I sighed as I read over the paper in front of me, taking a sip of tea to alleviate my boredom with a burst of flavor.

The document I was currently going over was an exceedingly dull report of this year's treasury expenses and the effect they might have on the gang as a whole in the coming quarter. It was necessary to make sure the gang was running smoothly and also helped keep an eye on any potential embezzlement, but it was also mind numbing work at the best of times. Paperwork like this was probably one of the aspects I liked the least about my high ranking position in the gang.

I squinted, pausing mid tea-sip as I realized something, "Why in the world is Hiashi's discretionary fund so small in comparison to Takao's? He does twice the work that that man even sees in a day."

Grabbing my pen, I pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote a note to Sadao, our Treasurer. The older man would doubtlessly agree with my sentiment and increase Hiashi's allotted funds accordingly.

Mere moments after I folded the letter in an envelope and penned it to the Face's house, I raised my head as a knock sounded at the door to the office.

Ah, I had almost forgotten I called him here. Finally, a break from this mind numbing paperwork.

"Enter." I called, smiling slightly as a young man opened the door and made his way in somewhat nervously, "Kon, it is good to see you again."

He was wearing plainclothes consisting of a hoodie and skinny jeans and once again had a sucker in his mouth, purple this time, which I was beginning to believe was a permanent fixture for the man.

He gave me a nervous smile as he approached my father's desk, bowing respectfully, "Heh, you too, Yosei-sama."

I couldn't help the frown that came to my face at the respectful form of address. Coming from Kon of all people it felt… wrong somehow.

I waved my hand, wanting to dismiss his overly respectful tone, "Please, just call me Yosei, Kon. You have earned at least that much."

His jaw fell in surprise but he recovered before his sucker fell to the floor, "A-Are you sure?" I nodded, "Alright then… Yosei. I'm happy to be here."

His words caused me to smile and I gestured for him to take a seat, "That's much better. Now come, take a seat. We have much to talk about."

He did as I requested, looking oddly nervous as he did so, "I uh, I'm not in trouble, am I?"

I blinked, surprised at his question, before shaking my head, "Oh no, Kon. Quite the opposite in fact. Your continued performance has been nothing but exemplary and while professionalism may need some work, that's neither here nor there."

I leaned forward in my chair as he blushed slightly in embarrassment, "No Kon, you're here because I have a task for you. One I believe you might be perfect for."

Kon huffed a sigh of relief, "Oh thank god. I thought that Hua actually ratted on me for swiping a few extra-I mean I'd be happy to assist, Yosei." He hastily corrected at my tilted head, "What's the job you need me for?"

While I was admittedly curious as to what he was about to say, that wasn't important right now. I schooled my face, giving Kon a serious stare through my mask that caused him to flinch ever so slightly.

"What I am about to say cannot, will not leave this room. Is that understood?" My voice was deadly quiet as I tried to impart the seriousness of the subject I was about to broach.

Kon gulped audibly, "Understood. I won't tell a soul." He promised. I stared at him for a long moment, judging the sincerity of his words as he shifted uncomfortably on his chair.

After a long moment, I spoke, "There is a traitor in the ABB, likely one of the Faces." I said simply, causing his jaw to practically hit the floor, "As of now, you are one of three people who know of this information and for the foreseeable future, it will stay that way. My task for you-"

"Wait wait wait! What do you mean there's a traitor!?" Kon interrupted me, clearly too surprised to even attempt any sort of propriety, "Who is it!?"

"We don't know. And that's the issue." I responded, "While there are a few that are above suspicion, there are just as many that would have both the motive, and the ability to betray the gang. That's where you come in."

He gave me a confused look, "Me?"

"Yes, you. That's what I called you here for. I need someone to infiltrate the ranks of our most likely suspects and keep an eye out for anything suspicious." I said, reaching into the desk for a moment, "Your… general mannerisms combined with your extreme competence makes you perfect for this task."

As Kon stared at me in shock, I held up what I pulled from the desk, "You will, of course, be generously compensated should you accept." I said, sliding the full envelope towards him.

He stared at the envelope for a long moment before hesitantly reaching out and grabbing it. In front of my watchful eyes, he opened it and ordered inside, only to bite through the rest of his sucker as he caught sight of the amount inside.

I watched with concern as he nearly choked on the shards of candy that slipped painfully down his throat, thumping his chest with one hand while the other clutched the envelope for dear life.

Luckily for me and whatever unlucky servant was slated to clean the office today, he recovered relatively quickly, swallowing the remnants of his treat, before leaning back in his chair, breathing heavily.

"That's… a lot." He said after a moment of catching his breath, "I don't think I make that much in three months!"

"Consider it hazard pay." I said, pushing forward what was left of my tea in case his throat was aching. He grabbed the styrofoam cup, lifting it to his lips and taking greedy sips of the by now lukewarm tea.

Hazard pay as well as a good deal of hush money to be precise. There was a little under twenty grand in that envelope, all hundreds, and I had a feeling that the man would understand just how serious I was about keeping this under wraps when he actually got home and counted the amount.

I waited patiently for Kon to recover from his near accident, taking the time to glance over some of the documents I still had to review.

Hmm, a request for more men by Takumi, how strange. One would think that the ABB's arms dealer would have more than enough manpower at his disposal but I suppose that you could never go wrong with extra security.

I wrote out a quick approval, making sure that he knew this would just be a temporary force to supplicate his own. No need to give the man more power than he needed, especially not now.

Meanwhile, Kon had drained the tea in the cup and now sat taking deep breaths. He looked down at the envelope in his hand with a conflicted expression, his thoughts a mystery to me as I patiently awaited his response.

Eventually, his expression smoothed as he reached some sort of conclusion, and I placed my pen down once more, giving him my full attention.

He took a deep breath, "Alright, I'll do it."

I couldn't keep the smile from my face, immensely pleased by his response, "Wonderful, Kon. I'm extremely grateful you're willing to risk yourself like this for the good of the ABB."

He just shrugged, putting the envelope into his hoodie pocket, "It's no issue. This gang has been the best part of my life for years at this point. I'm not letting some idiot ruin it just because he wasn't happy with the shit-ton of power he already had."

"Still, you are taking a great risk agreeing to this. If you are found out, I'm not sure I will be able to pull you out in time." I said, making sure he knew how much I appreciated this, "If there is anything that I can do or aquire to make this operation easier for you, just let me know and I'll have it taken care of."

Kon suddenly smirked, pulling a fresh sucker out of his pocket and unwrapping it to reveal a bright green interior, "Well if you're offering…" He said, shoving it into his mouth, "I've got a few ideas."

The next day, I kept my hands folded in my sleeves as I waited in my father's office. Mere hours earlier, I had received word that my father was on his way home with his new recruit in tow and this had begun preparations for his arrival.

Fresh barley tea, just how he liked it, as well as a bowl of warm rice sat ready to consume on his desk. A very simple snack but one he had enjoyed numerous times before, and one that I had no doubt that he would enjoy after the task he had just undergone.

Truthfully, I still wasn't sure about my father's decision to recruit the Cornell Bomber, but it wasn't my place to question him. I would still be keeping a close eye on the woman though, and I would make sure that Lee did the same.

I straightened as the door to the office opened and permitted the man I was just thinking about. I bowed low as Lung strode in, followed by a figure that was lost to my vision as my head bent in deference.

"Father, welcome home." I greeted the man, " All went well, I hope."

There was a note of approval in his voice as he spoke, "Indeed it did. Rise, Yosei, and greet our newest Enforcer, Bakuda."

Bakuda, a fitting name for a Bomb Tinker, I suppose. I rose to get a full view of the woman.

She was short, was my first impression, nearly as short as I was, wearing a makeshift costume consisting of a black bulletproof vest with a single bandolier crossed over her chest. Her face was obscured by a gas mask, tinted glass preventing me from getting a good read on her features.

I gave the woman a bow of greeting only to be met with a tilted head. Seemed that she didn't know the proper etiquette. That was fine, she'd learn.

"Bakuda, this is Yosei, my daughter and your superior. You will show her the proper respect." Lung said, dissatisfaction with the woman's disrespect plain in his voice.

That caused the woman's shoulders to stiffen and she immediately bowed low in my direction, "I-I'm sorry, I had no idea. It's nice to meet you."

The bow was sloppy and more importantly, not at all genuine. It was clear as day to me that she was simply doing this to placate my father moreso than showing any actual respect for me.

Not noticing or more likely simply not caring, my father nodded in satisfaction at her supplication before turning towards me with a surprising amount of pride in his face.

He reached forward, causing me to flinch minutely at the sudden movement as he clasped my shoulder. Any amount of fear or worry completely disappeared as I took in my father's face. He was smiling.

He gazed down at me with pride prevalent in his face, "I have been informed that you performed more than exceptionally in my absence. Hookwolf and Stormtiger are worthy foes. Besting them does credit to your strength, daughter. Well done."

I felt a surge of happiness well up inside of me at my father's words that was immediately ruined by the other occupant in the room.

"Pfft, what's so great about beating two capes?" Bakuda scoffed, "If Lung-sama hadn't recruited me, the entire Protectorate in my city would have been decimated when they tried to stop my vengeance."

I frowned, my good mood evaporating almost immediately, "Considering that Hookwolf alone has enough blood on his hands to earn him a Kill Order twice over and I had exactly three minutes to prepare myself, I'd say my feat is actually quite impressive." I said, unable to keep a bit of heat out of my voice, "Your bombs may have been impressive where you come from, Bakuda, but you will quickly learn that the Bay is different from most other cities, and not just in the number of our parahumans."

Something about this woman rubbed me the wrong way. She had been here for all of an hour and already she was making not-so-subtle comments towards me, obviously testing the waters about what she was and wasn't allowed to get away with.

My words clearly struck a chord in the woman as her shoulders stiffened, but she was prevented from saying anything in retort as my father raised his hand, silencing the woman.

He turned to me, "Yosei, as a reward for performing so well in my absence, for the next week, you can take some time for your leisure." He said, shocking me, "I will call for you if need be, but otherwise you are free to do as you wish."

I stared at him in surprise even as my mind whirled behind my eyes. This… this lined up perfectly with the task that I had assigned Kon! Now I wouldn't have to tip-toe around my father waiting for him to report back to me and could actually monitor his findings while he was undercover.

Not to mention a break was exactly what I needed after the admittedly stressful task of keeping things running in my father's absence. Keeping the panic down after the ABB incursion had been a headache and I needed some time away from the gang to recover.

Maybe Tammi and I could do something in Boston. It was a mere forty-five minute drive which meant that I could be back in mere minutes with a careful application of my power. Much as I loved it, Brockton Bay's entertainment options paled in comparison to our sister city.

I bowed low, already thinking of things I could do during my time away from the gang, "Thank you father, you're much too kind."

"You will need the rest." Lung said simply as he moved around his desk to sit in his chair, "When you return, we will begin discussing plans to punish these Nazi fools for their transgressions."

I froze at my father's words as he leaned forward to grasp his tea, all thoughts of fun and relaxation dissipating in a single instant as my brain processed his statement. Surely he wasn't suggesting…

"Father… what do you mean by that?" I asked hesitantly.

Lung rose up, power in his every movement, and my heart sank as my hunch was proven correct with his next words, "The Empire has overplayed their hand this time. Defeating both Hookwolf and Stormtiger, as well putting Rune out of commission has dealt a great blow to their manpower. And now, with the assistance of Bakuda, the four of us will be more than capable of driving the rot out of this city."

I just stared at the man in shock, too stunned to formulate a response to the fact that my father was apparently going to do the very thing I had been trying to prevent. Bakuda perked up in clear interest.

"I've got some designs for bombs that can turn their hideouts to molten slag, Lung-sama." Bakuda said almost eagerly, "If we do what I suggested on the way over then they won't even see it coming!"

"No." My father rumbled, looking slightly angry, "We will not be planting bombs into the bodies of our conscripts."

What?

I turned towards Bakuda, eyes wide in horror as the woman scoffed, "But it's not like they're even loyal anyway! Why not use their numbers in a way that could actually be advantageous to us?"

"And lose all respect with the senior members?" I spoke up, voice frigid with rage at what this woman, this maniac, was suggesting, "What happens when they decide they no longer want to work under a gang leader who kills their members on a whim? The ABB would last mere weeks before it imploded."

"Then we put bombs in them too." The maniac said like I was stupid, "Anyone who doesn't agree with us can be examples to the others. We're on top, they should bow to us."

"Bow to us?" I said incredulously, "We are not gods and they are not our subjects! They are our people. We brought them together and it is our responsibility to keep them safe just as much as it is to lead them! To do what you are suggesting would be-!"

"Enough."

Both of us froze as my father spoke the word firmly, putting an end to the impending argument with just two syllables.

He breathed heavily out of his nose, turning to the woman beside me, "Bakuda, I have already declined your proposal once. To bring it up again to me was foolish. I will hear no more of this idea of yours, is that understood?"

Bakuda nodded, much more respect in her movements than had ever appeared when the woman had been talking to me, "Yes, Lung-sama. Please forgive me, I will not bring it up again." She promised.

My father stared at her, hard and unyielding, before nodding, "Good. Make sure that you don't."

He turned to me and I bowed my head in deference, "Yosei, your time away begins now. Go rest and take time for yourself. In one week, we begin preparations to drive the rot out of our city, once and for all."

Everything in my body wanted to protest against this idea that my father was suggesting, to talk him out of the foolish idea of starting an open gang war when the E88 still had the majority of their capes.

I knew it would be futile however. I could see in the set of his shoulders and the glint in his grey eyes behind his snarling mask. My father's decision was set in stone and there was absolutely nothing I could do to talk him out of it.

So I kept my mouth shut for now, resolving to think of a solution during the coming week. I gave my father a bow, "Understood, father. I will return when my time is up. If you have need of me before the week is up, do not hesitate to call."

He gave me a wave, dismissing me and I bowed, turning to exit. Bakuda's masked face followed me intently as I walked out of the room and I shook my head as the door closed behind me.

That woman was definitely going to be trouble. I would have to keep an eye on her.

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