Dad did not find out the truth about Taylor's injury. He had enough problems without us adding to them. With an assist from me he was willing to buy the staircase story ("You really should be more careful Taylor. Head injuries are no joke.").

It helps that since he spends so much time at the office that when the school calls about us we can delete the message before he's home. He's so lucky we are relatively well behaved most of the time. Me and Taylor managed to pretend normalcy after her explanation and we had a quiet dinner.

After that roller coaster of a day I checked in with Missy by text ("I don't care how angry it makes my mom. I'm staying at your house next time she has dinner with guests. Those kids were absolute brats."). Then I got some sleep and the next day I found Taylor at breakfast. Dad had just left for work.

"So it's the last day of school before winter break. Now that we've slept on it, do you want to bury the hatchet? It's going to be a long break otherwise."

"What's there to discuss? You've made the way you feel about me pretty clear."

Damn, it's the patented Taylor Hebert stubbornness. Well it's not insurmountable I just have to word my apology well.

"Taylor, I just wanted to help you. I'm sorry that you didn't like how I did it."

"Are you also sorry for blackmailing Emma and Sophia?"

"Wai… What. How did you figure out-"

"I remember that Sophia was the last of the bullies before she backed off. Shadow Stalker joined right before it stopped. I'm not dumb you know."

This is what makes my sister so challenging to deal with. Not only does she know me so well, she is actually pretty intelligent when she isn't wrapped up in her own issues.

"Okay then, please do not mention Sophia and Shadow Stalker in the same sentence again. Not only would I get in trouble for letting it slip, you'd get screwed pretty badly too."

"Don't worry Sam, I'm not going to tell anyone. I had my fill of being angry last night. You on the other hand should think long and hard about what you've done."

"All I did was help you."

"Thats what you think. Get back to me when you figure out what else you did."

With that she stood up from the table, took her backpack, and left. It seems like the apology did not take. This is clearly something that will take some more time to heal. I quickly grabbed an energy bar and headed to my school bus stop.

The last day of school before our winter break was pretty simple, I had the day off from wards that day since we had our first semester final tests. Thankfully after talking about the tests we had taken with Missy I could tell we did pretty well on them. Then after that we planned out some things we could do together over break with our free time.

Since the spat with Taylor could last a while I planned to spend a lot of time with Missy watching movies, doing a shopping trip to the boardwalk, and taking advantage of any snow that falls. Me and Missy could usually get chaperoned by Taylor. But I had to explain that she and I were fighting, omitting the details that could get me sent to jail ("She's angry I didn't take her side about picking fights at school. I want to beat up Nazi's too but she's being reckless about it."). So the shopping trip would be with her mom and we'd watch movies at home mostly.

The PRT kept going through the break but you could spot from the empty desks that a decent number of folks were taking days off for the holidays. Ward shifts were reduced to let us spend more time with our families, but we did come in at least twice a week during our almost two week break. It was during my first shift during the break that I got the most amazing news. I was in the cafeteria finishing off some soup when Assault came along.

"Hey there little Manes, how's the winter beak going?"

"Nothing worth mentioning so far."

"Oh really, cause I think that's about to change. The Director wants to see you in her office at the top of the hour. Armsmaster and a few other people are going to be there too. Better look your best cause I think it's important."

"I'll keep that in mind. They didn't mention at all why?"

"Just that it's for something only you can do."

So probably something to do with my master power. Gallant's only classified as a master because his emotion manipulation gets lumped in with powers like my physical control. So somewhere out there is someone they need me to control. I wonder if this is what it's like to be the tall guy being asked to grab stuff on the high shelves?

"Roger that, they can expect me shortly."

I quickly wiped my face and got going. When I stopped in the bathroom I used the mirror to make sure there weren't any cracker crumbs in my armor. Once I was satisfied that I looked sufficiently professional in my superhero costume to meet the Director I headed to her office.

I arrived in the office and told the secretary I was expected to be there for a meeting. As I was flipping through the office magazines during my wait Armsmaster arrived.

"Hello Manes, I'm glad you had no trouble arriving."

"Hello sir, it was no trouble. Though I was wondering what the meeting was about. Assault was vague about what I was needed for."

"It is nothing to be overly concerned about. It will be fully explained in the meeting. All you need to know now is that you are needed for a special operation. You and another guest are being briefed in preparation for it. When we start the meeting, be as professional as possible and let everyone explain their parts."

"This sounds a lot like I should be taking notes or something. To think I forgot to bring any paper. You think they'll mind if I write notes on my hand?"

"I would recommend against that. If you have any questions please just ask."

It was then that a man and woman having a conversation entered the waiting room from the hallway. The man was dressed formally and he had close cropped, coarse hair, thin lips, and a cleft chin. The woman was obese with steel-grey eyes and a bleached blonde bob-style haircut. She was also wearing a navy blue jacket and skirt. So she could only be our "beloved" Director Piggot.

"Thomas for the last time we only need you for a few operations. I know you get results for the other branches but we can't afford you full time.

"A shame to hear, if you do change your mind you have my number. And ah… Armsmaster it's good to see you again. Your latest projects are going well I hear?"

"Yes, Mr Calvert. Your suggestion to contact Gimbal to help with the balance issues on the Arms-cycle was very helpful."

I don't often feel left out of conversations but I was definitely feeling it now. It was then another person entered. She had dirty blond hair and was wearing a gray patterned blouse and a neat skirt that was dark blue. Once I saw her face I knew who it was.

"Hello Ms. Houlihan I didn't think I would be seeing you today."

"Hello Manes, it's good to see you again. You really are growing fast now. You've gained at least an inch or two since I last saw you a few months ago."

Ms. Maggy Houlihan was the Youth Guard case worker for female wards of our branch. We were supposed to meet them every three months for an in person visit, in addition to the monthly phone calls. I love hearing her Irish accented voice over the phone. I actually wasn't expecting to see her for another week or two. Once Ms. Houlihan finished approaching us, the director addressed us.

"Now that all the necessary parties are present for this meeting, may we move into my office? It has all the countermeasures needed to ensure the contents of our conversation remain confidential."

We all made noises of agreement and filed into Piggot's fairly spartan office. It was only decorated with a few credentials and commemorative pictures. We found three seats waiting for us in front of her desk. Armsmaster then spoke.

"I will be standing as I usually do for this meeting, feel free to take any chair. I had decided earlier that removing my armor for this meeting would have been too time consuming."

Accepting his explanation I took the furthest chair from the door, Ms Houlihan the center, and Mr Calvert the closest to the door. Once we were all seated and the door was closed the director began.

"I would like to thank all of you for being here today. The reason Manes and Ms. Houlihan is here is that currently we are developing an important operation here at our branch. We have recently confirmed that a new parahuman gang called the Archers Street Merchants has been on the rise. While they are currently small-time, we have confirmed earlier today our suspicions that they possess a tinker. Armsmaster can explain."

Armsmaster stepped forward and pulled a piece of paper from a compartment in his armor. He began to speak.

"She is known as Squealer. We have classified her as a Tinker 2, Mover 3. However that rating is more reflective of the low quality of the materials she works with. If she had better tools and materials her tinker rating would be several units higher. The quality of the vehicle I inspected was much better than it had any right to be."

Well if her name is a reference to the Animal Farm character I will be a very surprised girl. Armsmaster continued.

"Her membership in the gang raises their threat profile much more than her rating suggests. Each vehicle she makes not only gives them mobility, but access to much more firepower than if they were on foot. If they were to come to blows with either the ABB or the Empire then they could punch above their weight. It would also result in a lot of collateral damage. Which is why our operation is focusing on her. Mr. Calvert can explain from here."

The thin form of Mr. Calvert turned in his chair to face me and Ms. Houlihan.

"Allow me to introduce myself since we aren't acquainted. My name is Thomas Calvert and I'm a consultant for the PRT. I specialize in operations. It has been decided that the Merchants need to be stopped now before they can establish themselves to be too dangerous. So we are going to be deploying a relatively large number of heroes to dismantle this gang and we have a perfect opportunity."

He took out a small card that looked cheap and water stained. It boasted some writing that said "My B*tching New Years Party!".

"We have discovered from this invite that the leader Skidmark is hosting a large 'New Years Party' at an abandoned warehouse. He is using it to promote his drug business and to show off his growing power. We don't expect more than a hundred attendees. We intend to hit that party with every available cape we have. Overwhelming force. So even if there is an additional one or two parahumans in attendance it will not make a difference."

He then took Squealer's file from Armsmaster and then offered it to me for some reason. I decided to take it and he began speaking again.

"However we have an additional objective we hope to accomplish in this operation. We have identified Squealer as a potential recruit for the Protectorate's tinker program. If she can be arrested we can offer her a plea deal that will allow her to detox from any addictions she has and join the side of the angels as it were. However, we are in a quandary."

He then steeped his fingers as he adjusted his posture.

"There are strengths and weaknesses to any approach you take to an operation. The overwhelming force option has the virtue of ensuring very few of the merchants will escape. However if it is taken then there is a high chance that Squealer will be killed while trying to resist. So we are pairing a stealth mission to the main operation. We propose that Manes and several other heroes will go in and extract Squealer while she is at the party. After that Phase II can begin and we can storm the party. That is why Manes is here now."

That sounded like a hell of a step up from my previous patrols. I actually can't think of any of the other current wards here being involved in an operation like this before. At this point Ms. Houlihan then signaled she had a question.

"That does sound very interesting but a thought occurs to me. I am not an expert but why is it not possible to arrest…. this tinker at another point? One where she isn't surrounded by so many other gang members?"

"A valid question. You see there is a saying that you should never attack a tinker in their lab. This has proven true many times. However since she tinkers vehicles she is very difficult to locate or pursue outside of her lab. So this party is a rare time we can predict she will be likely outside of her lab."

I decided it was time I asked a question. The most relevant issue in my mind was who I was going to work with exactly.

"So are the other wards going to be involved in this at all?"

"Yes, but only in a supporting role. Vista will assist in moving the strike team into and out of the building undetected. The rest will be on standby to assist if any problems arise. The team we currently have planned for the extraction is you, Dauntless, Triumph, and Mouse Protector, who will be assisting us as part of a favor for this operation. There are barely any other heroes with your specific skill set. Gallant for example had to decline to participate because of concerns from his parents. You are the only available option to us."

That got my attention. I loved Mouse Protector growing up. My obsession as a little girl had faded but I still had a soft spot for her. I was starting to wonder what could possibly be wrong with this plan because it was starting to sound too good to be true. I had to follow up.

"This sounds good so far but why am I specifically being chosen? The protectorate has other master capes they can use right?"

It was the director that decided to answer my question.

"Unfortunately not as many as you would think. Masters rarely join the Protectorate to begin with. The Vickers Bill that was making its way through congress scared them off even more. Even though it stalled and is likely to fail soon, it has caused about 2 dozen of the masters in the Protectorate and Wards programs to resign in the last year. The possibility they would be forced to effectively give up their private lives was too much. We've also lost contact with a few of them."

Then she gestured to Ms. Houlihan who took that as a sign to address me.

"Now Manes normally you wouldn't be anywhere near an operation like this. But there was a special request from the Protectorate that you be involved. I was asked to sit in on this briefing in part to make sure no coercion was involved at all. You should absolutely be allowed to say no to being involved. I'm not an expert but I can see this plan will be dangerous. While I can't stop you, I would highly recommend you don't join this operation."

That was actually a bit hard to hear. I've known Ms. Houlihan for the last two years and she's always been very supportive. She was actually on my side when the whole mugger incident happened since she was in the know. I had to push back a bit and ask why.

"It doesn't actually sound that hard. I've been reading case files for ages now and this is hardly the hardest thing the protectorate has ever done. Even for Brockton Bay the Merchants don't exactly sound like big fish to me. Why are you so worried?"

"Because Manes, I've seen more than a few wards get talked into doing things they shouldn't. They get told they're indispensable, that no one else can do it, and other things to inflate their ego. Then they get hurt or killed. Then there's what happened to you a year and a half ago. No ward should be getting dragged through the press just because they were told to lie by their supervisors. And now they're asking you to go out on a limb again."

So this was about her being scared for me. She was worried I was going to get thrown under the bus again if this failed. I did wish it could be as simple as just sitting back and letting everyone else take the risk until I was 18 and joined the Protectorate.

But I've been playing it safe for a while now. A year and a half of not rocking the boat had just gotten me sidelined. Waiting around hasn't gotten me anything. I wanted to stop getting left out and do something. I had to take the opportunity in front of me.

"I appreciate your concern Ms. Houlihan. But if I'm needed I can't just sit by and do nothing. I'd like to join the operation."

Ms. Houlihan's expression just grew sad.

"I wish they would stop asking children like you to be doing this. Putting your life on the line just to put away a couple petty criminals. But if that's your decision then go ahead. You haven't been coerced by any threats or punishments here so there's nothing I can do legally. Just know that if you need someone to talk to you can come to me you hear? Especially if they suddenly make any last minute changes. Things always go wrong on things like this when the unexpected happens."

Mr Calvert then spoke up.

"It sounds like you're speaking from experience Ms. Houlihan. Did you have a previous line of work before the Youth Guard?"

"Oh I was just a junior officer for the King's Men from back home in the UK. After I immigrated when I married I decided to join the Youth Guard."

"Really. We should meet for coffee sometime. I don't often get to talk to someone with a background like yours."

"I would be delighted, I could bring my husband. He always has old war stories to share."

At this point the director decided to speak up.

"Since the aim of this meeting has been accomplished I believe we can adjourn. Though I did want to have a private word with Manes about her role now that she has agreed."

Ms. Houlihan rose from her seat slowly as she began to depart and responded.

"If you insist, director. Remember Manes, if you have any concerns or want to withdraw please do not hesitate to contact me."

She and Mr. Calvert left the room and now I was only with the Director and Armsmaster. I chose to speak first.

"So I get that the Merchants are a new gang and all, but last week we were being briefed and we were pretty much just putting them on the back burner. Is getting a tinker really that important?"

"Manes, when we were speaking about the importance of the operation earlier, there were additional details that were not discussed. The most relevant of which was that it is part of a push from higher up. That was how we got Mouse Protector to assist."

"Wait, why would the higher ups care that much about the Merchants?"

"They actually don't. What they do care about are those two dozen Protectorate members and wards resigning because of the Vickers bill. Those were not capes we could easily afford to lose."

"But what does this operation have to do with that problem?"

"You."

"What?"

"The Protectorate needs to show to the public that masters can be heroic too. You were on the shortlist of potential candidates to help turn that perception around. You're a young face that can show that with guidance from the wards any parahuman can be a hero. It can even be spun as a comeback story from the previous cover up incident. With the help Mr. Calvert provided we were able to put forward an operation that could get their full backing."

"But the Merchants aren't that big of a threat."

"No, which is the point. This operation stacks the deck so that you can play a role and we can get an easy success story. You need a chance to gain some positive press. And this will be your chance."

"You guys really trust me that much? After all this time I've had to keep a low profile?"

"That is actually what has impressed us. Many parahumans I know would have resigned, rebelled, or completely crumbled. You on the other hand persisted. You've kept to your training with very few incidents."

I could tell she was trying to butter me up. The last time I had been called to her office was to get the third degree about whether I had been the one who started the rumors about my own death. They had actually needed to put out a press release to deny that. If I had happened to be in the library computer section with my sister at the same time those posts were made, then it was a complete coincidence. The Director continued on.

"I've always believed the old chestnut that with great power comes great responsibility. If I seem hard on a lot of parahumans it's because they don't often live up to that responsibility. You are an exception that proves the rule, which is why I'm willing to trust that you can play your role. Is that trust misplaced?"

"I don't think so ma'am."

"Good. We're scheduling you and the wards to do some training together next week in preparation of the operation. You are dismissed."

I could only barely contain myself as I slowly walked out of her office. I found a private bathroom and decided to freak out in celebration there. There was hooting. There was hollering. There was cheering. Overall a very cathartic 5-10 minutes

I texted Missy that when my shift was over we needed to meet up immediately. So it was when Missy was dropped off by her mom at my house I was wearing the biggest shit eating grin I ever had.

"So what's got you so excited?"

"Did they happen to tell you guys about a big operation coming up?"

"Yeah, everyone else just got a memo that we have a big training day next week to get prepared for it. Is that what you're excited about? You know you're still benched right?"

"Not anymore" I said in a sing-song voice. "Piggot called me into the office and told me they need me for the operation. Couldn't do it without me in fact. It's like a dream come true."

"Oh my god that's amazing. They didn't tell us anything about it so far. Can you tell me anything?"

"Only that when it's over there won't be nothing left of the Merchants except a greasy spot."

A/N
-While this fic is about relationships I understand Sam hasn't had a chance to really show off her skills. So we're going to get a nice set piece operation where she can do so. I'm sure nothing will go wrong and Coil will have nothing to do with it. Why are you giving me that skeptical face?

-Trying to portray Piggot as not exactly a bigot, but she does have much higher standards of parahumans that can be difficult to live up to. It can sometimes go into a "needing to be twice as better" attitude so it's not entirely unproblematic. As for why she's so for the operation it's basically a trade between her and the main PRT, they get a poster child and she gets extra resources to clean up the Merchants.

-Ms. Houlihan was there since I imagined that Danny would trust and defer to the Youth Guard since they're the experts on the PRT's tricks. So if they aren't stopping it then it can't be that unsafe right?

-That last sentence was inspired by a scene in Little Big Man (1970). My way of showing off a bit of Sam's film interests there.
Jack Crabb: General, you go down there.
General Custer: You're advising me to go into the Coulee?
Jack Crabb: Yes sir.
General Custer: There are no Indians there, I suppose.
Jack Crabb: I didn't say that. There are thousands of Indians down there. And when they get done with you, there won't be nothing left but a greasy spot.

-BTW Please leave replies and feedback they give me life.