Chapter 10: Dead End

South of the PRT's headquarters, Sundancer found a briefcase laying just out of sight. Something inside it caught her eye: a single vial that she examined very carefully. Ten seconds later, she put it back. It was definitely suspicious. She pulled out a cell phone from inside her costume to get a second opinion.

Her costume was black armour emblazoned with red suns, complete with a full helmet. It protected her well, disguising the fact that she wasn't as imposing as she looked.

"Trickster, it's me," Sundancer said. Her voice was mild, kind of hesitant, which didn't help her image. "You remember those vials? I found more. I'm serious."

It wasn't often that someone found a way to getting superpowers, but finding it twice couldn't be a coincidence.

"Yeah, yeah. There's two vials in here, and none of them are damaged. No documents, though. You think we can use them?"

Someone would have to be pretty sure of themselves if they didn't want to use these vials to their advantage.

"Sure, I'll take them now. Just gotta check for booby traps."

There weren't any booby traps in the case because the case was fake, and so were the vials. The vial's liquid was coloured flavourant mixed with water. So close, and yet so very, very far.

Among the city's villains, the mysterious Travellers easily stood out. When Sasuke found out that their power connections weren't alive, he seized the opportunity and laid his trap on the right Traveller.

Sasuke was very familiar with Trickster's power, so he knew Trickster could take and keep the case with ease. Ballistic could destroy the case with supersonic projectiles. Genesis could force a fight by consuming the case with their puppet. That left Sundancer. With her ability to create and control suns, he was sure that she wasn't a threat. Unfortunately, Sundancer and her teammates didn't have any ties to Cauldron.

Neither did Triumph, the Protectorate hero. Seeing him conjured a tiny sliver of hope in Sasuke's chest, and he managed to corner him during a patrol under the guise of a shifty young woman lucky enough to survive one of Skidmark's parties.

Unlike Battery, The hero was receptive to his questions, unlike Battery, but it was all for naught. He didn't have any new information to share. Of course, Triumph would keep his mouth shut, and advised Sasuke to do the same. That sliver of hope died a grisly death, for the Travellers and Triumph were nothing more than dead ends.

Time and time again, he came within touching distance of his goal, and yet something small and insignificant got in his way, like clockwork from the fates of ancient legend. Even if he overcame these obstacles, he couldn't reach what he crossed time and space to find.

Patience helped him cope with these irritating setbacks, as did the people he met along the way, but it was hard to be patient when the information he sought was just beyond his reach. At the same time, he wasn't willing to force Battery to talk, even though he'd been so very tempted to do so.

What made it worse was that even if Battery squealed, she'd still be right: he wouldn't find Cauldron's headquarters without their help. Fishing out their Subjects wasn't a guarantee that they'd take the bait, either.

Other than Battery, he was out of leads. Interrogating random strangers would be like searching for a fire in a blizzard: a waste of time.

It frustrated him like almost nothing else... but he had to persevere.

Rather than let his frustration defeat him, Sasuke made the most of his morning. Faultline returned his documents, gave him a flash drive containing a digital copy of its contents and told him that Newter and Gregor were recovering nicely. He saw capes trapped in a bubble of frozen time, and crossed paths with a couple of other heroes: a Tinker from the Wards named Chariot, and Laserdream from the independent hero family New Wave.

He didn't speak to either of them, though. There was no need. Instead, Sasuke trained and finished by channelling his chakra, cooling off his mind and body and reducing his frustration to a simmering boil.

Surprisingly, Battery had sent him a message: Director Piggot wanted to see him. About what, she didn't say, although it wasn't supposed to be serious. A light drizzle poured on the streets as he arrived at the PRT building, which he welcomed. He liked the way the rain felt on his hair and skin. When he entered the director's office, he saw her typing on her laptop, alone.

"Close the door behind you."

He did just that.

"Do you make it a habit to disappear without informing anyone?"

Sasuke made sure his expression was as inscrutable as the mask covering his eyes. "Is that a problem?"

"It wouldn't be if the current situation with the Slaughterhouse Nine wasn't so tenuous. Tell Battery or another cape you're in contact with where you plan to go. If I know where you are, I'll know where to send reinforcements if you get tangled up in their affairs."

That wasn't a problem on its own, but her tone didn't sound right to his trained ears.

"Have they changed their routine?"

Director Piggot frowned. "Not yet. I suspect that they're proceeding as normal while they search for Burnscar's killer, keeping their killings to a minimum. You'd be wise not to let their lack of action lull you into a false sense of security."

"Understood."

She nodded. "Now, for why I called you. If you aren't busy, I want you to go with Vista on a patrol."

"For what reason?"

"To keep the peace and to present an image of strength to the public. In addition, you showed initiative, deciding to fix the PRT's gift shop for no real gain."

"I did it to help you."

"Precisely. You're also available. We won't cower in fear of the Slaughterhouse Nine."

If that was the goal, it didn't seem like a bad idea, but it sounded a bit too simple. There had to be a catch.

"Will I be alone with Vista?"

"Clockblocker will be joining you."

From the name, it sounded like Clockblocker had the power to stop time, which was interesting for more reasons than the immediately obvious – a second set of eyes to report back to the director. But there was no reason to refuse, either. He needed a good distraction.

"I'll go, but I want something in return."

Director Piggot made eye contact with him, searching for something. She frowned. "Finish this patrol first. We'll continue this conversation after you're done."

It took less than ten minutes for Sasuke to meet his patrol partners in the PRT building's lobby. He was able to change into his costume and eat a snack while he waited. When they arrived, a PRT agent accompanied them, hauling in three boxes full of supplies with a trolley.

"Thanks," the cape in white said. He wore an armoured costume with moving clock faces embedded on its torso.

"Not a problem," the PRT agent replied, before walking away.

"Hi, Sasuke," Vista said.

"Good afternoon." Sasuke looked at the other cape. His helmet had no face. "You must be Clockblocker."

"Sure am." He raised his hand, looking up to meet Sasuke's gaze. "Nice to finally meet you."

Sasuke stared at the offered hand. "How many clocks have you frozen?"

Vista giggled, while Clockblocker kept his hand up.

"That's not why my name's Clockblocker. But you don't have to worry, I'm not gonna freeze you. Pranks like that will only pi - peeve you off."

Vista stopped laughing, dry lips pulled in a frown. "C'mon, Clock, we talked about this."

"Sorry, force of habit."

Sasuke decided to shake Clockblocker's hand, waiting for something that never came. He squeezed, just enough for Clockblocker to feel it without actually hurting him. Then, he smiled, revealing his teeth.

"I'm looking forward to working with you."

Clockblocker laughed. "Me too, bro."

He rolled his shoulders and squatted, heaving up one of the boxes with both arms.

"Can you get the other boxes for me?" he asked, all business.

Sasuke looked at Vista. "Can you carry one of them?"

"You've got the Brute rating," Clockblocker said. "Vista's got other ways to help us out."

"Lots of ways," Vista said, flatly.

He shook his head, stacking the boxes together and throwing them into the air, catching the boxes on his right shoulder.

"You sure you don't want to use your other arm?" Clockblocker asked.

Sasuke put his hand where the two boxes met. "It's fine. Where are we taking these?"

"Needy citizens."

"We'll also be checking for any unreported crimes or other things we can fix," Vista said.

Together, the three of them set off towards a shelter a couple of kilometres away. Clockblocker wasn't having a hard time carrying his box, while Vista walked ahead, warping the road ahead to make their trip easier. It was mesmerizing, the way concrete squashed and twisted as Vista literally bent it to her will. She had a harder time doing it when people were around, but it wasn't impossible, either.

He still wasn't sure what Clockblocker's official reason was for joining them, since Vista seemed to know what she was doing. Actually, there was one reason, but considering Vista's capabilities, it didn't make any sense.

When they reached the shelter, Clockblocker put down his box on a patch of street that wasn't wet and sucked in a deep breath. He'd been careful not to drop his package.

"All right, I'll go and talk to the manager. Be back in a few."

Clockblocker went inside the shelter, leaving Sasuke alone with Vista.

"You sure you want to keep on carrying those boxes?" Vista asked. "Your arm might get all stiff."

Sasuke could have carried them all day. Instead, he set them next to Clockblocker's box. Now that all three boxes were on dry pavement, a thought crossed his mind.

"Try lifting one."

"Right now?"

Sasuke nodded.

"No prob."

She set her hands around the nearest box, exerting a lot of effort to pick it up and carry it a couple of steps. Her grip started to falter, but she was able to put the box back where she took it.

"It's heavy."

"You can carry it."

Vista puffed out a tired breath. "Yeah, but they aren't shopping bags, you know? You and Clockblocker made it look really easy."

Clockblocker returned with the manager of the shelter and gave him the box he'd carried, taking the manager's gratitude in stride.

"That's one down," Clockblocker said after the manager left.

"Any problems with the shelter?" Vista asked.

"Nothing too bad: mold, electrical outages. We'll get some people to check it out."

Sasuke lifted both boxes with ease, freeing Clockblocker from his previous burden. He gave him a long look, before nodding and taking the lead, half a step ahead of Vista.

The city at large had seemed to slow down, almost as if it sensed that the Slaughterhouse Nine was preparing to act. Sasuke hadn't seen any of the Nine since meeting Burnscar, but he hadn't actively searched for any of them since Burnscar's death. Better to let them stick to their routine for now... they'd reveal themselves sooner instead of later.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. The buildings didn't give them any cover.

Their next stop was a barely damaged apartment complex. The families living there had running water, tarps and sheets to stem leakages, and now, enough utilities to last through the week if they were rationed properly. All they were missing was electricity.

Clockblocker handled most of the talking, while Vista handed out the supplies from the box. He hadn't been approached yet, but Clockblocker had been sure to introduce him as a hero helping them out.

After they left for their third and final stop, Clockblocker spoke up.

"You thought about joining the Protectorate, Sasuke?"

Sasuke frowned. "I'm not the type to settle down in one place."

"Did you tell Piggy that?"

His frown wavered. "Piggy? Hope she hasn't heard that."

Vista snorted. "Duh, we don't say it to her face, but Piggy's always got something to say no matter how well any of us do. I swear, she loves watching us squirm."

He wasn't surprised. In fact, he'd seen evidence of it in his own interactions with the woman.

"She has high expectations."

"I guess," Clockblocker said. "Doesn't mean she can't be a little less, you know, grumpy. Trust me, you'll see it if you start working for her."

Sasuke shrugged with his free shoulder. "Perhaps."

They reached their last stop: a condominium close to the Towers. Unlike the apartment complex they visited, this condo was decaying in various places, but it had electricity instead of running water. There were only a pair of families living there. Once again, Clockblocker handled the talking while Vista handed out the supplies.

This whole time, Vista had been called adorable and sweet, applauded for doing basic work. It was rather... the local word for it was 'patronizing'. Did they not realize that she was a hero? Nobody called Clockblocker cute.

There were a pair of wild-eyed men who'd been following them, and one lunged at Vista, trying to shove her away from the box. She rolled out of the way, raising her hands for a fight.

"Back off!" Clockblocker shouted. "You want supplies, you wait in line with the rest!"

The other man pulled out a knife. He was a few centimetres shorter than Sasuke, but much taller than his partner in crime. "Fuck that shit. I'm not waiting for scraps!"

"Tough luck!" Vista said, scowling. "Either fall in line or back off."

The first man laughed raucously. "We're supposed to be scared of you?"

"I'll handle them, Vista," Clockblocker said.

Vista growled. "Seriously? I can do this, Clock!"

Clockblocker went in, hand raised, but Sasuke grabbed his shoulder. He tried to shake Sasuke off, but Sasuke wouldn't budge.

"Let me go! I'm not going to let her fight alone!"

"Make sure the civilians don't panic."

The man with the knife had taken guard over the box, waving his knife at anyone who approached. One of the families had a young child, shielding him from the miscreant.

"Damn it," he said, heading for the knife-wielding thief.

The first man lunged at Vista, trying to punch her face, but she grabbed his arm and tossed him over her shoulder, twisting his hand in a way that made him scream. Clockblocker was about to grab the thief, but he darted out of the way and rushed towards Vista as she wrenched her opponent's arm behind his back.

She hadn't noticed the other man, and when she turned around, his knife was slicing downwards, towards her head.

Sasuke grabbed the man's wrist. "Time to go."

"What the –" The would-be thief took one good look at him and quailed. "Holy shit! You're that fucking cape! Lemme go, and I won't bother these people again, swear to God!"

He stared him down as he quavered, averting his gaze, shaking in his worn-down shoes. Then, he let him go.

"You'd better keep your word."

The man did, leaving his former partner pinned down face-first in the dirty water. He was shaking, trying his hardest to break free, but Vista let him go. He sat in the flooded street and coughed, fighting to catch his breath.

"Go," she said. "You know what'll happen if you screw up."

He stood up, nursing his wrist. Like his fellow thief, he looked at Sasuke and shivered.

"Fuck, you really are that guy," he said, before bolting away. If they didn't learn their lesson, someone else would teach them, and they wouldn't be as forgiving.

Clockblocker glanced at the scene, nodding to himself. "They're gone! It's safe now, you can come and get your supplies."

He held out a bag filled with vitamin canisters. A few seconds later, one of the civilians approached, the young boy's father. It was enough for the others to come and take the supplies from Clockblocker and Vista once she walked over to the box. Some people thanked Vista for being so brave, while others wanted to know who Sasuke was.

"Just someone trying to do the right thing," he replied.

After they sorted everything out, Sasuke and the Wards made their way back to the PRT building, patrolling every part of their route in the process. He caught a glint of something metallic on a rooftop.

How annoying.

"Let's take a break for a bit," Clockblocker said, once they reached an empty street intersection. He was fidgeting, thrumming with restrained anger.

Vista frowned. "I can keep going."

"I know, but there's something I gotta do first." Clockblocker whirled around to Sasuke. "What the fuck's the matter with you, Sasuke? Why the hell did you let Vista fight a grown man? Are you fucking insane?!"

His faceless mask hid his expression, but there was no way he was smiling.

Sasuke frowned. "If Vista can't defeat an unarmed man on her own, then she shouldn't be patrolling."

"What about that guy with the knife? If you were a couple of seconds late, Vista would've gotten hurt!"

He was never late.

"I would've rolled out of the way, or widened the space between us," Vista said. She bit her lip. "I would've been fine, Clock. And if that guy got me, well, it's bound to happen eventually."

Eventually, was that what she thought? If she knew death, she wouldn't have needed to fear it or let it crush her will to live.

"Do you want to die, Vista?" Sasuke said.

"No! Hell no!"

Vista turned away, clenching her fists.

"What the hell kinda question is that?" Clockblocker asked.

"What about you, Clockblocker?" Sasuke asked.

Clockblocker clicked his tongue. "I don't got a death wish, and neither does Vista!"

He'd be the judge of that.

Vista's breath came out in a shudder. "You weren't there when Leviathan attacked, Sasuke. He killed so many people, strong people, good people who had a lot to give. Death's just around the corner. Why should I pretend like it isn't?"

Now, he understood.

"You're right –"

"What did you say?" Clockblocker said.

Sasuke raised his hand, stopping the hero in his tracks. "Heroes aren't crippled by death, Vista. They take action. Don't tell me you forgot about the people you're supposed to save."

She scowled. "Of course not. I'm not afraid of dying, either. But it's not easy."

"It isn't hard. If death's around the corner, then don't let anything stop you from doing what needs to be done until your time comes. Only then can you embrace your death with no regrets."

"I'll try." Vista swallowed, about to rub her visor before she stopped herself. "Sorry."

"You've got nothing to be sorry about," Clockblocker said. "We all care about you, Vista, we just want you to be safe and happy. You're a great hero, and you've got nothing to prove to anyone."

She sniffled. "It'd help if you guys stopped treating me like a little baby."

"If you ask me, babies got it easy. It's growing up that sucks. You've got it good, just don't forget that."

Vista nodded, lip wobbling. "Thanks, Clock."

Clockblocker chuckled. "Any time."

Sasuke smiled, more to himself than the others. There had been a time when he'd been young, swimming in fury, and he hadn't been able to appreciate the help his first master was trying to give him before it was too late. It was always good to pay it forward.

They continued walking in a companionable silence. There hadn't been any altercations or crimes in progress, and as they reached the street leading to the PRT building, he decided to share his thoughts.

"I thought there would be more criminals."

"Me too," Clockblocker said. He'd calmed down quite a bit. "But I think I know the reason why crime's gone down. When you beat down the Merchants, you humiliated them, and that took away a ton of their influence. Some of them are still gonna steal or hurt people, but in the back of their mind, they'll know what'll happen if a hero catches them in the act. Honestly, it's the break we needed."

"We can't stop here, though," Vista said. "We're doing a lot of good, and that's what counts, right?"

"Spot on, Vista."

Brockton Bay was in between, still broken and desperate for reprieve. Defeating the Merchants improved their lot, but it was only the beginning. They'd have to continue stamping out criminals wherever they broke the law, fixing Brockton Bay so its people wouldn't be desperate and hopeless.

It wouldn't be difficult for Sasuke to defeat all of Brockton Bay's criminals, but while he was good at fixing buildings, he wasn't as good at fixing the underlying issues crippling this city. That was a monumental task in itself, far beyond what one man of iron will could accomplish alone.

Protecting Brockton Bay wasn't his responsibility. He couldn't get too attached to the people who lived there because he didn't want to spend his life fighting the rising tide that would inevitably crash against the shore. However, he'd continue to help out where he could. He wouldn't ignore a person in need.

It wasn't long before they entered the PRT building. Clockblocker faced him, hands level at his sides.

"I'm sorry for blowing up at you, Sasuke. It really pissed me off when you stopped me from backing Vista up. I don't agree with how you went about it, but you were trying to help Vista. I can't knock that."

"Apology accepted. Vista's age shouldn't keep you from acknowledging what she can do."

"That's never been a problem. Vista's been doing this longer than I have, man. It's just... there's got to be a better way than this sink or swim shit."

Sasuke raised his hand. "It's out there. I think you'll find it."

Clockblocker shook it. "I hope so, bro. Gotta say, it was definitely interesting working with you."

"Feeling's mutual."

He watched Clockblocker leave, expecting Vista to follow him. She hadn't: she was looking at him, still a bit shaken.

Perhaps he could have used a different method to show Clockblocker and the rest of the PRT that Vista was capable. People on Earth Bet were blessed with the privilege of innocence... but Vista wasn't.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Sasuke said.

"You've never looked down on me because I'm the youngest, and you even tried to get Clockblocker to stop treating me with kid gloves. Why go through all that trouble?"

He knew what she was going through.

"I've seen capes younger than you be more effective than any adult. How you act around others and what you choose to do with your powers matters more than age or rank."

"If only your drill that into everyone's skulls." Vista smiled. "Thanks a lot, Sasuke. I mean it. You're pretty cool."

He smiled, too. "You're welcome."

It felt good to work with Clockblocker and help Vista. The director had also thanked him for doing the patrol, promising a reward of his choosing. Because of them, Sasuke was able to spend the rest of the day in a pleasant mood, talking to Sierra for a time and checking in on Charlotte. After the sun had set, he returned to his room, ready for a good night's rest.

He had become so swept up in his search for Cauldron that it became entangled with his true mission. Cauldron might know about the alien that subjugated his planet, but it was just as likely that they didn't know a thing.

They were still the best lead he had. Tomorrow, he'd try asking Battery to help him again. When he did, he wouldn't pressure her like Assault had, and he wouldn't coerce her into a dilemma.

Sleep came easily to him, but he didn't rest that well and didn't wake up at the crack of dawn. He heard his phone ringing and clawed through the fog in his mind to grab it from the nearby desk. An unknown number. Why would they be calling him this early in the morning?

"Am I speaking to Sasuke?" an unfamiliar woman's voice asked.

"Who are you, and how did you get this number?"

"My name is Dragon. I'm a cape affiliated with the PRT, and I got your number from Battery. A colleague of mine is in great danger."

Sasuke bristled. "Where?"

"Here, in this building. I'm going to direct you to him, but don't try to fight his assailant. Help is on the way, all you have to do is delay him until it arrives."

He planned on doing better than that.

Sasuke grabbed his sword and his scrolls, donning his cloak and mask before racing out the door. Dragon had been able to direct him to a room deep within the PRT building. He hadn't needed to use his pass, as Dragon simply granted him access.

With Dragon's help, he found the room, hearing a male voice yell as he hung up and entered. A man with a shimmering gray knife stood opposite what looked like a white doll.

The doll approached the broken computer, uncaring of the man's outbursts as it examined the keyboard, taking out some of the keys: a U, M and E. U and ME.

"Listen to me, you psychopath!" the man screamed. "I'm nothing like you!"

This doll was tall and thin, a smooth expanse of white material encompassing most of its body. It appeared to be armour until the doll detached one of its limbs, revealing a long steel chain connected the ball-shaped joints on its limbs. Its torso was clear, organs and other electronics visible within it. This doll was no doll.

It was Mannequin of the Slaughterhouse Nine.

He was here. They had come this close, already. Did they know? Would they dare.

"Don't provoke him!" Dragon said, her voice audible to Sasuke's ears. "Help is already here!"

The man twitched, blue eyes flicking his way. Mannequin moved his head, rolling it out of its lock with a pop. It swivelled in his direction. Sasuke caught a glimpse of very tiny indents where its nose should have been.

However, the man didn't stop. His face was contorted by fury.

"You want to compare us, freak? Maybe we both had bad days. Days where nothing went right, days where we were too slow, too stupid, too weak, unprepared or tired. Days we'll look back on for the rest of our fucking miserable lives, wondering what we would have done different, what we could have done better, how things could have played out.

"The difference between us is that I actually did something with my life, and I'm still trying to do more while I serve my sentence!" He stopped and took a breath. "You started your big projects, got every fucking person in the world to get their hopes up, and then you failed to finish anything because you couldn't hack it when your fucking family got killed! You insult their fucking memories every motherfucking second you exist like this!"

Mannequin shot three of his limbs at the man, metal blades of all kinds jutting out of thin openings and whirring around minuscule gears. He was fast.

Sasuke was faster.

One fist covered by lightning chakra shattered the closest blade. The force of the strike created a shockwave that destroyed the rest. There was no spirit behind Mannequin's spiteful attack, only the wailing of a truly pathetic soul.

With a thin spear of lightning chakra, Sasuke sliced through the biggest organ in Mannequin's torso, shattering its protective casing with ease as it split into an uncountable number of directions. Everything within became dust.

His head was still intact. Since it was mostly insulated against electricity, Sasuke tossed him against the side wall, sprung into the air and slammed his foot into Mannequin's head.

It didn't break.

That wouldn't do.

He stomped the head another time, then again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, over, over, over, over, over, over, over, over, over, over, over, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, over, again, more, over, again, more, over, again, more, over, again, more,

OVER, AGAIN, MORE,

OVER,

AGAIN,

MORE,

OVER, AGAIN, MORE, OVER, AGAIN, MORE –

Sasuke pulled himself from the brink. All that remained of Mannequin's head was a mess of liquid and shattered ceramic.

"What the hell just happened?" the man said.

Sasuke clamped down the blazing anger that dominated him, facing Mannequin's would-be victim.

"I just saved your life."