Expansion

I will admit one thing at least: when the PRT decides to cover up something, they don't mess around. It was only four days before my father received the transfer papers to Arcadia, the receipt from the law firm, all expenses paid, and a deposit of half a million dollars for damages.

He wasn't happy with the money, but since there wasn't anything we could do about it at this point he had no choice but to take it. It did mean the rest of the mortgage on the house was a thing of the past, though.

I started at Arcadia ten days after taking down Oni Lee. The principal had somehow been informed of my issues at Winslow and was very sympathetic and understanding, something I didn't trust in the least.

The school itself was very different from Winslow. Everything was brightly lit and looked new (including the lockers, which were smaller than those at my previous school, something which was a relief). The teachers seemed decent and qualified. There were a few cliques, but nothing that affected me.

Compared to Arcadia, Winslow seemed dirty, old and somewhat out-of-date. The cliques in my old school were powerful, and always jockeying for more. And the teachers there weren't anything to write home about.

Arcadia seemed like a breath of fresh air.

The only issue was that it seemed there were capes everywhere.

My ability to see capes wasn't an advantage here. I had to force myself not to react when a glowing person passed me, or worse, was a member of my classes. This happened twice: A brown-haired boy in my math class, and a redheaded male in my English class.

Members of the Wards, I supposed. I doubted the gangs would send their children with powers here, though I supposed it was possible.

I suppose I could have gone through video archives and identified them, but I had nothing against the Wards. I actually felt a little respect for them, being fellow sufferers of the attentions of Shadow Stalker. I wanted my own status as a cape to remain a secret, so keeping mum about secret identities was par for the course.

I suffered through being the new student for a while, though it tapered off as the other students realized I wasn't much for socializing. No one was insulting about it, though, so I took that as a win.

And by the second week, I was sending T in my place.

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

"The ABB is falling back everywhere. Lung's barely been seen, something which doesn't inspire my confidence at all. He's planning something, that's for sure." Lisa said from her place at the table. We were having Chinese today.

"That's good." I replied.

"Not really." Brian added, then took a bite of his General Tao. "Whatever territory they're losing, others are taking. The Empire is the one gaining the most, but even Coil has thrown his hat in the ring. His mercenaries have been pushing everyone out of the Broadwalk, and some of them have even been seen during the day."

"And the Protectorate has done nothing?" I asked.

"They try, but the E88's the main threat, and they can't go toe to toe with all of the Empire's capes. And they know it." Lisa explained. "Coil's a different issue. Most if not all of his people aren't capes, so their hands are tied. Coil would be fair game, but nobody sees him."

The three of us were silent for a moment as I digested that information. Then Brian swallowed and spoke. "I don't think you called me here for dinner and a discussion." He said with a smile. "What is it?"

"I discussed things with Lisa here, and I had something I wanted to try with your power, if you don't mind?" I asked, blushing a little.

He didn't seem to notice. "You can put everything back where it was, right?" I nodded. "Go ahead then." He held out his hand.

One of the things I had been experimenting on was how powers mixed with each other. Problem was, only two of the ones I currently possessed could be combined:

Area and Thief.

The result wasn't anything I liked. It was mostly adding the concept of Area to Thief than any combination of the two. While it did open up a slot in my mind, I liked my version of Area too much to discard it. Also, I disliked the ability Thief gave me, and this didn't really get rid of it.

Since both Area could combine with both Thief and Grue's Impair, Lisa suggested trying to fit the two together. I wasn't sure I wanted Grue to have Thief, but I had to admit he was one of the persons I trusted the most. I'd hunted the ABB with the Undersiders three times, and he'd never been more violent than necessary.

And I really wanted Thief gone.

I grabbed Impair and tried merging it with each of my sparks in turn (Save Clone; I didn't want T to disappear in the middle of class).

Surprise, surprise, Lisa had been right. I could fit Thief and Impair together without any issues. I sent the combined spark back to Grue instantly.

"So, how does it feel?" I asked.

Like he'd done before, he materialized a blob of shadowy mist above his hand. He looked at it for a moment. "Similar, but there's something different about it nonetheless." He inclined his head to the side. "It feels a little more difficult to work with somehow."

"Hit me with it for a minute?" I asked.

He did so, engulfing me in a column of the stuff. I couldn't feel a difference from before; It still impaired the same senses. I tried moving, feeling the usual bizarre resistance it had. Nothing different.

Then I yawned.

The column vanished and the the Undersiders present looked at me. I had to resist yawning again, and reached for a caffeinated soda.

"Energy drain, right?" Brian said to Lisa.

She nodded. "Yup. Steals energy. Much less dangerous than the original Thief or many of its variations, for sure." Lisa knew that well. I'd done some testing with her, especially the combined Area and Thief.

"Nice." Brian said with a smirk. He then threw a curtain of the stuff over an empty part of the place. "I'll have to change the way I use it, though. Mind if I keep it for a while?"

I understood why he said that. Since his shadow didn't harm, he often threw it over his teammates. That wouldn't be such a good idea anymore. "Be my guest. It's yours if you want it." While it had offensive use, it wasn't deadly like the version I had. He could keep it.

He had the smile of a kid with a new toy. "Does it bother you if I…" He said, pointing toward the exit.

I didn't mind. "No, go ahead." I replied. "And thank you."

He rose from his chair. "No, thank you." He said, putting emphasis on the last word. "And again for the help with the ABB." He waved, then walked out.

"Well, that's one problem solved." Lisa pointed out as the door closed behind Grue. "Feel better?"

"Much." I answered. I supposed that how people felt when they got rid of a smoking gun. "Good to know I can focus on other stuff now."

"Anything in particular?" She asked.

"My suits come first." I was done with Apparition's suit, as it were. I was now working on a second tinker suit, a full body one, in case T was needed in combat. I was also working on and off on my new Slenderman outfit. "Some research, as well." I added.

"What kind of research?" Lisa asked. "You do know that you're talking to a specialist, here." She was smirking.

"Cape with regeneration powers." I explained. "As I told you, I went to see one of the requests, and she…" I paused. "She'll probably need a regenerative power once I'm done. She's… no longer human, at all."

"And I suppose you want to limit yourself to villains, right?" She thought for a second. "Lung, possibly." I scowled. That wasn't a target I believed I could hit. "The only other one I can think about is Crawler, but you don't want to be anywhere near the Slaughterhouse Nine." I nodded fervently. "There aren't any others I can think of, off the top of my head. I'll check it out, though."

She was silent for a moment, so I grabbed a bite. "What's happening with the Undersiders now?"

"Not much." Lisa answered after taking a drink. "With the ABB in hiding, our boss stopped having us hunt them. We're flush with money, so it isn't much of an issue, but hopefully he'll have a few more jobs for us in the coming weeks. The rest of the team gets agitated if we don't do anything." She explained. "You scored a number of points with the rest of them, actually. More money always makes Regent happy, and Bitch likes fighting gangs, so you did good there."

"I noticed, at least for Bitch." I replied. "She wasn't growling at me anymore, in the end."

"She's difficult to please, I'll give you that." She said. "She's very pack-oriented. She needs people to prove themselves, which it seems you did. I'm 90% sure she wouldn't even mind teaming up with you again."

"Let's hope that's not necessary." I said. "With the ABB out of the picture, hopefully things will be calm for a while. The city could use a break."

The smile fell off Lisa's face. "I don't think that's gonna happen, Taylor." She replied. "It feels like the other shoe is waiting to drop."

I rose and starting walking toward my workshop, with Lisa following. "Let's make sure we're ready for it, then."

"Let's." She repeated, nodding.

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

By now, travelling from home to base in the sewers was second nature. I knew the path by heart, since I used it every morning and afternoon. The only other path I knew as well was from the base to Arcadia, and for pretty much the same reason.

I went to base every morning mainly to recreate T, who powered down every morning a little after seven. I had finally gotten to testing Clone within an empowering zone, hoping that it might allow me to create a second copy. No such luck, though it doubled T's life expectancy. Going from a half-day to a full one made scheduling quite a bit easier.

"Morning Taylor." T said as I walked out of the washroom.

"Morning." I answered. "How is it going with the tinkering?"

"The grenade and the jammer you wanted are done. Started working on the armor of the second suit, though it won't be as solid as we wanted." She explained. "Getting enough Osmium or Iridium would take us months. Better work with lesser metals which will get us results earlier, and replace what we need in the future."

That was the main issue of tinkering, resources. It wasn't like T or I could walk in an hardware store and order a couple of kilos of rare metals to work with. Boron was one of the best elements we had access to, and even then we had to waste time refining it out of household solvents. Rarer minerals than that were almost impossible to get in large enough quantities. Trying through the official channels was basically the equivalent of outing yourself as a tinker.

"Outside of that, Lucifer is about halfway done. We could probably finish it today if we put in enough effort." She added.

"Must you call it that?" I asked.

"Well, it needed a name and…" T was interrupted by the ringing of an alarm. "One minute warning." She said, smiling. "See you soon."

"See you." I said and waited. Before long, T fell into dust on the ground.

Focusing, I reviewed her day's work that I could now remember. Nothing special at school and what little homework she had was done. Most of what work was left on Lucifer was wiring, programing and the like: long and tedious, but not necessarily difficult.

Perfect for my plans. I noted mentally.

I waited until the alarm rang again to recreate T to match my schedule, then waited some more until she was dressed out of politeness. By now, I'd gotten used to the fact that T appeared nude.

"So, school, right?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yes, unless you think there's a reason I should be the one going." I asked. T tended to remember the things she'd done more easily than I did, for some reason.

"Nope, not really." She replied.

"Good, then I'll be preparing for tonight." I went to a desk and grabbed her bag that was standing there. "Need anything else?"

"No." She put the bag on her back. "See you at five, Taylor." She said, and turned into shadow.

"Have a good day." I replied as the shadow slipped into the sewers. She'd come out in an alley two streets away from school. It was the closest out of sight sewer access to the place.

I sat at the desk T had been using earlier and booted up the computer there. I wasn't ready to give up on my regenerator idea.

Lisa had mailed me a list of the active villains with regeneration powers. It was unfortunately a short one, with no good candidates. To give a good idea, the closest villain target I felt I could take was an African warlord based out of Congo. It seemed like villain regenerators didn't tend to last very long before either getting in a fight against something that could kill them, or getting sent to jail. A quick review of the ones in the birdcage would have put two dozens valid candidates, had they been free.

Regardless, I spent a few hours on research without much to show for it. Even crossing over to heroic capes, regenerators were limited. It seemed Endbringers had the tendency to eliminate them very reliably.

After that waste of time, I focused on what equipment I had left to fabricate for tonight's excursion. I needed that mission to go without issue.

I might not get another opportunity for a long time.

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

Berrybrook Parahuman Isolation Center wasn't any more inviting the second time around. I quickly slithered inside, bypassing the few spots where light could be found, going straight for my target.

Garotte.

Lisa's comment about the current situation being only the eye of the storm had made me realize that, if I wanted to focus on Garotte's issue, I might not have another chance for long, if ever.

I'd noted, on my first visit here, that Garotte's aura didn't fit with what I knew; It seemed she had two. That contradicted my own experiments on powers, where two powers didn't mean two auras. Twice I had given Grue a combined power, and at no time did I see a second aura on him.

So I needed more data.

That was the goal of this incursion. I had with me a gas grenade full of the most powerful non-lethal incapacitating agent I could produce, a gas mask to protect myself from said grenade and an ECM device powerful enough to jam every camera in that room.

I was also in my new Slenderman costume, though it wasn't finished. It was lacking most of the armour of the previous version, though this time I'd built the exterior suit out of synthetic spider silk. Hopefully, it would be stronger that way.

Once in Sveta's room, however, I had to wait. She was currently occupying the corner that was out of sight of the cameras, and I needed that corner free to start. Once the jammer was in place I would be free to move, but that would be useless if I was spotted on tape before I could place it..

It was the guard who ended up moving Sveta. I could hear him making his round, and whatever intelligence was behind those tentacles while she was asleep reacted by hanging right above the door.

It has some knowledge of tactics. I noted.

I waited until the guard's light had passed, and dove.

That was the right term, diving. I appeared on the ceiling, sticking the jammer there and activating it with a press, then pushed off. Garotte reacted, of course, but she didn't have time to do anything before I turned to shadow upon hitting the ground.

And taking only the pin with me while leaving the grenade behind, of course.

Whatever brain the tentacles had wasn't so intelligent. An appendage struck the grenade clean through, ripping it apart. This of course only released the gas faster, and it took only another minute until Sveta collapsed to the ground.

Only then did I appear again.

There was no reaction this time. Still, I advanced carefully, and pushed a tentacle aside with a foot as a test.

No reaction. I went for her pulse at what I supposed counted for her neck and found a slow but steady one. I drew a zone around her and put it to negation. Her pulse didn't change.

Perfect. I put the zone back to normal level.

I released a sigh and got to work. I placed myself on the side with only a single tentacle, removed my left glove, and made contact.

One, two, three… four powers? I counted in my head.

Indeed, Sveta somehow had four powers. And not like Grue, who currently had two, but a combined pair along with two more that weren't matched.

Okay, I start with what? I asked myself. I had previously thought that the extra aura might be something else than her powers, but it seemed pretty conclusive that it was caused by the extra powers there.

After a moment of thinking, I decided to go on regardless. I wanted to at least know which powers I was dealing with. I could always put the powers back if necessary. Let's start with those two unattached. I said to myself.

I pulled the first, verifying that Sveta's pulse didn't change without that power. No change.

Focusing on the new power in my head, I was surprised to see what I could feel about it.

Human? That… That makes no sense. I said inside. It would actually be the last power I could associate with Garotte here.

I thought about things for a moment, then decided to simply get the data I could. I pushed back Human to get another one, only for it to switch with another of hers. The combined shard in her mind jumped to mine, and stood there.

OK, that's new. I exclaimed inside. It seemed I couldn't push back a power to someone who had one, even if they had more than one before.

I ignored the repercussions of that for an instant and focused on my new spark. A combined one, as I'd felt before. I had to split it before I could get a fix on its components, but when I did they explained quite a bit.

The names my mind was putting on them was 'Tentacle' and 'Force'.

They were clearly explaining both her current state and that of her room. It was, like the first time I'd been here, filled with traces of damage.

I combined them again and reached for the tentacle I was using as point of contact, only to find that said tentacle had moved.

What?! I screamed inside. I turned to shadow instinctively and jumped to the opposite wall as a reaction, then took a good look at the scene.

Her tentacles were folding back into her body.

Actually, when I looked from above, it seemed like she was slowly turning back to human form, somehow.

Okay, Human explains that, sure. I said in my head. But why now?

I couldn't control my zone while in Shadow form, so I returned to the ground at my previous place then turned back to a human.

I noticed instantly that the white aura she had was gone, leaving only the faded bronze. I pushed that aside and pushed my zone to the maximum empowerment. It did, as I thought, increase the speed at which her body pulled itself together.

Getting back in contact, I realize that her two other powers had somehow combined when I pushed Human back. I thought about it while she took back human form, then decided to push it to later, when I had more time.

I was still curious about what her last power was.

I didn't push back the combined Tentacle/Force, simply pulling her last power once I was sure she was back to being a human.

Her last power, once split was the concept of Danger. I didn't leave it split for a long moment, simply enough to identify it. It went quicker than expected, actually. There wasn't the pain I'd associated with reaching over my limits, either.

I wondered why for a second, before realizing I was in the power-affecting zone I'd built around Sveta.

It seemed Skidmark's former spark affected even my original power. Allowed me to have more powers, at least while in the zone. Somewhat useful, but being stuck in place made it quite situational.

I even split both powers without any negative consequence, something which put me at eight powers. Some of them felt like they had a smaller metaphorical size than the others (Human was, what?, a fifth of the size of my main powers, while Force and Danger were only twice Human's size. Only Tentacle matched my other sparks.), which might explain the ease I had.

One thing was sure, I wasn't going to keep them all. I needed to find a way of mixing them that let me drop as many as possible on Sveta.

I passed the next few minutes trying various mixes. In the end, it was the biggest spark, Tentacle, that was the issue. The other three mixed properly together, but Human and Tentacle had no way of mixing, regardless of what I added to them beforehand.

Tentacle, however, did mix with Shadow properly. I didn't keep them together, since I needed Shadow working the way I expected if I wanted out of here. I pushed the trio down to Sveta and was relieved to see it went away properly.

Then my alarm rang.

It was my ECM device. It wasn't very long lasting, so I'd made sure it warned me two minutes before failing. I went, grabbed it, and was reaching for the two halves of the grenade only to see Sveta rise behind me. Her eyes went wide.

I reacted instinctively, grabbing the last half of the grenade while making the universal symbol for silence with the other hand.

She then looked down and realized she had hands, and I used that instant to vanish.

I was a mile away from the place two minutes later.

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

I found upon waking up the next morning that Tattletale had sent me a message earlier.

Good work!​

Outside an attached link, that was all it said. I clicked it and found myself on a webpage I recognized, the Parahuman Wiki forums. It linked directly to a single post.

Topic: Slenderman, Please Visit!

In: Boards ► Capes ► Rogues ► America

GstringGirl

Replied on April 7th, 2011:

Thank you.

Glad to help. I said to myself, and smiled.

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

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

[Dragon]

My systems warned me of a camera failure in the Berrybrook Parahuman Isolation Center, room 552.

Connected as I was to everything, I took note the event and, after quickly checking through my other priorities, tasked a part of my processing power to analyze the issue.

I knew all of the inmates at the Center, even if I had at no point talked with any of them. We were, in a way, kindred spirits, limited as they were by things out their control. Some I favored more than others.

The occupant of room 552 was one of them. Even with the irony of Sveta's name.

A quick diagnostic of the failed camera revealed nothing, but a deeper scan of the system indicated something was awry. Not only had the camera failed, but so had the wall-mounted computer and the air conditioning unit. All of the failures had the same exact timestamp, which removed casual damage or mechanical failure.

Going back to the camera footage, I analyzed the video frame by frame. Visually, there was nothing incriminating, but my analysis program detected a slight sound just as the camera stopped. Something very close to the camera, on the ceiling.

Jamming device. I concluded.

Still, I wasn't to contact authorities until I had proof of an escape attempt. I kept watch, devoting part of my processing power to monitor the cameras in adjacent rooms, waiting for something to change.

Instead, the systems came back online. Camera, computer, everything.

There was only one person in the room. Female, brown hair, early to mid-teens. Naked.

No sight of Sveta.

I focused on the sounds coming from the room, hoping to detect Garotte before something unfortunate happened. Then the girl faced the camera for a second.

The symbol on her cheek quickly indicated who she was. Still, I ran her face through my own personal face-recognition programs, just to be sure. Result: 96.01769825382% match.

This young woman was Sveta.

She looked at her hands and at her body for long moments, then started dancing all over the room, touching everything.

The motions were as genuine as I could tell, and match the personality analysis I had of the girl.

I did a quick check of the birdcage and of the S-class threats being monitored, then returned to Sveta's situation.

This was big. Huge even.

While I didn't know as much as I wanted to about the reclusive group going under the name of Cauldron, I was still one of the people who knew the most about them. I knew they were connected to what the PRT were calling the Case 53's, I had files on their most common enforcers and on individuals I believed were linked to them, and I had drives full of data, correlations and hypotheses.

I knew they somehow sold powers.

But I was, unfortunately, forbidden by the PRT to investigate them. That didn't stop me from going over the data I had to model their reactions.

This was the first time a Case 53 somehow managed to return to human form. As soon as Cauldron would find out about this, Sveta would vanish and never be seen again. I knew Cauldron was linked to certain disappearances, more than one infact.

Not if I can help it. I swore to myself.

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

[Sveta]

I don't know how long I danced, spun and moved all over the room. In the end, I simply stopped, out of breath. I had a smile on my face and felt like it would last forever. I ignored the itch in the back of my head and looked at my fingers.

Hands! I have hands! And feet! I screamed in joy inside. And… I looked down.

I had been an ardent user of the Internet and, as such, was no stranger to images of nude women. My own body was in line with what I'd seen, though it seemed young. I could deal with that.

Thinking of the net made me realize that I hadn't even thanked my savior for what he'd done. That seemed much too rude.

Still smiling, I went to the computer in the wall and started it since it seemed to have shut down. I went directly to the Parahumans Online forum and replied with my thanks in the Slenderman thread.

Then I noticed a PM arrive, right there.

At this hour? I said to myself. A quick look at the clock indicated 3:19 AM.

Morris_Elk: I know what happened, Sveta. You need to escape. You're in danger.

The moment I read danger, the feeling in the back of my head jumped, and I knew what it was. I turned around, looking over the room itself. Low, pervasive danger everywhere. A reddish twinge to the air. I could feel it growing, a little more every second. It was still distant, but it was getting closer every moment.

Turning back to the screen, I went back to the Slenderman visit thread. My post was the last, and clear, as were the past ten requests.

Then one was tinted red. I didn't have to guess, I knew. That very address, somewhere in New York, was dangerous. Deadly, I would even say.

I went back to the PM. It was clear, no real danger. A moment of thinking gave me a good idea what this user was talking about. If I didn't escape, I could guess I would be subjected to dozens of medical tests, interrogations and the like. They would try to find out how it happened.

I remembered Slenderman asking me for silence.

I made my mind.

GstringGirl: I see what you mean.

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

[Dragon]

I released a metaphorical breath and processed my options. I was limited in what I could do, being forced to respect American law by the limitations my father had put on me. I couldn't go and free her, couldn't open the doors, couldn't shut down the cameras.

Not directly, at least.

Morris_Elk: I can't do much to help you.

Morris_Elk: Just this.

Morris_Elk: [Image Link]

Morris_Elk: Don't press the second link until you're ready to leave.

Morris_Elk: [Webpage Link]

Morris_Elk: Good luck.

Because I was forced to follow the law, I couldn't do many things. For example, I couldn't reveal the plans of any public building that wasn't already open to everyone. I was also forbidden to infect American computers with viruses.

That didn't mean I couldn't show someone an image I drew, that was somehow similar to the mentioned building plans, or that I couldn't link someone to a webpage I knew was infected with viruses. Powerful, fast-acting ones.

Respecting the letter of the law, while ignoring the spirit. It wasn't the first time I did so, and probably wouldn't be the last.

Hopefully it would be enough.

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

[Sveta]

I memorized the first image as well as I could. Of great interest was the laundry room, since escaping naked wasn't the best idea, and the cafeteria since my stomach was growling for food. I suspected this was due to my transformation back to a human.

I would take starving to being a tentacled beast any day.

I looked around the room, trying to find an exit. This would be difficult, since I knew the room had been built with my former strength in mind. And I didn't know if I still had it.

A quick look revealed nothing usable. There was some damage on the wall, all superficial.

Come on! I said to myself. No time to waste!

As I thought that, my view of the room changed. Everything was now tinted red, dangerous.

It took me a second to understand what I had done. It seemed I could refine my power to show specific dangers such as, in this case, wasting time.

With that in mind, I went and examined the entire room once more. I quickly found only a single spot that wasn't fully red. It was the very spot with the camera, which simply shone a light pink.

I turned back to the computer and typed.

GstringGirl: Thank you.

Then I pressed the second link. Instantly, one, then two, then four windows opened on the screen, after which the machine itself crashed.

"Thank you." I replied out loud.

I turned back to the corner and quickly noticed the power light had gone off on the camera.

Time to get to work. I told myself.

Even knowing where to start, it still took me more than an hour by my estimation before I could escape the room. Luckily, the strength of my previous form hadn't fully fled me; I was able to rip the camera off easily. Widening the hole was an issue, but making some form of ladder out of my former bed helped.

By that time, I was able to slip in the space between floors. Next stop: Laundry room.

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

[Jessica Yamada]

"I'm sorry, Doctor Yamada." The guard said, visibly apologetic. "We have an escaped inmate. Orders are to let no one in." He lowered his head somewhat.

It wasn't the first time regulations interfered with my work. "Can I at least know who's missing? It might be one of my patients." I asked. I didn't see anyone of them escaping, not willingly at least.

The guard looked from side to side as if to make sure nobody would notice him. "Room 552." He finally whispered.

I had to admit I scowled at that. Sveta was one of my patients, and I had to agree quite unlikely to escape willingly. Her control over her body was limited, and she might even have been asleep while she snuck out. Her body never slept, even if she did.

"Thank you." I said, and walked back to my car. I was on the phone a second later, trying to switch appointments around, trying to fill my work day.

I could probably kiss my next Sunday goodbye, though.

Luckily, I managed to advance next week's appointments in Brockton Bay for later today. It was close enough to here that I wouldn't lose most of the day driving around, either.

I was barely a mile away from the asylum when a girl stepped out in the road. Bizarre, since there wasn't anything within kilometers of here.

Outside the asylum, at least.

She made the universal symbol of asking for a ride, and I decided to take her in. She was, what, fourteen?, and there was very little traffic here, so I didn't feel like leaving her on the curb.

I stopped on the side, opened my window and asked "I'm going in direction of Brockton Bay. Want a ride?"

"Mrs. Yamada?" the girl asked.

The voice was familiar, but I couldn't put a name on it. Those eyes also reminded me of something, but I couldn't tell what.

"Right." She said. "We had an appointment today, didn't we?"

There was only a single girl I was supposed to meet today. "Sveta?!"

She smiled and nodded. I suddenly realized I had never seen her smile that brightly. "Yes, Brockton Bay will be perfect."

I went and opened the other door, and she stepped in. I was amazed; she now had a perfectly normal body. I also noticed the symbol on her cheek had vanished.

I shook my head to put my thoughts in order. "So, anything you want to talk about?" I was curious, I admitted.

She gave me a focused look like she had never before. "Can I trust you, Mrs. Yamada?" She asked.

I met her eyes directly. "You are still one of my patients, last I heard. So, unless it harms anybody, I won't say anything."

She looked at me for a few seconds more, as if she was seeing something I wasn't, then turned to look out at the road. "Well, I don't know if you've heard, but there's this new cape called Slenderman…"

Listening, I accelerated again and left the side of the road. Inside, I smiled. It was always good to see a patient turning the corner.

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

[Doctor Mother]

"Doctor, I have something for you to see." Alexandria said as she stepped into Cauldron's headquarters.

I turned in my chair. "Show me, then."

The hero brought out a laptop and opened it. Seconds later, a video started showing. Barely ten seconds of footage, actually.

"And what is your reason for showing me a dancing naked girl?" I asked, glaring a little. "If this is a joke, I must inform you that my preferences do not turn in that direction."

"This is the previous video of this person, taken around an hour earlier." The cape in black said.

This time, I recognized the person on the screen. "Show me the second video again."

The quality of the footage wasn't good, but I could see the Cauldron symbol on her cheek. I looked in my memories for a second. "1616, right?"

Alexandria nodded. "Sveta." She added.

"What happened to her?" I asked.

"Escaped as of yesterday." The super replied. "We are lucky to even have this footage. If the system hadn't been backing data on tape at the exact moment the virus hit, we wouldn't have anything."

"That means enemy action." I turned to the cape beside me. "Contessa, please bring this person to us." I said, turning the laptop where Sveta was dancing toward my enforcer.

She nodded and was about to call out something when she stopped. She did the same thing three times more before she turned to me. "It… It doesn't work." She finally said. "The moment I start something, the path changes."

"That's worrying." I turned to Alexandria. "Put some people on it. Find her, watch her. As soon as we have enough data to properly simulate her behavior, I'll send Contessa and Number Man after her. High priority."

Alexandria nodded and called for a portal. A second later, she was gone.

I went back to my plan. If the thousands of Cases 53 we had in Headquarters could be made normal again, we would have an even greater tool for our plans. People would work much better with other humans than with the inhuman monstrosities that we currently had.

We would have to run this by Accord again.

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

[Sveta]

Mrs. Yamada and I got out of her car in the PRT parking lot. "Are you sure you're going to be alright, Sveta?"

I nodded. I had enough of my previous strength left that I didn't fear being randomly mugged, and my danger sense would help me find a place to stay. "I'll manage. Compared to before, this is heaven." Of course, I knew enough from the Parahuman Online Wiki that Brockton Bay wasn't anywhere close to paradise, but it was better than staying at the Center.

And it was, quite probably, the home of my savior, Slenderman.

My former therapist did a sad little smile. "Here." She said, handing me twenty dollars. "Use it. Get yourself something to eat." She checked her watch. "I have to go. You have my email, right?" I nodded. "Send me one if there's anything you need, or even if you simply want to talk. I'm not in Brockton Bay often, but I can probably arrange something."

"Thanks a lot, Mrs. Yamada." I replied.

"You're not in the Center anymore, so you can call me Jessica." She smiled more happily this time. "Good luck." She said.

The both of us then walked in opposite directions.

I went deeper in the city. After a passage in a supermarket, my first priority was finding myself a good place to spend the night.

The day was full of new experiences. I could barely remember the times preceding my arrival at the asylum, so the mass of people, the buildings, the roads, everything was new. I enjoyed the fact that I could simply look around, moving freely from place to place without anything restraining me.

It was intoxicating.

Still, I followed my danger sense. I dodged the few streets I saw that were in red, walked a good distance from anyone wreathed in crimson and was careful about everything I did. I did learn a few things about my power, though. While I could refine my perception toward specific dangers, it wasn't always helpful. My danger sense relied on my sight, so if there wasn't anything that fit the criteria I put forth in the range of my eyes, I simply saw everything red.

It wasn't really useful.

It was a little before sundown when I finally had a breakthrough. Using 'Being in danger inside' alternatively with 'Not being alone' as filters, I finally found myself a place to sleep. An abandoned apartment building, from what I could see. Most of the rooms inside were either damaged or occupied, but there was an empty loft of the last floor. There was even an old mattress there that I could use. I had to remove it from the bed, which my perception was saying would crumble at any time. I gathered a few scraps of cloth to use as a blanket, an old cushion as a pillow, and pushed my head down to rest.

With the day I had, I was fully asleep before sundown came.

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

[Sveta]

I continued my explorations the next day, snacking on meal bars I'd bought with Mrs. Yamada's money. They wouldn't last long, so I needed to find myself either a source of food or one of money.

It wasn't going well.

My power might be useful for danger, but it wasn't for finding money. Filtering for 'being poor' made everything red, outside what change could be found on the ground.

It wasn't enough to live on.

Then I passed a building called Brockton Bay Library.

I remembered from the various shows and movies I'd seen on the computer at the Center that public libraries had Internet connectivity, something that was perfect for me right now. I might not know how to find much in the city, but I'd spent most of my time at the institute on a computer surfing the net. I knew how to search on the net infinitely better than I did outside of it.

Lunch hour had just finished when I entered, so there was a few free spots. I sat down at the one farthest from everything and started searching for free food in Brockton Bay.

I spent the next hour on the machine.

I did at least find something; Brockton Bay had a soup kitchen open every weekday. I'd missed the open hours today, but tomorrow being Friday I still had a chance before the weekend. I noted everything I could about the place on a piece of scrap paper, along with directions from the library. I didn't know my current address, but I would remedy that later.

Then I logged into the Parahuman Online Forums.

I spent most of my days before on the forum, and I had a contact that was in Brockton Bay. XxVoid_CowboyxX might not be able to help, but I wasn't risking anything by talking to him. He could tell me more about the place, too.

He wasn't online.

I check on a few of the threads about Brockton Bay, then checked again.

Still not there.

But I realized Morris_Elk was, and he deserved at least a head's up for the help he'd given me.

GstringGirl: Hello!

GstringGirl: Thanks again for yesterday.

I went on a few of my favorite threads while I was waiting for an answer. I didn't have to wait long.

Morris_Elk: Good to hear from you.

Morris_Elk: Glad to see you're fine.

Morris_Elk: I don't recommend using that account, though.

Morris_Elk: Someone might track you with that.

I had to admit that I hadn't thought about that. I'd been relying a lot of my danger sense since I escaped, but I didn't know all its limits yet. Maybe the information I'm posting now could be used to track me a week or a month later, and that my danger sense doesn't reach that far.

GstringGirl: You're right.

GstringGirl: Any recommendations?

He was clear, no red, so I wasn't afraid of asking him for help. I wouldn't have escaped as easily from the Center if it wasn't for him, also.

Morris_Elk: UN: Wyrmmidon.

Morris_Elk: PW: oHyb#455!

Morris_Elk: One of my old accounts I barely use anymore.

Morris_Elk: No one would link it to you.

I noted the username and password, logged out and logged back in under the new name.

Wyrmmidon: Thanks.

I had to agree with what Morris_Elk said; this account was old. There were only three posts in the past two years, and before that every single post was about the Leviathan attack on Newfoundland. There wasn't much else.

Morris_Elk: Want me to wipe your old account?

Morris_Elk: I can purge it from the databases.

My eyes went wide. I filtered my perception for 'lying' for a second, and still no red.

Wyrmmidon: You can do that?

Morris_Elk: I know a few things.

Morris_Elk: It isn't a problem.

Wyrmmidon: You sure?

Morris_Elk: Yes.

Wyrmmidon: Go ahead then.

Morris_Elk: Wait a few minutes.

I did, going back to the message I'd posted yesterday. There were dozens of messages since then, mostly guesses about what my post was about. One user had it guessed correctly, but most were still unbelieving.

Good. My message was for one person, and one person only. The rest weren't important.

Morris_Elk: Done.

Morris_Elk: I have to go back to other things now.

Morris_Elk: Be seeing you.

Wyrmmidon: You too.

I did a quick check. I didn't try logging in with my old name, but I went to see my old profile page only to find it gone.

He really is good. I said inside my head. Parahuman Online was well known to be almost impossible to hack. He must be a master hacker. I added.

I went back to the threads. There were new posts in a few of those I followed, and I didn't have anything better to do.

It was a good way to waste some time.

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

[Lisa Wilbourn]

I was checking on some background info on E88 capes when a notice popped up on my screen.

GstringGirl is now online.

I had added the girl in my contact list after the last message she'd left on the Slenderman visit thread. I didn't expect much, but there might be a few nuggets of information there. Taylor would like knowing more about what happened to her.

Good, now let's see what I can find out... I said to myself.

Then my power started pulling information based on what she was looking at.

She's in Brockton Bay? I realized, eyes widening.

Not in Asylum: Escaped.​

In Brockton Bay, Escaped: In a public place.​

In Brockton Bay, In a public place, inside school hours, Internet connection: Brockton Bay Library.​

I didn't waste time. I picked up my phone, jumped out of my chair and dashed toward the exit. "Going out. Won't be back for supper!" I yelled.

Regent didn't look away from his game. "Bring back some beer. We're out." He replied.

"Do it yourself!" I yelled in answer as I went down the stairs. I was opening my phone at the same time, surfing back to the Parahuman Online Forums. It would warn me at least of when she stopped watching threads.

I was barely a few meters outside when GstringGirl profile got deleted.

That's a first. I thought. I didn't need my power to tell me this was related with her escape. One thing was for certain; she wasn't the one who'd done it. I wasn't even sure if I could, and my power made hacking a breeze normally.

She has someone talented on her side. I said to myself.

Luckily, the Library wasn't that far away from base. Since we were within school hours, most of the computers were free. There were only two women present on the machine, and it was evident which one was GstringGirl.

Still, I waited and focused my power on her.

Dusty, dirty: Lives in abandoned building.​

Lives in abandoned building, licking her lips: Limited food and drink.​

Numerous typing mistakes, slow typing speed, unsure of body: Not used to body.​

Looks straight at screen, pays no attention to sound: Unafraid of danger.​

Unafraid of danger, Parahuman: Danger Sense.​

I stopped there. Danger sense, eh… I thought. I wondered how she would react to me. One thing was sure: I wasn't going to make any offensive moves. I didn't want to see how her powers would react.

I took the place beside her and turned to face her. "Hello, GstringGirl."

She hadn't heard me coming, focused as she was on her screen. "How… How did you…"

"Know?" I smiled my fox smile. "Let's say we have a mutual friend." She clearly didn't understand what I meant. "Tall, dark, in a suit?" I continued. "Gets his hands on you and everything changes?"

Her eyes went wide. "Oh! Him." She said.

I smiled again at the masculine pronoun. Seems Taylor does a good job selling her persona. I noted mentally.

"Do you…" She started, suddenly shy. "Think I could meet him. I… I…" She stuttered.

I could tell what she wanted, even without my abilities. "I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you again." I replied, bringing out my phone. I sent a quick text to Taylor, inviting her to a meal. "How about supper? I looks like you could use it." She started saying something, but I interrupted her. "My treat."

She straightened herself and looked at me bizarrely. I withstood her eyes for a moment before she nodded. "Okay." She finally said.

I smirked.

I wonder what face Taylor will make.

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

I must admit, Sveta's forum post added a little spring to my step. Doing good felt good, and right now there was a young woman who could look forward to life because of what I did.

I didn't, however, let that stop me from my work. While reviewing T's memories after her time was out, I tested combining my new Tentacle spark with my other ones. This was the best moment for it, as it was the only time in the day where I had no power in use.

I'd already tested it with both Shadow and Tinker last night, and I wasn't surprised to find it couldn't be matched with Clone or Area either. In the end, only Shadow among those I possessed could be fused with Tentacle.

It would have to test it both independently and combined, but that had to wait. I remade T and sent her on her way, turning toward tinkering at the same time. I wasn't going to test anything until T was in class. I didn't know what would happen if I messed with the Shadow while T might be in that state, and I wasn't looking to find out.

It was past dinner when I finally broke from my tinkering bench. By that time, I'd finished what was left of the coding on Lucifer. Only testing and adjusting were left. I went for a quick snack, then turned to my new power.

Tentacle hadn't activated automatically, as I'd been afraid, but stayed silent in the back of my mind, and didn't react to the various prods I gave it.

It was going to be like Area, it seemed.

Let's start with the arms, then. I decided.

I focused on my left arm and tried poking Tentacle into activation. This time it stuck, and I was rewarded with seeing my arm split itself at the finger level into nearly a dozen long, tentacle-like limbs.

"That's… creepy." I noted out loud.

Luckily, deactivating that spark made the effect run in reverse, with the tentacles reforming into my arm. It hadn't lost any mobility or flexibility, and seemed to have returned exactly to what it was.

Further experiments revealed more. I could use Tentacle on any of both arms and legs, either individually or all at once, and could control each separate tentacle as well as I could my own natural limbs. Each tentacle also had similar strength to the limb it came from.

This… This has potential. I thought.

It took a little getting used to, but it was of great help tinkering. It allowed me to hold a dozen tools at once, and to do simple tasks while I focused on something else.

Then I combined that spark with Shadow and started the tests all over.

The first thing I was happy to note is that I could still turn into shadow state with the combined spark. It seemed a little slower, though that came with one advantage: I could now feel textures.

Focusing on that sense of touch, I found I could reach out and affect objects even while in my breaker state: shadowy tentacles would reach out of the darkness and be under my bidding. This was, of course, limited by light; In full darkness I could reach out around an arm's length, while greater light limited my range accordingly.

Best part was, this wasn't limited to my shadow form.

As I found out when returning to normal, it gave the same properties to my real shadow. My sense of touch now somehow extended behind me and I could feel the tools I had on the table there as if they were on my skin. Reaching out like I did before had the same result as before. Turning around to have my shadow in front of me, I found a black limb reaching out of the darkness, a wrench in its hands.

Problem was, feeling as if I was touching everything my shadow did take some getting accustomed to. I kept the sparks combined for the rest of the day and went back to tinkering.

Unfortunately, I'd once again forgotten about T, and she let me know in no uncertain words how much this could have been a bad idea when she got back. It hadn't, she'd simply gotten some bizarre looks, but it could have been much worse.

Seems I would have to limit power training to nights, in the future.

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

I was surprised to receive an invitation to supper by text from Lisa the next day.

Petit Bistro @ 4. Got something 4U​

It was all that it said.

I was surprised mainly because, the last few times we'd eaten together, it was here, at the base. Outside that one time with my father, it had been weeks since I'd dined out at that French restaurant.

I'll be there.​

There was still some time before four, so I used a pair of my tentacles to set my alarm for three-twenty while I went and returned to Lucifer. I'd found a bug earlier today in the control mechanism, and I wanted it fixed before I left.

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

I was a little late to the meal, having underestimated how much time it would take me to run up to the Boardwalk. Lisa was already inside, having texted me so. At our usual place, too.

I went in and walked to the very bottom of the restaurant. I did note that I couldn't hear anything coming from the booths. The only sound I could hear was the music the restaurant used, which covered every whisper without being too loud.

Nice acoustics. I noted mentally.

Arriving in sight of the table, I noticed that Lisa wasn't alone. She had a blond teen with her, younger and shorter than me. The two of them were discussing things amiably, that until Lisa realized I was there.

She waved my way inside the booth. "Come in! Come in!" She said. "A good friend of yours decided to pass by our city, and I knew you'd want to meet her."

I turned to the other girl at the table. Caucasian, dirty blond hair, blue eyes. Not someone I recognized.

I went back to Lisa. "Who is she?" I asked.

Lisa gave a quick look at the other seated person, then turned to me. "I see now why you don't recognize her." She explained. "She has a minor changer talent that affects her appearance."

"I suppose you must be another of those he visited." The girl said. She then rose from her chair and extended her hand. "My name is Sveta. You are?"

I recoiled for a second. "Sveta?!" I cried out. I then turned to Lisa, who had that smirk of hers on her face.

I sighed. "A little warning might have been good, you know?" I said. Lisa's smile only became larger.

Sveta, her hand still extended, looked at each of us in turn. "I don't get it."

"Want me to tell her?" Lisa asked.

I trusted Lisa. If she thought Sveta could be told, I didn't mind. Anyway, I doubted I had to fear anything from the former asylum member. "Go ahead." I answered. "I know you like being the one to tell everything."

Her only answer was her smile. She turned to Sveta. "Sveta, allow me to introduce you the bane of all capes, the dreaded Slenderman." She paused for a second. "Who, yes, happens not to be a man."

Sveta's face cycled through various emotions on her face so quickly I wasn't even able to pick out a single one. She then jumped from her place and hugged me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…" She cried out, repeating those words over and over again.

One thing is sure… I noted mentally. She's strong. I couldn't move at all. She wasn't causing me any pain, but I didn't have any leeway either. I hugged her back and waited her hug out. Lisa had a wistful smile all the while, I noticed.

"How are you here?" I asked after a minute. It took some more time before she released me and took back her seat, but she did and started explaining. I took a chair between the two people at the table and listened.

As was usual, Lisa added her own comments and details as the story came out. "See, that's why I called you." She said as Sveta finished. "Girl here doesn't have anywhere to stay and not even money for food. I thought you might be able to offer her a good place to live and a job of some kind." She explained. "Keep her out of the streets, as it were."

I didn't have to be told twice, especially with the puppy dog eyes the formerly monstrous parahuman was making. I sure didn't save her to leave her to die on the streets. I said inside. Anyway, money wasn't an issue at the moment, and I was pretty sure I could find something for her to do. "Consider it done." I replied with a smile.

I was then the recipient of another hug from Sveta, one as solid as the first. I didn't let it last as long this time, prodding her back toward her seat.

We were in a restaurant, after all, and none of us had ordered anything yet. We could continue discussing this before a meal.

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

[T]

Finally! School's done. I thought to myself. Arcadia might be much better than Winslow ever was, but that didn't mean I enjoyed it. I wasn't a social person, so that aspect of school was wasted on me, I wasn't into sports and what we studied wasn't as interesting as either tinkering or the cape business.

I gathered my stuff and walked out. I was surprised however to be intercepted by someone, coming out of the class. It was the brown-haired cape that was in my math class.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked.

I couldn't help but hear warning bells in my mind. "I'm kinda busy." I answered. I didn't want to be talking to someone who probably was a member of the wards.

"I have something you dropped. Looked important." He said.

That might be dangerous. I thought. I couldn't help but plan stuff during the most boring parts of my classes. I didn't use any names or anything I thought could be incriminating, but someone might be able to infer something I hadn't wanted known. "Okay." I said, and followed him.

He brought the both of us in an empty classroom. There he withdrew a sheet of paper from his bag and handed it to me. "Here, your tinkering notes."

"Thank you." I said, grabbing the sheet. That was much less bad; outside another tinker, people couldn't decipher the scrawls a tinker made.

Then I realized what he'd actually said. My face went blank.

"So, another tinker." The boy said with a smile. "Kid Win, glad to meet you." He put his hand forward.

With how much I was sweating, I didn't shake. "Me, a tinker?" I tried sound derisory. "Come on!"

"You can't fool me." He added. "I've seen how you work. The little notepad on the side, full of diagrams? The few times you start dimantling something, only to stop?" He pointed out. "Clear indicators of a tinker. I know, 'cause I do the same."

"What do you want?" I said, a little growl in my voice.

"Hey, hey. No worries." He replied. "Just wanted to talk shop with someone. It isn't everyday that I meet another tinker, especially a woman." He pointed to the sheet in my hand. "Part of a powersuit, right? What alloy are you using for armour?"

At this point, with what he already knew, my identity was known whether I left or not. And I had to say, talking tinkering with someone was something I'd like. Talking to Taylor wasn't fun, since we were the same person, and most of what I said about tinker science passed over even Lisa.

"A boron alloy." I ended up answering.

"Which one?" he asked.

That was the start of a two hour discussion about metals, power sources and superconductors. It touched the Wards, but only tangentially. It only stopped when Kid Win received a text message.

"Shoot." He said. "I'm way late." He looked up from his phone. "I got to go, Wards calling. Tell me if you want an introduction, ok?" He rushed out. "Talk to you again!" he said as he crossed the classroom doors.

I stayed in that classroom a few minutes more, thinking. Getting an invitation to the Wards hadn't been in my plans at all. I had a good thing going on with the Undersiders, and I didn't want to risk that, but Kid Win had pointed out a few advantages I hadn't thought about. Access to other tinkers' stuff and to resources was big, especially with the number of plans I had to dump because I was missing components.

But I remembered how Sophia had been within that group, and how their leaders hadn't done anything about it.

In the end, I went back to base without a solution. I'd have to talk to Taylor before anything was decided, anyway.

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

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

By unvoiced agreement, the three of us decided to let the rest of the discussion about Slenderman and powers wait until we were out of the restaurant. Most of the meal was actually passed teaching Sveta how to eat politely, since she'd never had hands to use cutlery with. I am happy to say she caught on quickly enough.

Entering my base, I was surprised to see T at a table and not tinkering. She usually went right to the workbench upon coming back from school. I opened the door for Lisa and Sveta, then went and joined T at the table.

"What's up?" I asked my clone as the other two joined us.

"Kid Win noticed me tinkering today at school." T said, grave.

"How?" Lisa asked from her seat.

"He knows the indicators, since he's also a tinker." T replied.

"Compulsive note-making, the flashes of insight at random moments, the tendency to disassemble stuff…" I added, explaining.

"He also asked if we wanted an invitation to the the Wards." T continued.

"No." I replied instantly. "Not happening."

"Why?" Sveta asked. "They're the good guys!"

"Not really." I replied. "You don't know what they did." I took a deep breath, then went over what had soured me from the Wards. The locker, Shadow Stalker, the PRT buying off my father, everything. Both Sveta and Lisa listened attentively; I hadn't broached everything even with the latter.

"Ouch." Lisa said once I finished my tale. "I knew something was up when you joined us hunting the ABB, but I didn't know it was that bad…"

"Yeah." T said. "It was."

"Thing is, it's not the Wards that are the issue." Lisa explained. "It's mostly at the top, at the PRT. Since they aren't capes, they tend not to understand the superhero business as much as they should. There's also a 'for the greater good' mentality that's prevalent at the top level. That's probably how Shadow Stalker happened; better a Ward than a villain, after all."

"That's… so wrong." Sveta said. "It's a person's actions that make him a hero or a villain, not his membership on a team of some sort."

"How do you know all that?" I asked Lisa.

She smiled her usual grin. "In my spare time, I watch the PRT's cameras." She answered. "Their passwords are no protection from me, and there's a lot you can learn by the comings and goings of people. It's better than any sitcom, anyway."

"Right." I replied, then turned to my clone. "No Wards. Why would you even think it would be a good idea?"

"You know all the projects we had to scrap because we couldn't find good tools or the right material?" I nodded. "They have access to those. All the tinkering you can do, with all the resources needed free of charge. You know how much time I spend refining materials each night, right?"

"Yes." I answered. I had to agree it was getting to be an issue; more and more the both of us wasted time not having the right raw materials on hand.

"There are other points to consider, actually." Lisa added.

"YOU want me to be part of the Wards?" I asked, turning toward her.

"Not really, but it's your choice." She replied. "First, it would help hide your Slenderman persona. You can't be Slenderman if you were visibly at the PRT during Slenderman's lastest attack."

"That could work with any video, actually." T pointed out.

"It would work best with the PRT's own cameras, as they trust them the most." Lisa countered. "Second is, you need backup."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You, girl, have the tendency to try tackling things alone. Outside the time where you got shot, how many places did you hit alone?" Lisa replied.

I thought for a second. "More than thirty, at least." I didn't have a concrete number.

"And if you couldn't have reached me, who would you have called?" She asked.

I didn't need to answer that; she knew the answer. There hadn't been anybody else I could call upon. Now, there was my father, but even then I didn't want him to see me wounded. Things were going well for now; I didn't want to bring another issue up.

"That's actually one of the reasons I brought Sveta: she needs help, and you need help." The Undersider pointed out. "And I don't think you mind helping, do you Sveta?"

She shook her head. "Of course not." She replied firmly.

"There has to be a better way, though." I said. "Striking out as an independent, maybe?"

"As a tinker, that's dangerous." Lisa explained. "Tinkers might not tend to be powerhouses in combat, but they are among the most wanted of capes, along with good Thinkers. There are dozens of groups watching and waiting, ready to nab them whenever they can. It's the main reason why they aren't seen outside of teams, or the Toybox."

"Toybox?" Sveta asked.

"Basically Tinker paradise." Lisa replied. "Built by one who's talented in extra-dimensional spaces, I forget who. You pay a percentage of what money you make, and you can live and work there. It's the biggest gathering of Tinkers anywhere. It's generally cut off from the world, though."

I was silent for a moment.

"You won't see Kid Win before Monday, right?" She continued. I nodded. "So you have time to think about it. I'll see what I can find on my side, too." Lisa said. "Just reflect on it, right? It's better to have another persona ready, in case you ever need one."

I nodded again.

The Undersider smiled. "Change of subject then: powers." She started. "What have you learnt with Sveta here? Any new powers?" She looked from Sveta to me a few times while I stayed silent. "Come on! Don't make me beg for it." She said with a pout.

I had to smile at that. It was Lisa all right. "Well…" I started.

"What do you mean by new powers?" Sveta asked, interrupting me.

"What did you think I was?" T replied.

"Her twin sister, maybe?" The former Case 53 answered, pointing toward me. "I don't know..."

"Nope, clone." Lisa grinned. "You see, Taylor here doesn't remove powers. She steals them and can give them back. Manages them, in her words. T here..." She pointed to my doppelganger, who waved. "is a copy genereated by a power she took from a villain." She turned back to me. "So, how did you bring little Sveta here back to human shape?"

Said girl leaned forward. "I have to say I want to know too." She added.

"She had more than one spark, and that's what was causing her issue." I explained.

"Spark?" Sveta asked.

"What gives people powers, from her point of view." Lisa said. "So she had two that interfered with each other, right? What did you do, combine them properly?"

"You're wrong on the number." I replied. "She had four."

"Four!" Lisa exclaimed. "That's… enormous." She then turned to me. "Have you felt other people with that many?"

"No, she's the first that had more than one." I pointed out. "Most of her sparks are different. Smaller than normal."

I could see gears running inside Lisa's head. "Tell me how."

I did one better and wrote it down for all to see. I used the smallest, Human, as a measuring stick, and wrote the others in proportion.

"How about the other sparks you know… could you add them to this list?" Lisa asked.

I did, though it was quite a bit redundant. All of them were fives on this chart. "Better?"

The Undersider grabbed the sheet, and wrote other numbers. Percentages, with a regular spark as a one hundred percent. She then circled the three sparks Sveta currently had. All of them together made a perfect 100%.

"That can't be a coincidence. Round, even numbers like that." She pointed one item on the list; Human. "I suppose that's the one who ended up turning her back?"

I nodded.

Lisa continued on. "You've never felt Human anywhere else, right?" I shook my head. "Then someone's doing this on purpose. Whoever they are, they noticed that what they use can make people into beasts, so they put a little of this one to try to balance stuff out."

I had to agree it made sense. "Only when they tried on her, they didn't know she already had a spark, and a stronger one too. And that's what screwed up everything." I added.

"Do you…" Sveta asked. "Know what this is?" She was pointing to her cheek.

There was nothing there. I said so.

"Your changer ability is hiding what you're trying to show." Lisa pointed out. "Focus on your normal shape. That might help."

Slowly, her hair color faded back into brown, and a symbol appeared on said cheek. A 'u' in a stylistic font, or maybe a 'c' on the side.

"You see it now?" Sveta said after a moment. Both of us nodded.

"The PRT, they call us Case 53s. Nearly all of us have this tattoo somewhere on our bodies." She explained.

"It isn't the first time I've seen this symbol." Lisa said. "I saw it once on Gregor, one of Faultline's capes."

"Is he… like I was?" Sveta asked.

"He's obese, bald, covered in shell-like growth and partly transparent. So yeah, I'd put him as one of those Case 53." The villain replied. "He works with Newter, who's orange and lizard-like, so he might not even be the only one in that group."

"I'll have to meet them." Sveta said.

There was a moment of silence before Lisa continued. "So, how did you end up fixing her?"

"When she had only the Human spark, she turned back to the form she's in now. I tried mixing and matching her four sparks, and the best I could give her without issue was everything but Tentacle." I turned to the former Case 53. "You don't mind, do you?"

She shook her head vehemently. "You could have taken everything and I wouldn't have minded. Anything but what I was."

"So you still have Tentacle, right?" I nodded. "Show me."

I used Tentacle on both my arms. Sveta 'eeped', jumping back out of her chair, and even Lisa increased the distance. "That is creepy." The latter finally replied as she pushed herself forward.

"They're…" Sveta's eyes went wide as she noticed something. "They aren't dangerous, somehow."

"They're not like your old ones." I said. "I have full control over them."

Lisa was curious for a second. "Can you use them to grab powers?"

I had to say I didn't know. I pushed a tentacle toward each of the two. Lisa took it without issue, but Sveta was more reluctant.

And I could feel their powers in my head as they touched. Three lines going to Sveta and one to Tattletale.

"Works." I replied, folding the appendages back into my arms.

"That'll be useful." Lisa said with a smile. "Especially considering the mythos."

"Not only that." I added. "It combines effectively with Shadow to do this." I combined the two sparks in my head, lifted my hand to put my shadow on Lisa's forehead and generated a limb there.

Sveta reacted much less this time, but still backed a little. I waved the appendage in Lisa's field of view.

"Shadow tentacles." She said as I pulled it back. "Does it work in your other state?" I nodded. "Very useful." She amended.

I kept the sparks combined to get used to them. "It needs some acclimation, since it extends my sense of touch over my shadow. Doesn't work to grab powers, though."

"Still, a net plus." Lisa said, then looked at her watch. "I have to go. Tell me about that meeting with the other Case 53 one day, ok?" She asked as she left her chair.

"You can come if you want." Sveta added.

"I'd better not; Faultline and me don't get along." The villain then waved. "See you another day, girls. Taylor, think about it, ok? We'll talk another day." She was out the door the next second.

Everything wound down after that. Sveta started yawning, so I showed her the hammock T normally used with my clone's approval. She'd use the bean bag when she stopped tinkering.

I'd have to get her something better tomorrow.

I went home with my head full of thoughts. I needed to do something about Kid Win having found out my identity, but the Wards were right out. I needed a better solution.

Those thoughts kept me awake until late at night, and I slept badly as a result.

I really needed to fix this, and soon.

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

I ended up not having much time to think about things on Saturday. The full day was taken with shopping, originally for Sveta, but eventually for everyone involved. Lisa accompanied Sveta and I simply for the pleasure of shopping. That's not to say she wasn't useful; she had an eye for colors and sizes that I lacked.

It took the whole day because the former Case 53 needed everything: clothes, furniture, toiletries, the works. And a computer, of course. I hadn't noticed before and Lisa hadn't pointed it out, but Sveta had no underwear or socks. She'd been going commando since escaping the Center. Having to explain the use of a bra and panties to someone wasn't something I expected to do this early in life.

Lisa took advantage of the trip to make recommendations for my wardrobe. She tended toward clothes that were more attention-getting than what I preferred, but I had to say she had a better hang of fashion than I did. I bought much more than expected, in the end.

At least T wouldn't be lacking clothes now.

I woke up early on Sunday intent on thinking, only to have my plans fall apart right before breakfast. I needed to be up at six-thirty even on weekends, since I had to restore T every morning after seven to keep my schedule. I was surprised to see my father at the kitchen table this early. He tended to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday.

"Morning kiddo," he said as I entered the kitchen.

"Morning, Dad," I replied, then went to make myself a bowl of cereal. "I usually don't see you awake this early. Any special occasion?"

"Does it need to be?" he said, then sipped his coffee.

I gave him the evil eye. "You're not fooling anyone, Dad."

He stayed silent for a second, then relented. "I just wanted to talk to you a little, Taylor," He finally answered, putting his cup down. "I only see you half an hour in the morning, and at supper each night. The weekends, not even that."

"I'm sorry, Dad," I replied. I hadn't noticed it had been affecting him that much.

"Don't be," he said. "I understand that you have a lot going on, with school along with cape stuff. I just wanted to know what was going on."

I looked at the clock on the wall. Nearly seven. "I can't right now, Dad. I have to go soon." I said, face down. "How about later today?"

"At that place of yours?" he asked, face hopeful.

I nearly said no instinctively, then thought about it. There really wasn't any reason for me to hide where I was working from my Dad. It might even be useful, in case of an emergency, since I might not be able to give directions in that situation.

T might like to see Danny, too.

"I don't see why not," I answered, and he smiled. "When can I expect you?"

"Early afternoon, I suppose?" he said, then thought. "Yeah, around one. I'll do the groceries this morning, so we'll have all the time we need."

I nodded, then gave him a rendezvous point. Not exactly where I was, of course, but close enough that we could easily walk to base. I didn't want to bring too much attention to where I was operating from.

"See you later then, Dad," I said, waving.

"Have a good morning," he replied.

I transformed into shadow the next second, and made my way to base through the sewers, like every other morning. T's alarm rang just as I reached the base, and I barely had time for a dozen words before she shut down. I had to query my new memories to find out how work had gone last night.

She finally fixed the Lucifer bug, good, I thought. Did good work on the Slenderman costume too.

I recreated her at the moment I was supposed to, then informed her of my father's visit, just to be sure. I did the same to Sveta when she came down.

T and I couldn't help but try cleaning up as much as we could before he arrived, and Sveta helped us. Old cartons of Chinese food and boxes of pizza were shadow-transported to the nearest dumpster, joined by empty bottles of soda and other leftovers.

Dad ended up being at the meeting point right on the hour. I gathered food from a nearby diner, then led him inside through the alleyways.

"Welcome to Casa Taylor," I said as we entered, like I had done before. I then went to a table and dropped the food. "T, Sveta, dinner!"

"Coming!" two voices answered, one identical to mine.

No, I hadn't told my dad about T.

He looked at her coming out of a side room, then back to me. He did this maneuver three times before he managed to get something out. "But… What… How?" He stuttered.

I directed him to a chair and ensured he sat down. "Meet T. She's a clone of me," I explained. "Generated through the power I took from Oni Lee."

"The ABB lieutenant, right?" he asked. I nodded.

"Do you... control her somehow?" he said, looking at me.

"No, she doesn't," T replied. "I'm basically her," she to pointed to me. "Her mind and her memories. Allows the pair of us to do more work, you see." She didn't tell about her going to school, though. I'd made sure she wouldn't. That wasn't something I wanted my father to know about.

He turned to the third woman at the table. "And who might you be?" he asked.

"I'm Sveta, sir. Nice to meet you," she said with a smile.

Danny looked at her carefully. "And how did you meet Taylor?" he asked. "You seem pretty young to be in her classes."

"That's not what happened at all," Sveta replied. "You see…" she said, then went over what had happened to her. I knew a good part of it, both from her records and from what she'd already told me, but not everything. She talked about Madison, the first place she really remembered, and what had happened with her body. She went over everything while we ate, and got to my part in the story as we were finishing.

It took a moment for my father to digest all this information, but he did, and a look of pride appeared on his face. He reached on both sides of his chair and mussed both mine and T's hair. "Good job, kiddos." He said, looking from one to the other.

I have to admit I'll treasure that moment for a long time.

The conversation fell into a lull after that, until my father raised his voice again. "So, what other surprises do you have for your dear old Dad?"

"A few," I said, thinking of my tentacle power. "Want to…" I started, but was interrupted by a sound coming from my phone. I brought it out and read the text message there.

On our way. B & I. Job offer​

"Lisa?" T asked.

"And Brian," I replied. "I'll…"

"Actually, I'd like to meet them," My father said, glass in hand. He turned to me and T. "You don't mind showing your Dad to your friends, do you?"

I was torn between yes and no. Lisa and Brian were good people, and I didn't want to stress my father. He'd feel safer if he knew who I was dealing with, which was why he asked.

But the two of them were still thieves, and I didn't know how my father would react.

In the end, choice was taken from me. I'd taken too long to think about it. The phone indicated another text message.

@ door​

I wasn't going to leave them outside. I went and invited the pair of them in, and introduced them to my father.

"Danny Hebert," he said, extending his hand. "Pleased to meet the both of you."

Only Brian shook, though Lisa waved. "Glad to finally meet you, sir," she said, pulling up a chair. Brian did the same.

"Danny, please," he answered. "Any friend of Taylor can do the same. I already get too much 'sir' at work."

The next few minutes we spent in idle conversation. Brian asked my father about his work; Lisa talked to Sveta about her new acquisitions.

"Can I ask the both of you a question?" my father said to the two newest arrivals. They both nodded. "I'm pretty good at judging people, and the pair of you seem like good people. My daughter certainly thinks so," he started. "So why are you two, as nice as you are, part of a group of villains like the Undersiders?"

"You knew?" I said, surprised.

"Taylor, I'm not an idiot," he said with a slight smile. "You say you're with your friends, attacking drug depots, and the next day the news tell of gang warfare between the ABB and the Undersiders?" he explained. "Credit me with a little perceptiveness, at least," He turned back to the two villains. "So?"

Lisa said nothing, but Brian looked at Danny straight in the eyes. "You would do anything for your daughter, right?" he asked.

"Of course!"

"I have a sister," Brian explained. "My parents are separated. She's currently with my father." He took a deep breath. "My father's a hard man, Mr. Hebert. The sum total of bonding we had, him and me, was a grown adult fighting his son in a boxing ring. He doesn't know what to do with a daughter, especially not one in her rebellious phase."

"I work at the docks," my father interrupted. "I know the type."

"My mother's no better; she's a drug addict, with a string of boyfriends no different from her." Brian continued. "I made it clear to my parents that, as soon as I turn eighteen, I'll try for custody of my sister. My father won't fight it, but my mother made it clear she will. I suppose you know what that means, Mr. Hebert."

My father's face made it clear he understood. "Lawyers at the very least. Maybe even more."

"All of that costs money, more than someone my age can expect to have," Brian said. "You might not agree with what I do, but I can't do otherwise. Not if I want to live with myself afterwards."

My father said nothing to that. He looked somewhat overwhelmed.

"All of us Undersiders have stories like that. Some of us have nowhere to go, some of us have no one to turn to. So we do what we can, what we're good at." The leader of the Undersiders concluded.

Everyone was silent for at least a minute while they digested what had been said. After a moment, Danny rose out of his chair. "Well, I'm pretty sure you didn't come here to meet me. I'll leave the lot of you alone, now," he said. "Brian, Lisa, good to have met you. Just make sure Taylor's ok, will you?"

"Don't worry, sir," Brian said. "We take care of our own."

My father gave a sad smile and waved. "See you tonight, Taylor," he said. Then he left.

"That... That was rough," Lisa said as soon as the door closed. "Your father's intense, Taylor."

"I know," I replied, nodding. Then I decided to change the subject. "So, what did you want to discuss?"

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

We took a small break after my father left. T used the opportunity to return to her crafting, while Lisa introduced and explained who Sveta was. I used the time to clean up a little, and to center myself.

"The Undersiders have a new job offer. A big one, the biggest to date," Grue said once I was back at the table. "I'd like to have you there as Apparition, if possible."

"What is it?" I asked.

"You won't like it," Lisa added in a sing-song voice.

"We're hitting Bay Central on Thursday, middle of the day," he voiced, his face serious. "Could I count on you to be there?"

I almost said no instantaneously, but managed to hold back. I knew something like this would happen at some point, I just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

The issue was, my friendship with the Undersiders was one of the high points of my life. They were friendly, helpful, and had proven that I could trust them. Now they were asking for my help.

"Not saying yes or no yet," I prefaced. "What would that entail?"

Lisa took out a sheet of paper detailing the bank and explained her plan. She was well informed as usual and the Undersiders had the entry to the vault nailed. Brian would use his shadow to painlessly take out everyone in the hall, Lisa would get access to the vault with her power and they'd load the money on some of Bitch's dogs.

"Are you planning on mugging the people you knocked out in the front of the bank?" I asked, pointing to the relevant place on the map.

"No," Brian replied while shaking his head. "I don't like hitting people for money and, in the end, it's not worth it. There should be more than enough cash in the vault for all of us. Everyone in the building should walk away without a scratch."

That was one less thing to worry about. "And what happens when all these people lose their savings?" I questioned.

"Nothing," Lisa answered. "All banks in the US are insured by the government, the people won't lose a cent. The bank's reputation might take a hit, but that's pretty much all."

I nodded and looked back at the plan. "I don't see why you need me there." I finally said. I didn't really want to tell them no, but taking part in a robbery wasn't something I'd do, either.

"The problem isn't getting in, it's getting out," Brian said, grave. "I'm betting that the alarm will be triggered no matter what we do. That means we'll have a fight, trying to get out of the bank."

"That's the reason for this specific time," Lisa explained. "I have it on good authority that the Protectorate will not be in Brockton Bay at the time. Hitting that specific bank, right next to Arcadia, means that we'll have to deal with the Wards and not New Wave. In the middle of the day, they probably won't come in force, so three or four capes, at most."

"Us Undersiders can deal with most of them, but there's still one that could cause us issues: Vista," Brian said. "You know about her?"

"By name, sure, but not the details," I replied. "I mainly focused on the villains around here in my studies."

"Vista's a shaker, and a powerful one. She manipulates space," Lisa explained. "And she can do a lot with it. Taking her out of the fight is a priority, since she might be able to shrink the doors and windows of the bank, leave us stuck inside until backup arrives. Even if we're out of the bank, she might makes distances four, five times as long, keep us from escaping."

"I don't see how I can help," I pointed out. "Midday is pretty much the worst time for me in shadow state. I won't be able to do much."

"That's my job," Brian replied. "I can easily give you a lane to travel in, like I did against the ABB. Enough to get close to her. One hit with your taser, and she goes down."

I had to admit the point. "How about the other people there? And the other effects of your shadowy mist?"

"Most of the others we can take care of easily enough, one on one," Brian explained. "And I can shut off the draining effect of my shadow on specific people."

"I didn't know that," I said, somewhat surprised.

"I only found that recently," Brian replied, smiling. "I've been training to get used to how you changed my power, the past few days."

"It isn't so surprising," Lisa added. "I doubt that Victor would have been so respected by the E88 if he affected his allies. You might have been able to do the same, Taylor."

I hadn't trained much in the usage of Thief, true.

"There's even an advantage for you there," she continued. "With T in class, you have a solid alibi along with a good cover for Apparition. With the both of you active at the same time, no one will be able to link the pair of you together." Another point for her. "And, should the worst happen, I'm pretty sure you can manage to escape somewhat easily."

The table was silent for a minute. "So, can we count on you?" Brian asked.

"You'll still be going forward even if I don't come, right?" He and Lisa nodded.

So in the end, my presence wouldn't change anything; the robbery would happen, regardless of my choice. What could I do about it?

Going to the Protectorate wasn't even a choice; I wasn't going to have my friends put in prison. And I didn't think I could convince them of not going with their plan. So the only two choices whether to be present or not.

If I wasn't there, I wouldn't be able to limit combat or casualties. Sure, I'd keep my hands clean, but was that worth the possibility of this robbery going horribly wrong without my presence?

I didn't want to read about wounds, deaths and prison terms in the next day's news. And even if everything went as planned without me there, I didn't want my refusal to join harming the trust we'd built with each other.

"I'll be there." I finally said. I just hoped I wasn't damning myself. Lisa's eyes went wide.

Brian smiled a nice, boyish grin. "Is that an official agreement to a position in the Undersiders, or a one time thing?" he asked.

I quickly got his point. Currently, Apparition was only a rumour of a new member to the Undersiders. Nothing more, nothing less. After the bank run, though, everyone would know. My cape identity would be officially noted and attached to the Undersiders, whatever I did. I could still say that I'd been a mercenary, that this had only been a job, but I'd be a villain nonetheless.

If I was going to be a villain anyway, I'd rather be one of the Undersiders than anything else.

In for a penny, in for a pound, I thought. "You can consider it as such," I answered Brian.

He whooped, while Lisa got out of her chair to give me a hug. Said hug and the cheering felt good, actually.

"Is there a place for me in your group?" Sveta asked from her place at the table. I'd forgotten she was still there, intent on Brian and Lisa.

"I'm sorry… Sveta, right?" he asked. She nodded. "I don't know much about you. Lisa's explanation was very limited earlier. You have powers, correct?"

"She's a changer." Lisa said. "Changes her physical traits in limited ways. She's got some form of danger sense along with that, too."

"You're missing a part." she countered. "I have a danger sense along with augmented strength. The changer thing isn't something I control, actually."

My eyes went wide. I'd thought that she'd slipped out under another appearance, and by looking at Lisa I could see that she had thought the same. Sveta hadn't specified how she'd escaped the center when she told her story earlier.

"Nice…" he replied with a smirk. "Very nice. And you want to join our group?"

"Lisa's fun, you seem like a good person, and I owe Taylor everything. That's more than half your group I can get along with," she answered.

"You don't need to become a villain because of me, Sveta," I replied. I didn't save her for her to become a villain.

"Taylor," Lisa started. "She's already technically a villain," She pointed out. "Her crimes when she wasn't human are still in her file, and escaping the asylum isn't in any way legal. And regardless of all that, she has no papers, no proof of education, nothing. She wouldn't be able to find a job unless it was under the table. And you know what kind of work a woman can expect there." As always, Lisa had a good point.

Grue had said earlier that the Undersiders had nowhere or no one to go to. I hadn't realized this also applied to Sveta. I could lodge and pay for her, but she might not want to depend on me like that.

"Where you go, I follow," Sveta said, and her face made it clear this discussion was closed. She then turned to Brian. "So, is there a place for me in the group?" she asked.

He turned to me. "Can you get her a costume before Thursday, Taylor?" I nodded.

He extended his hand to Sveta. "Welcome to the Undersiders. Glad to have you," he replied.

The meeting wound down after that. Brian and Lisa left around fifteen minutes later, ostensibly to inform the rest of the team about the new members. Lisa did, however, leave me a folder of documents to review. She said that this was the best she could find in regards with building a tinker persona for me.

Sveta had gone back her computer, so I withdrew the top sheet of the document.

Form 121J: Rogue Cape PRT Affiliation Request