Parallax 2.02

After making sure the building and the area around it had been cleared of punk kids and villainous capes, Sunny had sent some sort of all-clear signal using her phone and the workers gradually came back inside. A few of the men and women had been holding impromptu weapons of sorts, but put them away before getting back to work.

If I'd had any doubts about who was really in charge of this location, they were wiped away as I watched Sunny flitting back and forth across the floor. Sunny had spoken with the supervisor currently in charge, who had then directed a volunteer to load up Sunny's car with a few basic food supplies whilst another collected Jamie and tried to keep her entertained and occupied.

Once Sunny was finished with her tasks, whatever they were, she helped Jamie back into the car as I belatedly dived into the boot after taking one last look around the area. I had a brief moment of anxiety when Sunny frowned into the rearview mirror, but it passed when she simply adjusted it and set the car into motion.

Just like on the drive to here, she continued to pepper Jamie with questions. What were her skill sets? Did she have any relatives in the area? Would she consider working at a part-time job if Sunny could find an appropriate one? Et cetera, et cetera. I mostly tuned out the conversation between the two in favor of taking a closer look at the surroundings.

Now that I knew what to look for, I found evidence of Wu Lung's presence all over the area, more than I had expected to find. Objects I had first thought to be statues were nothing of the sort, instead being modified vehicles, street lamps, even whole strips of sidewalk. This was widespread vandalism on a scale I had never seen from Wu before. The entire neighborhood was filled with the altered statues; at least one per block although most had several more. He was using his 'art' to mark off his territory.

When we returned to Sunny's house, we found her sister lounging in the living room with a magazine held over her head. Either we had spent an inordinate amount of time at the food bank, or else Karen had ditched her classes. From the sheepish expression in the girl's eyes, I assumed the latter.

"Erm... hullo, Sunny!" Karen said brightly, if slightly nervously. "I thought you'd be out a bit... longer."

"Karen." Sunny didn't even bat an eye at her sister's presence. She simply sent her to gather up the food and supplies she had retrieved from the food bank and bring them inside whilst she brought Jamie's wheelchair into the living room. I moved back from the car into the chair, keeping an eye on things.

Once there, she stepped around so she was facing Jamie directly and dropped into a crouch. "I should have asked this sooner, but you appeared to be rather well-kept so I put it off until now. How long has it been since you've had a bath?"

"Eh?" Jamie blinked. She was so surprised by the sudden question she answered it reflexively. "I don't know... years, I suppose? But I assume they kept me relatively clean somehow just to keep me from stinking up the room."

Sunny tilted her head as she processed that. "They?"

Jamie belatedly clicked her mouth shut.

Sunny smiled warmly, most likely an attempt to be reassuring. Instead, given who she reminded us of, the expression seemed utterly alien on her face and only heightened the abnormality of our situation. "Believe it or not, you are not the first person in your situation to have crossed my path."

"My situation?" Jamie repeated blankly, striving to keep the unease from her voice.

It was a feeling I shared. Had Jamie's status as a parahuman been found out? Had the research staff somehow tracked us down and contacted Sunny at some point we weren't aware of?

Even as I readied myself for action in case Sunny tried anything, Jamie's panic subsided slightly. "You mean, that I was... sick?" she hazarded a guess.

"As well as being under long-term hospital care." Sunny concluded. I felt Jamie's tension begin to subside. "You were rather clean when Karen brought you here. Cleaner than most other people would be after having lived on the streets for some time," Sunny pointed out. "Your wheelchair is clearly one of the relatively inexpensive models used by most medical facilities. I'm somewhat surprised they let you take it with you when you were discharged, although I suppose you couldn't get around any other way."

Jamie scowled and kept her head high, deliberately avoiding having to look at her legs.

"Yet you had no one that would claim you when you were released?" Sunny frowned as Jamie shook her head. "How long were you in their care?" When no answer were forthcoming, Sunny raised one hand and waved it towards Jamie's head. "Was your hair that long when you were admitted there?"

Startled, Jamie reached up to her head and traced her hair behind her back. She brought the end tips forward to where she could see them, almost surprised how long it actually was. "I don't know," she said. "Probably not, I vaguely remember it falling just about to my shoulders." For good reason. Her self-image, the form she took as a spectre, reflected her younger life. Now, had she been standing, her hair was long enough to have reached the back of her calves.

"So a rather long time, I would assume." Sunny's expression shifted towards one of sadness. "It's rare, but I have met a few unfortunates who have also lost everything to time. Usually they're a bit older, mind you, but they are committed for a long term illness, an injury, or an overdose. When they're finally healthy enough to leave, they find their friends and family have moved on without them. Does that sound familiar?"

Jamie bristled at the pitying look Sunny was giving her, but in spite of her indignation she couldn't stop the tears that welled up in her eyes at the reminder. "Close enough," she choked out, looking away.

Sunny patted Jamie's hand comfortingly. "We'll help you get back on your feet," she promised Jamie. She inclined her head down slightly. "Or are your legs..."

"They're fine," Jamie insisted. "I've just been off of them far too long, they got lazy." She struggled to affix a scowl onto her face, but merely succeeded in a mild frown. "Thank you," she said. "For having me."

"You are most welcome," Sunny said with a smile.

Jamie's mouth twitched slightly.

"Hold on," Karen piped up. She had evidently finished retrieving all of the food Sunny had brought back with her at some point during the discussion. Even now she had piled them carelessly on the table next to the door and was sitting backwards on a chair, draping her arms across the backrest. "So, let me get this straight. You've been in a hospital. For like, a long time. Long enough that when you were released there was nobody around you could call on, that sound right?"

"Karen!" Sunny admonished her with a sharp tone.

Karen slipped off of the chair and padded over, leaning over Jamie. "Say, do you remember your time in the hospital? Or the reason you had to go there?"

"Um..." Jamie said, flicking her eyes around the room as if searching for inspiration.

"No?" Karen guessed. Without any warning she suddenly took an extra step closer and lifted the hem of Jamie's blouse up to her chest.

"Wha—?!" Jamie yelped, belatedly trying to pull the garment back down.

"Karen!" Sunny repeated, rising to her feet.

Karen ignored both of them, scanning Jamie's torso and back before she reached down as if to pull away her slacks.

Oo~kay, enough of that. I seized control of the wheelchair and backed Jamie out of the crazy girl's reach, even as Sunny took a firm grasp of her sister's wrist.

"What is the matter with you?" Sunny fumed.

Karen leaned her head down to address Jamie directly. "Say, you don't have any weird tattoos you don't remember getting, do you?"

Jamie struggled to get her breathing back under control, blinking bewilderedly. "... What?"

ooo

This was funnier when it happened to you, Jamie grumbled. The two of us were situated in Sunny's bathroom, Jamie having been given the use of their tub to clean herself up.

How is that? Unlike some people, I am gentleman enough to not peek, I retorted. I had situated myself near the lights above the mirror, the better to hide myself in the light in case somebody randomly walked in. Jamie had the shower curtains pulled shut to hide herself and had been given a long-handled brush to scrub herself with. I probably could have stayed outside, safely in the wheelchair, except I was keeping a wary eye on the half-open doorway.

Given that Jamie, as much as she tried to deny it, was currently more or less an invalid, she'd needed help getting into the bathtub and a chaperone in case she somehow fell into a position she couldn't recover from. Sunny had taken care of the first part, her business-like demeanor helping reduce the awkwardness of the situation. However, since she still had business to take care of, she had left Karen in the role of Jamie's lifeguard. She was currently seated outside in the hallway, thumbing through a magazine whilst keeping an ear open for any problems Jamie might be having.

Given that the girl had seemed ready to strip Jamie for reasons I couldn't fathom, I didn't quite trust her and so had placed myself into a position to warn Jamie should the girl attempt anything underhanded.

There was a slight thump and a surprised cry from Jamie. She had lost her balance slightly but had managed to catch herself against the side of the tub.

"All right in there?" Karen called, unconcerned. I heard her turning another page in her magazine.

"Y-yeah, I just dropped my brush," Jamie called back. "Don't come in here!"

"Relax~" the other girl said. I wasn't sure whether to be relieved that she wasn't continuing her earlier, bizarre behavior, or indignant that she was being so casual when Jamie could have possibly been drowning in the tub this very instant.

Your vote of confidence in me is greatly appreciated.

Anytime! I replied, still keeping an eye on the door.

"So, I heard you and Sunny ran into a cape at the food bank?" Karen began conversationally.

"Um, sort of. He drove off a bunch of hoodlums looking to steal some of the food or something," Jamie replied.

"Do you happen to recall what he looked like?" There was definite interest in the girl's tone. Right, she was a cape geek, one of those people who followed the news and sightings of parahumans with a near-religious fervor.

"Red armour, lizard or dragon-motif," Jamie said. "Spit out fireballs."

Karen's magazine shifted as she flipped to the next page. "Ah, Wu Lung?" she asked, more to herself than Jamie.

I frowned. So my eyes and ears hadn't deceived me. It had been Wu who had forced away the chavs and tried to pressure Sunny into joining his group. I hadn't really wanted to believe it.

"I guess? You'd know more about him than I would," Jamie demurred.

"Parahumans Online tags him as a Striker/Blaster hybrid," Karen said. "He touches an object and makes it grow somehow. As long as he remains in contact, it acts like it's alive, a fireball-spitting dragon or something."

"I thought he could only do sparks," Jamie mused to herself.

I heard the magazine shifting again as Karen snapped it closed. "What was that?" she asked.

I could feel Jamie freeze as she realised her slip. The creations that the Wu in our world could make had been limited in their output. Now I had to wonder if he'd been holding back or if he really was that weak in comparison. Still, being able to provide information on a cape we supposedly knew nothing could break our cover.

"Nevermind," my sister replied. "Does Sunny know him? She certainly seemed like she recognised him."

"Know him? Hah! It's basically capes like him that basic made Sunny swear off them forever."

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked. She had stopped any pretense of washing herself and I heard the faint sounds of water splashing against the sides as she shifted into a more comfortable sitting position.

"Capes tend to have superpowers right? They can do things other humans can't do. Awesome things, powerful things. But they rarely use it to help us regular folk." Karen's head appeared in the doorway as she leaned to the side. "And for villains like Wu Lung, they try to use their powers to be the biggest fish in the sea and order people to do their bidding. Sunny sees that as a huge waste of their potential."

"What about heroes?" Jamie asked, sounding somewhat indignant. The curtain pulled back slightly and she stuck her head out from the opening to shoot a glare at the other girl. "Heroes protect people. Without them, then all of the villains—"

Karen tsked and shook a finger. "Ah, but that's it, you see. Heroes protect us from the villains. When have you ever seen a cape—let's say one with a power to encourage rapid plant-growth—just sit down and help out a farmer for a day or two?"

"But... they help people too," Jamie sputtered.

"We had a hero in the area once," Karen said. "Tinker, not sure if he had any other abilities. But he and Wu clashed a few times and the hero always lost. As soon as he realised he was completely outclassed, he just packed up and moved on. Went off somewhere where he could have a better reputation, I'd wager. The town hasn't heard from him since."

Volley? I wondered. If Flurry and Wu's counterparts were here in close proximity with each other here, it wasn't too much of a stretch to imagine our final member having been here as well. Volley having to go against Wu alone, I couldn't even have imagined what their fights must have looked like.

Karen looked thoughtful. "I don't quite have the same disregard for them that Sunny does, but I've followed a lot of news about capes on the internet. Partially because it's what makes the news, but you see more stories about the grand hero versus villain conflicts, or the the heroes foiling those major, public crimes. It's almost like that's all they ever do."

"That's not everything they do," Jamie said sharply. I winced at her rising tone of voice and silently sent her waves of calm to try and head her off from an explosive breakdown. "Heroes do plenty more! They help the police, they can find lost and runaway kids, they attend birthday parties!"

"Is that what you did?" Karen asked lightly. Her delivery was so casual it took me several moments to parse through what she had just said. When I did, my eyes widened, but it was too late.

"Yes! That is what I—er..." Jamie abruptly cut herself off. "I mean..."

Karen shuffled around on her knees until she was kneeling squarely in the middle of the doorway. She was grinning widely as she lifted an arm and pointed her finger at Jamie. "Got ya," she said.

Jamie's mouth bobbed open and shut several times as she assimilated what had just happened. "I was joking?" she tried.

Karen continued smiling as she rose to her feet, stepping inside as she closed the door behind her. "I might believe that. After all, it's super rare to find a real cape and not someone who's just grandstanding or trying to show off. Buu~ut..." She reached to the wall beside the door and flicked the light switch off.

In the sudden darkness, the glow of my body was easily visible and I saw the reflection of light of Karen's glasses as she turned her head my way. The lights were back on just as quickly and she turned a brilliant smile towards the bathtub as Jamie yelped and seemed to shrink in on herself.

Karen's smile dimmed slightly as she saw the girl withdrawing. "Oh, relax!" She scoffed. "And keep your voice down, I don't want Sunny to know yet."

"How did you find out?" Jamie said, looking glum.

"Your hologram, of course!" Karen replied. "As if anyone could just walk around with something like that. I don't know where you hid it earlier, but it was clearly visible in your room last night when I went to tuck you in."

I was keeping still, hoping to avoid drawing any more attention to myself, but it was hard to not flinch as Jamie turned a murderous glare my way.

"I mean, why would you even think of bothering to hide it when it glows in the dark?" Karen continued. "And you've seriously escaped attention until now?"

That brought us both up short. I had known neither of us could turn truly invisible whilst in our spectral forms. In fact the only way we had managed to completely remove ourselves from sight was when we had learned of our possession abilities. How had the fact that our astral bodies remained visible in the world, even whilst crossed over, escaped our attention up until now?

Mama and Papa both already know about your powers, Jamie pointed out suddenly. They'd have no reason to question or comment on my presence. As for you... well they never really did turn off the lights all the way in my room, did they?

"... does this have anything to do with the fact that you tried to strip me earlier today?" Jamie asked cautiously.

"Oh, that." Karen didn't even look apologetic. "There are a few threads that talk about a group of capes, mostly in the United States. The boards all say they're called 'Case-50s' or something like that. Apparently they all have a history of amnesia and a tattoo, like a U or something similar."

"What's that about?" Jamie asked.

"No idea!" Karen said. "I was half-hoping you could tell me, give me something I can use to get in good with the forum moderators. But I suppose that won't happen since since you sort of remember your past and I guess there's no tattoo... or is there?" she suddenly asked, taking a half step forward.

"No!" Jamie dropped back into the water and drew the curtain shut. "No tattoo! I can tell you that with one-hundred percent certainty!"

"Well, if you say so... Well then!" Karen threw a speculative glance at Jamie, as she settled back into a sitting position against the door. "What's your ability?"

Still hidden from view by the curtain, I could still tell when Jamie gave me a pleading look. I sighed, then cringed slightly as Karen whipped her head towards me at the sudden noise. Her glasses hid her eyes behind the reflected bathroom light, but I had no problem counting the teeth she displayed in her smile.

...

"I'm not so sure that was a good idea," I commented as I brushed my teeth.

Jamie, hovering over my shoulder, looked crestfallen as she tugged at her hair. She was going to find out sooner or later, she commented. She's tenacious, that one.

Too right, I sent as I downed a capful of mouthwash. I gargled and spit it out, grabbing a towel as I walked back to my room. "I suppose we'll just have to give up the small things and hope she wont notice if we avoid the bigger problems."

Jamie followed me down the hallway. Bigger problems?

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "You know what I mean." The first thing I did when I entered my room was to check my phone for any messages. After that I reached into the back of my dresser and pulled out my costume, laying out the pieces on my bed before grabbing the jumpsuit and starting to put it on.

Jamie had left the room. I could feel her downstairs talking with Mum in the kitchen, informing my parents about my planned schedule for the night whilst apologising for having missed out on another dinner rush. Mum simply reassured her that it wasn't a problem and wished the two of us luck.

I hate lying, she sent even as she made her farewells and shot out into the night. Not just to Ma—your Mama, but to all of the others too.

"You know why we have to do it," I said as I pulled on my scarf and popped my bedroom window open. I swung a leg out and hopped over to a fire escape than ran down the back of the building into an alleyway. Closing the window but not latching it, I made my way over to the steps and began my descent.

I know why, it doesn't mean I like it, though. Where are we going tonight?

I thought back to the updates Flurry had mailed to me. "South," I decided. "If there's anything going on in Bristol, we might want to keep an eye on the river crossings."

And after that?

"After that..." I shrugged as I looked both ways down the street to make sure the coast was clear, before jogging over to a nearby shed where I kept the electric moped I used to get around whilst in costume. "I think we need to find out more about Wu. Find out what could make him go villain in another life."

ooo

The shadows are flickering.

I perked up, surprised that I had nearly nodded off into a short kip whilst I'd been sitting on the riverbank. "Come again?"

I think we've got company.

That got my attention. I quietly rose to my feet as I pinged Jamie, she was about two kilometres away from my position. I turned towards where I had hidden my moped, knowing it wouldn't be enough even as I silently cursed my relative lack of mobility. I began to relax slightly since there was nothing I could do. She was already far enough that by the time I'd moved into position, whatever she was detecting would be long gone.

Jamie gave me a new set of priorities. Um, not sure you'll be able to do anything, but you may want to grab your bike anyhow so I can stay in range. This guy's a Mover.

I winced. Going up against another cape directly was not my cup of tea. "Any idea who it is?" I asked as I began heading in her direction.

Sure do, it's our old pal Nightwalker, she informed me. Bear north-northwest. I think he's heading downtown. I told you we should have gone there. Her mental tone was piqued.

I sighed. "We are not picking up or spending time to play with stray kittens, Jamie."

Aww, c'mon...

"Where is he now? Are you able to keep up with him?"

If he were being evasive I'd probably lose him, she admitted. But he's mostly staying on a straight path. I think he has an objective.

I tried to think about what might have caught Nightwalker's attention. A Mover-class cape capable of short-ranged teleportation between shadows, he was an extremely slippery individual to confront, especially after sunset. We had brought him into custody once before as a team, but that had been one of the few times he'd appeared during midday. Nightwalker had learned his lesson since then and managed to pull of some fairly successful heists in the past few months.

"I'm contacting Flurry," I informed Jamie, running a cable from my phone to an earbud I placed into one ear. As I sent the call, I kept part of my attention on Jamie's updated position, while another portion was focused on navigating the dimly lit streets.

A hiss in my ear let me know the moment I'd connected. "Flurry, Nightwalker is in town," I said without preamble. "I'm tracking him now, but I'm not sure I can do much when I catch up to him."

"Understood," she replied immediately. "Give me a few minutes, to—" there was a brief yawn, "—excuse me. Do you know where he's headed?"

He's not headed for the shopping district, Jamie sent without prompting. She sounded puzzled. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was headed for the police station.

Just as confused as she was, I relayed the info to Flurry. "Are there any inmates he'd be interested in releasing?"

"No." I heard the sound of cloth flapping in the background as Flurry hastily got dressed. "As far as I know, no members of his gang have been apprehended recently, nor are there any high-profile criminals currently in custody that I would have thought he'd be interested in."

He's inside, Jamie said grimly. He's fighting with the night shift. I swear, teleport spam is cheating.

"Can you do anything?" I asked. I was still several minutes away from the station, helpless to do anything from where I was.

"Not from here," Flurry said, mirroring my frustration. She sighed. "I suppose I'll be there in time to help with the clean up."

Maybe... Jamie said. If you'll let me?

I hesitated. Thought about it. I'd rather you didn't, I sent to her through the link, unwilling to let Flurry overhear. Slippery slope and all.

The cops are all down. Knocked out I think. He's just going through their filing cabinets now.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Briefly. Thought better of it once I realised I was still driving. Do it.

Almost immediately, Jamie vanished from my perception as she emerged from her hiding place and dove into Nightwalker. Almost as quickly, barely seconds later, I felt her again. She was bewildered and frustrated.

He escaped me! she exclaimed. He panicked for just a moment, but then he just teleported away. I didn't even have time to assert any control!

I slowed down briefly, ready to turn around and intercept him if he was fleeing. Can you track him?

I must have spoken aloud, because Flurry was responding. "Track? Did he flee?"

I... I need to get my bearings after that, Jamie replied, sounding somewhat queasy. Sorry...

"J confronted him," I told her. "He bugged out almost immediately, she couldn't determine a direction." It's fine, I wasn't quite looking forward to explaining how we brought him down if it had worked...

"We'll need to help them recover and see if there are any documents missing," Flurry said. "Hopefully you prevented him from finding what he was looking for. Good work, Glass. Pass along my appreciation to J as well." The line went dead.

"Well," I said as I continued my approach. "I guess we'll have something to occupy us tonight. Paperwork!"

Fun, Jamie drawled. I~ wanted to play with the box of kitties. Hey, James, do you think I'd look better with the longer hair or should I get a haircut?

I groaned.

ooo

a/n—just an fyi, this coming week is a holiday for me so i might not be able to get out another update for a bit. just warning.

leave a comment or review, anything you're liking about the story. anything that bugs you. the usual.