A/N: Parahumans doesn't belong to me. It remains the property of Wildbow. If you have not read Parahumans gtfo and go read that shit cuz its the best fucking story you'll read in a decade.

Special thanks to MarkerIV for being a hella awesome beta and sounding board, and also the folks over at spacebattles.

Chapter Two: Teaching Teachers

"Come on! Taylor, you know practically nothing about them and you've been holed up in your room all week!" Chloe was a very passionate individual when it came to most things.

To my unending annoyance, the girl had apparently made it her personal pilgrimage to "get me out of my shell." The girl was constantly pestering me to come to parties, meet people, make friends and the like. It was kind of nice, in an insufferable sort of way. Sometimes I thought she just did it to annoy me but other times… times like this when she was being particularly insistent I thought maybe she really liked me.

"Come ooon!" She emphasized her annoyance with me by grabbing my arm and physically trying to tug me off my spot on the couch. Sophia might've been able to pull that off but luckily I was stronger than Chloe.

I gave her a half lidded stare as she leaned all her weight into tugging on me and I didn't budge.

"Please let go of that." I said calmly, referring to my arm. It wasn't exactly firmly attached and slid off pretty easily when pulled the wrong way. Luckily she'd caught part of my actual arm right above the elbow. Unluckily, it was slipping onto the plastic under my sleeve.

"Taylor they can teach us about Heroes! They might even know how people get powers! At the very least its worth it to find out about the two or three we have in town? There are two bad ones you know?" Chloe asked while she petulantly scrunched her face up.

She reminded me of Imp in a way. She was a less funny, less perverted, and older Imp.

I still didn't say anything but I did cock an eyebrow.

"Come oooonnnn! I wanna go but I don't want to go alone!" She huffed. She gave a final, mighty tug and I groaned as my prosthetic detached. The girl flailed, trying to hang onto my jacket which suddenly had a lot less traction than it had a moment before.

Comically, she sprawled on the carpet lightly banging her head against the wall behind her. My prosthetic slid out of my sleeve and flopped onto the ground along with the rubber lining and sock that was almost permanently rolled up my arm.

The girl's jaw dropped open in horror. "Oh my god I'm so sorry! I didn't break it did I? Oh god, Taylor I didn't mean to do that!"

I rolled my eyes and smiled. Her apologetic horror was so painfully genuine that I had trouble not grinning. "Its okay, the thing was getting itchy anyway. And alright. I'll go. But you owe me."

"Yes!"

Apparently, ever since Obelisk had made herself known by 'surprise surprise' robbing a bank in town, the local professors had decided to run a couple of awareness seminars after hours. What they'd learned about powers and a few tips on what to do incase you ran into a villain.

I couldn't imagine that they had anything more vital to say in that regard than, stay calm, no sudden movements, and pray. Even the weakest of capes wouldn't find much challenge from a civilian.

I do remember being irritated that a different Hero had stolen Vigilant's title but I had the sneaking suspicion that I would have to get used to that. How long until I met someone calling themselves Hero or Legend, who'd never met the ones in my world? I guess it was only a matter of time.

That said, I thought his title fit this world's version more than it had fit the Vigilant from my homeworld. This one apparently had 360 degree partial x-ray vision and enhanced reflexes. Didn't get much more vigilant than that.

It was warm outside and the sun was just starting to fall below the horizon at about 6 pm, but you could feel that winter was on its way. The slight nip in the air foretold cold nights in the future, but not yet. I wore a jacket anyway, as I often did in public. People tended to gawk and then avoid looking when I went out in a short sleeved shirt, especially without the fake limb. The ghostly way the jacket fell wasn't exactly 'better' but it was manageable at least.

Some of my teachers were already giving me grief for my bad handwriting. Lets see them write with their offhand eh?

I'd managed to keep my crippled status away from most of my teachers. I don't really know why I did it but I had no intention of letting them know I was forced to write with my off hand. The classes I attended, all but one, were taken in huge lecture halls with anywhere from 50 to 100 students sitting there trying not to fall asleep, so it wasn't like they could remember my name or anything. They just saw crappy handwriting on a paper or two and scrawled in their own far worse handwriting that my paper was illegible. Oh. And a -10 points for this eyesore.

Typing was maddening as well. I was practically demoted to finger poking. But I could cope. College had a lot more homework than high school had but it also came with a lot more free time as well. It helped that everything was easier when you weren't terrified of going to class.

The ride to the seminar took about five or six minutes. It was fortunate that Chloe had an on-campus parking pass; otherwise the walk would've been longer than one of my runs. They were holding it on a big open set of bleachers in one of the Campus's many courtyards.

We approached as they began turning outdoor lights on. I grimaced a little. If they were turning lights on that might mean they expected this little gathering to last until dark which was at least an hour away.

Great. I get to listen to idiots who think they know something about capes for an hour. Hmm. Professors. I bet they go the evolution route.

I remembered from a few world history classes I'd taken during my time with the Wards that many scientists had believed powers were a result of Darwin's evolution in the beginning. That was before Manton and his studies. Yes, someone phasing through glass like Shadowstalker could be explained by survival of the fittest. If you survived long enough eventually evolution would make you just aware of events in other countries like that clairvoyant I'd held near the end. Or give yourself the ability to detect the probability of any given question. Control bugs.

Right.

The bleachers were giant and made of solid stone, built into the wall of the fine arts center. They doubled as a performance stage for the band to do concerts but when not in use for something professional it was common to find students sitting on them, studying, talking, macking in public, or singing annoyingly loudly to tunes only they could hear from their earbuds.

On the ground below them was a large 'green' surrounded by sidewalks. For this particular event, they'd broken out a lot of stage lights that stood tall or shined up from the ground to highlight part of the grass. A small group of professors stood on that green. I only recognized Professor Butler, my biology teacher.

"Yeap, they're going with the evolution tack." I mumbled, slightly irritated.

Chloe didn't notice.

The bleachers were currently filled with about forty or fifty people, ranging in ages from 20 to 50. They'd opened this little seminar to the community at large and advertised it quite strongly. People were afraid. One person had died at Obelisk's hand during that bank robbery.

What would I have done to her if this were my territory? Bullet ants? No not nearly enough. She'd murdered someone, an innocent civilian for money. That wasn't how capes were supposed to play. This world wasn't like mine. A cape didn't murder civilians and survive outside the birdcage for long in my world, unless their powers were ungodly strong like Nilbog, but this world didn't have a birdcage as deterrent. No Dragon to scare criminals who suddenly felt as if they'd gotten a magic ticket to the top of the food chain.

If the kill had been accidental that was one thing. The video showed revelry in Obelisk's eyes as one of her granite spires shot up through the bank floor to skewer her victim. That could've been a trick of the camera as the quality wasn't the greatest. Her victim had been an old teacher who worked at my college, whose only crime had been throwing a glare at her.

Vigilant had been there trying to stop her but he'd only been so much use. His reflexes were enough to allow him to dodge her obelisks but not really enough to save other people. He'd tried and failed.

I understood that feeling pretty well.

I did a mental calculation of what her power could bring to bear and how I would've stacked up against her: at best she was a Blaster 4. My bugs would've mutilated her. I knew my skills. I'd have left her begging for the birdcage.

Fuck… what the hell am I thinking?

We took our seats on the third bleacher up and we were accosted by boys almost instantly.

Or rather, Chloe was.

"Chloe! Hoped you'd make it!" exclaimed a handsome boy probably a year or two my senior. About three inches taller than me, he towered over Chloe but there wasn't an intimidating bone in his body. His hair was rugged and almost bleached blond so it shimmered under the lights from the green.

"Wouldn't have missed it, Tanner!" Chloe replied. "And hey Reid, how're you doing?"

"Fine," Reid replied. Shorter than his companion but still taller than me, Reid was tanned a subtle shade. He had black hair cut short into a high fade. His jacket defined a well toned chest. I flushed a little looking at him. It'd been a long time since I'd felt that particular tingle in my heart.

"And who's this?" He asked with a smile and a gesture towards me.

"Oh, you guys haven't met yet. Taylor, this is Tanner and Reid. Guys? This is my roommate Taylor." Chloe introduced us in her usual peppy and outgoing way.

"Nice to meet ya!" Reid said offering his hand.

Internally I cringed. Why the right hand? Why did it have to be the right hand?

"Uhh… y-you too." I stuttered pathetically, offering my left in the hopes that he'd realize my problem and switch before it became awkward.

He blinked, noticing the problem. His eyes widened and of course he didn't catch on that I was offering my left. Half a moment passed, his eyes lingering on my loose jacket sleeve but to me it felt like a solid minute.

"Oh… uh… sorry." He finally caught on and gave me his left hand, meeting my eyes.

"Smooth dumbass." Tanner quipped from beside him. Luckily Tanner was pretty good at salvaging an already shitty first encounter. He sat down beside me close enough to be uncomfortable. The bleachers were filling up though and he didn't have much choice. Fifty people had stretched to a hundred already.

"This event is a lot more popular than I expected." I said, watching more and more people filter onto the green and up the stone steps.

Reid took a seat on the opposite side of Tanner. I think he was embarrassed. I sent him a smile while Tanner responded to me and he perked up considerably.

"They've heard that Vigilant is going to be here tonight." Tanner said, his own excitement bleeding through his words. "God wouldn't it be cool to…!"

I tuned him out. Yet another clueless idiot who thought powers were the ticket to a better world. They weren't. The novelty wore off far too quickly and was replaced only by fighting agony and suffering for everyone. I was still trying to come to terms with the peace that had fully settled around me. Still trying to shut off the twenty four hour awareness that came from all my time as a cape. Post Traumatic Stress? Hell it was a miracle that I'd managed to make it this far without snapping. Seeing Annette had helped, and my dad was the best dad anyone could ever hope for. They were my anchors now.

This world had been lucky it hadn't had powers for the past thirty years. They just didn't know it yet. Without Endbringers or Scion to challenge them they probably never would. I almost felt a bit bitter towards them. Our world had been sacrificed so that this pristine little place could thrive.

But I was being a hypocrite. Hadn't I spent hour after hour drawing my little costume in my stupid notebook?

So long ago…

"Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for coming out tonight!" Came a sudden voice that interrupted Tanner's speech about eye lasers and my thoughts simultaneously. "My name is Professor Comerford."

The man who spoke had no need for a microphone as the audience quieted almost immediately. He had the type of voice that could carry through an open field, honed by years of educating. He was balding, his remaining hair around his ears a pure white. Large horn rimmed glasses made his eyes seem disproportionately huge. He wore a button up polo and a pair of nice slacks. He could've been a poster boy for the educated upper middle class.

"Now we've got a bit of a treat for you all tonight. We've come up with a panel and the self-proclaimed "hero," Professor Comerford literally air quoted the word, "Vigilant has decided to answer some of our questions."

"I never said that!" Came a sudden voice as a man in his mid twenties approached the lighted area from the green. "I never called myself a hero. All I did was try to stop that robbery. Hell what's all this "Vigilant' bullshit anyway!?" The man burst.

He wasn't wearing a cape or mask at all. Come to think of it, I'd heard Obelisk had been a run of the mill thief as well. She'd worn a mask but it hadn't been to show herself as a powered villain. It had only been present to hide her identity. These weren't capes. Heroes and villains like in my world. That whole concept seemed to have only just caught on with the Wardens.

The media had named these two and neither of them for any type of outfit they wore.

"Students and visitors, Devin Maxworth. Vigilant." Professor Comerford introduced the man, trying to keep his control of the situation and succeeding admirably.

Vigilant seemed to sigh, and I found myself genuinely surprised. This man seemed to want to be a rogue more than anything else, but once again the term "rogue" hadn't been coined yet. He was short, probably my height, but he was composed of powerful muscles. His eyes had a far away look about them that made his reported vision easy for me to believe.

This was the beginning. This was the formative years. My dad had lived through times like these when powers had only just begun emerging but I'd grown up in a world where the regime of the Protectorate had been established. Here people were scared. I only had to look around to realize just how scared they were. Even students. Scared people had this tendency to blame the first available target.

Vigilant, Devin, had been duped. I had little doubt what this little Q & A was going to turn into. I only hoped my guess was wrong.

"Quite a crowd today," noted the professor with a bit of a smile. "Good good! I'm glad to see more people willing to increase awareness of the new perils that face our world today. Now for those of you who haven't attended our previous seminars we have collectively been going over newly appearing Villains as well as known Wardens and threats. Now if anyone has anything to add to the conversation feel free to chime in. This is an open forum, not a lecture." He lectured. He seemed to chuckle to himself as if he were telling some sort of private joke. I was unamused. Beneath his calm, scholarly veneer a degree of contempt seemed to swell from the man, all aimed at Devin.

"Now, lets get started. For some, this might be the first time ever interacting with a super powered individual. Tell us, what can you do Mister Maxworth? Perhaps a demonstration? We in the scientific community always need new evidence to support our theories."

"Its pretty well known what I can do." Vigilant barked.

I don't actually know yet. Not for sure.

"But for the sake of those who might not know, would you please tell us?" the old professor asked, his professional manner showing that knew exactly how to manipulate a conversation. He reminded me of Coil.

The crowd was surprisingly silent. A few stragglers were still coming up the side paths and sitting down on the large bleachers or on the grass in front if they could find no room or didn't want to cut through people to get to open spaces at the top.

Vigilant sighed. Not a very charismatic man was he.

"I… I can see. All around me. In all directions, up, down, left, right, back, and front. My eyes can see right through the back of my head. Unless I concentrate on it, its like its not even there." He admitted, almost as if he was embarrassed by it.

"Ew…" Tanner whispered conspiratorially to me and Chloe. "Hope he can't see through clothes."

Chloe giggled. I didn't even crack a smile.

"There is more, yes?" Professor Butler asked.

He seemed to pace a bit, running his hand through naturally curly hair. It was unwashed, and dull. There were bags under his eyes. I could tell he'd been missing sleep. Anyone else could've too if they'd bothered to look.

"Yeah, I… Yeah. I can. Move faster. Spidey sense shit you know?" The crowd laughed at that. Spiderman had been a comic before capes started appearing in Earth Bet but his popularity had died when the real thing started happening. Here, this was apparently was some sort of joke, but I didn't get it.

"But I had the power to do something. I just happened to be near that bank when shit started to go down. Coincidental as hell." He breathed.

You did what you thought was right. How many times had I done the same? Would you let yourself be called villain? Monster? So you could do the right thing?

My respect for Vigilant bumped solid three notches. He was getting a little more comfortable in front of the crowd. He wiped sweat from his brow though and I could tell he was still ridiculously nervous.

"And do you feel you deserve these abilities?"

I was aware of the crowd. They were all focused on the poor guy so intently. He'd probably never been in a school play before let alone talking in front of so many people. I felt nothing but pity for this new Vigilant. He may be able to see in every direction but for all that sight his new ability gave him, he was very blind.

Suddenly something tickled the back of my mind.

"I did before… Now, I wish someone better had gotten them. Someone who could've stopped her." Vigilant said, humbly, staring at his feet.

I slowly turned away from the conversation. Something very insistent was telling me that my focus should not be on the hero and the professor winding him up. No. My focus should be on...

"It have been better if no one had interfered in my opinion," said a stout old woman, who had not yet spoken. She was one of the professors from the panel sitting in chairs now off to the side of the green.

The crowd of students verbally agreed, tittering with whispers.

"Better if these powers were shut down as soon as they are found. That way no one has to worry about people who can take an entire building hostage on a whim," the woman added.

Dumbfounded by the suggestion, Vigilant blinked. "What?"

I let my eyes travel over the crowd. No, not her. Not him. Not the blonde in the front. Not Chloe definitely. Slowly I was turning around, trying to find the person this horrible sense of foreboding was coming from. Multitasking came easily to me. I kept my ear on the conversation but what was truly important was someone else here.

"I said, Mr. Maxworth, that you –what was that word the media has been using recently? Capes?– You capes should be quarantined for a time after your trigger events!" The man spoke rolling right over Devin's protests that he was born here. He wasn't from any other earth.

"Yes. Temporary quarantine, both for your own safety and for ours, until you've learned to use them and learned when to use them! At the very least! Do you disagree?"

"Yes!" Devin barked immediately, then floundered. "No… I don't know! You can't just imprison people! That's like an amendment, isn't it? Besides! Triggers aren't something you can control!"

The crowd was voicing its assent, but not with Deviin. Against him. They agreed with the professor.

She was sitting two bleachers behind me and to my left. My eyes stopped on her and I found who I was looking for. Her face had been covered entirely in the video, including her hair. This girl had a bushy head of black locks that hung down to her shoulders and a pair of dark coal eyes. She wore a faded green sweater and dark denim pants that hugged skin tight to her long legs. She was so tan that she could hardly be called caucasian.

She was seething with rage at the professors below. Distressingly, I found that my own hand was clenched into a fist, my lips drawn tight by their words.

I didn't recognize her. But her power. I knew it instantly and with perfect clarity. Obelisk. The girl who could raise granite spikes from the ground at will. A powerful terrakinetic. I'd rated her as a Blaster 4 but it was at least two ranks higher, now that I could feel what she could truly do. Her Obelisks formed in the lower crust of the Earth in moments and she could make them large enough to skewer buildings. They could be a hundred feet tall…

"More and more dangerous people are gaining these unpredictable powers. While I believe the Wardens to be a good idea, those men and women have proven that they are smart enough to know when to act, and when not to. It is people like you mister Maxworth that I fear. People all too quick to rush into situations they don't understand. Do you not feel guilty over the death of Alan Waker, the man you led to death by recklessly engaging a known villain? For what? Petty glory?"

I was beginning to really doubt Comerford's degree. Weren't professors supposed to be smart? Any idiot knew that you shouldn't antagonize a known cape. But he didn't even know about the real threat.

Obelisk was seething in her own anger. I didn't know how long she'd been here, only that she was mad enough with the professor's words that she was going to do something about it. Soon.

"Of course I do! I… fuck, I didn't… I just thought…" Devin's head had swayed to professor Comerford, and guilt plastered his face.

Why, oh why did you come here you ignorant fool? You'll find no sympathy here.

"You want someone to take it out on, huh old faggots?" It was so low that I only heard it because my ear was turned in her direction. Obelisk was mumbling under her breath. "Round us up in a coop?"

Shit. She was actually going to do it. How could I stop this? She was going to murder the professor in front of all these people. Worst of all, she was an idiot! By murdering him in the middle of his anti-capes speech she'd be martyring him! Fucking dammit passenger, couldn't you have just kept quiet? Why did I have to know this? Hadn't I done enough?

"Hey, don't you think they're going a little hard on him?" Reid asked Tanner, but tried to keep his voice low enough that we couldn't hear.

"And yet you disagree. You think your kind should be able to do as you please. It was your fault anyone got hurt at all!"

I could feel it. She was forming the spear of stone. Standing on the edge. Why? What did she care about Vigilant for? Because he was a fellow cape? No, that didn't matter. I needed to focus on stopping her. Not her reasons. Her actions.

Couldn't attack her. Suicide. Couldn't use powers, obviously. Couldn't get civilians to safety with any hope for success. No there was only one option.

Be the hero. Fuck it.

"Is this what I came to see?" I spoke loudly so my voice carried.

Eyes shifted, Obelisk's included, trying to find the new voice. Mine.

"Taylor!?" I heard Chloe's shock but pushed it aside. My eyes burned on the professors. I couldn't chance a look at Obelisk but I could feel her easing off the trigger. A little.

More would be needed.

"Is this what you came to teach?" I asked, standing slowly. "Because honestly, go a little bit further. Just a little. Then put on your pointy white hoods."

"Taylor, what are you doing!?" someone hissed lowly. Chloe? Or one of the boys? Unimportant.

One of the professors spluttered. My biology teacher. "Young lady, you obviously haven't been paying att–!"

"Oh I've been paying perfect attention Butler." I didn't dignify him with his title and the effect showed. "All I see is a group of old men and women trying to get their petty revenge on the one person who stood up."

My heartbeat thundered in my head. Would Obelisk now skewer me? I hoped I'd read her right and shutting down the professors would stay her hand. It had worked so far.

"This man is responsible for–!"

I couldn't let them speak. They were wordsmiths after all and much more experienced than I. Shock and awe was my strategy and I had to burst like a firework if I wanted to keep them speechless. I had to make sure they were always trying to keep up. I had to steamroll them utterly, and my dauntless reputation didn't exist here. The more they spoke, the more chance that Obelisk would kill them anyway.

"Is responsible for saving the lives of every other person in that bank?" I interrupted him once again. It occurred to me that if for some reason Obelisk decided to use her power anyway right now, it would be very hard to prove that I wasn't her. Our body types were quite similar after all.

I could feel the flashes of cellphone cameras and recordings. This felt familiar. I almost wished I had a table I could sit on. Instead, I slowly began walking down the steps of the amphitheater to the front. The civilians parted for me as smooth as water. I didn't even have to look down.

"You." I said, pointing to a random girl in the front row.

"M-Me?" The girl stuttered, horrified. I smiled. She was perfect.

"Hypothetical situation." I posed taking another step down onto the grass below and walking towards her. I allowed my eyes to sweep over the crowd, ensuring that I had captivated them. I had. "Say tomorrow you gained powers. What do you do? Stay quiet and do nothing, become a hero, or start robbing banks?"

She gulped. Scaredy cat. I hoped she didn't say "do nothing." Didn't have much of a backup plan for that one.

"B-Be a hero… Right?" she turned the phrase into a question. It would do.

"Okay. Now you're a hero. You've got some good powers. Maybe you've joined up with a few teammates. They've got your back."

"Miss, you're interrupting, and I fail to see–!"

"I realize that you fail to see. Let me get to my point and illuminate you." I broke his words before they could trample me.

"Now, Hero." I turned back to my victim and she cringed. "You're fighting bad guys. Real bad guys. They kill people for fun and they'll kill your team if you fuck up even once. They might manage to kill civilians anyway, but if you're not there then they definitely will. Do you keep fighting them?"

"I… Uh…"

"Do you keep fighting them?" I demanded. She couldn't give up already. That would ruin the point.

"Yes!" She yelped.

"Good. That's good." I said softly.

Then I turned to the audience. "You're all alive!" I exclaimed, passion burning in my voice, and they flinched. I had to sell it! Had to make the story vivid in their minds or it wouldn't take hold. "She's saved you and stopped a bomb from destroying every last one of you! But everything didn't go according to plan."

The audience, even the professors seemed to hang on my every word. Obelisk seemed entranced too, her spear of granite forgotten beneath the Earth. I slowly slid off my jacket, reveling in the cool air. I wore a tank-top and my arm was clearly visible. My lack of an arm.

"This… happened to her. She gave her arm for you. Risked her life..." I turned back to her while waving my stump. "Obelisk attacks the people this time. You're crippled. Do you let this hinder you? Are you going to let these people die?" I gave a grand gesture with my left hand across the audience and they shuddered all of them as my eyes swept passed.

"No." She said, lower in tone, but with more confidence. "I'll save them. I'd be a hero… I'd always save them."

"Oh and you try, Hero… but is anyone perfect?" I mocked, my voice full of pity. "This time you fail. You beat Obelisk, barely. You're aching. Your legs are broken, and your team fares little better. Despite your efforts these people here on the grass…" I turned to stare at the group sitting at the foot of the bleachers somberly. '...didn't make it."

The girl seemed visibly stricken. Two of her friends were sitting on the ground right below her.

"The people don't like you so much anymore. You see, you've failed them now. Let all their expectations down. Some hero. Couldn't even save these few people here on the grass." I quoted that from somewhere.

"But I tried!" She screamed, and it was my turn to flinch. Were their tears in her eyes? Crap was I making this too real? No… I wasn't that good a speaker. But I've come too far now to stop.

"You did your best." Venom dripped from my words. I sneered at her as if she were gum found on the bottom of my shoe. Less. "And you think that's any consolation? Their friends are dead because you fucked up. Some even hate you, they feel you're personally responsible for their loss."

I glanced back into the audience. Thankfully, Obelisk seemed every bit as enthralled as everyone else. Maybe I'd been mistaken about her. She was clearly violent. But Bitch had been violent too. I'd seen her viciously murder an innocent looking man, but there were two sides to every story. She looked so hopeful now.

Unlike Chloe, Tanner, and Reid, who now looked downright terrified. Of me. Fuck.

The sun had almost completely left the sky, the clearing now lit almost solely by the large white lights. I shivered under the cold wind.

Might as well finish it.

"Blight arrives," I told the poor girl coldly, my eyes staring daggers into hers and she couldn't hold my gaze.

Blight was the only other villain I knew, and I only knew of him due to Chloe's television. He already had a body count of over three hundred. A murderous psychopath whose power withered and decayed everything around him, aging people in a horrid fast forward. His range was tremendous, eclipsed only by his madness.

"Your team is dead or dying around you. You're friends are aging by the minute but lucky you! You're immune. You're the only one left. The only one standing between Blight and everyone else here." I said, again letting the audience know that their lives depended on this girl's answer.

"But he gives you a choice. Walk away. Leave them to him and you can collect what remains of your team… while he kills the people who hated you for failing them."

"I-I…" She tears trailed down her cheeks. She was speechless.

I didn't let her answer. This question wasn't hers to answer. No.

"Devin Maxworth. Vigilant. Do you fight to save them?" I asked pointing at the professors, and as one their eyes seemed to lock onto my finger as if I were damning them. "The people who've threatened you with imprisonment? Who've scorned you? Or do you walk away?"

It didn't matter which way he answered really. I had solutions to both. If he did, he really was the Hero. If he didn't, then they were to blame.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

"Fuck them…" He said lowly, but his words seemed to echo in the momentary silence. People were so fragile... I nodded slowly as the audience seemed to mull over the moment in heartbreak. Some hugged their friends. Some wept into their hands. A few, a precious few scoffed at me, untaken by my words. But the majority were in shock. As if they'd been left to die. Jesus. How real had I made this little play?

"And that…" I said turning finally towards the professors. "Is how you make the one person who might've been able to save you, turn his back."

I stared hard at each professor. I'd silenced them. I'd steamrolled them, these people who were my superiors. I had a feeling Professor Butler's class was going to be infinitely more difficult, but his face was solemn.

"Do you get it now? Don't you see? Vigilant is your damn Hero! He's human, but he's all you've got! When Obelisk comes again? When another villain too strong for police comes to take your money, your friends, your family, whose hands do you want to put your life in? The man in that video? I would. That man was doing what he thought was right, and I'd be honored to have him fight for me."

Finally, it seemed the spell I'd cast was broken. The crowd was staring at me and some were wiping their eyes. Guilt painted their faces. Some even lowered their phones, ashamed. Still others seemed afraid of me. Awed. What the hell had I said?

All of them clearly weren't on my side though. There were a few angry mutters. A few growls. A few people who clearly thought I was a nutcase. They wouldn't be far from the mark.

The only important one though, Obelisk, had an unreadable expression on her face. Whatever ability I suddenly had, so different from my bugs, was completely dormant. I could sense nothing from her. But I didn't think she was angry anymore. I'd calmed her down at least. It was difficult to get a read on her without making eye contact.

It would have to be enough. There was nothing else I could've done anyway.

"Tay...lor…" I heard a Chloe's choked voice above cloud of murmurs that rose from the rest of the audience. As if she didn't know what to think of me. What to say.

Man am I good at making friends...

The poor girl I'd turned into a hero was bawling, her friends rubbing her on the back consolingly.

I gave a final turn to my professors. None of them had known who I was before, not even Butler whose class I'd sat in for almost two weeks. They knew me now.

"I don't respect a single one of you. You're entitled to criticize. People make mistakes… even heroes, and they need to be watched, their actions judged just in case they go power hungry. But is this how you needed to tell him? Is this the best way to avenge your friend? Someone he tried to save? Is it best to discourage good people from even trying?"

Every single professor looked like they'd spent the afternoon kicking a puppy.

I'd won.

I locked eyes for a moment with Devin, who nodded back at me. I turned and began the slow walk home, sliding my jacket over my shoulders as I went. As it fanned out behind me in the wind, I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could pull off wearing a cape.

…

Nah.