Chapter 39

"Well, how is it?" I asked hopefully.

I'd chosen to make a simple meal for the Undersiders. Pan seared salmon, mixed veggies, and a side of rice. Alec accepted his plate with a small nod and ate bites in between respawns of his game.

"Not bad," he said with a small thumbs up.

I took the praise as it was intended before handing Lisa hers, then dishing up a plate for myself. The leftovers, I arranged on two extra plates, covering them in tinfoil to keep warm.

"Better than Fugly Bob's?" I asked teasingly as Lisa devoured hers with delight. I think she might have been close to tears.

"So little fat," she said as she ate. "It's amazing."

I laughed and began to tuck in myself. "Good. Glad you approve."

"You cook a lot?"

I made a so-so gesture with my hand. "When I can afford to." I paused and considered. "Which I guess is much more often now. It's more affordable in the long run than eating out and I have weird moments of pickiness, so it's usually smarter to just cook for myself. Plus I don't mind just making the same thing over and over for myself if it's good and simple."

"You're going to have to get over that if you're living with someone else," Lisa said. "Not just Mimi, but if you ever want to take your relationship with Crystal to the next level…"

I could practically feel my face catch on fire. "It's way too soon to be talking about that. I mean we've only been dating for… about two weeks." Sheesh, time was weird. I kind of hated it.

"Yeah, but you should be looking to the future, especially with a bombshell like Crystal Pelham," Lisa said with a lecturing tone, waving her fork in my face. "I mean seriously, have you two been on another date since your first?"

"Ah… Yes?"

"A coffee catch up doesn't count as a date," she told me with a raised eyebrow. Of course her power would tell her that. "We do that."

"Yeah, but I don't stare into your eyes while also holding your hand across the table and wishing-"

"Ew, gross, ack, I don't need to hear what you gross heterosexual people get up to when I'm not around." She scowled at me, but it was more playful than anything else.

"Don't start games of chicken you can't finish."

Her eyes narrowed at me and she aimed her fork in my direction. "You don't even want to go down that rabbit hole."

I barely had to think about it. "Yeah, probably not." Social Thinkers are scary, I swear. They'll leave you mortified and ashamed and wishing for the sweet release of death.

"Finally, an intelligent answer," she said. "Since you made an actually decent meal for me, I'll let you shoot me ideas for your next big date with Crystal."

Shit. "Um… Dinner and a movie?" I tried.

Lisa blew a raspberry at me while making a thumbs down motion. "Dumb and cliche."

"It's a classic…"

"For horny teenagers who want to makeout in the back row. A movie is a horrible early date idea unless it's something you're both really into and can geek out about later, but otherwise you'll just sit there, not interacting with each other. You'd be better off watching a movie at home, then at least you can actively talk and discuss the film as it's ongoing or throw popcorn at the screen if you choose a bad one."

"I'll trust in your wisdom," I conceded. "Okay, well… How about a trip to the mall?"

She nodded a bit. "You're on the right track. Shopping can be a fun activity, especially when you're relatively loaded. With any other girl I'd warn you not to let yourself get taken advantage of, but Laserdream doesn't strike me as that kind of girl. She'd probably have fun, but wouldn't go all out, unlike her cousin."

I fought the urge to smirk. "You aren't a big Glory Girl fan?"

"She's a bitch," Lisa said flatly. "One good look at her and I know she's got skeletons for days in that closet of hers. But we're talking about Crystal, not Victoria. Crystal would probably enjoy shopping, but she'll actually show some restraint. Not a bad idea, but you can do better." She finished the last bite of her food and then stood. "Think of some more ideas and we'll talk about it later. For now, let's get started on the main project."

"Right." I twisted in my seat and made a clawing motion. Reality split as I created a portal directly to my apartment. "After you."

She eyed the portal warily, but then tentatively stepped through. "The things you do confuse my power sometimes."

"I'm sorry about that," I said dryly. "I'll try and be less weird for your sake."

She snorted and shook her head. "Alright, so how do you use this clairvoyance ability of yours?"

I blinked innocently. "Didn't you see it? It's the weird pool of water in the corner of the room."

"I would have noticed- What the fuck?!" Lisa shot me a look of wide-eyed confusion, then back to the pool that had appeared between heartbeats. "Mak, what is that?"

"Think of it as… a remote viewing device," I explained.

"Your powers are weird," she declared. Probably not for the first or last time.

"So I'm constantly being told. Now come look into it with me while I focus. Pay attention to the surroundings, I've heard that the Fallen themselves might have a defense against a lot of Thinker powers."

"Oh? Says who?"

"Watchdog for one. It's why the Fallen have gotten away with so much of their bullcrap over the years. Now shush and let me focus."

I peered into the black waters of the scrying pool and focused my mind upon Valefor while feeding my mana into it. An image soon began to come into focus, a skinny, almost effeminate teenage boy pacing in a small room. Valefor. A tall man stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed, a look of weary patience upon his face. Based on his height and size, I was guessing that was Eligor.

I let my eyes flick over to Lisa. "Can you see?"

"Yeah…" She was making a clear effort to not look at the two capes, but instead focused on their environment. "This is harder than it looks. You sure I can't-"

Her next words were cut off as an apparition appeared in front of my eyes. An emaciated woman with white hair, eyes seeing into me, through me, back from the pool. "I do not appreciate my son being spied upon," she said coldly.

"Tatts, back away from the pool," I said slowly. "Now."

I felt tendrils of power begin to slide into my mind. "A strange power, but mine still allows me to perceive you. You've stepped into my web, blasphemer."

"Blasphemer?" I echoed, taking a step away from the pool, but Mama Mathers seemed to rise from the water to continue glaring at me.

"You who dare to defy the Great Ones. You will pay for your insolence. I will start with a lesson in-"

MINE!

Pain blared through my skull and Mama Mathers suddenly fizzled and then vanished. I grunted and stumbled on my feet, Lisa actually stepping forward to steady me.

"What the fuck was that?" She asked, her tone suddenly strained and worried.

"The Fallen's anti-Thinker support," I muttered, feeling something hot and sticky running down my face. I tried to step forward and peer back into the pool, but it had gone still and quiet. It didn't seem like a good idea to try and use it again. "That was stupid of me."

"What the fuck?"

"I'd heard she was a memetic hazard, but still don't know the specifics of her powers," I said as I sat down on the still bare floor, up against the wall. Freaking Kayden and her delays. "I thought maybe I could circumvent her protections, but…" I realized my hands were shaking. I felt tired, wrung out. "Could you grab me a glass of water?"

She did so without complaint, also bringing me a washcloth, then sat next to me. "You've got a little…" She gestured vaguely toward her own face.

I grimaced and began wiping away the blood that had begun oozing from one nostril and both eyes. "Yeah, let's never do that again. She didn't get you too, did she?"

"No, I avoided whatever alerted her to you. I got a vague idea of where those two are at."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm. Fancy penthouse of some kind. Shouldn't be too hard to narrow down options once you go over just how many exist in the city."

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. A few dots connected. "I'll do some digging along with the currently ongoing case. I have a… bad feeling about where the Fallen might be."

She eyed me and I could see her power's wheels turning. "Oh hell. You think it might be connected to why the Empire has been acting so weird?"

"I doubt he has them all under his sway, but if he snagged Kaiser, then Valefor suddenly has his hands on the largest concentration of parahumans in the city. It explains why they tried to kill me, rather than hunker down or relocate."

"Or Kaiser was just that stupid," Lisa suggested.

"Maybe, but he doesn't strike me as stupid in that manner. Not to mention some phrases he used when he confronted me now seem… Oddly religious," I recalled. "He called me both a 'pretender' and a 'false prophet.' Not something the Empire would lean into when they could always try the race card. Kaiser did seem to imply he knew that I'm not white."

"How would the Fallen have even gotten Kaiser?"

"Could have been blind chance. Kaiser is wealthy in his civilian life, they might have snagged him for easy access to money and ended up with the Empire's leader as a side bonus. Or maybe the Fallen planned ahead and got to Kaiser another way. Or maybe it's all just random coincidence and they aren't in bed at all. Options are endless."

She looked troubled at the information and possibilities. "This is kind of worrying, Mak."

"I can beat them. I've put a lot more measures into place and I'm actually prepared now. You don't need to worry."

"Don't tell me not to worry!" She snapped suddenly, eyes blazing. "Of course I'm going to worry about you, you idiot! They've already proven they can hurt you! You aren't invincible or unbeatable. They could still kill you." She slumped and then let her head lean against my shoulder. "I don't have a ton of friends these days. It would suck if you got murdered." Her words were almost lighthearted in their delivery, but the note of raw emotion in her tone made it clear that she was stressing badly about the situation.

I reached up and patted her shoulder awkwardly. "I'll do my best. I promise I won't die. Even if I have to fight Death itself."

She snorted and punched my arm weakly. "Dumbass."
***

Sunday, March 13, 2011

I ended up staying the night on the Rig, as it was infinitely more preferable to do that than wake up every hour to check-in with Console. My fellow Protectorate members agreed with me and I ended up sharing a table at breakfast with Assault and Battery.

"Any new leads?" I asked our resident kinetic manipulator. He was still cleared to patrol, unlike myself and funnily enough, Miss Militia.

"Nothing worth mentioning," Assault said after suppressing a yawn. He stabbed at his eggs with a little more force than necessary, an uncharacteristic display of irritation from the normally laidback cape. "Though a certain birdy told me that you might have been doing some leg work yesterday…?"

I blinked. "C- Armsmaster was mentioning that?"

"We had a late night briefing after another body was found," Battery explained wryly, holding up her cup of coffee in explanation. "We were just the unlucky souls who got to hear about it first."

"Are we certain it was from Valefor?"

"As sure as we can be. Slit throat, self inflicted, weird ritualistic symbols… It fits in some ways," she said.

Assault chimed in. "The images of the Endbringers around the room were also a pretty good indicator."

"What the hell are they doing?" I wondered out loud.

"They're freaking Endbringer cultists man, they're crazy by default," Assault snorted.

"Past behavior seems to indicate that it's some kind of homemade ritual to summon their 'gods'," Battery agreed. "We've seen it with other Fallen cells."

"Hm. Well, back to your point, I did bring in some outside help, an independent Thinker," I said.

Assault frowned as he sipped at his drink, a coffee based thing that looked more like a milkshake than a genuine cup of joe. "Now I'm not the best reader…"

"Big shocker," Battery said dryly.

He shot her a baleful glance before continuing. "But I thought I remember something in the briefing reports, not to mention Armsy's verbal one that the Fallen have some kind of anti-Thinker protection."

"They do," I winced at the memory of pain. "I accidentally tripped it, but- Oh," I blinked as Assault and Battery both visibly tensed. "Look, it was just a weird memetic hazard, but I fought it off, honest. I just can't go peeking in on their activities anymore."

"Magus," Battery said slowly, as if speaking to a cornered animal. "We're going to need you to surrender into Master/ Stranger custody until we can verify you weren't… affected by whatever powers Valefor has protecting him from Thinkers."

"Protocol, man," Assault agreed reluctantly.

I sighed deeply, but assumed a position of surrender even as Battery fell back and tapped her communicator. This was what I'd signed up for after all…
***

"This was extremely reckless of you, Magus!" Piggot snarled, pacing in front of the Master/ Stranger cell. "I would have placed you in M/S confinement personally if I knew you were even planning on trying something like this, let alone having gone through with it and waiting nearly twelve hours to tell anyone. You should have informed me first before attempting something that has left multiple Watchdog agents in psychiatric care."

"I let Armsmaster know," I tried feebly.

She shot a stink-eye in the vague direction of his laboratory, then turned back toward me. "Armsmaster, while a good hero and Tinker, can sometimes have his blindspots. In this case, he should have known better and will be suitably disciplined. You should still have informed myself as well. Valefor's protections are known to be extremely potent. There's a reason the Mathers family has been able to operate for so long. I could have run it up the chain, made sure it was safe before you attempted anything. Their powers still work on you at least."

I gave a small shrug. "I was just trying to be helpful, ma'am. It didn't even occur to me that I was potentially hit with a Master/ Stranger effect until Assault and Battery heard my story."

"You should have noticed yourself," Piggot grunted. "But I suppose what's done is done and you spent an entire night here on the Rig without trying to blow us to kingdom come. You'll be confined until we can get some Watchdog verification that you aren't compromised, but with how high a priority you've become, I don't think it will be long. Until then… Just stay put." She let out a breath, her face drawing into an expression of stern relief. "However, all of that being said, thank you for surrendering so easily to your teammates. Many capes with your level of power might have been… adverse to confinement, especially if they were certain as you seem to be that you avoided any actual ill effects from Valefor's protections."

"I'm a humble servant, Director," I said with a shallow nod. "Master/ Stranger protocols exist for a reason."

Piggot paused in front of my cell. "Still, I suppose this does tell us something."

"Oh?"

She smirked. "As level headed as you tend to be, even you can display overly reckless behavior on occasion."

More than on occasion, but that was what the Kage identity was for… "I'm only human, ma'am. I'm just sorry to have disappointed you."

She waved a hand. "I'm concerned for the safety of one of my capes and all of those under my command. Frankly I'm surprised you haven't accidentally done something like this sooner." She shook her head. "I'll have Militia let you out once things are settled. Good day, Magus."

"Director," I nodded courteously as she left.

Truth be told, I felt rather chagrined. I had no one to blame except myself. I knew that I wasn't compromised, but then again, I'm sure they'd had dozens of cases of people thinking they were fine. M/S protocols existed for a reason, many damned good ones actually.

I passed the time with extreme boredom, not even allowed electronics, just a book. I wondered idly if any of the Triumvirate ever had to go through something like this or if people just took it as gospel that they were all immune or resistant to Master effects. Felt kind of unfair if that was the case, but I guess they'd been around a lot longer than I had. More time to prove themselves. I bet during the early days they'd probably gone through M/S screening just like me.

Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, man…

They finally let me out after several extremely boring hours. I had a dinner to get set up, but also some actually important work to get done…

I sighed, then formed a clone. I hated doing it for trivial reasons, but it was great for multitasking. "Go buy the ingredients for dinner and set up the dining room. Kayden should be setting up the actual furniture tomorrow, so just conjure some temporary crap to make it through the night." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Sounds good, boss," my clone said easily. "But why me exactly?"

"I gotta use my computer for a minute and-" I paused. "Why am I explaining myself to you?"

He grinned. "Because you think things through better when you talk to yourself. Literally in this case."

I scowled. "Shut up and get to work. Dismiss yourself when it's all ready."

He gave me a sloppy salute and I went down to the section of the Rig that could be sort of called 'mine', meaning it had an office with a computer and my 'Tinker' lab. I booted up my desktop and then began pulling up specific information that I might need. The bad feeling I had was proven sadly correct.

There were a very limited number of nice, expensive penthouses in Brockton Bay. One such place was owned by Max Anders, CEO of Medhall. The strangely ritualistic murders that were believed to be the work of Valefor, both took place within five miles of said penthouse.

"Goddammit…"

My headache suddenly felt a lot worse. I was going to need a damn good drink to go with dinner…