Chapter 14: In From The Cold

At 5:45 P.M., Sasuke met Weld and Flechette in a room the PRT set aside for physical training. Weld was a young man made of silver metal, wearing clothes for modesty's sake rather than protection. He had no issue with Weld's appearance and didn't pity him, either. What he was most concerned about was training him and building up a rapport.

Sasuke challenged Weld to a spar, taking a wooden sword from the nearby weapons rack. Weld could absorb any kind of metal and didn't discriminate, so Sasuke decided to keep his sword sheathed.

Weld could shape his metal limbs into sharp blades and wicked hammers within seconds, using them to incapacitate rather than kill. That was acceptable. However, his footwork was somewhat rigid, he relied on his durability to endure hard hits without using it to create opportunities, and his ability to switch between weapons was conscious rather than instinctive.

It took Sasuke only three moves to incapacitate Weld: knock his sword arm away after his initial swing, sweep his legs from under him, point the sword at his throat. Weld overextended on his swing, expecting Sasuke to respect his Brute rating. In a real fight, Weld could have kicked the shin Sasuke deliberately left exposed or protected his neck with a layer of metal spikes.

He told him as much.

"The best fighter isn't always the strongest," Sasuke said. "The best fighter uses their wits and the tools at their disposal to defeat their opponent."

"What happens if those tools aren't sufficient?" Weld asked, calm in spite of his loss.

"You get help. There's no shame in asking for it."

Weld's smile was a solemn one. "That's why there's no 'I' in team."

Sasuke stepped back, giving Weld room to climb to his feet. Weld immediately applied Sasuke's tips and for the next ten minutes, he steadily improved, never tiring. It was a shame they only had an hour to spare.

"My turn," Flechette said, after Sasuke showed Weld some forms he could practice.

With Flechette watching their every move, Sasuke had to mind his tongue. He still didn't want the PRT to know he had a special interest in Cauldron.

"I'll take a break," Weld said.

Sasuke nodded. "Grab a sword, Flechette."

She didn't take the wooden sword from the rack. Instead, she grabbed a steel rapier.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Weld asked.

Flechette smiled. "This is the only kind of blade I'm allowed to use."

Sasuke chose to keep the wooden sword. Flechette didn't use her power on her rapier, but she handled it gracefully, jabbing and poking at his defenses with fluid form and superhuman timing. She wasn't as strong or as durable as Weld, but she was much more skilled. She was also timid, not attacking him whenever he left his guard open, choosing instead to punish whatever mistakes he made.

It only took Sasuke four moves to disable her: slice downwards to provoke her, slip around her strike, slam her wrist with the pommel, hold the sword against her throat. After she surrendered, he pointed out that she wasn't willing to press her advantage and didn't have an answer for the times he used her timing against her.

"You're pretty good at this," she said. "I mean, Weld's no slouch, but I thought I'd make you think twice about using wood."

Sasuke smirked. "Try harder."

That was exactly what Flechette did. As they sparred, Sasuke decided it was time to ask a question burning his tongue.

"You were watching me yesterday," Sasuke said, in Japanese. "Did Miss Militia ask you to help her?"

Flechette faltered, but found her footing a moment later. "Yes, she did ask me. Is there a problem with that?"

"Wasn't it strange?"

She took a couple of seconds to respond. Was she not used to talking and fighting at the same time?

"I was told to protect Clockblocker and Vista. The Merchants' capes are in jail, but their followers are still on the loose."

He wasn't surprised that they disguised the truth from Flechette. It was a good cover, at least, as some of the Merchants' remnants had joined up with other gangs and caused trouble. They weren't a menace to society, though, and the heroes were stamping them out one criminal at a time.

"What about me?"

Flechette chose to jab, spin upon his parry and riposte, hitting the air in front of her. Good, she was learning.

"Miss Militia was watching over you. You did not need our surveillance."

Knowing what he knew, he couldn't take comfort in that.

"I'm not invincible."

"Nobody is, except the Endbringers, and the Siberian. And Scion, also."

Peculiar company, no doubt.

"You could beat them with your power."

Flechette snorted. "In my dreams! If we work together, then we might be able to hurt one of them, and Scion can finish the job."

He kept himself from frowning. Hero or otherwise, Scion was still the last being he wanted to face.

Once they were done sparring, he showed Flechette some forms and explained their purpose before letting her rest. She didn't have Weld's endurance, and their spar had become pretty intense. While she put away her rapier, he turned his attention to Weld, who was sitting cross-legged. He had to be feeling left out.

Weld smiled. "I noticed that you weren't distracted while you were chatting with Flechette."

"There's no time for distractions."

He nodded, contemplating his words. "I've read that a lot of fighting happens in the mind. If you win that battle, winning the actual fight should be easy."

"Correct. A good fighter can read their opponent's intent and respond accordingly."

Connect with them on a deeper level. Some needed to face death to reach that point, but the truly skilled could communicate with a single strike.

"Having that much insight can do us all a lot of good."

Weld had his priorities in order. Building this rapport was easier than he thought it'd be.

"Are you planning on leading a Protectorate team?"

"I've been told I'll get the opportunity... but if I'm being honest, I'm not sure I'll reach that position."

Sasuke took in the worry that fell on Weld's face. It didn't seem like he doubted his ability or worth.

"You're leading a Wards team."

"Everyone gets a chance to lead the Wards once they're old enough, but the stakes are higher when you're part of the Protectorate. If I lead a team, it'll be my face on the billboards, and everything I do will reflect on other people like me. The stigma might be too much to overcome."

Disgraceful. This discrimination was as pathetic as the discrimination his family had been subjected to, but the Case 53's weren't a powerful and prestigious clan, they were a random assortment of victims.

"You want them to acknowledge you?" Sasuke said. "Then be so good that they'd be fools to ignore your ability."

"You're a great leader, Weld," Flechette said, standing nearby. "Who cares if you're made of metal?"

Weld frowned. "Thanks, Flechette. But a lot of people care, and not everyone understands."

Sasuke scoffed. "What happened to you wasn't your fault. If they knew the truth, they'd sympathize with you."

Flechette cocked her head, clearly confused. Weld, on the other hand, looked up at him with stern wariness.

"What truth are you referring to?" he asked, enunciating each word carefully.

Weld deserved to know the complete truth, but what would he do after that? Would he keep quiet or risk Cauldron's wrath? Would he become disillusioned?

Another problem was that he could swear Weld to secrecy, but not Flechette, for she had no reason not to inform the PRT about everything he said. If he could trust Flechette to keep their conversation quiet, he'd talk, but –

(The memories collided with his thoughts, grinding them to dust.

"Shit!" he growled. He was this close to ending that creature's miserable, worthless life, so close to seizing every memory in his wretched soul and crushing his futile, banal excuse for an existence.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?" Flechette asked, concern swimming through her voice.

He wasn't okay, not in the slightest. He shut his eyes, mind practically torn in two from the whiplash of warring emotions. Dying never felt right, but dying in the throes of despair at the hands of an invincible foe chilled him to the core.

It had been years since he felt so powerless.)

– it didn't matter. Couldn't matter.

His memories were intact. He would complete his mission.

When he opened his eyes, Weld was standing, a soft frown creasing his face. "What's going on, Sasuke? Is something wrong?"

"I... don't feel well," he said.

Flechette curled a finger around her ponytail and pulled. "Don't worry, I can train with Weld. You should take a nap."

"Good thinking. Sorry for cutting this short."

"It's okay. After all, nobody's invincible." Flechette smiled. "So you'd better rest up."

"I will," he said, to appease her. "If you want answers, Weld, talk to Faultline. She works with people like you."

Weld crossed his arms. "Are you sure she can be trusted?"

Was he? The PRT already suspected he spoke to Faultline, who gathered Case 53's around her. Being interested in them was harmless on its own.

"You can trust her to help you learn the truth. This isn't the right place for us to have this discussion."

Flechette frowned. "Hey, I can keep a secret. This is Weld's business, not mine."

"Let's keep this between us, Flechette," Weld said.

She looked between them, and his concern was dashed when she nodded.

"If you need me, I'll be in my room," Sasuke said, handing Flechette the wooden sword.

It was time to leave. The Undersiders were in danger.

He'd rest when he was done.

Sasuke's anger rose to its boiling point, drowning out the despair swarming his mind. He was so close to foiling the Slaughterhouse Nine's plans, but it had been ripped away from him in the blink of an eye.

When he reached the Undersiders, he saw that they were all safe behind the metal table, unharmed. The case hadn't been touched, either. He'd be relieved if he wasn't so furious.

Tattletale's mouth was agape. Bitch masked her surprise with a glare. Everyone else watched him enter this fetid basement in stunned silence.

"How the fuck are you still alive?" Imp asked.

Sasuke eased his scowl into a cold frown. "Tell them."

It snapped Tattletale out of her stupor. Good: he wasn't asking.

"You sent a clone," she said, a few seconds later. "You're the backup Jack was talking about."

"How does that work?" Skitter asked. "Oni Lee's clones could only do one thing, but we were talking to a living, breathing person."

Tattletale frowned. "When it died, it sent a signal to the real Sasuke and disintegrated. That's why Sasuke's here now, that's why there's no trace of his clone. Oni Lee couldn't dream of making clones like these."

"You were going on about his soul and shit," Bitch said. "You sure this isn't some meat sack Sasuke made?"

"This all seems far-fetched to me," Regent said. "And I ain't talking about that Pokemon."

"Tattletale is right," Sasuke said.

He made eye contact with Tattletale, watched her realize that she fell into his trap. Enhanced deduction wasn't clairvoyance or mind reading, but it was still very effective.

"Oh no, you got me," Tattletale said, raising her hands theatrically. "You'll keep my power a secret from the feds, won't you?"

"As long as you keep my secrets," Sasuke replied.

"Was that ghost you tried to pull Jack Slash's soul?" Skitter asked, suddenly.

"It was."

He waited for Skitter to talk, but she only nodded, choosing to stay quiet. None of them seemed surprised, and it wasn't as if the belief of a metaphysical soul was universal like the existence of water.

"You wanted to make sure Jack couldn't pull off his plan, right?" Tattletale asked.

Nearly everyone else kept quiet, but Tattletale just had to be the talkative one.

"What happened to the Slaughterhouse Nine?" Sasuke asked.

Grue crossed his arms. "Don't you want to know everything else that happened?"

"He already knows," Tattletale said.

A moment passed as that information settled in their minds. Bitch nodded to herself as she petted her wolf. Her speculation about a 'meat sack' was fairly close to the truth.

"How am I not surprised?"

"He's the Grim Reaper, Grue," Regent replied.

"The Siberian got away with everyone," Tattletale said. "Jack's out; you got him good."

"Not dead, though," Imp said. "But it ain't your fault."

"It really isn't your fault, Sasuke. It took Cherish and the Siberian to take you down."

Was that supposed to placate him?

"Why didn't you shut your mouth?" Sasuke asked.

Tattletale flinched. "Jack wasn't vulnerable yet."

He scowled. "You put yourself in danger when it wasn't necessary."

"I was trying to help you! Were you gonna let Jack leave if I didn't do anything?"

"Yes. Then we could eliminate them all."

She was staggered into silence, until she started talking. "It's not that simple. You didn't forget about all his warnings, did you? He needed to be taken out right there and then."

It wasn't a coincidence that they chose to arrive at that time. If he hadn't been compromised, he would have eliminated those four on his terms. Now, anything could happen.

Her jaw tightened. "You knew, didn't you? So why are you giving me the third degree?"

"You know why."

Skitter stared at him, posture still askew. No, not askew, she stood like a mantis. "Tattletale talked Jack Slash into giving up his immunity because she believed you could stop him. She risked her life for you."

Tattletale smiled, a cheery thing. "Thanks, Skitter."

Sasuke's frown faded a bit. "Tattletale was brave. She was also reckless." He stared at Tattletale. "Some battles aren't worth fighting. Remember that."

"I'll make sure it sticks," Grue said.

Tattletale's smile didn't waver. "Don't worry, guys, I can learn from my mistakes."

That was all he could ask of her. Tattletale had sincerely wanted to help him. He couldn't blame her for acting on her own when he constantly did the same. But she couldn't be as audacious as Naruto was when she didn't have his strength.

At least she had a team she could rely on.

"How are you gonna take out those freaks, Sasuke?" Imp asked.

"There's no better time to strike than right now," Skitter said. "They think you're dead. Use that against them."

"Cherish would screw that plan up," Regent said. "She can sense emotions across the city."

"What about manipulating those emotions?" Sasuke asked.

Regent twirled his sceptre. "Not sure what her max range is. Maybe about half a kilometer, maybe longer. No one really measured it. You resisted her pretty well, by the way."

Not well enough. She knew exactly what provoked him, repeatedly woke up horrible emotions buried long ago with contemptuous ease – the fury of being utterly powerless, the fear of absolute failure, the panic that came from losing a vital advantage, the despair from realizing his chosen mission could amount to nothing – and directed them.

If she was distracted, she could pick up where she left off, and a burst of chakra wouldn't stop her power like it stopped most genjutsu. Then Tattletale had nearly been killed, and Cherish twisted his desire to defeat the Slaughterhouse Nine until he couldn't hold it back, forcing his hand.

"Can you become immune to her manipulation?"

"You can, but I wouldn't recommend trying."

If emotional torture was required, he wouldn't bother. He'd find another way.

"I can sneak in and finish Jack off," Imp said. "But Regent's sister would get me."

"They'll be expecting an attack anyway," Grue said. "Not that you're killing anyone."

"It's Jack Slash! Hell's too good for that fucker."

"You're not ready for it."

Regent scoffed. "It isn't about being ready."

Sasuke frowned. "Leave him to me."

That ended the argument. There was no need for Imp to stain her hands with blood.

"They'll be focused on keeping Jack alive," Grue said. "That means we've got time to plan. You should take the night off, Sasuke, catch them when they're not in one place."

Sasuke's frown deepened. It didn't matter what they planned or where they tried to catch them as long as Cherish was still active.

"We need to eliminate Cherish," he replied, before looking at Regent. "Do you object?"

He clicked his tongue. "Course not. You saw the way her plan blew up in her face. She thought she'd get away with it 'cause she's fucked in the head. And, she nominated me to join the Slaughterhouse Nine! Her own blood! You'd be doing me a favour."

Sibling rivalry wasn't unfamiliar to him, neither was the vitriol and lack of sympathy. Murdering your own blood, however, was an altogether different issue.

"You've done terrible things, too."

Regent's scepter hand dropped to his hip. "Yeah, I did. But all the shit my dad had us do was a waste of time." He clicked his tongue. "So fucking pointless."

"You still did it," Skitter said.

"You're one to talk," Regent replied. He shook his head. "Look, dude, if you wanna take my soul or whatever, well, it's not like I can stop you, but you should really get rid of Cherie before you do."

"That won't be necessary," Sasuke said.

The son of Heartbreaker shrugged. He broke away from his father's cruelty of his own volition, so he deserved the chance to carve his own path.

"You're going after the Siberian once you're done with Cherish, right?" Tattletale asked.

Sasuke exhaled. "I know her weakness."

"About that. After your clone died, Jack had a trigger event. The Siberian wasn't affected, but Cherish and Bonesaw were still dazed when she picked them up. Pretty strange if you ask me."

"Why is that relevant?"

"Every parahuman gets knocked out whenever a trigger event happens around them."

"Wouldn't the Siberian be an exception due to her powers?" Skitter asked.

"I doubt it," Tattletale said. Her arms were at her sides, rigid. "Bonesaw couldn't avoid it and she's the bio-tinker. My guess? The Siberian is someone's puppet."

Once again, Tattletale confirmed what Sasuke suspected and did his work for him. She made being inconspicuous a lot easier.

"You know... that isn't the most batshit thing you've said today," Regent said.

Tattletale sneered. "Gee, thanks. It's braindead obvious once you connect the dots. Think about it: the Siberian wasn't affected by Jack's trigger event, but she still has superpowers. She's obviously intelligent and acts on her own initiative. Isn't that right, Bitch?"

Bitch bared her teeth. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

There wasn't a hint of a smile on Tattletale's face. "We know someone on the Slaughterhouse Nine had to recruit you, and I definitely noticed what the Siberian was looking at: you. Explains your little wolf, too."

"You know, I was wondering about that," Imp said. "And you kept it, too. Aww, man."

"He is innocent," Bitch said. "And yeah, the Siberian visited me. So what?"

Sasuke breathed in through his nose, keeping himself focused. "Tell us what you know, Bitch."

Bitch glared at him, but he didn't cower away. Her glare didn't flicker, neither did her fanged scowl, but she knew what was at stake, he was certain of it.

"She can talk. No one who hears her survives, 'cept for me."

"What else?"

Bitch's face tightened up, pinched from focus. "Nobody saw her come in or leave and it wasn't because she was fast like you are. She's really fuckin' smart, too. She knew what I wanted the second she met me."

"Did she knew how to get through to you?" Skitter asked.

Bitch nodded. She didn't have to explain if it was personal; he was already developing a good idea of how the Siberian functioned.

"Whoever's controlling her would have to be super smart to avoid getting noticed for this long," Regent said. "'Sides that, I'm pretty sure the Siberian is a puppet."

Tattletale pursed her lips. "I know I just called her that, but now I'm thinking she's more like a projection. She doesn't have a rep for being a high-level Mover, so maybe she's doing a disappearing act."

"So all we have to do is find her Master, whoever that is," Grue said. "But how?"

If his hunch was right, the Siberian's Master projected her much like Genesis of the Travelers projected their creations. That meant he could identify the connection and follow it back to its source.

However, Sasuke couldn't track the Siberian to her Master if she disappeared. He'd have to find her first, and Cherish could easily alert the Siberian before he reached her.

"I guess Sasuke's gonna figure it out," Tattletale said.

"You'd better kill her," Bitch said. "She fucked you over."

Sasuke grunted. "That's the plan."

There wasn't much else to say.

"You're still gunning for Cauldron, right?" Tattletale asked.

"Yes."

Whatever gunning meant.

A scowl curved Tattletale's mouth. "Then we should nail these bastards to the fucking wall. Make 'em come running after us. That way, you can use their Subjects to reach Cauldron's HQ."

Sasuke frowned. "We'll do that after the Slaughterhouse Nine is taken care of."

"Agreed," Grue said. The emphasis in that one word gave no room for his subordinates to disagree, in spite of the fact that he'd struggled to discipline them.

"And the soul stuff?" Imp asked.

His frown deepened. "Do you remember how you saw it?"

"It all happened so fast," Regent said.

"Exactly."

"We won't say a word about this to anyone," Grue said. "Same goes for what you told us about Cauldron."

Imp waved her hand. "People forget things all the time! I already forgot what I ate for breakfast!"

She was right in more ways than one. When he analyzed his clone's memories, he saw gaps where he didn't see Imp even though she hadn't left the room. That meant her power wasn't invisibility, but a form of induced amnesia.

Considering that trigger events made people forget what they saw, there was probably a connection there. An important one.

He walked up to the table, putting his hand on the case. "Thanks for your help, Tattletale. All of it."

"You got what you needed?" Sasuke nodded, once. Tattletale smiled. "Then you're welcome. You'll let me know when you want to find Cauldron?"

"When the time's right."

Her smile grew. "Neat. And hey, if you need any help, or if you just wanna talk, hit me up. It's the least I can do."

"I second that," Grue said. "You saved Tattletale's life. You're good in my book, Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked. "Don't mention it. My body just moved on its own."

"I wasn't gonna thank you, anyway," Regent said. "But I guess it's better that you're not gonna go all Inspector Javert on us."

His smirk disappeared. "Don't give me a reason to come after you."

Regent raised his scepter. "Eh. I like my freedom. Standing out? Not for me."

"Standing out's what I'm all about!" Imp said. "If we survive, we should totally hang out, Sasuke. You know, incognito."

"We'll see," he said.

Bitch made eye contact with him, holding it for a pair of seconds. "Don't die."

He didn't plan to. One by one, the Undersiders left the basement. Tattletale was the last to leave, briefly glancing at Skitter. He checked his case; all the vials were intact.

Skitter had stayed behind. Even though she was as still as a firm pole, he could sense her nervousness.

"There's something I want to ask you," she said.

"What is it?"

She took a deep breath.

"Are you still planning on working with Coil?"

"Why do you ask?"

Skitter put her hands on the table, directly opposite him. "He kidnapped a little girl. Her name's Dinah Alcott. She's a precog, a powerful one."

How unfortunate. He already knew that Coil had a Thinker in his employ besides Tattletale. To think it was a girl that could see the future.

"That's why you returned to the Undersiders."

Skitter nodded, firmly. "Someone has to save her, and nobody else is willing to do it."

"What about the heroes?"

She scoffed, a harsh sound. "Don't make me laugh."

"If you asked them, they'd do their best to break her out."

"Their best isn't good enough." Skitter curled her fists. "They only care about protecting themselves and their image. They'd say it's too hard to fight Coil, or that Dinah was an unfortunate casualty, and then they'll act like they're good and moral."

Rather than react, he put the case away with a flick of his wrist. Battery told him about Skitter's history, but she probably wasn't aware of how Skitter wore her wounded disdain on her sleeve.

He could understand her contempt for the heroes' competence, but while the PRT was far from ideal, he wasn't willing to dismiss the good he'd seen within this specific branch and the circumstances they rose to face. Was that why she came to him, because he wasn't part of their organization?

"Why are you telling me about Dinah?"

She looked up at him, making eye contact. These masks made it easy to hide emotions, easy to distance themselves from the truth of their actions. But those very same actions revealed their own truth.

"You have to rescue her. You get things done, and you don't let anyone stop you. You save people without thinking about it!"

Sasuke frowned. "What happens after I save Dinah?"

She pushed off the table, standing straight. "Tell me you'll help me, then I'll tell you what I'll do."

If he did that, he'd give Skitter leverage over him, which wouldn't do either of them any favours.

"Are the Undersiders helping you with this?"

She took time to respond, more than she needed to. "Just Tattletale. The rest of the Undersiders turned a blind eye to Dinah's kidnapping, so I'm keeping them out of the loop."

He expected her to be going it alone. At the same time, he wasn't remotely surprised that Tattletale was the only one helping her; there was no way Skitter could keep a secret from her invasive power.

"Make sure they know what you're planning. They already know you betrayed them."

"They know what I'm here for. Coil knows, too, but he isn't willing to let Dinah go home."

That much was obvious. People back home would slaughter everyone and anyone for the ability to calculate their chances of success and failure. Wars had been waged over less. Even so, he doubted that Skitter wanted Dinah's power for herself.

"So you'll force him."

"If I have to."

He stared at her yellow lenses. "You'll fail, and if I save her for you, Coil will fall. Without his resources, you won't be able to protect your territory or provide your people with aid."

"That won't be a problem."

"Are you going to commit more crimes? Will you rely on Tattletale to solve your problems? Being a warlord is dangerous."

She backed away, avoiding eye contact. "Someone needs to protect my territory."

"You don't need to be a villain to do that."

"I don't need to be a hero, either." She met his gaze. "I listen to people's problems and solve them. Once I earn their trust, they won't care about my past. Hero, villain, those labels mean nothing to me. When it comes to doing what's right, I'll do what's necessary."

She was right: they were labels, comic book symbols deflecting attention from the fact that both law enforcement and the criminals they opposed had extraterrestrial powers that set them apart from the commoners.

That didn't mean that those labels were meaningless.

"Then label yourself a hero and show that you're willing to work within the law."

"That won't work. They'll assume I'm branding myself a hero to avoid their scrutiny."

Sasuke kept his expression neutral. "Give them a reason to trust you, then."

"Do you trust the PRT?"

Trust was a strong word, one he took very seriously. He wasn't much for blind allegiance to authority after everything he went through, but after being hunted on more than occasion for working outside the law, he learned to work with the people in charge and save himself some trouble.

"I know that they'll work hard to achieve their goals. I can tolerate everything else as long as we're able to work together."

"I can't. They'll let psychopaths and monsters join their ranks and turn a blind eye when they fuck someone over."

Her bugs began to buzz, in concordance with her rising anger. He wasn't willing to feed it.

"If they're willing to do good the right way, then their past shouldn't matter."

She seethed under her breath. "Not with them. When you go back to the PRT, look up a cape called Armsmaster. He's the type of hero who won't bat an eye at violating the Endbringer Truce if it means he gets his glory."

"I met Armsmaster. He's unpleasant and stubborn, but he sincerely believed he was doing good. Much like you."

Skitter's shoulders tensed up. "So what? They would've let him get away with it if me and Tattletale weren't there to expose him, and if you got to meet Armsmaster, I'm pretty sure he only got a slap on the wrist."

"He was under house arrest. Mannequin targeted him."

She froze. "Doesn't change my point. He's not the only hero who's gotten away with shit they shouldn't have."

If she was trying to tell him the PRT was corrupt, he already knew that. Between Coil and Cauldron, it was very likely that parts of the Protectorate ENE were compromised. That didn't make everyone else worthless.

"So there shouldn't be any problem with you working with the PRT."

"For –" Skitter's mouth audibly closed. "Did you hear what I said?"

"You're willing to work for Coil in order to save Dinah. Your team is made up of murderers and thieves. You can work with the PRT and maintain your independence."

She bowed her head. "It's not that simple."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"You're capable of being pragmatic about matters that are important to you. Be pragmatic about the PRT, use them to your advantage. You don't even have to leave the Undersiders."

Skitter bowed her head, curling her fingers. "Why are you trying to give me advice?"

"Why not?"

She sighed, drawing out the breath. "You could have just said yes."

"That won't make a difference."

Her head tilted up, as if she wanted to retort. Wisely, she tempered that temptation.

"Do you really think it's a good idea for me to work with the PRT?"

"Do you trust Coil?"

"No."

The answer was immediate, yet Skitter remained silent afterwards.

"Never mind," she said, after a while. "I get it. Common ground, right?"

Sasuke smiled. "Yes."

It was an echo that seemed to resonate with her as her bugs simmered down, gradually retreating to the edges of the basement.

"I've got one more question, if you don't mind."

"Make it count."

Skitter clenched her raised hand, pulled it to her flank. "If the soul exists... does that mean there's an afterlife?"

Her voice came out softly, almost hesitant. It was as if the thought of life after death hadn't been possible for her.

"There is."

She stared at him for a time, in silence.

"I didn't think there was," Skitter said, pensive. "It's pretty terrifying, to be honest."

"It doesn't have to be."

His family was waiting for him in the Pure World, a place where the departed of his home planet held no fear and did not grieve... he was looking forward to reuniting with them when his time came, be it there or in Heaven.

But he wasn't dead yet.

"After you're finished with the Slaughterhouse Nine and Cauldron, can you help me save Dinah?"

Her actions struck a chord with him, and if she was asking for help, he'd give her that and more.

"On one condition. don't forget what you stand to lose in pursuit of this goal."

Skitter raised her hand. "I won't."

He clasped her hand, shaking it. "You'd better. Don't ever give up."

Sasuke left Skitter behind and returned to the PRT building as quickly as possible, avoiding any eye contact, any detection along the way. As soon as he entered his room, he locked the door, took off his equipment, and collapsed on the bed.

If defeating the Endbringers was only part of Cauldron's plan, their real target had to be much greater. Now, he knew exactly who that was. He'd be sure to let Coil know how grateful he was for his help in the morning.

He was closer than ever to Cauldron... closer than ever to dying.

First, he would rest. The Shadow Clone Jutsu had taken a huge toll on his mind. Even though the technique cut his chakra reserves in half, he hadn't been crippled. He'd nearly been paralyzed by chakra exhaustion when he entered Earth Bet, and his reserves still weren't full. So far, he hadn't been pushed to that point, but that was bound to change.

It was circumstance that led him to Burnscar, coincidence that made him cross paths with Mannequin, and his decision to end their lives that made him the Slaughterhouse Nine's target. There was no way he'd let them run amok and leave Brockton Bay's people to fend for themselves.

By the time he was done, the Slaughterhouse Nine wouldn't terrorize another soul.