Brockton Bay was a shit hole. I'd heard as much from Worm and the unending fanfictions spawned by Worm, but this city really was a shit hole. Trash littered the road. Vagrants openly sold drugs on the street while the sun was still high in the sky. I even came across a group of three Nazis openly beating a poor elderly black man. Had I not come with a purpose, I would have left this cesspit as soon as I arrived.

Panacea. She was my end goal. Her power was unrivaled when it came to matters of biology. The possibilities open to me with her at my disposal were near-limitless. Unfortunately, she was also one of the single most high-profile capes alive. People knew where she was 24/7 and everyone would immediately attack me to avenge her death. Heroes, villains, a random man on the street with a .22 revolver – they would all want me dead. I wouldn't survive that attention as I was currently. I just wasn't strong enough. I could run with Strider, but all it would take was one misstep and I would be dead. I needed more power before I moved on to Panacea.

So what was I to do? Logically, the best thing to do was for me to remain unknown for as long as possible. The moment people knew that there was a new Faerie Queen, my life would become magnitudes more complicated. That meant I had to be careful, to take parahumans only when I could make their deaths quiet or disguise the act as something else. So I came up with a plan.

Othala. She was not as powerful as Panacea, but her power would allow me to make myself invulnerable, grant myself flight and more. With her, I would be safe to hunt down stronger capes. But in order to take her, I needed to first find her. I knew the E88 were heavily entrenched in Medhall, but that didn't help me much. I did not know what Othala looked like, and the chances I would run into her on the street were low. That left one course that, while undesirable, was the best option to move forward.

Perhaps it was hypocritical coming from me, but I couldn't stand Nazis. But I had resolved to do whatever was necessary to make myself so powerful no force on the planet could harm me. That meant I followed the trio of Nazis I'd seen after they beat the man. It took them far too long to notice me.

"The fuck are you doing following us, you little punk?" the biggest one, a bald man in a wife-beater covered in obscene tattoos.

"Um… My…my parents are gone. I… I'm alone and need…" Someone give me an Oscar. Not only was I not seething at these idiots, but they were actually starting to look upon me with compassion. It probably helped that I was blonde, a child and white, but still, my acting played a role.

The only woman in the group, a tall blonde, pushed past the beefy one and walked up to me. "Don't worry, sweetie. We'll take care of you." She took my hand and led me along behind her.

That was how I met Carol, Brent and Ajax. They took me to an obviously gang affiliated warehouse and fed me, introducing me to more Nazis over the meal and subsequent days that followed. They spat propaganda at me day and night, blaming everyone but themselves for their shortcomings in life and showing me the hidden 'truth' the rest of the ignorant world was too stupid to grasp. With an adult's mind, it was easy to see what they were doing. They wouldn't let me out of the warehouse, leaving the only source of 'truth' to be them and their ways. I was separated from all other influences and left completely at their mercy, or I would have been if I was actually a child. They were going to mold me into a child of the Reich, but I would be gone long before they had the chance.

As they gave me my 'lessons', I bobbed my head and listened like a proper child would. The 'drawback' I'd taken from that CYOA was proving to be more of a boon than a detriment. Not only had my child's body won me Strider, but now it had entrenched me into the Nazi's camp with next to no effort on my part. They didn't take me out on any excursions, seeming content to lock me in the warehouse with my 'readings' when they went out to be racist sacks of shit, but I was never worried for my safety. I had Strider to extract myself if necessary, and I didn't want to leave without a chance to see the E88's capes.

Throughout my stay with the Nazis, something unexpected happened – I heard voices. That was inaccurate. It wasn't multiple voices, it was the same voice, though it never spoke at length, and appeared randomly. The first time it spoke, I was reading Mein Kampf on Carol's orders to further my 'education'.

Stephanie… It said. Nothing else. Just that one name. I very nearly leapt out of my skin at the unexpected voice, frantically looking around only to realize I was alone. I didn't think much of it. Then it happened again. The next day, the voice called out to someone named 'Brian'. The voice was filled with anguish and pain.

I wasn't schizophrenic before I came here, and I doubted much and changed in that regard. That left one logical solution – Strider's spirit was speaking to me. I knew the Faerie Queen's faeries held the likeness and powers of the person she took them from, but I had completely forgotten there was a mental aspect to it that really messed her up.

I didn't know how to quiet Strider's periodic words, so I just resolved to ignore them for now. In time, I would likely find a cape I could use to attain some silence, but I would need to bear it for now. It wasn't hard to ignore a single word spoken every few hours. I was slightly worried about the frequency of the words increasing as I gathered more capes, but I would have a cape to help me deal with it by then. So I focused on my task. I was here for Othala and the Empire's capes. The moment I could take them safely, I would. Only a few days after my arrival in Brockton Bay, I was presented with my chance.

"Robert?" Carol called as she walked towards my bunk. I didn't have any official records here and didn't want to give them my actual name, so I picked something common enough they wouldn't be able to sift through the heaping pile of records they'd need to search to figure out I was lying. How many blonde-haired, blue-eyed white boys were there in the US named Robert? Too many to work through in a week even if they were trying to figure out where I came from, but I had my doubts they were. These idiots seemed allergic to work.

"Yes, ma'am?" I responded the way I was supposed to as I stood off my bed.

"You will be going to your first rally tonight." she said, making it sound like this was an honor instead of an order.

I wrung my hands nervously. "Am I… Am I–"

Carol's expression softened as she knelt down in front of me. "You're ready, Robert. Nothing will be expected of you yet. You just need to attend and make sure you pay attention. I'll be asking you questions when we get back."

"I'll remember everything." I said resolutely.

She patted my head. "Good boy. Now come on."

Brent and Ajax were waiting outside in a white van. Carol and I climbed in and they started driving. The three of them coached me about being on my best behavior and told me to make sure I was respectful to my betters and other such drivel. I'd put up with it for a few days already and my patience was beginning to wane, but I would hold out. I hadn't waited this long only to collapse at the finish line.

Ajax pulled the van into a warehouse and parked it, signaling us to get out. There were dozens of other vehicles in the same warehouse, likely to keep them off the street so people didn't notice a large gathering of Nazi vehicles outside. The Protectorate would likely take exception to that.

Carol kept a tight grip on my hand as she led me into another warehouse absolutely packed with people. There were guards at the door armed with M-16s and Ak-47s who waved us in when they saw Carol. I wasn't sure how they'd managed to get their hands on those guns, but it didn't really concern me. I would be careful of stray bullets in case anything kicked off, but I was still confident that Strider could evacuate me fast enough for there to be little risk in coming here.

Carol led me around like I was on a leash she held the other end of, introducing me to several 'prominent' figures in the community. I only remembered their names because I was playing the part of the aspiring Nazi aiming to please the woman that locked him in a warehouse for multiple days. The whole venture was making me sick, but it was nothing compared to what I felt after killing Strider, so I stood tall and played my part.

After an hour of introductions and quizzes from Carol on the people I'd met, a hush came over the interior of the warehouse. Everyone turned towards an elevated stage set against the far wall and cheered as several figures walked out. All of them were obviously capes. The man in the lead was covered in jutting metal plates forming armor – Kaiser. He was flanked by two identical women who looked to be cosplaying as valkyries – Fenja and Menja. There were three others standing in a group. Two young women in robes and a man in tactical gear walked together – Victor, Othala and Rune.

I allowed myself a moment to sigh in relief. My target was here; my plan had worked. I wouldn't have to put up with the Nazis after tonight. I could have wandered the city hoping to stumble upon her, but the odds of that happening were next to non-existent. I needed a sure way to eventually cross paths with her, thus my approaching the Nazis. I thought I'd need to wait for at least three rallies to see her because Kaiser only brought a few capes to his rallies. Even with the E88's numbers, bringing everyone to one place was stupid for a myriad of reasons. The fact that Othala was here brought me no end of joy. I was almost free from these idiots.

Kaiser held his hands up, and the cheering instantly ceased. "Greetings, my brothers and sisters! Thank you all for attending tonight. I would like to begin by…" What followed was more of the exact same Nazi propaganda I'd been force fed in the warehouse. White people were superior in every way. All the world's problems are due to non-whites and gay people. We need to eliminate them to create a utopia – that kind of bullshit. People cheered when Kaiser said their own shortcomings weren't their fault and that we should blame everything on everyone else. The idiocy and immaturity present in this warehouse could sink ships it was so heavy.

"Now go and continue our great work!" Kaiser finished his highschool-level speech. People were actually in tears when he stopped speaking.

The warehouse slowly emptied as people returned to their cars or started walking home in intervals so there wasn't any single large group fleeing at once. Carol wasn't taking me in any of the groups, so I kept a close eye on Othala. I needed to know which direction she left in and know exactly who was with her.

"Robert, come with me." Carol said seriously as the last group left the warehouse, leaving us alone with the capes. She took my hand in a tight grip and dragged me towards the stage.

This was unexpected. I'd assumed she would drag me back towards the van. My original plan was to wait until I was out of her sight and use Strider to go after Othala, scooping her up with Strider's teleportation and dropping us both into the ocean so I could steal her power in peace and get rid of her body the same way I got rid of Strider's.

"Carol, was there something you needed?" Kaiser said, addressing the woman holding my arm by name. I was beginning to think things were taking a turn for the worse.

"Yes, my Kaiser. May I ask for a moment of your valuable time?"

"Granted."

"Thank you, my Kaiser." Carol lightly shoved me forward. "Introduce yourself, Robert." she ordered.

Not knowing what else to do, I complied, bowing and saying, "My name is Robert, my Kaiser. It is an honor to stand before you." This was not good. I couldn't teleport away without pulling Strider out. The five capes present would immediately recognize the effect as the Faerie Queen's power and do everything they could to kill me and spread knowledge about a second Faerie Queen. I couldn't allow my ability to be outed like that before I could defend myself and fight back. Right now all I could do was run. Whatever Carol's game was here, I needed to play along.

"And it is a pleasure to see the youth accepting the truth. You are our future, Robert, and it is reassuring to know the world will be inherited by those who will continue our work like yourself." Kaiser said, his voice like honey.

I kept my gaze fixed on the floor. I didn't want to unintentionally roll my eyes at the bullshit and end up getting skewered.

Carol stepped up next to me and bowed slightly. "My Kaiser, Robert found me three days ago. He was alone on the streets of Brockton Bay. His parents are both dead. You instructed me to be on the lookout for such cases."

I felt the full attention of every single cape present. Fuck. Apparently Carol was told to watch out for new triggers. I didn't get my powers through a trigger event, but my situation lined up perfectly for me to have had one. I was a small, homeless, orphaned kid wandering the street of one of the most screwed up cities in the nation. I could see how Carol drew the conclusion she drew. It wasn't right, but it led her to the truth. I had to play this very carefully.

"My Kaiser–"

"Do not be shy, Robert. Show us what you can do." Kaiser said warmly. Behind him, the valkyrie twins adjusted their grip on their weapons.

This was bad. I needed to think. I could teleport, but they'd see Strider and I'd lose my chance to get Othala. I needed them to drop their guard. I didn't come here planning to kill them all at the same time, but if I managed to take Kaiser I could use his blades to immediately kill the rest of them while they are surprised and take their powers after they are dead. To do that though, I needed Kaiser to move his armor to give me access to his skin. I was certain that the metal was too removed from his person for my Striker power to activate. The best way to get at his skin like that would be to shake his hand, but I'd need to show him some sort of power to ask that of him. I couldn't do that without revealing Strider. Wait… The stage wasn't solid. There was a curtain covering the space beneath it. It was on stilts. It must be a collapsible stage that they move between their different rallies. That meant there would be space underneath it. I took a deep breath and summoned Strider.

I heard applause as a blue energy welled up around me. Strider's spirit was out of sight, lying prone, hidden in the space beneath the stage. Kaiser was walking towards the edge of the stage, clapping his metal-covered hands together.

"Marvelous, Robert. Absolutely marvelous! Carol, you will be rewarded handsomely for locating such a talented child."

"Thank you, my Kaiser. I did this for the cause." Carol said, positively glowing with pride.

Kaiser's full attention was on me. "Now, Robert, what does this power of yours do?"

"I… I haven't used it much, my Kaiser. I do not know what all I can do."

"Then we will learn together. Rune?" he called distractedly over his shoulder.

"Yes, Kaiser?" the young, robed girl said, stepping forward.

"You have served the Empire well, Rune. For your service, I give you Robert. You will show him the path and ensure he does not stray. When you are both old enough, he will be your husband."

I very nearly threw up in my mouth at Kaiser's casual, up-beat declaration. There was that Nazi eugenics rearing its vile, maggot-infested head. I hadn't originally planned to kill him tonight, but my plan just changed.

Rune looked down at me from atop the stage, her eyes roaming over me. She nodded sharply and said, "Thank you, Kaiser. I'll make sure that he is taught properly." She was young, but she was already too far gone. Even if she wasn't, she was a cape, and therefore a potential source of power for me. She dies tonight.

"Excellent! Come, Robert. Take your rightful place among the Empire's elite." Kaiser held a hand down to me. The metal encasing his hand slowly retracted, leaving his open hand offered down towards me in a dramatic gesture.

I smiled brightly as I took his hand. "Thank you, Kaiser."

Kaiser collapsed like a puppet with his strings cut.

"Max! What–" one of the valkyries started to say, only for a rod of sharpened metal to spear out of the ground into her chest, another rising out of the first to puncture up under her jaw and through her brain. Kaiser's silver-hued shadow stood menacingly behind me, staring dispassionately forward.

I looked around the warehouse. Every single person, Carol included, who was still in the warehouse had no less than three parahuman blades impaling their body. Not one of them had been expecting Kaiser's deadly power to suddenly be used against them. If Parahumans weren't always so focused on obeying arbitrary unwritten rules, they would be far more dangerous.

I breathed euphorically as I felt five more parahumans join Kaiser and Strider's spirit. I felt them all. I could summon any one of them to me with but a thought. I tried to summon them all to the forefront, but felt a hard limit at six. Even then, the present spirits held only half of their original power. I could maintain four capes at their full power simultaneously. Having only one active increased its power to double what it was in life. I banished every spirit but Othala. Her spirit touched my shoulder, granting me invulnerability and flight. I began to laugh as I slowly levitated off the ground.

Finally! Three days of torturous 'lessons' had finally paid off! I could defend myself with Othala and Strider. With Kaiser, Fenja, Menja and Rune, I now had an effective fighting force. Victor was by far my most useless addition. His spirit was skilled, but he could not pass those skills to me, nor could I use his power for myself to take the skills of others. Only my shadows could use their power. My power was directing those powers any way I chose, but I couldn't alter the fundamental nature of how they worked. Victor's shadow could only steal skills for itself. That meant Thinkers and Tinkers were far less desirable than other powers to me. Tinkers had potential, but it would take too long to use them effectively, and I needed strength now.

I could worry about all of this later. For now, I had bodies to dispose of.

Kaiser's spirit removed the metal from the area, sending it all into the ground to hide the evidence of what happened as well as possible. I searched everyone, finding several cell phones, weapons, and money. The phones were all either locked or burners, so I didn't feel inclined to take them. I took a Glock 19 and a knife from Victor that I could easily conceal but left every other weapon and the phones. Cumulatively, they had just under two-thousand dollars on them that I took. With everyone searched, I used Strider's power to gather up the bodies of the parahumans as well as Carol's body and teleported us all out over the ocean.

The water was more angry than when I'd been over the ocean last time, heaving and rolling, splashing up towards me. I did not get wet this time, floating above the water under the effect of Othala's power as the dead bodies smacked into the water. I activated Strider's power again, sending the bodies as deep as they could go to be lost forever just like Strider was.

I felt drunk on the power flowing through and around me. I'd acquired a shadow that could make me invulnerable at will, that could let me fly. I had devastating offensive options through Kaiser and the valkyrie twins and could move anywhere in the world with Strider. When I killed Strider, I felt remorse, now, I felt nothing but euphoria.

The angry ocean beneath me splashed up into my face. Dark clouds in the sky rumbled as rain began to fall. I looked at my hands and chuckled. I laughed, I threw my head back and howled, absolutely loving the power coursing through me. This was what a nascent God felt like. I would grow to be the most powerful force on this entire planet. And I would love every second of it.