Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious or any of it's characters. Schneider's Bakery and Nickelodeon do.

:}

Around the same time Misses V was dealing with her underlings, Sikowitz was hatching a plan of his own. "Cadabra's amulet was his secret weapon. We recover it from where he'd lost it, we can use it to power up Robbie's altered form, give him some abilities that'll make up for not carrying around all that police issued gear."

The only problem with his plan, other then the fact that he was now talking to himself, (He tended to forget he could talk to his spirit familiars without speaking out loud,) was that the amulet wasn't where most people assumed it was, buried with the great, fallen hero. No, it'd been stolen, and would need to be retrieved from the cult who now used it as one of their stronger talismans, even if, in the end, it had just been a minor artifact. "I'm good, but they have numbers, and use the cult to build power, feed it to their enforcers. They've stayed under the radar, avoided being noticed more then any other cult, but now, we need to stop them."

"Mister Sikowitz, were you saying something?" Some shrugger he couldn't remember the name of asked.

"Yes, I'm working on a new play." The teacher replied. "Just working on the dialog. It's better if I can hear it sometimes."

'Good cover. You've done a wonderful job of building a reputation as a freak.' Faxguard, his fox spirit familiar, said. 'But I do agree, retrieving the amulet, that'll help Robbie, and Jade, and just about everyone else. Maybe the spells will be minor at best, but considering that your student is plotting to jack up the power of the Hero's Crown, make him a stronger opponent, the spells wouldn't have to be much to help him out. So, how will we retrieve the amulet? Jade?'

"Sight, no. Jade's more then strong enough, but her time is so limited. Plus, the police would want to know where she was going, and why… No, we need a better option." Sikowitz said. "I'd send Blue Steel, except this won't be police work until we can prove they've been using the amulet's power to pull people into the cult, functionally hypnotizing them. Once the suggestion's in place, the cult go's about breaking their wills, then enlists their aid, their faith, in empowering the enforcers. The whole thing becomes a viscous cycle, with the cultist unwilling to leave, terrified of the enforcers. But the police, they'd need proof, and that's not easily available. Not beyond just my word. So no, Blue Steel would be an awesome choice, but not without a warrant, and even still, we'd have to prove that the amulet was stolen. We need another option."

'Mercenaries?' Faxguard suggested.

"Don't trust them." The sidekick turned hero replied.

'Not that kind.' His familiar pushed. 'There are people who'll do a lot for power, even a taste. We find ourselves someone, dangle a promise of power in front of them, and get ourselves some patsies to do the job for us.'

"No, but you're onto something." Sikowitz said, smiling. "Get someone to get in, steal the amulet, and not only can I have Jade purify it, help Robbie and the police, but that one act will cripple the cult's ability to grow. They'd have to find another way to draw in new recruits."

'And do you know any criminals?' The spirit asked.

"I know of one, who may or may not be in practice." The teacher said. "The real question is, what will it take to get her to do this for me. Yes, time to dig into my bag of tricks, see what I have to offer someone for a breaking and entering job." His hand moved to his Rolodex, something most of his students thought was some kind of desk art piece.

In another part of the school, Lane was meeting with his informant. "So, anything else?"

"Just gossip." The girl replied. "I know you're into that chiz, but given who I am, what my life's been like, I'll pass, thank you very much."

The guidance counselor nodded, dismissing his contact. 'She's a great source of information, but I have to rely upon her discretion. I totally get it, no one wants to learn as much about this school as she learns in any given day. Plus, she quickly learns what gossip is true, and what isn't, and has been a victim of bad gossip, more then once, as well as her attempts to counter destructive lies. Girls has the emotional scars.' he shook his head, reflecting on the sessions he'd had with her, over that and other issues. 'Best to let her have her secrets. She'll tell me anything I need to know. Besides, I can always speak to her mother if I have to…' A shudder ran down his spine at the thought of having to pull on that lead, but to know what he needed, he'd do what he had to.

The next morning, after his morning training session, Beck was covered in sweat even as he watched the armor, on it's rack, being put away. "You know, this armor, it's way too cool to just go by Steel Copper." He told the techs. "We need a better code name."

"We thought about that." The tech said. "Only, we realized we weren't gonna do much more then just this project, and that project had such a lame name. They used an acronym for it, short for the Police Urban Tactical System."

"Puts?" Beck asked. "Putz? This is the Putz armor? My god, you named this the Putz armor?"

"Yea, not the most flattering, but hay, what can you do, right?" The tech said. "So, take your shower, and head up to class. We'll finish up here."

Beck hesitated. "Can I ask a question?" He looked for some response, getting only the smallest nod. "Why is it so hard to use the on board weapons. I mean, you have me practicing flexing the most odd combination of muscles. Is there a reason for this? Why not just use a voice activated weapon system?"

"Because some enemies can silence you." The tech said. "Plus, we didn't want it that easy. This way, the muscle movements you need to use to fire the guns or activate the flight systems don't feel natural, so you won't do any of them by accident. With enough training, however, it'll be second nature, and the neural pathways we need will grow, allowing you to activate the various systems with a thought. Save you a lot of time, and may save a lot of lives. So, we built it that way, cause you know, speed matters."

"Tell me about the Black Dahlia?" Beck was too curious to just walk away. They'd been talking, everyone so open about the armor, that he felt that maybe, if they knew something, they could tell him. Now was his chance to learn.

"Working with her has been a trip." The tech admitted. "I never knew someone could have that kind of power, and yet, be so vulnerable. I swear, if Warpath wasn't involved, I'd still be worried that she might break. Let me tell you, the previous administrator for Project Redemption didn't do her any favors." The man looked down, ashamed of something. "I used to think that was the right way to do things. I mean, you see how much power some of these people have, and you start thinking, we have to have absolute control, or it's all over. Once their combat training is done, and they get a little field time, we won't catch them nearly as cheaply. Lives will be lost, and it'll be because we didn't break them."

"You tried to break her?" The Canadian was now feeling incensed.

"Didn't know her then." The tech said. "She was just a project, something to be experimented on. You convince yourself, think that it's for the best, make her less then human, so you can do the work, keep everyone safe." He shook his head. "Only now I know her, see how hurt she is, and it scares me even more. I know, she could help so many people, be a force for good. But we hurt her, and Mrs. V may not be able to pull her back from the brink. That's why you're being brought into the fold. Only problem is, we don't currently have a program for new heroes, thought you'd think we would. The Constable Initiative was and is a success, but it's kinda focused on only two heroes. So, I guess they'll just bring you into Project Redemption as soon as your ready."

"Not to ask the wrong question, but what plans do you have if she is too broken." Beck didn't want the answer, because he suspected the lethality of his armor was intended to put a scared, broken girl down if she lashed out.

"We have multiple contingency plans, just in case, but I personally doubt most of them would work." The tech said. "Not after I've seen what she's capable of. Of course, a lot of the early testing was to find her limits, so we could push her past them, bring her down, in the event we had to. I was also tasked with developing a bomb of some sort that we'd inject into her, set to detonate on a signal, or after a set amount of time, because Masters, the former administrator of the project, he didn't want her to have an escape. Regardless of the deal, he said a person like her was too dangerous to exist outside of our total control." He gulped down extra bile. "Only, couldn't make the bomb work. And now, now she's becoming such a good person. Still, did we push her too far?"

"Then what exactly is my job?" Beck pushed.

"Make friends with her." The man said. "Charm her, give her the belief that she's not alone. Between you, Warpath, and the new Pandion, we're hoping to build connections, friendships, that we can use to help contain her. Make her want to stay with us. Make her want to help out."

"So I'm supposed to be her friend?" Beck clarified.

"Friend, seduce her, whatever it takes to keep her under control." The man looked Beck in the eye. "Look, you need your shower, so you won't stink up the school. I'm all finished here, so I'm gonna go, pretend we never had this conversation. Mrs. V. won't be happy to learn that I was speaking out of school. So, you get cleaned up, and bring all your charm once you learn to fly, cause Dahlia may look like the kind of girl I want to marry, all cute and innocent, but she's scary as all hell, and that's without knowing about her magic. Frankly, this may be our best shot at containing her." He pointed at the door. "So, go, school."

Beck nodded, now much less happy about his duties. Still, he walked to the showers, ready to end his training day, and as he did so often these days, he saw some of the other students using the basement dance facilities, including two of his friends. Jade, who he was told was making up credits by taking an extra modern dance class, and Tori, who was taking a self defense class her father had set up. All three were heading to the showers, where Beck had no illusions what the two girls would be doing. 'They are dating now, so...' He smiled. While it felt sudden, it was also a good thing for his ex.

A short time later, after cleaning, Beck made his way up into the school proper, ready for the day, all the while a single issue was eating away at his conscience. 'They want me to manipulate this girl, play with her emotions, just to control her. Is that right? Using her like that. I mean, I get it, she's dangerous, maybe one of the most dangerous people I'll ever have to face, but do I really want to set our relationship up like that?' He breathed a heavy sigh. 'I mean, sure, I could be her friend, be there for her, but one thing Jade's taught me is that some people you just don't reach. I loved her, gave her all the help I could, and she still went and got herself arrested. Do I have it in me to try and help an even more messed up girl with the power to hold two of the cities ore experienced heroes at bay for ten minutes? I mean, sure, the suit I'm working with is kinda more powerful then Constable, but he, and Blue Steel, they have a lot more training, way more experience, and can usually handle situations like this. No way around it, this is a difficult situation, one that's gonna require me to lie to my friends.' He shook his head. 'Man, I wish they'd hurry up and clear Robbie for something, so I can have a friend there. Plus, someone to use as a sounding board...'

"Oh, hay Beck." Tori said as she walked up the same stairs he was using. "How'd your, um, lessons go?"

"I'm helping some seniors work on their dance routines." Beck reminded the girl. "Lots of work, but well worth it if I can make their lives a little better. Plus, they have a show, not around here, but a show they're doing, and my work will help them."

"I think it's wonderful how you're always trying to help people." Tori said, meaning every word. "So, um, my training is going well. Getting tougher. Soon, I won't lose fights to random ten year old girls."

"Good for you, learning to fight for the right reasons." Beck joked back "So, have you seen Jade today?"

"Not today, but I rarely see her before school." Tori said, holding back a pout. "You know, we're dating, but her schedule is so restricted…" Apparently they missed one another in the lower showers.

"Don't worry, this won't last forever." The handsome Canadian tried to comfort the girl. "Soon, as soon as possible, she'll have the time, and then you two can spend all the time you want together. So, stay strong, cause I suspect Jade will need you before this is done."

"I hope you're right." Tori said, smiling. "You okay with me and Jade…?"

"I'm more then okay." Beck said, a mischievous smile crossing his face. "In fact, when I worry about her, I like to think about you two together, and it makes me feel so much better. All warm and tingly." He raised an eyebrow at the Latina.

"Really?" Tori asked. "Sex jokes?"

"Don't let this get out, but Tori, I'm a guy." Beck pushed further. "We think about sex, and two chicks together, especially if they're hot, that's not something we're against. I, however, I personally love the idea for more then just the fantasies I can have. I genuinely want both of you to be happy, and with you, Jade has a real chance."

"And my happiness?" Tori asked. 'Is he leaving something out, or do we have issues?' She inwardly worried.

"Jade can be wonderful, if you can get past her attitude." Beck said. "And her possessiveness, her jealousy, her irrational behavior, and her attitude..."

"You said attitude." Tori pointed out.

"Yea, but with Jade, that bears repeating." He smiled. "But despite all those reasons that scream I got so lucky when she broke up with me, I believe she's a wonderful girl who can make you very happy. She's just a lot more of a work in progress. Put the work in, and the finished product will be so worth being around."

"Thanks for the pep talk." Tori said, but she didn't sound that thrilled. 'Jade's more damaged then he knows, and I chose to go after her. Used my power to draw her to me and everything. That means I have a lot of work to get done if she's my happily ever after.' The singer shook her head as she watched the Canadian walk towards his first class of the day. 'Beck's such a great guy. He really cares, and so wants to help. However, I dodged a bullet when my luck decided he wasn't the one for me, cause that boy just doesn't get it. He wasn't helping Jade, just making her attitude, her situation, that much worse.'

Beck, for his part, was feeling his whole conflict again. 'I want to be this person, this guy with no secrets. But its a chance, a chance to be a hero and it's too good to pass up. I can help so many people. Just, can I do that to some confused, scared girl? I mean, that's what they made her sound like, a confused, terrified girl who's looking for a friend in the darkest time of her life. Can I be that person? Are they ever right about that assessment? Cause if their wrong, someone can get seriously hurt.' His eyes scanned around until they landed on Robbie talking to Andre. 'Guessing you got lucky, Rob, cause instead of having you play hero, you're gonna teach arts to inmates. Sounds a lot safer.'

Sikowitz met with the dark haired girl in his office, worried about being seen with this known criminal. "So, that's everything I have. Given how dangerous this is, do you think you can do it? Can you retrieve the amulet?"

The short girl, being only five foot two, still gave an air of danger, something the teacher had noted from far too many girls he'd dealt with in his life. "Why you want this amulet?" Fawn Liebowitz asked.

"It belonged to an old friend." Sikwoitz said. "But the cult, they seem to think that it holds some kind of mystic powers. Dark chiz, and certainly not safe to use."

"At least not without the right training." The often crazy girl noted. "Hay, I'm not that cray cray. Looked into the dark arts when I was stalking your girl, Tori, and I realized how dangerous they could be. I mean, what kind of whack job would try using self taught magics in anything but the most controlled situation?"

"You'd be surprised." Erwin said.

"Okay, you old hippie, I'll do the job." Fawn said. "But this ain't free. People don't risk hiring a thief to recover an amulet from some cult just because. Way I see it, you know how that thing works, and I want in. Whatever secret you've been holding onto, I want in. Power, baby. Whatever power I can get my hot little hands on, so I wont have the living crap beaten out of me by Tori's sick sister next time we meet."

"Not if it makes you a threat to one of my students." The teacher said.

"Not a threat to her any more." The short girl noted. "I have bigger fish to fry. A little magic can't hurt my future prospects."

"You think I know magic?" Sikowitz asked. "Okay, I can teach you something, but if you lack the potential, then there's only so much I can teach. Mostly, I can help you learn some stage tricks."

"Yea, maybe your right." The brunet thought out loud. "Maybe I won't get much from the magic, but I'm thinking you could maybe help me be a little more healthy in my crazy. You know, so I can have a future."

"Agreed." Sikowitz said. "And just know, I have other students who need my attention, so I may not have the time..." He held his breath for a moment.

"Spill, or we won't be seeing any amulets any time soon." She pushed.

"I was Mister Cadabra's sidekick." The one time sidekick said.

"Hocus, Pocus, Abra..." Fawn recited.

"Two of those were women." Sikowitz told her.

"So?" The girl wondered. "Are you saying your a man?"

"I was Abra." The teacher admitted. "And as such, I've been tasked with helping train a mystic who's recently fallen into the LAPD's hands."

"Who?" Fawn asked, quickly adding, "I get it, you can't tell me anything..."

"She calls herself The Black Dahlia." Sikowitz filled in.

"And they asked YOU to help teach her?" The devious, somewhat unhinged girl asked. "I have connections, know what went down with her and Blue Steel. I saw what she did to the street. How the hell did they manage to keep that level of damage out of the news?"

"Called it a gas main explosion, blamed it on a terrorist group." The older man explained. "Of course, the press assumed it was a politically motivated smear, but printed the story as dictated."

"I wanna meet her." Fawn added.

"Not possible." Sikowitz insisted.

"So, the amulet for her?" She pushed.

"She really doesn't need it." The mystic told her. "It's for someone who's going to have to work with her."

Fawn laughed. "Protection, even a small bit, right?"

"It does have it's abilities, but the cult, they use it cause it also holds a small battery of power, to energize the cults abilities, but that power can be used for other purposes as well. The cult uses it to recruit new slaves."

"I get it." Fawn nodded. "So, I become one of your students, and in who knows how long, I reap some major bennies. I need this, cause I don't have that much of a future right now. Hell, even my name, I get the Feeling it's cursed."

"I promise, I'll find a way for you to have a better future." Erwin said. "But know this, you may never have any real power, not of the sort that I used to wield. But we will help you contain your crazy, focus it, use it to be creative, and maybe successful."

"Good enough." She nodded. "Just as long as I get to meet the Black Dahlia." She flashed her creepy smile. "Sooner or later, I wanna meet the girl who's situation pushed you to make ME an offer." She sighed. "Now, shouldn't you be in class?"

"They're freshmen." The teacher replied. "I'm just teaching them patience."

Upstairs, Robbie was on the phone. "So, when do I come in and start training?" He asked the mysterious voice on the other end.

"Soon." The woman said. "Just as soon as we can finish the arrangements. These things, they take a bit of time, even once all the components are in place. With luck, the end of the week, maybe. I just, I need to confirm a lot, and then have my boss confirm even more. It's all good, mostly you've been pre approved. Just, some things take time, no mater how badly we want them to be quick."

"Look, I'm grateful and all, but what you're saying sounds a lot like double talk." Rob told the woman.

"Honestly, I'm just a secretary." Said woman admitted. "We had a point man, but he isn't available right now, so I have to call, and I don't really know whats going on. My boss doesn't know whats going on, only that I get to call you, let you know things are going along nicely, and someone will be in contact soon, once we figure out whatever it is we need to figure out to make this who process work. That help?"

"Not really, but I get it." Rob said. "Working with forces you don't fully understand, that sounds dangerous enough. I'll be here, waiting to make arrangements to come in whenever your ready."

Robbie wasn't as out of the loop as some might think, given that he'd been recruited by Jade herself. The boy had an in, and so could be very relaxed about the waiting process. 'Now, given it's Jade, this could all be a huge prank, and lordy knows, it wouldn't be the first time someone got a laugh at my expense. However, Jade isn't Rex. Her humor tends to be more direct, potently a lot more hurtful, but not as malicious. Girls got issues, and if you don't stomp on them, she tends to be mostly peripherally mean. So, the question becomes, what do they need to get done, and whats in this for Jade? Actually, I kinda know whats in it for her, so, whats the holdup…?' He knew it wasn't Jade, but that didn't ease his mind.

:}

So there you have it, Jade's still having a dramatic effect on the city. Beck, Robbie, both moving towards being heroes. Both being considered because of the need to contain Jade if things go sideways. Thinking Sikowitz coming out of semi-retirement is also making things more interesting, Gotta wonder what this amulet will do. And what will Fawn do with whatever he teaches her. Also, have I run out of odd, semi-mystic sounding names for potential sidekicks, cause if she were to ever learn anything, she'd need one. Not expecting much beyond her having an act in Vegas.

So, thoughts? I seem to have loads of chiz going on around her, and who knows how much of this is Wildcards fault. Also, who, and what, is Lane's confidant?