Little Hunter

Bitch said nothing as Nanku returned that night.

A willful choice, or a further sign of something suspicious. Even without the connection to her mother, the Undersiders seemed well-informed of the big events in Brockton Bay. A brawl with Shadow Stalker that ended with Kid Win and Chronicle appearing had to have made some news.

Unless some of those parties kept the entire encounter secret.

Did that work, or was she overthinking things?

Nanku returned to her room and thought about it as she laid down with Dusk and Dawn. The swarm around the kennel was vigilant. Nanku watched carefully for any sign of snooping but none came before she fell asleep.

It was far too convenient.

Shadow Stalker or Kid Win finding her was one thing. Guessing she might go to the police station for information? Nanku supposed it wasn't such a vast leap. Anyone could have guessed that. Maybe even both of them independently, or even in coordination.

That might be the most straightforward explanation.

Except…

Why did Kid Win wait until Stalker was on the verge of being killed to act? Why not jump in sooner? Stalker's violent reputation aside, she was someone who fought villains. That made her a nominal ally if nothing else.

But they let her fight alone and only jumped in at the last moment, after which she attacked them?

Nanku tossed in her bed and considered an alternative. She might be overthinking it. Maybe the PRT wanted to observe her a bit. Maybe they were content to let Stalker, an outside cape, take the risks. Maybe there was some parahuman consideration to not intervene in a fight between other parties.

No.

No, the timing was all wrong.

Kid Win injected himself in at the perfect moment to save Stalker.

Then Stalker injected herself into that fight to stop Kid Win from striking her.

And the phone delivery.

A setup. It was all a setup. Either Kid Win and Shadow Stalker, or another party, was coordinating that encounter. They wanted Nanku to see Shadow Stalker as a potential ally, or at least a source of information.

According to Rose, the PRT Director was interested in her, but why wouldn't he employ all the capes at his disposal?

Nanku couldn't deny, she wasn't sure how to kill Assault. Dauntless was someone she refused to kill. Wounding him seriously enough to remove him as a threat was also out. And then there was Battery, Miss Militia, and the rest. Vista seemed capable.

Fighting the entire Protectorate was out. Surely the PRT Director knew that? Why not just overwhelm her? Her first thought was the follow her to her resting place but even as she dozed off at last the swarm still found nothing.

Who else then?

Perhaps they were acting on their own.

Or perhaps there was someone else in Brockton Bay who had some reason to want to lure Nanku in…

~ ~ ~

Her rest was restless.

When she woke Cassie was tending to the dogs and Bitch was in the shower.

Nanku took some time to think while the Twins stirred.

The capes last night had seen Dusk and Dawn. Maybe not clearly, but enough. Nanku had to assume they were no longer a secret, but the swarm might still be. The only evidence of it she'd ever really left was always burned up in fires or blown apart in explosions.

The Twins were known.

The swarm was not.

She still had one surprise left to play in an encounter.

And maybe another. How many people knew she went about the city during the day in plain clothes?

Nanku rose first and ascended the steps. Bitch was exiting the bathroom as she entered, toothbrush in her mouth and scrubbing her teeth. Nanku glanced as they passed and Bitch gave her a harsh look.

"Already offered," she said around the toothbrush. "You said no."

Nanku scoffed and continued on. Dusk and Dawn scurried after her and Nanku took her time washing. It was a decent place to think. The patter of water and the wafting of steam had a soothing effect.

They'd seen Dusk and Dawn. The Twins couldn't move so freely now that they were known and Nanku needed to be more careful. If Kid Win and the drones could penetrate her cloak—she had to assume it was only as good as it had been so far—then surely they could find ways to track the Twins.

She'd leave the pair at the kennel. They could behave themselves for a few hours once fed.

Hunting was a lot more fun than being hunted, but it was what it was. Plainclothes and daylight. She needed to do the best she could when she wasn't being watched.

Showers were a very good place to think. She'd miss showers when she left Earth.

Showers and widescreens.

As she dried off, Nanku considered that maybe her mother had a point. Going after the Pure had brought more attention than she wanted. Especially if someone—be it the PRT or another party—was trying to lure her into a trap. She was done dealing with petty city villains and heroes and would leave them be if they did the same.

Nanku had a strong sense that wouldn't be happening.

She'd have to hunt her quarry while being hunted now.

Fun.

After she dried off, Nanku barged into Bitch's room and took some clothes. The girl glowered at her but Nanku simply took what she needed and walked back out. Cassie gawked at her as she left.

"No fucking way," she mumbled.

Nanku didn't know what that was about.

Cassie turned to the door flush. "Rachel!"

"We did not!" Bitch shouted back.

"It makes so much sense though! Holy shit!"

Nanku moved on before whatever that was became weirder. She had things to do.

Dressed in Bitch's clothes, Nanku arranged her equipment and kept a few weapons for herself. She fed Dusk and Dawn and settled them. All of that done, Nanku ascended from the room and prepared to go.

Of all her leads, she wanted to go back to Kurt and ask a few more questions.

One lead stood out to her.

The Medhall lawyer who died.

Medhall was a drug company, and it had been a front for the old Empire Eighty-Eight. The gang most of the Pure belonged to before they were the Pure. And, unless her mother lied, the company that she sought was also a drug company.

That wasn't a coincidence.

Perhaps there was a connection. Lacking that, there might be a path to someone who knew more. Nanku doubted she'd find any connection between her two quarries, but she did have a lead they shared. She might as well look into it and see what came up.

"Where?" Bitch asked.

She waited for Nanku by the front door and followed when she tried to go to the back.

"I don't need a babysitter," Nanku protested.

Bitch scoffed.

Nanku growled.

Bitch growled back.

Cassie leaned out from the corner of a door. "So many things make so much sense now."

Bitch glared at her and she leaned back.

"What is she talking about?" Nanku asked.

"Nothing."

"Denial is the first stage to acceptance!" Cassie called.

Nanku shook her head, cast her braids over one shoulder, and left. Bitch followed her of course. Maybe Imp too. Except she could remember Imp so obviously Imp wasn't around.

The area around the kennel remained as it always was. Nothing out of place. No apparent spies. Her conspirators could simply assume where she was. They either didn't want to anger the Undersiders by attacking the kennel, or it wasn't part of their goal.

Or they simply didn't think they could overpower Bitch near all her dogs.

Nanku certainly wasn't that crazy. If she were to really try at the task, she'd lure Bitch away first. Minimize how many dogs she had and kill or wound those near. The kennel itself was a suicidal place to challenge her.

"Where?" Bitch asked again as they neared the bus stop.

"The library," Nanku answered.

"Why?"

"Reasons."

"Angelica."

The dog came when called. Angelica was smaller than Brutus and less openly intimidating. Bitch was making a conscious choice about which dog to bring.

Nanku went about her business. If Bitch wanted to waste her day, fine. Let her.

The swarm kept up its work all the way through the city. No tails or observers she could see. Maybe they knew about the swarm. Observed it or—The fight with the pure.

She'd disabled the first drone but there had been a second.

Nanku grit her teeth and looked out the window over her shoulder.

The Pure's thinker. If she'd had the second drone the entire time, she might have seen the swarm. Maybe even managed to look around and find Nanku's range. They could be watching her now from outside it. Dusk and Dawn's eyes were good but Earth's insects were not.

Someone could be a few feet off and Nanku wouldn't even know.

The thinker.

Someone released a video online of her, and somehow rumors were spreading she was Weaver's daughter. Who might have done that? The Thinker was as good a suspect as any.

But why?

What did they care? They'd all but thrown Iron Rain away and sent the Pure to their deaths. Cutting losses? Spite?

"What does Tattletale know about the thinker?" Nanku kept her voice low as they stepped off the bus.

Bitch gave her an odd look. "Who cares?"

Nanku's eyes narrowed.

Bitch shrugged. "Don't care to ask. She does the thinking stuff. She likes words."

"You follow her without asking her what's going on?"

"I don't follow. I trust. She knows what she's doing." Bitch huffed. "Has to pull her head out of her ass sometimes is all. Thinker stuff."

Not remotely helpful. Nanku wasn't sure she'd get anything if she asked.

Even if she did, what would she do with it? This wasn't her problem anymore, especially not if Rose or her mother's lives were secure. She had her own mission and was free to pursue it now.

Getting sidetracked with annoying distractions.

The downtown of Brockton Bay was enough to make Nanku wonder if the library was an annoying distraction. It wasn't.

So many people. Hordes of them. Way more than Nanku remotely wanted to deal with.

"Can turn back," Bitch said as the crossed the corner to the library.

"Then turn back."

The receptionist rose as they entered, eyes on Angelica.

"Um, ma'am—"

"Emotional support dog," Bitch said.

The woman looked annoyed. "Ma'am, everyone says that bu—"

Bitch glowered and the woman flinched.

"Okay then."

She sat down and pointedly didn't look at them as they entered.

"Emotional support dog?"

"Bad dog owners ruin dogs for everyone," Bitch replied. "Stupid."

Nanku went to the back of the building. There were a few rooms with computers but in the middle of the day many were full. Nanku's only good option was one of the larger rooms with scatterings of people, but a few mostly vacant spaces she could take.

Bitch followed her quietly.

Nanku picked a quiet section of the room and sat at one of the computers.

The screen flared back at her with a white box. She tried to make it go away but it didn't.

The last time she needed a password…

Nanku lifted the keyboard and looked underneath.

Nothing.

"Try password," Bitch said.

That didn't work.

"Guest one."

No.

"Guest two."

Nanku glared.

Bitch shrugged. She took out her phone, dialed a number, and raised it.

The phone rang a few times before answering.

"Rachel?"

Nanku found the voice familiar. "Who is that?"

"Sabah. What's your library password?"

The answer was slow in coming.

"You… want my library password?" she asked.

"Yes," Bitch answered.

"… Why?"

"Why not?"

…

"Okay. I guess. I'll text it—You're not downloading porn, right?"

"No."

"Okay. Don't do that."

"Who does that in the library?"

"Not me."

The call ended and a text came a moment later. Bitch leaned over and put the code in. The screen unlocked and Nanku clicked the icon for the Internet.

Bitch settled and scratched Angelica's head while Nanku got to task.

She looked up the lawyer first

Jonathan Fliescher.

Young paralegal. Fresh off his bar exams. Witnesses reported nothing unusual according to the reporting in the news. Nanku found the news to be dim and uninteresting. They could confirm something happened and report on what was said or seen.

But so much went unsaid and unseen. Especially in crimes and parahumans.

Nanku could only trust them so far.

The story they told, however, was about the Empire and it was about drugs. Jonathan had been talking to the police. She found nothing about that in the file she had, but maybe they had more.

Getting back into the building was not feasible.

She had to assume it was being observed now.

…

What became of Medhall in the end?

Nanku searched for the company and started reading. According to the news, Max Anders was exposed as Kaiser. He died fighting Leviathan. With him, the company passed to his so—Aster Anders? She was listed as a survivor. She'd heard that name many times.

Iron Rain was Aster Anders.

Except that was impossible.

The girl in the pictures would be Rose's age. The woman Nanku faced was an adult. In body… She'd acted like a child.

Nanku rose slightly, staring at the screen.

Killing children was against the code. Beyond their weakness, there was the need to not wipe out species. The Yautja might hunt and kill and challenge, but they did not exterminate. To kill the young was cowardly, reckless, and irresponsible.

Why did she appear so old?

Aster Anders wasn't mentioned in most articles. Beyond her name and relation, there was nothing. Nothing about ho—

Distraction.

Iron Rain wasn't her problem anymore.

Medhall. What became of Medhall and where she might find useful information.

After Max Ander's death, the enforcers seized the company. It became property of the government and was slowly dissolved and sold off. That explained the empty building Nanku found, but where would records be? Information about the lawyer. The drugs.

Pharmaceuticals.

Quality Care and Medhall.

Nanku put both names in the internet and finally.

It was a bare mention in a news story about an entirely different company from nearly twenty years ago. A firm based in Germany that had established some agreement with Medhall through a subsidiary.

Qualicare.

Nanku smiled and searched that name instead.

There was little but she found a few articles mentioning the company or its CE—James Fliescher.

There was something here. Something. Something something something.

Any and all news about Qualicare ended the same year the camp was attacked by the R'ka. That wasn't a coincidence. There was no announcement or information about it but the company simply vanished. No more mention after that.

Nanku searched for James Fliescher instead. The death of his brother Jonathan came up. One article where he was CEO of Qualicare. The company vanished, but he didn't.

Krieg.

A cape from the Empire-88…

Nanku rose.

And James Fliescher was still alive.

Nanku turned the computer off and turned.

"I'm d—"

Bitch was gone.

"Where—"

Nanku frowned and went down the hall to a small room at the bottom of a short flight of stairs.

A half dozen children doted on Angelica, while Bitch sat in a bag-shaped chair on the floor, and watched cartoon dogs.

Typical.