoulder, not entirely sure how to feel about what she was feeling.

"She wanted to see you," Murrue said. "You don't make a habit of coming to the west coast much. She's wanted to see you for a long time."

I nodded, processing what I was getting while I glanced around. It was complicated, but easy for me to see. I'd felt this way before.

Glancing to Murrue curiously, she smiled apologetically.

I understood.

"It's pretty brave," I whispered, "coming out in public. It's scary when you stand out."

Chloe pulled back, momentarily releasing my legs from her vice grip. Her eyes looked up at me, plain and featureless. She really did look like Weld, despite his Shard and hers having very different purposes. Even the expression was different. Weld's body was turned into metal but still behaved as basic tissues. Mostly. Chloe on the other hand was more like a liquid metal blob in the shape of a girl.

That was probably going to be harder when she realized she wouldn't grow up unless she willed her body to look different.

"Let's go outside," I suggested with an eye on the crowd watching our display. "It's a little stuffy in here."

I drew back, slipping from Chloe's arms as I put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Murrue trailed a few steps behind as I led Chloe to a side door. The hall the event was being held in was attached to the lobby of a fancy upscale hotel, so it had multiple doors leading out into the adjacent halls.

Quietly, I noted that Colossus had slipped off into one of the said halls to bring Kati some punch. All the PR people were out of the main room, working equipment and organizing future appearances. She graciously accepted the cup. I so rarely saw her smile at her own happiness. It was nice to see.

Even if her choice in boyfriend was a total goofball.

I continued on, maneuvering a few doors down toward a door that led out into a courtyard. Eirene and Kimaris were both standing there, waiting where Trevor and I had left them under Green's watchful eye.

Chloe looked up, walking forward on her own power to stare up at the suits.

I took the chance to whisper to Murrue, "How bad?"

"I'm worried," she answered.

Bad then.

She hung by the door, waiting just under an awning as I went forward. The courtyard wasn't large. Maybe the size of a school classroom with only one side offering any sunlight. Not that there was much sunlight. The stereotype about Seattle being perpetually overcast was—tonight at least—accurate.

At least it wasn't raining. That would be really cliché.

I picked a bench to sit on, giving Chloe a few moments to marvel at Eirene's face. I wouldn't tell Trevor she didn't like the way Kimaris looked. I suspected he'd actually appreciate that compared to the constant compliments on how 'badass' it seemed, but he didn't really need that either.

Chloe was looking up at a more familiar face, like the one that had stood over her when she'd woken up after her world fell apart. It was Veda who did that, but all of Celestial Being's Gundams bore similar faces. Chloe didn't see the difference in her fuzzy memory.

I gave her a few moments and then got to work.

"How have you been?" I asked.

Her attention turned to me quickly. "Fine," she said quickly.

"You're staying with Murrue, right?"

She nodded.

"That's good." I smiled. "Murrue's nice. Too nice for her own good really but that works for people like us."

Chloe blinked. "Us?"

Children with far more power than a child should ever have, and the loss of childhood that comes with it.

I kept that thought to myself though. "Kid heroes."

Chloe started toward me, eyeing the empty space on the bench at my side. She pulled herself into the seat, the wood straining slightly under her weight but holding. Once she sat down and turned herself around, she looked back at Eirene and thought.

"I'm not a hero," she said. "Everyone told me I couldn't be a Ward."

"Because of what happened?"

She nodded.

"Must be rough, stuck up inside most of the time or standing out like a sore thumb everywhere you go. Getting weird looks."

She nodded again.

"You're very brave coming out just to see me. I'm flattered."

She couldn't blush but she could fluster. "It's not that hard," she lied.

"Must have really wanted to see me. What's up?"

She mumbled at first. Too low for me to hear.

"Hm?" I prompted.

"I want to be like you," Chloe said more loudly.

My eyes narrowed.

"And what am I like?" I asked.

Chloe looked away, avoiding Murrue's gaze and mine.

I waited, letting the drawing silence do the work of getting her answer out of her.

"Happy," she answered.

"Why?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Because you have powers?"

Growing up in Blue Cosmos would have that effect I supposed. It made sense. All her life she'd been taught things about capes and even if some of those things changed others wouldn't. It's the unspoken twistedness of extremism. The way it turns things upside down before they can even begin.

"I thought powers would make me happy once," I admitted. "Or, I thought the things I could do with my power would make me happy. Change the world. Make a difference. Those are all good things, but I don't know if it ever would have made me happy."

She turned her head slowly, silver eyes watching.

"What satisfied me… What made me happy," I explained. I met her eyes, my wide lips turning up in a smile. "I'm happy because I'm alive. You want to be happy?"

She nodded slowly.

"Then live," I said. "Do the things that make you happy. You don't need powers for that."

She'd be crying if she still could. I could feel the reactions in her and how they didn't go anywhere because the changes to her body left them with nowhere to go. That would be a problem for her going forward and I didn't think I could quite fix that. Combinator had already tried and failed.

"Don't make your life about what you do and don't have," I encouraged. "Make it about what you want. You're the only one who can make yourself happy."

Chloe didn't say anything.

The brain of a child really is different. It processes things differently. Measures them differently. I'd be the one to know, even though I was barely someone who could be considered nearly an adult. Another weird thing to think about. I was seventeen. In another year I could vote or buy a handgun. I found that second one sort of hilarious. What did I need a handgun for? I had particle cannons.

Dis—

You can't turn the moon into a super weapon!

My visor flashed.

Forecast: emergency

Details followed. I skimmed them at most, getting the idea from the first few words.

"I need to step out for a moment." I rose up and drew back from Chloe. "Can you wait here for a bit? I'll be back."

"Okay."

She watched me, fighting the urge to follow me around like a kitten. That was kind of adorable but it worried me. Chloe's entire world fell apart in a matter of minutes. I knew what that was like and I knew how much you weren't okay just because you seemed to be better.

Thankfully I knew Murrue well enough to know she'd make the girl get some therapy.

If anyone needed it, it was her.

Back to business. "Green, stay here."

"Roger, roger!"

"Door please."

I stepped through the portal and pulled a saber from my hip.

I exited into an alley on the other side of the US. There was a horn blaring in the distance somewhere. The sound and chatter of masses of people.

Leaving that behind to descend into the alley I followed the sound of voices.

The man had his back to me—which was dumb. He held a light in one hand and a gun in the other. Fortunately, the light was shining right in her face. She didn't see me coming and that offered no clue to the man pointing a gun at her.

Being led into a dark alley by a stranger with a gun was so cliche; coercion was the only way Kinue would ever find herself in that situation.

I crept along, listening as the man spoke.

"—requires sacrifices."

Ever notice that the people who talk about sacrifices never sacrifice anything of consequence?

I stopped directly behind him, peering over his shoulder.

So close, Kinue noticed me through the hand she was using to shield her eyes.

The man turned and I turned with him, staying behind him as I flicked my saber on and swung it up between his legs. There was a wheezing sound, and a groan. The gun went off and he toppled over. As soon as he hit the ground I kicked him in the jaw.

"Door please, Purple."

The gun and flashlight clattered to the ground. The light rolled, illuminating my legs and Kinue's before it stopped.

"Following a complete stranger into a dark alley in the night?" I turned to look at her as Purple started binding the man's hands behind his back. "I know you're not that dumb, Kinue. What he do? Pull his gun in the car?"

The woman squinted, clearly not able to see in the dark as easily as I did. "We started on the street," she explained. "Then he pulled the gun."

"Ah."

While Purple secured the man, I crouched down and riffled through his pockets. I highly doubted I'd find much but one never knew.

Count's last act was gutting David's thinkers. Arbiter and a whole bunch of others were all dead. Without them, the Titans were practically a motley crew. Someone was coordinating them, so he had some thinkers left, but if I could see the holes elsewhere then I might get lucky here.

"How did you know to be here?" Kinue asked, slowly relaxing her guard.

"I have Forecast monitoring the news so I can know who Teacher has and hasn't compromised," I deflected. Never tell a reporter you were waiting to talk to them. Just don't. "Pets blank out and she can't see them. You didn't, but then she suddenly couldn't see you. She told Veda and Veda tracked your phone."

"To the rescue," Purple chirped. "To the rescue."

"Teacher?" Kinue glanced down at the man. "That man is a Pet?"

"Maybe. Hard to know just looking"—can't read the unconscious—"but he's connected to one or Teacher himself. What were you looking into that would make someone want to pump you for what you know and who you told before leaving you to die in a mugging gone wrong?"

The woman grimaced and paled, then asked, "You're spying on reporters?"

"I'm spying on Teacher," I clarified. "You?"

Kinue hesitated for a moment and I debated before settling on keeping my mind closed. It was one thing when I was in an interactive setting where everyone was trying to get something from everyone else. Or when someone needed help because their headspace was in a downward spiral and I could help them because I'd been there.

Someone actively trying to decide what they did or didn't want to reveal?

Well, privacy should be a thing.

"Mantis," Kinue finally said after deciding. "Remember her?"

"Yes. What about her?"

"She's missing. Has been for nearly a year now."

My brow rose. "The PRT?"

"That's how I found out about it," she explained. "The PRT was handling the investigation but her fiancé hasn't had luck talking to the DPA. They have a thousand other things to do. Investigating a cold case from a year ago isn't a priority."

"So, he turned to reporters," I pondered. I nodded toward the man on the ground who'd passed out from my little crotch shot. "And looking for her led you to him?"

"Yes—"

"Let's not talk while a master might be listening in," I said. The guy at my feet had passed out but that wouldn't last long. "Door please, my workshop." The portal opened and I motioned toward it. "Worst case scenario, you get to look inside my lab."

Kinue hesitated again, which was fair. "Alright."

We crossed the portal into my workshop, and she quickly looked around curiously.

"So," she mumbled. "This is where it all happens?"

"Yup. Now…" I grabbed a chair and spun it around. With a push I sent it rolling toward Kinue and then grabbed a second for myself. "Mantis?"

Kinue didn't sit, but she took hold of the chair's back to steady her trembling body. Mild shock can be a bitch. "She made an unscheduled and last-minute flight to Vermont right before she vanished. She met with that man at a restaurant."

I nodded. "How'd you figure that out?"

"Leg work, lots of paper, and a lot of documents Mantis' fiancé probably shouldn't have but that he held onto just in case."

Huh. I had no particular love for Mantis, but everyone had someone. Hopefully. I didn't know she'd gone missing but something about it wasn't surprising.

"He didn't kill you immediately," I noted. "Trying to figure out what you knew?"

"We hadn't gotten that far," she replied. "You showed up fast."

"Forecast was predicting you vanishing in eighteen minutes," I noted. Curious. "I'm guessing he was prepared to ask a lot of questions."

"I'd hope," she said, slightly pale.

Oh. Hadn't thought of that but I wouldn't be surprised. "When exactly did Mantis vanish?"

"Do you know anything about it?"

"No," I assured her. "But the timing is curious. Was it right after her encounter with Chariot or later?"

"About a week after."

I nodded. Very curious.

Coincidence unlikely, Administrator agreed.

"You know something," Kinue quickly realized.

"I know a lot of things. Not about Mantis, but about others who might have something to do with whatever happened to her." I didn't actually have much doubt. She was probably dead. "There was a meeting around that time. It's when the Titans were formed."

Kinue's brow rose. "How do you—"

"It would be improper to reveal my sources," I answered. Also, it might get the source killed, so, yeah. Finding out people were already dead in David's closet was no surprise. It reiterated the need to be careful. "Not all heroes throw on a costume and announce themselves to the world."

She got suspicious then, which was fair. Kinue knew enough to know I kept secrets. It was smart not to trust anyone who kept secrets. Which was everyone technically. Kind of sad when I put it like that.

But you can't expect blind faith, and I wouldn't dare trust anyone who offered it with anything important.

I had a lot of experience with trust at this point.

"But," I started, "I think I know where you are in the puzzle."

Kinue frowned. "You like being cryptic, don't you?"

"You either die ignorant"—I grinned—"or you live long enough to realize that just telling people things is counterintuitive. For some baffling reason."

"Sounds like a quick way to elitism."

"What isn't?" At the end of the day, almost anything and everything is a path to something horrific. "Anyone who thinks there's only one right and proper way has already fallen off the wagon, I think." I shrugged, because really it wasn't as significant as it seemed. "People have to make their own choices, even if they make the wrong ones. We do our best and that's all there is to it."

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked over the room again. She paused for a moment, zeroing in on Riley's area. It was obviously different from the rest of the equipment in the room.

Her skin started paling again. "Is that—"

"Riley," I called.

A blonde hair popped up from behind a table. "Yes?"

"You can stop hiding now."

"Sure?"

"I think she knows you're here."

She stood up fully, not that she was very tall.

Kinue watched her with wide eyes. "You're—"

"The Artist Formerly Known as Bonesaw," Riley claimed.

"We're not calling you that," I reiterated.

"But it fits so well!"

"We're still not doing it." I glanced over my shoulder at her. "Amy had a good one."

"But no one knows who Minvra is!" Riley protested. "Everyone's going to assume we mean Minerva and that's a war god! I thought the whole point was to get people to stop associating me with bio-weapons. Cause that's what a war god would do. Make bio-weapons and I know I proposed making 'harmless' zombies for a zombie-themed shooting range but I didn't mean make actual zombies!"

She averted her eyes.

"That would be bad."

"It fits though," I pointed out, ignoring the tangent. "She's already recruited someone named Serket, and she's got a guy calling himself Nodens. She calls herself Panacea. You can call yourselves Pantheon. That's a great team name. It's shocking no one has already taken it."

"Yeah," Dinah deadpanned. She popped out from behind Riley with a domino mask over her face. "That's not arrogant at all."

"People accept arrogant heroes as long as they seem like they can back it up," I noted. Refocusing my attention on Kinue, I added, "Eidolon Classic for example."

Her attention turned right back to me, noticing the pointedly specific and off-base comment.

I shrugged. "I'm just saying. The once most powerful parahuman on Earth disappears for a decade and only shows up now? Wonder what he was doing that's so important and how the Titans got out and about so quickly when he decided to come out of retirement."

"He claims it's because he couldn't tolerate the things the Triumvirate were doing," Kinue said in a tone that said she didn't believe it.

And Riley blew raspberries.

"And he tolerated everything they were doing up to the point they couldn't do it anymore?" I asked. "Seems likely."

Kinue caught on fast. "What does he have to do with what happened to Mantis?"

"I don't know anything about Mantis," I told her. "But I know a lot about someone else and the timing of her disappearance has me wondering."

"Eidolon classic?" she asked.

Riley again blew raspberries.

Kinue squinted. "Why does she do that?"

"Because fuck him," Dinah answered.

"Swearing!" Riley protested.

"We can swear," Dinah protested. "We've both seen shit."

"They have," I agreed. "But that's another topic entirely. Remind me, Kinue. When did the Triumvirate get screwed royally in the public eye?"

She shrugged. "When Façade went on national television and accused them of being behind the case fifty…"

I nodded as she trailed off.

In all the confusion and chaos of the world, it was easy for things to slip from notice. So much had happened so quickly and in such quick succession, more than a few had slipped through the cracks of public attention. All the puzzle pieces to the truth were out there. They were obvious too.

Things were simply too hectic. Even smart people had missed one crucial piece.

Noelle.

"And they weren't the only ones she tried to out, were they?" I pressed.

"Teacher."

"And what happened right after she did that?"

"Broken trigger," Riley helpfully supplied.

"And what happened right before Eidolon showed back up? An event I'd point out effectively put the corpse of the PRT and the Protectorate in the incinerator?"

"Broken triggers," Kinue whispered.

"I have some people I think you should talk to. They probably can't help you with Mantis. There's something else I have that might be of use on that front. But if the truth is what you're really after"—I stood abruptly—"Door, please."

I held my hand out. Kinue of course hesitated again because that's what happens in a world of secrets, agendas, and very good reasons not to trust. That's just the way it is when you can't know what someone is really after or the true nature of their character. The world in its entirety is fundamentally unknowable. It's why the best they can manage is the best anyone can do.

I've been thinking a lot about that lately.

Of course, once more Kinue took the leap.

She was a reporter, and she took it seriously. In her mind, the truth was unknowable, but you could get close to it and close was the best anyone could manage. Smart woman.

Following her through the portal I walked past Kinue to the cabin door and knocked.

"Coming!" a voice called.

I heard some movement on the other side. Turning, I could see the city in the distance. We were in the mountains now, surrounded by trees save for the cabin and a gravel road. Kinue looked about but she knew she was well past the point of being able to run.

The door opened and Marissa poked her head out. "Oh. Hey Taylor. Who's your friend?"

"Kinue Crossroad," I answered. "She's a reporter."

Mars' expression shifted, becoming more serious and guarded.

To Kinue I said, "Kinue, this is Marissa. Also known as Sundancer, of the Travelers."

Kinue's jaw slackened. "You've had the Travelers tucked away this entire time?"

"Funny how people just stopped wondering where the rest of them got to," I noted.

If David were a smarter man, he'd be trying to clean up loose ends. Of course, I'd been prepared for that for ages and he hadn't done anyone the favor of even attempting it. He didn't even plan to attempt it as far as I could tell. Oh well. This worked even better than catching him red-handed trying to murder witnesses.

"Are Jess and Luke in?" I asked.

"Yeah. They're here." Mars stepped back and made room for us to enter.

Kinue walked in and instantly looked away.

The cabin hadn't changed much since I moved the Travelers in. Simple kitchen and living room. Dining area. A library. Two beds and baths. Jess was with a Helper just to the side of the couch, Luke looking over the back beside her.

"Travelers," I called, "Kinue Crossroad. Kinue Crossroad, the Travelers."

"You've seriously had them in a mountainside cabin the entire time?" Kinue mumbled.

"Noelle asked me to protect them." I looked Luke and Jess in the eye. "That's what I did."

"Noelle?"

"Façade," Jess answered. "Her real name was Noelle. Noelle Meinhardt."

"She was our friend," Mars affirmed.

"Ah." I raised my head. "Right."

Those in the room all looked at me as I turned to the kitchen.

"Door, please. Marie Parfacy."

Another portal opened and Marie stepped through a few seconds later. She'd had a growth spurt over the past year and was nearly five-six.

"Hello, Marie."

"Hello, Taylor." She glanced around the room, eventually settling on Kinue. "Hello, Ms. Crossroad."

Kinue blinked, clearly recognizing the name but failing to place it.

"When I was twelve," Marie explained, "Grace Hicks kidnapped me from my school and took me with her."

"Cranial," I elaborated.

Kinue's face paled and she looked at Marie with new eyes.

"You want to know about Eidolon?" I asked. "Talk to them"—I nodded to Marie and the Travelers—"about him, and do with it what you will."

Kinue's brow rose. "You all know Eidolon?"

"He didn't call himself that when we met him," Luke explained. "He called himself David. Later, we knew him by a different name."

"What name?" Kinue asked.

Jess snarled, hands gripping the arms of her wheelchair.

"Teacher," Marie interrupted. "Cranial encountered him as well, and a woman named Fortuna."

Kinue's gaze narrowed and she looked to me.

"They're my sources for a lot of what I know," I told her. "Listen to their stories and decide for yourself what to think."

With that, I turned and walked away.

Their story had to be told. It wasn't about heroism or villainy. It was about the truth. Everything Fortuna had done. Everything David had done. The good, the bad, and the horrible. The truth had to come out and...

I stopped on the other side of the portal, looking at Dinah.

It's almost time, isn't it?

Far, far, away, Administrator looked to the sky. Yes.

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Thank you, Claire. If you could send Kinue back home when she's finished?"

Dinah's phone pinged. She fished it from her pocket and read.

"So." Riley watched as I came back to the workshop. "Did you know that was going to happen?"

"I knew opportunity would present itself eventually," I answered.

I'd let it stew long enough. The battle lines were already drawn. People picked their sides and their opinions and thought they were right. David wanted to fight a war for hearts and minds. He could do that. I had my own secrets and I'd done my fair share of cheating along the way.

Unfortunately for David, he had a hell of a lot more skeletons in his closet than I did and I knew enough to point people in their direction.

Fortunately for me, I was very content to just let the man bury himself.

Soon?

Confirmation.

I nodded to myself. "Veda. Mantis?"

"I suspect she is dead," Veda answered from the speakers around the room.

Well... That was a complicated feeling. Mantis was the one Tagg sent to try and hurt Veda. One of the capes who came with her—Banshee—almost succeeded. I didn't want her dead though. Her fiancé was still trying to find her after all this time?

"Send a Haro to that airfield Leet was hanging out at back then. Look around... If David were smart he destroyed the body, but—"

"Smart isn't his forte," Dinah suggested. She came in with Veda's middle-school avatar and Missy. They'd patiently waited outside at Veda's request while I talked with Kinue.

"At least then there'd be some closure for her family," I mused. "Good day at school?"

Dinah gave me an odd look but shrugged. "It was okay."

"That's nice." I checked the time and nodded to myself. "I should get back to Seattle... Dinah, do you have room for another text friend?"

"The more the merrier."

"Let me see if Chloe has a cell phone."

How many heroic deeds did that make today?

"And Veda."

"Yes?"

"It's time to have that chat with Leet."