Foxfire 2.1

I stood up, grabbed my bag, and left the classroom. Mr. Gladly called after me, but I didn't care.

I turned the corner, breaking into a run. Running down the corridor I brushed into the security guard. He barely spared me a glance. As I exited the building I reached up, pulling my hood over my head, sweat beading down my forehead, gasping for breath.

I was in the hospital just a few days ago. Really, my low endurance should have been expected. Glancing around i began to slow, panting. A small paperback book stores caught my eye, elderly shop attendant snoozing with a cap on his face. I walked past on my way towards his bathroom. He didn't look up. I took the time to transform, change clothes, and get out. He didn't notice, and no one else entered.

Really, I should be thankful Seka left me even one practical change of clothes. A fair imitation of what I wore on my day out, just sized differently. It was made to fold easily, fit in small spaces. Like my backpack.

I began to head towards the docks, walking at first before breaking into a run. My motions felt smooth, easy, with none of the fatigue or pain that plagued me since the locker. My feet slapped the ground, my breath fogged the air. In, out. In, out. Their steady rhythm calmed me, lulling me into a brief sense of peace. I just kept moving, kept running, slowly losing track of time. Then something caught my eye.

Slowing to a stop I turned towards the house. The door hung loose, wood damp and rotting. Rickety windows riddled with holes, creaking in the wind. One wall had a gaping hole blown through it. Ducking my head I moved closer, looking down at a familiar broken door. Unrecognizable to most, but the spyhole was one of the few things not blown to pieces. A small piece of silver caught my eye. Reaching down, I picked it up. An earring with the number 88, set in a stylized wolfs fang, spattered with bits of blood. One of Mark's.

Well, at least I know how he got away.

I heard a rustle. If I had fox ears, they would have twitched. "Whose there?" I called, looking into the darkness. A man stepped out, clad in the streamlined white armor of a PRT Captain. He walked up, tilting his head.

"I should be asking you that," he said, shaking his head. His voice sounded vaguely familiar. "I'm here on official PRT business, and this whole block should be cordoned off. How did you get in?"

"There was a cordon?" I said, blinking, mentally backpedaling. "I didn't see anyone, just a line of tape. I ah, might have jumped over it; I wasn't really paying attention, just running. And I was just curious is all, it's not every day you see a house with a hole blown through it."

He snorted, shaking his head. "Really? You must either be sheltered, or new to town."

"Uh, not really, I've lived here all my life," I said, looking away. "I just try to avoid crime zones. It's safer that way."

"Well, I'd like to amend my prior statement. Not sheltered, just smart." He said, grunting in approval. "Though it looks like you made a wrong turn today, this area is pretty big on crime. Say, which direction did you come from?"

"North west from here," I said, gesturing towards the road. "I passed Legend's Lagoon on the way over."

"Ah, that would explain it. That's probably where John is, 'keeping an eye on things.' I'll have to call him out for that," he grumbled, breathing out a sigh. "Then again, I can't really blame the man. There's nothing to find here that the police haven't gotten, and they already passed us everything." He tapped his foot thoughtfully, cocking his head. I heard the babble of a radio, but couldn't make the words out. "Well, my shifts almost over. Say," he said, turning to me. "I know this great little place nearby called Goonie's. Good food, great drinks, nice atmosphere. How about we go catch a bite for lunch?"

"I don't really have any money right now," I said regretfully, trying to ignore my stomachs grumblings. I'd forgotten about missing my paid school lunch till now. I check my watch. Lunch was thirty minutes ago, and my body was letting me know its displeasure. "And wouldn't you get in trouble for abandoning your post?"

"Hey, don't worry about the money. This job pays more than enough. If I wanted to I could treat someone out every day of the week, and still have plenty left over. Really, I don't know what to do with most of it. Besides," he said, tapping his radio, "My replacement just arrived. I'm off the clock as of…now!"

I blinked. He would pay for the meal? "Are you sure about this? I mean, you'd treat me, a complete stranger out? And at Goonie's?" I said, staring at him in askance. He waved me down casually as he removed his tinkertech armguards.

"It's no big deal, I could use the company. And I have the excess money, might as well spend it, right?" he said, starting to remove the rest of his armor. I looked away, blushing. He laughed, words floated over with an audible grin. "You know I'm fully clothed under this, right? I wouldn't be changing if I wasn't."

Right. "I knew that," I said, turning to face him. He grinned, shrugging the rest of his armor off. Underneath he was wearing some nice jeans and a white shirt, snug beneath a blue denim jacket. A he pushed his upper armor off the shirt slipped a bit, revealing one of those ultra-thin tinkertech bullet proof vests. I tilted my head, curious. "You know, you're only the second person I've seen wearing a vest like that."

"Really?" he said, packing his armor. "It's pretty common if you're ex-military, these tinkertech vests are a godsend. They've saved my life more times than I care to count." He winced slightly as he stood, favoring his side. "They don't protect you from everything though. By the time I'm thirty I'll be complaining about more aches and pains than someone in their sixties. Goes with the job I guess."

He steadied himself, walking towards me, hand extended. "We haven't been properly introduced. Let's fix that, hmm? The names Don," he said, hand extended.

"My names Tay- er, Tays," I said, taking his hand after a moment's hesitation. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," he said, moving towards the road, motioning me to follow. We reached the bright yellow police tape, flattened on the ground. His eye twitched when he saw that, twitching harder as he glared at Legend's Lagoon. He sighed, hand going to a pocket in his jacket, eying the building sourly. I stopped, waiting for him.

"Are you okay?" I said, raising a brow. He shook himself a bit before nodding, continuing on in my direction.

"I'm fine," he said, walking up beside me. "I'm just tired of dealing with incompetents lately is all." We reached Goonie's and took a seat. He flagged down a waiter, picking up a menu. "So you'll take the chai tea, right?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, eying all the choices. Crab. I haven't had crab in forever. Dad hadn't been able to pay for it lately. I felt a twinge of guilt, resolving to bring him some leftovers. I'd tell him someone at school gave it to me. Hah. "How'd you know?"

He smiled, fingers tracing the menu. "Oh, just a guess."

x-x

Foxfire 2.2

The talk had been informative, though at times I feared it would end quickly. It's not like I had much to say, and was willing to say any less, but whenever I clammed up or looked away he just seemed to smile, though eventually he had me fully engaged. It's not every day you get to talk to a PRT Captain. It took a bit, but I managed to steer the conversation to independent heroes and vigilantes, asking question after avid question, even if he couldn't talk about the PRT itself. "Classified," he said.

Now that I think about it, I've probably talked more in the past few days than I have in the last year.

Listening to his firsthand account was enjoyable. He had some interesting stories to tell and he was great at it. His voice changed on a whim, portraying piping young children to growling villains. His actions reflected the role as he spoke, the hunched visage of a monster or brave stance of a hero. I honestly have no idea how he pulled that off in a restaurant booth. If he wasn't in the PRT, I would have taken him for an actor, though his stories stopped a while ago, much to my disappointment. Instead, he kept up a running game of 'what if.'

"What if," he said, taking the thinker pose, "You were in the Protectorate?"

"The Protectorate?" I echoed, shaking my head. "I'm not old enough for that yet. I'd be in the Wards. And uh, I'd probably go out saving lives, cleaning up the docks, trying to push out the gangs. But I'd need a costume first. And powers," I said as an afterthought. Raising my head and, wait…

"Is something wrong?" I said, titling my head. Don's expression remained still as he slowly brought his cup down from his lips, setting it down carefully.

"How old are you?" he asked, expression strange.

"Fifteen?" I said, coming out more like a question. He stared at me in disbelief before leaning back, sighing explosively. It couldn't have been that surprising, right?

He massaged his head, looking at me apologetically. "Look, this was fun. Your great company and some nice conversation but I'm sorry, your just too young."

Wha- oh. Oh. Oh. "Wait, you thought that I'm an adult? That this is a date?"

"What was I supposed to think," he said, raising his hands, "At this time of day you're supposed to be in school. You don't even look fifteen! And what part of this wasn't a date?"

"I wouldn't know," I said, glaring at him. "I've never been on one."

"Really?" he said, staring at me intently.

"Yes!"

Don studied me for a second before he backed off, waving away the startled waiter. A few of the groups nearby were staring at us, but they went back to their business soon enough. "Sorry about that," he said apologetically, tousling his brown hair. "I jumped to conclusions, said some harsh things. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said, subdued. "I mean, it was fun! But I just thought, well…"

He raised a hand, cutting me off. "Look, I didn't just take you out because I thought you were available. I thought you were interesting, fun to talk to. Not many explore abandoned houses in their spare time, especially not when there are signs of violence. You did so on a lark, and it piqued my curiosity. You're a brave, intelligent young woman. Believe in yourself a little more." He smiled gently at me as he reached forwards, gently taking my hand, neatly enveloping it. It felt warm. "Maybe we could do this again sometime? Not a date, but similar. With less dinner and drama, just talking."

I nodded, blushing, staring down at his hand. "Yeah. I ah, I'd like that."

"Yo! What's happening over here?"

I turned, quickly slipping my hand out of Don's grasp. "Seka! What are you doing here?" I questioned, eying the man she brought with him. Possibly the biggest Asian I've seen, he dwarfed Don by quite a bit. Broader to Don's martial artist's figure, but with just as much fat. His walk remained relaxed, confident as he walked over, following Seka. She grinned, scooting me over in my seat.

"Relax," she said, blue eyes flashing as she picked a leg of my crab, cracking it open. "Me and Kenta are just here to eat, enjoy the sights you know? I've only got to Brockton recently, heard good things about this place." She sucked on the crab, eyes going wide. "Mmm. This is good!"

"Yes," I said, sighing mournfully as the crab disappeared. There went Dad's portion. "Yes it is."

Seka nudged me with her shoulder, winking. "So, you going to introduce me to your boyfriend or what?" she said, hand reaching for another leg.

"Oh, I'm not her boyfriend. A little too old for her I'm afraid. We were just talking, relaxing," he said, chuckling as he reached for the bill. "Here, let me take care of this. I need to go make a quick phone call, how about you guys catch up? Your obviously friends here, I wouldn't want to intrude. Goodbye Tays, hopefully we'll bump into each other sometime soon." He winked at me and Seka, gave Kenta a nod, and left. Kenta sat down, making himself at home, making a grab for a leg of crab. Seka turned towards me, gaze mischievous. "So. Tays,." she said, winking.

I winced, clearing my throat. "So, what are you two really up to?" I said, staring pointedly at Seka. She grinned, but Kenta answered.

"Discussing protection, for her and her mother," he said in a deep, commanding voice. "The Protectorate and PRT are not enough. I am here as…insurance."

"So…you're a bodyguard?" I said, gulping as he bared his teeth.

"Bodyguard?" he said, rolling the word on his tongue. His expression said he found it distasteful. "Nothing as such. I am more an investigator, going directly for the source."

"Yeah," Seka said, munching on the last leg of crab. "You could say that everyone at this table is directly suited for such an 'investigation.'" Kenta and I looked at each other curiously at that, his gaze appraising. Seka continued," Hell, I didn't plan on this, but what would you say to...joining in?"

"You mean…help you investigate? Make a difference?" I said, staring at her, becoming aware of a tingle starting from the edges of my fingers, moving to cover the rest of me.

"Yeah, but it's really more of his gig. He's the boss man here, I'm just a client," she said, jerking her head towards Kenta. "You'd be like that too. No pressure or anything, just helping whenever you can, a chance to get back at those assholes."

"I'd like that," I said, nodding eagerly. Kenta grunted in approval, standing up as he made his way to the door. Seka jerked my head and followed, with me trailing behind. Don stood out front, leaning against a flagpole. He waved and I stopped, hearing the tail end of his conversation.

"Yeah it didn't, she's too young. Shame really, thought we really had something," he said, winking at me as I turned to face away, smiling as I walked. "Still, she's an interesting person, I might hang around her a bit. Who knows, she might even have a sister!"

x-x

Foxfire 2.3

I ran, catching up with Seka. Kenta lead the way, long strides eating the ground. I made to run to catch up, but Seka caught my arm. "Hey now, wait a sec. Give him some distance. I need to clear up some misunderstandings. Don't worry about losing him; I know where we're going. "

"Okay?" I said, tilting my head. We lagged behind a bit, streets emptying as we walked towards the worse parts of the docks. It was almost exactly the route Don and I took on our way towards Goonie's. "So, what do you need to clear up?"

"Look, it's pretty obvious you think this is a capes only club, some kind of superhero intervention or something," she said, stopping, speaking in a whisper. I leaned in closer. "Don't. As far as Kenta knows, you're just a girl who got caught up in the crime. Don't do anything stupid to tell him otherwise."

"What?" I said, disappointed and confused. "You mean it's not?"

"No. Fuck no. If I were introducing you to other capes, it would be in costume," she said, looking at me strangely. "I'm no snitch, wouldn't reveal your identity like that. No, this is an actualinvestigation. Amateur detective style. We're going in, checking out the scene of the crime, and seeing what we can find. I asked you along because you were there when it happened, and you can tell us more. The Police didn't tell me jack squat."

"Ah," I said, chagrined. Sometimes I forget about how important secret identities are to capes. Not when mine is so bulletproof. Wincing, I pushed my thoughts of Villers away. Considering that Seka thinks this is my actual form, it would make sense she was being careful. Much more careful than I would be. "So, Kenta's an actual investigator?"

"Hell no," she said, snorting. "Let's just say the guy deals with this kind of work a lot and leave it at that huh?" I stared at Kenta's back, quickly reevaluating my opinion.

"How dangerous is he?" I said, reaching for the comfort of my fire.

"Pissing him off would probably be worse than pissing off the Protectorate. He doesn't have as much reach, but he's the type that tends to deal with problems, sometimes permanently. He's got some clear lines though, so as long as you don't cross him your fine," she said, starting towards him again at a slow walk. "Don't piss him off, don't step on his toes, don't fuck with his operations and your fine. At the same time, he likes it when people show some backbone. If you don't, he won't respect you."

"Ah," I said, moving closer, speaking under my breath, "Then why involve him at all?You already have safer options. I mean, the Police and the PRT are already on the case, guarding your mother as well."

"See, that's the issue. The government agencies are on the case. Even if they find something, do you know how long it would take them to act on it? They've got all this yellow tape to work through, they're too removed. It would take them a heck of a long time to craft a response once they've come to a conclusion about whoever did this," she said, kicking a nearby rock. "It doesn't matter if their guarding Mom, they can't stop a snipers bullet, can they? That's all it would take once she's out in the open. Kenta's got the experience to figure out who did this, the muscle to deal with the perps, and the ruthlessness to see things through."

"So you call in some kind of crime lord? That's what you're making him sound like," I said, gesturing at his back. He kept moving, calm, relaxed, giving no indication something was amiss.

"He kind of is one, but one with a penchance for helping out folks in his territory. Or at least fighting a common enemy, "she said, gesturing vaguely towards the area we came from. "People back there aren't really any worse off than they were before he came. Hell, maybe even better. There's less infighting with a problem solver like him around, a set rule if you will. All I know about the perps is they tried to kill mom. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't. " She started moving faster, Kenta motioning us over. I followed, walking somewhat reluctantly. We got there, standing in front of the house. The tape on the ground had been removed.

"What caused this hole?" he said, gesturing towards the wall.

"I'm…not sure, actually," I said, tapping my foot. He moved to face me and I took a reflexive step back. He snorted, shaking his head in amusement, but didn't comment. "I, uh, wasn't conscious when it happened."

"Then tell me who you think caused this. Who was in position to," he said, tapping a foot.

"An empire thug named Mark, probably trying to escape," I said, raising a hand. "About this tall, half his head shaved, tattoo of an 88. He was fidgety, nervous. Had a lot of silver jewelry, like this." I held out the earring. He ignored it, focusing back on the wall.

"Was he carrying anything that could have done this?" he said, gazing at me.

"I'm not sure," I said, meeting his gaze. "I wasn't really in a position to see. He had a gun though, wore a weapons belt."

He nodded, saying "Could the cape, Foxfire have done this? The other man?"

"No," I said, hesitating. "Well, uh, I mean the I guess Foxfire could have done it, but her fires were smaller I guess? She would only be able to break this much if she riddled the entire wall, and it still wouldn't have caused this kind of damage."

"Indeed," he said, grumping. "This is more consistent with a single explosive. Your earlier statement is likely correct, used to escape. There are drops of blood on the way out, though they stop soon. Odd. We will look into this later. Tell me of the other man."

"Okay," I said, pulling up my memory. "Tall and muscled from what I could tell. Not as tall as you, maybe an inch or two shorter? I didn't catch his name, so I just called him Jacket. He wore a black one, with a bulletproof vest underneath. I couldn't see any Empire motifs on him, but he was the one in contact with their boss. Uh, he had a gun, a few knives, along with something that exploded, knocking me out near the end. He seemed really sure of himself, though he deferred to Mark's choices."

"Could he have caused this?" Kenta said, humming contemplatively.

"Maybe?" I said, thinking back. "I mean, at the end there he wasn't having the greatest time, struggling with Foxfire. His blows were looking pretty weak; I doubt he could have mustered the strength to throw a grenade. Pretty sure he used one point blank to knock her off of him."

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but we're learning next to nothing here. We should check it out, scope out the place," Seka said, stomping the ground, removing a few high-tech looking devices from her purse. "Right now we're just wasting time."

"We go in and they find us, we are rid of any deniability," Kenta said, cautioning her. His actions bellied his words as he moved steadily towards the house. "They will come after you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." she said, following after him. "Figured it out way before I came here. I'm willing to take this risk." She paused, stopping, turning to face me. "You know, now would be a good time to back out if you want. You already helped out, no need to get more involved, you've helped enough. I'm already pretty deep in your debt, and you've got a lot to lose here."

Less than you, I thought, but didn't speak it aloud. Less than Kenta. Instead I shook my head, moving forwards. "I'm coming with you. I came to help, and I'm not backing out now." Especially not when I have less to lose. I couldn't call myself a Hero otherwise.

"Suit yourself," she said shrugging. "Don't worry though, I'm sure it'll all be fine. I got everything under control, and we got Kenta in case things go belly up. What could go wrong?"

x-x

Foxfire 2.4

"You know," I said, looking around, a little miffed, "When you said 'investigation,' I thought you meant something different. Not this." I don't know what I really expected, but picking through rubble wasn't it.

"What'd you expect? Spandex and Danger?" Seka asked, studying the hole in the wall, holding her white noise generator. In case of bugs, apparently.

"Yes," Kenta said, studying the wall I'd burned through. "Your help is greatly appreciated. Brave for a victim to come here again." Nodding towards him respectfully, I kept my distance. Don't know what to make of him. He seems helpful enough, polite, but from what Seka told me… Still, his constant calm put me at ease, made him easier to be around. I shook my head, watching Seka putter about.

"What's with all the precautions?" I asked, motioning towards her high-tech devices. What some of them did broke a few laws of physics, so I guess she is a tinker. Kenta hadn't even batted an eye when she pulled them out, so he must have been in on it. White noise that only disrupts electronic devices, ring like device to find active emissions, a few other odds and ends.

"You know, sometimes I think your stupid. Then I remember you're just ignorant," she said, shifting through some woodchips. I would have taken offence, but I really am. The closest I got to spying and investigation were my bullying notes. This is on an entirely different level. "You think whoever pulled this cares whose doing the snooping? They already tried to off Mom for money. By playing spy we go from mark to threat. Do the math. "

I thought on that a second. " Not getting found out is really important, isn't it?"

"Your damn right it is," she said, fiddling with her gear.

"But why are we searching at all? It's pretty obvious the Empire is behind this." I said, holding up a piece of rubble. I was supposed to be using my advanced senses to find something, but as far as I could tell it was just a rotting piece of wood. I tossed it aside, picking up something else. "I mean, Mark was obvious enough, and I even found that earing." Picking it out of my pocket I held it up, fang shaped, bloody, the 88 engraving twisting through its grooves.

"They give those trinkets to anyone, member or potential," Kenta said, taking it from my hand. He turned it over, showing the base of the tooth. "There is no engraving. Not a serious member." He turned, tossing it over. I caught it, not sure what to make of his obvious dismissal.

"Mark didn't seem like he wasn't Empire. He had plenty of tattoos and trinkets and he seemed to really buy their dogma." I said.

"A lesser member then, a wannabe. One with the most to prove. The Empire wouldn't send a man like him for an assassination." Kenta said, snorting.

"It was a kidnapping at first." I pointed out.

"More evidence to support my claim. Any fool can kill, a kidnapping takes planning and effort," he said, turning to Seka. I shuddered, beginning to see what she meant about him. For all his calm, he stated that like it was a fact of life. Like he'd done it before. Exactly what 'problems' does he solve? "What have you found?"

"The blast is pretty consistent with Coil's better munitions. See how soft it is around the wood? Barely affects organic matter, wrecks hell on anything like steel or stone. Pretty good work," she said, tracing the sides with her finger. The latticework of wood protruding from the wall supported her claim. "This could have been a frame job, him trying to implicate the Empire somehow. He doesn't have much territory, but what he has is right outside their borders."

"Indeed," Kenta rumbled, nodding as he leaned back against a wall. "This would explain the skill of the other perpetrator, the one you call Jacket. Empire 88's rank and file lack quality, keeping their territory with their many capes."

"Coil?" I asked, turning towards Kenta. "Who is he? I've never really heard of him."

"Not surprising, he is careful, sneaky," he said, shaking his head. "Taking small bites when no one looks. A cowardly strategy, one that wouldn't make the news. He controls a paramilitary gang of mercenaries with good gear, tinkertech. They are veterans with combat experience, skilled, competent."

"That…actually sounds pretty accurate. Fits Jacket to a T." I said, nodding slowly. Kenta grunted in agreement.

"Aha!" Seka exclaimed, lifting something up. It was tiny, barely visible, a flat oval with a lens and a mottled covering. "Knew it! I fucking knew it! Smile folks, were on camera!" She tossed it to Kenta, who crushed it in his fingers, electronics sparking as they died. "Too bad the dumb shits forgot the wireless, means we have a chance. Get searching people, we got lives on the line here," she said, taking out a small orb, carefully placing it on the ground. It jolted, producing a constant electric buzz.

"Spread out and start looking, wouldn't want to give them any leads, eh? These things have been recording all day; probably got a slew of info someone would love to get their hands on. The moving dots are us. Ignore them, go for the rest. This devise only shorts the bugs out for a bit, wouldn't be safe to use around people otherwise," she said, holding up three screens. "They should show up…shit there are a lot of them. Paranoid much?"

"How long do we have?" I said, looking over her shoulder. Red dots clustered on the little device, somewhere over twenty.

"Around four minutes, give or take," she said, waggling her hand back and forth. Kenta took a screen without a word, searching the ground floor. He found a bug, crushed it, and moved on. Twenty seconds. I followed his example.

We moved, quickly quietly, looking for bugs. We had their general location on the grid, but it took a while to find their hiding spots. Crushing another five took nearly a minute, taking longer with every bug. I heard something outside.

This isn't working.

"Were not going to make it at this rate." I said, turning towards Seka. "How long will it take your device to recharge?"

"It doesn't," she said, shrugging. "One time deal, takes a lot of energy to buzz this wide of an area without frying anything. Would have been easier to light the whole place up, but that would remove any leads. Try to memorize where the dots are on the grid, and anything we don't get we can find later." Her words were nonchalant, but her pace frenzied, eyes wide. Kenta seemed less hurried, more methodical, but his jaw clenched, muscles strained.

"I could remove them all," he said, facing Seka. "It would be quick. These are fragile, easily broken."

"It would just draw more attention, send whoever's watching the area running for backup. Your too flashy," she said, shaking her head.

"Let them come," he rumbled, rising to his full height, muscles bulging. Taller than before? " However many they send will not matter. They will still break."

"Look," she said, changing tacks. "You're making a way bigger deal out of this than you need to. The device may only last a few minutes, but we have ages to clean up the rest, we already know where they are. Besides, what about her?" She asked, jerking her head at me. Kenta never moved.

"A car pulled up two blocks away in that direction," he said, pointing towards the kitchen wall. "I hear them exit, moving here. Four people, no conversation." I started, focusing in. At the corners of my range, itself outside a human norm, I could hear what he spoke of. Footsteps on cement, eerily quiet in the backdrop. The rattle of metal on metal met my ears, calm breathing. Seka walked over, stomping down on the pile of bugs. They broke, metal scattering, sparks escaping. She kicked the remains, scatting them.

"Shit!"

"Yes. For your other question…" he said, pausing, turning towards me. "You can keep a secret, yes?"

It was pretty obvious what he was asking. Could I keep his identity secret. He was a cape, one capable of destroying all the bugs if he needed to in a 'flashy' way. He had also grown. Not much, barely noticeable in the dark, but it was there. Growth, blasting, some kind of Asian crime lord? Really only one person he could be. If it was this obvious to me, he probably knows that I know.

If I wanted to, I could out him at any time. I could call the police on him. I could call the PRT, the Protectorate on him. The government would probably respond. Lung, the head of the ABB, is a major threat. A dragon of a man, the ruthless monster who ruled the docks, he took on the entire local Protectorate, the government funded hero team, and won. I'm the Hero, he's the villain. Yet he's the one entrusting me, a complete stranger, with his identity, prepared to throw it on the line to save ours.

"Yeah, but I might have a better idea. One that would break the bugs without calling a crowd. Kenta," I said, taking a breath. "Can you keep a secret?"

Compared to him, I have nothing to lose. This face, this body, this voice, this isn't really me. A fake, a fabrication of my powers. If I needed to, I could talk to the same people, have as much fun as myself. Don said he wanted to hang out with me, not for my looks but my personality. If I outed this form, I could still make the same friends. Explain everything to Seka, to Naoko. Really, it would be all too easy without this form as a crutch. It's not like I would be losing anything. Right?

Right?

Kenta paused, staring at me a second before turning to Seka. "You did not tell me this," he growled, face calm.

"Hey, she-!"

"it is fine," he said, shaking his head. "It does not matter now." He turned to me, nodding. "I can. Go."

The timer on the device flashed, beeping. Thirty seconds left. Thirteen bugs to go.

Nodding, taking a breath, pushed the energy away and changed. The constant buzz of suppression disappeared, leaving feel free. Tails sprouted, ears grew and my gaze sharpened. I saw as if it was day, the small reflections of the lens standing out on their drab backdrop. I heard the hum of electricity, faint, but there. The energy that had been covering me coalesced, a translucent ball of shimmering energy, slightly smaller than a basketball. I called some into myself as the world slowed, seconds ticking like minutes. I moved.

Running past Seka and Kenta, their expressions of minor shock frozen, fast disappearing. Calling some fire to the tips of my tails, I sent some flying. Three down. I pulled more energy from my ball as it shrunk, keeping myself faster, sending out more waves of fire. Eight more down, none in sight. The device showed two, steadily beeping. Ten seconds left. Upstairs?

The footsteps grew closer.

Pulling more energy I surged , flying up the stairs. There!

Time sped back up, the ball shrinking down. Barely more than a shiny bauble filled with strange patterns. I couldn't draw anymore.

I stopped, using the energy of the surge to push, blasting the last few bugs apart. The energy disappeared, my senses dulling. Still incredibly sharp but everything was a bit duller, a bit dimmer. If there were any left, I wouldn't have been able to find them nearly as easy. I leaned against the wall, tails fanning behind me, trying to pull the energy around myself, become more human. It didn't work. Seka and Kenta came running up, pounding up the stairs.

"My my," I said, ears twitching, grinning widely. "A little late to the party, hmm?" I tossed my screen triumphantly, landing before Seka. She picked it up, looking at me strangely.

"You got them all?" she said.

"Of course," I said, carving a spiral in the wall with my nails. She nodded, swallowing a bit. Ah, I'm acting scary. Well then. I softened my grin, instantly changing it to a gentle smile. If anything, that seemed to scare her more. Kenta studied me, leaning against the wall.

"Ah, yeah," she said, looking me up and down. I could hear the outside footsteps approaching, making their way up the front porch. "Why havn't you changed back yet? We're almost in the clear."

"I lack essence," I said, shrugging as I tossed my softly glowing ball, glinting as it caught the light of the window. "Life essence. I used the majority of my borrowed essence while hunting the cameras, there is not enough left to turn human I'm afraid." She nodded, mouth shutting with a click. Kenta, in comparison, moved forwards.

"We do not have much time," he said, walking over, extending a hand, still standing tall, confidant. My smile widened as he approached. "Take mine, enough to change back."

"It's quite a bit," I said, tilting my head. "Are you sure you're up for this? It could leave you weak, exhausted if a fight were to happen."

"I am sure," he said, visibly growing, as the heat in the room raised. His eyes seemed to burn. "Do it."

"If you're sure," I said, shrugging. I placed my hand in his and pulled.

I am a bonfire. Jacket, a flame steel. Kenta? An inferno. I took, pulling, filling my ball. His fires flagged a bit, but more replaced it. I kept draining, kept taking, refilling myself, capping out my ball. When it ended he sagged a bit before recovering, standing straight. I winked at him, blew him a kiss, then pulled the energy, surrounding myself as my tails shrunk, ears disappeared, I shrunk…

And buried my face in my hands, cheeks burning. What had I been thinking?

Footsteps hit the stairs and Seka moved to quickly join us, leaning against the window, facing the stairs, looking casually relaxed. Kenta copied her, gazing out the window, arms crossed. Boots hit the top as I too looked out the window, Seka in my scope of vision. She relaxed, I relaxed, leaning into the wall, letting out a long held breath.

"Sierra?"