Note: Midterms are over. Back to writing! Needed one more chapter to really set the stage.

-The Light of Brockton Bay-

- Amy's POV

"The director will see you now." Miss Militia says, poking her head outside the meeting room and into the hallway. I acknowledge her with a nod of my head and stand up. I arrived at the PRT headquarters about 20 minutes ago now. Miss Militia was waiting for me to guide me to Piggot's office. I already know my way around the PRT, but they must have someone accompany me whenever I visit. I can't understand why; it's not like I'm going to do anything bad. 'Fucking bureaucrats.'

I had told Da'at I was coming here because of health concerns relating to whatever was in her head. I still have no idea what it is. I had told her that it was a weird Corona Pollentia, but thinking back on it, it just didn't seem right. While there are rarely changes in people, generally the greatest changes are in Case 53's, and even they aren't that level of different. I can't understand it with my power, which I could with even the most changed ones I've seen.

However, the real reason for my visit is my concern for her mental stability. From the brief amount of time we have spent together, I have already recognized that she is underselling the effects that her power has on her mind. When she transforms into a new identity, it almost completely replaces her body. The only part that is only partially affected is her brain. It's obvious that she still retains her memories, but her brain is almost completely different. When it comes to her limbic system, it's totally different. The only reason she doesn't go fully crazy from changing identities is that she retains her full original memories, and those act as a kind of anchor so that she doesn't go off the deep end immediately.

And all of that doesn't even cover whatever randomly made her have the brain chemistry of someone suffering from severe depression and sociopathy. It was fleeting, but I saw it before she was somehow able to repress it, which is another thing on its own. The human brain doesn't just "repress" stuff like that; it's just not able to. And yet Da'at is somehow able to do it. The only idea I have is that her powers have an emotional suppressant of some kind. All in all, that's three separate major effects on her mental health and personality, and I have a sneaking suspicion that she's going to try and downplay it.

I enter the room only to find Piggot sitting on a chair at the other end of the table. I take the seat farthest from her. Miss Militia leaves me and Piggot by ourselves. Piggot turns on a recording device nearby. "This is Director Emily Piggot of the PRT ENE; the date today is Wednesday, the 12th of January 2011. This meeting is between myself and Panacea of the New Wave independent hero team."

Piggot turns away from the recording device and faces me. "Panacea, you had said over the phone you have some health concerns for our newest Ward, Da'at."

Wait, she's already agreed to join the Wards? "I'm assuming that she's already agreed to join the Wards or already has signed the paperwork?"

Piggot nods in response. "Da'at agreed to join the Wards during our initial interview but wants to have the full tour and power testing before signing."

I kind of wish we talked about this person-to-person before agreeing to anything, but joining the Wards is probably the best thing for her to do so I can't be mad. "Ah, okay. I do have some physical health concerns I would like to go over to start with. While I was checking on Da'at for health concerns, I noticed a massive irregularity in her brain, which I strongly believe to be a side effect of her powers. Her brain is lacking a conventional Corona Pollentia."

Piggot's light frown drastically deepened. "Explain."

Man, she's uptight. Although this does beg the question, do I tell them whether or not I think it's a Corona Pollentia? I think it would be best to just say it's a heavily irregular one. It doesn't change anything other than giving Da'at less of a headache. "Instead of a regular Corona Pollentia, Da'at has a set of gold-coloured roots that have taken the place where her Corona Pollentia should be. They extend a bit through the folds of the brain before stopping. I honestly have no idea why her Corona Pollentia is like this, but it brings up a few concerns, mainly anything related to brain injuries."

I take a breath. "I'm sure you already know that damaging the Corona Pollentia doesn't disable powers but instead causes a loss of control. Assuming that the entirety of the root system acts as a Corona Pollentia, having any brain surgery done would be nigh impossible without damaging the root system."

Piggot's been giving me an intense stare. She massages her temples and releases a deep sigh. "This girl is going to be the death of me." Really? That's all you can think of right now? I just gave Piggot some very important health information, and all she can do is complain. 'That is pretty typical of Piggot, though.'

We spend a few minutes on the possible ramifications of the physical change, but in the end, all it really amounts to is "try not to get a brain injury." Which is already a priority. "Okay, you specifically said physical health concern, which makes me believe you have a non-physical health concern."

I guess we have to get to that eventually. "Has Da'at told you how her power affects her emotions, sanity, thoughts, or something along those lines?"

Piggot looks a little... relieved? "She has in fact already told us about that." Piggot pulls something up on her computer. "The transcripts of her pre-power testing interview are posted. Da'at admitted that her powers affect her emotions."

I'm about to say my piece before I stop myself at the last moment. Should I really tell them about this? This would be the last moment to back out. What if they overreact to the information and do something bad? 'No, Amy, they wouldn't jail a teenager just because her power is hard to control. It's better if they know now so they can prepare for later.'

"I just have... concerns that she might be downplaying how bad it might be." Before Piggot can interject, I continue talking. "Now that's not to say it's the worst. Essentially, whenever she changes her identity, most of her body is switched down to the molecular level. The only thing that doesn't seem to have changed is the part of her brain that holds most of our memories. It's honestly not that much of a problem. In my professional opinion, if she just avoids using any problematic identities, then she should be fine. From what I have seen, the root system in her head may be acting as a copy of what her non-identity emotions are. So as long as Da'at gets proper training and avoids any bad identities, she should be able to maintain control of her powers like any other cape."

Piggot looks like she's going to have a heart attack, and I haven't even gotten into the random giant mood swings. However, before I can continue, an alarm starts to sound inside the meeting room. Lights start to flash from the ceiling, an automated speaker blasts the message "Code Red" 3 times before shutting off, and Piggot's phone rings. Piggot quickly picks up the phone, and after a brief moment shouts at a volume I didn't even know she had, "SHADOW STALKER DID WHAT?"

I can hear more speaking through the phone before the caller abruptly hangs up. Piggot's gone from a heart attack look to a double-brain aneurysm while seizing from shock kind of look. She quickly stands up, which is surprising for her size. "Panacea, we need to leave; there's been an emergency."

"Wha..."

"Da'at has learned of some... unfortunate news and is having a meltdown in the Wards common room. While you aren't obligated, the PRT requests your assistance with any injuries that may happen." Piggot ushers me forward with her hand but keeps a good distance from me. 'Always paranoid.'

"What exactly happened?"

I can't see Piggot's face because I'm walking forward in front of her, but I'm sure it has her ever-present frown. "That's classified."

I'm never going to get information out of her. Fuck, what the hell happened? If Piggot is saying that heroes will need healing, that means Da'at is fighting them. I don't believe she would do that for no reason.

I arrive outside the PRT and find PRT troops and police setting up a barricade around the PRT headquarters.

'Please don't get hurt, Da'at.'

-The Light of Brockton Bay-

The doors linger over me like the awaiting gates of hell. My hair is unkempt like a rat's nest. The bags under my eyes betray me, visibly telling others I've lacked proper sleep for some time. A sigh escapes my mouth as I tell myself another lie.

"Tomorrow will be better."

- Scene change

"Fat bitch should have stayed at home." Three girls hover above me. My tormentors. My ankle is sprained from being pushed down the stairs. Orange juice coats my now matted hair.

A heave escapes my lungs as Sophia kicks my stomach before leaving.

"Someone will help me."

- Scene change

The sickening man sits in front of me, willingly oblivious to my plight. "Taylor Hebert, I'm giving you detention for disrupting class." Emma snickers beside me.

My wrists still hurt from her tripping me. My best friends betrayed me, and now the teachers side with them.

"Something will eventually change."

- Scene change

Months of torture go by. For others, it goes fast; for me, it's an eternity.

Nothing ever gets better; no one ever comes to my rescue; nothing ever changes.

I tell myself that as long as I wait their assault out, I will beat them. I will show them that I am the better person.

But it's just another lie.

It won't ever end by just waiting alone, and I'm too much of a coward to admit it.

I could change what I do; I could fight back; I could tell my father.

I could stop going to school; I already have. I lied to myself, saying that I needed the time to be a hero.

I was just afraid to admit I just didn't want to see them anymore.

In the end, I was just a loser. A nobody. I would continue to endure the cycle placed on me, and no one would come to my rescue.

Not even myself.

-The Light of Brockton Bay-

- Miss Militia's POV

My eyes readjust to my surroundings. What... just happened? It's almost as if I felt that happening. Were these memories? They aren't mine. Who's memories were those? I finally come to my senses, and there's only one obvious answer. 'Da'at.' My eyes dart around the room. "Wuh?" The Wards are still beside me; they seem to be in a daze like I was a second ago.

I had called a code red moments before whatever just happened. Every Protectorate hero should be on their way to headquarters. I can hear Armsmaster shouting in my headset. "Armsmaster to Miss Militia. I've lost connection with the Wards common room cameras. I need you to evacuate with the Wards while we wait for more members of the Protectorate to arrive. Do you copy?"

"Loud and clear." I take a look at the room around me. It looks different than it did a minute ago. There were still some things, like the original Wards common room, but now with some extra and missing furniture. Shelves of books burn on a floor made of half-blackened, half-burnt-away carpet. Tables of charred wood sit being adorned with piles of slag, which I could only guess were computers at one point. It's a burning library. The lighting of the room is tinted red, casting an eerie look over the entire area.

I turn to the Wards beside me. "No talking unless it's an emergency. We need to leave, now!" I get a bunch of nods, and everyone gets in their defensive positions. I can see an exit nearby, which I can assume is the way back to the main hallway. I haven't found Da'at, but she was in the far corner of the room while we were next to the exit, so she might just be deeper in the room.

It takes half a minute, but we make it to the doors successfully. Opening the library doors, I'm met by the hallway to the Wards room. "We're leaving the building. The Protectorate heroes will be meeting up outside."

Vista, who has been taking the situation better than the others, speaks up. "Miss Militia. We're missing Shadow Stalker."

'Oh fuck.' Shadow Stalker is still in there. "Okay, all of you leave; don't leave anyone behind. I'm going back in for Shadow Stalker."

Clockblocker steps forward. "We can help. We've be-."

I give him the staredown of his life. "I do not want the Wards under my protection needlessly engaging in a potentially lethal scenario. You are to leave and group up with the heroes outside. That is an order!"

Clockblocker looks like he's going to argue more, but Gallant puts a hand on his shoulder. Clockblocker lowers his hands and gives me a nod. "Let's go everyone, and Miss Mil-" Clockblocker says something, but I'm already too far away to hear him talking. I turned and ran for the library doors the second I knew he was going to leave.

The library should be hotter with all the fires around, but somehow it isn't baking me alive. It definitely couldn't be called warm in here, however. "Miss Militia to Armsmaster. The Wards have escaped the common room, but Shadow Stalker was separated from the group. I'm turning on my bodycam now." I press a button on my uniform and turn on a tinkertech live feed bodycam.

"I'm pulling up your video feed now." Armsmaster goes silent for a moment. "What am I looking at here?"

I'm still running further into the room. "We were momentarily stunned, and the Wards common room looked like this when we came to our senses. Just before getting stunned, Da'at was panicking and was slowly transforming the area nearby. It was very similar to Labyrinth."

Piggot was the next person to come up on the call. "Miss Militia. You are to only evacuate Shadow Stalker. The majority of the Protectorate is still 2 minutes away. Do not fight Da'at. Armsmaster, get in there in case she needs backup."

After a half minute of running deeper, I can now hear fighting nearby. Weaving through the bookshelves, I arrive at an open space. Most of the surrounding objects have been reduced to rubble. Shadow Stalker is limping towards me from the clearing. Giant cuts litter her body. She should be dying of blood loss right now, but I noticed that her wounds were cauterized as they were made.

Shadow Stalker stretches out her arms, and I grab onto her as she reaches me. Shadow Stalker tries to say something, but only a groan comes out. She's probably going to faint any second now; I have to get her out of here. I quickly sling her onto me in a fireman carry and turn towards the exit. I barely have a moment to dodge as I jerk to the left.

The bookshelf next to me explodes into pieces. "I tried to endure the flames. I lost the fight before it even began." I briefly turn my head. Da'at looks even worse than when she fought at the jailbreak. There's no flesh left, only bone. The flames on her body flick around wildly. I quickly form a pistol in my hand with rubber bullets and fire a full magazine's worth. They meet their mark and bounce off of her, partially melted. Da'at continues running towards me as if nothing hit her.

"If I burnt you, would that change anything? If I set fire to my future, will the present be just a little more bearable?" Rubber bullets aren't working, and she's a little faster than me. I need to bring out the real bullets. 'Sorry, Da'at, but I can't let you do this. Panacea should still be around so you should still be safe.'

I take note of what obstacles are ahead. I look behind me for a split second and aim behind me. I shoot a couple of 9-mm bullets into Da'at's non-vital areas. 3 hit their mark, and I can see her visibly flinch at being hit. But what surprises me is that she deflected 2 bullets with her sword. 'What?'

"Armsmaster! How long until you get here?"

A reply came the instant after. "Half a minute."

I had researched certain weapons that would be effective even against Lung's heat. One of them led to a dead end due to Lung's size, but it could be useful here. An object similar to a flashlight manifests in my hands. It's a net gun with a tungsten wire mesh as ammunition. I fire it towards Da'at, and it works surprisingly well. It wraps around her legs and gets tangled in her pants and lower stomach. She falls to the ground while struggling to get out of her restraints.

I can see the exit now. Armsmaster just came through the doors. "Shadow Stalker has been secured. Let's meet up outside before coming in as a group. It should take Da'at a few minutes to untangle herself."

"I will not be trapped again." I didn't notice it at first, but Da'at's voice has been acting like a headphone in your ear. They aren't even near me, but I can hear their voice coming from every direction at once. Armsmaster looks like he heard it too. A blast of heat hits me from behind, and I start running. "It won't take a few minutes if she just melts them, though."

The hallway still remains unchanged, or at least was a second ago. As I hear Da'at begin to move in the distance, indicated by the loud sounds of furniture being broken slowly increasing in volume, the hallway slowly starts being converted. The edge of the effect is masked in a strange light. Piggot speaks through the earpiece. "Velocity, Dauntless, Assault, and Battery have arrived and are coming in. Triumph was further and will need another 3 minutes."

"I need you to send in someone who won't be fighting to take Shadow Stalker away. I can't fight properly while carrying her."

I can hear Da'at's explosions rapidly approaching me and Armsmaster. I'm getting tired at this point. Carrying someone while fully sprinting as fast as you can gets even the most athletic people out of breath. I create a tear gas grenade and through it behind us. 'I hope that gives us enough time to organize as a team.'

Velocity makes it to us before anyone else. "The rest of us are just down the hall, past the meeting rooms." I nod and continue running. My tear gas seems to have worked because the rapidly approaching transformation line suddenly slows down. "Has everyone been briefed on the situation?"

"Da'at is attacking the PRT?"

'Of course, that's how Piggot words it.' I shake my head. "Da'at claims that Shadow Stalker was the cause of her trigger event." I catch my breath. "She's completely out of it right now. Honestly, it reminds me of Labyrinth if she had some combat powers on top of her existing ones."

Surprisingly, the line actually starts to retreat. If I'm right about the effect following her, that means she's heading back towards the Wards room. I slow down my pace a bit to a jog. After going through a few more normal doors, I meet up with the rest of the team. There's a PRT agent with them. I hand Shadow Stalker off to the PRT agent and take a seat on the ground. "Velocity, can you explain what I told you? I need to catch a breath."

I can hear them talking in the background, but I'm too focused on my own thoughts. Da'at is obviously trying to be lethal in her attacks. I don't think she's in a right enough state of mind to even think about that. I can feel my gut twisting itself in a knot. Is this our fault?

While it isn't conclusive evidence, the memories felt very real, and I know Shadow Stalker's civilian identity. Shooting her back there was the heat of the moment. But now that Shadow Stalker is secure, I have a moment to think about what's happened. I can't help but feel disgusted by what's been revealed. Maybe I could have stomached it if I had just heard about it, but when you feel it happening to you... I don't know what to think about this.

Can I even blame Da'at for this breakdown? I had seen her on patrol. I had been saved by her during the jailbreak. She had so obviously looked up to us. She wanted to be a hero, just like us. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to know that the person who caused your trigger event was part of the team you looked up to.

"I'm here!" Glory Girl bursts through a nearby door. Everyone jumps into fighting stances before calming back down. "I heard Amy's new friend is going a little crazy, and I've come to punch a little sense into her."

Armsmaster holds his hand out. "Glory Girl, this is the PRT's matter."

Glory Girl scoffs at him. "Well, it's my matter too now. Amy's never taken on a friend like this before."

Armsmaster can't handle situations like this. He's just too rigid in his thinking. I stand up and walk closer to the conversation. "We could allow you to help if you follow our lead."

Glory Girl pursed her lips before sighing. "Ugh, fine. I'll follow what you say. As long as you don't say anything stupid."

I nod my head. The group discusses Da'at's newest power and the strategies going forward. I would like to plan deeper, but we're on a time limit. We have no idea when Da'at will decide to leave the Wards room. With Glory Girl at the lead, we start making our way back the way I came. I just hope this doesn't end too badly.