Squealer was off the grid. That was the most Missy was able to get from the PRT when she had asked for any information they had about the Villain. Even if they had anything though Missy had a feeling they wouldn't give her much. They were clearly suspicious of her and she probably was just short of being verbally forbidden from hunting Squealer.

So, Missy had to get her information from another source. Thankfully she had two reliable sources of that right in front of her when she went to visit a certain orphanage.

"Any info on Squealer?" Missy asked both Shinji and Jack as she walked into Jack's office. Minako had mentioned they were having a meeting for something so it didn't take her long, thanks Theia, to just drop by and visit.

"What makes you think I would?" Jack asked.

Missy remained silent as both she and Shinji stared at Jack with deadpan expressions.

"Meu Deus Menina," Jack sighed before shouting outside his door. "Jason! Anything come up with the Merchants or Squealer?"

"Hiding somewhere! building something!" A teen, possibly young adult, shouted from across the hall. "Merchants say she's planning big to break her baby daddy out of prison."

Missy tilted her head at that. "Baby daddy?"

"When you're older," Shinji replied before turning his attention to Jack. "And they can't find her?"

"They're being sneaky for once!" Jason shouted

"Skidmark's in a federal prison though. A Parahuman facility," Missy commented, remembering what she had learned from Carol. "It's not the Birdcage but breaking into a federal site with a goddamn tank is how you end up there, or dead."

"You think that Squealer cares?" Shinji asked. "Not exactly one for long-term thinking that one."

"I can imagine," Missy grumbled. If they were capable of thinking about their future then maybe they wouldn't have wasted their life in Gang, or be addicted to drugs, or just plain filthy. Like seriously had those Merchants not ever heard of a bath?

"Why are you going after her?" Jack asked.

"Because she's a villainous Tinker and a danger to the public. Plus she's the last Cape for the Merchants so we get her and we can finally clear them out of Brockton Bay!"

Shinji just stared at her. Suspicion clearly writ in his eye. His gaze was enough to get Missy to squirm before she groaned.

"Fine. She killed Clara's dad and now Clara and I are going after her," Missy admitted.

"There we go, planning something stupid," Shinji replied before turning to Jack. "You owe me five bucks."

Jack passed Shinji a bill before leaning back in his chair. "Menina, you're reckless but this is too much even for you. Too personal."

"Personal like when we saved Viv," Missy bit back.

Jack winced, but otherwise held his ground. "Viv was an emergency. This is premeditated. She was also someone we could still save. Your friend's dad isn't."

"Well try telling her that," Missy grumbled.

"What I'm saying is that vengeance can be bad."

"Really? With your Persona?" Because Missy had done a little research on Dantès and well… it was something. Probably would have to take those times to read the books actually. Maybe see if that Taylor girl had read them.

"Vengeance can be bad. It can be good. Some people out there do need to be jailed or put down," Jack argued. "But not if we're digging a grave for you too. Honestly I'm surprised Shinji isn't stopping you."

Shinji grunted. "I've dealt with Persona users. Hell I know what it's like when a brat is out to settle a grudge. Nothing we can do to stop her once she sets her mind to it, just make sure she doesn't get shot and ground her once she messes things up."

"Geez. Thanks for the words of confidence," Missy rolled her eyes.

"Don't give me attitude. You barely have my permission brat. That can change."

"Right, sorry," Missy quickly apologized.

"Wow you got her to behave," Jack commented to Shinji. "If only I could do the same with Viv."

"Have to be tough when you have to," Shinji advised him. "If they don't know better, tell them, and when they do, discipline them."

"Alright thanks for the info. I'll just head out now." Missy made to leave only to be stopped by Jack calling out to her.

"Menina! Who else did you tell about this apart from us?"

"Minako," Missy replied.

"That's it and you have no one else helping you?"

"Well Clara is…"

Jack raised an eye. "And how is a little girl who lost her father going to help you?"

"Well Clara she uh… stuff happened and-"

"She Triggered."

"Yea…"

Jack pinched his brow. "We might not be Parahumans but I've dealt with them in the past. The last thing a freshly Triggered little girl needs is to go after the source of her trauma! If it was just you then maybe, but seriously that little girl too!?"

"I know. It's stupid," Missy admitted. "But Clara asked me and I couldn't say no after I got her dad killed."

"Menina. I was there too. Did I kill her dad?" Jack asked.

"Well no but-"

"But you need to be smart. You're acting like a kid."

"I'm not a kid! I'm-"

"You can be an adult and still act like a kid," Shinji commented. "Minako and I will treat you with the respect you deserve and right now you're losing a lot of it."

"Look even if I said no Clara would go after Squealer anyway! So I have to help her," Missy argued. She really had no choice, not unless she wanted her friend to run off alone.

"And you didn't tell the PRT this? New Wave? Just came straight to me?" Jack asked.

"Because I thought you wouldn't stop us," Missy muttered.

"Missy just go tell Carol or something. I'm not saying you don't go after Squealer, but you do it smart with help. I can help too if you're not being dumb."

"She is a big dummy," a familiar voice muttered from behind the doorway.

"Viv stop eavesdropping and finish doing your chores!" Jack shouted.

"I've already dried the clothes!" Viv shouted. "What else do you want?"

"Cut the grass!"

"Why!?"

"Grounded." Jack aimed his glare at Missy again.

"And I'll make sure you get grounded too if you don't get help," Shinji commented.

"Fine! Fine…" Missy grumbled. "I'll talk to Carol. Couldn't be any worse than this."

"Missy, you are acting like a child."

"Oh come on! Why does everyone keep saying that!?" Missy shouted at the older woman. It had to be a conspiracy at this point or some crazy Cape.

"Because you are one and are acting immaturely," Carol replied as she glared at Missy. "I will of course be willing to bring your request to the rest of New Wave and see what we can do, but you and Clara will not participate."

"Why? I can help and Clara's going to go after her no matter what."

"Yes and I'm tempted to bring this to the PRT. Going after Capes you have a personal vendetta with is… unwise. You and Clara are too personally involved in this, there are consequences even if you do succeed."

"You're just repeating what Jack told me."

Carol visibly twitched. Her glare immediately turned into annoyance. "Then it says something that that man and I can agree on this topic. Isn't that enough for you?"

"It won't be enough for Clara."

"The PRT are watching her and we'll keep an eye on her when we can. She'll have few if any opportunities to hunt Squealer if she doesn't get any help," Carol replied, the help mentioned clearly being Missy.

After a bit more lecturing Missy left Carol's office after giving her a half-hearted promise that she wouldn't get involved with hunting Squealer. Wouldn't stop Clara who was currently building a bunch of Sonar and Tracking stuff into her new Dad, but Carol didn't have to know about that.

"Hey Missy. Mom ream you out?"

Missy looked up at Vicky who was floating in her house. Now that Missy thought about it there were a lot of times where Vicky just lazily floated around at a leisurely pace. Her aura was also on again, though it wasn't entirely unwelcome considering that Missy's mood was already starting to improve a bit.

"Yea she really doesn't want me to go after Squealer."

"I get it," Vicky admitted. "Sometimes I still want to deck the girl that fouled me. So got a feeling that nothing's going to stop Clara either."

"Trigger Events… really suck, don't they?" Missy asked. Even with Vicky it was something that she would probably carry with her for the rest of her life.

At that, Vicky frowned. "Supposed to have been easier for me as a second gen, but that's a lie. People only see me being fouled, but they don't understand. Even as Capes there's so many things about Clara's Trigger that we can't understand either."

What would Missy have been like if she had Triggered back then instead of getting her Persona? Would she have gone crazy like Clara? Become jaded and isolate herself from her friends? Become so single minded about being a Hero that she would forget what it was like to be herself?

Would whatever costume and name that came with it become more of her identity than anything else?

Missy pulled her Evoker out of its holster and held it in her hands. She stared at the engravings. SEES. The legacy that she had gained from Minako. Something she had to carry with her. "Hey Vicky. Could I tell you a secret?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I'm not suicidal."

"Yea… I kinda figured," Vicky commented. "Not that people won't think that cause of your gun."

"I never Triggered," Missy clarified. "Never had that moment where I broke. I can talk about Hookwolf and Minako and getting my powers because I'm proud of what I did back then."

"You have Powers. That means you Triggered," Vicky argued. "That's how Powers work. Look I get you're trying to be brave bu-"

"I was never trying to kill myself. I knew this Evoker wasn't an actual gun once I had it in my hands and I knew what to do with it. Turns out there's more than one source or types of Powers in this world," Missy replied as she offered the Evoke to Vicky. When she didn't take it, Missy put it back in its holster. "Not that you or anyone else would believe me."

Vicky shook her head. "I'm not saying you're lying, but sometimes Triggers mess with the way you think, especially as they're happening. Maybe you don't remember it correctly. Triggers are never good, your brain just twisted things up to protect you."

Missy sighed. "The point is I really don't get Parahumans and they have a hard time understanding me. Our brains are just wired differently. So I really don't know if I can be the one to help Clara.."

"I mean I can keep an eye on her if you want? If that's what you need."

"Sure thanks," Missy replied before she walked away. Yea that conversation went as well as she expected. People could only believe that Parahumans were the only ones with Powers in this world.

"You had fun listening?" Missy called out to Amy from down the hall where the girl had been eavesdropping.

Amy stepped out of the doorway and glared at Missy. "What the hell were you saying back there?"

"The truth. Not that I'd imagine you or Vicky would believe me."

"You have Powers. You're a Parahuman… like Vicky. Like the rest of Carol's family."

Missy took out her Evoker and held it out for Amy. "Here."

Amy stepped back, clearly apprehensive about being near a gun.

"It's not a real gun." Missy pointed it to the wall and pulled the trigger. Nothing came out of it but a little flash of light and a puff of air. "Here. Try it. Either you get a Persona or it does nothing. And if it's the former, well now you get Powers too."

"Persona. That's what you call your Projection, right?" Amy muttered and looked at the Evoker. "And keep that thing away from me. Not a real gun but who knows what weird things your Powers did to it."

Missy didn't even sigh. It was what she expected at this point.

"Well see ya," Missy replied walking away. There were better things to do than wasting time trying to convince people that would never believe her.

Missy swung her katana, using the steel of her weapon to deflect a bullet. Better the ground than her own chest after all.

Thank Scion for gun immune Personas. Well technically Shiki-Ouji didn't make her immune from the damage of getting shot but it gave her the reaction times to avoid and even divert the path of a bullet. Still even just a few bullets were pushing the limits of her newly enhanced instincts so she quickly dove into cover as bullets whizzed by her.

"Too dangerous here. We should be patrolling further East," Missy mockingly repeated the words she had heard just half an hour ago.

Even if she was essentially forbidden from hunting Squealer on her own there was nothing stopping her from going on one of her regular patrols. The fact that said patrol happened to take her around contested territory between the Empire and Merchants just happened to be a happy coincidence. A coincidence that the PRT seemed very aware of considering that they sent one of their Wards to tag along with her.

Still didn't stop trouble from finding her even after getting diverted to a "safer" route.

"This area was supposed to be safe," Aegis bit back, but not too harshly. Even under gunfire he seemed surprisingly composed. Probably because of the Brute rating.

Missy gestured to the current shootout between the ABB and Chorus that they had gotten caught up in. "So we just chilling or are we going to fly over there and kick some ass?"

"Language," Aegis replied as he put a hand to his ear. "And I just got our orders. Focus on evacuating civilians-"

"Already doing that," Missy said as she gestured toward Theia who was doing her thing.

"Then subdue the criminals."

Missy slotted a magazine into her Evoker before pointing it to her head. "Already on that. Jack Frost! Theia! Theurgy!"

Theia emerged in her form with a blue tint and icy wings, though her powers weren't limited to just creating blocks of ice.

Theia and Missy raised and held their hands forward. Their Power now took on a tint of blue as they began changing the area in front of them.

Funny thing about the cold, it was essentially just the absence of heat or energy and one wonderful way of achieving that was by removing the particles in the air that transferred heat. And when you took all the particles in a small patch of space and created an area of almost nothing, well that was how you got a vacuum.

Earth did not react well to the sudden presence of a vacuum in its atmosphere, even a small one. It began to pull in all surrounding matter in range to correct it. That included the criminals that had so nicely grouped together just so that could all be flung into the air.

"Your powers are scary," Aegis commented as he worked with Missy to catch and tie up each one, Theia helping to isolate, soften, and stagger their landings.

"You should see what happens when we do the opposite with Jack-O," Missy commented as the Theurgy ended. As Theia returned to her base form she began to shrink the distance between Missy and the next group of criminals so that they could jump into the fray.

"Aegis take point!" Missy pointed her Evoker to her head and summoned her next Persona just as she struck down her next victim. "Shiki-Ouji!"

Shiki-Ouji took the left, Theia the right, and Aegis the center. With that formation they began to bull their way through the criminals with Missy hanging furthest back to take down the remaining stragglers.

Well, a few stragglers and their bullets. She only had a few of either to deal with though thanks to the cover her Personas and Aegis gave her.

Missy cut down another two bullets before ramming her sword into the gun hand of the Gangster shooting at her. She then threw herself on the ground to avoid a swing before throwing her leg up and nailing him right in the-

Huh. To be honest that was kinda lucky. She was actually aiming for the shin, messed up the kick, and ended up going a lot higher than either of them expected. The man fell to the ground grasping a sensitive area as Missy quickly got up to face her next opponent.

The slide on the ground didn't leave her unscathed but adrenaline and the promise of Pixie's healing later was enough for her to ignore the scrapes she got rubbing against the asphalt.

She deflected a knife with one sword, forced the Gangster to back off with the other, and then dodged to the side to avoid a bat being swung at her. She retaliated with her own swing that landed, spurting blood in her face though she did her best to ignore that as she kicked the man away.

The blood was sticky against her cheeks, sweat drenched her clothes, and her breathing became erratic. It was tough pushing herself this far, but she purposely had her Personas doing other things just so she could do this. If she and Clara were going to hunt down a hunkered down Squealer then she needed to get stronger fast and so she had to put herself in situations like these. Minako and Shinji trained her hard, but nothing could really replace actual hands-on experience.

However it was because Missy pushed herself so hard that she didn't realize something was wrong until it was too late. By the time they took out the last Gangster her head was ringing. That she tried to ignore only to realize that her heart was starting to beat even faster than before. Soon it became near impossible to breathe and soon the only sounds she could make were the desperate gasps clawing out of her throat.

Missy fell to her knees and then to the ground as she grabbed her head. She let out a scream. Her Personas faded as she experienced sheer unrelenting terror. Missy knew she was useless. Clara's dad died because of her. She was going to get everyone she cared about killed. Dinah, Shinji, Minako, they'd… they'd…

Her arm suddenly moved, not of her own will but like someone was pulling it for her. Like a puppet pulled by a string, her arm holding her Evoker was pulled up until the barrel of it was pointed to her head. A single twitch and the gun fired.

"P-Pixie!"

Pixie put her hands to Missy's head and suddenly everything became clear. A brief moment of lucidity, long enough for Missy to bring her head up and look at the figure that stood over her. A Cape, whose eyes were wide behind their mask as they began to lift up the knife in their hands.

Missy moved. She didn't think, she just acted against a dangerous threat. She tore her smaller blade out of its sheath and just threw it. It was a Hail Mary move… that ended up with a sword deeply embedded into a Villain's gut.

The Villain gasped, grasping at her wound before collapsing. Missy meanwhile panted. Put her hands to her knees as she caught her breath before eventually using her arm off to wipe the sweat that drenched her face.

"Fucking… Masters," Missy hissed.

"Missy what was that?" Aegis asked as he picked himself up. Physically he looked to be in much better condition thanks to his Powers. Mentally on the other hand… well it wasn't hard to see that he was as much a victim as she was.

"She was Mastering us! I only had like a second before she tried to stab me or Master us again." Missy replied as she walked up to the Cape, knocked her out, and began to pull her sword out of her stomach.

"Well maybe don't throw your sword into the gut of every Villain," Aegis sighed. There wasn't much bite in his voice. "Couldn't even move… are you immune to Masters too?"

"Only with certain Personas out," Missy admitted as she put her Evoker to her head. "Pixie. Heal the bitch."

"Language… And Pixie is one of them?"

"Yea turns out she can heal mental and physical wounds. Nothing genetic."

"So… you can also heal people that are Mastered?"

"Yea. I know we'll test that out at my next Power Testing," Missy waved him off. She just had one last week, the next one wouldn't do for another month.

"Wouldn't have been good to know that earlier. Before Revile got us at least."

"That's her Cape name?" Missy spit at the unconscious Cape. "Goddamn what a bitch."

"Most of Chorus are," Aegis commented, not even bothering to correct Missy's language as he looked at the Master distastefully. "Even for Brockton they've been escalating too much."

"Well not like she gave us a chance."

Aegis picked up the knife that the Villain dropped. "Yea. And I'm pretty sure she was going to use this."

"You would've been fine."

"Not you though and we're kids," Aegis replied. Missy would've bristled at being called a kid but the fact that he included himself when saying that calmed her somewhat. "They're willing to kill kids and a Ward. Even knowing how hard the PRT will have to retaliate."

Yea even if the idea of Alexandria coming down to slaughter all of them was probably just an exaggeration, the PRT would still act harshly and possibly lethally if one of their Wards ended up getting mortally wounded. And if something had happened to Missy… well Shinji and Minako probably knew how to deal with the bodies.

Missy looked at the Villain that Aegis had just finished tying up, gagging, and blindfolded to avoid any form of Mastering. A Villain that she had just barely avoided killing based on what Pixie had to heal.

Would she have her own bodies to deal with one day?

… Questions for later. After they got this bitch locked up.