Chapter Seven: Building Bridges

March 5, 2011

On Saturday morning, Rory woke up, showered, grabbed his phone, and went down to breakfast. He chose a banana, because the oranges were starting to look a little questionable, and sat down at the table to read his email while he ate. Sitting at the top of his list, time stamped 6:14 AM, was a message marked with the "extremely urgent" flag.

To: Triumph

From: Company

RE: URGENT situation with Contract, immediate action required

Triumph,

The situation with Contract is worse than previously feared. Last night, in a conversation with Dragon, she revealed that she is capable of releasing Behemoth at any time. Several thinkers independently confirmed that she was speaking the truth as she believed it at the time. She stated that containing Behemoth requires active, constant persistence and sacrifice. She claimed that if Dragon had not spoken with her last night, she may have decided to release him because sacrificing her family is more difficult than she expected.

It is imperative that Contract connect with her peers and teammates. I believe that she may be older than she previously claimed, and that this age gap may be contributing to her difficulties in settling in. However, at this time, the decision has been made to leave her in her current assignment. You must connect with her and find a way to help her become more comfortable with her team. You must provide her with a support system. I am sending similar briefings to Armsmaster and others. Based on video data, it appears that she is currently most comfortable with Intrepid, and is using this to isolate herself from others. Other than Intrepid, the list of capes whom she appears to feel comfortable with is limited to Miss Militia, Armsmaster, Dragon, and Weld. Discussions are in the works to possibly transfer Weld to Brockton Bay.

Until that time, you need to make her feel more comfortable in Brockton Bay. Pair her with Clockblocker, Kid Win, and Vista as she seems more open to these three than to others. Keep her separated from Shadow Stalker. Try to bridge the gap which has developed between the two of you. If you can do this successfully, we will be leaving you as Ward team leader indefinitely to avoid a re-structuring that could upset the precarious balance. If you are unsuccessful, you will be graduated to the Protectorate on Monday.

Finally, we are aware that the last time you tried to reach out to her, she responded with an accusation about a "third class" of cape, which she believes includes you. There are several competing theories about this. Please send any information or suspicions you may have to us immediately. Defining this barrier is the key to working around it, and without more information we are blind.

I admit that I am at something of a loss. My power typically allows me to prescribe exactly what must be done, and by who, in order to resolve an interpersonal issue. I am accustomed to issuing direct and specific orders. With Contract, this has proven nearly impossible. Instead, I am only able to deduce what I must do. I can discover what information to send, and to whom, but I cannot tell you what to do with it. I suppose you must act as you see fit.

Best of luck,

Company

Rory read the email twice, his banana settling heavy in his stomach. If this information was correct, they had been one stroke of luck away from regaining an Endbringer, and it sounded like the PRT was now relying on him to keep Contract from releasing the monster. He wasn't sure what to do. It seemed to him like everything he had done to reach out to her had been unsuccessful. He'd had limited progress on Friday, but it was hardly enough to let him break through the walls she'd erected.

Still, he had to try something. Idly, he wondered why Company hadn't woken him with a phone call, instead of sending an "urgent" email that he would read three hours later. There was no real possible explanation except "thinker bullshit" which was probably true, but not exactly helpful. Rory had no idea where to start responding to this particular piece of bullshit, but he absently pulled up the program that let him track the Wards' PRT phones. It was a privilege he had argued for when he became team leader and he found it very useful, since it allowed him to put his team on alert based on their exact location, rather than where they were supposed to be.

Immediately, he noticed that Contract was not at her foster residence, as he had expected. Instead, she was in the area known as the Market. There were no other Ward phones near her. After a minute of warring with himself, Rory decided to go see her in person, casually, outside of the realm of the PRT, and introduce her to his civilian self. Maybe it would help him build on yesterday's progress.

Even with the GPS from her phone, it took Rory nearly 15 minutes to find her in the crowded market. When he finally did spot her, he yelled for her three times before he realized that (a) he was yelling for Elizabeth, not Fi, and she might not recognize the name and (b) she was probably still deaf and hadn't heard him either way. She turned to a little stall that was selling woven and beaded jewelry, which allowed him to catch up.

"$25 dollars." The shop owner said, when Fi showed her the items she'd selected.

"Don't be ridiculous." Fi said, with the faintest trace of an accent that meant she was still deaf. "This is good workmanship. It must be worth $50 at least in time and materials. I won't underpay for this sort of quality."

When the woman heard this, she suddenly seemed very interested. She reached under the table and pulled out another tray filled with jewelry indistinguishable from the stuff already lining the table top. Fi seemed to disagree.

"Oh, this is gorgeous." She traced her fingers over a woven bracelet of red and gold as though it was made of precious stones.

"You have a good eye." The woman replied. Fi glanced up at the end of her statement and blushed.

"I'm sorry. Can you repeat that?"

The seller regarded Fi for a moment that seemed a bit awkward to Rory, who was standing patiently to the side, waiting and watching. "You have a good eye."

"Not as good as yours, ma'am."

"Who are you looking for?"

"I wanted to see what was here."

"You have seen." The woman didn't seem impatient, but there was definitely tension between them. Abruptly, Fi turned toward Rory. He hadn't thought she was even aware that he was watching.

"If I asked you to wear this, would you?" She was pointing at a long-ish string that had a lot of knots and a couple beads.

Caught off guard, he answered honestly. "Uh, maybe? Why?" A moment later, he realized that he was supposed to be a complete stranger to her.

The woman laughed. "Let his mind be his shield." Fi had glanced at her almost immediately after his answer, so she was able to respond this time.

"For now, I believe you are correct." She picked up the red and gold piece she had admired before, as well as a string of blue beads, and the two between them, one sort of grey and the other very green. Without waiting for the woman to state a price, she handed over several bills, the outermost of which was a $20. It could have been as much as one hundred dollars, but the woman didn't count it before she tucked it away.

"Blessings." Fi said.

"Luck." The woman replied. She put the board away, but Fi didn't move on.

"I don't suppose you could point me to your partner?" Now the woman looked almost hostile.

"Michael works Tuesdays."

"Thank you."

The two nodded to each other with something approaching respect, and Fi finally turned away from the stall and started walking through the market. "Before you start talking, let me put my glasses on. I was trying to practice without them, but I want to be able to actually hear to you." She fished a pair of sunglasses out of her purse, where she put her merchandise. "I've adapted my beta program to run off my phone, which is connected to these beauties. Armsmaster gave them to me this morning, so I could read the text from the program discretely. In school I could use my phone directly if I was discrete, but these are more polite and less noticeable."

"So even when you're not facing me…"

"The microphone in my phone is doing its best to analyze everything it can pick up, sort out conversation, transcribe it, and feed it to the screen in these glasses. Tinkers may be bullshit, but I have to admit I like working with them."

"Yeah. Uh, how do you know who I am?"

"Not a long process of elimination for me to go through. Very few people know me enough to recognize me. What's your civilian name?"

"Rory. Uh, Rory Christner."

"I'm Fi." She smiled and he smiled back. "I take it you got an 'eggshells' email too?"

"Pardon?"

"I should have guessed that saying what I said to Dragon would throw up some red flags, but it's not as bad as it sounds." She stopped walking and turned to face him. "I'm not teetering on the edge of some cliff. It's a bit more like a roller coaster. Last night was bad, but then, nothing about this experience has been a cake walk. I knew I'd have to explain everything eventually but… yesterday sort of sucked. It's not the first time I've clung on by my fingernails, and it won't be the last. You don't have to treat me like glass."

"We don't think you're fragile…"

"Like a warhead, then. I get it, I make people nervous and my attitude hasn't exactly helped matters. I'm just trying to sort through a lot of stuff right now."

"So let us help."

"And how do you intend to help?"

Rory shrugged, not sure what to say, but going with the first thing that came to mind. "I'll wear the bracelet."

She laughed, and it actually sounded amused instead of bitter. He counted that as progress. "You really would too, wouldn't you? Don't worry about it, I think she was right." Fi kept laughing, and even though he didn't get the joke, he let her keep going. She wandered over to a stand selling fries and bought a boatful topped garlic and shredded parmesan cheese. As they kept walking, she offered him some but he declined. "Do you really want to help?"

Surprised that this was actually working, Rory quickly agreed. "Yes."

Fi didn't elaborate right away. By this time they had passed the edges of the Market, and Fi sat on a bench facing toward the start of the beach, mindless of the gang tags, and Rory sat beside her, hoping no one noticed them and had a camera phone. His dad did not need to see this in a tabloid.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Shocked, Rory looked out over the bay. The sky was grey and overcast, the water was dark and choppy, and the sand had been churned by many feet. The ferry sat a little to their left, barely better than an eyesore, and beyond it he could see the Docks, the Graveyard, and a woman who was probably a hooker. Across the bay, the city buildings were drab, shapeless, looming masses. He didn't see any beauty.

"The next time I'm out of control, wandering closer to that cliff's edge and you think you're in danger of seeing Behemoth again, remind me that humanity is built of survivors and innovators. Remind me that we were surviving and innovating before Scion, and we will continue to do so after he is gone."

"You think he's going to leave?"

She hummed noncommittally.

"If you're trying to throw so much at me that I can't remember it all later, you're doing a good job."

Fi laughed again, but it sounded bitter. "Haven't you guessed? That's why Armsmaster built me these ugly frames." It was like a splash of cold water. For an intense moment, he was ashamed to be a part of a system that didn't know how to help Fi without also spying on her.

"I'm sorry." She smiled at him, and it looked genuine.

"It's okay. I'll just have to get used to it. Do you mind if we sit and enjoy the view for a while?"

"Sure." Honestly, there were a lot of things Rory would rather be doing than sitting on a freezing concrete bench, looking at a grey city-scape. But if this was what was needed to connect with his new teammate, he would. After only a few moments, Fi pulled out her phone and started texting. That really bothered him, but before he could say anything, she showed him her phone. It wasn't a texting app that was open, but a notepad.

Don't speak. I want to ask you an honest question and get an honest answer. Can you do that?

Surprised, it took Rory a minute to process before he got out his own phone and opened his note app. He moved a little closer to Fi so they could see each other's screens while they typed.

Of course.

What do you know about that vial you drank?

Rory couldn't help but gape at her. There was really only one vial she could mean, but even after she had hinted that she knew he wasn't a normal cape, he hadn't guessed that she knew details. Now, he was glad that this conversation wasn't being recorded and monitored.

How do you know about that?

I asked you first. What do you know about that vial?

My dad gave it to me, said it would give me powers. I drank it and woke up the next morning as Triumph.

Did he ever discuss the cost with you?

No. How do you know about it?

I know because my powers came out of a bottle too. Except I didn't volunteer, and I didn't trigger right away. I was one of their experimental cases. I was kidnapped, held prisoner, experimented on, and would have been killed if I hadn't escaped. It was only later that I triggered.

Wait, what? Are you sure it's the same source? Dad wouldn't have dealt with criminals!

Even for the sake of his only, eldest, beloved son?

Rory felt a chill that didn't come from the wind. It was horrible, but possible.

Is that why you don't like me? Because you thought I was a criminal?

Yes.

What changed your mind?

I'm a good judge of character, and you didn't react like I expected you to when I confronted you about not having a trigger. You were embarrassed and concerned about what would happen if you were exposed, but not defensive or guilty. So I kept watching. I finally decided that you weren't connected to the rest of it.

The rest of it?

The organization that sold your powers to your father and who kidnapped and tortured me have a lot of influence in a lot of places, but especially in the PRT and Protectorate.

Are you sure?

Yes. Don't ask for details. It would be dangerous for me to even tell you their name. But yes, they have a lot of direct agents, a lot of capes who owe them favors, and a lot of blackmail material.

Why are you still here?

I don't give up without a fight. Legally, I can't touch them. They've written the laws to make it impossible to prosecute them either in the court or the media. And if I ignore that, I'd be risking my family because they'd come for me and they wouldn't stop until everyone who knew was dealt with. But sitting here, in the middle of the spider's web, I've got a chance. Not anything assured, but a chance. It means abandoning my family, cutting myself off, and trusting only very carefully. But I can try. I can talk to capes like you, who have no idea what's going on. I can talk to capes like Weld, who are victims as much as I am, but don't remember and don't know that they're still working for the enemy. And the thing is… we do have a common enemy. When the day comes, I will do whatever is necessary to defeat that enemy, even if it means working with those murderers. Until then, I will do what I can to stop their atrocities.

You said you couldn't do anything more against the Endbringers.

The Endbringers are not the biggest, weirdest, or deadliest fish in our little pond. Not even close.

I'll do whatever I can to help.

Don't be ridiculous. Weren't you listening? This organization has blackmail material or some other leverage over your father. That's how it works. Just because you were ignorant before doesn't mean that I can trust you now. Any day you might get an email with content that could destroy your family. You're compromised. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. We can work together in the field as Wards, but the best thing you can do to help me in the long run, big picture, is act like you're still clueless.

Suddenly, without explanation, she left the app, deleted the note, and tucked her phone away. Rory looked up, confused, and saw a tall teenager jogging along the sand. Her current course would take her just past their bench, but she didn't seem to have noticed them yet.

"Taylor?" The girl looked up, and slowed to a walk. She approached cautiously, but stopped a little farther away than he expected. "Hey. How's your Saturday?"

"Fine." Taylor shrugged a little and glanced at him.

"This is Rory, a recent friend of mine. Taylor's a friend from school." He waved a little, unnerved by the space Taylor was putting between them. Taylor just nodded at him without smiling. "You okay, Taylor? That bruise looks nasty." Indeed, Taylor had a decent bruise on her cheek.

"Fell down at lunch."

"What did the nurse say?"

"Didn't show up until after dinner."

Fi hummed a little in sympathy. "You had lunch yet?"

"Not hungry." Taylor was hunched over a bit now, and Fi shrugged.

"Don't let me keep you from your run. See you soon." Taylor shrugged, then walked away without a good-bye. Fi watched her go. When she was out of earshot, Fi spoke without turning towards him. "Does she strike you as a violent person?"

"No. Not at all." The question actually shocked Rory. Taylor had been distant and quiet, but in a way that suggested she was nervous or defensive, not dangerous.

"Does she seem like the kind to exaggerate or seek attention?"

"No. I mean, she was here less than a minute, but the whole time it was like she was trying to be invisible. Why?"

"I just wanted to know what you thought of her."

"Who was she?"

"How many Taylors do you think I know?" It took Rory a moment to place the name, and Fi turned back to look at him in almost the same moment. It was eerie. "Don't worry. I'm obeying Director Renick. I haven't pursued the situation since he told me to stand down. I just wanted you to see the girl at the root of it all. No ulterior motives." Abruptly, she stood up. "I think I'd like some lunch now. Are you going to follow me around all day?"

Rory shrugged, trying to understand how such an insignificant teen had caused such problems for his team. She didn't seem worth fighting over, particularly if there was a large, insidious conspiracy to worry about.

"Well, I'd like to see a movie. What sounds good to you?"

They picked up tacos from a street stand, and Rory considered leaving her to her own devices. She certainly seemed to be stable. On the other hand, millions of lives were depending on her ability to keep it together. If she could swing from depressed to cheerful in twelve hours, the opposite was probably true too. That assumed that she was telling the truth, of course, but it wasn't hard to imagine that the PRT was verifying everything they could with the help of thinkers and pre-cogs. Until he was told otherwise, he'd be treating Contract with kid gloves.

So they bought tickets for a science-fiction movie. As far was Rory was concerned, it was two hours of bad CGI and semi-funny one-liners. After the movie, he discovered that Fi had seen it quite differently. She was gushing, for lack of a more dignified term.

"I just love Reynolds as a director, and you simply can't dislike any soundtrack with Yoshi's name on it. The use of the deeper wind instruments to set up the foil between hero and antagonist was a little trite, I suppose, but using lighting would be just so overdone. I think the long shots were good too: continuous scenes really help build the tension and the pan-in pan-out motion kept the visual interest up without crossing the line into nausea. I don't think I liked the high shots, they broke the tension too much, and I wish that Reynolds would remember that just because he has reduced vision in his left eye, not everyone does, and pointing the camera that way occasionally wouldn't kill anyone. I've heard people argue that it's a commentary on the natural imbalance of the world at large, but I don't agree. I just think he's lazy. But oh! You can't argue with nice, subtle CGI. I like a director that calculates the actual physics of a detonation of a certain energy density instead of just using the biggest setting the computer has. It keeps from breaking the suspension of disbelief, although I suppose most audiences don't have much to compare to. What did you think? I felt like the percussion could have been a bit louder, especially when they were in the senate."

By this time they'd wandered down the street past the bus stop, and Fi finally stopped for breath, looking up at Rory.

"Uh, I liked it."

Immediately, she glanced away and blushed. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was gushing. I tend to do that after a movie, or a play, or almost any performance really. Next time just cut me off."

"No, I don't mind listening."

"I'm serious. Josh always tells me to just…" she abruptly she cut herself off, looking away and unconsciously walking slower.

"Josh was a friend?"

"He's my older brother." The simple statement hit Rory in the gut. For the first time, what Contract had said seemed real. She had left her family, and as much as she was missing them, they were probable worried about her too. He tried to imagine if Kyla or Michelle had simply vanished one day, without a trace. Had Fi known that she would have to cut ties? Had she gotten to say good-bye?

"I'm sorry." She shrugged. Her good mood had vanished, but she seemed to be pensive rather than depressed.

"Nothing to be done, now." They walked in silence for a few minutes, and Rory suddenly wondered if Fi had a destination in mind, or if she thought he was leading them somewhere. Just as he was considering inviting her over for dinner, just to keep her from being alone, Fi sighed and stopped walking. "I think I'm going to catch a bus back to my house. Have fun with your family."

"You sure? You'd be welcome to come over." Rory didn't want to leave her now, when she was still down.

"I'm fine. Go home. I can keep out of trouble." Reluctantly, Rory watched Fi walk back towards the bus stop they had passed. He wished he was more able to believe the smile she'd given him as she turned away. When he got home, he sent off a reply to Company. It took him a long time to write it, because he couldn't decide if the day had been a success or a failure. On one hand, she had opened up, been honest, and they had even shared a few jokes during the movie. On the other hand, she had clearly and explicitly stated that she would never and could never trust him. But that last part couldn't be explained with serious repercussions. In the end, he reported it as a success. She had said they would be able to work together in the field, and that was what mattered. Maybe, with more time and exposure, she'd come to trust him.

Even as he thought it, Rory wondered what he'd do if the situation ever arose. He loved his father, his family, and he couldn't imagine being willing to hurt them. But he was also a hero, and if his father had willingly gone to a criminal organization, then he was guilty. Rory wanted to think he'd do the right thing, but the situation felt too surreal for him to be able to be confident.

Maybe, a part of himself wanted to stay a part of the Wards to give himself the chance to find out if he was the hero he thought he could be.