Alright, I don't jump directly into the fight. Not only would that be stupid, but whatever's happening is almost two blocks away from the apartment. It takes a couple of teleports just to get to a spot where I can see what's going on.

Something blew one of the big doors off a warehouse...into the warehouse. A break-in? No, if it was just that, they wouldn't still be fighting. Gangs, it has to be. So why are they fighting inside? And...oh, crap, where did Glory Girl go?

I hit the warehouse roof and enhance my eyes...fuck. Five, eight, ten...no, that one just disappeared, so that's...I give up trying to count. There's a lot of bodies, guys with guns getting their asses handed to them by a handful without. Glory Girl is flying around, maybe trying to decide who to punch (because that seems to be a pattern with her), and there are three giant...things wrecking the place. And on top of that, someone down there is appearing and disappearing...that's Oni Lee. So the guys with guns are probably Azn Bad Boys. And the sum total of my knowledge about the ABB boils down to 'avoid the dragon man'...

I don't have time to worry about that, though, because there's a fight happening right beneath my feet.

Warehouses aren't exactly small buildings, so it's not hard to find a spot inside that's mostly away from the fighting. And once I'm inside, everything get's that much louder; besides a few shelves and broken pallets the place is mostly empty, all concrete and brick. So while the shooting has mostly tapered off, there's still enough noise to set my ears ringing.

The giant monster-things crashing around don't really help with that.

I take a few deep breaths, blinking away my night-vision so I can get a better sense of what I'm up against...and half the fight vanishes behind a black cloud. That would explain the spotty gunfire, and Glory Girl's inability to do more than smack down the outliers and chase Oni Lee. So, giant monsters, a teleporting psychopath, and now blinding fog. This just keeps getting weirder.

I'm not bulletproof, so I'll leave fighting in the open to her. Right now, that darkness is looking really inviting.

I start running, and reach for my power just as I break into the cloud...whoa. Alright. It's not just fog; I can feel it dragging at me, like I'm walking underwater. Not good, but I can work around it. Especially since the nearest armed thug seems similarly affected, and without the advantage of his sight.

He's got a machine-pistol. Lead with the bat; I knock it down and away. There's a flash as his finger catches the trigger, but I don't hear the gunshot. So sound and vision are muffled. Good to know...the gun drops, and I pull back for another swing, put everything I can into it to catch him in the back of the head.

It's slowed, yes, but there's enough power behind the strike to drop him. One down...and I'm very glad nobody is keeping score, because between everyone else in the room at least five more went down in the same time. Including one taken down by the big guy walking toward me, completely unaffected by the fog. The source, maybe. I hold up my bat, and he stops; when I wave at one of the other gang-members wandering blindly nearby, he nods and turns away.

Good. Making friends is good.

My vision cuts out halfway to my next target, and I stumble, take the moment to breathe and restore it before carrying on. Then it's just like before; one swing to disarm, another for the knockout.

There's another explosion; I don't hear it, but it feels like a kick in the chest. Goddamn Oni Lee with his Goddamn grenades. That needs to stop, or he's going to get lucky, and somebody will end up really dead. Since that somebody could very easily be me, I've got a vested interest in stopping him.

So, first thing to do; identify him. Easy enough; he's the one in the scowling demon mask, teleporting every few seconds to shoot at something. Or stab something. Someone. Whatever. Glory Girl seems to be keeping his attention, the monster-things too...he's reactive. Can I use that? Maybe if I had more to work with than a baseball bat.

Guess I should get something more to work with, then. First things first; I reach for Control, and immediately start calling on everything in range, moving for the next closest thug to take out of the fight while I'm recovering. Once he's on the ground and I've managed to get the beginnings of a proper swarm inside, I create a pack of rats and spread them out...my vision goes again, but I've got a good enough idea of my surroundings to find my way out of the fog.

Walking out of near-silence and into the noise again throws me for a few seconds; I find myself looking down the barrel of a gun, only for the guy holding it to jerk to the side without pulling the trigger. I'm behind him before he can recover, swinging at his knee, then his shoulder when his legs fold. I kick the gun across the floor to be safe, and start moving back toward the shelves.

Someone appears beside one of my rats, and I push it to leap and attack. A second later, the sensation of biting into tough cloth is doubled. Five seconds after that, it's doubled again and the first one has disappeared. Then I lose the rat.

But it gave me the idea I needed. I refresh my control and keep moving away from the fighting, directing as many flying insects as I can to find Oni Lee. When they do, I'll have a way to-

Someone kicks me in the back, and I stumble forward, spinning into the hardest swing I can muster. Nothing. That'd be the teleporter, then. Irritating, but two can play at that game.

I move up. Above the shelves, further away. Mostly out of sight. Just a moment to catch my breath, recover from the hit...shit, that really hurts. Guess that's the difference between a gangbanger and experienced killer...there. I've got bugs on him. That means I can follow him.

He 'ports, and I follow, aiming to hit him upside the head; he goes down, but quickly dissolves into ash. He must have been gone before I even hit him. I can't keep up with that, especially if he drags this out. Think. Adapt.Breathe, come on, he didn't hit me that hard…

Rats. I gather them up, scramble to the side when I hear more gunfire. Five, clinging to my sweatshirt; I locate the newest Oni Lee and teleport. Still too quick. A couple rats lose their grip, when I drop and roll away...the world explodes, and then all I can hear is ringing. Not like earlier, with the Shrine. This is sharper, and more painful.

There he is. I grab another rat in my off hand, make sure the rest are still holding on, then push to my feet and appear behind him. This time, he's distracted. This time, I get some of the rats on him. One manages to get into his coat before he can shake them all.

I don't hold back. The rat bites and scratches, digging in as deep as it can. Flies cloud his vision while mosquitoes squeeze under his mask. By the time I've recovered enough to 'port to an out of the way corner, I've managed to get them into his eyes.

Then he's out of my range, and there's nothing more I can do.

Which is...good. That's very good. I have to laugh, because I just beat my first real villain. Well...I drove him off. But that's still a victory. And I'm pretty sure all the ABB guys are down too. Go us!

Ugh...but I feel like shit. This for is what I get for chaining my powers like that. I think I'll walk back to Glory Girl.

The fight's definitely over, because she's not busy punching people anymore. Guess she's taking the time to chat with our new friends. Funny...seems like I'm making friends all over the place the past few days. I wave, to draw her attention, and she looks at me...her mouth moves, but I can't make out what she's saying. Stupid ringing…I shake my head, motion at my ears. It's not a big deal, but she still seems really worried. Really…

Okay. Head-rush. That's okay, I can...I can handle that and wow, she got close. When did that happen? I grin, take a step-

Ouch.

I'm...why am I on the ground? That's stupid. I should be standing. Don't have time to...to rest…

There's a big guy with a skull mask. I think he's the one who was making the fog...that stuff was useful. I smile, and wave at him. It's good having friends with useful...useful powers. Oh, and hey, another blonde. Kinda like Glory Girl. She doesn't look happy either. Now she looks scared. That's weird. Why would she be scared? I'm not scary. Especially not when I'm...wait.

Wait, something's wrong. That's why this is all...not right. Something is wrong, and it's...I swallow, and lift my hand to touch my side. My sweatshirt feels warm and damp. It's supposed to be warm, but not that warm, and definitely not damp. So I'm...bleeding? I'm bleeding. I've been-

Pain.

Am I flying? I think I'm flying. Can I fly now? Maybe I can only fly when I've been shot. That's a stupid fucking power to have. That's-

-I can hear again. That's good. That's good. At least, I think I can. It sounds like whispering...oh, yeah. It is. Glory Girl. Whispering. She doesn't look happy. Who's she talking to?

"Why're we bein' quiet?"

Now she's talking to me...too fast. I can't follow what she's saying.

There's someone new, though. She looks scared, too.

"S'alright." I reach up for...something, but it's a lot of effort. Not important. I let my arm drop, close my eyes. "S'okay. 'm not...not that scary." Not-

Not…

Darkness. And a voice.

"And now your first real test is past. It took you some time to get here...but you managed, didn't you? After months of running in circles, you find yourself victorious."

It doesn't feel much like a victory. It doesn't feel much like anything.

"It wasn't what you expected...but then, isn't it better that way? The predictable is, after all, so very boring."

Is there anything wrong with that? Sometimes boring is good.

"You would think that, wouldn't you?"

The darkness pulses.

"You started on this path when you chose to accept my gifts. But today you took your first step. Your first victory won. Your first enemy earned. You've even made allies. Almost as interesting as you. I...approve."

And that's a good thing, I guess?

"Perhaps. But if all you're seeking is approval, then maybe you're not what I thought you were."

Silence...and a dull pain in my side.

"One way or another, I think you'll prove yourself. But for now...for now, you have lessons to learn. So go. And, perhaps, take more care in the future. I would hate for you to be lost so soon."

Lost…?

The darkness snaps, and I open my eyes to...nothing. Discomfort, yes, but I was expecting pain. Because...shit, Oni Lee. He shot me! I'm-

"Hey, calm down." Hands, pressing me back before I can try to sit up. It's...right. Glory Girl. She was there. "You okay Crow?"

"I…" I'm not wearing my sweatshirt, anymore. My shirt, though, is stuck to my side...I worm a finger into the ragged hole there, but all I feel is skin and dried blood. "I never signed off on 'Crow'."

She slaps a hand over her mouth before she can laugh, takes a few seconds to control herself again. "You're an idiot. What the hell am I supposed to call you then, huh?" She rubs her face, looks around...she's not in costume, anymore. She's wearing pajamas. The hell? "Dammit. It is...way too late for this."

Late...late. Shit. "What time is it?"

"It's like...I don't even know at this point. The sun isn't up yet."

Alright, that gives me some time to get home...the blood off, and change. Get rid of the-

"Whatever. Doesn't matter. Because you...are staying right here." What? I start to object, but she pokes me in the chest, hard enough to hurt. "No, you know what? You're staying. Because we're going to have a long talk about the fact that you-" another poke, and then she's waving the flat, carved bone rune in front of my face. "You took these. And then you got shot, so you also have to apologize to my sister for dragging her out of bed at godawful o'clock to heal you. And also because I have been up all night following you around and I'm not in the mood to be argued with so you're gonna shut up and go to sleep. You got it?"

"I-"

She glares. And I shut up.

"Good." She stands up...yeah, I'm on the floor. That explains why my neck hurts. I sit up, carefully...this is a bedroom. Probably her bedroom, actually. Because she brought me here to...Panacea. The healer. Right...right.

And I thought getting shot made me feel like shit.

"...sorry."

She huffs, moving around her bed. "I'll bet."

Yep. That's guilt. I palm my face, rub the gritty feeling out of my eyes...finally just yank my stupid home-made mask off entirely. It feels more exposing than it should. "Taylor." She looks at me again, and I shrug, pretend not to notice her surprise. "You can call me Taylor."

A moment of silence...and then she snorts, and throws a pillow at my face. "Go to sleep, Taylor."

"...my dad's going to be worried if I'm not home."

"I can take the heat." The lamp beside her bed goes out, and the bed creaks. "Go to sleep."

"This is-"

"I will knock you out if the next word out of your mouth isn't 'Goodnight'."

I weigh my options, along with what I know of her behavior. "...goodnight, Glory Girl."

"Thank you."

Silence. I set the pillow down, and stretch out as best I can. I...actually am pretty tired.

"And it's Victoria, out of costume."

"I'll keep it in mind."

"Don't mess with the freaky bone things, either."

"Goodnight Victoria."

She doesn't respond again, and it's not long before her breathing evens out. I enhance my eyes, and count four bodies in the house. All asleep. Panacea knows I'm here, but I have no idea how their parents are going to react. Maybe it would be better if I just...no, this is stupid. I'm too tired to worry.

Tomorrow might suck, but my only problem right now is the that Victoria's floor is really uncomfortable. The rest I can deal with later.

I dream of nothing.