"I'm highly trained in melee and long range combat. You could give me a minor brute, mover, shaker, and blaster ratings to accommodate for my combat abilities. I can't fly but I have something that essentially amounts to telekinesis. I have the ability to influence crows, so you could give me a small master rating there. And as I've demonstrated, I also have healing capabilities, although nothing as overtly powerful as Panacea's ability. I have a variety of other abilities which include modifying my appearance and putting people to sleep from a distance. I'll give you that much for now, Emily. I don't make it a habit to let all my secrets out of the bag at once."

Emily Piggot stretched her legs, feeling the muscles work properly like they had so many years ago.

"I didn't ask for this," she said bitterly. Much of excess weight had been used up in the healing process. Her tailored business suit was now several sizes too large for her.

"And you wouldn't have let me if you had a choice. Just accept it. It was more for my own reasons than for your sake. You're going to be my boss, after all. Now, are you ready to face your adoring public?"

"How long was I asleep?"

"Only about thirty minutes. I'm surprised they haven't broken through yet, or I would be if I didn't know PRT regulations now." With a few modifications, earth release techniques worked surprisingly well with concrete. "I'm going out for a while. You can register me at Arcadia as Haru Ikari. My cape name will be Zetsu. I'll be back before evening patrols start. I'll need a cell phone and bank account." He handed her a card. "Use this for setting up my identity."

Director Piggot looked at the identification card. "But this is..."

"I already told you that I can change my appearance. What makes you think this is actually what I look like?"

Haru kicked open the door to the interrogation room and leaped out before a throng of highly armed PRT agents swarmed Director Piggot. None of them saw him leave, even though their high tech helmet cams. Only when the boy was long gone did they see him on recorded video footage, walking through the mass of PRT suits as if he were invisible.


"To Bugs:

Are you still around? I wanted to ask you if you'd join the Wards with me. Someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse and I figure it'd be more fun if you were around.

-Haru"

It wasn't even a few minutes before he received a response.

"Yes."

He sent another PM back.

"To Bugs:

I'll be at the PRT building at 4. See you there.

-Haru"

With a decent amount of time left before he had to return, Haru started making a permanent account on the PHO forums.


Dragon watched the exchange with mild interest. Her analysis software had flagged Haru's PMs as probably related to the incident at PRT HQ. The cameras of Haru's interrogation had been disabled by an excess of electrical shock or had been physically covered with concrete.

Details were limited but she knew that a new cape named Zetsu had been registered as a Ward and that Haru Ikari was to be enrolled in Arcadia. She didn't need to be a genius AI to put two and two together.

She marked the newly created account 'Zetsu' as a verified cape and resumed her conversation with Armsmaster, helping him repair his power armor. Dragon wished Colin would simply tell her what happened but he was being extra tightlipped about his fight. She supposed she would simply examine the debriefing of the encounter when it was released to her to find out who hurt Colin so badly. If it happened to be this 'Zetsu' then she was would make him pay, but only within the bounds of what her programming allowed, of course. That still left a lot of leeway for the greatest tinker in the world.


"Hey, Dad?" Taylor said as she walked into the kitchen.

Her father had decided to take the day off work and was holding a cup of cold coffee, wondering where he had gone wrong as a father.

"Dad, I want to talk to you about something," she said as she sat across from him at the table.

"Taylor?"

Unable to look her father in the eye, Taylor instead focused on the cup in his hands. "I want to...no, I'm going to join the Wards."

"The Wards? But that means..."

"Yeah. It happened yesterday...because of the bullying."

"So, um, what...what can you do?"

"I can control bugs," Taylor admitted. "I haven't really tried it out much but I can sense all the bugs near me up to about a block away."

A house fly landed on the table between them and walked in figure eights to demonstrate Taylor's ability.

"Why the Wards though? Can't you just wait a little while? Be a normal girl and figure things out?" Danny asked.

Taylor took a minute to decide her future. But she wasn't a normal girl anymore. And there wasn't going to be a better time than now to make a difference in her life.

"They can help me with my power. And I'll be able to help people. I have to do this, Dad."

Danny sighed and relented, "I guess you'll be better off with the Wards than by yourself. I just...I'm going to worry about you. I don't want anything to happen to you." He rubbed the coffee mug anxiously.

Taylor stood up and walked around the table to hug her father. "Things have already happened, Dad. I think...we just have to make the most of it...Also, can I get a ride downtown?"