Office Politics

"Almost have it…" I said to myself, my voice echoing in the empty building. I pushed the piece a little harder, and heard a slight clicking sound. "There! Done," I finished with a smile. I moved my feet inside the metal boots, finding no issue with flexibility.

In the three weeks since getting my base of operation, I'd done quite a bit of work, both outside and inside said building. On the inner side, I'd found my so-called specialization: personal equipment. It went from power suits and the like to objects as small as watches. Basically anything that was meant to be worn or handheld, I could build better than current tech.

Skidmark's former power had been of great help in finding that information. By lowering my power to the minimum and seeing what made my power react or not, I'd been able to zero in on the relevant areas quickly. I'd also learned that I'd been wrong in my previous assessment: my empowering zone did also work on my tinker shard. Information simply came more swiftly and efficiently when that ability was empowered, and as such work got done that much quicker. Squealer's old tools that she'd left behind weren't useless, either.

I supposed the zone also applied with my shadow abilities, but couldn't see how it affected them. Faster maybe? I didn't see any difference, personally.

Most of my tinker work until now had gone in building myself a power suit. It was far from complete, but I already had usable parts. The helmet was the first thing I did, along an under-suit similar to a leotard made out of synthetic spider silk. Those two parts allowed me to do something I decided.

That is, another identity.

Slenderman was all well and good, but I realized he worked better as something feared in the dark. I'd keep the professional suit and hood for striking directly at parahumans, but while doing drug busts and attacking equipment warehouses, another face was needed. And with my leotard and helmet, that's what I had. Two weeks of work after that and I had both gauntlets and boots done. I was still missing some components for the breastplate and the arms, while I hadn't even started on the legs. Still, it was enough that I'd made an impact on the Brockton Bay crime scene.

Then again, hitting the gangs ended up being easier than I'd thought.

In the last two weeks, I'd found, cased and attacked a dozen places belonging to either the ABB or the Empire. I only had to abort twice, once when Oni Lee was guarding the arms depot I'd targeted for the night, the other when Hookwolf was present at a drug packing plant. I decided I'd cancel any mission where a parahuman was present and stuck to it. It still netted me more than a million dollars in cash, enough weapons to outfit a small army and far too much drugs to think about.

The drugs found their way to the local police, the weapons disassembled or melted for resources, and half the cash went to various charities. Brockton Bay Hospital, soup kitchens and the like mainly.

The rest had gone back to fund my tinkering projects.

I was still testing the boots when the alarm rang. 4:30… I said to myself. Time to go home.

I slipped out of my boots, gloves and leotard by going into shadow form. I found lately that I could leave stuff behind when going into shadow state, and I used it for undressing quickly when the situation demanded for it. I quickly redressed in my normal clothes, donned my shoes and slid as a shadow under one on the sealed doors, reappearing behind an old trash container outside. From there I started running toward home.

That was another part I had added to my training routine: running. I realized that being in better shape couldn't hurt my current career, while the opposite was certainly true. I was just starting, so I was nothing even decent yet, but every little bit helped. I'd also tried crunches, push-ups and weightlifting, but those didn't work for me. At least running made me see things, which helped me not succumb to boredom.

I was in the shower when Dad got in and started supper. Since school was out, we alternated who cooked the last meal of the day, though we were both equally bad at it. Today was his turn, so I took the extra time to make sure none of the workshop smells clung to me.

Supper with my Dad was always a good thing, especially since I left school. He'd been more animated and less silent since it happened, and only now did I realize how much what happened to me weighed on him. The subject never came up, as we'd both wordlessly decided to let it go. But the difference was flagrant.

I'll make it up to him somehow, I swore to myself.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The vibration on my leg woke me up. A quickly look at the clock indicated 12:30 AM.

Time to get to work, I told myself.

I silently put on the shorts and t-shirt I'd prepared for this opportunity, then slipped into shadow. A quick verification that my father was asleep, then I was gone for the night.

The vibrating alarm on my leg was the only other thing I'd made outside my suit. After I lost a night because I fell asleep too early, I built it in an hour at the base and wore it to bed every night. It also allowed me a few extra hours of sleep each day, something which wasn't regretted in the least.

I was only in my base for the time it took to get into my suit. That done, I was back out, going north.

Tonight, I was hunting the E88.

The last two nights I'd hit the ABB, after finding most of my remaining Empire targets well guarded. I hoped that today the standards might have relaxed somewhat.

First place was still as full as before. It seemed a major mustering point, so I wasn't surprised. It had always been well guarded.

The second one, though, was much less guarded then before. An apartment building close to the ABB/E88 border, the landlord's office at the bottom was used as a distribution point for drugs. Last night the office had been occupied from midnight to four, and the bright lights made my entry in the place difficult, but it seemed whoever used the office had tonight off. I slipped inside through the window and listened at the door for a moment. Two guards by the sound of it, and a bottle going around. I'd have to be silent, but it was quite doable.

A quick trip around the office indicated the only place where money or merchandise was the big oak desk by the window. It had drawers with visible locks, so I decided to start with those. I appeared right beside it, crouched. I quickly extended my major, a blowtorch coming to life at its tip.

Then the window broke, and my shoulder blossomed into pain.

My finger reflectively flexed and the blowtorch went out. I instinctively bent, tucking myself out of sight from the outside. I reached out with my right hand and found a hole in my suit, along with another one in my shoulder, bleeding.

Fuck! I cried out in my mind. Someone shot me!

It was at that precise moment that I heard the sound of something remotely activating, and the walls exploded on me.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I reacted instinctively, turning into shadow so fast I left everything except my leotard behind. While the explosions were mainly intended to make the building fall, there was still enough light to make my shadow state painful. I withdrew inside my helmet for protection, and waited for the sounds of the building crumbling to cease.

It was then I realized something: then pain in my shoulder was gone. I knew I could sense pain in my shadow state, Grue's abilities having made this fact clear, but it seemed wounds did not carry. Maybe my shoulder wound would be gone by the time I went became to human form? I sure hoped so.

The sounds had by now receded enough that I started slipping out. It was lucky that I needed no light, else I would never had made it out. Still, It took me three different tries to find a path I could travel underneath the rubble, and I had to force my way through a couple of tight passages, something which wasn't comfortable in the least. Then I finally ended up in the sewers, and went back outside the next minutes.

I found the building gone.

Whoever had set those explosives had done a good job; The building crumbled on itself without harming anything at the sides. There were people on the lawn, looking in horror, while others tried clearing up the rubble. I could see part of a leg sticking out, so there had been people in the building when it fell. I suddenly remembered the two guards there. Two Empire members, for sure, but that wasn't a reason to drop a building on them.

I felt rage rising. The Empire had blown up a building with people still inside just to get to me.

I ignored the rescue efforts and focused on the shooter. There wasn't much I could do there, even if I took human form. I was just another pair of hands, possibly wounded.

But I could track the cause of this.

With my darksight, I tracked the shooter to his position based on the angle of the shot. On the roof of the shop opposite the former building I found two people, a man and a woman, both in costume.

Empire capes then, I noted.

The man was standing flat on the roof, watching what remained after the explosion with interest using a pair of binoculars. Beside him where the gun I'd been shot with, a sniper rifle more than a meter long, and a switch which I supposed had been used to trigger the detonations. The woman, crouched a little behind him, had a hand on his leg. "So…" she said. "Any result?" by her tone of voice, it was clear she was quite sleepy.

"I know I hit her, Othala," the man replied, not stopping his surveillance. My current costume didn't really hide what little curves I had, but didn't put emphasis on them either. The man was really on the ball if he could notice that. "She was still in the room when the building fell. She hasn't been seen so far, so I'm guessing she either escaped down or got trampled under the building. Either way, we'll know once we clear the site."

I squashed the urge to turn back into human form and remove their powers. As much as I wanted it, I was alone against two, possibly wounded, and out of costume. It would be a monumental error at this point, however satisfying it would feel.

"You can go, Othala. Your invincibility will be more than enough if she's playing possum. I'll stay and watch for another hour, then I'll join you," the man continued.

The woman simply nodded, rose, then walked to the ladder leading down. "Good luck Victor," she said, then went down. I stayed for a few seconds more, engraving the face of the shooter, Victor, in my mind, then followed the one called Othala down.

I didn't park myself in her shadow this time. I kept to the darkness of buildings, keeping her always in sight, then under the car she took to get home. I did miss what she said to someone on the phone, but ignored that to focus on her destination.

It ended up being a quaint little house, in one of the safer parts of the city. I engraved the address to memory, then followed her until she made her way to bed to be sure. I could have struck then, probably, but decided it wasn't the time.

I would be back.

Shadow travel had me back in my base in minutes, which is where I went back to my normal state.

Ahhhhh! Nope, not healed in the least, I said to myself, grimacing.

I still could fell the bullet inside my shoulder, so that had to go out, first. I focused on going into shadow form without the bullet, and was rewarded with the tinkling of metal on ground right where my other state formed. One thing down, at least, I noted.

Back where I didn't feel the pain, I started thinking. There weren't that many options.

I couldn't leave the wound like this. Going to an hospital was a solution, but it was end up with the police knowing, which would have my father informed. That would lead to uncomfortable questions, especially what I was doing outside at 1:45 AM on a weekday.

I didn't want to have my father mixed into this.

I could probably build something for healing, an advanced medkit of sorts, but that would require time I did not have. It might even require both of my arms, which would be an issue.

In the end, there was only one possibly valid solution I could see. I took back human form.

Help needed. Urgent. @ Base​

I sent a message to Tattletale. Everything was starting to get kinda blurry, so shadow state it was as soon as the text had gone through.

She didn't look to me like an early riser, so I had hope that she would still be awake. Grue had implied that he'd been shot a few times by Shadow Stalker, so she might know a reliable and discreet doctor.

It seemed an eternity before the cell vibrated. I didn't even go back to human shape this time.

OMW​

On my way… Thank god, I said to myself. I'm starting to owe that girl a little too much.

Tattletale wasn't alone when she arrived ten minutes later. Grue was with her, the both of them in costume. I couldn't find myself caring.

I went back to physical state right before them, and fell to my knees as soon as I was fully material. Seems like going back and forth to shadow form doesn't really help, I noted just before blackness took me.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I like when a plan comes together, I said to myself, grinning a little wider than usually.

The Undersiders had done another job today, another corporate heist. This time, there had been no alarm, no intruding ward or capes, just a job well done, in and out. The three others were in a similar state, Grue offering congratulations, Regent joking and Bitch walking her dogs calmly. I'd long known that Bitch preferred not using her power on her dogs at all, if she could.

We were halfway to base with the take when my cell vibrated.

A message, at this hour? I wondered. Not Coil, Coil always called. Who else could it be? I flipped my phone and found a text message.

Help needed. Urgent. @ Base​

I didn't need my power to know it was the truth. I'd gotten a good read on Taylor and lying like that wasn't her type. Asking for help wasn't her type either, which meant it was something important. Taylor preferred to deal with things herself.

Karma comes to collect, it seems, I said to myself. "Put this in the safe," I said to Regent, tossing him the folders Coil had requested. "Grue, with me," I said, and started running. I was typing at the same time.

OMW​

Grue started a little later but caught up easily with his longer legs and better health. He then matched my pace. "So, what's the emergency? Something else for the boss?" he asked.

"Shadow Girl needs help," I said, handing him the phone. For all that he was an effective villain, he had a little white knight streak going. It mainly flared with his sister, but I was 90% sure he wouldn't mind helping.

He looked down at the phone, then gave it back. "Right. You've been meeting with her?"

"A little." I pointed toward the place we used as home. "You're faster than me. Can you go and get the first aid kit?" I didn't get anything from the message, but 'Urgent' tended to mean 'hurt badly'. I couldn't see anything else Taylor wouldn't be able to deal with.

"Done," he said, then easily outpaced me. I slowed my run, gathering more of my breath, and made my way to our place somewhat more slowly.

Grue was just coming out when I arrived, so I pushed the pace again. "This way," I said, extending my arm in the direction of the building I'd found for Taylor. It luckily wasn't that far from our place.

"So, you met her how many times since she followed us… Once? Twice?" he asked as he ran.

"About that much," was my reply.

"Anything I should know?" he added.

"Nothing I can tell you for the moment," I said. "I'll keep you apprised of anything you might need," he simply nodded, and that was that.

I only stopped for breath once I was in front of the building I'd suggested To her. Grue stopped beside me, visibly in better health. "So, where…" he started.

He didn't complete the phrase because Taylor appeared right before the two of us at that very second. She fell to her knees instantly, and I heard Grue yell. "Fuck, someone shot her in the shoulder." He then handed her to me while he reached in the kit. I let the walls on my power crumble, focusing on the wound in her shoulder.

Abnormal shearing & colour: Bulletproof material.​

Bulletproof material, angle of penetration, spread of damage: Armor-piercing bullet.​

Armor piercing bullet, steady blood flow: No bullet in wound.​

I cut it there. That was already enough to tell. "Bullet's out," I said to Grue.

He nodded, then started dressing her shoulder. "You know that's not gonna be enough, right?"

I already had my phone back out and three numbers typed. "Of course."

It wasn't long until I had the rest done and the phone was ringing. "Doctor Q speaking," the voice on the other side of the line responded after three rings.

"Got an incoming patient for you. Bullet wound to the left shoulder. Bullet already removed," I said, direct and to the point. The doctor preferred it that way.

"Bleeding or burned?"

"Bleeding. We're patching it up as much as possible," I replied.

"Use medical tape, no sutures. I'll have the table prepped for when you arrive. Keep as much pressure as possible on the wound," the man added.

"Thank you. We're on our way," I said, then hanged up.

Grue hadn't been idle while I talked. It took only a minute more before he had Taylor as ready to be move as he could. He grabbed her bridal style. "Let's go," he said, voice serious.

I simply followed, keeping pressure on her wounded elbow.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The doctor was halfway done with her sutures when Taylor returned to consciousness.

"Hey, T. Glad to see you're awake," I said as her eyes opened.

"Hey… Lisa," she said when she realized I wasn't in costume. "Where are we?"

"A good doctor I know about," I answered. "Brian and I brought you here after you fell unconscious right in front of us." I'd already been cleared by Grue to use his real name.

She moved her head a little to the side. "Brian?"

He stepped into her field of vision. "That's me," he said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I know you."

"I was with Lisa when you met her," he answered.

I saw her connect the dots. "Oh… Yeah," she looked down somewhat. "Call me Taylor. And thank you."

"Glad to help," he replied. "I owed you one, anyway." She blushed a little at that. Brian didn't notice a bit. Seems Brian is Taylor's type, I noted and grinned my usual grin. I didn't need my power to get that, either.

Doctor Q came over then. "Good to see you awake." He tested both her eyes with a little lamp, followed by a couple more tests. "Everything seems to be in order. Now, you have more than a dozen sutures in your left shoulder, so you'll have to be careful about moving it. I'm going to give you a sling…"

I blocked the doctor and focused on Taylor. She looked healthier than before true, but she wasn't really listening to the doctor, seemingly focused on something else. I activated my power for a second out of curiosity.

Eyes moving rapidly, slight moves of the primary hand: trying to write down ideas.​

Trying to write down ideas, wounded, tinker: planning for tinker medicine.​

I smiled, glad to see she was still on her way to getting over this.

Brian helped her of the table. "What time is it?" she asked as she came back on her feet.

"A little before four," I answered.

Her face went down. "I have to go," she replied, and started walking out.

The both of us helped her out. She stopped once she was outside the clinic, in the darkness. "Thank you. I'll contact you later today."

"Afternoon please," I replied with a smile. "We had a busy night."

"Rest well," Brian added.

She smiled as she answered. "You too." Then she was gone.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Hey kiddo, time to wake up!" Dad said, knocking on the door.

"Not today, dad," I answered. "I'm going to sleep some more."

The door opened a crack and his head snuck inside. "Are you feeling alright? Catch a cold or something?"

"Nothing like that, just bad dreams. Kept waking up in sweat," I replied. "A few more hours will have me right as rain." I hated pushing my dad's buttons, but I knew he wouldn't push on the nightmares. I really needed him out as soon as possible, without drawing undue attention.

"If you say so, sweetie," he said, closing back the door. "Sleep well."

"Thank you. Have a good day," I said, then fell back in my bed.

I kept an ear out until I finally heard my father leave for work. Only then did I relax and slip out of bed. I barely had a single hour's sleep, but I had work to do. I couldn't let my father see me with the wounded shoulder I had. He'd ask too many questions.

I'd slipped back in a little after four, thankful that shadows made no noise. I put on the heaviest pyjamas I owned to hide the dressings on my shoulder, then slipped back into bed as if nothing had happened. I needed my dad to think everything was normal.

First thing now that he was gone was verifying the wound was fine. I tended to sleep on my left shoulder, so I'd unconsciously moved on it a few times during the night. It had been a large part of what caused my lack of sleep.

Slowly removing the gauze hiding the sutures revealed that they'd held, and there wasn't any recent blood on the tissue. Good. At least one thing was going right.

Second was getting to base. I needed to start work on something to heal my shoulder post-haste. And I wasn't going to start until I was in a location were I was sure not to be interrupted, with access to my notes and my equipment.

Oh, and internet connectivity, too.

Walking out, however, wasn't a plan. Brockton Bay wasn't the safest of cities, and I didn't want to be stuck outside, unable to defend myself.

That meant I was going through the sewers.

Getting there was the easy part. Toilet pipes were large enough to accommodate me in shadow state and, even if it was uncomfortable, it was direct and safe with little chance of danger. The fact that I could pass through water with only a little reduction in speed helped.

The sewers themselves were dark enough that travel wasn't an issue, but getting lost was. I ended up having to turn back to human state thrice to get my bearings, and the less said about the smell, the better. Surprisingly, Skidmark's bedroom had been worse, somehow. Also, perfect sight in the dark wasn't all that it was cracked up to be in a place like this.

Still, I managed. A GPS would have been useful, though.

Once inside my base at my work table, I drew a zone around my tinkering area, set it to empowerment, and started cracking out ideas. I needed that shoulder healed, the sooner the better.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I was woken up at 2:30 PM by a text message from Lisa. I responded with confirmations of my continued health and turned toward the piles of notes I'd written down before falling asleep. It took a while to put them in order, but once that was done I could go over them easily.

Nope. Nope. Can't get the ingredients. No time. Not replacing my shoulder by a mechanical prosthetic. Nope. Not even getting there.

In the end, I didn't have much choice. The only viable possibility, in terms of time and material availability, was a plan for a device boosting cellular regeneration using something similar to microwave frequencies. It wasn't the quick fix I'd wanted, but it was better than any other option. My left arm would probably be somewhat weaker afterwards, but I could train that back.

The problem was building it with my own two hands, or rather one and a half working hands. I could do limited movements with my left hand, but they weren't strong or precise.

But then I got an idea. I reached out to the phone and call the only number I had there.

"Hey Taylor! Glad to hear from you."

I wondered for a second where she got my name, then remembered I'd introduced myself to Brian this morning. "Good day Lisa, want to help a tinker build stuff?"

The other side of the line was silent for a moment. "As long as it's something of good use, I'm in."

"Regeneration device," I explained.

I could hear her smile on the other side of the line. "I am so in! Should I grab Brian?"

I couldn't see a reason not to. "If he wants to come."

"After the number Shadow Stalker put him through last time, I'm sure he'll be right glad to have a device like that on hand. I'll ask though." There was no sound for a moment. "What do you need?"

"I'll send you the list. Bring to items to the side door of my base and be ready for possibly dirtying work," I explained.

"Got it. See you in a few." She hung up.

Now I simply needed to unblock the door before they arrived.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It took more time for them to come than I expected, and it was nearly 4PM when I got confirmation by text from Lisa that both her and Brian were outside. I unbolted the door and let them in, letting them drop the packages I had asked for right beside the door.

"Welcome to Casa Taylor," I said, waving them inside. The both of them started looking around instantly.

"Somehow, I expected more," Lisa said, her grin carrying the joke.

"I mainly notice you're not wearing the sling," Brian added.

"I can't. Tinkering is delicate work, and even a halfway working arm is better than no arm at all," I replied. "Anyway, if anything works properly, I should have my arm healed before the day is done." I realized something, then continued. "Anyway… Lisa, mind if I use you as an excuse with my dad?"

She turned at me with her smile. "Go right ahead."

I withdrew my phone and called Dad's office number. I barely had to speak a second to Mike before he handed my father the phone.

"Union Representative Danny Hebert speaking."

"Dad, it's me."

"Hey Taylor. How's it going? Slept well?" he asked.

"Good enough."

I could hear him smile. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm going to eat with a friend, so I won't be there for supper tonight."

"A boy friend or a girl friend?" he asked with a teasing tone.

"Dad!" I replied, pretending to be exasperated. This wasn't the first time he did this. "A female friend. My acquaintance of last time, if you remember."

"I do." He was silent for a moment. "When can I expect you back?"

"Well, I might sleep over if we finish too late, so I don't know?" I said, unsure. More time to build always was better.

"Can you pass me this Lisa of yours?" he asked.

I quickly turned toward Lisa, eyes going wide, but she simply asked me to hand her the phone with a sign of her hand. I did so somewhat reluctantly.

"Lisa here," she answered. "Yes… Pizza probably… No." She then gave my dad an address. "Sure… I'll hand her back the phone."

"Yes?" I asked, uncertain.

"Go ahead and stay the night. You know I don't like you out when it's dark." If only you knew, Dad, I told myself. "Anyway, have fun. I'll see you at supper tomorrow. Love you."

"See you tomorrow Dad. Me too." I hung up.

"You have a good dad," Lisa pointed out. I simply nodded.

"I didn't recognize the address you gave. Did you just give him a random one?" Brian interjected into our conversation.

"Nope," Lisa replied. "I do have an apartment, you know."

His eyes went wide. "Since when?"

"A while," she answered. When she saw that he was still boggled, she grinned and added. "You saw how much I buy. Did you think everything I bought fits in my small room at the base?"

He was pensive for a moment. "Point taken," he finally answered.

Lisa turned toward me. "So, what do we need to do?"

"Bring the boxes to that table over there." I pointed with my good hand. "And I'll setup things so we can start." I went and grabbed my papers, put them on said table, then went to the ground and started building a zone.

"What are you doing?" Brian asked as he dropped a pair of boxes on the table.

"One of my newest abilities." I said, closing the square. "Done." I set it to maximum empowerment just as Lisa was about to walk in.

As soon as she was inside, her eyes went wide as saucers, she looked from Brian to me quickly, then at her feet. She then took a step back so fast she nearly blurred.

"So much information…" she said to herself. She then turned to me. "What was that?" Her eyes were still wide.

I was about to answer when I realized Brian was right behind me. I didn't think she'd told him about my true abilities, judging from his reactions. I indicated him to Lisa with a movement of my head.

"Oh…" she said as she realized what I meant. "He doesn't know, but he can be trusted. He's all about keeping things hidden from others about his own power."

I remembered the blurb about his shadow abilities on the Parahuman Wiki and nodded. His power wasn't simple darkness generation, that was sure, especially with how it interfered with mine.

"Go ahead then," I told Lisa. I'd realized she liked being the one who gave away information. The cape name Tattletale fit her nicely.

Lisa stepped up to me and out her hand on my good shoulder. "Brian, meet Slenderman," she said, sounding like an infomercial announcer.

"What, you mean that false video you showed me?" He looked at the both of us. His eyes went wide. "You mean it's not a hoax." The gears in his head turned a little more, and he took a step back. "You're a power nullifier. A permanent one."

Lisa's grin got even wider. "Nope, a power thief." Brian's eyes got even wider.

"A power manager," I corrected the both of them.

Lisa turned to me, getting my meaning. "You can give them back!" she nearly yelled out. "You're broken. Horribly broken." She stared at me, blankly. "Don't you have limits of some kind?"

"Probably, but I haven't found any yet," I added.

"How did you find out?" Brian asked Lisa.

"You know how her shadow power is affected by your darkness, like Shadow Stalker was?" He nodded. "Well, my power indicated me that it wasn't because her power was similar to Shadow Stalker, but because it was Shadow Stalker's power."

"So, Shadow Stalker is basically no longer a cape? Just a normal human?" he asked. I simply nodded in answer.

"I basically thought you'd pushed her out of town or something. Somehow, this feels a much better result," he added with a smirk. I had to agree with him; Sophia being depowered was something I also found fitting in my mind.

"Back to what I asked," Lisa said. "What's that thing on the ground you drew?"

"My version of Skidmark's power. Allows me to create a zone on by writing one on the ground. It empowers capes." I explained. Lisa's face became blank.

"I don't feel anything," Brian said. He was at my side in the zone.

Lisa was face became curious. "Throw some shadow on me, just for a minute." Brian did so with a wave of his hand, generating a column of his black mist in right over Lisa. It lasted about thirty seconds.

Lisa was a little green when Brian waved the darkness off. "Definitely more powerful" she said, looking like she was testing her feet. "Messes with your sense of balance now. I felt like I was on a ship at sea."

"Nice," Brian said, looking down at his hand where a small blob of black mist stood.

"Can we go back to tinkering?" I said, a little exasperation in my voice. "I mean, it's all very fun, but my shoulder's in pain, and I'd like to have that fixed as quickly as I can. We can do tests later if you want."

"Right," Brian said, the blob vanishing instantly. "So, what you need us to do?"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Hold it steady," I said to Brian as I soldered another chip in place. "Done. Can you screw it shut? Lisa, can you bring me the Geiger Counter I modified?"

I took another bite of my pizza as the two did what I asked. They'd been a great help, even though there was some setup needed. Lisa got a headache as soon as she stepped into an empowering zone, so in the end I had to create a smaller one just around me. She wasn't of much use on the physical side, but I could ask her for any tool, from the most simple to the esoteric, and she would hand it to me without fail. Plus, she went and got pizza.

Brain was perfect for anything physical. I'd not noticed before, but he was visibly fit in a way that meant constant training. I thanked whoever was responsible that my tinker spark made it easier to focus on building machines, else I would have gotten nothing done. He'd been a great help, though.

"The moment of truth…" I said, then started the machine. The reading were good, now for the final test. I took a piece of pepperoni and tossed it inside. It gave the results I expected. "Perfect." I tossed the bit of food in a garbage can.

"So, how does it work?" Lisa asked from beside me.

"Makes cells work very quickly," I explained. "Cellular regeneration goes faster. You need to eat a lot before using it, since your body needs material to build. Not to be used for head wounds or anywhere near the stomach. Be especially careful about infection. Don't use when sick, as it works on viruses too. For women, put nowhere near the reproductive parts." I pointed out the straps. "Use those to keep it in place."

"That's why you forced yourself to eat a whole pizza!" Lisa pointed out.

"Yup," I answered. "You didn't think I always ate that much, did you?"

"Well…" She made a face as if she did, and I reached out to throw a piece at her. "Kidding! Kidding!"

She grabbed the machine and helped me put it on. It had a gentle whine while working, and soon that sound could be heard around us.

"How long is it gonna take?" Brian asked.

"A hour or two."

He looked at the clock. 10:41PM. He turned toward me. "Taylor, how would…" he started. Then he stopped as he looked at something behind me. Probably Lisa. "Never mind," he then said. "I'm gonna hit the road. It's been fun, but I didn't get much sleep last night and my bed's calling me. Good night, ladies."

"Thanks for all the help. Couldn't have done it without you." Not in so short a time, at least.

"That's going to be available for the Undersiders if we're wounded, correct?" he asked.

I simply nodded.

"Then no thanks needed. Better that than being stuck in bed for a week. Catch you both later," he said, making his way out.

I waved with my left hand. "Should you be moving it like that?" Lisa asked.

"Yes. The more I move it, the less rigid it's gonna be once the healing's done," I pointed out. "The microfractures in the muscles barely have time to form with this on."

"Ok," she said, then was silent for an instant. "Mind if I ask a few questions?"

"I have one before you can go…" I said. "What was Brian going to ask? He stopped because he looked at you, right?"

"You're perceptive," Lisa answered. "He was about to offer you a place in the Undersiders."

I didn't know how to feel about that. Today had been the most fun I had in a while, talking and working with them, but they were villains, thieves. "Why did you stop him?" I asked my current companion.

"Would you have said yes?" The both of us were silent for a moment before I shook my head negatively. "Thought as much. There are other reasons, but the first was that you wouldn't join a villain team."

"What other reasons?" I said.

"The Undersiders have an employer, who pays for equipment, along with monthly salaries. He's the one suggesting the jobs. I like having a backup, in case he becomes too dangerous."

I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that. "I'm not a mercenary for hire."

"I don't mean it like that," she explained. "Right now, he's not that dangerous, not like the Empire or the ABB. But he's got a plan for the city, one he's using his power to promote. I don't know exactly what it is, but I prefer having another option if it ends up something I can't live with."

My eyes went wide. "You're planning to take out your employer."

"Let's say I'm pretty sure his plans aren't anything good," Lisa said.

I went over what she said again. "You're being vague on purpose, then."

She nodded. "I want to be sure he doesn't get his hands on you. If he ever a hold on you…" She let words speak for themselves.

"Bad?" I said.

"Very bad," she sounded grave. "I'd prefer you as an enemy after me level of bad."

There was silence for a good minute as I digested that. Lisa always seemed to be grinning at everything; Seeing her afraid was something new and not reassuring. At all.

"Can I ask a few questions now?" she asked.

I nodded. "Sure. I owe you at least that much."

"Did you go out as Slenderman since Skidmark? Check the visit requests?"

That wasn't what I expected. "No."

"Why?"

I thought about it for a second. "I just focused on clearing the city. I wanted to do the most I could, as soon as possible. Sure, helping one parahuman's good, but not much compared to the effect I could have removing the drugs and violence here," I explained. "Closest message I feel trustworthy enough is hours out of the city. Wasting a full night on that? I didn't think it was worth it."

"Seems you might have changed your mind somewhat, at least," she said, nodding. "So, is Slenderman going to come out soon, or will he be staying hidden some more time?"

"Personally, I wanted him to lie dead a little longer, until it was time to take care of the big guys, but I recently changed my mind." I indicated to my shoulder. "A few more days of planning and he'll be making someone a visit."

Lisa grinned. "A specific someone?"

I did the same. "A very specific pair of someones."

"Of course." She grabbed her glass of soft drink. "A toast, then. To the return of Slenderman."

I took up my own. "To Slenderman!"

We clinked.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Victor, please come to bed," Othala said as she put down her book. From my place in shadow state under her bed, I followed Victor's footsteps until he was under the covers. The lights went off, and Victor spoke up.

"Good night dear."

"Good night," she answered back.

Even though the whole room was dark now, I still waited another ten or so minutes before slipping out. It was my third night spying on the pair of them, eight since I'd gotten my shoulder healed, and I'd decided that tonight was going to be the night. I could have probably stolen their powers earlier, but I wanted to send a message.

It might have been an issue if the two of them had children, or if they lived with other people. I wasn't like them, I didn't want to affect anyone else. I wasn't going to hurt someone whose only mistake was to be related to murderers.

Luckily, this wasn't an issue.

I went all over the house, preparing everything for 'Slenderman's visit', as I'd started calling it in my mind. Anyway, I preferred being sure they were asleep before starting. What I was doing was probably overkill, but better safe than sorry.

It took 30 minutes before everything was set up. A quick look at my two targets revealed them fast asleep. Victor, from my earlier visits, wasn't a heavy sleeper, though Othala was. Nothing seemed amiss.

Showtime, I told myself.

First part, power. I silently slipped on the roof and, with the aid of a small gadget I built, cut the line of the house's main power cable. I could see the difference instantly, with all the small lights, clocks and the like, falling silent. A quick check at my targets showed none of them reacted, which was what I'd hoped for.

Part two was powers. Othala slept on the right side, and as usual had her arm falling out the bed. She was first. I'd gotten all the info I could from Tattletale about this particular pair of Nazis, and Othala was the dangerous one. I didn't know if the invincibility she could give could stop my power, but I didn't want to guess. Victor was dangerous, true, but it was his partner that made him truly deadly.

I appeared flat on the ground. I'd made sure to remove my gloves beforehand, and poked her quickly, pulling her power instantly. I was in shadow form the second after, while she moved a little at the touch. Still asleep though, I noticed. Perfect.

With Victor I was less stealthy. He slept with everything under the covers, with only his face open to the air. I poked his harshly right between the eyes, stealing his power instantly.

I wasn't planning to test things here.

Victor woke up right then. In one second, he recognized an assailant, twisted and tried striking at me. I was expecting it, so I shifted into shadow before the attack landed. I dashed and appeared in the corner of the room.

Where he put five bullets into me.

I had to admit, he was good. Very good. He switched his strike to a grab of the gun under his pillow, twisted, and shot me in less than a second. Two head shots, three chest shots.

Too bad I was prepared. Under the veil was a blank white featureless facemask covering my whole head, made out of reinforced spidersilk and inertia-dispersing gel. My chest had the same, only sturdier. I saw the world through cameras hidden all over my costume. By the time the impact registered, it barely felt like someone had tried stabbing at me with a finger.

This was, of course, the result of extensive tests. I'd snuck in once after the both of them were gone, on an overcast day, and verified the exact model and brand of the weapon he had and its bullets. I did repeated trials with an exact copy of what he had. At close range, it would feel like a punch to the face, but no more than that.

In response, I started a soundtrack of children laughing, coming from where my mouth would be.

No, I hadn't studied the character I was nicknamed for. Not at all.

Victor put two more shots into me as he grabbed Othala and pulled her up. Since she seemed still groggy, I decided to help him. I appeared right beside her, thumbing the sound up at the same time, my hands raised as if to grab her.

She screamed, and Victor shot me again. From his face, he was visibly starting to realize he was not having any effect with his gun.

"Othala, Teleporter," Victor yelled. "Give me speed, now!"

Othala already had her hands on him, so she instantly tried. "It's not working!" Victor's face went blanker right then.

Still he moved with confidence, taking Othala, putting her over his shoulder and running straight out the room. He tried for the light, but without power, that was useless.

I appeared right behind him in the corridor, shadow-dashing my way there. Still he shot, but this time it seemed more like covering fire more than everything.

Inside my suit, I smiled. Everything was going according to plan, I said to myself.

I went back to shadow mode and started herding him outside. It wasn't difficult, since I think he was already headed there. He slammed the door open, not even bothering to close it behind him. There he put Othala to the ground, took position and started looking in every direction.

Smiling on the inside, I stepped out from behind a lamppost.

Time for the finale.

The exact place I'd stepped out had been planned, putting myself directly in the sight of a traffic camera I'd noticed earlier. There I raised my hands slowly as he put what was left of his magazine into my costume. When the first click sounded, as his gun stuck empty, I pushed both of my hands up like a conductor at a symphony, pushing the sound of my simulated 'voice' to the maximum at the same time.

The laughs of children resonated loudly for a second before the house behind him exploded, crumbling on itself. I hoped to make it clear what I was punishing them for.

Then, as they turned their backs to me to look at their former house, I stepped into darkness, stared directly at the camera, and vanished for the night.

I was gone. Behind me, the police was slowly arriving to the scene.

Mission complete.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Well, you sure don't do things halfway," Lisa said as she took a bite of her burger. "Very theatrical, though. I like it," she added, putting the newspaper down.

The both of us now had a regular lunch date, once every day or two. It had started before I hit Victor's place. Brian was also there sometimes, though not this one.

"I'm glad it pleases you,"I responded sarcastically. "I saw the Parahuman Wiki forums. The posters are going wild."

"Not surprising," She pointed out with a fry in hand. "There were lots of doubters for the first videos. The show you made two nights ago had the effect of making them look stupid. There's a lot of gloating and a good number of naysayers trying to defend their position at all cost. Internet backlash is a wonderful thing." She ate a few more fries. "So, what are you working on now?"

"A better regeneration device. Let's say I wouldn't use the one I have if I hadn't really needed it pronto," I said. "The new one will be available to you guys, of course."

"And outside the workshop?" she asked.

"I'll be doing some visits, people who want to see me, like you said," I replied. "My lack of offensive abilities is really hurting me."

She looked from side to side. Nobody was looking at us. "Speaking of abilities, what are your new ones? I mean, Victor and Othala?"

I poked the hand she was using to eat. "You tell me," I said, moving my hand off her.

She looked at her hand bizarrely. "What did you do?"

"That's Othala's spark, which I call 'Gift'. That's how it feels," I explained."It only activates when I touch people, so I suspect it's something like what she had. I have no clue what, though."

"You're mean," Lisa said with a visibly fake pout. "Using me as a lab rat, without any warning."

"But you're such a good lab rat…" I replied, trying for something like puppy-dog eyes. "You notice details so much better than the other rats…" She had explained her power to me, by now. It was evident, in retrospect.

She laughed at that, and I did too. It felt good just being outside with a friend, without a care in the world.

"And Victor's?" she asked.

"Victor's I haven't tried." I answered. "I call it 'Thief', and with what he had, I don't feel like testing it on other people. Enemy capes, maybe, but not random strangers. And not friends either."

"Reasonable," she said, finishing up her drink. She rose. "Ready to go?"

I nodded, rising. The both of us left money to pay for our meal, and walked out. Lisa was right behind me when we entered the lunch crowds on the Broadwalk.

I turned to the side to say something, and didn't find her. An all-around look did no better, so I went to the side of the street to look from the side. An unknown man followed me and, being a little scared, I ducked in a darkened alley. The man followed.

I ran a little forward than turned to face him, only to find Lisa there. She had a look of concern on her face. "What happened?" she asked.

I ran the last few moments in my mind. "I don't know…" I said. "Can you step back slowly toward the street?"

She gave me a curious look, but did as I asked. Forcing myself not to blink, I barely caught it. The moment she stepped right beside the crowd, her features changed. She became a little taller, her hair brighter and her skin a shade darker. She also looked like a man, now. It wasn't the same one as before, though.

There wasn't anything really noticeable about her now either. All the features blended in such a way as to make Lisa utterly forgettable.

Focusing on the feelings at the back of my head, I switched Othala's power off, and Lisa reappeared at the side of the crowd, the illusion over her vanishing in an instant.

"Is this far enough?" she asked.

I smiled, grinning as Lisa usually did. "That's just not fair," Lisa pouted.

"Come on," I said, grabbing her hand. "I'll explain to you at my place."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"So, it gives a stranger ability," Lisa concluded.

"Yup. You fade into the crowd, looking like an horribly boring average person," I replied. "You seem to need the crowd, since the illusion didn't appear until you were right beside it, but when you're there…" I smiled. "You were a man for a while."

"That, I would have preferred not knowing. Still, very useful," she pointed out. "Anything else? Othala had at least three different powers she could give, if I remember correctly."

"No, not that I can see. This power doesn't feel like there are multiple different settings, just one," I explained. "I think I could use it on more than one person at the time, though. It seemed to be ready for activation when I pushed through the crowd, even though you already had the power active."

"Trading variety for quantity, eh?" she said. "Still, it's not an upgrade from the original like all your other talents."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you seem to get better powers than the originals. Shadow Stalker couldn't get fully incorporeal like you can, your version of Skidmark's power has broken levels of synergy and you've already done much better than Squealer even did, in little time."

I thought for a moment. "I don't really think so. I think it's more a reflection of the person. Shadow Stalker could attack in shadow state, which I can't. If what is said about Squealer is true, she could have easily built spaceships or assault crafts, not to mention factory boats and the like," I pointed out. "And Skidmark's power was basically a rail gun waiting to happen." Something else came to mind. "You do know he probably could have empowered a perpetual motion engine, right?"

She looked in the air for a moment. "I never saw it like that." She sighed. "What a waste."

"Yeah. The more I read about capes, the more I think they find a few good uses of their powers, then stop looking," I looked down. "They could do so much to make the world better, but they keep fighting all the time."

"You know what happens to those who try helping the world?" Lisa said. "The Simurgh?"

"That's no reason," I said, voice loud. "It only comes, at most, once every 8 months. It was in Canberra a week ago, on the other side of the world, so that means it won't be seen for another seven at the earliest. Plenty of time to work on solving things. Build a few groups of 4 or 5 tinkers with a few others that have fine synergy, and a good number of things could be fixed," I started ranting. "I mean…"

I was interrupted by my alarm.

"Time to go?" Lisa said.

"Yup. 4:30 PM," I said, rising. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be," Lisa said on her way to the door. "I don't disagree with you. Maybe someone one day will find a way to make all the capes work together, for once."

"Probably won't," I said. "It would take massive mind control powers to do that, at best."

"You may unfortunately be right," Lisa said as she went out of the door. "Good luck with that visit of yours."

"Thank you. Good night," I replied as I closed the door behind her.

I slipped under the door a minute later, now out of my tinkering clothes and back into normal wear. Next stop, home. I said to myself.

I started running.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Berrybrook Parahuman Isolation Center was, like I said before, somewhere between Brockton Bay and Boston. It was also miles from the closest anything, a large, inhospitable building right in the middle of the wilderness. Even with the speeds I could reach in shadow form under full dark, it took me an hour just to get there. It was another thirty minutes before I found the right room.

Once inside, I saw quickly saw why she wanted her power gone.

This particular inmate was little more than a face supported by a mass of tentacles, with some organs still hanging past where the neck was. Worse, her body was moving by herself while she was clearly asleep, her limbs stretching and contorting as they moved her around. The room had various signs of damage, even though it seemed to have been built for solidity.

I was glad that I couldn't vomit in shadow state, else I would have done so. It wasn't her, it was more the idea that this could have happened to me. I don't know how I could have dealt with that. I would probably have killed myself.

Seeing her extremities move by themselves, I realized she might not even be able of doing so.

I really wanted to help her, but I didn't know what would happen. Could she survive without her power? Would it warp my body, just like it did hers?

I thought for a moment, then came to a decision. First, get as much data as possible, I told myself.

I did a quick survey of the room. One visible camera, in the corner opposite the door. It was tracking said door. I appeared out of shadow state under it, outside its vision range, for a quick look at her with my normal eyes.

And went back to being incorporeal barely a second later.

I didn't know what had control over her body, but it had good senses. I rushed at me the moment I became solid. My reflexes were fast enough that she didn't land a limb on me before I went back to shadow state.

Her aura's wrong, I noted to myself, back on the ceiling as a patch of darkness.

Every cape that I'd seen had a similar aura, shining an off-white color. She also did, but she had another inside the first which was more like faded bronze. I had no clue what it meant, but it sure meant something.

I thought some more, but I slowly realized there wasn't much I could do here. I thought about trying a power nullifying area, but there was no way I could do one before she attacked, and I couldn't do one large enough to make it on the outside of her room. I had no power that could incapacitate her while I worked. Even if I could do all that, I had no insurance that taking her power wouldn't kill her.

I'd need to come back. Later, when I had a good idea what the aura thing meant, when I could stop her from being dangerous, and more importantly with a powerful regeneration ability that I could lend her. Before that, coming back wouldn't be of much use.

I snuck out the door, reading the name there. I'd first gotten through the window, but now I wanted to know who I needed to help.

Sveta / Garrote. The panel said. I guessed the second was her cape name.

I stood there for a minute more.

I'll be back, Sveta, I swore to myself. You'll have some help, I swear it.

Then I left, making the long trek back home.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The secretary waved me as I came back from lunch. "Alan, Mr. Holmes and Mr. Mason are waiting for you in the second conference room."

I nodded. "Thank you Johanne," I replied. "I'll head there right now."

I didn't see anything wrong with that. They were probably wanting an update on the Steevenson case. But when I arrived there, and found them sitting, with faces grave, opposite the door, I couldn't help but be afraid.

I might be officially one of the seniors partners, and my name might be part of the office's, but there real owners were and had always been Holmes and Masons. The cabinet had been built by the fathers of the people before me. It had had many names, but always Holmes and Mason.

"Alan," Gerald Holmes started. "We've had a report from the PI on the Hebert Case."

So that's what they wanted to talk about. I realized. The fear lifted. "Good…" I said. "It's already been, what, nearly a month? What are the findings?"

"It's been a month because we asked the private investigator to make sure the case was rock solid before he came to us," John Mason replied. He was the one officially on the case. "This kind of civil case can easily lead to a criminal one and end up being talked about at the national level. The publicity would be impressive."

I nodded. Nobody liked it when people messed with children. "I understand. How long until it goes to court?"

Mr. Mason looked at me straight in the eyes. "Alan. There's no good way to say this…" he started. "Your daughter is implicated in one of the three bullying gangs in Winslow High."

Those words hit me like a fist to the gut. Emma, implicated in something like this? That couldn't be. But the senior partners weren't ones to play pranks, not with things of this magnitude.

My legs nearly gave out under me. "Can… Can I sit?" I asked.

John and Gerald nodded, and I took a seat. There were so many repercussions, so much impacts, that I found I couldn't think straight. Emma, a bully? But why?

"Could… Could I see what was collected?" I asked. If I wanted to fight the case, I needed to know as much as I could.

The two of them looked at each other. "You will have to sign this first," Mason said, and handed me a document.

The document was basically a non-disclosure and non-participation agreement. Should I sign that, the office could sue me if I went against them in court. It basically said I was withdrawing the right to defend my daughter before the judge.

I, being a lawyer, of course read every single line, and understood what was written between them. If I didn't sign, I was basically forfeiting my job, sooner or later. In that case, I was sure to be put on leave, which meant the Steevenson case would go to someone else. Even if the Hebert case failed and Emma got out of it scot-free, it would hurt my position in the office, and see me out or be demoted as basically a paper-pusher. Since Laura, my wife, did not work, the change in salary would hurt my family harshly.

And that's not telling what could happen if the case went through. And it would, in all possibility. The senior partners didn't bandy terms like rock-solid easily. The firm would drop me right then, in that case, just to protect their reputation. I'd have to move outside the city for me to find any job in the law field.

Even if I did sign, today would have a heavy impact on my career. Integrity was one of the cornerstones of being a lawyer, and this had just destroyed mine. A lawyer who couldn't have the law respected in his own house wasn't going to be much better outside of it.

After a good moment of thinking, I signed. The risk wasn't worth it. The best thing for me, for my family, was to distance myself as much as possible from this. Emma had dug her own grave in this. I had always told her to beware the consequences of her actions, and it seemed she hadn't listened. I wasn't going to hurt my wife and Sonya, my other daughter, for Emma's mistake.

I handed the document back to my partners, and was handed a heavy folder in turn. The senior partners weren't joking when they said they wanted a rock solid case, I noted sarcastically. From the data in the folder, there were seven bullies arranged in three groups in Winslow high. A pair of senior boys on sport teams, the classic jocks. Two freshmen girls, which the data indicated were emulating the year above. And a trio of sophomore girls, who were the main perpetrators from the accounts of the students.

Emma Barnes, Sophia Hess, Madison Clements.

I knew them all.

The document indicated that either Emma was leading the group, or co-leading with Sophia. Madison clearly was simply an accessory.

I went through the events described there one of the other. I was horrible. Theft, harassment, various injuries, bad pranks. There was even a sheaf of papers describing the locker event, as it had come to be known, signed by both students and their parents. The evidence placed Emma there, watching, as Sophia pushed Taylor into the locker.

I couldn't read any more. I'd heard descriptions through the grapevine of what had been in there, and I could barely hold my lunch. I pushed the folder away and waited until I could think once more.

"So, Alan, what are you going to do?" Gerald asked.

I took a deep breath. This was a test, and I knew it. Still, there was something I needed to do. "Is Mr. Hebert aware of this?"

"He might. The PI sent the report to the both of us right before dinner," Mason replied.

I bowed. "May… May I have the rest of the day off?" I asked. "I need… I need to talk to Danny about this."

"Remember what you signed," Gerald said.

"I am not going to ask or suggest anything to him," I said. "As one father to another, he deserves excuses from me. I have been at fault and he has been hurt by that, so I must make amends for my actions." Or my lack of action, in this case.

"Granted," Mr. Mason said.

I nodded and walked off. Integrity was one of the important values of a lawyer. I needed to show, to prove I was still an honorable man, whatever the mistakes I made were.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was nearly four when I arrived at the Dockworkers' Association. I'd walked the whole way, not taking my car. I needed to think.

It didn't take long for me to get directed to Danny's office.

"Alan, good to see you," he said as I started making my way inside. "Come in, come in." He pointed to the spot right before his desk. "Take a chair."

"I prefer to stand," I said. I was suddenly very conscious of how this was mirroring our previous conversation. I found that fitting, sarcastically.

"Ok," he said. "I suppose you're here about the case. Do you have some news?"

It seemed he hadn't gotten the PI's report yet. "Unfortunately, I am here about the case," I started, standing ramrod straight. "I am sorry to say that I failed you, Danny. My daughter was involved in the bullying on Taylor," I said directly, then looked down in apparent shame. Better to go straight to the point.

I still saw his face redden, his figure tense. He jumped straight up from his chair. "WHAT?" he cried out. I stayed where I was and didn't try to defend myself. I knew Danny, and he was a temperamental person, but in this case I would take my due. I would have done the same in his case.

He held to his desk, scrapping it on the ground, then managed to stop himself. His face was slowly getting an even deeper red in anger, and he was gripping his desk as if holding himself back from something. "Why are you here, Alan? Are you here to threaten me? To make me drop the case?" his voice was colder than the Artic.

I did not say that I had thought to do exactly that, regardless of what I signed. I had ultimately discarded it, being too much of a risk for the rest of my family. "No," I answered. "I have withdrawn any right to defend my daughter in court. For what she has done, I hope she get her just deserts." Not that I really wanted that, of course. The best I could do was apologize as sincerely as I could, as throughtly as I could, in hope that Danny would remember.

It might make whatever sentence fell somewhat lighter.

Silence stretched for a few minutes.

"Go home, Alan," Danny said, and his voice still cold. "Take care of your family. I… can't think clearly right now."

I walked out, turning only at the last moment. "I'm sorry. Danny. Truly I am."

"I know," he said, voice tense. "Just go."

I left.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I was still thinking when I arrived home. I was unlucky to fall right on Emma as I entered.

"Dad, I'm gonna be going to Sophia's place. There's…" she started.

"No," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "You will go straight to your room and stay there."

"Ah, come on, Dad!" she said. She wasn't getting the tone of what I was saying. "We have to…"

I interrupted her again. "Emma, to your room, NOW!" my voice started cracking. "And you will stay there until further notice."

"That's a little rough, dear," Laura, my wife said, coming in from the kitchen. "She hasn't done anything to deserve something like that."

"She did, that is all I can say," I was already treading very close to talking of what I shouldn't. "Emma, your room. You should have stayed there instead of what you did."

My words did not fall on deaf ears. "Alan, that's not something we say in this house," Laura said, fixing me with a glare.

I lost it then. "We respect the law in this house!" I yelled, and turned to Emma, glaring straight down at her. "I know what you did, Emma. You, Sophia and Madison. Be thankful that I do not do worse. Surely you would deserve that."

She went white as a sheet. "But, Dad…" she'd finally gotten it.

"There is no 'but' here, Emma," I kept on glaring.

"Know this: I will make sure you get the punishment you deserve, whether the law does it or not. Now, YOUR ROOM!" I yelled. Then, I grabbed her cell phone. "No phone, no computer, no nothing! You will think about what you have done, and nothing else!"

"But Dad…" she said, halfway up the stairs. There were tears in her voice. "You said you should always protect your family."

I brought Laura close. "Yes, you should always protect your family," I confirmed, staring directly at her. "I now have to protect mine from your actions."

Once Emma was gone to her room, my anger crashed instantly, leaving me drained. My wife turned to me. "Tell me you aren't saying what I think you are, Alan." She was nearly crying. "Tell me you aren't thinking of disowning her."

What? I said to myself. I looked back on what I had said, and saw where someone might have inferred that. "Of course not," I answered. "She's my daughter, whatever happens. She simply needs to think about the consequences of her actions."

I looked back toward her room and sighed. "Whatever happens, we're in for a rough time, all of us." I held her close once more. "We'll need to be ready for it."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Colin, are you busy?" I asked, my face coming over to the screen.

"Somewhat, but your input would be appreciated," Armsmaster replied. "This case is getting nowhere."

"I would be glad to help," I said, a smile coming to my face. "What case?"

"Shadow Stalker's power loss, which is now part of the Slenderman files…" Armsmaster explained. "I suppose you're heard of him."

"With the amount of traffic the subject has on the Parahuman Wiki Forums, I don't see how I could have missed it," I pointed out. More than ten people were currently writing messages in those threads, at this very second.

"True. So, what do you think about this villain?" he asked.

"Villain? I wouldn't rate him as such." I wasn't even sure about Slenderman being a him. Movement analysis was inconclusive, balancing between male and female at most times. "From his known actions, I would rate him more as a vigilante hero," I said.

"He attacked a Ward, probably at home during her sleep, then blew up a house!" Colin exclaimed. "How is that not villain behavior?"

I didn't want to get into such a discussion now. "You're asking me to rate him, correct?"

He nodded.

"Based on what's been seen until now, Brute 3, Mover 5, Striker 7, Trump 8-9. At the lowest," I spoke. The forums were actually debating that issue right now.

"Trump 8-9 at the lowest," he repeated. "You know that you just put him just below Eidolon's level. Above any other nullifier, for sure."

My electric face nodded. "I'm going with the logic that the power loss is permanent, as has been seen until now."

"That power loss is the big issue," he said. "There's not a day going by that I don't hear a comment about Slenderman. Morale is down, and I've had to approve of two requests for wards to sleep at base until further notice." He sighed. "And that's not saying what you do about depowered villains."

"Do tell." I had a good idea, but it seemed Colin needed to talk.

"I can't send them to regular jail," he explained. "Kaiser will have them out in no time. The Birdcage, for what are now normal people? It's overkill, that's what it is. The both of them won't last a day there."

"True," I agreed with him. I didn't help that the Birdcage was a multiracial prison. Putting unpowered racists in there was a death sentence.

"And what about Shadow Stalker? What can I do with an depowered Ward? Law states that she has to finish her term, but she's of no use to the team at the moment," Armsmaster added.

I saw a good place to interject. "Actually, Shadow Stalker is part of the reason I needed to talk to you."

"What about her?"

"The firm of Barnes, Holmes & Mason has put a court case forward for harassment, bullying and other such infractions, against both Winslow High and seven minors within. A civil case," I explained. "Sophia Hess is named amongst those, with quite a list of offenses attached to her."

"Damnit!" Armsmaster yelled, staring at the ceiling. "This is so not the time!"

"What are you suggesting we do about it?" I asked. I was 95% sure of what he would answer, but this was his team. Being polite meant asking.

"No choice, we send it up the chain," he said, sighing. "I knew that girl was going to come bite us back in the ass."

I refrained from commenting. There was a lot I could have said, but I was constrained by the laws, both mine and the country. "Anything new in the workshop?" I said instead, changing the subject.

"Well…" He said, and we moved on to better things. He needed the stress relief, I could tell.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*