The funeral for Kevin, Clara's father, was a small occasion. Clara didn't have much other family apart from her Aunt so the only other people attending were Missy, Dinah, and their respective parents.

Not that the additional company helped much. Clara was just sitting there, her eyes empty. She didn't respond much to anyone or anything at all at all. She just sat there and stared at her father's casket.

A closed casket. What was left of him after his car was run over by Squealer… apparently it wasn't something that any of them should see. Missy could imagine it though. She had seen the destruction Squealer's truck caused along with some… bad corpses at that Apartment fire and cleaning up after Behemoth.

She was pretty sure she saw Kevin's car as it was getting hit by that truck. She had been there as it happened. Didn't pay much mind to it at the time, didn't register the victim as an actual human because she was so busy wanting to play the Hero that helped catch the Merchants. Well she helped… and killed her friend's father in the process.

Didn't even stop to try and heal him after his car got run over. Just let him die there. And worst of all she didn't tell Clara this. Missy was too afraid to let her friend know what she had done to her father.

Missy watched as a Rabbi began to recite something over the casket. That's right, a Rabbi. Apparently, Clara's family was Jewish on her father's side, something Missy never knew. It never came up but shouldn't she have figured it out at some point? Maybe if she was a better friend she would…

She was a terrible person, wasn't she?

What the Rabbi said seemed important but his words went in and out of her ears. Instead Missy turned her gaze toward Dinah who looked sad. For some reason though she also sat away from Clara and that made Missy realize that nobody was sitting with the girl. Clara's Aunt was busy talking with the Rabbi and the funeral directors, so Clara was just left alone on that bench without any of her friends.

Someone grabbed Missy's shoulder and she flinched. It took a second to rotate her head and look at her father who… had a look on his face she couldn't recognize. Which was weird because she had seen all his faces when he was busy fighting with her mother.

"Clara looks like she could use a friend," he told her.

"... What?" Missy asked.

"Maybe she could get some company."

Huh. That was actually good advice from him.

"Quiet. We're at a funeral!" Missy's mother hissed.

And there goes the moment. Looked like her parents were going to bicker or at the very least start getting passive aggressive again. Still… her father was right.

Missy gulped as she forced herself to stand up and ignored her mother trying to call out to her. She knew what she had to do.

Even if Clara would hate her once the truth came out, at the very least Missy could comfort her at this moment. She didn't go straight to Clara though, instead she walked up to Dinah who began to stare at her. The girl's eyes grew wider as Missy closed the distance until they were in touching distance.

At that point the Rabbi and most everyone else had gone silent watching her.

Dinah and her parents simply stared at Missy, until she reached over and grabbed her by the arm.

"Cmon," Missy said as she dragged her friend with her.

Dinah pulled back at first but quickly gave up soon after. Instead she just continued staring at Clara as they got closer, guilt apparent in her eyes. What did Dinah have to be guilty about though? It wasn't like she killed their friend's father.

Clara didn't say anything or even look at them as they got closer, instead focusing on her father's casket. Once they were there, Missy had Dinah sit at Clara's right before moving to take her spot at the left.

Missy exhaled before grabbing and holding the back of Clara's hand. She then leaned a little against the girl's shoulder.

Clara didn't push her away, in fact she didn't give a response at all. It was only minutes later when Dinah finally decided to copy Missy's action from her side did Clara finally react.

It started small. A slight shift in her body, followed by her breathing growing erratic. Then it grew into something bigger that Clara couldn't hold back. Until what came from her face was a free flow of sweat, tears, and snot. It wasn't pretty, real genuine crying never was, but it was something she needed to do.

Something Clara continued to do as Missy and Dinah held on.


It was strange how life could just move on after a terrible loss. No matter how much Clara mourned and how much Missy wanted to comfort her… there were still so many other things she had to do. Getting a few days off was fine but Missy couldn't keep putting off her responsibilities forever. School, patrolling, hospital work, so many obligations that she had to keep.

Especially at the hospitals.

With her healing getting stronger they now began assigning her the more severe cases, of which there were many. Stab wounds, gunshot wounds, twisted muscles, broken bones, patient after patient. There was always more healing to be done and the occasional emergency to break the routine.

Plenty of people that she could help, but so many more that she couldn't. That she didn't have the time for. Just like Clara's dad.

Missy ended up working an hour past her scheduled shift before being sent away. On her way out though she couldn't help but sprinkle a bit more healing to those waiting in the ER. When she finally stepped outside she found herself in a foul mood.

There was no satisfaction in the work she did anymore… just guilt over what she failed to do.

Missy looked up at the sky. The sun was still out and streets should be fairly safe, especially in the area she was in. That was what she would normally but with a shithole like Brockton
Bay…

She stopped walking and put her hand on the handle of her Evoker.

"I'm not in the mood," she said as she drew her weapon.

Several men stepped out of a nearby alleyway, all carrying various amounts of grime and muck. How they got here without anyone noticing… actually people did. They were just too worried about themselves to interfere.

"Skids wanted us to teach you a lesson," one of the men said.

Missy clenched her fist as she brought her Evoker to her head. Merchants… they were just a blight on this city. Hurting everyone, including the people she cared about. Even with Skidmark and Squealer in jail, people like these would still remain. "He's in a holding cell."

"Cause you put him there!"

"And you'll be joining him soon enough."

"Shoot the bitch!"

Several of them charged at her, a few had raised and fired their guns, they would all find themselves diverted though. Missy didn't need to command Theia to do anything, her Persona had already done what was needed.

Theia contorted space so that bullets flew elsewhere, redirected one of the thugs into a wall when they tried to run, and trapped the rest in a twisted maze.

Missy drew her katana and swung to her right. The length of her blade expanded so that she didn't need to move from her position to slice into the leg of a Merchant twenty feet away. He would've bled out if not for Pixie.

Pixie kept them all alive and healthy as she continued to beat and subdue each of them. One with a piece of debris Theia had flung around until it reached near terminal velocity, another with a bolt of lightning from Pixie, and several with swings of her blades flying through manipulated space.

One after another they fell until only one was left. By then Missy didn't even have to gesture to Theia for her Persona to return Space to its original form. She approached the now cowering man with her blades in her hands. Her swords against his pipe

"You were going to teach me a lesson?" Missy asked as she slowly approached. Fighting a grown man up close where she was weakest was stupid and reckless. She knew that. It would've been smarter to just have Theia to deal with him. But right now, after everything… she just wanted to hurt someone and this criminal had so wonderfully volunteered.

"You fucking brat!" the last Merchant charged and swung his pipe down.

It was simple, almost elementary, for Missy to deflect the pipe with her Wakizashi while stabbing his leg with her Katana at the same time. He screamed and swung again only for her to duck and stab him in the other leg. One last swing, this time just barely clipping her arm, before she kicked him where she had cut and he went down. She stabbed him one last time in the hand in order to keep him pinned to the ground.

Pixie healed the rapidly growing bruise on Missy's arm before healing some of the man's wounds so he wouldn't bleed out. After that Missy called the police for a pickup. She waited there, having her Personas threaten the criminals as necessary until patrol vehicles finally arrived.

"Six Merchants. All subdued with all injuries healed, officer," Missy said professionally to the first officer that stepped onto the scene. Despite everything she still held herself as professionally as she could. With her friends mourning and school sucking, this was really all she left.

"Uh… yea," the officer stared, looking quite confused by her handiwork. "What were they doing here?"

"Attacking me. Revenge for Skidmark."

"And no mask… you know they'll keep coming for you kid."

"Not a kid," Missy bit back. "Can I head home now or do you need anything else from me?"

The rest of the man's co-workers began to grab the Merchants and cuff them. "You might need to stay and give a report to the PRT. They have jurisdiction over Parahuman activity."

"They're all thugs. No Capes."

"You're a Cape."

"Tch. Fine," Missy crossed her arms. No use arguing over that. "I'll wait."

And wait she did, impatiently as she watched the cops handcuff the criminals. Some cursed, others looked resigned, but in the end she had no pity for them. She continued watching until Triumph arrived on the scene. Apparently his patrol route had taken him around this area.

"Hey Missy," Triumph greeted her. "Good work here. You've gotten a lot stronger since you started."

"Yea whatever," Missy grunted before giving him a quick report. She wanted to ask him about Dinah but Rory still had a secret identity to worry about. "Anything else you guys need?" she asked once she finished.

Triumph turned back toward the criminals that Missy had so efficiently subdued. "Don't you think you went a little too far? Stabbing them like that when your Project- Personas are clearly capable of apprehending them non-violently."

"They attacked me so I attacked them," Missy bit back. "They would've done worse to me."

"Heroes should be better."

That caused something to twinge in Missy's chest. It was true that Heroes should be better… she just didn't feel like much of a Hero right now. "I healed them alright? They'll be fine."

"I… heard about what happened to your friend."

Missy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It took a brief moment to regain her composure before she exhaled and looked up at Triumph. "I'm fine."

"That doesn't mean that you can't be hurt too."

"Clara lost her dad. Not me," Missy replied. "Squealer and Skidmark… what's the PRT going to do with them?"

"Ship them to a Parahuman facility most likely," Triumph replied. "I wouldn't know for sure"

"Will they make it there? Or will it just be like Circus again?" Missy asked.

"We're doing our best to ensure that the transfer goes through this time."

"… Could I help? Make sure they get sent to jail."

"I can let PRT know you offered but likely no. We rarely have independents help out with something like this and you're too personally involved. Also you're still… young."

"Just a kid," Missy muttered as she gestured around her. "Could a kid do this?"

"If they were a Parahuman. That's what makes them dangerous." Triumph reached for her shoulder only for Missy to step away. He brought his hand back. "Look Missy. You've been doing a lot of good work but you've also been making a lot of enemies." He gestured to the Merchants sitting in the police cars. "It might be safer for you to keep your head down."

"I can't keep my head down, I'm an Open Cape!" Missy hissed. "They'll come for me no matter what."

"I meant just don't keep looking for trouble."

"Well trouble keeps looking for me. Anytime I'm in public or at school it's more of the same." Missy was starting to think it was the curse of having Personas. It probably was judging by what Minako told her so far. "But it was always supposed to just be me. My problems to deal with. I didn't want Clara to lose her dad because of me."

"I read the report, Armsmaster's report," Triumph clarified. "He praised you. You did what you could and helped stop the Merchants before they could do more damage."

"I couldn't help Clara's dad. Didn't even stop to help him."

"And the Merchants would have escaped and probably killed a lot more people if you did. You saved a lot of lives. It wasn't your fault. You made the right call."

Logically what Triumph was saying made sense. Emotionally…

"I haven't told Clara that I was there when her dad died," Missy said.

"The news reported that you were there. I think she might already know… but you should still tell her anyway. She deserves the truth from you."

"Yea," Missy agreed reluctantly. "She does."


"How was your shift at the hospital?"

Missy continued to pick at her dinner with her fork. Her father's cooking was meh at most when compared to Shinji. "Boring."

Her mother was outside hanging out with her new friends so for once it was just Missy and her father at home. Not even Morgana was around, mostly because he technically sorta lived in Minako's house currently. He couldn't come around here because her mother hated cats and her father was allergic to them.

With no one else around it just made things quiet. It usually was when it was just Missy and her father.

"Then you do anything fun? You wanna go out and do something?" her father suggested.

"I'm fine. I'm tired."

"Is the food bad? I can always make something else-"

Missy began shoving dinner into her mouth just to placate her father. She wasn't in a mood to humor him right now.

Why did he keep acting like he cared about her? He never did. If he did then she wouldn't have run off to Minako and Shinji's place in the first place.

"We can go next door, so you can spend time with the neighbors."

Missy froze, her mouth full and her fork hovering above her plate. She set her fork down and swallowed. "What?"

"I know you like them a lot," Missy's father replied. "You'd probably have a better time in their place."

"And you're fine with that?" Missy asked.

"Yea. Why wouldn't I be? They're good people and they took care of you when… I was busy."

Busy working or fighting his wife.

"What about Morgana?"

"My allergies aren't that bad. I'll take some pills and try to stay away from him."

"What about… mom?" Missy asked. "She doesn't like them anymore."

"Who cares about her?"

That… was a surprisingly good answer. Missy quickly finished up her food and helped her father clean up before finally making their way to Minako's house. Like always the woman let Missy in easily while greeting Missy's father politely. Once they were inside Shinji took one look at Missy's father before going to the fridge and grabbing a pair of beers for them to drink. Missy attempted to sneak a sip but was quickly stopped and brought to the living room by Minako while the two men just talked in the kitchen.

"Did you want to bring your dad here?" Minako asked as she sat on the couch.

"He was the one that suggested it," Missy admitted as she sat on the spot between Morgana and Minako.

"That's good."

"My mother's going to be pissed."

Minako rolled her eyes. "Who cares about her?"

"As a young lady you should watch your language Missy," Morgana commented.

Missy smirked before taking the remote and switching on the tv. It was nice how much more lively this home was compared to her own house. Her dad did something good… for once.

Her father who was actually looking like he was having a good time talking with Shinji. That was… cool. He was actually getting along with Minako and Shinji.

Missy relaxed and let herself just enjoy things for once. Talking with Minako, pet Morgana, it was a nice time.

TV was boring though. There was nothing really good on her usual channels so she decided to take out her phone and took a look at PHO for anything interesting. It only took a few minutes of browsing to regret her decision.

Squealer broken out of PRT transport. PRT yet to comment.

"Missy? Is something wrong?" Minako asked as Morgana tensed up.

Missy couldn't believe what she had just read. She had to be imagining it right? The PRT couldn't have failed that badly?

She quickly grabbed the other phone Armsmaster had left to her and called him. She no longer cared about professionalism or propriety anymore.

"Armsmaster speaking."

"Tell me it's a lie," Missy begged Armsmaster as her voice quickly picked up volume. "Tell me that Squealer didn't get away after killing my friend's dad!" She shouted that last part at him, no longer caring whether or not she was being professional with him anymore. Everyone in the house was now looking at her, worried.

There was a pause behind the line. Until Armsmaster replied in that not frustratingly neutral tone of his. "It isn't."

"How did this happen? How could you let Squealer escape!?"

Minako hissed, Morgana shook his head, and Missy's father tried to approach, only to be stopped by Shinji who had grabbed his shoulder.

"It was not my decision," Armsmaster replied, now annoyed. "The PRT decided to split Skidmark and Squealer's convoy and move them at night with minimal security to avoid detection."

"They thought that'd work?"

"Skidmark made it to his destination. He is currently in a highly secure Parahuman facility and is unlikely to escape without significant outside intervention that the Merchants would struggle to organize at their current state."

"That's it!? Squealer still got away because of you?" Missy hissed.

"I ensured that Skidmark was taken out of the city." Armsmaster's voice wasn't getting louder but the frustration and impatience in it was clear. It was probably the most emotional she had heard the man. "I was also the one who proposed that we send them out in a single convoy with much heavier security, including you to ensure quicker transportation. That proposal was shot down."

Missy exhaled and forced herself to get her thoughts together. It was clear at this point her anger was directed at the wrong person. "Your superior's demands?"

"Yes. Piggot and the PRT."

"Fuck." Missy cursed as she rubbed her face. "My friend's dad just died and her killer is still out there. What am I supposed to do then?"

"… This is not within my expertise."

"Just tell me something, you're an adult aren't you?"

There was a much longer pause on the line now. "The truth. Tell her the truth, including the information you just received. Lying or delaying the inevitable is inefficient. It's best to confront the issue immediately."

Yea. That sounded like advice Armsmaster would give. Wasn't technically wrong either… just probably shouldn't be as blunt as he would be in that situation.

"Fine. Whatever. Goodbye," Missy replied before hanging up her phone. She set it down and buried her face in her hand, barely responding as Minako began rubbing her back and Morgana began rubbing against her. "They let her get away. They let that murderer get away."

First Circus now Squealer. Hell Hookwolf had already been broken out of a cell twice before he could be brought to the Birdcage. What was the point of fighting and stopping Villians when this sort of thing kept happening? Was the PRT just that stupid? Did she have to capture them and drag them to their jail herself?

Actually? Yea. That did seem like a good idea at this point.

"True justice can be difficult to get in an unjust society," Morgana commented.

"I'm going to get Squealer," Missy muttered. "Find her and deal with her myself."

"Please be careful about it," Minako said. "You won't help Clara if you get hurt trying to bring Squealer to justice."

"Make sure you know why and how you're dealing with her first," Shinji commented from the kitchen countertop. "Don't do it half-assed and don't make excuses. Whatever happens is your responsibility."

"Jesus Christ Shinji, she's eleven!" Missy's father shouted at him.

"Twelve soon and you and I both know that she's not a regular kid anymore," Shinji replied. "Besides, Minako is right. I'd rather her letting us know what she gets into rather than hide it from us cause we tried to stop her."

"Missy, could you at least sit on it for a few days?" Missy's father suggested. "Wait until the weekend when you've calmed down and figured things out."

"Fine," Missy replied. It was time enough to make a plan and to call Brad to see if he had any info about where the rest of the Merchants were holed up. At the very least she could enjoy the night that she did have at Minako's house.

Or at least that was the plan until her personal phone rang. It was… from Clara? Fuck. Did she also see the news?

"H-hey, Clara," Missy said over the phone.

It wasn't Clara though, but rather her Aunt that responded on the other end. "Missy? Could you please come over to my place."

"Is something wrong with Clara?" Missy asked.

"I… don't know. Please come as soon as you can."


Missy jumped off of Theia as Clara's apartment came into view, falling through warped space before landing neatly at the front door with Morgana following soon after. Her father had offered to drive her there but her Persona was just much faster. Morgana of course had chosen to follow.

She gave a curt greeting to the door guard who just stood there staring at her before running up the stairs and arriving at Clara's apartment.

"What happened?" Missy asked as Clara's Aunt opened the door and let her in.

"We were watching the news when… they said that Squealer escaped," Clara's Aunt explained. "After that Clara… just froze. She just sat there for hours before locking herself in the guest room. She hasn't been out since."

Morgana's ears rose and twitched. "She's doing something weird in that room," he commented.

"You didn't try to get her out?" Missy asked Clara's Aunt as she opened the door.

"I was too afraid to try."

"Why would you be afrai….d." Missy paused and stared as she made it down the last step and processed the sight before her. Clara's long hair, normally immaculate and smooth, was now completely disheveled with a wild look and oily sheen to it under the limited light in the room. Her face was almost manic as her hands moved in a blur, all to continue building the large… machine that stood in front of her.

It was bipedal and almost had the outline of a person, but it was much larger than any person she knew. At least that was what Missy could tell from the basic framework. Much of it was still incomplete even as Clara continued to work.

"Clara?" Missy called out to her friend, only to be ignored. "Um… whatcha building there?"

Clara didn't respond. She just muttered to herself as she continued to work.

"I thought you could help since you're a Parahuman too," Clara's Aunt said. "She's one of those Tinkers now right?"

Except that Missy wasn't even a Parahuman. She never had a Trigger Event so she had no idea what to do now that it happened to one of her friends. She was just… helpless as she watched.

"I don't know," Missy replied as she reached forward only for Clara to push her hand aside and brush her off. Whatever Clara was building, it was more important than the friend right in front of her.

Was Missy still even her friend at this point?

Missy just stood there. Frozen. Not knowing what to do and unable to do anything. It wasn't until Morgana walked up and put a paw on her foot that she looked down.

"Missy. Breathe," Morgana commanded.

She did so. She took several deep breaths.

"Now take out your friend and call your Confidants for help," Morgana told her. "You aren't alone in this."

Missy nodded before she took out her cell phone and began to call several numbers. Hopefully someone she called would be able to help.