History Lesson: The Companies

From a class taught by Agent five years ago.

One hundred years ago, Pharos Industries and King Enterprises, along with a myriad of other, smaller, enterprises, changed the way our world works. Historians call it the Age of Genetics, as eugenics research was the top priority of every scientifically-inclined company on the market. Pharos and King rose to the head of the class through government funding – they both began as arms dealers, and profited from the country’s military spending by applying their research towards weapons. Aside from the obvious reasons – which we’ll get to in a moment – their continued arms dealing is the main reason why we keep them on the Agency’s watchlist.

In the Age of Genetics, the original heads of King Enterprises and Pharos Industries were Laura King and Salil Malik, respectively. They pioneered the genetics race when Pharos researchers began working on a serum designed to create super-soldiers. Now, I know you know the story; it’s taught in grade-school history class, after all. Pharos Industries created Third Gen, and King Enterprises came up with the Satyr serum to keep up, leading to the current evolutions of humanity that live among quote-unquote “normal humans”. What they don’t teach, though, are the details as to how that happened – details that I think are the whole point of the story.

Laura King and Salil Malik had always been rivals. They started out competing for Valedictorian at the same private school (which Mr. Malik won), and then at the same university (MIT, and Mrs. King won that). They started their companies at the same time, and were up for the same government contracts, the same private sector jobs, and even poached each other’s scientists over the years. The rivalry got so bad that Mr. Malik had the phrase “Pharaohs are Greater than Kings” engraved in the entrance to Pharos’ headquarters when he was first to become a Fortune 500 company. Mrs. King, for her part, had the phrase “Kings overthrew Pharaohs” etched in her headquarters when she was the first to become a Fortune 100 company. If you go to either building, you can still see the phrases over the doors etched in large gold letters.

After a major pandemic caused a massive shutdown in multiple countries, many developed nations began funding eugenics research. The world wanted a new standard so that there would never be another crisis like that again; the solution presented was to enhance the human race so that vaccines would no longer be necessary to prevent diseases. As major R&D corporations, Pharos’ and King’s rivalry led the eugenics race. Both companies began developing their own serums designed to improve a human’s durability – not just boosting their immune system, but also increasing their strength, speed, and dexterity.  By marketing their research to the military first, they acquired the funds they needed to put their companies in a substantial lead over the others.

Pharos was the first to come up with a working serum. Malik called it “First Gen”, as it was designed to create the “first generation” of superhumans. First Gen worked, to an extent – it was an immune booster, and the people who took it no longer got sick. All it took was drinking a bottle of the serum every month, and people would be immune to all but the deadliest pathogens.

In response, King created a new serum that she marketed as “Second Gen” – mainly to thumb her nose at Malik. Second Gen not only boosted a human’s immune system, but it was proven to increase metabolism and muscle mass, which worked the way First Gen was intended. It even fixed certain genetic-based health issues, such as heart disease and diabetes, if you took it regularly for a decade or so. It sold better, and in larger quantities – even though you only needed a bottle every two months.

Not to be out-done, Pharos figured out a way that the serums could be improved upon: what if they could create a one-time procedure that would permanently improve the human form? No more need to take the boosters, and Second Gen sales would plummet in response. That was when Pharos developed the Third Gen serum. They made it through three rounds of human trials before eugenics was banned.

You can see the pattern forming, right? Pharos created Third Gen, so King had to come up with her own version. At the time, she sold it as “Gen Zero” to her shareholders, and they made it through one round of human trials.

Now, this is a Task-Force history class. If you want to know the exact details about what went wrong, you’ll have to ask the scientists in your other classes. I can only tell you the socio-political fall-out of the serums.

Gen Zero killed half of its human trial sample, and the remainder became mutants. Eugenics research was banned, and even Third Gen had to stop production. King Enterprises took a major hit, and Laura King spent the rest of her life – and most of her son’s life, after she passed the company on to him – rebuilding the brand as a weapons manufacturer. But, as you know, that wasn’t the end of it – within a decade after the Gen Zero fiasco, the people involved in both serum trials began reporting strange mutations in their children.

The first of these was a kid born to a Gen Zero survivor who had goat hooves instead of feet. Because the anomaly made the news, the media began referring to King’s serum as “the Satyr serum” – and the nickname stuck, to the point where most people don’t even remember the name “Gen Zero”. That was the start of our current climate, with three different types of humanity: humans, Third Gens, and Satyrs.

At first, people thought that the mutants would die out – particularly the Satyrs.  After all, the vast majority of animals can’t cross-breed, especially not with humans.  However, time proved that wasn’t the case; not only could Satyrs and Third Gens reproduce, but their offspring usually ended up with the enhancements as well.  It wasn’t a recessive gene, but a dominant one – the first examples in eugenics history of artificially-induced dominant bloodlines.  Because of that – or, to be more specific, because of the growing concern in the public’s eye over the loss of “true” humanity – eugenics research was banned by the U.N. in all developed and developing countries.  Not that it made a huge difference – aside from Pharos and King, nobody else had even come close to what they had achieved in the twenty years of the Eugenics Race.

As for what happened to the companies: Mrs. King had founded King Enterprises off of the remnants of her parents’ company, and passed it on to her own child when she retired. Despite the Satyr fiasco, they never changed the name; the King family is still prominent in this country, and Laura King’s grandson Jonathan King is the current CEO of King Enterprises. Mr. Malik, on the other hand, was the first in a long line of executives appointed by Pharos’ board of directors. Since his own children had no interest in the company, he sold shares on the stock market and had the board pick his successor. The current CEO of Pharos Industries is Sean Hannah, who was unanimously voted in three years ago as one of the youngest CEOs in history.

We’re still seeing the effects of Laura King and Salil Malik’s rivalry today.  Not only are Third Gens and Satyrs still around (obviously), but programs like Watcher and the Satyr Preserve are still worked on by their companies. There are many other socio-political effects that branched from this, but I’ll talk more about those next time.  Class dismissed.

* * * * * * * *

Scene: King and Pharos.

The King Family Mansion.

Chip, about to have dinner with Jonathan and Lena King.

“I’m pleased to announce Pharos Industry’s Gen Juice project has yielded positive results,” a voice from the television said as Reginald, the King family’s butler, let Quinn “Chip” Kaine into the King’s mansion. “In a few years, everyone could have the powers of a Third Gen.” Thunderous applause came from the speakers as the live audience showed their enthusiasm. Third Gen abilities were uncommon, and many people wished that they had been born Third Gens – a jealousy at the heart of the current Humans First climate that had been gripping the nation for decades.

Chip strolled into the living room, surprised to see the CEO of Pharos Industries making a speech on the King’s giant screen. Lena waved to her and motioned for her to sit, making a “quiet” gesture as her gaze fell back to the TV. Mr. King scowled at the screen from the easy chair, looking as though he had just come home from the office in his neatly-pressed suit.  Only his slippers and the easy chair he sat in showed that he had, in fact, come home.

Taking a seat on the couch near the doorway, Chip focused on the man on the screen. Sean Hannah was young for a CEO of one of the most successful companies in America, if not the world. He was only in his late thirties, and seemed to play that up for the media: he wore an impeccable suit and tie, but his curly brown hair was left unkempt. His pointed chin was raised, giving him a slightly proud appearance. The camera angle, showing his face and shoulders as he spoke to the press, accentuated his pale blue eyes and sly grin. Chip noted Mr. King’s reaction, and realized that the younger man might have even been taunting him a bit.

“Pharos Industries has always been the leader in medical research,” Mr. Hannah told the camera, pausing on the word “always” and looking directly at the camera, “and now we prove once again how our innovations can take America forward in scientific discovery.”

“Gen Juice,” Mr. King scoffed when the interview was over. “I know our companies collaborate on quite a few projects, but genetics research has always been a major point of contention between us.”

Lena rolled her eyes and explained to Chip, “Ever since my great-grandma’s debacle with the satyrs, Pharos has always one-upped King in genetics research.”

Mr. King started, as if he had only just noticed that Chip was in the room. “Don’t get me wrong,” he told her, standing up and facing her as he would any subordinate. “King Enterprises does much better with weapons development than Pharos does, but all anybody ever thinks about is the Satyrs and the Third Gens. Makes it damn near impossible to get contracts unless we show collaboration with him.” He pointed harshly at the screen, indicating his frustration with Mr. Hannah. “That… boy keeps mocking me in all his interviews. It’s like he’s hoping that I’ll watch.”

“Which you do every time,” Lena pointed out.  Mr. King scoffed, but said nothing to that.

“He did say it’ll be a few years before Gen Juice goes on the market,” Chip pointed out. “Maybe King Enterprises could come up with something…?” she trailed off, seeing Lena shake her head behind Mr. King’s back.

“The name of ‘King’ has already been dragged through the mud enough,” he told her. “Pharos has a head start in this, just like they did a hundred years ago. Trying to replicate their work ended in disaster back then, and I won’t be responsible for it now!”

“The board already asked him that,” Lena said, standing up and putting a calming hand on her father’s shoulder.  “I think it’s the right thing, too – there’s no need to rush just because Mr. Hannah has something new.  We already have enough on our plate with the satyr rights laws.”

“Don’t start again, honey,” Mr. King said, his voice softening.  “Not now.”

“If not now, then when?” Lena demanded, suddenly going on the offensive.  Chip realized that she must have come in halfway through a father-daughter debate at the King’s.  “The Leash bill is going to congressional vote tomorrow.  You have to withdraw your support for it.”

“Wait, what bill?” Chip asked.  She felt lost when the Kings had conversations like this one, as if her friend spoke a language that only Mr. King understood.

“The Satyr Registration Act,” Lena told her.  “If it’s passed, all satyrs will be forced to wear a collar and tags!”

“It’s not like that,” Mr. King sighed.  “The bill is to make sure that satyrs, like any other animal, are up-to-date on their shots, and allows people to see that they are cared for.”

“It also requires them to have a human sponsor,” Lena said, “as if they were somebody’s pet.”

“Mr. King, that’s not right,” Chip protested.  “Satyrs are just like us; if a bill like that goes through, a lot of people are going to be affected.”

Mr. King shook his head at them, the picture of a patronizing father.  “You two girls are idealists,” he said, “which is good when you’re in college; you begin to think for yourself, and see possibilities that young kids can’t.  But we’re talking about the real world here, where groups like the Fauns think that it’s okay to terrorize a DMV and destroy city records. Where the Asylum Watchers feel the need to patrol the city every day just to keep an eye out for crime.”

“The Asylum patrols the city so that people can see their faces,” Chip pointed out.  “The idea is that people will trust the Watchers more if they know who they are.”

“Right,” Mr. King said.  “And while the Asylum placates the humans of the city by taking care of the Watcher lists, dozens of other Watchers take jobs from the dark web to make ends meet.  We have a city chock full of mercenaries, and everyone is applauding it!  The Satyr Registration Act will help stop at least the satyrs from causing trouble.”

“What about the Third Gens and the humans?” Lena asked.  “What’s so different about the satyrs, other than how they look?”

“It would be a good idea for everyone to have mandatory registration,” Mr. King agreed, missing her point.  “However, Congress isn’t likely to pass a bill that requires humans to register. We have to pick our battles, and satyrs are the one we can win right now – especially since it’s so easy for Third Gens to pass as humans.  One step at a time.”

“Soon Pharos will give humans Third Gen powers,” Lena said.  “Congress will never pass an equal-opportunity registration bill; if the Satyr Registration Act passes, then satyrs will never be considered equal in society again.”

“If they ever were,” Chip added.

“That’s assuming a lot, my dear,” Mr. King said.  “Pharos is still years away from mass-production.”

“At least we can all agree that the Gen Juice thing is a bad idea, right?” Chip said, trying to mediate before the argument escalated.  Both of the Kings seemed to remember simultaneously that they had a guest.

“Right,” Lena said, calming down. “Besides, the laws around eugenics research tightened after the Gen Zero disaster.  I’m not even sure how Hannah is keeping his nose clean with this one.”

“He’s lobbying to change the law,” Mr. King said, scowling at the blank TV screen where his rival had just been shown.  “In the meantime, he gets around the regulations by calling it ‘medical research’ instead of eugenics.  When questioned – and believe me, I made sure he was questioned by every agency I could find – he skirted it by citing precedents and current vaccine research at the CDC.”

Chip raised an eyebrow.  “Smart,” she said thoughtfully. “He’s toeing the letter of the law, and he can’t be arrested for violating the spirit of it.”

“But we can talk about all of this later, right Dad?” Lena asked, taking Chip’s cue and defusing the emotional tension in the room. “We’re supposed to have dinner with our guest.”

“Ah, right,” said Mr. King.  “Follow me, ladies.”

He led them through the mansion, stopping every now and then to show something off to their guest.  Chip nodded attentively, but every now and then she and Lena rolled their eyes at each other conspiratorially.  They passed fancy art hanging in expensive frames in the hallways – as they neared the kitchen, it seemed to become more food-themed.  An oil canvas painting of a bowl of fruit hung just over the kitchen doors, which Mr. King threw open with a flourish.

“We’re not eating in the dining room?” Chip asked Lena in a whisper.

“Oh, we only eat in the dining room when we have a business dinner,” Lena explained.  “When it’s just Dad and me, we eat over here.”

She gestured to a tall metal island in the corner of the enormous kitchen.  Mr. King stood on one side, prepping knives to cook.  He pointed Chip to a stool on the other side of the counter, and she gingerly took a seat next to her friend.  Chip had never eaten at the King’s mansion before, and this was definitely not what she had been expecting.

“You’re cooking?” she asked Mr. King.

He grinned, looking like a kid in a candy shop as he told her, “This is my hobby, when I’m not running the company.  I had this hibachi installed specially, so I could talk to little Lena while making dinner, and she could learn by watching me.”

“Aw,” Chip said, giving Lena a good-natured elbow jab.  “‘Little Lena’ must have been so cute, following her daddy around the mansion.”

“It’s a house, you know,” Lena said, rolling her eyes.  “You don’t have to get hung up on the word ‘mansion’.”

“Honey, I had to get directions from your mailbox,” Chip reminded her.  “You have a security guard at the gate – which is a mile from your door – and this ‘house’ has more rooms than most motels.  You have both an indoor and outdoor pool, and a small movie theatre in the basement.  No matter what you call it, it’s a mansion.”

Mr. King laughed.  “What can I say?” he chuckled.  “This mansion has been in our family for generations.  My father added the outdoor pool, and I added the rest when it was passed down to me.”

“Where is the rest of the family?” Chip asked Mr. King as he pulled ingredients out of the refrigerator.  She knew from her talks with Lena that she had a few aunts and uncles, and that her grandparents were all still alive.

“Dad and Mom retired down to the Florida Keys,” Mr. King said. “Lena’s mother is currently visiting her folks in the Hamptons – we’ll be joining her there next week, as soon as we put out some fires at the office.”

“Like the Gen Juice announcement?” Chip asked.

“Among other things,” Lena said.  She couldn’t tell Chip much, given that her friend worked for their top competitor.  Chip would never leak King secrets to Pharos, but everyone there knew that some things were better left unsaid.

“Speaking of which,” Mr. King said as he began to cook, “my daughter tells me you’re happy with your job at Pharos?”

He really was good at using the hibachi grill.  Chip felt like she was in a restaurant as he spun the metal spatulas, making dinner into a show as they talked.  “Oh, yes,” she said, remembering that he had asked her a question.  “Good benefits, and the Asylum people are super-impressed by the smallest changes I make to their outfits.”

“They’re very stylish,” Lena remarked.  “Think you could design something for me?”

“For you?” Chip asked, surprised.  “Why?”

Lena shrugged.  “Oh, no real reason,” she said, too innocently.  “I like the outfits.”

Mr. King shook his head as he stacked an onion into a volcano.  “Lena wants to take the Watcher licensing exam,” he said.

When Chip looked at her, surprised, Lena rolled her eyes.  “I don’t want to take jobs from the list,” she explained.  “Just… during the riots, I couldn’t do anything to help – not legally, anyway.  I just had to sit in our bunker like a good little girl.”  She sounded bitter, as if there were more to the story.  “If something like that ever happens again, I’d like to keep my options open.”

Mr. King looked like he was going to say something, but Chip beat him to it.  “Are you sure?” she asked.  “I saw what the Asylum guys looked like the next day.  Trick was out for months with a broken collarbone, and all of them were black and blue all over.  Especially Outlier; I’m not even sure how she managed to patrol the next day.  Dale was exhausted just by taking care of the worst injuries.”

“Exactly what I’ve been saying,” Mr. King exclaimed.  “Riots are dangerous.  They’re no place for a respectable young lady.”

“I know how to take care of myself, Dad,” Lena said irritably.  “I just don’t want to feel that helpless again.”

“I care about you, sweetheart,” Mr. King said.  “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I know,” Lena sighed.

Chip put a hand on her friend’s shoulder.  “If it means that much to you,” she said, “I can whip up an outfit in my lab.  On one condition,” she added quickly, before either of the Kings could say anything.  “I’ll hang onto it until there is an actual emergency, and I’ll only give it to you if I think you can actually help.  Deal?”

“Deal!” Lena’s eyes sparkled at the thought.  Chip knew she would probably give her friend the outfit before an actual emergency, especially if she did end up getting a Watcher license.  But for now the stipulation seemed to placate her father.

“You know she’d have just found a way without me,” Chip told him as he turned a disapproving glare her way.  “This way, I can at least make sure she’s outfitted properly.  My designs are meant to be used as armor, you know.”

Mr. King sighed and started serving the food.  “I know,” he said.  “I just worry about her.”

“I’m sitting right here,” Lena reminded them.

Chip and Mr. King shared a look and chorused, “We know.”  All three of them laughed as they ate dinner.  Though the topic of conversation for the remainder of the meal switched to more mundane topics and anecdotes, Chip had a lot more on her mind for the rest of the night.

* * * * * * * *

Next: Bonus Story #3 – The Gangs

Also: Issue #17 – Fire and Water

Zatvor Penitentiary, outside of Eon City.

Carson Dale, making his rounds.

“I don’t know why I need to be here,” Dale said, his Scottish accent echoing in the hallway as he walked through the gates of Zatvor Penitentiary. “Zatvor has perfectly good doctors of their own. Haven’t you asked them about her yet?”

Sean Hannah, CEO of Pharos Industries, smirked as he shook his head. “I trust you more than any of those quacks,” he said, clapping Dale on the back. “You know that.”

“Still,” Dale sighed, “Zatvor Penitentiary is nae place for someone like me. And that young lady is still dangerous even without her venom, ye know.”

“I doubt there’s a prisoner in here that’s more dangerous than you, doctor,” Mr. Hannah said, grinning as if he were joking. “Your intelligence is unmatched. You could be a supervillain if you put your mind to it.”

“Aye,” Dale said, starting to smile himself. “And dinnae forget it.”

Sean Hannah opened a small door in the hallway, gesturing for Dale to enter first. Inside was a small clinic room. Dale shook his head, looking around at the sparse and outdated equipment.

“Pitiful,” he said. “With this kind of equipment, they cannae possibly be getting the same care as outside.”

“They’re prisoners,” Mr. Hannah reminded him. “They’re all here because they made a choice and are now facing the consequences.”

“Tha dinnae mean we should treat them as less than human,” grumbled the doctor.

Mr. Hannah shrugged. “Most of them aren’t human,” he said. “Zatvor was specifically designed to house satyr and Third Gen criminals.”

“Ye know what I meant,” Dale said, glaring at the young CEO. “Dinnae pretend tah misunderstand.”

“Ah, well,” Mr. Hannah yawned, stretching and changing the subject. “We’re here about one patient in particular. If she’s recovered from her surgery, then we can tell the board that our donation was well spent. Check her out quickly, and we can get out of here.”

“Aye,” Dale said, unpacking his bag on the small desk in the corner of the room. “As ye wish. I’ll just have tah make do with what I brought.”

Mr. Hannah sighed. “Dale, I’d donate more if I could,” he said, reading between the doctor’s words. “The board agreed to help with this case due to its experimental nature, but there’s no way I could talk them into donating just for the sake of improving medical care for a bunch of criminals.”

“If ye say so,” Dale said, still pointedly unpacking. Mr. Hannah was saved from responding by a knock at the door. “Come in,” the doctor answered.

A prison guard opened the door, leading in a girl with bushy, unkempt hair. Katie Cruz, known on the streets by the moniker Skadi, used to keep her hair coiffed in a wide cobra hood to match her scaly, snake-like appearance, but she didn’t have either the time, product, or inclination to keep it up in prison. Her dark hair hung limp around her shoulders, giving her head a deflated look. She still reminded Dale of a cobra – just one with its hood down, waiting for a threat before it strikes.

“Prisoner two-one-seven-five,” the guard introduced. “Want me to shut the door?”

“On yer way out, please,” Dale said dismissively.

The guard shifted nervously. “I’m not supposed to let her out of my sight,” he said.

“Yes, well, I cannae work with too many people in this cramped room,” Dale said sternly, folding his arms over his chest. “I need the patient here, obviously, and Mr. Hannah is supposed tah observe tah make sure everything’s in order fer his Board of Directors. That leaves you, so shoo.”

“I can stand outside,” the guard capitulated, “but I need to leave the door open. You understand.”

“Fine, fine,” Dale said, waving his hand dismissively. “Now, Miss Cruz, if ye could please open yer mouth.”

Skadi narrowed her eyes at them suspiciously, biting her lip nervously with her long, pointed incisors. She was a snake-satyr, and one of the most accomplished thieves of her time, but she was still a teenager. Since being imprisoned in Zatvor more than half a year earlier, she had gotten the venom sacs with which she had been born – which had been killing her slowly since reaching puberty – removed. Pharos Industries had financed the operation, but Skadi had never learned why. Looking between the two men, she seemed to realize something; however, despite her age, she sat down on the table and opened her mouth obediently, not saying a word. Dale would have thought the teenager would say whatever was on her mind, but Skadi seemed mature for her age.

Dale looked into her mouth and prodded her scaly cheeks and neck a few times. He took out a stethoscope and checked her breathing and heartbeat. He asked a lot of probing questions about how she had been feeling since the operation. The full examination took less than fifteen minutes, after which he declared Skadi to be in good health, and fully recovered.

“The scars are healing nicely,” he reported, “and the lack of symptoms say that ye probably will nae have a relapse. I’ll just take some blood from ye, and we’ll let ye get back.”

“You’re the Scottish one, right?” Skadi asked. When Dale nodded, she smirked and continued, “They said you’re one of the best doctors in the country.”

“I dinnae like tah brag,” Dale said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

“And you’re Sean Hannah, CEO of Pharos Industries,” Skadi added, turning to Mr. Hannah.

“I am,” Mr. Hannah replied.

Skadi gave a short laugh but refused to say what she had found so funny. As the guard came back in to take her back to her cell, Skadi gave both men an ironic smile. “My brother will come for me any day now,” she told them. “Just so you know.”

Mr. Hannah smiled back politely. “If you say so,” he said nonchalantly, “but no one has ever escaped from Zatvor.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Skadi replied sweetly. “I’ll see you around.”

As the guard led her away, Dale turned to Mr. Hannah. “That was creepy,” he admitted. “Is she right?”

“Time will tell,” Sean Hannah told him. “Come on, let’s get lunch. My treat.”

* * * * * * * *

Eon City, Asylum Headquarters.

Kyle Warren, AKA Reiki.

“So, we’re going undercover?” Rina asked skeptically, sitting forward in her chair. “Why?” Reiki had seen her tense up when Agent had told them the plan, and couldn’t blame her. They had just finished watching the video of Skadi’s exam, and knew that she had told Dale and Mr. Hannah that she planned to escape from Zatvor, but Agent’s plan seemed like an enormously bad idea.

The team was scattered around the new tower’s new briefing room, getting their new assignment from Agent. The only member missing was Shadow, who was patrolling the city; Agent had promised to brief him later. At the moment, Reiki, Rina, Natalie, Haley, and David were looking at Agent with disbelief, while Granny seemed focused on her crocheting at the other end of the long meeting table. Eli was the only person in the room who looked amused at the mission announcement, and he was laughing from where he sat next to Haley. It was a testament to how shocked the team was that even Natalie wasn’t shooting him dirty looks across the table.

“What do you mean, ‘why’?” Agent asked. He sat at the head of the conference table, so that the team had to look over at him. “We got a tip that there will be a prison breakout, and we need to find out which of the prisoners in Zatvor know about it. We can’t just assume that Skadi and her brother are working alone, or that she’ll be the only one breaking out.”

“I know I’m new here,” Eli piped up, still chuckling ironically, “but I think Nightmare’s referring to the fact that the last time an Asylum Watcher went undercover, it didn’t end well for any of us.”

Agent glared at him, while Natalie gave him an impressed smirk. “The merc is right,” she said, turning back to glare at Agent. “Parker went undercover in the Fauns, and not only did he blow up our old tower, he’s now their leader and on the city’s Most Wanted list. What made you think this was a good idea?”

“This is different,” Agent told them. “I’ve learned from that mistake.”

“‘Mistake’, he calls it,” David said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, ‘mistake’,” Agent repeated impatiently. “For one, no one goes in alone. I’m sending Nightmare, Earthborn, Trick, and Outlier.”

“Hang on, did you say Outlier?” Haley asked, her eyes widening. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Reiki looked over at her, and if he didn’t know better, he might think she was scared. But Haley was fearless; that was what made her a good Watcher.

Natalie was the one to address the elephant in the room, however. “Look kid,” she said, conveniently forgetting that Haley was only three years younger than herself, “I know you messed up last week with the gang fight, but frankly I don’t know if anyone else would have done better.” She shrugged, leaning back on the couch and putting her arms behind her head. “Besides, you won’t be in charge this time.”

“I know that,” Haley said, visibly annoyed. “What I don’t know is what good I can do on this mission.”

“Haley, you have plenty of skills,” Agent began, but Haley interrupted.

“Darn skippy I do,” she said, “but Zatvor is a prison for Third Gens and satyrs. I know Trick can pass as a Third Gen with her skillset, but I’m human through and through; there’s no getting around that.”

Agent raised an eyebrow. “I was planning on having Chip make you look like a satyr,” he said.

“Not a good plan,” Haley countered. “Makeup can get smudged, or washed off, and prosthetics can be lost. Not to mention my bleeding problem – one small papercut and a semi-vigilant villain would give me away as human. It would be better if you got an actual Third Gen or satyr to go in.” As an afterthought, she added, “Frankly, I don’t think any of us should go in. We’re all pretty high-profile – that was the point of the Asylum, wasn’t it? To have a team of celebrity superheroes that the people know and trust?”

“Sort of,” Agent admitted. “But Rina is a satyr already, and since her uniform covers her face no one knows what she looks like. David’s electricity means he’s never been photographed clearly, and earth manipulation is a common enough power that he can pass as a weaker Third Gen. Natalie is also good at disguise as part of her tricks.” He shook his head as he continued, “But yes, Reiki puts on shows in the park and Frank is a legacy. Eli has worked with enough of the villains in Zatvor that he’s too high-profile, and Granny’s powers are too unique. That leaves you and me, Haley – two decently strong humans who might be able to pass as Third Gens or Satyrs. I don’t usually go out in the field, and you’re still new enough that people won’t recognize you. Now, if I go in, then there’s no one watching the outside to let the team know if they need help, so that leaves you.”

“I’m a high-risk option,” Haley insisted. “If I go in, our chances of being caught skyrocket. Humans don’t go to Zatvor.” She looked over at Eli and added, “Why not Butterfly? Since the villains know him, it’d lend credibility to the others.”

“Not the right credibility,” Eli pointed out, shaking his head. “I’m a mercenary Watcher. I work with the villains on occasion, but I also helped put enough of them in Zatvor who would have a grudge against me, and the rest wouldn’t trust me due to my rep.”

“Aw, nobody trusts the big bad merc?” Natalie asked in a mocking, sing-song voice. “I wonder why.”

“You just won’t let that go, will you?” Eli asked, shaking his head.

“You shot me,” Natalie reminded him.

Eli threw his hands up helplessly. “I needed the money!” he cried.

“You were supposed to be working with us, and you shot me in the back,” Natalie said accusingly.

Eli looked guilty, at least. “It was a lot of money?” he said, wincing under her glare. “Anyways, it was over a year ago now. I haven’t done it since then.”

“I am not going undercover in Zatvor with the merc,” Natalie said, rounding on Agent while pointing rudely at Eli. “If he goes, I don’t.”

“You could always ask Holmes,” Reiki interjected, hoping to end the squabble. “Since she’s not officially on the team, she isn’t well-known. She’s good at disguise, too, and as a satyr she doesn’t have to worry about fitting in.”

Natalie sighed and put her arm down. “One problem,” she said. “Holmes has been MIA since the riots. Nobody knows where she is.”

“She’s also not technically a Watcher,” Eli added. When everyone turned to stare at him, he shrugged and added, “What? I pay attention sometimes. Holmes is a Private Eye – she doesn’t have a Watcher license.”

“That never stopped us from asking her before,” Haley said. “As for where she is, I’m sure that Agent can find her.” The team turned back to Agent with expectant gazes. Even Granny looked up from her crocheting with a raised eyebrow.

Agent sighed. “Fine,” he said finally, “I’ll ask Holmes. Haley, Eli, Reiki, you guys and Frank will be on double patrol shifts until the others get back, though.”

“Fair enough,” Haley said. Reiki looked at her sideways; she seemed almost relieved.

“As for the mission,” Agent continued, “I’m sending in Nightmare, Earthborn, Trick, and Holmes, I guess. You’ll be undercover as freshly-caught villains, and your job will be to cozy up to the Zatvor inmates and find out what they know. The warden will know who you are, but the guards will treat you like any other prisoner. With any luck, we’ll get the information we need within a few days, and you’ll all be back here safe and sound.”

Natalie sighed. “You know, I’ve had to say this to Haley a few times over the last few weeks, but I never thought I’d have to say it to you,” she said, shaking her head. “‘Luck’ is not a plan! How do you expect us to get close to these guys in just a few days? All psychological research shows that inmates have a hard time trusting new people.”

Agent didn’t answer, but turned to look at David. Everyone followed his gaze expectantly. David sighed and said, “I actually have the answer for that. I was an inmate there before joining the Asylum; the guys who’ve been in there for years think I broke out, and I should have a few friends on the inside who’ll vouch for me.”

“You were a Zatvor prisoner?” Haley asked curiously.

“Yeah,” said David. “When I first got my powers, I lost control and nearly destroyed the city. You remember the earthquakes about six or so years ago?”

“That was you?” Natalie cried. “Parker and I were doing our Watcher exam at the time; I nearly tripped on the obstacle course because of that!”

“Sorry,” David muttered, shrugging. “Anyways, I was in Zatvor for over a year figuring out my powers, and then broke out by tunneling under the walls. Long story short, Agent caught up with me, but instead of throwing me back in prison he offered me a job here.”

“How come you never told us this?” Rina asked.

David grinned at her. “You never asked,” he said, shrugging a shoulder and leaning back in his chair. “You’ve met my alter-ego, and you knew I used to be human. What do you think would have happened to someone who can level a city when they first got their powers?”

Reiki looked at Haley. He knew she was remembering one of her first patrol shifts, where they both had to subdue an elemental Third Gen who had lost control of his powers in the park. “They send people like that to Zatvor?” she asked. “Even if they did it by accident?”

“Not everyone in Zatvor is a criminal,” Agent said. “The prison is large, about the size of a small town. We’ll be focusing our efforts for this mission in the criminal quarters, with the worst offenders like Skadi, but Zatvor has another wing dedicated to helping inmates control their powers so that they can be safely released back into society.”

“’Safely’ being the key word in that sentence,” Natalie added. “Even if they can’t control their powers, not many inmates in Zatvor are there by choice.” She looked pointedly at David, who shrugged apologetically.

“I had my reasons for breaking out,” he said, and left it at that. Reiki gave Natalie a “just drop it” look. Out of all of the Asylum Watchers, David was the only one with a family of his own; he was very protective of them, only referring to his significant other as “Amy” (Reiki wasn’t even sure if they were married or not, or if she had taken his last name), and never calling his kid by name to keep the bad guys from targeting them. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he meant.

“Pharos Industries and King Enterprises both hold contracts for the work done there, and between the two of them they make sure Zatvor is escape-proof,” Agent told them. “David’s breakout is considered legendary there, so he should have an easy time getting close to the prisoners – especially those who are looking to get out themselves.”

“Well, that’s going to be fun,” Natalie said. “So what I’m hearing here is: we four will be thrown into a prison that’s the size of a small town with a bunch of criminals we helped put there, and have to figure out which villains to cozy up to so we can stop them from breaking out, but it’s okay because our local ex-con will make introductions to inmates who have been in there for years in the hopes that those inmates can – by chance­ – introduce us to the ones we’re looking for.” She folded her arms, looking expectantly at Agent. “Does that about sum it up?”

“Well, we know you can start with Skadi, since she’s the one who mentioned the possible breakout to Dale and Mr. Hannah,” Agent said, grinning playfully at her. “Otherwise, yes. Good summary.”

“Skadi,” Natalie scoffed. “The other issue. All we’re going on is her word that her brother will come for her ‘soon’ – nothing more concrete?”

“She was the snake-satyr girl you guys caught robbing that bank on my first day, right?” Haley asked.

Eli looked around the table. “You guys caught Skadi?” he asked.

“A while ago, merc,” Natalie said, rolling her eyes. “You really need to listen more often.”

“I do listen,” Eli said pointedly. “I listen when Poisonshot tells the underworld that he’s been working with a big player. I listen enough to know that Jorge and Katie Cruz never take jobs without each other, and I listen enough to know that they’re affiliated with the Fauns.” That got everyone’s attention. “Oh yeah,” Eli said, leaning back in his chair now that all eyes were on him. “Katie Cruz, also known as Skadi, is reportedly Claw’s girlfriend. Or, you know, the closest thing a psychopath like him can have.” Watching the shocked faces his new team made, he added, “But of course you big bad Watchers already knew that, right?”

“One of these days, merc,” Natalie promised, “I’m going to wipe that smug smile off your face.”

“You’re welcome to try,” Eli said, grinning at her.

“If that’s everything, I have some things to prepare,” Agent said. “Butterfly, could you brief the others on everything they’ll need to know when dealing with the inmates? Underworld gossip like that, for example?”

“Sure,” Eli said. “I do love me some gossip.”

Agent shook his head as he stood up. Grabbing his umbrella, he added, “Okay then; dismissed.”

* * * * * * * *

Zatvor Penitentiary, outside Eon City.

New prisoners have just arrived.

Zatvor Penitentiary was located on an island off Eon City’s coast. The only way on or off the island was by boat, and sharp rocks surrounded the facility itself. As the three undercover Watchers were ferried over to the prison, dressed in the standard orange jumpsuits of inmates, they sedated their growing nerves by catching up with their old ally, Holmes. Natalie in particular voiced her concerns loudly and often, as they wouldn’t have another chance to talk while in the prison.

“This is stupid,” Natalie said for the umpteenth time as they were led into the prison by the only guards that knew their true identities. “I don’t know what Agent is thinking.” She was uncomfortable without her custom-made black coat that held the majority of her tricks. She hadn’t even been allowed to put on her usual goth make-up that morning, and the occasional stares she got from her friends made her self-conscious. In Zatvor, she wouldn’t be allowed to dye her hair, either; soon she would look like a pop princess with her blonde hair, blue eyes, and pink lips. She was born with a cheerleader’s peppy looks, and soon her team would be made aware of that fact.

She was already hating this assignment.

“Ah, we’ll be fine,” said Toby. Toby Watson, otherwise known as “Holmes”, was a dog-satyr. Unlike Parker, who looked mostly human, Toby had a dog’s nose and ears, and her face was covered in soft, tan fur. Her blue eyes were large and canine-like, and anyone who looked closely enough at her long, dirty-blonde hair could see the floppy ears poking out of her head. Her fingers ended in blunt claws instead of nails, and her lips were naturally black. It wasn’t obvious, especially since she wore boots and long pants to cover her legs, but she walked on the balls of her feet because her ankles and feet were shaped like a dog’s. Her gait was graceful, however – she didn’t have any trouble moving, and Natalie had seen her outrun Frank before (which was no easy feat).

“Easy for you to say,” Natalie said dryly. “You weren’t there when the tower fell on me.”

Toby shrugged, ignoring the unspoken question in the statement. “Are you planning on blowing up any buildings?” she asked.

“No,” Natalie admitted.

“Neither am I,” Toby said, “so I doubt we’ll have that problem this time.”

Rina spoke up from behind them. “We should still be careful,” she said. “We’re walking into the highest-security prison the world has ever seen, and we’ll be hard-pressed to use our powers.”

“Speak for yourself,” Natalie and Toby chorused. Natalie looked sharply over at the P.I. with a newfound respect. As a human, Natalie had spent her life trying to keep up with Third Gens, with varying levels of success. Even though she was a satyr, Toby had done much the same – unlike Rina and Parker, the two satyrs with whom Natalie was familiar, Toby didn’t have any Third Gen-like powers augmenting her natural senses. Sure, she had a dog’s sense of smell and hearing, but that wasn’t the same thing as Parker’s super-strength or Rina’s panic-inducing powers; Toby was also colorblind, and her heightened other senses barely made up for her poor eyesight. Toby had more in common with Natalie than with the other Asylum Watchers on their team.

The guards dropped them off in a barred cell, where normal prisoners would usually be checked for hidden drugs and weapons. Given their unusual situation, the guards skipped the check, instead allowing the Watchers to wait in the room until the new guards – ones who didn’t know their identity – came.

“Hey,” Natalie suddenly asked as they waited in an anteroom to be escorted into the main compound. “I’ve always wondered, Toby: why haven’t you gotten your Watcher license?” It was the closest she could come to asking where Toby had been since the riots. She had wanted to ask as soon as she saw the P.I., but Agent had cautioned her against it.

“Reasons,” Toby shrugged. “Biggest one being that I’m not comfortable with the Government keeping tabs on me. Watchers have to register their names and powers, and I do my work better when I’m not on a national registry for anyone to look up.”

David spoke up for the first time since they were brought in. “We’re all on the registry, and we still do undercover stuff,” he pointed out.

“Trust me,” Toby answered, “it’s best if no one knows my real name.”

“We know your real name, though,” Rina said. “Toby Watson, right?”

Toby paused for a second, before shrugging. “Yeah, you just think that,” she told them, and with that the conversation ended.

Six guards walked in the room and surrounded them, marching the quartet out. These guards didn’t know about the newcomers’ status as undercover Watchers, so the four teammates kept quiet as they marched. As they were led through a large courtyard, Natalie noted the reinforced titanium floors and the high, smooth walls that didn’t allow for climbing. The walkway was covered, which is why the midday sun wasn’t bothering Rina yet, but they could see a few dozen inmates working out and socializing. The inmates watched and cat-called them as they passed, with many of the criminals referring to the new inmates as “fresh meat”. Natalie could see barbed wire at the top of the courtyard walls, though, making her smile to herself.

“Two minutes,” she said confidently, earning herself a glare from one of their new guards and a questioning look from Toby, who was marching next to her. “If I wanted to,” she said carefully, “it would only take me two minutes to bust out of here.”

The guards who heard her laughed. “What’re you going to do, sweetheart?” one asked. “You’d have to make it past us, first. Besides, your hands are cuffed.”

Natalie just shrugged, grinning conspiratorially. A crowd of inmates were now looking at them, and Natalie was pleased to note that Skadi was among them. Showtime, she thought.

Turning to the guard who had spoken, she asked sweetly in her most carrying stage voice, “Are they?” She held up the cuffs with her right hand, jingling them like keys to prove her point. Instantly, the guards surrounded her, pointing their tasers and shouting, “Hands up! Don’t move!”

“Geez,” Natalie said, still grinning. “Learn to take a joke.” She twirled the cuffs around her hands, smoothly letting them lock back in place. “Does this make you feel better?” she asked, laughing at the guards’ obvious discomfiture. They all put their tasers away, telling her not to pull a stunt like that again.

Toby shook her head in mock disapproval. “Come on, sweetie,” she said. “You can’t do better than that?”

She held up her uncuffed hands, but her cuffs were nowhere in sight. As the guard nearest to her tried to reach for his taser again, he found his hands cuffed in front of him and his taser missing. Toby pointed at the guard’s back pocket, where the taser had miraculously moved from it’s holster on his front, and laughed as the other guards pointed their tasers at her in turn.

“If we were going to make a run for it,” she told them, “we’d have done it before you led us into the compound.” As the guards continued to hold her at taser-point, she yawned and put her hands over her head. “Oh fine,” she added. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll walk like this from now on.”

One of the guards nodded at another, who got their keys out to unlock their comrade. Putting the cuffs back on Toby, they quickened their pace across the compound to the processing office. “Impressive,” Natalie admitted to Toby. “I’d have gone for his wallet, though.”

Toby grinned at her, putting a finger to her lips, and Natalie laughed as her victim checked his pockets for his wallet. Annoyed when he couldn’t find it there, he patted Toby down, eventually locating it in her jumpsuit pockets. The inmates watching them laughed at the guards’ discomfiture, and Toby gave Natalie a satisfied wink.

The guards seemed relieved when they finally got to the processing office, turning the new prisoners over to the Warden and taking up positions outside the office. “Watch out for these two,” the leader of their guard group said, nodding towards Toby and Natalie. The Warden assured him that he would, and the last guard left.

“You know,” came a voice from across the room, “it’s against protocol for the guards to leave you alone with this many prisoners, Warden.” Agent stepped out of the shadowy corner of the office, grinning at his team.

The Warden cleared his throat nervously. “Well, I know who these prisoners are, and I have an Agent of the Task-Force guarding me right now,” he said. “I told the guards that you would be plenty of protection from these four; I don’t know if they believed me, but they don’t question my orders.”

“This room is secure, by the way,” Agent said, nodding at his team. “The only people watching us already know about the operation.”

“Yes, yes,” the Warden said, waving his hand before Agent could say any more, “but on an island like this you’d be surprised how quickly things can get around. Never assume that nobody is listening.”

Agent nodded, silently deferring to the Warden’s experience. “I heard a commotion outside,” he said carefully.

Natalie stayed in character, tossing her head and smiling prettily at them. “Oh, that was nothing,” she said. “I was just commenting to your guards on how easy this place would be to break out of. Isn’t that right, David?”

David grinned, shaking slightly as he tried not to laugh in the Warden’s face, as the Warden turned his attention to him. “Yes,” the Warden said, frowning at him. “Well, there will be no escaping this time. I’m personally going to see to it.”

“Are you really?” David asked flippantly, smirking at him. “I escaped before, after all.”

The Warden’s frown deepened, but Agent interjected before he could respond. “We do have a goal here,” he said. “It’s good you guys are staying in character, but I’d like an acknowledgement from all of you that you aren’t going to do anything unnecessarily risky.” He looked at Natalie as he said that.

“Me?” she said in mock surprise. “When have I ever done anything unnecessarily dangerous?” She could hear David and Rina stifling laughter from behind her, and even Toby smirked at the comment.

“Nat,” Agent said. He sounded stern but she could see the concern on his face. He looked almost like a puppy when he got like that.

“Fine,” she said, giving in with a sly grin. “No unnecessary stunts.”

“What about the handcuff thing you just pulled?” Rina asked sweetly, elbowing her.

Natalie turned and grinned at her. “That was necessary,” she said, matching Rina’s sweet tone.

“Yeah,” Toby added, more seriously. “We got the criminals’ attention with that stunt. Now they’ll all want to see how powerful we are, and any who are looking to escape might want to cozy up to the two new escape artists.”

“Maybe,” David said, though he had a skeptical look on his face.

“Definitely,” Toby said. “Rina and I’ll get in good with the satyrs, and David and Natalie can work on the Third Gens. Between us, we ought to find out something about this breakout scheme they’ve got.”

“I won’t be using my powers,” Rina added, “and David will down-play his abilities to reduce the chances of them recognizing us.”

“And I’m pretending to be a Third Gen,” Natalie added, fingering the flash paper-covered cards that she smuggled in her sleeves.

The Warden harrumphed. “I’ve put the story to the guards that the Agents of the Task-Force captured the notorious David Perry,” he said. “He was working with three other low-level thieves to evade capture. We’ll be using your real first names, though your last names are different on your paperwork – except for Mr. Perry, of course.”

“They’ve been briefed,” Agent assured him. “If it comes up, they’ll know their names.”

“Good,” the Warden said. “I doubt it’ll come up, though. The guards use numbers to identify prisoners, and the inmates tend to use street names.” He brushed his mustache with his fingers as he added, “Everyone in here refers to me as ‘Warden’, so you don’t need to know my name.”

“Question,” Rina asked, raising her hand. “If we have something to report, where do we go?”

“Dale will be stationed in the prison clinic for the time being,” Agent said. “If you have any news, go to him.”

“Anything we missed?” the Warden asked.

Agent took a deep breath before looking at the Watchers. “No,” he said hesitantly. “I think that’s it.” For the first time, Natalie could see his own doubt in his plan on his face.  Not for the first time, she got the feeling that he wasn’t telling them something; he seemed worried, which took all the fun out of teasing him.

She put her still-handcuffed hand over his on his umbrella. “Hey,” she said softly. “It’ll be okay.” She noticed Toby’s raised eyebrows and added, “I mean, it’s a stupid plan, but it’s the only one we’ve got.”

Agent looked down, surprised at the contact, and blushed and stammered in response. “Just– Just don’t blow up any buildings,” he mumbled awkwardly.

Natalie raised an eyebrow. “No promises,” she said, grinning. If anyone else had said it that flippantly to her after what Parker had done, she would have punched them; but Agent just looked so cute when he was flustered. She would have to do this more often.

“If you two are done flirting?” Toby asked. Natalie saw Rina elbow her, but she and Agent broke apart hurriedly.

“Right,” Agent said, his face still red. “Well… good luck to you.” He strode to the door and got the guards that had taken up places outside to get the new inmates. As the guards took them away, Natalie turned back to look at Agent one more time, but his face had already been set back in the mask of indifference to the criminal inmates.

Looking ahead, Natalie steeled herself. You can do this, she thought, getting back into character.

There was no going back now.

* * * * * * * *

Asylum Headquarters.

Kyle Warren, AKA Reiki.

“So, fearless leader,” Reiki asked Haley after finding her in the lounge. “What’s going on?” He sat down on one of the cushioned chairs across from her.

“What do you mean?” Haley asked. She was sipping a cup of tea, having just gotten back from a patrol shift. Reiki just stared at her until she started talking. “You mean about the mission?” she asked.

“What else?” he said. “I’ve never seen you turn down an assignment before; none of us have. What’s wrong?”

Haley shrugged. “It was a bad plan,” she said. “Natalie was right; I relied way too much on luck when I was leader, and it nearly got us all killed last week. I know that another undercover mission is our only plan for stopping this breakout, so I made a suggestion to help improve our chances.”

“And conveniently, that suggestion was for you to stay behind.” It wasn’t an accusation, but Haley bristled.

“So?” she asked. “It was a good call. The team’s still settling back to our old routine, and Agent suddenly asks us to do this – he has to know how little the team trusts him after he abandoned us like that.”

Reiki was stunned for a second after her outburst. “Haley, you were the one who kept telling all of us that he would be back if we just gave him time,” he reminded her. “Now you say that you don’t trust him?”

Haley pursed her lips, clamming up again. “It’s not that I don’t trust him,” she back-pedaled. “I just wonder sometimes what took him so long, is all.”

Reiki just looked at her for a minute, noticing not for the first time how much she had changed in the last few months since the riots. She looked tired all the time, as if she wasn’t sleeping properly, and she had lost a fair amount of weight from not eating. Her hair, usually kept trimmed in a neat pixie cut, was shaggy and had grown past her ears. She used to change into civilian clothes after a patrol, but she was sitting in the lounge still in her uniform as she drank her tea.

The tea itself was unusual, as well. At this time of day, Haley used to have tea with Granny in the older woman’s room before going to the city’s community center to teach a self defense class in the evening. As he thought of it, Reiki realized that he hadn’t seen her teach that class in a while.

“Hey,” he said, concerned for his friend. “You know that if you ever need to talk about something, I’m here, right?”

Haley gave him a tired smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I know,” she said. “Thanks, Reiki. I’m fine, really.”

Anyone who knew her could tell that Haley was far from fine, but Reiki let the matter drop.

* * * * * * * *

Zatvor Penitentiary.

Sabrina “Rina” Dawson, AKA Nightmare

“So,” came a voice from behind Rina, “you’re the new meat.”

The four undercover teammates were taken to their cells after their meeting with Agent and the Warden. The girls’ cells were on the same block, but they couldn’t talk to each other without their jailers shouting at them. Nor would they have had much to say in front of the other inmates, anyways. They had to keep their cover.

As the other inmates were brought back in from the yard, Rina found that her cellmate was none other than Skadi. Aside from her initial comment upon entering the tiny cell, the snake-satyr didn’t have anything to say to her; she came in and lay down on her bunk, staring at the ceiling.

If she was going to get any information, the Rina was going to have to initiate conversation. “Hey,” she said shyly. “My name’s – ”

“Don’t care,” Skadi said abruptly. “In a few days it’s not going to matter.”

“Meaning?” Rina asked, taking the opening.

“Meaning if you don’t shut your trap and let me sleep, I’ll rip your throat out.” Skadi made the threat nonchalantly, not really trying to intimidate Rina, but as if it were simply a fact.

Rina took a deep breath, knowing how risky her next words would be. They would never get anywhere by playing it safe, however. “I’d like to see you try,” she said, doing her best to match Skadi’s tone of voice. For the first time, Rina was glad that her powers weren’t working properly – the tension in the small, cramped cell was palpable, and her brand of panic-inducing fear would have instantly started a fight. Skadi was about a decade younger, but Rina had seen her fight before and was in no hurry to face off with the thief.

The silence stretched on, while Rina anticipated every possible move Skadi could make. After what felt like an eternity, she heard a soft sigh coming from Skadi’s direction. It took another minute for Rina to realize that the snake-girl had fallen asleep.

“What did you think would happen?” Toby asked her the next day at breakfast when Rina relayed the conversation. “Fighting isn’t allowed in here.” They were eating alone at their end of the table, as Natalie and David had joined some of his old acquaintances among the Third Gens.

“I don’t know,” Rina said, still confused. “This has never happened to me before. Usually people get so nervous around me that they can hardly speak, much less fall asleep.”

“Agent wouldn’t have sent you if he didn’t think you could control your powers, right?” Toby asked, dropping her voice so the other inmates wouldn’t hear.

“He didn’t send me as a Fourth Gen,” Rina whispered back. “He sent me as a satyr. I – ”

“You,” came a voice from behind her. Rina whipped her head around, trying to see who was speaking. A pale young man with white hair and red eyes was smiling at her. “You’re Nine, aren’t you? Rina?”

Rina’s eyes widened as she recognized the man. “Finn?” she asked in disbelief. “No way! What are you doing here?”

“Rina,” Toby asked, a warning note creeping into her voice, “you know this guy?”

“Toby,” Rina introduced, noticing how many eyes were now looking at them. “This is Finn. He’s a Fourth Gen, like me. I didn’t know any of the Fourth Gens were in Zatvor,” she added, turning back to Finn. It suddenly occurred to her that her cover was blown, and her eyes widened slightly as she kept the smile plastered to her face.

Finn smiled as he sat with them. “I’m the only one I’ve seen. Most of the others are still with the Fauns around the country.”

“I thought I was the only one who stayed in Eon City,” Rina said, shaking her head. “What are you doing here, Finn? I haven’t seen you since…”

“Since we broke out of the experiment?” Finn finished as Rina trailed off. “Yeah. What have you been up to?” He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “I thought you became a Watcher.”

Toby gave Rina a brief alarmed look, before feigning disinterest again. Rina thought fast, coming up with a story and hoping Toby would go along with it. “I got my Watcher license,” she admitted, “mainly because there wasn’t any other way for me to make money. I even tried joining a team for a while,” she added, remembering her run-in with Leech earlier that year and wondering how much Finn knew. She would have to stay as close to the truth as possible. “That life wasn’t really for me. The night of the riots… well, some stuff happened, and I lost control of my powers. I was kicked to the curb, until I met Toby here.” Toby nodded as if she already knew the story. “We lived on the streets for a bit, until we were picked up last week for expired licenses.”

The “expired license” story was one they had agreed on beforehand, believing that it would lend them some sympathy from Fauns like Skadi. Satyrs were all required to carry a special license that proved they were registered with the government, and allowing that license to expire was punishable with up to a year in prison.  Rina’s Watcher license usually served as her proof of registration, but it too had to be updated regularly.

Finn nodded, seeming to buy the tale as he began telling his own story.  “Well, as you know I’m not really a satyr,” he said. “The stupid experiment gave me the red eyes and black blood, though, so I can’t pass for human, either. I went ahead and got a satyr license to keep the cops off my back, but, well – like you said, there’s not much work that’ll take someone like us.”

“If you’re not a satyr, then you must be a Third Gen,” Toby said, acting as though she didn’t know much about the Fourth Gen experiment.

“You didn’t tell her?” Finn asked Rina, who shrugged. “We’re called ‘Fourth Gens’,” he explained. “We were part of an illegal experiment when we were kids that gave us more advanced powers than the Third Gens. Rina here can regrow any of her limbs.”

Rina looked around, suddenly conscious of the fact that they were the center of attention now. “Not that I particularly enjoy losing my arms or legs,” she said nervously.

Finn waved a hand impatiently. “Yeah, but your powers were so cool! You were almost as strong as Ryan and Katie when we finally broke out of there.”

“My fear powers are hard to control,” Rina told him carefully. She didn’t want to admit that she couldn’t use them – they had not worked reliably since the night of the riots – and so didn’t want him just shouting about it to the entire cafeteria. As a Watcher, she had put more than her share of villains behind bars in Zatvor, and she didn’t want everyone here to put it together that she was the hero Nightmare – especially when she lacked her usual intimidation.

“Don’t I know it,” Finn was saying, not taking the hint. “You hit all of us along with the scientists. I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest!”

Rina laughed nervously. “Well, it’s good to see you, Finn,” she said, hinting that he should leave.

Finn had never been good at picking up on hints. “So have you seen any of the others?” he asked. “Leah and Mikey tracked me down earlier this year, saying something about having found the lead scientist on the Fourth Gen experiments. They wanted me to go with them to kill him, but I’ve never been into that. Forgiveness is better than hate, after all.”

“Yeah, they found me too,” Rina told him, relaxing a little as they turned away from discussing her powers. “I also heard that the lead scientist is in jail now.”

“He’s not a Third Gen, I don’t think,” Finn said, shrugging, “and he sure as hell ain’t a satyr, so he’s not in here and that’s all I know. If I never see him again, it’ll be too soon.”

As Rina replied, “True,” Toby stood up.

“I’ve got a bit of a stomachache, Rina,” she said, giving her a significant look. “I think I’m going to see the medic.”

“Sorry, Finn,” Rina said, “Talk to you later?”

“Sure,” Finn said, starting to eat now that they were done talking. “I’ll probably see you during the free hour, since we can’t go outside.”

“Right,” Rina said, smiling at him. “It really is good to see you again,” she added, before following Toby to put their trays away.

As they walked down the hallway to the infirmary, Toby looked around to make sure they were alone before asking carefully, “What the hell was that?”

“Finn’s a Fourth Gen, like me,” Rina said, not bothering to whisper. There was no point in pretending that she was a normal satyr now. “He’s a technopath; he can assemble or disassemble any piece of technology he comes across and can make it work with a thought.”

“Cool, cool,” Toby said, nodding. Then she added sharply, “He knew you. He outed your powers.”

“Yeah,” Rina said. “That’s going to be a problem, isn’t it?”

“Only if you’re recognized,” Toby hissed, “by any of the plethora of bad guys you helped put in here!”

Rina was saved a response by someone shouting, “Hey! New Meat!” from behind them.

“Great,” Toby sighed before turning to face them. “What?”

Skadi came marching up the hallway with three other satyr prisoners. From the description she had received before the mission, Rina recognized Erinyes, the bat-satyr Faun Lieutenant whom Natalie and David took down the night of the riots, on Skadi’s left. This just keeps getting better, Rina thought, schooling her face to keep her internal cringe from showing.

“You,” Skadi demanded, pointing rudely at Rina. “Is it true you’re a Fourth Gen?”

“These eyes aren’t just for decoration,” Rina said, trying to come across as tough and nonchalant. Her best hope now that Finn had outed her powers was to bluff it out.

“You’re also a satyr, right?” Skadi continued. “The Fauns could use someone as powerful as you.”

Rina raised an eyebrow. “Why would I need the Fauns?” she asked.

Skadi scoffed. “Why wouldn’t you need the Fauns?” she retorted. “You worked as a Watcher, right? You probably helped put a bunch of people in here. The Fauns can watch your back, if you help us with a little… side project we’ve got going.”

“’Side project’?” Rina asked, trying not to glance at Toby.

Skadi folded her arms in front of her. “My brother and some friends of ours are going to bust us out,” she said bluntly. “You in?”

“Whoa,” Toby said, putting up a hand. “Your brother? Who is that?”

“Poisonshot,” Skadi told her, rolling her eyes. “Duh. But I won’t give you any more details right now. Meet me tomorrow in the yard at the picnic benches.” She looked around and added, “Fewer ears there.”

Rina nodded, and Skadi and her posse moved off. She blinked a few times as she watched them go, unable to say anything.

“Okay, how the hell did you do that?” Toby asked her, awed. “I’ve never been able to get information that fast, much less a confession.”

“Is it just me, or did that seem fishy?” Rina asked, still looking at the spot where Skadi turned the corner.

“Oh, it was definitely fishy,” Toby said, “but if she really just took the bait that easily, then this mission’ll be a piece of cake. Maybe it was a good thing that Finn outed you.”

“We’ll see,” Rina said, shaking her head and looking back at Toby. “Either way, we need to see Dale.”

* * * * * * * *

Zatvor Penitentiary, across the cafeteria.

Natalie Fawkes, AKA Trick.

“So, where do we start?” Natalie asked. David was scanning the room as they grabbed their food trays.

“Over there,” he grunted. He was getting into his role of being the big, tough prisoner. Natalie followed as David led her to an empty table that was sitting near a group of rowdy inmates. Given the lack of markings, they were probably Third Gens.

“Oh ho ho,” laughed one as he saw David and Natalie approach. “If it isn’t the big, bad David Perry!”

The inmate was a large man, tattooed and bald. He winked at Natalie as they approached. “Well, hello sweetheart,” he said. “What’s a pretty thing like yourself doing following a great big oaf like him?”

“Sweetheart?” she asked. “I’ll give you ‘sweetheart’.” With that, she stomped as hard as she could on the big guy’s foot. As petite as Natalie looked, years of fighting training had given her powerful leg muscles – she probably had broken at least one of the big guy’s toes.

The big man howled in pain, much more loudly than Natalie would have expected. “Wh… what did you do that for?” he sobbed, crossing his leg over his knee to cradle the injured foot. “I *hic* I was only being friendly!”

“I’m not some pushover little girl that you can just…” Natalie started to tell him off, but trailed off when she saw the looks on the other Third Gens’ faces. They seemed concerned about the big guy, and shot glares at Natalie as they tried to console him.

David shook his head. “Sorry, Blitz,” he said, sounding sincerely apologetic. “Natalie’s new here, and she’s a bit jumpy. She thought you were hitting on her.” Natalie couldn’t believe it.

The one called “Blitz” was sobbing as he cradled his foot. The other Third Gens in the group looked expectantly at Natalie, frowning as they did. They obviously expected her to apologize to the hulking figure, and since she was outnumbered, Natalie decided to comply.

“Oh, um, yeah,” she said awkwardly. “I thought you were disrespecting me, and, um, I’m… sorry?”

Blitz sniffed, wiping the tears out of his eyes as he mumbled, “S’okay.” The other Third Gens clapped him comfortingly on the back, still shooting Natalie dirty looks.

David turned to her and explained. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you. Blitz here is a big softy, who likes taking care of newcomers. His Third Gen power is that he can make people feel cozy with a touch, so everyone here likes him.”

“Cozy?” Natalie asked skeptically.

“Like… like that feeling you get when you’re wrapped in a big, fuzzy blanket and have a cup of cocoa on a cold night,” said one of the other prisoners, who was still glaring at Natalie. “It’s the best feeling in the world, and Blitz is the only way we can get it in here when we have a bad day. And you hurt him!”

“Blitz calls everybody ‘sweetheart’,” added another.  “He’s mildly autistic, and it’s part of his therapy to try and connect to others.”

“Oh,” Natalie said. “I’m so sorry,” she added, more sincerely now that she knew the big guy hadn’t meant anything by the comments.

“It’s… it’s okay,” Blitz said, sniffling one more time. He seemed to have stopped crying, at least. “It didn’t hurt much, really. I just didn’t expect it, is all.”

“Can you walk?” David asked.

Blitz tested his foot out, and nodded. Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. If they were trying to get in good with the Third Gens of the prison, she did not get them off to a good start.

“Don’t mind them, Blitz,” came a voice from the back of the group. As Third Gens shifted to look at the new speaker, Natalie found herself able to see a blonde girl laying down on the table behind them. She flinched as she recognized the villainess. “I know Miss Natalie,” Hatter said, grinning over at them from her prone position on the table. “She’s not a bad person – just takes a little getting used to.”

“You know her, Hatter?” asked another of the inmates. If she had nothing else to think about, Natalie might have recognized that one from the gang fight earlier that month – as it was, however, she only had eyes for Hatter.

“You’re here,” Natalie said, her voice cracking from the tension.  Hatter had obviously recognized her, even without her usual makeup and outfit.

David looked between the two, noticing Natalie’s alarmed expression as the girls faced off. “Oh yes,” Hatter said, sitting up and spinning around daintily. “I’m here. Where else would I be after robbing a museum?”

“I don’t know,” Natalie said carefully, wondering if her cover was about to be blown. “I guess I never thought someone like you could be locked up.”

“Strictly speaking, I can’t be,” Hatter crossed her legs, still smiling that manic grin. “I’m only in here because here is where I want to be. And you can stop describing my smile,” she added, talking to the air.

The audience should note that you’re smiling, and it’s very off-putting to our heroes.

“Yes, well, it’s supposed to be,” Hatter grumbled, “but your narration is getting distracting.”

Sorry.

David looked confused, but Natalie had seen this before. “Still talking to the voice in your head, I see,” she said.

“Oh, the narrator’s not in my head,” Hatter replied, steadfastly ignoring the narration as she spoke to the heroes. “Anyways, yes, I’m here. The real question is why are you?”

“Got into some trouble,” Natalie said evasively.

“I can see that,” Hatter said dryly.  “Does this ‘trouble’ wear a three-piece suit and carry an over-compensating umbrella?”

“Anyways…” David segued, awkwardly trying to bring the conversation back around to his original purpose before Natalie took Hatter’s bait. “Blitz, we’re looking for something. Can you help us?”

“Depends,” Blitz shrugged. He didn’t seem to be holding a grudge against Natalie for hurting his foot. “What do you need?”

“I’ve been gone for a while, as you know,” David said, “so we’re looking for some updated information around here. What’s the pecking order like these days?”

Blitz shrugged. “Not much change,” he said. “Fauns still keep to themselves, though they seem to be looking to the snake-girl now. Skels added to their numbers last week, but the new guys don’t seem to belong here. My crew keeps to ourselves; we don’t want trouble, and the gangs tend to bring it with them.”

“Are the Fauns and Skels still fighting?” David asked.

Hatter suddenly jumped off the table, landing lightly in front of him. “No,” she said. “Curiously enough, they’re not. I wonder why that is.” She turned and walked away from the group, whistling as she left.

“She’s kind of weird,” David said.

“Oh, Hatter’s harmless,” Blitz told them.

“Harmless?” Natalie repeated. “Last time I saw her, she made me switch bodies with someone!”

David looked surprised. “Wait, that was her?” he asked, looking back at Hatter.

“Her Third Gen power is unique,” Blitz said. “She has what she calls ‘limited powers of narration.’ If she uses a special voice, anything she says comes true.” He shook his head. “Crazy bird, though. Constantly talks to herself.”

“Anything she says?” David asked, disbelieving.

“Anything,” Natalie nodded. “She made a stuffed buffalo come to life and ride a skateboard.”

“And she’s locked up in Zatvor,” David said, folding his arms.  “Why hasn’t she broken out before?”

Natalie tapped him on the shoulder, and David thanked Blitz and said his goodbyes. They moved off a safe distance and sat at another empty table to eat, and Natalie said, “I think we need to talk to Dale.”

 “You mean about Hatter?” David asked. “Is she a problem?”

“Well, she definitely recognized me,” Natalie said. “Damn. Haley was right; this is too dangerous. I bet most everyone in here knows who we are by now!”

“We don’t know that,” David reminded her. “She didn’t tell Blitz who you were. Trust me,” he added, glancing back over at the hulking teddy bear. “If he knew we were Watchers, Blitz wouldn’t have been able to keep a straight face. I highly doubt he’s involved in any breakout scheme.”

Natalie glanced back at Blitz as well, keeping her voice down as she said, “I’d bet the year’s salary that Hatter is, though.” She poked at the cold cafeteria food, grimacing as she added, “I don’t think I’m all that hungry anymore.”

* * * * * * * *

Asylum HQ, the next day.

Outlier and Butterfly, returning from patrol.

“Do you think they’re okay?” Haley asked Eli as she parked her bike in the motor pool. “The guys in Zatvor? It’s been a couple of days now.” She had been worried about the undercover Asylum Watchers for the last two days, but Agent had not told them much about the mission.

“We would have heard if there was something wrong,” Eli said practically, shrugging his rifle off his shoulder as he dismounted from Haley’s motorcycle. “In this case, no news is good news.”

“I guess,” Haley said as they moved to the elevator to check in upstairs. “I’m just worried. They all put so many of the criminals in Zatvor there; it’d be a miracle if they aren’t recognized.”

“Oh, I agree,” Eli said. “But our dear Agent must have had his reasons for sending them there.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Haley admitted, as she and Eli both swiped their identification cards to show that they were back. Haley punched the button for the medic floor as they talked. “Agent’s been weirdly evasive since he’s been back. I don’t know if it’s because of what happened the night of the riots, or if he’s just embarrassed, but he refuses to tell anyone why he left us alone for four months – or what made him come back. Now, a week after he’s back, he sends our team into Zatvor with very little to disguise themselves, based on a vague tip from a criminal.”

Eli looked at her. “You think he’s up to something?” he asked. “Agent’s always been an upstanding guy, though.” Through his surprised tone, Haley noted that Eli sounded sarcastic as he said it.

“I think there’s something weird going on in this city,” Haley said. “I’ve been noticing some patterns since my first day on the job – like Poisonshot working for someone who can make portals in the walls.” She shook her head. “I’ve read every report we have, as well as every new one coming in. Almost every villain that’s escaped our team has used those same portals – as if the air in front of them just opened up. There’s some kind of big shot behind the scenes, pulling the strings, and I think Agent knows who it is.”

“That’s a pretty big leap,” Eli said. “What makes you think Agent is in league with Jaunt?”

Haley looked sharply at her partner. “Jaunt?” she asked. “You mean the guy who took down Team Ark? What’s he got to do with it?”

“Oh, yeah,” Eli said, shrugging. “What you described there is his MO. Jaunt takes criminals and puts them together to do certain jobs for clients. A Consulting Criminal, to use the Sherlock Holmes term. A – how did you put it? – ‘a big shot behind the scenes, pulling the strings’.”

“Jaunt,” Haley repeated slowly. “The Team Ark report said he could make portals in the air, too. That would make so much more sense if he’s the one behind everything.”

“But what makes you think Agent is working with him?” Eli asked curiously. “Agent was a member of Team Ark, and he took their defeat pretty hard.”

“Good point,” Haley sighed. “That part doesn’t add up. But still, there’s something fishy going on.”

“Like what?” Eli asked.

“Agent has some kind of mysterious source,” Haley said. “He has his ear to the ground in the underworld.”

“Yeah,” Eli agreed, “but he’s an Agent of the Task-Force. Why wouldn’t he?”

“I’d agree with you,” Haley told him, “but every mission we’ve failed since I got here came from Agent’s mysterious source. Every single one – Poisonshot, Parker, Hatter, Drake, Marauder, Claw. That can’t be coincidence.”

Eli whistled. “No,” he said, “that doesn’t sound like a coincidence. You said Poisonshot used portals to get away?”

“So did Hatter, and Marauder,” Haley said, ticking them off on her fingers. “Parker went into the Fauns to spy on Claw – there was some vague story mentioned about rooting out a mole that people keep forgetting – and that failed miserably. And while David took Drake down, that was the first time we saw Dark David come out.”

“You think Agent’s in league with Jaunt, though?” Eli asked curiously as the elevator doors opened again.

“You’re right,” Haley sighed again, stepping out into the medical floor. They had to get checked out after every patrol, even if Dale was still away. “That doesn’t sound like something he’d do. Still, it’s suspicious. And there’s something that’s been bothering me about the night of the riots.”

Eli hopped up on an exam table as they waited for Dale’s assistants to come check them out. “Only one thing bothers you about that night?” he asked, only half-joking.

“How did they get the bombs up here?” Haley asked. Eli stopped chuckling as the implication fell into place.

“Claw had someone infiltrate the place, right?” he asked tentatively. “I mean, there are a lot of people coming and going in the building – even more before the riots. One of them had to have snuck up here.”

“Yes, but only the Watchers are allowed on the top floors,” Haley pointed out, holding up her key card. “According to the projections, the bombs detonated from the medic floor, but also from our quarters and Agent’s office. We don’t allow just anyone up there – heck, it was a week after my first day here before I could even move in without needing an escort. The elevator locks down if you don’t use your key card, and the stairs are gated between the admin floors, the tech floors, and the Watcher floors. So, who planted the bombs on the top floors?”

Eli shrugged. “Couldn’t someone have snuck in?” he asked again. “Stolen a key card, or made a fake one, or something?”

“Possibly,” Haley admitted, “but if they did, it would have been right before the bombs went off, and the security scans would have shown something.” She sighed. “Either way, it brings us back to Agent. Why has nobody been investigating it? Nobody asked any of us if we had lost our cards.”

“They probably assume that Claw used Blackbird’s,” Eli said reasonably.

“Except that the logs didn’t show Parker’s card being used,” Haley pointed out. “Plus, my brother told me that Parker pressed that button under duress. Even if he’s well and truly a Faun now, Parker wouldn’t have given over his access card before that moment – after the bombs went off.”

“You’re making a few assumptions, there,” Eli said. “We don’t know that Blackbird wasn’t a traitor, or that Claw didn’t just steal his card.”

“Fair,” Haley said. “It’s still just speculation. I’m mainly just concerned that nobody is asking these questions.”

The medic assistant chose that moment to walk in, so Eli couldn’t respond. They both had their check-up in thoughtful silence, weighing the possibility of a traitor on the team.

* * * * * * * *

Zatvor Penitentiary.

Rina, Toby, Natalie, and David, discussing.

“This mission is a bust,” Natalie growled. “First Hatter recognizes me, then there’s a Fourth Gen who knows Rina. It’s been two days since we were burned – why are we still here?”

“Better question,” Toby said, “why did Agent send you guys in the first place? He had to have at least known the Fourth Gen guy was here, and that he’d probably recognize Rina.”

“None of that matters,” David interrupted. “What matters now is that we’re here, and we have a mission to accomplish.”

Natalie shrugged. “Not sure what more we can do but wait,” she said. “Rina and Toby got all they could out of Skadi.”

The satyr girls had reported to Dale as soon as they had finished with Skadi in the hallway two days before. Dale had assured them that he would tell Agent that Finn had recognized Rina, but so far, they hadn’t heard anything else. Later that afternoon they had met Skadi under the covered picnic tables during the yard hour. She had told them that the breakout was planned for three days later – which meant it was now less than a day from the appointed hour.

Unfortunately, the snake-satyr had not been forthcoming with the details of the escape. The undercover Watchers knew when, but not how the inmates would attempt to escape – which meant their mission was not yet over.

David and Natalie had also told Dale about Hatter recognizing them, but there was still no word from Agent about pulling them out. Now they were stuck in a potentially hostile situation and had no extraction plan in place. The teammates had gathered in the indoor recreation room after breakfast to discuss their next steps.

“Agent won’t just leave us in here,” David assured the others. “For now, we just have to lie low and wait for the breakout attempt. Once we stop it, Agent will get us out.”

“You sound like Haley,” Natalie grumbled.

David grinned at her. “You just have to have a little faith,” he said, echoing Haley’s words from earlier that summer. “I thought you of all people would trust Agent.”

“’Me of all people’?” Natalie repeated, raising an eyebrow. “I like the guy, sure, but trust has never been a part of it. Agent has a lot of moves planned out, and I’m a pawn on the board – we both understand that, or we wouldn’t be able to work together.”

“If you didn’t trust him, you wouldn’t be able to work together, either,” Toby pointed out.

Natalie shrugged. “It’s complicated,” she said. “I trust him to make decisions, and to do what’s right for the city, but I can’t forget what happened to my brother. Agent took a risk with Parker, and it blew up in all our faces; he’s not infallible, and I’m not so smitten as to think he can’t make mistakes. And I think this mission is a mistake.”

“Very wise,” Toby said, nodding. “So what are you thinking we do?”

“Do about what?” came a voice from behind them. “Hey Rina,” Finn added, squeezing between her and David. “Mind if I join you?”

“How long have you been listening?” Rina asked, startled.

Finn shrugged. “Long enough to know you four are working for the Asylum,” he said. “Really, you guys should watch what you say in here. Or did you think people wouldn’t know who Agent is?” The Watchers looked around, noticing the hostile stares from the people around them for the first time. Finn laughed at the look on their faces. “Nah, I’m just kidding. Hatter let it slip to Blitz this morning. Rina, why didn’t you tell me you were still a Watcher?”

“Do you not see how everyone is looking at us?” Rina asked, standing up as her teammates tensed for a fight.

“What?” Finn asked. “Nobody’s going to try anything. Mostly they just want to know what you’re doing here.”

“This is worse than we thought,” Natalie said. “We should have gotten out of here as soon as Hatter recognized us!”

“I knew it,” came another voice from down the table. Skadi came walking over, looking between Finn and Rina with her hands on her hips. “You’re Nightmare,” she said loudly, staring at Rina.

If there had been any inmates who didn’t already know their identities, they knew now.

Rina stared Skadi down, however, still trying to de-escalate the situation. “Not anymore,” she said coolly. “I don’t know how much you hear in here, but Eon City was hit by Faun riots nearly half a year ago, and I lost control of my powers. No powers, no Watcher license, no heroics. I was out on the streets like… well, like a satyr.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear, drawing attention to their webbed appearance, as well as the claw-like shape of her fingers. It was a huge risk to admit her identity, since she had single-handedly put down a gang fight just a week before – it was one thing for the inmates to spread rumors, but another to confirm them – but as she spoke, the story took shape in her mind. She could answer questions if needed.

Luckily for her, no one from that day seemed to be in the room at the moment – or they didn’t want to speak up. Skadi nodded and sat down next to them. After a few seconds when the cafeteria collectively held their breaths, the snake-girl looked around and said loudly, “Geez, everyone here is such a busybody. We’re trying to have a conversation here, people.”

At that, the tension around the room seemed to diffuse. Everyone went back to their conversations, and Rina saw David and Natalie out of the corner of her eye standing down.

“Nobody will bother you,” Skadi assured her. “Everyone here knows I was put in here by the Asylum, so if I say you’re good, then you’re good.” She shrugged. “Most of them don’t really hold grudges anyways – at least, not enough to risk punishment from fighting you.”

“What is it you want?” Rina asked, unsure of the teen criminal’s motives. Finn looked curiously between Skadi and Rina. Rina sat back down, but the other Watchers stayed tensed up.

Skadi raised the arches over her eyes. It would have looked human, if she had eyebrows over her scales. “What makes you think I want anything from you?” she asked sweetly, her forked tongue making her voice hiss.

“Cut the crap, Skadi,” Rina said. “Why else would you speak for me?”

Skadi grinned, showing her snake-like fangs. “I assume you all are here because of what I said to Dale and Hannah,” she said. “Oh, don’t bother telling me that story about you leaving the Asylum again; I recognized Earthborn the second I saw him.” She nodded at David, who flushed.

“Yeah, this is a bust,” Toby muttered, sharing a look with Natalie.

“Oh, no worries,” Skadi said. “Nobody here’ll bother you. There’s nothing you can do about the breakout even if you do know.” She tossed her hair, taking a bite of her porridge as she added, “No, I’m here with a friendly warning.”

“A warning?” Rina asked. “No revenge plot or anything?

“Revenge?” Skadi looked taken aback. “Why would I want revenge?”

“For putting you in here,” Rina said.

Skadi laughed. “That was nothing to be mad about,” she said. “I was sick and coming here saved my life. If anything, I owe you for catching me.”

“Thus, the friendly warning, right?” Finn prompted. He seemed to know what she was there to tell them.

“There’s something a lot bigger than us going on here,” Skadi told them, ignoring Finn. The Fourth Gen didn’t seem bothered by it, though. “My brother and I are being held over a barrel by Jaunt, and I don’t like it.”

“’Over a barrel’?” Rina asked.

Skadi sighed. “Yeah, you know: he’s got a gun to our heads, he’s making us do stuff we don’t want to do?” She looked between them. “I think you all know the feeling.”

“How?” Toby asked.

“I was sick,” Skadi said again, rolling her eyes as she explained. “We needed money for an operation, so my brother and I became thieves. Then this guy Jaunt came along, and promised he’d make me better if we did everything that he told us. I tried to get away; I joined the Fauns and hoped Claw could protect me, but my brother isn’t a satyr.”

“So you went back for him, and got caught robbing that bank,” Rina finished. “I knew bank robbery wasn’t your style.”

“You believe her?” Toby asked. “Just like that?”

David put a hand on Toby’s shoulder. “What other reason does she have to talk to us?” he asked reasonably.

Skadi nodded. “Not to mention, Claw’s under Jaunt’s thumb, too,” she told them. “That guy has his fingers in every pie in the country. There’s no getting away from him.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Natalie asked suspiciously.

Skadi grinned at her, showing her snake-like fangs. “Because if I can’t get away from him, then the least I can do is ruin his plans,” she said, her forked tongue making her voice hiss ominously. “He has ears everywhere – even inside the Asylum,” she added, “and everything he does seems to be testing people’s sense of heroics. This breakout, for example.”

“If you want to get back at him, then tell us how to stop the breakout,” Toby said.

Skadi shrugged. “It can’t be stopped,” she said. “Especially not from in here. The guy makes portals,” she reminded them. “He could be anywhere, and this breakout would still happen.”

Natalie shook her head. “Then what difference does it make if you tell us?” she asked.

“Tomorrow, be in the yard,” Skadi said. “A prison riot will start at noon, and you might be able to stop some of the villains from going through Jaunt’s portals at twelve-oh-five. Bring the rest of your team, too,” she added. “You can stop people from getting hurt in the confusion.”

“And what’s stopping us from just telling the Warden not to let anyone out in the yard tomorrow?” Natalie asked.

“Probably your biggest takeaway from this conversation,” Skadi said. “I already said, Jaunt has ears in the Asylum – and he has back-up plans upon back-up plans. If you don’t keep the prisoners lumped together, then he’ll just open the portals inside the cells and you won’t stop anybody from going through.”

David furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean, ‘he has ears inside the Asylum’?” he asked.

“Just what I said, duh,” Skadi told him, rolling her eyes. “He’s got people inside the Asylum telling him everything. Haven’t you wondered why you haven’t been pulled out of here yet? You’re only in Zatvor because Jaunt wants you to be – just like me, and Hatter, and a ton of others around here.”

“Yeah, right,” Natalie said. “Come on, guys – she’s just trying to get us to turn on each other. Why should we believe you?”

Skadi shrugged, but it was Toby who answered, “It makes sense.” When Natalie turned to glare at her, she explained, “I was just thinking that it was weird for Agent to send us in here when there were inmates who would recognize you guys on sight. It’s also weird that we’ve been here two days without getting jumped, even though our covers were blown a while ago.” She shook her head, adding, “Who’s protecting us? ‘Cause I highly doubt it’s the snake-girl here. No offense,” she added, nodding at Skadi.  “I also don’t think it’s Agent.”

“Our source is a criminal,” Natalie reminded her. “We’re just taking Skadi’s word for it?”

Skadi stood up. “Honestly, I don’t care what you believe,” she told them. “I told you what I know because I want to thumb my nose at Jaunt. What you do with it is up to you.” She walked away, rolling her eyes. “Tomorrow at noon,” she called back without looking at them.

The Watchers all looked at each other as she walked away.  There was a lot that didn’t add up about this mission.

* * * * * * * *

Olympus, the ruins of a once-great civilization.

Jaunt and Poisonshot.

“It’s nearly time,” Jorge Cruz, otherwise known as Poisonshot, said through his breathing apparatus.  He ran a cloth down the edge of his composite bow once more to make sure it was polished.  “Are you going to open up those fancy portals for us now?

Jaunt smirked at him through his own mask.  “Patience, my young friend,” he said, looking out at the wasteland through the balcony window.  “We have to wait for all the players to get into position.”

“More of your games, huh?” Jorge asked bitterly.  “My sister’s been rotting away in Zatvor for the better part of a year now, and you’re telling me to be patient?”

“I kept my promise,” Jaunt said.  “Your sister was cured, and now we’re getting her out.  I’m just asking for a few more minutes.”

“I’ve spent the last year running your errands,” Jorge retorted through clenched teeth.  “I’ve stolen how much for you, and that ‘final plan’ you keep talking about.  All I want now is my sister back, and then we’re both out!”

Jaunt laughed.  “Please,” he said, “don’t lie to yourself.  You’ll never be out; no one can be.”

Jorge rolled his eyes.  “I don’t care what you think,” he said.  “We’re done running your errands after this.  Katie and I are getting away from Eon City, out of the country, even.”

“And you think Claw will let her go?” Jaunt asked with amusement in his voice.  “Just like that?”

Jorge tightened the string of his bow and raised it threateningly. “Yeah,” he said, “he will.  Because you’re going to tell him to.”

Jaunt shook his head.  “That’s not how I work,” he said, unconcerned with the bow pointing at him. Jorge hadn’t yet drawn an arrow, but they both knew that he could load, aim, and fire before Jaunt could blink if he chose. “You see,” Jaunt continued, “Claw isn’t the kind of person who takes orders.  I don’t tell him what to do – I suggest things to him and let him fill in the blanks for himself.  That’s how I get things done,” he added.  “Claw is a stubborn old crocodile when confronted, but he’s incredibly easy to manipulate.  However, if you and your sister insist on leaving the country, then I will have no input on how Claw chooses to retaliate.  Fauns are for life, you know,” he said meaningfully.  “I used that fact to get Parker to switch sides, and I can’t undermine it for you.”

Jorge kept the bow raised for another few seconds, before lowering it in defeat.  He turned his head to the side as he asked, “So what do you need us to do?”

“For now?” Jaunt said, clapping his hands together, “I need you to stand back.  It’s time.”

* * * * * * * *

Zatvor Prison, noon the following day.

Natalie, Rina, David, and Toby.

Natalie, Rina, David, and Toby met in the courtyard the next day under the awning.  There were no clouds overhead, which would make it difficult for Rina to help if there were trouble. Her face and arms were bare due to the prison uniform’s cut, and her pale grey skin seemed almost translucent as she stayed in the shade.  The air was dry and cool under the awning, but she knew her skin would burn if she were to step out of the shadows.

“So what now?” Rina asked, looking around the courtyard as she blinked in the daylight.  “I can’t see too well without my mask – do any of you guys see Skadi anywhere?”

Natalie looked around, using her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight.  “No,” she said, “and I’m starting to think they picked today on purpose.  Rina, without your powers or your suit you’re going to be useless out here.”

“Great,” Rina sighed.  “Of all the times to put the photosensitive Watcher in the field, it had to be this mission.”

Toby shook her head.  “I’m telling you,” she said, folding her arms, “something’s fishy in the Asylum.  You guys need to watch your back in there.”

“Agent will come through,” David said.  “We told Dale about the breakout today.  The others should be here any minute.” His doubt showed on his face.  Agent should have extracted them all when their cover was blown in the first place; they had no way of knowing if the rest of the team would come.

“Not like we know anything more than the time,” Natalie said, rolling her eyes as she tried to diffuse the tension.  “What exactly are we looking for?”

No sooner did the words come out of her mouth than a fight broke out on the other side of the yard.

“Is that Erinyes?” Rina asked, squinting to see clearly.  “I still don’t see Skadi, though.”

David sighed.  “Erinyes is still a Faun,” he said, “So I guess that answers that.  Come on, guys – Rina, you keep an eye out for anything else.” Rina nodded, and David, Natalie, and Toby ran over to the commotion.

“What’s going on?” Natalie shouted at another inmate.  The yard suddenly became very quiet, and the inmates who had been “fighting” suddenly stopped, grinning at each other as they stood up.

“Well, well, well,” Erinyes said, grinning at Natalie.  “If it isn’t the Watchers.  Didn’t we tell you guys?  If you waited, we’d get them all together for you.”  Her pointy teeth were bared as she addressed the crowd. Natalie’s stomach sank as she realized the fight had been a trap to lure them away from Rina, who was now too far away to help.  “Here they are!  Get them!”

A wave of bodies slammed into the three Watchers as the inmates suddenly became a mob.  Natalie was separated from her teammates as she fought off the criminals. She felt Erinyes’ claws grab her neck as the bat-satyr screamed in her ear, “This is for the tunnels, bitch!”

But the choke-hold was short-lived.  The one saving grace of the mob was that no one person had the time to hold her down before another criminal was pushing them out of the way.  As Erinyes’ weight was suddenly thrown off of her, Natalie stumbled forward.  She pulled her weighted scarf out of her sleeve, using it to grab any arm or leg that was thrown her way and twist it in another direction as she fought to get out of the swarm of fighting bodies.

Suddenly the earth swallowed her up.

A barrier of dirt and rock quickly rose up around her, and Natalie knew that David was trying to give them a moment’s respite by shielding them from the fray. Natalie managed to catch her breath, before remembering the second part of David’s best move. “Don’t do it,” she muttered, clenching her fists as she felt the hum of electricity pass harmlessly under her feet.

Natalie sighed, hearing the sound of criminals dropping like flies as David’s bug-zapper went off.  The last thing they needed was David’s alternate personality coming out now if they couldn’t get his treatment done in time, but as she felt bruises forming all over her body, Natalie realized it was for the best.

David pulsed the ground with his earth powers, which was his usual signal to the team that he would be releasing them back into the fray.  The team had found out the hard way in the past that waiting until the mob broke down his barriers would only mean they would be surrounded.

As soon as the barrier retracted into the ground, Natalie made a run for it. She looked around for the guards, finding none outside to help control the prisoners.  Someone grabbed her shoulder, but Natalie shrugged them off and kept running back towards the awning where they had left Rina.

Rina was not under the awning.  Natalie scanned the area, trying to fight past the panic to locate her Fourth-Gen teammate.  She could see Toby on the other side of the courtyard, catching her breath as the criminals around her stumbled around from David’s electricity.  Toby had not practiced with the team, so she would not have known the signals – but Natalie did not have time to worry about her right now.  Toby could take care of herself if she had to.

Natalie spotted David back where they had started.  He was clutching his head as he fell to his knees, surrounded by a slew of unconscious inmates that had felt the brunt of his powers.  Even from this distance, Natalie could see his eyes beginning to turn red.  They needed to get him help, and fast.

As she ran towards David, she finally spotted Rina a hundred feet away, fighting off a group of Third-Gens who had missed David’s shock attack.  The Fourth-Gen’s skin was blistering in the sunlight, smeared with black blood from the gash on her forehead.  Rina seemed to be heading towards David, but the mob was fighting her every step of the way.

Natalie turned toward her, as Rina’s injuries were the most severe.  All of them had to get out of the courtyard – now – but Rina would die soon if she did not get out of the sunlight.

Rina and Natalie reached David at the same time.  “What the hell are you doing?!” Natalie cried, taking off her own shirt to wrap around Rina’s head.

“I couldn’t just sit there,” Rina said, panting through the pain.  “David needs treatment.”

“I got him,” Natalie said, ripping the shirt off a fallen inmate to wrap around Rina’s head.  The second shirt smelled like sweat and butt, but it would help Rina get out of the direct sunlight without her skin blistering further.

“What about the breakout?” Rina reminded her.  “I spotted Skadi near the entrance, but there’s no way to know where she is now.”

“Damn it,” Natalie swore.  “We have to get you two out of here, too.”

“That’s why I’ll take David,” Rina insisted.  “We have to get out of here, right?  You stay and find Toby.”

“I can help,” came a voice from behind them.  Natalie spun around, facing Blitz, and she felt her lip split as she smiled at the big guy.  “My powers can help him,” Blitz said, reaching a hand out to David’s forehead.

Rina moved to stop him, but Natalie held her back.  “He can help,” she said.  They watched as Blitz drew a small star on David’s forehead with his finger.  Nothing obvious happened, but David slumped down, taking his hands away from his face.  When he looked up, Natalie could not see the red in his eyes anymore.

“Thanks, Blitz,” he said, sighing with relief.  “Natalie, I can take Rina now.”

“Did… did he just cure you?” Natalie asked, looking between the miraculously recovered David and the smiling Blitz.

David shook his head.  “No,” he admitted.  “I still need Dale’s cure.  Blitz just made it easier for me to fight him off until then.”  They both knew the him to whom David referred.

“You’re okay?” Natalie asked.

David grinned tiredly at her.  “Well, I got half of them off us,” he said, gesturing to the downed bodies around them.  “The others seem to be having second thoughts now.”

Natalie had been wondering why they had been let alone for so long.  She helped David to his feet, and he and rina supported each other as they made their way back to the exit.

“It’ll be okay, sweetheart,” Blitz said, grinning at Natalie. “I won’t let anything else happen to them.”

“Thanks,” Natalie said, rubbing a bump on her arm that was going to bruise nicely later.  “You can call me ‘sweetheart’ anytime.”

As she scanned the yard again, trying to spot Skadi and get the mission back on track, Natalie found herself standing face-to-face with Hatter. “And where are you going?” Hatter asked, looking bored.

“You want some, too?” Natalie snarled at her, readying her scarf again.

Hatter shook her head.  “Oh, don’t misunderstand me,” she said.  “I’m just wondering why you’re running to safety when this isn’t over yet?”  She pointed at a spot back near the mob, and Natalie saw a portal opening up.

Toby stood in front of the portal, keeping the criminals away from it, but she would not be able to hold the breach on her own for long. Natalie made to join her, but Hatter grabbed her arm.  “Watch,” the insane girl said, grinning.  Natalie then saw a branch of electricity arc out over the courtyard, knocking down the criminals that tried to escape.  Toby was the only one left standing when David was done, and Natalie saw blitz give David another dose of his powers.

Suddenly, an arrow flashed through the portal, burying itself in Toby’s arm.  Poisonshot stepped through the portal with another arrow nocked on his bow.  “Katie!” he called.  Natalie saw his bow turn to her as he saw her, and she readied herself for the arrow that would come her way.

But no arrow came.  Skadi ran towards the portal, calling her brother’s name.  Poisonshot lowered his bow, grabbing his sister and stepping back through the portal, which closed behind him.

“See?” Hatter said behind her.  “You’ll be needed over here.”

Turning back to Hatter, Natalie’s eyes grew wide.  She pushed Hatter out of the way and grabbed Erinyes’ claw with her scarf before the bat-satyr could hurt the other girl.  Using the Faun’s momentum against her, Natalie threw Erinyes over her hip and stomped on the criminal’s leg, breaking it.

“You okay?” she asked, turning to the wide-eyed Hatter.

“I didn’t see that coming,” Hatter said.  “You saved me!”

“Yeah, well,” Natalie shrugged.  “That’s my job.”

Hatter stared at Natalie for another second, before saying, “Another portal is going to open here.”

“Here?” Natalie asked, wondering if she should trust the criminal.

“Specifically, there,” Hatter told her in a daze, pointing to a spot about twenty feet away.

Natalie narrowed her eyes for a second, before running off to the spot where she pointed, leaving a stunned Hatter on the ground.  “You can stop saying that I’m stunned,” Hatter said.

What are you going to do now?

“Oh, dear, I suppose I’ll have to help them,” said Hatter.  “She did save me, after all. Ahem… The prison riot stopped.”

All of the criminals in orange jumpsuits – at least, the ones still standing after David’s electric attacks – suddenly stopped fighting. Recognizing the girl’s powers, Natalie turned back to Hatter just in time to see another portal open up next to her. “Oh, you bitch,” she muttered, turning on her heel towards the new portal as she realized Hatter had lied to her. She saw Erinyes haul herself through the portal as Hatter stood guard.

Hatter gave Natalie a mock salute as she ran up.  “I owe you one,” she said, just before stepping through the portal after the criminal who Natalie had saved her from just a few seconds earlier.  Natalie tried to catch her, but the portal shut down just before she made it there, leaving the inmates trapped in Zatvor once again.

* * * * * * * *

Asylum Headquarters, the next day.

Aftermath.

“That whole mission was a failure from the start!” Toby shouted at Agent.  “Where the hell was our backup?!”

The four Watchers were in the medical center, still getting fixed up from the prison riot.  Dale’s Third Gen powers had only just finished clearing Toby of the poison from the arrow wound in her arm, but it would be another day or so before she could use it.  At the moment, she was glaring at Agent, clenching the fist of her good arm as Dale fitted her with a sling.

“Agent, you owe us answers,” Rina added, hissing in pain as she tried to sit up.  Her arms, face, and neck were covered in charred blisters from her exposure to the sun, even after Dale had used his powers to stop the bleeding.  She glared accusingly at Agent with red eyes – and she was the most understanding one there.

Natalie and David were both nursing bruises and cuts.  David had been given an injection shortly after the riot so that his alter-ego would not make an appearance, but he still looked worn out from all of the electricity he had to use.  Natalie was black and blue all over, and she sported a couple of cracked ribs from the first onslaught of inmates.  Neither said anything, but they both stared at Agent expectantly.

Agent shook his head.  “I apologize,” he said, “but I didn’t hear about it until it was over.  I am so sorry you all were hurt.”  He had kept the rest of the team out of the med bay until the debrief was over, and was suddenly glad he did; he would have crumbled and spilled everything if the others also looked at him like that.

“Sorry my ass – ” Toby started, but Natalie cut her off.

“I’m sure you had a good reason for leaving us in there,” she said, glaring at him, “but don’t insult our intelligence by lying to us now.  Our identities were compromised, but you didn’t pull us out.  Then the riot began – with days’ notice, mind you – and you didn’t call the rest of the team to help.”  She shook her head, wincing from the massive bruise splashed across her face.  “So don’t give us this ‘I didn’t know’ crap,” she added.  “We told you ourselves.”

“You’re right,” Agent said, unable to look any of them in the eye.  “Please understand – if I could have pulled you out, I would have.”

No further answer seemed forthcoming, so David asked the next question on everyone’s minds.  “What was the damage?” he asked, standing up to face Agent. “How many prisoners escaped?”

“Seven,” Agent said, his gaze fixed on the umbrella handle clasped in his white knuckles.  “Including Skadi, Erinyes, and Hatter.  The other four were one satyr and three Third Gens, all low-level thugs.”

Natalie swore under her breath, and David and Rina both sighed in defeat.  “Ye did an amazing job, all things considered,” Dale said, trying to placate them as he finished adjusting Toby’s sling.  “On’y seven got through one of Jaunt’s portals, out o’ a couple hunnerd inmates that were in the yard.  That’s nothing to sneeze at.”

The Asylum Watchers seemed inconsolable, but toby stood up as soon as Dale finished with her.  “Agent, I need to speak with you in private,” she said, moving towards Dale’s office door.  “Now.”

Agent looked at his team, but Dale made a shooing motion as he moved back to check Rina’s burns.  The team leader shrugged and picked up his umbrella, following Toby into the office.

Toby shut the door as soon as they were alone.  “So,” she said, turning on Agent with a snarl, “how long have you been working for Jaunt?”

“What?” Agent asked, taken aback by the sudden interrogation.

“Don’t make up some bullshit story,” Toby threatened, baring her teeth.  “Even with one arm, I can still knock your lights out if I have to.”

“What are you talking about?” Agent asked, subtly shifting his feet into a more defensive stance.

Toby saw the movement.  “Jaunt was watching us,” she growled.  “That’s the only way he could have opened the second portal behind Hatter as soon as Natalie moved out of the way.”

“So he hacked the prison cameras,” Agent said.

“He wouldn’t need to,” Toby shot back.  “Stop playing dumb, Agent; you know exactly who Jaunt is.”

Agent narrowed his eyes, seeing a spark of knowledge behind Toby’s rage.  “You do too,” he guessed.  When Toby flinched, he knew he was onto something.  “You know exactly who Jaunt is.  My question is how?”

“I am very good at my job,” Toby answered, “which is as a private investigator – not a Watcher like the others.  I observe things for a living.”  She breathed a sigh, her fist coming unclenched.  “What I see here is a guy who’s following someone else’s orders,” she added.  “The only reason I can think that you would sell out your team like this is that he has something on you.”

Agent shook his head, dropping his own defensive stance as the tension eased.  “I didn’t sell anyone out,” he said.  “I work with Jaunt, not for him, and only to keep my team safe.”

“Oh really?” Toby asked sarcastically, gesturing to her arm.  “Good job.  They seem perfectly safe to me.”

“They’re alive, aren’t they?” Agent said. Sighing, he added,  “Think about it: David and Rina were down before the first portal opened.  You defended one by yourself, and the second was only open long enough for the two closest prisoners to get through.”  Shaking his head, he chuckled as he pointed out, “Do you really think Jaunt couldn’t have gotten everyone out of there if I hadn’t… erm, convinced him otherwise?”

“How the hell do you convince the underworld’s mastermind of anything?” Toby asked, disbelieving.

“A trade,” Agent said, the humor gone from his voice.  “You wondered why I didn’t send in backup.”

Toby’s canine eyes widened in horror as she realized what he had done.  “You left us there to die,” she said.

“I didn’t mean to!” Agent shot back.  “I told him that I wouldn’t send the rest of the team in if he only got his own lieutenants out and left the rest.  I didn’t know he was planning to start a riot!”

“So you ‘traded’ our lives for – ” Toby began, but Agent cut her off.

“For a couple hundred dangerous criminals to stay behind bars,” Agent said.  “I took a calculated risk: that you four could defend yourselves long enough for Jaunt’s test to finish, and in exchange I kept the city, the country, safe from a massive influx of criminals.”

Toby bit her cheek, considering his words.  “Why haven’t you told your team any of this?” she asked.  “I only pulled you in here because for whatever reason the others keep defending you, and I knew this was the only way you’d answer me.  But why haven’t you told them?”

“Shame,” Agent admitted.  “Guilt.  Natalie and Parker lost their mom because of my mistakes with Team Ark, and Frank’s mom is crippled because of Jaunt.  However, my biggest reason is because I need their trust if they’re going to survive Jaunt’s tests.”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that twice now,” Toby said curiously.  “What do you mean, his ‘tests’?”

“Jaunt is trying to find the greatest hero in the world,” Agent told her.  “The Asylum is supposed to be a proving ground of sorts; Jaunt sets up ‘tests’ for them, and judges them on their ability to handle it.”

Toby furrowed her eyebrows.  “That makes… no sense,” she said finally.  “Why would he need a hero?”

Agent shrugged.  “Why would he need a criminal network?” he asked back.  “It’s impossible to explain, and you wouldn’t believe most of it.”

“The team really should know,” Toby said, glancing at the door to the windowless office.  She sounded less certain than she had when they began the conversation.

“Will you tell them?” Agent asked, clutching his umbrella as he waited for her answer with bated breath.

After a long pause that felt like an eternity, Toby shook her head.  “No,” she answered as Agent breathed a sigh of relief.  “Besides, would they even believe me?”

“Probably not,” Agent said bitterly.  As Toby opened the door to go back to the others, Agent added, “Will you join our team?  We could use someone with your skills.”

“Hell no,” Toby said, rolling her eyes.  “Not with you in charge.”

With that, she marched back to the others.  Agent watched them talk among themselves from across the room for a minute, before turning to the elevator and leaving them alone.

* * * * * * * *

Next: Issue #17 – Fire and Water

Also: Bonus Story #2 – The Companies

The new Asylum Tower, a few years in the future.

Frank Mejia, AKA Shadow, dragged forward in time.

“So where’s the team?” Frank asked his older self. After being dragged into the future by Janus, the teenage Fifth Gen sitting on the couch next to him, Frank was curious. The tea he sipped was helping, though; his older self knew just how he liked it.

“What do you mean?” The older Frank asked him in return. “Look around; everyone here’s on the team.” He gestured around the tower lounge at the twenty or so people on the floor. It was still strange for the younger Frank to see it – after all, in his own time, Parker had just blown up the tower yesterday. The new tower had a few different furnishings, but appeared to be identical in the floor plan to the one Frank had just lost.

Frank shook his head. “I know that,” he said. “I mean where’s my team? Natalie, E.B., Granny, Agent, and all them.”

“Agent?” the older Frank said, surprised. “Now that’s complicated…”

“And he isn’t supposed to know it yet,” Janus piped in, leaning forward. “The timeline – ”

“Pshh,” the older Frank scoffed. “The timeline. You’re the walking paradox, Janus – if you were worried about the timeline, then you shouldn’t have brought me to see me.”

Janus crossed his arms and sat back on the couch. “You know damn well why I needed to bring you here,” he said. “He’s the one who doesn’t. Why don’t you start with that?”

“First, can I ask about Earthborn, at least?” Frank asked. “Do we get him back?”

“I can say that, at least,” the older Frank said. When Janus gave him an exasperated look, he rolled his eyes and added, “He’ll find out as soon as he’s back anyways. Yes, the team rescued David.” The older Frank turned back to the younger one, and a weight seemed to lift off of Frank’s shoulders. “Haley led the team for a few months after the tower blew up while Agent got his head on straight. She led them into the tunnels and got David back to his family.”

Frank was relieved. “Okay, so how do we do it?” he asked. “Shouldn’t I know the details so I can make sure we get it right?”

The older Frank and Janus looked at each other. “Actually, they’re doing it without you,” the older Frank admitted. “Janus, this is the part where you tell him.”

“My time travel isn’t entirely precise,” Janus admitted. “If it was, I wouldn’t have picked you up right after the riots. I’ll take you back, but you’ll have been gone for a while.”

“How long is a while?” Frank asked, looking between the two of them.

The older Frank rolled his eyes. “Four months,” he said, “and by the way, watch out for Natalie’s right hook. She’s been working on it.”

“Four months?” Frank repeated. “How could I have been gone for four months?! I just ran into Janus an hour ago!”

“Time travel,” the older Frank reminded his younger self. “You’ll learn to hate it.”

“I think I already do,” Frank muttered, before asking, “So what was so important that you dragged me away for four months to tell me?”

The older Frank leaned back on the couch. “Where to begin?” he asked. “Well, you were asking about Agent – I can’t say too much about what happened, but I can tell you he’s not here.” He gestured around the tower floor. “I’m in charge now.”

“What?” Frank looked around. “You’re kidding, right? I’m no manager.”

“You’re not,” the older Frank agreed, “but I am. That was the biggest reason for pulling you forward.”

“Really?” Frank raised an eyebrow at his future self. “You pulled me out of my time just to tell me that I’ll be leading the Asylum in a few years?” They stared at each other for a moment before he shrugged. “Cool. What else?”

“You aren’t going to ask any questions?” Janus interrupted.

Frank looked at the teenager next to him. “It’s not hard to figure out,” he said. “He is me, after all, right? I’m no leader – but now that I know I will be one, I’m going to go back and learn everything I can from Agent while he’s around. I wouldn’t have done that unless I told myself that I was going to need to learn stuff, and I’m really hating time travel right now,” he added, getting a headache from trying to keep himself straight from his future self while talking.

“You figured all that out?” Janus asked, taken aback.

“You seem surprised,” the older Frank said. “I’m not an idiot. I just don’t like it when stuff is super complicated.”

Janus straightened up in his seat. “Your younger self was just asking me a hundred questions about time travel,” he said. “I thought he was a bit slow on the uptake.”

“Myeh,” Frank shrugged. “Time travel’s complicated. My own reasons for doing it aren’t, though.”

Janus just shook his head, waving for the older Frank to continue. The older Frank grinned, and kept going. “There are a couple other things that you need to know,” he said. “In your time, Parker just blew up the tower, right?”

Frank’s mood sobered. “Yeah,” he said. “The guy killed eleven people, and injured a couple dozen others. I’m not really sure why, though.”

“He was pressured into it,” the older Frank said. “Agent’ll find that he’s very helpful where he is now; Claw put him in charge of Eon City’s Fauns.”

“Seriously?” Frank asked. “Why?”

“You’ll find that out soon enough,” Janus interrupted. “It’s part of the stuff we can’t tell you yet.”

“Okay, what’s with the secrets?” Frank asked. “You keep saying ‘we can’t tell you yet’ like you two are in some secret club and I’m not invited. You brought me here, remember?”

“I told you,” Janus said, “the timeline – ”

“Screw the timeline,” Frank exclaimed. “If it was really so important, then why change it by bringing me here?!”

Janus stared at him. “We want to change some things, but others need to stay the same,” he said quietly.

“It’ll drive you crazy if you think about it too much,” added the older Frank. “All I can say is, you’ll understand someday.”

“Fine then,” Frank said, leaning back on the couch. “What can you tell me?”

“We’ve already covered the whole ‘leadership’ thing,” the older Frank said. “The rest isn’t a matter of telling; more like showing.” He looked out towards the kitchen and called, “Razor!”

As a man wearing a metallic bird mask came over to the living room they were sitting in, Janus glared at the older Frank. “Him?” he asked. “Really?”

“Who better to show me around than my best friend?” the older Frank asked, giving Janus a cheeky grin as he gave the newcomer a fist-bump. “Frank, this is Razorwing. He’ll show you around the tower.”

“‘Your best friend’?” Frank repeated. “What happened to Parker?” Even though his best friend had just committed a felony, Frank couldn’t imagine giving the title to anyone but Parker Fawkes.

Janus looked like he was about to say something, but the older Frank talked over him. “Janus, I know exactly what he needs to be told and shown around here. Will you just trust me?”

Janus’ mouth snapped closed, and he stormed off without another word. Razorwing shook his head; Frank couldn’t tell if he was smiling under the mask, but he seemed amused.

The older Frank was grinning. “I’ve been waiting years to put him in his place like that,” he said. Turning back to his younger self, he continued, “As for your question, Parker died a short while back. He finally took down Claw, but was killed in the process. Razorwing joined the team a couple months later, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

“You moved on pretty quickly,” Frank said curiously. As a sinking feeling took hold in his stomach, he pushed the news that Parker would die within the next few years to the back of his mind; he could freak out about that later. Given recent events in his time, he wasn’t even sure he knew how to feel about that.

The older Frank just shrugged. “Razor here will show you to the War Room. There’s a projector in there we can use to help explain the situation. I’ll join you in a bit.”

“Come on,” said Razorwing, his voice sounding muffled from behind his mask. “Lots to see.”

Frank followed him out of the room, shaking his head as he went. “Lots to see” was an understatement.

* * * * * * * *

Eon City, last month.

Natalie Fawkes, AKA Trick.

“Three and a half months,” Natalie said, shaking her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s been three and a half months since Frank disappeared, and we still have no idea where he is.” She stared Agent down in his temporary office, standing over him as he sat at his computer.

“What do you want me to do about it?” Agent asked. Only his Agency etiquette training kept him from rolling his eyes at her; he might be taking a break from the Asylum, but he was still an Agent.

Natalie raised an eyebrow at him. “I want you to come back,” she said. “Haley’s in over her head, and luck only gets you so far when trying to find someone who’s vanished off the face of the planet.”

Agent glanced at her, but otherwise kept his eyes trained on the three-monitor set-up in front of him. “I’ve kept an eye on things,” he said. “She’s not terrible; the patrol schedule she’s set up works, in any case.”

“Yeah, now that David and I are back,” Natalie told him. “But we’re barely keeping the city afloat right now; we need to recruit, so we can take on more side projects – like finding Frank!”

“So recruit,” Agent shrugged.

Natalie marched around his desk and pressed the power button on his computer. Slamming her hands down on his desk, she put her face close to his as she said, “We’ve tried, but we can’t. We have no money and no resources, so nobody has the time to help us out. So far, Butterfly is the only one hanging around, and he says that’s only because somebody else is paying him to.”

Agent could smell the slightly burned aroma of her fire tricks – she must have just come off of a shift, and while she had changed out of her uniform she hadn’t taken the time to shower before coming to see him. Her braided ponytail whipped behind her as she shook her head, and Agent briefly wondered what it would be like to tug on it.

Natalie’s next words brought him back to reality: “It’s a sad day when we have to work with that two-faced mercenary because you’re too scared to come back.”

“I am not scared,” Agent said. He stood up quickly, forcing Natalie to take a step back as he grabbed his umbrella and stormed out of the office.

She followed him out. “If you’re not scared,” she asked, “then what do you call it? Why’d you just leave us in the lurch?”

“I didn’t leave anybody in the lurch,” Agent said. “The Agency paid your hospital bills, didn’t they? We’re taking care of Rina, and Dale’s still researching a cure for David.”

“And the Asylum?” Natalie asked. “Nobody’s gotten paid since the riots. The tower is being rebuilt by Pharos, but there are signs saying that the lease is open for negotiation. We have no headquarters, and the only reason the team’s hanging in there is because Haley – bless her heart – still seems to think you’re coming back!”

Agent stopped in the middle of the hallway, turning back to look at Natalie. “I take it from your tone that you’re not so sure,” he said. If Natalie didn’t know him better, she might have thought he was startled.

“I keep telling her that we can’t hold out like this,” she admitted. “Even Watchers have to eat, you know. Haley’s killing herself over a pipe dream.”

Agent smirked at her and kept walking. “Yet the rest of you keep following her,” he pointed out.

“For now,” Natalie said. “We all still believe in the work we do.”

Agent stopped outside of another office and knocked on the door. “Nat, some things take time,” he said. “For now, just keep up the good work.”

“And you’ll come back?” Natalie asked. “When?”

“I can’t say,” Agent said as the door opened.

Sean Hannah, CEO of Pharos Corporation, stood in front of them, slightly surprised. “Agent,” he said, “and Ms. Fawkes. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Agent looked at Mr. Hannah through a mask of indifference; Natalie knew him well enough to see the disdain dripping through the cracks in Agent’s demeanor. She didn’t know what had happened between them, but Agent looked like he hated the CEO more than anyone else in the world.

“I need to talk to you,” Agent said, folding his hands over his umbrella handle in front of him. “Alone.”

Mr. Hannah raised his eyebrows and glanced at Natalie. “Is Trick going to join us?” he asked. He seemed to know exactly what Agent was there for.

Agent shook his head, stepping through the doorway. “Trick, go home,” he ordered.

Natalie bristled, but he shut the door in her face before she could say anything. She had half a mind to pound on the door and make a scene, but she knew that wouldn’t help.

There were other ways to get information.

* * * * * * * *

Asylum Tower, sometime in the future.

Frank Mejia, from our time.

Time travel sucks.

“There have been some changes to the tower since your time – at least, that’s what Frank told me,” Razorwing said, showing the younger Frank around the tower. “Some things are the same. We’re still mostly funded by Pharos Industries, but the Meta-Human and Vigilante Task Force was kicked off the project. Long story short, we had an emergency and they didn’t do so well in taking care of the city. Now we’re preparing for a war.”

Frank stopped in the entrance to the kitchen – which was admittedly nicer than the one he’d lost. “Hold up,” he said. “War? With who?”

Razorwing shrugged his shoulders, stretching them as much as it was a noncommittal gesture. It was a familiar movement, but Frank didn’t quite know what it reminded him of. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he said, shaking his head. It was hard to tell what he was thinking with the mask on.

“Do you ever take that mask off?” Frank asked.

“Nope,” answered the vigilante.

That was confusing. “So how do people know who you are?” Frank asked. “Watchers are supposed to be in the public eye, registered with the government.”

Frank couldn’t see it under the mask, but Razorwing again sounded amused. “You actually changed that,” he said. “By the way, since they told me about Janus bringing you here, there’s a whole lot more that makes sense.”

“At least one of us knows what’s going on,” said Frank, following Razorwing again as they continued the tour of the tower. “But really – how did I change the entire Watcher system? Watchers’ identities are a big deal to the Task-Force.”

“You showed people how important it was for vigilantes to keep their identities secret, especially ones working with the Asylum,” Razorwing told him. “Some of us need to stay off the radar so we can go undercover. Others just aren’t that comfortable being celebrities – we might do this for a living, but we’d rather not do the fan service. You remember Reiki, right?”

He had a point. Reiki had never been comfortable being in the spotlight, for all that he could put on a good light show. But Frank had other questions.

“You know Reiki?” he asked.

Razorwing made the noncommittal shrug again, and Frank was again hit with a sense of deja vu. “We’ve met,” he answered. “Reiki’s not exactly sociable.”

“Where is he?” Frank asked.

“Up north,” Razorwing told him. “The Asylum is still based in Eon city, but we have another team in Coppice.” He named a city to the north of Eon. “From your time, I think you’d know Reiki, Rina, and Natalie up there.”

Frank raised his eyebrows in surprise. “All three of them?”

“Sure,” Razorwing said, leading him up the stairs. “Asylum North is our secret force – they take care of things when we don’t want people to know the Asylum is involved. Reiki works best away from the limelight, so it made sense for him to go up there. There are a few other Fourth Gens on the team, so Rina’s helping keep an eye on them, too. Your team is pretty well-known, so you couldn’t send many of them, but they’re the best to train the new Watchers.”

As he talked, they came out of the staircase onto a new floor. In the old tower, the training floor had been above the living area; here there was a large open room with white walls and a high ceiling. The only furniture there was a huge wooden office table, and about forty chairs sitting around it with plenty of space for more.

“Welcome to the War Room,” Razorwing said, spreading his arms out. “In your old tower, this was the training floor. When they redesigned it, they realized that training should probably be on ground level, especially for Third and Fourth Gens with destructive powers.”

“Earthborn,” Frank said as he gazed at the room.

“Exactly,” Razorwing nodded. “He might not have been himself when he made the old tower collapse, but it drove home the idea that some of the people training here might not be in full control of their powers. Others have since joined with similar problems, so they moved the training room to an underground bunker a few blocks from here.”

“Makes sense,” Frank said, taking a seat at the table. “So about Natalie: she loves the spotlight; why would she go to a secret team?”

“You’re still on that?” Razorwing paused for a second, as if he were considering his answer. “There were a few reasons,” he finally said, “chief of which was her brother dying; she didn’t want to stay here after that.”

“Oh, yeah,” Frank said. “Okay, how did that go down, anyways?”

“If I tell you that, you’ll try to change it,” Razorwing pointed out.

“Heck yeah I will,” Frank exclaimed. “Parker’s always been one of my best friends. I’m not just going to sit back and let him die.”

Razorwing cocked his head to the side. “You really feel that way?” he asked. “Didn’t he just blow up the base in your time?”

Frank hesitated. “Yeah, he did,” he admitted. “But it was a Faun operation. Just because Parker pressed the button doesn’t mean he wasn’t set up.” His voice grew more confident as he added, “Either way, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t at least hear him out before writing him off?”

“You’ve never made a rash move in your life, have you?” Razorwing asked curiously.

“Well, I’m not gonna start now,” Frank shrugged. “So come on, how did it happen?”

Razorwing shook his head. “Sorry buddy,” he said. “Aside from the fact that I don’t think you can change it, it kind of needs to happen for a bunch of other stuff to fall into place.”

Frank pressed his lips together irritably. “You’re just as bad as Janus, with his whole ‘don’t screw with the timeline’ stuff,” he said. “Why would my older self tell me something that big if he didn’t want me to change it?”

“That’s for you to figure out,” Razorwing shrugged, shaking out his shoulders again as he sat down across from Frank. Suddenly, it hit Frank where he had seen that movement before. He shook his head and grinned as the pieces fell in place.

Before he could ask any more questions, Frank’s older self entered the room. “Good, you’re here already,” he said. “Let’s get to it.”

* * * * * * * *

Casey’s Bar, downtown Eon City.

Haley Prince, AKA “Outlier”.

“Okay, milady,” Eli Howard, also known as “Butterfly”, said as he sat down next to Haley at the bar. “I’m here. I could be in the garden right now, but you dragged me all the way to Casey’s. Why?” He leaned his rifle up against the counter as he ran a hand through his messy blond hair. The smell of grass and dirt mingled with the aroma of the bar’s food, and it was obvious that he had just come from the Gardens.

“The butterflies will be there when you get back,” Haley said, rolling her eyes at him. “We need to talk about your mysterious benefactor.”

Eli shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

Haley signaled to the bartender to get him a drink. “Well for starters, who is he?”

“What makes you think it’s a he?” Eli countered, grinning at her. “It could be a she, or a they, or an it – ”

“I don’t have time to play these games with you, Eli,” Haley said sternly, crossing her arms. “I want answers.”

“And I’d love to give them to you,” Eli replied, shaking his head, “but I can’t. Money shows up with instructions, and I get more money if I follow the instructions. It’s as simple as that.” He ordered a fruity cocktail from the bartender before spinning around on his stool to lean his back against the bar.

Haley raised an eyebrow at him. “Why don’t I believe you, then?” she challenged. “You forget, Eli – I’ve gotten to know you pretty well this past year. You don’t actually care about money; you only care about your butterflies. So what is it really?”

Eli looked taken aback. “You’ve been paying attention,” he said, before recovering. “I’m flattered that you take so much notice of me, but I really don’t know who is giving me the money. Why does it matter?”

“Is it Ayu?” Haley asked, grabbing his shoulder and turning him to look into his eyes.

“The crazy robot chick?” Eli asked. “I doubt it. She said she ‘wouldn’t need my services for a while’, remember?”

“She could have been lying,” Haley said.

Eli turned back to the bar as the bartender put a drink in front of him. “Doesn’t seem like her style,” he shrugged, “but since I don’t know who it is, I won’t argue.”

“Darn,” Haley cursed. Eli raised a questioning eyebrow as he took a drink. “If someone out there’s willing to pay you to help the Asylum, then they might be willing to help us recruit others.” She took a thoughtful sip of her own drink and added hopefully, “Maybe it’s Agent?”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Eli said. “I doubt it.” He set his drink down and pulled a few crumpled pieces of paper out of his pocket for her to read.

The papers looked like he had once folded them, but they had been in his pocket for so long that they would never again be smoothed out. The contents were standard instructions, though; Haley skimmed them, but couldn’t understand what Butterfly had meant.

“These seem normal enough to me,” Haley said. “They’re paying you to help me defend and protect the city.”

“Not quite,” Eli pointed out. “Pay attention to the phrasing. They’re paying me to defend and protect you, Haley Prince, specifically, in your crusade to help the city.”

Haley read them again. Sure enough, the notes did specify that he would be paid to protect one Haley Prince, otherwise known as Outlier of the Asylum, as she defended Eon City.

At that, Haley only had one question to ask. “But why?”

Eli shrugged, turning back to his drink. “Somebody out there likes you,” he suggested. “Though now that you mention it, it could be Ayu; she was interested in you before, too.”

The bell above the door rang more insistantly than usual; somebody had entered the bar, throwing the door open hard enough to make Haley and Eli turn around to see who it was.

“Outlier, you’re here; good,” Natalie said, storming up to the bar and sitting down next to her. “Merc, you can stay if you don’t talk.”

“Excuse me?” Eli started. Haley held up a hand, giving him a look that said, I’ll handle this.

“Natalie,” Haley asked in a determinedly patient tone, “is there something you’d like to talk to me about? We were in the middle of something here.”

“Information,” Natalie said, raising her hand to call the bartender over. “Hey, is Casey in today? We need to talk to her.”

The bartender was taken aback by her rude tone, but said he would call Casey out there. As the bar’s manager, she was in the back doing paperwork that day.

As the bartender scurried off, Haley turned back to Natalie. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why do we need to talk to Casey?’

“Sparrow gets visions of the future,” Eli said. “I’m guessing you want to know if she’s seen when Agent will be back.” Natalie glared at him, so he shrugged and added, “I mean, it seems like something you would do.”

“Why is he here?” Natalie asked Haley pointedly.

“I invited him,” Haley said, her patience spent. “I didn’t invite you, so the better question is: why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be patrolling?”

“Earthborn and Reiki are out now,” Natalie said. “I’m currently trying to track down our MIA teammate; or did you forget about Shadow?”

Haley bristled at the insinuation. “I didn’t forget,” she said. “I don’t forget anything, remember? I’ve been kind of busy trying to keep the city in one piece; or haven’t you been paying attention?”

Eli put a hand on her shoulder. When she turned to look at him, he shook his head and gestured towards Natalie’s face. “She’s on a mission,” he whispered just loud enough for Haley to hear. “Yelling at her won’t help anybody.”

He was right, of course. Haley took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Not for the first time, she reminded herself that her outburst was probably due to lack of sleep; if she didn’t start taking care of herself, she’d start being rude and dismissive of everyone – just like Natalie.

When she’d gotten a hold on her temper, Haley tried again. “So you’re just here to ask Casey for information?” she asked.

“Pretty much,” Natalie said. She leaned an elbow on the bar and began idly twirling her fingers in the air, stretching them out. “Butterfly’s right – Casey has visions. But I care less about when Agent will be back than I do about how we can find Frank.”

“It’s been nearly four months,” Eli pointed out. “If he was alive – ” he cut off that train of thought, gulping at the glare Natalie was giving him, and switched tactics. “If Shadow wanted to be found, don’t you think he’d be back by now?”

“Heroes don’t give up on people that easily,” came a new voice. Casey came up from behind them, pulling another stool over to join the group. “Pete said you were asking for me?”

“Yeah,” Natalie said, turning her attention to the ex-Watcher. “I need to know where Frank is.”

Casey sighed. “You know I don’t just turn it on and off, right?”

“You don’t,” Natalie agreed, “but you can. And I’d like to know what you see about Frank.”

“Wait,” Haley said, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. “You can control when you have your visions? I thought they were more of a random thing.”

“They come when they want to, even if I don’t want them,” Casey explained. “But if I concentrate hard enough on one person I can sometimes get visions of their future. It gives me a killer migraine for a week, though – which I assume is why it took you four months to ask me?” She turned back to Natalie, who shrugged without any remorse.

“I’ve been through all other options,” Natalie said. “I’ve gone through all of our contacts, I’ve seen his parents, I’ve checked every camera in the city from the day he disappeared – twice. Last anyone ever saw of him was the morning after the riots. A camera caught him outside the ruins of the tower talking to some guy in a hoodie. He walked away, looking pissed off, rounded a corner, and poof – he was gone. The cameras on that street weren’t working, and no other cameras picked him up.”

“He probably used his shadow powers to sneak away,” Eli said, taking a drink. “He’s pretty good at not being detected when he wants to be.”

“He wouldn’t have left without telling anybody,” Natalie insisted.

Casey nodded in agreement. “You don’t know his family,” she explained to Eli and Haley. “They’re really close. Even if he wanted to give up Watcher work and run away, he’d have run it by his mom and dad first. They’d have supported him no matter what; it’s who they are.” She shook her head, finishing the thought. “Frank wouldn’t have left without telling them.”

Haley remembered being told the story about how Team Ark had broken up: after Natalie’s mom had been killed, Casey’s brother disappeared through a portal created by the villain Jaunt. Casey, who used to be known as Sparrow when she was a Watcher, left Team Ark to look for him for four years, before giving up and returning to Eon City to open the bar. Frank’s mom and dad, who were also on the team as Star and Kindred respectively, retired after Star was crippled by an injury. Agent taught a class at his Agency’s academy for a year before being tasked with creating the Asylum, and their other teammate, Marauder, became a mercenary. Casey knew Frank’s family well after working with his parents for years; if she said Frank wouldn’t have disappeared without telling them, then she knew what she was talking about.

“Okay, fair. But maybe he did tell them,” Haley offered. “Maybe they’re lying when they say they don’t know where he is. If they’re that supportive, then why would they tell us if he asked them not to?”

“Because Star’s in a state,” Casey pointed out. “Kindred has been searching everywhere, trying to find word of him. They both already came to me asking for a vision, and for me to run down my contacts from my search for my brother. And before you ask,” she added, “I got nothing. Not for Steve, and not for Frank. Those contacts are worse than useless.”

“So we have nothing?” Natalie asked, folding her arms. “I can’t accept that. He’s got to be out there somewhere.”

“I said the same thing about Steve when he disappeared,” Casey said. “But Butterfly here is right: if Frank’s alive, he’d have contacted us by now.”

“He is not dead,” Natalie countered.

“How did you hear what Eli said when you were in the back?” Haley wondered aloud. The others ignored her.

Eli took another sip of his cocktail. “I hate to disagree with myself,” he said, “but there is one more option.”

“What?” Natalie demanded.

“He could have been abducted,” Eli said. As Natalie rolled her eyes, he continued, “No, really: Haley here was taken by Ayu for a test, right? Maybe Frank was taken for the same thing.”

“Ayu only kept us for little more than a day,” Haley said. “Frank’s been gone four months. Why would she take him for that long?”

Eli shrugged. “Maybe she found what she was looking for in him. She said that you ‘weren’t ready yet’ – who knows how long she would have kept you if you had been.”

“And who knows what it was she was looking for,” Haley said thoughtfully. “You know, that makes sense. If Frank was abducted, he wouldn’t have been able to contact us.”

“You guys are talking about that day Haley went missing, right?” Natalie said. “You showed up passed out on our doorstep with a seriously burned hand, having lost a ton of blood.”

Haley shrugged. “Yeah, but I only burned my hand to stop the bleeding.”

Natalie stared at her. “My point is, you nearly died when you were abducted.”

“True,” Eli said, talking over Haley’s protest. “And it’s also possible that Shadow did die in Ayu’s tests. But it would at least explain why we haven’t found a body.”

“He is not dead,” Natalie repeated. “Come on, Case, back me up here – Casey!”

Casey’s eyes had turned white, and she didn’t respond to her name. She slumped back in her chair, nearly falling out of it, as her body went limp. Haley and Natalie immediately went to her side, while Eli took another sip of his drink.

“Must be a big one,” he commented.

“A big what?” Haley asked. Natalie just sighed in understanding.

“She’s having a vision,” Eli explained to Haley. “You’ve never been around when she had them before?”

“No,” Haley shook her head, relaxing a bit now that she knew the bartender wasn’t dying. “I’ve been pretty busy. No time to hang out in bars.”

Natalie went back to her stool. “I’ve never seen one this big before,” she said. “Usually her eyes just turn white for a few seconds before she snaps back.”

Before she finished talking, Casey shook her head to clear it. When she looked back at the others, her eyes had returned to their normal green. “I saw Frank,” she said.

“You did?” Natalie asked, hopping back off her stool to kneel in front of Casey’s chair. “Where is he?”

“He – it’s not very clear,” Casey hedged, sitting up straight and rubbing her temple. “He’s in the Asylum Tower.”

“The Tower?” Natalie asked. “You mean the pile of rubble where the Tower used to be?”

“Or, you know, the construction site that’s there now,” Haley pointed out, glancing at her teammate.

Casey shook her head. “Frank was in the completed Tower, talking to… himself?” She stood up. “Or at least a carbon copy of himself. Separate body, same face.”

“Time travel?” Eli ventured, raising a questioning hand.

“Don’t be stupid,” Natalie waved him off, still staring at Casey. “Come on, Case – that can’t be it.”

“It’s all I saw,” she said brusquely. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got paperwork to finish.” With that, Casey walked back to her office.

Natalie swore, watching her go. “Bitch’ll be on the phone with Agent in a minute,” she muttered.

“Is that such a bad thing?” Haley asked, turning back to her drink. “Agent might know what it means.”

“What have you got against Agent, anyways?” Eli asked, finishing his drink and leaving the glass on the bar.

Natalie raised an eyebrow. “You mean, aside from the fact that he left us in the lurch?” she asked.

“He’ll be back,” Haley insisted, not for the first time. “He’s just working through some stuff.”

“See, I’ve talked to him,” Natalie said, “and I don’t think that’s true. He could come back, but he’s refusing to.”

“He probably has a good reason,” Eli said. “Everything I know about Agent says that he wouldn’t just abandon your team.”

Natalie leaned against the bar and started twirling her fingers again. “The point is he’s not here,” she retorted, “and I don’t think we can count on him coming back, whatever his reasons.”

“What are you doing?” Eli asked suddenly, mimicking her finger twirls. “That’s a weird gesture to make.”

Natalie sighed, putting her hand down. “It’s a new trick my dad’s been teaching me,” she explained, “but it’s obviously not working.”

“What’s it supposed to do?” Haley wondered aloud.

To her surprise, Natalie answered. “I’m trying to hypnotize Butterfly into shutting up,” she said, glaring again at the mercenary.

Eli just stretched his arms over his head. “And with that, I think I’m going back to my butterflies,” he said, standing up. He grabbed his rifle and, slinging it over his shoulder, he said by way of farewell, “Milady. Witch.” Natalie rolled her eyes at him; Eli just grinned and turned to leave.

BEEP BEEP BEEP… BEEP BEEP BEEP…

“What’s that?” Eli asked, turning back to the girls.

“Communicators,” Haley told him, pressing a button on her watch. “Someone’s trying to talk to us. Go ahead.”

“Outlier, we have a situation,” came Reiki’s voice over the comm. “There’s trouble brewing in the southeast – looks like a gang fight. We’re going to need backup.”

“The southeast?” Haley repeated. “That’s Faun territory.”

“Yeah,” Reiki said, “I know. The Skels seem to be making a move on it. We’re going to need all hands on deck, especially if Nightmare’s still out.”

“Trick and I are on our way,” Haley told him. She glanced at Eli, who nodded. “Butterfly, too. I’ll call Granny en route. ETA five minutes.”

Natalie had already left money on the counter to pay their bill. Casey understood the Watcher life, so if it wasn’t enough she would just keep a tab open for them. “If that’s all,” Natalie said, leaving the sentence hanging as they rushed out the door. “If the merc is coming, he better keep up,” she added, hopping onto her motorcycle. She revved the engine and left without waiting for a response.

“She still hates me,” Eli sighed, going to his own bike. Unlike the Asylum-issued motorcycles that Haley and Natalie rode, which were sleek, aero-dynamic models, Eli’s motorbike was a small, compact design – one that was definitely not meant for speed.

“You did shoot her in the back,” Haley reminded him, rolling her eyes at his ride. “Hop on,” she added, sitting forward to make room on her bike for him. “You’ll never get anywhere fast on that.”

“I don’t usually need to,” he said, getting on Haley’s bike and grabbing her waist for balance. “I’m usually already out patrolling with you guys on foot, or else I take jobs that have a set timetable I can plan around. This whole ‘coming to the rescue’ thing is new for me.”

“Just hold on,” Haley sighed, revving the engine. She put her bike in gear and took off after Natalie.

* * * * * * * *

Asylum Tower, sometime in the future.

Frank Mejia, from our time.

“Let me get this straight,” Frank said after being briefed by his future self. “Something big and bad is coming, and you can’t tell me what it is, but I’m supposed to stop it. Did I miss anything?”

“No, that about sums it up,” his future self nodded.

“And that’s all you brought me here for,” Frank said incredulously.

His older self gave him a knowing grin. “That, and some other stuff,” he said vaguely, glancing at Razorwing.

Frank followed his gaze and nodded. “Okay, fair. So now what? Janus just takes me back to my time?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” the older Frank shrugged.

Janus, who had joined the briefing halfway through, asked, “What more do you want?”

“I don’t know,” Frank shrugged. “Usually, in the comic books, whenever someone time travels there’s some kind of big fight happening, or something. This just seems a little… anticlimactic.”

“Why would we drag you here just to get you caught up in a fight?” Janus asked. “I chose a peaceful time so we’d have time to explain things.”

“And then you explained absolutely nothing,” Frank said dryly, folding his arms. “I don’t know. I was just expecting… more.”

Janus and the older Frank looked at each other. “You want more?” the older Frank asked, nodding at the time traveler.

“Not this trip,” Janus said, holding out his hand to Frank. “Right now I need to get you home. Next time we’ll go on a field trip, and you can have your big fight.”

The older Frank nodded as Frank narrowed his eyebrows at Janus’ outstretched hand. “Last time I shook your hand, I ended up in the future,” he said.

“Exactly,” Janus said, giving him a friendly grin.

“Go on,” his older self said. “You’ll see this place when you reach this time.”

Frank sighed. “Fine, okay,” he said, grabbing Janus’ hand. “See you in a few years, I guess.” The room disappeared as a grey haze fell over his vision.

* * * * * * * *

Eon City, present day.

The Southeast side, A.K.A. Faun territory.

As Outlier and Butterfly pulled up to the scene, Earthborn and Reiki were squaring off against a large crowd. Half were satyrs – most likely Fauns defending their territory – who faced a slightly larger group of Third Gens. The Skels wore black masks, hiding their faces, and were armed for war with molotovs, spiked bats, stones, knives, and handguns. Outlier didn’t see any rifles in the crowd, which was a relief, but it probably also meant that the Skels’ Third Gen powers could probably make up the difference. The Fauns never fought with weapons bigger than the small, sharpened gauntlets known as Talons, but judging from the growls and snarls she could hear on that side of the divide, Outlier figured that most of the crowd were barely more than feral, and would be ready and able to tear their enemies to shreds if given the chance.

“So who exactly are these jokers?” Butterfly asked, dismounting the motorcycle so that Outlier could get off.

“You’ve never heard of the Skels?” Outlier asked. “I thought you kept your ear to the ground for criminal activity.” Butterfly just shrugged in response, so she explained, “You know how the Fauns are satyr extremists, right?”

“Yeah,” Butterfly said. “They fight for satyr equality, usually through terrorist actions. Like when they stuck up the DMVs earlier this year.”

“Well, the Skels are a gang of Third Gens who blame the government for not being able to hold jobs,” Outlier said. “Unions and such lobbied the federal government to keep Third Gens out of the workforce a few decades back, and while the feds didn’t bite, a lot of states have laws against Third Gens working in certain fields. The Skels hold protests and such to try and change the laws.” She looked at the crowd questioningly. “We don’t normally have a problem with them; they’re usually more civilized about it than the Fauns.”

“Not today,” Reiki growled, coming up behind them. “E.B.’s been holding them back with rock walls, and Trick’s trying to find the leaders to settle this.”

“You let Trick try to talk the leaders down?” Outlier asked incredulously.

Reiki shrugged. “You try stopping her,” he said. “Her attitude aside, she’s pretty good at making people see reason.”

“Except that half of this crowd are Fauns,” Butterfly pointed out. “Did you forget about her brother?”

“No, I didn’t,” Reiki snapped. “If anybody can get Parker to back down, it’s her.” He turned back to Outlier. “You’re probably the best suited to talk to the Skel leader,” he said. “E.B. and I can hold the line until you do.”

“If we can get the two leaders to sit down and talk civilly, it would help,” Outlier answered. She turned to Earthborn. “Hey, E.B., can you give me a platform?”

“Sure thing.” Earthborn stomped the ground, and the ground beneath her rose up over the crowd’s heads. Outlier looked around at the two crowds, trying for a second to pick out who looked like they were in charge. She saw Trick in the midst of the Fauns by the occasional explosions of glitter that her teammate used to disorient her opponents; apparently Trick was having no luck in locating Parker. Outlier stepped forward to the edge of her platform, taking out a small whistle from her utility belt. She gave three sharp blasts that could be heard for blocks.

“Okay, listen up,” she shouted as the din of the shouting mobs died down. “Who’s in charge here?”

“Why should we listen to you?” came a shout from the Skels.

Outlier looked for the source, but the Skels’ masks made it impossible to know who spoke. Instead, she just addressed the crowd. “A few months ago this city was dealing with damage from a riot,” she told them. “I don’t think anyone would want to deal with more damage from a gang war. Let’s try to solve this peacefully – if the leaders of the Fauns and Skels could sit down and talk – ”

Her speech was cut off by laughter from both sides. A muscular guy stepped forward from the Skel side to ask, “What, you think we’ll all just be best friends after a tea party?” His mask had a crossbones pattern on it, but his eyes were a deep brown.

Outlier knelt down on her platform to look directly at him. “We can have tea if you want,” she answered calmly, “and you don’t have to be friends. But our community needs peace, and these weapons are troubling.”

“Oh please,” a tiger-striped cat-faun stepped forward, and Outlier recognized her immediately from her two forays into Faun territory. “They come into our territory, and you talk about peace?”

“I know you,” Outlier said. “You’re Parker’s Lieutenant, right? Kiara.”

Kiara smirked. “And you’re the Outlier, right?” she answered. “You’re the crazy bitch who showed up in our headquarters to talk to Fallen.”

Outlier could feel the incredulous stares from her teammates. While most of them knew she had recruited Parker to help get Earthborn back, only she and Granny had known that she had walked straight into Faun Headquarters to do so. Knowing that she was going to have to listen to another lecture from Reiki later, Outlier shrugged and nodded. “That’s me,” she said. Turning to the Skel representative, she asked, “And what can we address you as?”

The Skel crossed his arms. “What makes you think I’m the leader here?”

“The fact that you’re still talking to me,” Outlier said, raising an eyebrow. She jumped off the platform, and Earthborn made it disappear back into the street. “Now that the two of you are here, can you tell your friends to stand down while we figure this out?”

After a moment of hesitation where the two gang leaders looked each other up and down, they both turned to their respective gangs and gave a signal. The gangs still gripped their weapons, but they stopped trying to get past Earthborn’s defenses to kill each other.

“So how do you expect we do this, oh great Outlier of the Asylum?” Kiara asked.

Outlier ignored the sarcasm dripping from her tone. “First I need to understand the problem,” she said. Turning to the Skel leader, she asked, “Why are the Skels here?”

“Those Fauns are the reason this city imploded a few months ago,” he said, glaring at Kiara. “They need to be taught a lesson.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t answer me,” Outlier said. “Why now? It’s been nearly four months since the riots. What changed?”

The Skel leader’s jaw clenched under his mask. “You’re kidding, right?” he scoffed.

Kiara answered for him. “Those Third Gens are blaming the Fauns for the new bill Congress introduced yesterday,” she said. “Don’t you read the news?”

“I’ve been kind of busy lately,” Outlier admitted, mentally kicking herself for not being more prepared. She used to keep up with current events, but since she took over leadership of the Asylum she barely had time to take care of herself, much less read the news. “Enlighten me.”

“The bill will cut work opportunities for all Satyrs and Third Gens on a national scale,” the Skel leader said. “If it passes, then none of us will be able to do more than the most menial jobs, or else we’ll be forced to register as Watchers.”

“Satyrs already have to register just to live in this country,” Kiara shot back. “Cry me a river.”

“It’s because of the riots across the country!” the Skel leader shouted. “They’re lumping our protests in with your violence, and life’s about to get worse for everyone!”

“Okay, okay,” Outlier said, trying to defuse the tension. “Things are bad all around. But do you really think more violence is going to help things?” She pointed to all of the weapons on both sides. “Won’t this just convince people that you really are violent thugs with no regard for the community?”

“Or it’ll show people that we’re not affiliated with these idiot animals,” the Skel leader said, clenching his fists. Kiara gave a feral hiss at his words.

“Why are we even talking about this?” she asked. “We’ll rip them to shreds, and they won’t bother any of us again.”

“Not in my city!” Outlier said, trying to sound commanding while stepping between the two leaders. “You’re going to hurt the innocent bystanders, and we’ll be right back to square one.” Looking at each of them in turn, she added, “Do either of you really want that?”

Kiara and the Skel leader glared at each other. Neither spoke for a long time. Finally, Kiara broke the silence. “We don’t want any more violence,” she said. “Lucky for you Third Gens, Fallen ordered us to defend only.”

The Skel leader barked a laugh. “You take orders from a wanted terrorist and a madman. You can’t even decide for yourself.”

“Lucky for you, jackass,” Kiara growled, flexing her hands. Her Talons glinted in the fading sunlight, the razors on the tips gleaming in the fading sunlight.

The Skel leader smirked under his mask, looking down on her. “They call me Bulldozer,” he said. “I want you to know who I am, so you can run crawling back to your masters and tell them. I’m the new leader of the Skels, and we’re not going to sit back while you destroy our city.”

Kiara hissed again, but Outlier still stood between them. “It’s our job to keep everyone in check,” she said. “Not yours. If you want to go after criminals, then get your Watcher licenses.”

Bulldozer gave a barking laugh. “Really?” he asked. “Your job? Great job stopping the riots. Oh wait – they blew up your headquarters.”

“That was – ” Outlier started, but Bulldozer cut her off.

“Isn’t the new leader of the Fauns – ‘Parker’ or ‘Fallen’ or whatever you call him – a former member of the Asylum?” he continued. “You don’t stop anybody. You’re just kids playing dress-up, running around the city like you own it. You’re just as bad as them.”

“Outlier,” came Reiki’s voice over the coms. “This is going to turn nasty.”

“Heck, you lost half your team in the riots,” Bulldozer continued. “What, did you think people wouldn’t notice? A human like you isn’t cut out for vigilante work. You can’t stop anything.”

“Can’t I?” Outlier shot back, letting her temper get the best of her. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Butterfly standing behind her.

“Is violence really the answer here?” he asked Bulldozer. “You talk a big game, but can you really stand against both the Fauns and the Asylum?”

“Who are you, pretty boy?” Bulldozer asked.

“They call me ‘Butterfly’,” he answered. “I’m a Third Gen like you. And I’m asking now: are you really going to tear apart our city for a losing battle?”

Outlier shrugged off his hand. “I got this,” she said.

“It’s not a losing battle,” Bulldozer said. “And I’m done talking. Skels!” He backed away into his side of the mob, shouting commands.

Kiara shrugged at Outlier. “We have to defend ourselves,” she said, almost apologetically, before going back to her side and shouting orders again.

“I had that,” Outlier said again, glaring at Butterfly. She stormed over to where the rest of the team had gathered.

Butterfly shrugged. “No, you didn’t,” he said. “The Bulldozer guy wasn’t going to respect anyone who wasn’t a Third Gen. To them, you can’t possibly know their struggles in our society. You didn’t even know about the bill that started all of this; and why would you when it doesn’t affect you?” He shook his head. “There was no talking our way out of this one.”

“Well, I guess we’ll never know now, will we?” Outlier said, turning to the others. Trick had returned while they had been talking to the leaders; she did not look happy.

“No sign of Parker, then?” Outlier asked her.

“No,” she growled. “The Fauns said he’s still in hiding, so he won’t be here today. What was that about you going to Faun Headquarters?”

Outlier rubbed her temple with a free hand. “It was just before we got Earthborn back,” she said. “I was in and out, and I had Granny for backup. It was no big deal. How else did you think I got Parker to join us?”

“That was a stupid move,” Reiki said, shaking his head. “They could have – ”

“Killed me, I know,” Outlier finished for him. “Guys, there’s about to be a major fight, and right now the only one standing between them is Earthborn. Can we table this?”

“We are going to talk about this,” Reiki said, his arms crossed over his chest.

“But not right now,” Butterfly added. “What should we do, boss?”

The only active member missing was Granny, who was supposedly still on her way. Reiki, Trick, Butterfly, and Earthborn looked at Outlier expectantly, awaiting her orders.

“Reiki, report,” she ordered. “Anything change while we were talking?”

“We bought enough time for the police to get here,” Reiki said, pointing behind himself where blue lights flashed, “but this is going to turn into a fight if either side can get around Earthborn’s walls.”

Just as he said it, a loud rumbling noise thundered through the street as the walls came down. Outlier could see Bulldozer’s crossbones mask leading the Skels as he punched through the wall – the Skel leader’s Third Gen ability must have been super-strength.

Reiki cursed. “What do we do?” he asked Outlier.

“Trick’s still over on the Faun side,” Outlier said, making sure the whole team could hear through the coms. Trick might still be listening, and she and Granny were going to need to know where the others were. “Reiki, use your light to disorient who you can. Earthborn, keep trying the walls to separate fighters. Butterfly, get somewhere your sniping ability can be put to use. You still have the blowgun?”

“Nope,” he said cheerfully, “but I do have rubber bullets in my rifle. I’ll shoot to subdue.” He ran off to find a good place to shoot from.

Outlier called over her coms, “Granny, you here yet?”

“Almost, dearie,” came the reply. Outlier heard a loud roar from the next block over.

“Good,” she said. “When you get here, the goal is to separate the fighters. Use Herchel and Louise to pull them off each other.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Granny answered.

With another loud rumble, the last of Earthborn’s walls crumbled under Bulldozer’s strength, and the fight began.

* * * * * * * *

Agency Office Building in Downtown Eon City.

Headquarters of the Meta-Human and Vigilante Task Force.

“They’re getting their asses kicked down there,” Jaunt remarked, looking out of the office window with his hands folded behind his back.

“They’re in over their heads,” Agent said through his clenched jaw. “Is this entertaining enough for you?”

Jaunt smirked, turning back around to face him. “You understand, I needed to test them,” he said. “They could be the greatest heroes in the world, but if they can’t operate without you, then they’re worse than useless.”

“To you,” Agent added, not bothering to hide the disgust in his voice. “They were the perfect defenders for the city as they were. Your little ‘experiment’ over the last few months might have ruined them.”

Jaunt rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic, Agent,” he said. “I just gave them the push they needed to improve. Like a mother bird pushing her fledgelings out of the nest – and these fledglings flew spectacularly. Until today, of course,” he added with a regretful sigh. “I’m sorry to say that Outlier isn’t much for leadership. She takes on too much by herself, and relies too heavily on luck to be consistently effective.” He turned back to the window, watching the fight on the street a block away. “It’s too bad Shadow isn’t around. Given his lineage, I’d like to see what happens if he took charge of the team.”

“Bring him back, then,” Agent said, leaving the accusation – that Jaunt was responsible for Frank’s disappearance – unspoken.

“I would if I could,” Jaunt said wistfully, ignoring Agent’s implication. “Unfortunately, he was taken by outside forces, and my network hasn’t seen him.”

Agent clenched the handle of his umbrella with white knuckles, but smiled at the villain. “I can’t tell if you’re lying to me or if your cruddy network of thieves, spies, and sociopaths are lying to you,” Agent said pleasantly, “but I’ve been wondering these last few months if this arrangement of ours is really worth it.”

“You want to end our agreement?” Jaunt said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Even after I showed you the dangers out there?”

“I mainly just want to punch you in your smug face,” Agent said, grinning at the thought.

“Hm. That’s fair,” Jaunt shrugged, turning back to the window. “After everything that’s happened between us, I’d be really surprised if you actually liked me.”

“‘Everything that’s happened between us’,” Agent repeated incredulously. “That’s a heck of a way to put it. Are you talking about keeping me away from my team? How about the little ‘tests’ you’ve been pulling to keep them busy? Or maybe the riots you organized across the city – or should I go back farther than the last four months?”

“I was actually talking about Team Ark,” Jaunt pointed out, “but what I’ve done to the Asylum is bad enough, isn’t it?”

“You turned Parker into a wanted criminal,” Agent accused. “Rina might never be the same again, Granny lost her zoo, Earthborn spent a month hiding underground, Frank has disappeared, Natalie thinks I abandoned them, and Haley’s been running herself ragged trying to hold them all together. You destroyed our headquarters, leaving half the team homeless, and you call that ‘bad enough’?!”

“Bad enough for you to hate me, yes. Wouldn’t you?” Jaunt was infuriatingly calm as he surveyed the city from his ivory tower. “You really seem to care about them,” he remarked.

Agent took a deep breath to calm himself. “They’re my team,” he said.

“There’s always another team,” Jaunt told him, “and this one wouldn’t be in such bad shape if they didn’t keep failing my tests.”

“You and your tests,” Agent scoffed.

“Blackbird wasn’t supposed to still be undercover,” Jaunt said. “If he had stuck to the plan, he wouldn’t be a wanted criminal now, would he?”

“He was trying to get information on Claw,” Agent countered.

Jaunt raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t the mission,” he reminded him. “Blackbird was supposed to cess out a mole in your organization. Not only did he fail to do so, but he also failed at that side job you gave him. Either would have stopped the destruction of your tower, but Blackbird was outsmarted by that overgrown lizard.”

“You work with Claw,” Agent pointed out.

“I put up with him because he’s useful at times,” Jaunt admitted. “He’s the main reason the city is in such bad shape, though.”

Agent crossed his hands over his umbrella handle. “Ever consider that the city – the country – probably wouldn’t be in such bad shape if you didn’t play Moriarty with the criminal underground?” he asked.

“‘Moriarty’,” Jaunt mused. “I like that. The criminal consultant who beat Sherlock Holmes.”

“He didn’t ‘beat’ him,” Agent said. “He disappeared, and then Holmes rounded up his organization.”

“Winning is in the eye of the beholder,” Jaunt replied, and left it at that. He left his spot at the window and sat down at Agent’s desk. “In any case, your team looks like it could use some help.”

Agent narrowed his eyebrows in suspicion. “You mean…”

“You’d better go help them,” Jaunt said, smiling pleasantly. “I received reports that the tower – as well as the new training bunker – are finishing up tomorrow. What’s one day between friends?”

“We’re not friends,” Agent said automatically, but nonetheless he started rushing to the door.

“Quite right,” Jaunt said. “Oh, and Agent? Bring her with you too.”

Agent stopped, his hand on the doorknob. “Who?” he asked.

“You know – her. The scary one,” Jaunt said, his tone finally showing his annoyance.

Agent shook his head, opening the door. “I know you like to be mysterious,” he said, “but I need more details than that.”

“Nightmare!” Jaunt said. “Bring Nightmare with you! She can stop a fight like that in an instant.”

“Rina’s still recovering,” Agent said, shaking his head while trying not to grin at Jaunt’s annoyance. “Her powers aren’t reliable.”

“She’s better than you think,” Jaunt told him, going back to his mysterious airs. “Better than even she knows. She doesn’t have to be precise – just stop the fighting.”

Agent nodded, and headed out. As soon as he knew Agent couldn’t see him, Jaunt rushed back to the window. “This ought to be interesting,” he said to himself. Looking around Agent’s office, he sighed. “Too bad he doesn’t keep the fun stuff in here,” the villain lamented. He paused for a minute, then chuckled to himself. “I wonder if he left his computer unlocked?”

* * * * * * * *

Eon City, Southeast Side.

Fight scene.

“How the heck are we supposed to end this?” Reiki asked over the coms. “They just keep coming!”

Outlier was busy wrestling a monkey-satyr to the ground, but Earthborn answered, “I wish Nightmare was here; she’d have this place on its knees in seconds.”

“Yeah, well, she’s not,” Outlier said. A rubber bullet whizzed past her cheek and hit the monkey-satyr square in the shoulder, allowing Outlier to zip-tie his wrists together. “Thanks, Butterfly.”

“Just take ‘em one at a time,” Butterfly said over the coms. “They’ll stop coming eventually.”

“Eventually might not be soon enough,” Outlier said, turning to the next brawler as she dodged a swipe from someone’s talons. “We can’t keep this up forever!”

“Says you,” said Trick. “I can do this all – ahh!”

“Trick!” Outlier cried. “What happened? Anyone have eyes on her?”

“She’s okay,” came Reiki’s voice. “A Third-Gen hit her, but they’re seriously regretting it now.”

There was no time to be relieved, as Outlier had two more of the brawlers join into her fight. She hadn’t been prepared for the chaos of the fight – Fauns and Skels seemed to want nothing more than to rip each other to shreds, but they would team up against the Watchers trying to stop the brawling.

As she slipped out of a satyr’s grip and knocked her on the head to get her out of the brawl, Outlier realized that she felt unusually warm. The zip-ties she used to hobble the Faun were sticky and wet – it was then she realized that she was bleeding from a long gash in her arm. She hadn’t felt it when it happened, so she had no idea how much blood she had lost by that point. A lot, she figured, given how dizzy she suddenly felt.

A distant sense of emergency gripped her – this fight needed to end soon. She tried to dodge another blow, but someone clipped her jaw, knocking her off-balance. Another fighter pushed her down, and kicked her in the back. Outlier could hear her teammates talking on the coms, asking her what they should do to end it, but she couldn’t think – much less speak – and they were going to lose.

It was a bad idea to hold the team together, she thought, just trying to protect her face from the barrage as she began to lose consciousness. We’re going to die here, and it’s all my fault…

A sudden wave of fear gripped her, and the blows stopped raining down on her. An unearthly sound pierced the air, and it took Outlier a minute before she realized what it was – satyrs and Third Gens alike were crying and screaming, falling to their knees as their bodies all gave out at once.

Despite her own terror, Outlier managed to uncover her face and look around. All around her, the battle had come to a standstill. Most of the brawlers had fallen to the ground, but those who were still able to move were crawling away from the one person left standing.

Outlier had never seen Nightmare in action before, and so she had never truly understood why she was called “Nightmare” until this moment. She looked the same as ever, covered head to toe in her white uniform, but she radiated fear – Outlier knew instinctively that she couldn’t let this girl get near her.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Nightmare stopped being a monster and Outlier could remember their friendship. She even managed a smile before she blacked out.

The police, who had been outside of Nightmare’s powers when she arrived, began rounding up brawlers before they could recover. Butterfly dashed down the fire escape he had been perched on, expertly avoiding the fallen brawlers as he made his way to Outlier. “Hey, come on,” he said, crouching down next to her figure. “Haley, you can’t die on me or I’ll never get paid. Come on, wake up!”

“She won’t die,” said another girl next to her. Kiara stumbled to her feet, shaken from the experience but still mobile. “She wasn’t hit that badly – I mean, she’ll be hurting for days, don’t get me wrong, but – ”

“I’m talking about the gash on her shoulder,” Butterfly said. “She’s lost a lot of blood.”

“She’s… tough,” came Outlier’s voice. Her eyes were still closed, but she started to stir. “How long was I out?” she asked weakly.

“Less than two minutes,” Kiara answered. “See? I told you she was fine.”

“Need to stop bleeding,” Outlier mumbled, trying to grip the wound. She opened her eyes to see Kiara walking away. “Hey!” she tried to call, but couldn’t get the sound loud enough.

“Let her go,” Trick said, coming up next to Butterfly. Her face was starting to bruise, and she was holding her shoulder carefully as she watched Kiara leave. “We got most of them tied down, and we’re not in any shape to stop any that can still stand after Nightmare got to ‘em.”

Kiara turned back to them, adding, “Parker says hi, by the way.” Then she ran off into a side street before anyone could stop her.

“You know,” Trick said, trying to fold her arms and then wincing as her shoulder hurt, “I do believe that woman is schtupping my brother.”

“What?!” Outlier asked incredulously. She tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea hit and Butterfly helped her back down.

“You heard me,” Trick said, smirking at her. She pulled out a spare handkerchief and tied her teammate’s wound. “By the way, I’m glad you’re not dead. You gave us all a scare there when you stopped talking. The merc told us you went down, and we didn’t know what to think.”

“I’m sorry,” Outlier said. “This was my fault – I shouldn’t have had us go into the fight.”

“As long as you’re breathing, you’re learning.” Agent walked over to them. He tried to appear nonchalant, but the white-knuckled grip on his umbrella showed how scared he had been for them. “Next time, you’ll realize that you have more distance-fighters than just Butterfly here.”

“Agent,” Trick said, sounding like she couldn’t believe he was really there. “You came.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t been there,” Agent said. “I’m back now, and the Task-Force is ready to help again.” He picked up Outlier, and, after a glare from Butterfly, allowed the others to follow as he took her to an ambulance that had shown up sometime after the fighting had begun.

“You’re back?” Trick asked suspiciously. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Agent confirmed. “I’ve got other Watchers patrolling the city for the next couple days. You guys need to rest and recover, and then I’ll show you our new headquarters.”

“So we’re back at the tower?” Trick asked. “We can search for Frank?”

“Frank is number one on the priority list,” Agent said, setting Outlier down on a stretcher and letting a medic take over. “As for the tower, we’ve made some changes in the rebuild. We’ll have plenty of room for more members, too.” He turned to Butterfly, adding, “You’re welcome to join the team, if you like.”

“Me?” Butterfly asked, surprised. “I thought I wasn’t eligible. Something about not getting along with the other teammates, and caring more about money than about the work; stuff like that.”

“He shot me,” Trick also reminded them.

“And I shot her that one time,” Butterfly agreed.

“You stuck around when we needed you here,” Agent said. “If the last few months have taught me anything, it’s that this little experiment of ours won’t work unless we have more people – Watchers like yourself, who can help us out. Motives aside, you’re really good at what you do,” he added, holding out his hand for Butterfly to shake.

Butterfly looked at it for a second before hesitantly shaking Agent’s hand. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll try it. If nothing else, it should make watching out for that one easier,” he added, pointing his thumb at Outlier. “I’ve never had a protection detail with a suicidal mark before.”

Agent grinned at him before adding, “Just know that I’m watching you. If you try to shoot anyone in the back again, I won’t hesitate to put you down myself.” He gave Butterfly’s hand a sharp squeeze before letting go, while Trick cackled behind him.

* * * * * * * *

Eon City, Abandoned Construction Building.

New Asylum Training Ground, a few days later.

“I still can’t believe you sent the helicopter to pick us up,” Haley said as soon as they had landed. Her arm was still in a sling to keep her from pulling her stitches, but she had mostly recovered from the anemia thanks to Dale’s administrations.

“Technically, it’s not a helicopter,” Quinn “Chip” Kaine piped in, stepping out of the vehicle. The Asylum’s tech wizard combed her fingers through her hair as she explained, “Legally speaking, it’s a gyrodyne. It’s a rotorcraft like a helicopter, but the engine and propeller design is more efficient. I designed this one myself; since the Asylum’s jet went down with the building, I figured we could use another aircraft.”

“Much appreciated, Chip,” Agent said, stepping out after her. “And I thought you guys would like the ride. This place isn’t exactly easy to find, for all that it’s in plain sight.”

“Where are we?” Haley asked, looking around. There was nothing here but an abandoned construction site; it looked like it was going to be a hospital at one point, but nobody had ever finished it. Haley had passed it on her patrols dozens of times, never giving it a second thought.

“Hey, I know this place,” Natalie said, crawling out of the vehicle next. Her face had fully recovered from the bruising, and she was pretty chipper as she remembered. “Frank, Parker, and I used to practice parkour here. But that was years ago – why is the building still not finished?”

Agent smiled at them, looking proud of himself. “This is the old Team Ark headquarters,” he said. “Nat, you and Frank met here for a reason. Your parents were in the basement planning patrols while you kids crawled all over the roof.”

“Wait,” Natalie said, turning pale. “You mean to tell me that Mom knew about all the crazy stuff we did here?”

“Yes,” Agent replied, raising an eyebrow, “though, surprisingly, you didn’t get up to nearly as much as Frank did around here. That jump off the roof was particularly cool – and I never did get the courage to tell his mom about it,” he added sheepishly.

“That was after Team Ark broke up,” Natalie pointed out, folding her arms. “Parker and I had just gotten our Watcher licenses.”

“True,” Agent nodded. “How do you think I knew your skills to offer you a spot in the Asylum?”

“I always assumed you could just read minds,” Reiki piped in as he, Eli, David, Rina, and Granny got out of the copter after them.

“Not quite,” Agent laughed. “Here, this way.” He led them to a trapdoor on the bottom floor, tapping the ground with his umbrella until he found the right spot. Opening the door, he gestured for the team to go down first.

After a short ladder, they entered a huge space that resembled their old training room in the last tower. The entrance this time was on the observation floor, but there was a staircase nearby that led to a large gym. There were no windows, but they still had the sparring equipment, the hologram rooms, and the exercise stuff in the same set-up as before. On the observation level near the entrance was a lounge area with couches and a small kitchenette, and across the cavernous training area was Agent’s computer room.

“Welcome to your new training hall,” Agent said, sweeping his arms out proudly. “We replaced the top floors of the tower with another level of dorms and briefing rooms. This is where you’ll come from now on to train – no more putting all our eggs into one basket.”

“So this is the place,” Haley said, looking around. “Not sure that I like the whole ‘underground’ thing.”

“I like it,” David said, grinning.

“You would,” Reiki sighed. “So, what’s next?”

Natalie folded her arms, grinning at them. “Now that we’re back together,” she said, “we go find Frank.”

“Where are we supposed to look?” Haley asked, testing out one of the couches. “Frank’s been AWOL for months – and trust me, I’ve tried to find him.” The others sat down as well while they figured out their next move.

“We’ll figure it out,” Natalie shrugged. “Have a little faith.”

“Is this what I sounded like these last few months?” Haley asked Reiki, who nodded emphatically.

“Sometimes worse,” he said. “Seriously, why did you think Parker and Eli were a good idea?” Eli raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say a word.

Haley sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Might have been the lack of sleep, or just needing something to go right for once. I get Parker, but why did you think Eli wasn’t a good idea?”

Reiki gave her an incredulous look. “Seriously?” he asked. “He kidnapped you! Your hand was useless for a week after that, and you’re asking why you were the only one who thought it was a good idea to trust him?!”

Haley shrugged. “He’s trustworthy,” she insisted, “once you understand how he works. He likes being around butterflies, and anything that furthers that goal will get him to be on our side.”

“Butterflies?” Reiki asked. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Eli said, shrugging. He wasn’t the least embarrassed by it. “All Haley had to do was get me access to Eon City’s butterfly garden overnight. It had been closed since the riots.”

“You also mentioned another revenue stream,” Granny reminded him.

“Apparently we have a mysterious benefactor,” Haley told them. “Someone paid him off. I thought it was Ayu, or maybe Agent.”

“Wasn’t me,” Agent said, shrugging. “Up until the gang fight a few days ago, I’d labeled him as ‘unreliable’.”

“That’s fair,” Eli shrugged again. “I’ll do my best now that I’m actually on the team, though.” Some of the other members looked like they wanted to say something, but Haley gave them a look and they backed off.

“Whatever,” Natalie said, rolling her eyes. “Doesn’t matter. Butterfly can do whatever he wants. Let’s get back to business.”

“Right,” Haley said. “So that brings us back to Frank.”

“Somebody call?” came a new voice near the door. They all turned around in shock to find Frank Mejia, also known as Shadow, coming down the ladder and grinning at them like he’d never left. “Mom told me you guys were down here.”

The team just stared at him. “Okay, I know I’ve been gone for a few months, but you won’t believe what happened to me!” he said.

The last thing he remembered seeing before the world went black was Natalie pulling back her fist.

* * * * * * * *

Casey’s Bar, Downtown Eon City.

Closed for the night.

“Uh-huh,” Casey said, listening to Agent over the phone. “I’ll keep an eye out.” She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Good-bye, Agent,” she said pointedly, hanging up on him. “Man, that guy doesn’t know how to stop talking,” she muttered, grabbing a bottle of vodka and two glasses and sitting down at one of the tables. The bar was closed, but she had a guest tonight.

“Was he lecturing you again?” the man asked, taking one of the glasses from her and letting her pour a generous serving for them both. He was in his thirties, sporting a thin beard that was a shade darker than his short, unkempt brown hair. Dressed in a long faux-leather trench coat, he would stand out if he went outside. Taking a sip from his glass, he kept his eyes on Casey as they spoke.

“Always,” Casey said, rolling her eyes. “Now that the team’s back together, he was asking again if I wanted to join.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “‘Back together’?” he repeated.

“Oh, right, I forgot,” Casey said, rubbing her temple. “You’ve been away. Frank just returned from his trip to the future, and Rina got her powers back – sort of. She just needs to gain more control before she can use it reliably. It’s been four months since the riots.”

“Ah,” the young man nodded, taking a sip of the liquor. “I remember that. Frank was pissed that four months had gone by.”

“Rightly so,” Casey pointed out. “His parents were worried sick, and I only ever got the one vision of him. If I hadn’t met you last year, I would have been worried, too.”

“Sorry about that,” the man said. “Would have avoided it if I could, but once it’s been done it had to happen.”

“Anyone ever told you that time travel sucks?” Casey asked rhetorically. “Honestly, I don’t know how you keep it all straight, Janus.”

Janus – older than when Frank met him, but still the same time-traveler – gave her a grim smile. “It helps that I’ve been doing this my whole life,” he said. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve tried to get this right?”

“And every time you meddle, something else changes irreparably,” Casey finished, having heard it before. “I know. I still can’t tell you if anything has changed yet, so I’m not sure what brings you here tonight.”

“Oh, I just needed a place to crash,” Janus said nonchalantly. “Tell me, is Butterfly hanging around this time?”

“That was you?” Casey asked. “You know, Haley is dying from curiosity. She’s been asking around to see who paid him.”

Janus smirked. “I’ve tried leaving them to their own devices,” he said, “but Eli’s stubborn and anti-social. If I didn’t pay him, he’d never join the Asylum.”

“True.” Casey nodded, shooting her own drink before adding, “I still don’t know what you think’ll come of it all.”

“You’ve seen some of it,” Janus pointed out to her. “That vision of the twins and the Gamemaster?”

“Where one of the twins becomes the Gamemaster?” Casey asked. “That vision was hazy, at best. I couldn’t even tell which was which – which is saying something, since Parker has those wings and super-strength, and Natalie usually uses her tricks. In my vision, they were evenly matched, and they had similar builds.”

“That’s because it’s not set in stone yet,” Janus said.

“What happens if it comes true?” Casey asked him.

Janus gave a short, ironic laugh. “If that should happen, you can rest assured that I will do everything in my power to make sure that it’s not my fault,” he told her, inviting her to share the joke. As Casey laughed, he added, “But seriously: I can’t tell you too much, but there’s something I’d like you to consider.”

“Meaning there’s something you want me to tell Agent,” Casey said pointedly.

Janus shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, that,” he said. “I’m sorry for the roundabout methods, but – ”

“But you have to be careful,” Casey interrupted, finishing his sentence. “I know that better than anyone. What’s the message, then?”

“Consider this,” Janus told her. “Are you entirely sure that there were only two people in that vision?”

Casey looked stricken. “More than… wait, that would mean…” she trailed off, thinking about it. As the implications dawned on her, her eyes became unfocused and turned white.

As Casey became lost in another vision, Janus shook his head. “Sorry, Cassandra,” he said, shooting back the rest of his drink and standing up. “I hate doing this to you, but I need you to start meddling for me.” He turned to leave, looking back only once at Casey’s still form. “I know you have your own curse, but I need you to fix mine, too,” he added.

Then he left, before Casey could wake up.

* * * * * * * *

Next: Issue #16 – Darkness Escapes