I don't know what I was expecting, exactly. Probably something like you see on TV; some small, poorly-lit room with a metal table and two-way mirror.

The actual meeting room is...well, just that. An open room, white-painted walls and humming fluorescent lights. A long table lined by comfortable office chairs, with an empty whiteboard standing at one end. It's quiet, not terribly uncomfortable. But I think the clock hanging on the wall in front of me is slow, because there's no way I've only been waiting for five minutes-

I almost flinch when the door does actually open, but then it's just a relief from the quiet. Or, mostly a relief. Because on one hand, now that Armsmaster is here, we can finally get this thing over with. On the other...the last time I saw him, I made a less than stellar impression. It doesn't help that, with him just standing here, I can't help but think of posters and action figures... the Armsmaster-brand underwear. Oh God-

"Crow, correct?"

I blink, and shake off my discomfort as best I can. Focus on the actual Armsmaster, right in front of me. "Um…"

The corners of his mouth turn down, and he moves to stand across from me, his hands folded behind his back. "You name is Crow, isn't it?"

Oh. Oh, right. "Yeah." Jeeze, pull yourself together, Taylor. "Not necessarily what I would have chosen, but it seems like that decision is well and truly out of my hands." That I manage not to sound bitter is something I'm actually a little proud of.

Armsmaster, for his part, only nods. "It's unfortunate, but not uncommon." Strangely enough, I'm not feeling the sympathy. He continues a moment later, moving right to business. "You were asked here today to provide information regarding a skirmish between the Empire-88 and the Azn Bad Boys. I'll be recording audio of our meeting for further reference." He pauses again, but doesn't actually wait for me to respond. "Will there be any issues with that?"

I do actually take a minute to think it over. But in the end, I can't come up with any specific reason not to just go along with it. For now. So I shake my head, and settle back in my office-chair. "That's...it shouldn't be a problem."

"Very good." He finally moves again, sitting down across the table from me. "I'd like you to walk me through your involvement in the situation, to the best of your ability. From beginning to end."

Beginning to end, huh? "Alright." Just start from the top. I already spent the night thinking about the fight with Oni Lee, so it shouldn't be so hard to talk it through. "Glory Girl and I were-" Goofing off. "-patrolling, near the area. We heard the gunshots, and went to take a look. I got us onto a rooftop overlooking the street; we saw a lot of guys with guns. Empire, ABB...Night and Fog were pretty obvious."

Armsmaster leans forward, gauntlets clicking as he folds his hands on the tabletop. "Oni Lee?"

"We didn't see him until he attacked us." The asshole. "We were just going to call it in, but he made that...difficult."

"He's a dangerous opponent. The fact that you're still alive does you credit."

...alright. "Thanks?" I can't make out any real change in his expression, so I can't tell...I think that was a compliment? But really it's just another reminder of how massively I could have screwed up. "So...he came after us, tried to catch us in an explosion. I teleported us out of range. When he tried to follow, Glory Girl and I split up so she could call for help."

Now there's a hint of a frown. "If he had focused on her, she might not have been able to contact us in time."

I hadn't really been thinking that far ahead, at the time. Still, it's a good point. "I was...pretty sure he'd target me first. We've crossed paths before." Just the once, but apparently it had been enough to piss him off. "It didn't end in his favor."

"...I see." Armsmaster gives a curt nod. "Continue." A brief pause, and he clears his throat. "Please."

"Okay?" Moving on, then. "I drew him out. He attacked me...I mostly avoided him." Minus some attempted stabbings. And more explosions. "I tried to make things difficult for the guys on the ground, while I was at it. Figured he wouldn't be so free with the grenades if I was in the middle of the ABB."

"That was reckless." I rock back, slightly, at the interruption. "There were twelve fatalities determined to have been caused by Tinker-tech explosives, likely leftovers from Bakuda. Five were confirmed to be ABB affiliates."

That was...no, that made sense. I swallow, close my eyes, and try to remember. "That...sounds about right, actually. But I think that came later." Deep breath. Don't think about how hot that fire had made the street. "I got myself out of sight. Called up some rats to use."

"Your projections."

I don't know if I'd call them that, but it's as good a term as anything else. "I can get feedback from them. And if they're on Oni Lee when he teleports-"

"-then they're duplicated with him?" I nod, and Armsmaster shifts, tilting his head almost imperceptibly. "Good thinking. But not a perfect countermeasure."

Definitely not. "It's what I had." He nods, and I focus on my story again. "I dropped some rats on the street, to keep tabs on the gunmen, then backed off before I could get shot at. Fog had drawn Oni Lee's attention, and Night was using the distractions to create a smokescreen over the ABB." She'd been the one to put them down; the ones that hadn't run, at that point. "Since Oni Lee wasn't trying to kill me at that point, I was able to take her out of the fight...pretty easily, actually."

"Easily?" I open my mouth to clarify, but Armsmaster holds up a hand. More quiet, and I count five seconds on the clock before he speaks again. "...you were able to see through the smoke and negate her power. You caught her by surprise?"

"She hit car. I kicked her in the head before she could get up."

His frown becomes a little more pronounced. "That could have been extremely dangerous."

"Turning my back on her without making sure she was down would have been more dangerous."

"And if you had killed her?"

I flinch, despite myself. "I didn't kick her that hard."

"There's a narrow margin between minor head-trauma and irreparable brain damage." He doesn't let up, gesturing sharply to punctuate the point. "Something you should keep in mind, if you intend to continue working independently."

It's not like that's something I can argue. And maybe it is something I need to take into consideration. I've already decided (realized) that I haven't been approaching these things properly.

My face burns beneath my mask, but I nod anyway. Take a second to gather myself again. "So...I knocked Night out, then moved to put some more rats on Oni Lee while he was fighting Fog." I pause, there, because Armsmaster looks ready to interrupt again...but he just presses his lips together in a flat line. Doesn't say anything. "He reacted...more quickly than I'd expected. He set off more grenades, I tried to avoid him, and we sort of bounced between the nearby rooftops and the...street."

Which is where the ABB thugs had been passed out. Which accounts for them. That's also where Night had been.

"What happened to Night? Did she…?"

"She wasn't found with the rest of the bodies." Armsmaster nodded, slowly. "If she regained consciousness by or before that point, and if you weren't watching her, she'll have immediately transformed into her changer state and regained her mobility." He shifted his weight, armor clicking almost inaudibly. "She didn't reengage?"

I don't remember seeing her again. But I guess I did have bigger worries. "I wasn't on the street for very long. Just enough for Oni Lee to set of a couple of grenades."

"Then in all likelihood, she did escape with her partner."

Great.

"Right...well, that's how…" At least five ABB men had been killed. "...I got more rats on Oni Lee. Tried to put some distance between us, get back on the rooftops. And then he-" Faked me out. "He pretended to run. Doubled back, and...shot me, before I could react."

Armsmaster straightens, slightly, squaring his shoulders. "At which point, Velocity reached the scene and intervened."

"That's the end of it, yep."

"He also reported that you'd been stabbed, non-fatally, and shot three times, with one penetrating wound to your chest." I...don't know how to respond to that, really, so I offer a mute nod. "The fact that you armored your costume probably saved your life. Your connection with New Wave kept you from a long and painful recovery. I hope you understand that the results could have been much worse for you."

It hadn't exactly escaped my notice, no. "I did what I could with what I had." I narrow my eyes. "And I'm alive. So that's...something."

Armsmaster grunts, then shakes his head. "Your account lines up with what we know. Thank you for coming in." Without waiting for a reply, he reaches up to tap the side of his helmet. "If I could ask you to stay for a few moments, I would like to speak to you regarding other matters."

I hesitate. He takes the opportunity to continue. "I've stopped recording. If you'd prefer, I can tell you that the specifics of this talk will be…'off the record'."

Because that's a great incentive to stay and talk. 'Off the record' was rarely a good thing. But at the same time...what am I supposed to do? Just walk out?

So I cross my arms, and settle back in my chair. Consider my words carefully. "What, exactly, do you want to talk to me about?"

"First, the fundraiser." Oh, this conversation. "Shadow Stalker alleges that you attacked her while in Grue's darkness. The fact that you did, in fact, take one of her crossbows is evidence enough for the accusation to stick."

'The accusation'. Sophia's accusations. Against me.

"You can tell Shadow Stalker that if she didn't shoot blindly into a crowd of panicking people, I might not have had to take her toy away."

Armsmaster's hand curls, not quite a fist, but his frown doesn't get any worse than it already is. "If she was firing at civilians...then your actions may have been justified. If excessive." A moment of silence. "You would earn some goodwill by returning the crossbow. It was issued to Shadow Stalker as part of the Wards Program, and keeping it for personal use could be construed as theft of government property. "

Victoria may complain about my mask, but I've definitely come to appreciate it. Because it means that I can glare at Armsmaster all I like, so long as I keep my voice even. "I think I made my position on that point clear."

Another grunt. More quiet. I resist the urge to fidget in my seat for all of ten seconds, before giving up and pushing away from the table. "If there's nothing else, I'd like to get on with my day."

I'm halfway out of my chair before he speaks again. "You have a problem with Shadow Stalker."

I freeze.

"In the report that Aegis filed on your interactions, he noted that she was your given reason for not joining the Wards. Your brief...altercation, in the Forsberg Gallery, reinforces the animosity. And I know that Glory Girl has been investigating her, likely on your behalf."

Shit. "You seem to 'know' so much." I swallow, clench my fists...enhance my vision as I look around the room. And the surrounding rooms. It looks like we're (mostly) alone. I could be out in that hallway in seconds, even without teleporting, and nothing would stop me. "And that really just makes me think you have to know that Shadow Stalker's a psychopath."

"She's had behavioral issues. Which is why she's under strict supervision-"

I can't help laughing bitterly, at that. "Supervision?" What a joke. "All that means...either you know how bad she is, and you're covering for her, or you're incompetent enough that she's able to avoid your 'strict supervision'." Which I guess shouldn't surprise me. The local Protectorate doesn't seem to have a good track record at stopping teenagers with superpowers…

"There are limits to what we'll do to invade the privacy of a Ward." Armsmaster's tone sharpens. "And despite your opinion of her, she is a hero-"

"Sophia Hess is not a hero!"

My hands hurt. My ears are ringing. I look down at the table, wince as I pull my hands away...the left is throbbing, painfully, which makes sense considering I hit the tabletop hard enough to leave a crack behind. A little dent. Must be a veneer or something-

What the fuck did I just say?

"...are you claiming that you know Shadow Stalker's civilian identity?"

I can't exactly say no, can I? I could just leave, right now. And probably burn the last of my bridges here, while I'm at it.

Anything I could say now...fuck. I just told Armsmaster that I know who one of his Wards is, and anything I say now is...how hard would it be to figure me out? How hard could it be? If I say I recognized her, then it's not a leap to put us in the same school. Then...well, everything would fall apart, wouldn't it? Nothing to prove, conclusively, what she's done to me. My word against hers, but she's a Ward, and I'm the one breaking the 'Unwritten Rules'.

And the alternative? That I found out some other way? The only good thing about that is that it might not lead them back to me.

"Crow." It's not a shout, but I startle all the same. And I have to force myself not to shrink away as Armsmaster stands. "Answer the question."

"...I want to leave now."

"That isn't-"

"Are you going to keep me here?"

I guess...this is what you'd call a 'moment of truth'. I can almost see him, thinking it over. I know I'm already thinking of the roof of the building. The second he tries anything, I'm gone. The second I leave…

"Crow, I don't think you understand how serious your situation has just become."

"I understand just fine." My mouth feels dry, and the ache in my hand is getting worse, but I still, somehow, manage to keep my voice steady. "Are you going to stop me from leaving?"

"Have you been trying to discover the identity of one of my Wards?"

His Wards. I grit my teeth, and start toward the door. He doesn't move.

"What is your connection to Coil?"

I stop, hand resting on the door's handle. Slowly, I turn my head, just enough to watch him. "...I don't have any connection to Coil."

He turns, and I tense, but he doesn't move any closer. "Tattletale confessed to working for Coil under duress. Before we could question her more thoroughly, she suffered a psychotic episode, and became largely incoherent. Convenient for him, if she was telling the truth."

A psychotic...I can only remember. Tattletale, in a PRT cell. Terrified.

A PRT agent with a syringe.

'Psychotic episode.'

"I don't see what that has to do with me."

"You were the last person to be alone with her, before she was taken into custody. She showed signs of extreme stress, even with the tranquilizers in her system. And since her episode, she's referred to you several times. It's more than enough to raise the question, especially with the...assumption you just shared with me. Enough to justify taking you into custody, Crow."

My fingers tighten around the door handle, and I grit my teeth. "So is that what you're doing?"

"If you were the only one that was raising questions, then yes. That's exactly what I'd do." He pauses, mouth pulled into a tight line again. "Answer two questions."

God, what now? "What?"

"Do you intend to release any potentially damaging information relating to the Wards, Protectorate, or PRT as a whole?"

Fucking bullshit. Covering their asses, even with... "It's not like it would do me any good, is it?" He opens his mouth, and I cut him off. "No. I don't."

A tense moment passes, before he nods. "Do you have any information regarding the individual Tattletale has referred to as 'the bonecarver'?"

I'm very, very aware of the charms, strung on their belt beneath my coat.

"No."

Another moment passes. I wait.

"That will be all then, Crow." He moves towards me, stops when I take a half step back. "I'll return you to the lobby."

I...don't really feel like spending any more time in this building.

"Just tell Glory Girl I'll wait for her across the street."

I don't wait for him to respond, before-

-teleporting out.

Fresh air. Wind. Noise.

I take a deep breath, and slump down to sit on the rooftop, pulling my knees to my chest as I fight down the urge to throw up.

Fuuuucck.

xxxxxxxxxx

Victoria finds me a little later. I haven't moved. Mostly I've just been trying not to think about...anything. The pain in my hand is helpful, with that. From how tight my glove is, right now, it's swelling up pretty badly...the too-hot, restricted feeling pulses in time with my heartbeat. As far as distractions go, it's pretty effective.

"Hey, Crow." Right, Victoria. She's pretty distracting too, sometimes. "Armsmaster read you the riot act or something?"

"You...could say that." Oh, you could definitely say that. I breathe, push myself up with my good hand, and start walking. I don't really stop to consider which direction I'm going, so long as it's away. "Come on."

"Uh, okay." I can feel her watching me; teleporting up a few stories, across the street, only breaks line of sight for a few seconds, and then she's beside me. "Jeeze, I knew this would be trouble the second they split us up. Miss Militia's pretty cool, but Armsmaster's got a Tinkertech stick up his ass."

I don't look back. Don't really need to. I know that we're still way too close to the PRT building. Another rooftop. Further up. We're headed downtown, I guess…

Victoria catches up again quickly enough. This time, she moves in front of me, hovering backwards and watching me with a blurry frown. "Hey, seriously, what's with the silent treatment? You're kinda freaking me out." I try to keep going, but she drops, planting herself in front of me. "C'mon, what's wro-"

"I fucked up!" My voice is hoarse, and I hiss as pain shoots up my arm. Carefully uncurling the fingers on my left hand doesn't feel any better, and I bite out a curse. "I fucked up, okay?" And now I can't see...I yank my hood back with my good hand, tear off my mask so I can scrub away angry tears with the sleeve of my coat. "He started talking about Shadow Stalker, started pushing about how I've got an 'issue' with her, and I just…" Exploded. Let anger get the better of me for one fucking second. "He knows that I know who she is, now.

"...oh. Shit." Gravel crunches, and I can't look at her as she moves closer. "He...you settled it though, right? Like, he had you sign some papers or whatever, nondisclosure agreements…" When I shake my head, she sucks in a breath. "Okay, so...did you out yourself? I've heard of people doing that, but...if he made you tell him your identity, we should talk with my mom-"

I shoot her a glare. "I did not out myself to the people who are supposed to be monitoring Shadow Stalker."

She winces. "Okay, okay! But...I mean, what'd you do then?"

"Nothing."

"You told him that you know a Ward's civilian identity, and he just...let you walk?"

He might not have. He'd told me that. "I don't think that's the biggest worry on his mind right now." No, because there was apparently a lot of other bullshit going on.

I swipe at my eyes again. This time when I dry them, they stay that way. I'm even getting my breathing under control, so I can talk without sounding like I'm about to break down crying. Because like hell I'm going to do that. "You remember what we saw in the Void?"

"You mean the creepy mirror world?" It's my turn to wince, because there's a faint but undeniable note of accusation in the look she gives me. "Which part?"

"Tattletale. Being attacked by a PRT trooper."

She closes her eyes. "Please, tell me you're not serious."

I sniff, wipe my nose, and start pulling my mask back on. "According to Armsmaster, she told them she was being forced to work for Coil. Then before they could actually question her, she 'suffered a psychotic episode'."

"...shit."

"Yeah."

"So…" She pulls a face, reaches up to press a hand to her brow. "So either he was covering up for some kind of messed up PRT thing-"

"He also thought I might be connected to what happened."

"...putting aside that tidbit for the moment, that means it's probably not that. Which is...God, probably not really much better. Because that means either what we saw was way off base - which, by the way, is what I'm really hoping for - or this Coil guy managed to get someone into the PRT to muzzle his pet Thinker before she could spill the beans."

Silence. I secure my mask, pull my hood up, Victoria chews her lip.

"I just...I don't even know anymore." She sighs. "Is that everything? I only ask 'cause it seems like there's always another horrible thing just waiting in the wings."

I hesitate.

She notices.

"Oh, fuck you, Taylor!" I jerk back in surprise, because I don't think I've ever heard her...actually mad before. "That was a joke!"

For a second, I just...I don't know what to do. But then the anger comes back, and I grit my teeth. Pressed forward to meet her glare. "I'm not exactly happy about the way my life has been going lately either, Victoria!"

A gust of wind catches my coat, Victoria's cape. There's another long moment of silence. She looks away first, turning on her heel and stalking toward the edge of the roof. "Fuck, just tell me. Get it over with."

Fine. "He wanted to know if I knew anything about the Tinker. Because Tattletale talked about him too, at some point." 'The bonecarver'. Even the name sounds like a deranged serial-killer. "So that's another thing that he was trying to connect me to."

She turns back to me...and she's not glaring, anymore. I swallow, the anger cooling, settling heavily in my stomach. Because she looks nervous. Tired.

"Is he wrong?"

There's a 'yes' on the tip of my tongue. But I can't quite bring myself to actually say it.

Victoria...doesn't deserve it.

"No." She closes her eyes, a muscle in her jaw tensing for a moment. "Not entirely."

"What the fuck, Taylor…"

"I've been a shitty friend. You've helped me with all of this, and I've just been...I've been keeping secrets. And you say you're trying to trust me, and I want you to be able to trust me, but I...I just…" No, there's no backing out now. I clench my fists, and the pain gives me clarity. "You're the first friend I've had in a year and a half, and I...I don't want to lose that."

Victoria's quiet, jaw working again for a moment. "Taylor...at this point? I'm thinking that if you don't have a good explanation for this shit, I'm going to wind up putting you in the hospital myself." The way she lifts, just slightly, off the ground...is suddenly, alarmingly threatening. "Please...tell me you've got a good explanation."

I guess...this is the moment of truth. In more ways than one.

"When I got out of the locker. I spent a week in the hospital. Recovering. And the night I got home...I had a dream..."

I tell the story. I explain myself, from start to finish. And when it's done, I stop, and I wait.

Victoria doesn't say anything..

When the silence stretches on, when I realize all I can really hear is the wind, I open my eyes again.

Victoria didn't say anything, because she's not here anymore.

And I think...I think I need to sit down again.