I come to with a gasp, breathing in the cold vacuum of space. The stars burn like fires above me, and below, the continent of Africa stretches far and wide. My memory is fuzzy, but I remember making a deal, making a choice, and losing a part of myself. I vowed to kill the formidable Warrior Entity and finish off the helpless Thinker Entity, and in return, I gained incredible, powerful abilities. I am halfway certain that I can fulfill my mission, but doubts gnaw at me.

I slowly drift in a decaying orbit for several minutes, realizing that I am no longer human. The only things that matter now are the three cores inside my body, replacing a knee, hiding in my ribs, and where my brain should be. That's all I am. The rest is shardflesh masquerading as life. I laugh, silently, in the starry void of space.

With a thought, I embrace my Endbringer form. I stand twelve meters tall, with three expressionless faces and four arms, the inner arms smaller, with skin pale white covered in cracks of gold, like kintsugi. My legs are long and lanky, naked and bare as a Ken doll.

I can feel the Shards calling to me, urging me to embody them, to use their power to the fullest extent. Idly, I call upon Legend, and a hand instinctively goes up to scratch and claw my face until a crude approximation of Legend's face adorns my own. Then I shift to Alexandria, and finally, Eidolon. I wear the Triumvirate, like hand-crafted Halloween masks.

Then I receive a [QUERY] from a rapidly approaching object on the path to pass me by.

I stiffen and turn my heads. A white glint flashes in the night sky.

The message is filled with questions about my sudden appearance and purpose, alongside a schedule of tentative Endbringer attacks, asking where I'd like to slot in, noting patterns and particulars that the others liked.

I ignore the Simurgh and wait for her to pass, unwilling to see how powerful I was with Acclimation.

[QUERY] once more reverberates through the underpinning of the universe. Why was I ignoring her? Was I faulty? Were my communication relays down? Did I need assistance?

I ignore her still and wait out the reply. She doesn't send a third.

My orbit decayed further, as the Simurgh floats around the edge of the planet, disappearing. I am now over the Pacific and falling fast. I began to burn up, and curled around myself, riding out the plasma. As I finish burning, I'm hurtling towards a large sprawling city glinting in the sunlight. I slowly arrest my fall with my flight over the city, and head for the building with the eagle holding a shield, labeled PRT.

When I land the packed street goes silent, and then people start screaming, shoving and pushing away from me. Instinctually, they know I'm not human, I'm not one of their capes. I'm too big, too strange-looking. The sirens go off, and troopers pour out the building training guns on me.

"I come in peace," I say, my three heads speaking in the Triumvirate's voices, my arms raised in surrender.

It takes another minute for them to cut off, and by then I can tell the entire city is in an uproar from the Endbringer sirens going off.

The first cape that steps out is Alexandria, followed by a number of capes I did not recognize.

"If you are a Parahuman, submit peacefully, and you will not be harmed," she says sternly. "I would advise you to transform back."

"I am afraid I cannot transform back," I said, mostly because I would be naked if I did.

"Submit peacefully, then. You've caused the activation of the Endbringer sirens and have caused worldwide panic. You will cease and desist."

I wasn't even doing anything but existing!

"This is quite improper conduct. I simply landed here, after falling out of the sky."

"And where did you come from?" asked Alexandria.

"Orbit."

"And before then?" she sternly asked.

I kept my mouths closed.

"I thought so. Until further notice, you are now Case-9, a suspected Endbringer or Endbringer-like entity. Your rights under United States law are absolutely zero. You have sixty seconds to lie down in the restraining position with your wrists folded and your ankles crossed."

"Are you certain this is the right path forward, Alexandria?" I asked her.

She stared cooly back.

"I don't want to stir the cauldron, but I have some information you may want to hear."

She didn't say a word.

Slowly I lay down, and assume the position. I have time, I tell myself. I can submit for a spell.

Turns out they had Brute restraints big enough for me. They used an eighteen-wheeler to haul me away.

For five hours I'm kept in total isolation, after being taken to an army base a couple hours away. Fort Irwin, I hear them say. Then Legend walks in.

"Hello. Do you have a name?"

I thought about it. I wanted a name that resonated and meant something more than just my appearance and duty. "Kintsugi." A method of porcelain repair, in which molten gold fills the cracks, making the broken object more beautiful and whole. I quite like the image, and it's what I'd like to do with Earth Bet.

Legend seems satisfied. "I have some questions for you Kintsugi. You have no right of refusal, as you are being detained as a possible enemy of humanity. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Are you human?"

"No, but I can appear as one," I answered honestly.

He wrote something down, pen scratching on paper. "Are you from this dimension?"

"No."

"Do you have any recent memory loss?"

"Yes. Large swathes of my memory have been deleted," again, not lying.

He wrote something down, before continuing, "Do you have a tattoo on your body of an Omega symbol, a stylized C?"

"No."

"Do you have multiple personalities?"

"No."

"Are you an enemy of humanity?"

"No."

He stared at me for a long while. "Are you an Endbringer?"

"Yes," I answered honestly. I was one, but I was so much more, too. Closer to an Entity in power, and with my Titans I will be formidable, a kind of proto-Entity. It's honestly terrifying to consider.

My answer comes as a shock to Legend. I guess he expected me to lie? But what could they do to me? I could leave at any time. I was only playing around because it was easier to play the rational actor card, then have them assume I'm a menace. I'm sure they're waiting for Lausanne x 11, but that shit isn't going to fly here. I'm going to help humanity, if I have to drag them kicking and screaming.

He's staring at me, as if he suddenly wished he was much further away, before gulping, and continuing, his voice a little strained. "What is the Endbringer's purpose?"

"We are engines of conflict. We are normally deployed when the Cycle grows too peaceful. Our main purpose is to drive conflict. Our secondary purpose is to defend the Cycle."

He wrote furiously. "What is the weak point or vulnerability of an Endbringer," he asked after he finished writing.

"Endbringers have singular cores that can be pierced with the right power or weapon to kill one."

On and on the questions went, meandering down different lines of topics, until Legend had scribbled down three pages of notes. Then he stood up and gave me a slight bow.

"Thank you for being so forthright with me. I will be back tomorrow with new questions."

I would wait a single week. If in a single week they couldn't bear to let me go free of these restraints, I would leave. I had time before the end. Time enough to spare.

I only saw Legend, and the guards at the door for three days, and on the fourth day, Rebecca Costa-Brown made an appearance. It was the real Rebecca, I could tell from sensing her Shard. She was done up in a navy blue dress suit, and high black heels, and sat at the chair behind the tinkertech glass before where I hung.

"You haven't broken out yet. Not even tried. And you could have. Our Thinkers gave you three days, before you'd turn, but you've thrown off everything Thinker and model we have. What do you want?"

I smiled with all three mouths. "I wish to talk, Rebecca. That's all I ever wished. I have much I can offer you, the Protectorate, and the world."

"You must understand why we're reasonably suspicious of a 'reasonable' Endbringer? No one wants Lausanne again."

I nod and sigh. "I cannot speak for my fellow Endbringer, but I am a proponent of peace and order."

Rebecca just scoffed. "Enough pretty words. What are your intentions? Why did you approach Alexandria?"

"That was entirely accidental. I was not even sure what city I was in, except it was a large west coast city. My intentions are to create a network of Parahuman powers large enough to combat our shared enemy."

She raised an eyebrow. "Our shared enemy?"

"The golden one," I said calmly and Rebecca went frozen.

Then she calmly adjusted her seat, and went on, pretending I hadn't spoken. "Creating a Network of Parahuman powers how?"

"Any Parahuman I touch joins my Network, sharing powers between themselves and others in the Network. Each member of the Network can have up to five active powers at once."

"And the detriments? The downsides?"

"The power is only 80% as powerful, and I can lock people out of the Network."

She stared at me. "No Mastering component?"

I shook my heads.

"Master-free."

"And I'm supposed to believe you? An Endbringer?"

"I haven't lied to you once. Not once this whole time. That should count for something."

"You're an Endbringer. Your own lips said you were created as 'engines of conflict'. Perhaps it benefits you to tell the truth. To make the Endbringers even more terrifying, and make us fear your masters."

"Rebecca," I said softly, "Our enemies are the same. The Endbringer and him. Please work with me here. I can only go halfway."

"Why are the Endbringers your enemy?" she asked, a little put off.

I smiled. "Because I am free and they are not. They will battle because they must, but I will battle because I can."

"And why are you free?"

"I made a deal with an extradimensonal entity, in exchange for my freedom."

Costa-Brown stared at me.

I insisted, "Absolute truth. Such beings exist and you can deal with them in the right circumstances. I was extraordinarily lucky to lose only most of my memory as a cost. They transported me from my home, to orbit around Earth Bet."

"I… see. I suppose I shall have to take your word at it, as little it's worth. Why is this other being, this man, your enemy?"

"He is no man. He is alien, masquerading in human flesh. And one of the parts of the deal means his death, or my own."

Rebecca looked me dead in the eye and mouthed, 'C will be in touch,' before she said, "Aliens? Extradimensional entities? I've heard enough nonsense for one day. Guards!" And Rebecca Costa-Brown left the room.

"The numbers add up. The Thinker models are showing positive signs. He's not hostile, he's downright polite and forthright, explaining everything. The PRT now has a working model of the Cycle and how powers really work and doesn't even know it, are dismissing it as the lies of an Endbringer. It's ridiculous. And if his power really works that way, can really turn everyone into pseudo-Eidolons, maybe we should consider it," finished Kurt, the Numberman, addressing the heads of Cauldron. He'd always been pragmatic and for some reason, the idea of an Endbringer turning on its own tickled him pink.

David looked aghast at what he was hearing. "First Keith and Rebecca actually go and visit the damn thing, and now actually we're talking about cooperating? We should have nuked it when we had the chance."

Keith cast a calming gaze on David. "I think we can all discuss this like rational adults. Obviously we need to test his powers with volunteers before we consider utilizing it for ourselves. But we have to acknowledge the fact it's been six days and after all he's told us, that we know or speculate is the truth, Kintsugi has not made one complaint. The closest he got was pleading with Rebecca to work with him. We need to consider this is real."

Rebecca nodded. "I agree with Keith, and tentatively with Kurt. This needs to be tested, and if it turns out safe, expanded across the PRT. And think, just think. An Endbringer that works with us, that fights with us, to the bitter end. We could use that, desperately."

Doctor Mother added her own words of wisdom. "I would caution trusting him so far so soon, but if he truly speaks with an honest tongue, then like every other tool, Cauldron will use him to our ends, and the survival of humanity."

The room fell into a heavy silence as the heads of Cauldron absorbed the weight of Doctor Mother's words. The idea of partnering with an Endbringer was unprecedented, and the potential benefits were undeniable. Yet, the risks loomed large in their minds.

David, still shaken by the thought, broke the silence. "But what if it's a trap? What if this is just an elaborate ploy to gain our trust and then turn against us?"

Keith, ever the voice of reason, interjected, "We can't ignore the evidence before us. Kintsugi's actions speak volumes. If he truly wanted to harm us, he could have done it already. We have to consider the possibility that he genuinely wants to help."

Rebecca, always the optimist, added, "And just imagine the impact it could have on the public's perception of the PRT. We would be seen as heroes, working side by side with an Endbringer. It could restore hope and unity in these desperate times."

Doctor Mother, the epitome of calculated wisdom, spoke again, her voice measured. "We must proceed cautiously. Testing his powers with volunteers is necessary, as is establishing clear boundaries and safeguards. If he proves trustworthy, we can exploit this alliance for the greater good of humanity."

The room buzzed with a mix of uncertainty and intrigue. The prospect of a cooperative Endbringer was a double-edged sword, but the potential rewards outweighed the risks. The heads of Cauldron knew that they had to tread carefully, for the fate of humanity hung in the balance.

As they collectively contemplated their next steps, one thing became clear - they had entered uncharted territory, where old rules no longer applied. The world was changing, and Cauldron had to adapt, even if it meant embracing the unthinkable.

It was the evening of the seventh day when a portal opened in my containment room, and an African American woman in a doctor's outfit stepped out.

"Hello Doctor Mother," I said, as she sat down at the table.

"Good, I won't have to introduce myself," said Doctor Mother, the leader of Cauldron. "You mentioned our shared enemy. What do you know?"

"I know he is simply the Avatar of the greater Entity, its main conciousness, but not where its housed. If his Avatar is pierced, it opens a portal to his core, which must be destroyed. Only then will the Enemy be dead. I know he is maladapted to the human programming of the Avatar, unaccustomed to its emotions. Its possible psychological attacks would work on him, if they involved his partner. I know he will be almost impossible for us to defeat, but we have to try."

She considered me. "We do, indeed, have to try. We were not aware he had human emotions. We thought him entirely alien."

"They are very undeveloped, like a child's. He feels deeply, yet shallowly, if that makes sense."

She nodded. "I see. And this core, what is it?"

"A continent-sized crystal on another Earth. A Dimensionally locked Earth. We'll need heavy firepower to destroy it. Agents working at their full potential."

"And how do you suppose that shall happen?"

"I can Second Trigger anyone inside the Network to become a Titan, a fusion of Agent and human, with the human dominant, and with full access to the Agent's breadth of power expressions."

She clapped her hands with glee, a bright, delighted smile on her face. "And that's it. That's where you've got me. Fusion of Agent and human?"

"They become towering Endbringer-like figures—let's call them Titans—reflections of the Agent and the human, as dense and strong as Endbringers too. And they can transform back."

"Can the Parahumans communicate with the Agent at that time?"

I nodded. "Yes, the two will be in communication, the Agent handling the powers while the human operates the Titan."

"How utterly interesting. Is there any mental contamination or feedback?"

I continued explaining the details of the plan to Doctor Mother, eager to share my knowledge and ideas. "Once the Second Trigger occurs, the fusion of Agent and human will be seamless, with no mental contamination or feedback on the human's end. It's a carefully designed process to ensure maximum efficiency and control."

Doctor Mother leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "And what about the risks? What happens if something goes wrong during the fusion?"

I took a deep breath, considering her question. "There are risks, of course. The process is not without its challenges. If the fusion is not successful, there's a possibility of the Agent overpowering the human, resulting in a loss of control. However, with proper training and preparation, we can minimize these risks."

Doctor Mother nodded thoughtfully. "We will need to select candidates carefully, individuals who possess the necessary mental and physical resilience. We cannot afford any mistakes."

I agreed wholeheartedly. "Absolutely, Doctor Mother. The selection process will be rigorous, ensuring that only the most suitable candidates are chosen. It's crucial that we have individuals who can handle the immense power and responsibility that comes with being a Titan."

Doctor Mother smiled, her excitement palpable. "This is a game-changer, a potential turning point in our fight against the Enemy. With these Titans, we might just have a fighting chance."

I nodded, feeling a surge of determination. "Indeed, Doctor Mother. We cannot let fear or doubt hold us back. We have the means, the knowledge, and the resources to defeat our shared enemy. It's time to push forward and give it our all."

As we continued our discussion, I couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of hope. Perhaps I would get out of here soon.

On the eighth day they undid my Brute restraints and let me stand up on my own for the first time in over a week.

"You will get one hour of free time a day," the military man was telling me, "Supervised and monitored remotely. You may not Tinker, express any power, or otherwise act in a Parahuman manner."

I nodded. I would rather like to see the sun. All the window were boarded up inside my room.

"Before and after your free time, you will be required to be in this room, with or without restraints. That part is up to your behavior. Periodically, you will be taken off base, and asked to handle issues. You will follow all instructions and orders given to you. Is this understood?"

"Yes."

The man grimaced at my three slightly different voices.

"Is there any questions that you have?"

"May I have something to read? Maybe a few books? I have no preference."

The man scowled. "Noted. I'll pass the word up. Anything else?"

"Newspapers would be nice, news of the world outside."

"Anything else?"

"No. Thank you, officer."

The man turned and left, followed by the guards, leaving me able to walk my room. Instead I laid down and simply zoned out, letting my body go limp.

That night I got a large crate of books of all kinds, but most specifically scifi novels about alien invasions. I found a note with a heart wearing a fedora in the first book I picked up. I opened it up.

'Is a month really that hard? A month and we'll have you free, and loved by America. Trust C.'

I guess I was staying a month.