A/N: I'm going to lobby a preemptive spoiler here and let you know about a break from canon. I decided to change Syndrome's name because of the vehemence in which he declared his name was not Buddy. I know that the idea was that he felt that he was 'Incrediboy' but I prefer a Mr. Incredible who was a bit dickish in his youth. Have a smidge of Mirage backstory. Don't worry there will be more! Enjoy and happy reading. I don't pretend to know physics, but I did a spot of research on how to protect against an EMP. I went with it.

Chapter 5

I leave the cafeteria with renewed purpose. I might be unable to fight but I can still contribute. I am stalled by the thought that I don't know how to contact Edna Mode. I don't want to ask my parents. They are at risk enough without me contacting them again. That leaves me one option.

Mirage.

I sigh deeply, it's still a little soon but I need to do this before I lose my plans. I walk around for a while, looking without looking before I spot her in that same high place the last time we'd had an argument. I steel myself against the height. I can do this.

"Mirage?" It took me twenty minutes to get up here but I finally found the pathway. She hid it well. She doesn't look up right away, keeping her gaze out over the treetop. I walk a little closer to the edge, sitting down behind her. I notice her little blanket, Treasure Island open in her lap.

"I love it up here." She says absently, almost to herself. She raises a glass to her lips, sipping the ruby liquid slowly. I peer cautiously over the side I'm closest to.

"I can see why." I totally cannot see why.

"I don't want to talk about what happened earlier Violet. Let's just..." Mirage takes a long draught of her wine, finishing the glass. "Leave it alone. Don't apologize. Okay?" She turns her pale green eyes to me, full of a sadness that takes my breath away.

"I didn't come up here for that." I say quickly, wringing my hands. "I need to see Edna. Soon. Tomorrow if I can."

"Why?" She lifts a perfectly manicured silver brow.

"I have some ideas to protect against Blackout's EMP."

"I told you you're decomissioned."

"I know but I can still be useful. I've been thinking over things. We were all really underprepared and I don't want anyone to get hurt again...especially you."

"What makes you think I'm getting hurt in all this?" Her voice wobbles. I can't tell if it's emotion or the wine. I wonder if she knows how obvious her concern for me is. Maybe I'm looking for something that isn't there.

"You will. Someone will blame you for what happens." I lower my voice. "My mom will...if anything happens to me or Dash."

"I don't want to talk about that either."

"Because of her?" I get bold again. "Or because of me?" I slide closer to her. She keeps her eyes on her wine glass, jaw clenched tight. I'm not going to get an answer on this. I change the subject, hoping this moment is enough to get inside her guard.

"Why did you start working for Syndrome?" I start with something I think will be easy. I lean down to catch her gaze, pulling her upright so she isn't slouching. I think she's a little bit tipsy.

"Why do you want to know about me Violet?"

"Someone should." I lean closer, gesturing nervously. "You know everything about us. Not just my family, or Petra but all the supers. You know all of us."

"It's my job," she replies bitterly.

"I want to know you. The real you, not Mirage the Agent. I.." I look away, settling for this rather than nothing.

"Yes?"

"I think you deserve a friend. I know what it's like...being different." I reach for the wine to stop her pouring another glass, laying my hand over hers. I hope she understands my meaning...that we're the same and we want the same things. She pierces me with her gaze, searching for something.

"Friends." She says it like she's making up her own mind about it too. "That's all?"

I nod slowly. I can deal with friendship. There are lots of women out there. It would make me feel better if we could be close, if I knew she felt she could trust me...with knowing. With anything. She is silent for a while, gathering her thoughts. I start to give up, putting space between us and moving to a place farther from the edge. I go to stand up.

"It's because of Terri...Cascade."

. . .

I make my way back to her, sitting cross legged in front of her. I am willing to give her all the time she needs. She chuckles, quietly, gathering her thoughts before starting her story.

"I was nobody, barely in college and full of stupid dreams of travelling the world when I met her. I was a language major. I had plans to work for the government. She was wild and exciting with no plans beyond the night at hand." Her lips twitch upwards at the memory.

"I didn't know she was a super at first. She liked to keep it secret, so everyone would treat her like normal. When she told me, it was like this great trust had been put on me. It made me feel special. I think that was the point. I'd seen them before but I never thought I'd be dating one."

"Did you love her?" I ask, hesitant. She bites her lip, lowering her eyes before nodding. I reach over and squeeze her hand. "There's no shame in that."

"She made me feel things I thought I'd never feel. When she was around, everything was easy and light; nothing was serious. I was wanted. I was unique and special. I'll never forget the first thing she said to me."

I offer her a warm smile. I find myself enjoying her company, without the constant pressure of arousal or the intricate dance we had begun with each other. She frowns and I realize she isn't going to share that bit with me.

"Anyway," she continues, "We left school together and we travelled. It was amazing. I hadn't ever left my home state. She started getting restless keeping her powers in the dark. She couldn't stand knowing she had the power to change things, to fix things and doing nothing. I'll never forget the day I watched her save an old woman from being hit by a bus." Mirage smiles but barely. "She took up the mantle of a hero. We moved back to the States. I worried about her constantly."

"What happened?"

"Somewhere along the way she'd started using her celebrity to step outside our relationship. I should have known better than to think she loved me. It seemed I wasn't so special after all, that our relationship was every bit as frivilous as everything else she did. So I left her. I packed up and I disappeared. I wandered around, spending my money on anything I could get my hands on to make me forget about her."

Her story pains me. My own experience with women was awkward, alcohol fueled and never lasted the morning after. I stayed in the closet, but I made my disinterest in men pretty clear. I distracted myself with work, losing myself once more in the pages of books.

I look at her weary, sloping shoulders and realize there's nothing to distract me now. Despite my brain's decision for friendship, my body strains towards her, to hold her and show her that she can have better.

"I was surprised by the Relocation Act. I understood, but it seemed so extreme. I met a young man at a rally. He was oddly seperate from everyone else, watching instead of yelling. He had such wonderful ideas and impeccable taste in wine."

"That was him...Syndrome?"

"That was Joseph yes."

"My dad always felt bad...about getting his name wrong. He told me about it once. We found a piece of his suit in the lawn a little while after." Her face cracked with loss. I regret mentioning it now that I know he was more than just her employer. "He said that he'd lost touch with the ordinary people. He had thought so much of himself he couldn't even bother to learn a little boy's name."

"Your father is the kindest man on this Earth, Violet." I can tell she means it. An errant tan hand lifts to her throat, unconsciously stroking the spot I had once seen finger shaped bruises.

"Joey...Joseph, he offered me a job. At first it was just as his assistant. I oversaw the purchase of the island base and managed his business affairs. He kept me busy, something I'm sure he could see that I needed. It wasn't long before we trusted each other completely. After a while he started asking me to find supers." She pauses, her hands shaking. "He told me his story and I told him mine. He said that together we could change everything, undo the damage done by the separation of supers and normal people."

She pauses, taking a few deep breaths to steady her trembling hands.

"I...I used his resources. I went to her. I don't know what I expected. I think maybe part of me wanted her to wake up and see that we could still be what we were. But what I found was worse than when she'd cheated on me."

"What happened?" I can't imagine something worse than catching the woman you love in bed with someone else.

"She had a family...husband, four kids, a dog. All of it." Tears rim her beautiful eyes, spilling onto her cheeks and falling onto her blouse. "Obviously she declined the offer...she didn't even think twice before she tossed the invitation in the trash and went back to her life. It was like she had forgotten all about me...about us. At first I didn't know what he was doing with them and after that I didn't care."

A shudder wracked her shoulders as the memory set free fresh tears.

"What did she say to you...the first time you met?" I want to know it all, to take her pains and make them mine. I understand why she wants to be unknown. No one can hurt her that way. She's safe behind Mirage. A hateful laugh barks out of her chest.

"She said I was too beautiful to be real. Like..."

"A mirage." I finish for her. My face crumples in sympathy, clinging to a lost love with the only thing she has. I think she must be a glutton for punishment, keeping that nickname, using it to erase everything she used to be, everything she thought would make her vulnerable. I imagine hearing it must have given her purpose at some point, a way to justify the harm she was party to. Now it was just a painful reminder of all of it. I think back to that day in the kitchen. That was a conversation for another time. I have put her through enough. She seems to agree with me, straightening her shirt and clearing her throat.

"You said you need to see Edna." I nod quickly, allowing the moment to dissolve. "I'll call her for you tomorrow. She won't like being woken up now." I glance at my watch; it's late. I laugh quietly.

"I don't suppose she would. I should go..." I don't want to go. She nods and inhales deeply, getting to her feet. For a moment I think she's going to hug me but she settles for a squeeze of my hand.

"Thank you Violet. I do feel a bit better having shared that with you. It's not often I meet a person who can understand me."

"I know the feeling." I turn to leave. A thought hits me and I look back at her.

"Start looking into reports of strange animals or animal behavior. I wouldn't put it past Mandross to use Sacha's powers for reconnaisance as well as offense." She looks at me, surprise touching her eyes.

"That's a brilliant idea Violet. You're right. I will notify our network." I beam at her, happy to be useful for more than just my powers.

"Thank you for talking to me Mir..."I stop myself from saying it. The name has taken a new meaning for me, no longer the alluring mystery woman. "It means a lot, that you trust me. I've never had many friends...none that I know secrets about so, thank you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Violet."

As I turn to leave, I catch sight of the book again. It hits me like a truck. Her name is in the book; scribbled in the 'I belong to' margin. I keep walking, knowing it would be suspicious if I asked to see it again. I dig in with renewed purpose, spending the trip to my room formulating a plan to get my hands on Treasure Island.

. . .

"Wake up!" My face scrunches together under the heavy swat of a rolled up paper. "Get up you silly girl, or did you plan to waste the day away?"

"Nngg huh?" I sit up quickly, my hair sticking up at crazy angles. I cover my yawning mouth with my hand, delighting in the sound of my bones popping while I stretch.

"Eloquent as always arent we Miss Disappear." Another swat to my ears brings me to full awareness. Edna Mode is standing on my bed, brandishing her magazine like a weapon. Italian Vogue. No wonder it hurts so much. The use of my codename quirks my lips into a smile. I like it, a nice call back to my first moments in action. Dash giggled when I told him.

"I'm up! I'm sorry." I wave off another advance with the magazine. "Sorry she didn't say when you would be here."

"Excuses! Progress waits for no one." Edna hops off my bed and moves to the door, impatiently tapping her foot while I dress. I catch the scrutinizing look she flashes me when I pull an old sweatshirt over my lacerated arm.

"Alright let's go." I grin and follow her out the door to the armory. We don't talk while we walk, her pitter-pattering step twice as fast as mine. I shove my hands in my pockets, mind switching between my ideas for improvements.

She breezes us through security, all state of the art but nothing like what she has at home. Her little hands push against my back as I linger at the retinal scanner, fascinated by the tiny machine. I lope onward into the production area, marveling at the variety of machines available for her use.

"So you think you have improvements?" She whirls on me. I know she's not offended but she sounds like it. I set my jaw and nod sharply.

"Just ideas. I want to incorporate ceramic in more than just insulation. Is there a way to make the plate thin enough to fit between the layers of mega-mesh?" She bats at me with her tiny hands as if she's already thought of this.

"Of course! What else darling?" She grabs a small blank book and begins to sketch furiously, her eyes peering at me over the edge from time to time.

"Can you incorporate a Faraday cage into our suits? It would completely nullify an EMP except at close range." She lifts her eyes to mine, surprised.

"You've been studying physics in your spare time?" I blush a little, shrugging.

"I've been reading about electromagnetism yes. I think we could benefit from some creative thinking."

"Smart girl." Edna sets her notebook aside, lacing her fingers together and fixing me with that intense stare again, studying me.

"As for the sonic pulse, do you think it's possible for my forcefields to contain or deflect sound?"

"I don't know dear. You'd have to test that yourself."

"Can you make me something that will project a sound blast?"

"You mean a radio?" She grins at me. I feel silly.

"No not quite. Something capable of making sound a physical force." I remember it wasn't just the volume that dropped me to the ground.

"I might be able to come up with something." She gives me a look that tells me she is more than capable.

"One more thing."

"Yes?"

"What happened to all the technology seized from Jo..Syndrome's base?" I caught the slip just in time. She eyes me cautiously.

"Why do you need to know about that?"

"I just need some video footage. I want to try something, but I need to see how it works." Edna purses her lips, thinking. She gets up and hurries over to a file cabinet, her fingers riffling through the files until she retrieved a small black USB stick. She places it into my hand meaningfully.

"This is all of the recovered security footage as well as lab tests and result video." I smile, happy to have something to distract me for the better part of the day.

"Thank you Edna, you're..."

"The best darling, I know."