The Fortress
"What the hell is going on here?" Piggot asked.
None of the technicians or EMTs stopped to explain. The crowd did open up enough for her to see Calvert. He looked awful. Worse than he had after-. Well, there's no need to think of that. His eyes were bloodshot, his shirt had been wiped off but had obviously been vomited on, and he moved with the twitchy stutter of someone who had been tased recently.
"Betrayal. If you can wait a minute, I'll explain more, " he said, turning to the EMT working on him.
"Give me the damn shot. And get me a cup of coffee."
"Sir you can't combine these Tinker tech drugs with caffeine. Your heart rate will-"
Thomas's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Yes sir." He quickly amended.
One injection and a swallow of hot liquid later Calvert stood up carefully.
"We'll come to the how in a minute. The what of this debacle is as follows: Leet, Uber, and Circus betrayed us. They stole gear from the Fortress and escaped by hijacking the Punks' ship."
"They stole the Aetherial Traveler?"
"We're never going to hear the end of letting that Tinker tech boat be stolen. Yes, they stole the ship. They damn near killed Squealer as well."
"How?"
"Leet has space here for his personal use. He kept volunteering for extra maintenance shifts. Psych profiles fit the action. The man has an extreme need for external validation. The recognition fed his ego. So we encouraged this as an outlet for him that contributed to the common good."
"The more time spent helping the city's situation the less he could devote to harming it. I'm familiar with the concept."
"Greed must have gotten the better of him. He called me over here. He claimed to have mission-critical data that couldn't be shared over air. Given the ludicrous amount of sensors, gizmos, and the odds Mannequin left something I hurried over."
'Walking right into a trap?"
"Bastard had me look into a microscope then shot me from behind with a knockoff Danger Tech electro-laser. By the time I came to they were gone, I ran to call reinforcements to find him when I came across Squealer. When they shot her she collapsed then vomited. She was choking. She had aspirated some of her disgorgement."
"You cleared her airways?"
"Every Parahuman under my command is a resource. I wasn't about to be squeamish about saving a valuable resource."
Piggot nodded. The whole thing sounded right. Her gut was telling her something wasn't right. Calvert was always so hip-deep in hiding his own foibles that there were certainly small things he wasn't saying that might account for her instincts. Calvert wasn't the sort she'd trust under any circumstances.
"I was sent here by the Chief. Originally I was to take charge of the Fortress and free you to deal with the city. When you weren't answering calls I was sent to find out what you were doing out here."
"Surely the attack on the Nine is over."
"It is. Tagg is being held for a psych eval. Armsmaster is furious with you. The Chief is having meetings with the Dangers that we are not invited to. Oh, and the Villain's alliance might be splitting apart. It seems Coil was Bocephus Darling. The now late Bocephus died fighting Jack "the Butcher" Slash."
"Bocephus Darling was not Coil. I had a tip. Coil left town to gather reinforcements. He left someone in charge of his operation but Coil is very much at large."
"We'll see. For now, you had better get out there. The city isn't going to set itself back in order. The City director's job is never done." She smugly told him.
Calvert gave her a look that expressed his dark mood better than any retort he could have managed.
As he was walking away Piggot smiled. Trouble couldn't have found a better target in her opinion.
One Day Later
the PRT HQ
Rebecca Costa Brown watched the Dangers enter the building. The boys were both wearing three-piece suits. She had learned that style had been coming back into fashion just before their world fell apart. The cut of the suits matched, but the details were extremely removed. Those details meant something. It was a message in a language she didn't speak. She had started putting together clues to help her translate the foreign fashion sense.
Justin was dressed in navy, with a white shirt accented by a gold vest tie and pocket square. The fancy Eldredge knot was complimented by the pocket square's matching multi-stair effect. His opaque glasses and gloves were tinted a matching gold. She would have wondered at the expansiveness of their wardrobe if she hadn't known Justin's power could recolor clothing in a second with a minuscule expenditure of his attention.
John, of course, wore no gloves or glasses. His suit was pastel blue, and his shirt was cream. He had the same accents as his brother but in sherbert orange. The tie was in a Simple knot, and the pocket square was in the most basic, no-peaks straight tuck formation.
Their mother was in blue jeans and a thin ribbed tank top, rendered a bit less scandalous by the chrome-studded leather jacket. She had sunglasses, but she took them off and put them in her jacket pocket when she entered the building.
Rebecca sat down at her computer to watch on the screen. The three navigated through the office without the need for direction. They stopped at her door and looked at the nearest camera expectantly. Figuring out the power play of not knocking Rebecca reluctantly rose and opened the door for them.
"Well aren't we punctual?" she commented.
"Time is precious nothing to be wasted." Justin opined.
The mother and younger boy sat immediately Justin however stood until Rebecca sat.
"If you would there is something that's been bothering me."
"Oh for Christ's sake Justin," Melinda muttered.
"What is it?" Rebecca asked.
"Do you mind if I touch your face?"
Thinking he wanted to scan her Tinker Tech prosthetic eye, Rebecca nodded. It was extremely convincing. To her knowledge, only Legend's enhanced sight had picked out that it was false. He had admitted he wasn't sure he could have told it wasn't her original if he hadn't been so familiar with her.
Justin pulled off his right glove as he walked over. He placed his fingertips very gently on the side of her face where the false flesh started.
"Why the lighthouse? It was a marvel to be sure but if you were going to be Alexandria why not the library? It was a more impressive accomplishment don't you think?"
"The symbol of the lighthouse is cleaner both to graphically represent and in meaning. Guidance away from treacherous waters. The library was lost to tragedy so its symbolism isn't as inspiring as it is bittersweet."
"But that's what life is. Without the bitter what is the sweet? You were crafting a symbol to inspire I know. While the other might have taken longer to catch on I think maybe it would have been more lasting. A reminder of how fragile advancement is. Of how easily it can all be lost if we let the fires burn." Justin said sadly as he removed his fingers
Rebecca eyed the teen her mind working to make sense of the emotion in his voice and body language. He pulled his glove back on and sat down.
"I can fix the eye. It will take specialized equipment and twenty to thirty hours of convalescent time. Once the equipment is built, however, it could be reused if you ever end up with other dismemberments."
"And what would you want for that?" Rebecca asked.
"Keep your temper, don't play games with John. He is a rather angry and impatient young man who doesn't need anyone egging him on." Justin said taking his glasses off
The other twin glared at his brother with a look that promised later retribution. Melinda rolled her eyes and lowered her face into her right hand slowly shaking her head. Justin sat rotating his glasses end over end lost in thought.
Rebecca shook her head at the surreality of the situation. She decided to address John first. Better to get the official PRT business out of the way.
"Did you kill Manton with a Psionic attack?"
Melinda snorted. "Manton died held in the air by my harder-than-steel fingers. His windpipe was only open a crack just to squeeze enough air through it to keep him alive. His feet kicked the air impotently. All the while his power refused to respond. I whispered some rather inspired ideas I had about how I would repay him for what his projection did to Jean Marie. John had little to nothing to do with his heart attack. Poor diet, lack of exercise, and extremely poor life choices as to who he pissed off killed Manton."
"All true I did plunder his mind while he was too panicked to do much. Wrote some interesting secrets about his former workmates on various hard drives. Everything he knew about his buddies in Cauldron. It filled in most of our missing pieces."
"Is that why you decided to work with us?"
"It made us feel better about it. I mean we had assumed up till that point you were either evil or incompetent." John replied.
"Before you get upset at the insinuations, the surprise was you were less than three decades old. In our world, you're not counted among the big-boy conspiracies until you have at least a century under your belt. Our Pharaoh's Lightkeepers literally started when having a god-king was in vogue. If you were that old and had found no better ways of operating you either didn't care for the suffering you were inflicting or lacked the creativity to problem-solve your way out." Justin interjected.
"In short you were in a rush. Being in a rush makes you look stupid or evil." Melinda added
"Or both!" John chipperly added.
"Door to site three please" Rebecca called out.
The back wall vanished Rebecca waved at the opening "Let's talk about it where it's more secure."
"Bad enough she has personal Psi shields. The whole area over there is covered."
"Just go John we expected this," Melinda said nudging the boy.
"So this is the work of a dude right, you have some guy who can just make these dimensional doors?"
"Yes please don't open any interworld portals of your own while here. For security."
"And he just listens for keywords all day?"
"Sort of it's a pair, one is clairvoyant the other makes the gateways."
"Case 53's?"
"Yes, mentally affected more than physically. They were nice enough that we originally sought ways to compensate them for their time but there was little need. Working together they can watch any show or bring themselves a sample of any food on any of thousands of earths. There are some here we have under less desirable conditions. Mostly due to the mental effect of their powers making them belligerent."
"Oh, aren't you just saints?" John groused.
"No, just very human." Justin sadly added.
"Bad enough."
"Don't do that, we are human." Melinda snapped at her youngest.
"So you say the jury is still out," John answered.
This time it was Justin who looked exasperated. He took a long breath and put his glasses back on.
"The Case 53's were all volunteers. They were on the edge of death. We offered them healing in exchange for their service in testing risky formulas. There was a side effect of the failures. Scion doesn't like looking at them. They provide our base with a sort of stealth field."
"Does he have Dysmorphophobia?" Justin asked.
"Of a sort I suppose."
"So there were two cores. What happened to the other one?" John asked.
"She killed her," Alexandria said, opening a door to reveal Contessa.
"The Boogie man! You kidnaped and tortured any children lately?" John snarked.
"You talk to me about torture when you put a twelve-year-old into an adult body?" Contessa fired back
John tilted his head in confusion.
"Oh, she figured that one out. Nope just guessed the question confirmed. Let's see moderate parachronic scatter definite linkage to the deep quantum scanner shards. Quantum prediction based on questions? Plans? Outlines of behaviors to obtain requested results? Yes, very close to that one. Blind spots Bocephus was one, Scion, the Endbringers, a few other things? Perhaps complete submersion into the quantum realm? Yes, you can't predict what is going to happen to Jean. Ahh the Prognosticron? Oh, I bet that being stolen was disappointing." Justin rambled.
"Let's skip the scientific analysis and continue our conversation." Melinda reprimanded her older son.
"Fine, fine, spoil my fun."
"We're here for business," John reminded his twin.
Justin lowered his glasses and gave his brother's outfit a once over up and down then slid his glasses back up. Rebecca internally smiled. Justin's more formal colors and detailed highlights said he was serious about the meeting. John's more casual colors and simple layout said he wasn't going anywhere important. The mother- This was how she always dressed or how she felt comfortable. They would take her as she came. She wasn't bending for anyone.
"They were a pair, who traded a few shards with another member of their race before coming here. Contessa has one of those shards. She was able to surprise one of them but it was a trade-off. She inflicted a lethal wound in exchange for being caught. She was marked with the regulation that crippled her power to directly work on the functioning of the Cores. It was worth it the one she killed was the brains of their partnership Scion was the brawn."
"She surprised her?"
"She had crashed with unexpected violence. She had been so busy reorganizing her new shards it distracted her at a critical time."
"Humanities parachronic effect. The race collectively opened an opportunity for survival. They hit the most dangerous one who might realize our innate power and plan around it." Justin mused.
"What were you doing with your pulses? We are concerned you might trigger an investigation by Scion."
"Mapping the system and learning the language. Now we have a translator. Weaver is now a Quantumorphic human, a Nova. While she ascended we implanted everything we knew about the network into her inscribed into a tiny fragment of Leviathan. When Danny was given a vial we ensured Balance the archive of data on humanity was opened to Weavers power."
"You did WHAT?" Contessa exclaimed in a panic.
"Have you ever eaten bread?" Justin suddenly asked.
"Is this going to be a science lesson?" Rebecca warily asked.
"It will be. Let him get it out of his system it will be faster" Melinda explained.
"Why were you able to eat bread? Humans were omnivores, hunters, and opportunistic grazers. There are so many stages to processing grain into something complex like bread."
"Pursuit hunters who only came across the grain as they traveled in the pursuit of prey. Yes, I understand. We had to develop agriculture by taking the time to reseed as we traveled." Rebecca answered.
"Close. Firstly pursuit hunting only arose due to climate change forcing coastal and marshland scavengers to... off topic ok. Semi correct the trails used were only stabilised for reseeding part of the scavenged plant life once humans had begun herding. So herding which was older is a prerequisite to farming. We changed from the pursuit of any animal to traveling alongside and caring for established herds. Animals we once hunted now would obey our direction and force the herd to follow an established safe path. How did we force their compliance?"
"Dogs," John said with impatience.
"Correct, we had partners. Man and dog, Originally an alliance of convenience. The first trait that started humanity on the path to ascendancy over life on earth was a partnership with an inhuman species."
"It wasn't seamless. We did things to them. Dogs are not mentally well. They bow to our will far more than they should, to the point it's self-destructive." John countered.
"How many people would shoot a fellow human for cruelty to a dog?" Justin countered.
"There is some reciprocity. My point still stands." John argued.
"You think you can tame them?" Contessa exclaimed.
Rebecca held up a hand for her to wait.
Melinda eyed the two other women. She gave a small smile when she saw Rebecca start to realize the implications.
"We've been planning on survival. Defeating Scion and the immediate aftermath but what happens a decade or two later. What happens to the network of shards after it's decapitated?"
"Can you kill them all? Would you? Even if it meant your death? How devoted are you to the cause?" Melinda asked with amusement.
"The Queen is dead. By your hands, it seems. The grieving prince-consort doesn't tend to the affairs of state. The throne is empty. So-" John explained.
"Long, Live, The Queen." Justin intoned with solemn finality.
Three Days latter
Captains Hill Graveyard.
They had waited until the family had come and mourned. After they had their moment the Dangers left to spend some time at the green crystal that was the only earthly link to their sister. That was when the Undersiders had approached. They were in their civilian clothes.
Grue was stoic, Bitch angry, Regent thoughtful, Imp and Tattletale were weeping. They eyed the grave of the man who had for a brief few months gifted them with what it felt like to be a family.
"I can't believe he's gone. I thought there was no way he could be undone. He'd lived through so much." Brian finally said.
"He said Drake died because there was something he wanted more than life. So his power gave it to him even if it killed him." Ashia countered.
"He wanted to keep his family safe even if it took him from us," Alec added.
"Idiot. He wanted to keep us safe. He pulled Jack away before any of us could end up the damn Butcher." Bitch spat at him.
"Plans within plans. I told him Coil was planning something big. He said he was going to make sure we never had to worry about him again. Whatever it was didn't work Calvert is stronger than ever. Victor and Othala aren't going to listen to a bunch of teenagers. Leet Uber and Circus are gone. The Protectorate is negotiating to send the Travelers back home. Faultline is set for life and even if she does work again she rarely takes jobs in Brockton. Now Calvert has been able to wriggle off the hook for Tagg with only a smudge on his record." Lisa summed up
"He'll either fold the villain's alliance like a chair or puppet us and have us do shit we don't want like slaves" Brian angrily mused.
"Like hell, we will. There has to be something to do and fight back. The Dangers owe us one. We put our lives on the line for them. We call that debt." Ashia argued.
"We're not family. Bo was but even that was remote many times Great grandfather. They didn't know him well until he started helping them plan for the world to turn on the Novas" Lisa countered.
"We have to plan something. We have to deal with Calvert." Ashia answered.
"We could ask him what he's planning" Alec interjected.
"What, like he's going to let us near him?" Brian groused.
"Well, he's walking this way. So," Alec replied.
The group spun to look toward the path to the gate. Two PRT agents in suits were guarding the path out of the graveyard. Director Calvert was strolling over at a casual pace. He had a small floral arrangement in his hand.
They eyed him darkly as he came close and placed the flowers on the monument.
"One must ponder the significance of a grave for a man whose body was never recovered. A focal point for grief I suppose. Graves are more for the living than the dead after all. I doubt anyone occupying one cares much."
The Undersider's only response was to continue glaring.
"Well, you will be pleased to know the PRT continues to list Coil as at large. That gives an acceptable face to your Alliance. The government can afford to negotiate with powerful criminal masterminds who hold themselves to a code. To be shown up by teenagers, however, would invite drastic action. You couldn't expect to hold power in the city like adults such as Kaiser and Lung. Kaiser's Nazi roleplay could have been taken as a soft declaration of rebellion. The PR still wouldn't take the same hit as being seen treating kids as equals." He continued
"Do you think we will just roll over for you?" Ashia
"What do I think? Why I speculate that if you resist Coil bad things will happen it could be said that 'My legions faithful unto death. I'll summon to my court. And as you perish each of you.
Shall scream as you are sought."
All but one the Undersiders eyes hardened as they glared defiantly at the PRT Director. The rest were surprised when Lisa ran forward and embraced Calvert.
"How did you do it? You're such a fraudster!" She exclaimed.
"Bo?" Brian asked.
"Perhaps. Hard to say I am both more so than I feared and less than I hoped."
"Leet was working for you?"
"Leet turned the vortex on himself long ago. His parachronic manipulation saved his own partners. He was able to keep Uber off the Nine's radar and gave Circus the needed boosts to escape. He then came to me as the obvious path to salvation."
"He has Bo's modesty at least" Lisa snarked.
"Calvert's plan was modified. I was old, too old to stay alive much longer even Parachronic power can only do so much against inevitability. The last of the old guard had died before we came here. Knowing I had limited time I chose my exit and an option that might see my existence continue."
"You pulled that Spock shit! You put your spirit into Calvert!" Ashia exclaimed.
"We copied my Noetic pattern into his brain. Now how much forty years of being Calvert diluted the one hundred and thirty years of being Bocephus Darling? That is a question for the philosophers. My full power didn't transfer. That is for sure. I have Calverts Parahuman power and a novice ability at Parachronic manipulation. I have centuries of fighting experience but in another body."
"You can relearn, familiarize yourself, and regrow into what you had." Tattletale declared.
"First thing is first Coil is back in charge of the organization. Let the others know he cowed you with enough force. Mercs from out of town the threat of assassins if you fled. Then bring up the rewards. The same levels promised that originally were never going to be delivered. Only this time I start making good on the promises my little Darlings. You in particular Lisa will have to do most of the legwork while I keep the PRT's house in order."
"Are Leet and them coming back?" Rachel barked.
"No Leet is working for John now I made John the new Protector of the family. The Old family, this reincarnation I think will continue to adopt over siring more degenerates."
"I want to do something about the degenerates in my old family," Alec added.
"Soon John is working on something I think. For now, the city. We need a place to build, a place where you can bring what you feel is worth salvaging from that lot."
Alec gave an uncustomary serious nod.
"Now let's get to work this city isn't going to run itself," he said with an evil grin.
Brockton General Hospital
Victoria was watching Amy. Amy was watching the Dangers. They were visiting the crystal that appeared where Nova fell. Immovable and indestructible it remained where it was. Brockton General was not happy its back parking lot was tied up with no clear way to fix it. They had begrudgingly started renting space from a nearby parking tower and shuttling employees to the hospital.
"There is no way of telling when she'll come out of there. They said the chrysalis process has never been predictable."
"At least we know she's alive in there," Amy answered.
"Ames. I don't think I can wait months to find out what's going on, between us I mean. You found out something kind of important about John Danger sure but the way you did it wasn't very like you. What is going on."
"You take college classes, have you ever heard of the Westermarck effect?" Amy asked.
"Yeah, it's that despite physical and cultural familiarity being attractive there is a reverse imprinting that stops close relatives from bonding. Raising unrelated people in close conditions has been semi-proven. It is also why crushes and attraction to cousins who live more distantly are fairly common."
"Psychology is a science of trends, not absolutes." Amy quietly countered.
Victoria looked at her sister puzzled for a solid minute before she gasped and covered her mouth. Amy turned away to stare out the window again.
Vicky's mind was running in crazy circles and spirals. She had no idea how long she stood there aghast but it had been a while. The Dangers had left. She cleared her throat.
"Umm. How lon-"
"As long as I can remember. In one form or another. Puberty gave it new- dimensions I guess."
"Amy I d-"
"I know! How could I not know Vicky you're as straight as they come for one."
"Dean didn't know?"
"He knows"
"He knows!"
"He was trying to find a way to get us talking. Without-" Amy sighed "Without all this"
"Mary or Jean Marie I guess. She knew."
"She was doing the same."
"I thought you had fallen for her and were going to come out."
"She's not gay."
"She's not all the way straight. I've seen her looking when Battery wasn't watching."
Amy squinched her eyes shut "She's not into me."
"Oh- oh shit. So, it's like that."
"Yeah, Vic. It's like that."
"So why did you freak out when you touched Justin? I mean you held it together when you were dealing with John disguised as him here so-"
"Hector- Well, the Punks as a whole really helped me deal with some of it. It's complicated."
"More complicated than this?"
Amy sighed, turning from the window she put her back to the glass as she slumped to rest on the widow.
"In its way, yes. It's tangled up in this. I don't always remember every detail of every organ and capillary I touch. My power does the heavy lifting work. It gives me what I want even if it isn't always what I need. Have you ever felt alienated from your own power? Wondered if you were in the driver's seat. Wondered how much control you have over your own life?"
"Yeah, I have. There are times I've wondered just how much control any of us have over our powers. Being teens doesn't make our cases easy but I know those questions never really go away."
"I have been living in fear that I want you so much that my power might try to give it to me. Even if I never would want that to happen to you."
"Mind control?"
"Biological switches would be crudely dangerous. I hate the idea of messing with brains. They are so fidgety. How could I trust myself even under the best circumstances? I don't even want to contemplate the worst circumstances."
"Your big sister enjoying beating people till they should have been crippled couldn't have helped. I mean Mom raised such moral girls one has inappropriate levels of violence the other inappropriate affection."
"I could definitely say Carol dropped the ball on a few things," Amy admitted.
"So John threatened you?"
"Sort of. It's not like it is now. You don't understand Vicky Before the base vanished they were all here. John wasn't a guy, he was a mob. He can control electronics, every camera, and every microphone was his eye or ear. Every animal in the city that wasn't a dog was his spy. It wasn't human."
"Wait, why not dogs?"
"Some sort of childhood psychological hang-up."
"Oh-. So the Orwellian eye of Big Brother was on you?"
"All that power pressed on me and told me that I would not talk about the information I had stolen. Then he said tit for tat he would take something of mine to hold over me to enforce compliance. All that power stripped my mind bare. There were no secrets I had opened the path our minds touched there was no defense my power didn't respond. I think it wanted to see what happened. Then he told me that if I thought I was messed up I should see some of the minds he'd been in. He showed me just a glimpse, just a faint taste of what it is to look into the parts of our minds we repress. The darkness that is in all of us. As he released me he said to stop pitying myself."
"Oh my god." Vicky reached out.
"Don't please don't touch me I still don't trust my power not when I'm emotional"
Dean leaned around the corner down the hall. "Vicky, whatever you're doing, back off."
"Dean?" Vicky looked at him astonished.
"Yeah, I got here early I could feel you're involved and that is good but whatever you just did don't do that. I'm going to stay down here but if you really need me or things feel like they're about to take a bad turn I'm here to help either of you." Dean finished pulling back around the corner.
"She might not be ok with you being here after what she's been through"
"It's fine he only senses emotions. It's nice to have a safety net. That's why I wanted him and Mary. Jean. Whatever her fucking name is"
"I want to punch John's face in. Who gave that little ass license to terrorize anyone. To think, I helped Missy and him arrange a date."
"He and his brother are so different. Justin sent me to talk to people who didn't like him. He knew they could help so he sent me to people who honestly fear him because of what he is."
"Did they? Help you?"
"They did. They helped me a lot. Oddly so did the conversation I had with Justin when healing him he- He reminded me of Mary and how she could listen and always make things seem better always give me hope. -Son of a Bitch it's a power." Amy stopped and spun to look out the window.
"No way we'd have picked it up. He and Mary can't both be Masters or something."
"Get Dean. Ask him as he's the closest thing we have to an expert." Amy said with mild panic.
Dean hurried up and listened to them explain the reasoning.
"I don't think so Social skills and unpowered empathy are an instinct or skill somewhere in between. Justin isn't a combat thinker but reacts faster than is human. What if he's just more practiced at, well, listening and understanding? What if Mary is just an order of magnitude better than that."
"You get told what someone's emotions are? She just looks at you and reads you?" Amy asked for clarity.
"You know how Alexandria can use her superior senses to work as a lie detector" Vicky speculated.
"I think this is a distraction from the thing we need to be focusing on. What do we do now? Where do you two go now?" Dean insisted.
"I guess we lay some ground rules. I mean it sounds like Amy wants less touching Maybe fewer girls talk about you and me. Probably going to say I should stop trying to set her up with guys."
"Stop trying to set me up with anyone, thanks. Yes to the rest it's safer that way. Maybe things can change when I have more control."
"Dean and I were thinking about moving in. Me with him I mean. That would give us some distance."
"If you're moving I will too. I'm not sure how well Mom, Carol would take me without you."
Vicky looked like she wanted to say something against that but couldn't find anything to back up her assertion.
"What will you do for money?" Dean asked.
" offered me a partnership. I think I'm going to take her up on it." Amy answered.
"Ok, we'll I guess we have some plans then. Normally I'd hug you but- Air hug maybe."
"Let's not it would just look and feel weird."
"Let's go, Vicky. Don't stay here all day staring alright Amy take care of yourself."
"I will Dean I will."
The pair left for a while Amy leaned on the glass lost in thought till a voice interrupted her.
"You didn't tell them you had backup as well." the Asian cyborg said, decloaking.
"Sorry, I didn't think it was a good idea, Miko."
"Just an observation. You think any of this is hard trying being gay in the 50s, Japanese in Korea, a nurse, and in the US Army." the Cyborg informed her, giving her a playful chuck on the arm.
"I notice none of that involved pseudo-incest."
"Well, it isn't a perfect match. You'll find someone. Every love lost even when it's not reciprocal feels like the end of the world but as you get older it gets bearable. Not easier per se you just get tougher with experience."
"Thanks. For being here too, I mean."
"Anytime kid. We're here for you anytime." Miko said gently
"Come on, let's get some food in you. Something that isn't cafeteria fare."
The new friends headed out leaving the drama for a time behind.