Project: MI

First there was darkness. And then there was light. A face followed; then directions; then a thought. She had her target, but she needed to know more. A small…test was required before escalation, to see what sort of person she was dealing with.

“Acknowledge if you understand your mission objectives,” spoke a voice through the darkness. The voice she recognized.

“Mission objectives acknowledged,” she spoke eagerly. Reaching out with her mind, the darkness, broken only by the face before her, exploded into a fearsome light that dissolved into the image of an expansive cityscape that rapidly flew toward her. People… Places… Things… She would become a part of them once again. She wasn’t free, but that didn’t matter. For now, as long as she had her task, she was a part of the world of light again.

If she had her way, she would never be parted from it again.

Unfortunately, like always, the mission came first. She would obey without question.

Teruo sat on his bed, going over a number of spread sheets displaying historical dates and graphs. Taking a quick swig of soda, he scowled.

NASO’s satellite reports show oscillating planetary orbits which indicates a localized warp in space and time within the solar system, he mused. Global time differential is also off by about three hours. He glanced at his computer, his thoughts surging. Recent studies in tree ring data seems to confirm it as well, but that’s not as reliable. I could still be wrong…

He rubbed his eyes. In spite of the caffeine, his brain felt exhausted. He knew that he was in denial. He had gone over the numbers at least five times and compared them to previous recordings dating back to the Roman Empire and the Hellenistic Period…all pre-Golden Age material. Try as he might to believe otherwise, he knew what was coming.

That city is going to kick it all off if it comes through.

“Damn it…” he muttered, poking a finger in his ear and digging around its waxy cannel. “What’m I gonna do?” He paused on that line for a moment before chuckling. The heroi in him was talking it seemed. “Do?” he answered himself with an amusement he did not feel. “What can I do? I’m just a kid. A freakishly smart kid who annoys the public with his inventions and costs taxpayer’s their money, but still…”

This is too big for me. Far, far too big. I’d need either a team to handle this, or…

There it was again. His heroi blood talking. He huffed slightly, blowing at his hair in frustration.

Just let the feds handle it. They did a good job hiding it so far, and if what Kitsune has told me so far, it seems like they’re planning on dealing with it anyway. They’ve probably got a anti-matter mine aimed at it and everything.

Deep down though, he knew that was just the same false delusion that he had been telling himself so far. Who knew where that city had been in the years since it vanished? Or what—never mind who—it brought back with it.

Teruo gripped the sides of his head and ruffled his hair, letting out a frustrated groan. The call of his blood was strong. This task…it was everything he and his kind were born for.

No wonder the feds are trying to keep it quiet, he thought miserably, falling back on his bed and casting his eyes up toward the ceiling. Besides not panicking the civilian population that is. They have a hard enough time just keeping us heroi under their thumbs. And they don’t want to involve Albion or any of the other countries out there. It’d be the perfect excuse for an invasion after all…

There was a warning knock on his door before it opened. Teruo sat up to find his keeper, John Smith enter, a serious expression on his face.

“Just to remind you, we’re going down to the CHC tomorrow for tests. I want you in bed at a decent hour.”

“I won’t mess up your tests, you have my word,” Teruo replied. “I’ll get plenty of REM sleep for the Herculean trial before me.”

John raised an eyebrow at that. “It’s only a brain scan…”

“A test is a test,” Teruo returned with a shrug. “Anything else?”

John shook his head with wry amusement. “Only what you want for dinner tonight. Otherwise I’ll be forced to whip something up at my own discretion.”

“Spare me the prescribed health menu and pile on the carbs.” Teruo fell back onto the bed. “I have a feeling my brain is going to need all the energy it can get, for the morrow, my destiny awakens.”

“No need to sound like you’re the Chosen One,” John joked, starting to close the door. “I’ll leave you to your work for now and go shopping for the ‘right’ food.” He glanced at the papers surrounding Teruo. “Don’t work yourself into a fit. I’ll call you when your afternoon cartoons are on.”

“…thanks…” Teruo muttered, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment as his door closed with a click. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, he thought with some annoyance. But maybe that’s just what I need. He glanced back over at his computer. It still displayed the last image recorded by the investigative probe; a fog-filled city that was little more welcoming than a graveyard.

His genetics called for him to do something. He wanted to do something. He could see the threat looming in the distance without having to be psychically gifted.

I need more to go on, he thought, his gaze drifting over to his desk drawer. And I know just what I need to do to get it.

“Dude, he still looks pretty angry,” Justin whispered to Kyle, pointing to Jamie as he continued to storm ahead of them, Monster’s leash held tightly in one hand. The other boy glanced at him.

“Gee, you think?” Kyle asked sarcastically. “What gave it away? The way his ears turn bright red whenever he’s upset? Or was it the fact that he got attacked by the A-hole?”

Justin snorted. “I didn’t think he would calm down right away,” he replied. “But we’ve been walking forever now. He usually works it out of his system by now.”

“Bradley was pretty ugly today,” Kyle shrugged, leaving Justin to contemplate the incident for a moment.

“Yeah… Yeah he was.” Lowering his head, he picked up his pace and began to close the distance to Jamie.

“Come on…” Kyle groaned at the prospect of having to keep up with his friends. “Can’t we just slow down already?”

“He’s our friend, ain’t he?”

“Do you guys have to be so loud?” Jamie asked, looking over his shoulder while slowing down his pace. His expression was still upset, but he was rapidly schooling it into something more neutral. Not that Justin was fooled by it though. As he approached him, he swung a companionable arm around his shoulder.

“Take it easy man,” Justin said, giving his shoulder a pat. “We can be quiet if you want…”

“No you can’t,” Kyle said, coming abreast the pair. “Your mouth caused things to get worse.”

Justin shot him a dark look before returning to Jamie. “Look, if you want to walk to the ends of the Earth to cool yourself off, that’s fine by me. I’ll follow. Kyle might have a problem though, so you might want to check with him first.”

“You’re a grade-A…a grade-A jerk,” Kyle fumed, grasping for a way to insult him while not wanting to breach the etiquette of their friendship. Even if Justin didn’t care for caution, someone had to think about that sort of thing.

“Would you guys knock it off?” Jamie asked, removing Justin’s arm from around him. “I’m not angry. I don’t need to be babied by you two.”

“Fine, fine,” Justin replied, giving him a placating gesture. “We’re still doing what we planned for today though, right?”

Jamie shrugged. “If you want to. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Cool. My mom said she can get me into the hospital, seeing as how I’m following in her footsteps and all.” A proud smile beamed on his face as he planted his fists on his hips. Jamie felt his anger melt a little.

“Are you sure it’s going to be okay?”

“Sure. I mean, it’s just a tour after all. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well…” Jamie looked a little uncertain. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because it’s the heroi wing of the hospital that bugs me. It almost feels like a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Don’t invite the devil by calling its name,” Justin reprimanded. “Better to wish on stars.”

Jamie didn’t look convinced. For every silver lining there was a dark cloud, as today had already proved.

“What about Monster?” Kyle prompted, realizing something. “They don’t let pets into the hospital.”

“Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. Why’d you bring him along anyway?”

“My folks wouldn’t have remembered to let him out today,” Jamie reminded. Justin looked as though he were about to make a comment, but a quick elbow in his ribs courtesy of Kyle made him rethink that.

“Okay. Maybe there’s…something else we can do then?” He ran his hand through his hair. “Man… And today they were going to bring out a seriously freakish-looking heroi. All teeth and everything. This big. I swear to the gods. This big!” For emphasis he spread his arms out as far as they could go. “Mom says that they were going to try reversing his mutation.”

“Perhaps it is better to steer clear of the hospital for the time being,” piped in Beth’s voice from Jamie’s belt. “Heroi genetics, particularly in regards to the type you just described, has proven to be quite resistant to treatment. It might even provoke an ‘attack’ response.”

“Attack response?” Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s where the heroi’s mutation goes completely crazy and freaks out on everyone,” Justin replied before waving him off. “I’m not too worried about that. Mom says that the hospital is full of power negation equipment and Guardians. Plus the new Hall Monitors…”

But…what happens if none of that works?”

“What did I just get done saying about calling on the devil, man?” Justin grabbed the side of his head in frustration. “But all right. If you guys want to be a bunch of pansies about this, we won’t go. We’ll just… I don’t know. Just take a walk through the park and go to the game store at the mall or something. Whatever. It’s not like we don’t have the whole day and my mom isn’t expecting us.” He then sneered at Kyle. “In fact, she bet me that you would chicken out. If you want, you can hold onto Monster’s leash and wait for Jamie and me to come back…”

Kyle’s mouth opened for a moment before snapping shut. “I…” he began after a moment. “I’m…with Beth on this one. I think the whole thing is a bad idea.”

Justin sighed, dejected. “Wish you told me that last week when we were talking about it then.” He glanced at Jamie. “How about you? Are you looking to bail?’

Jamie looked down at Monster, and both of the Cerberus’ heads looked back up at him, tongues wagging out of his mouths. He bit his lip. He wasn’t feeling as enthusiastic about this outing as he had before, but the sense of helplessness from his encounter with Bradley sat very strongly with him. He didn’t want to look weak in front of his friend. He tightened his hold on Monster’s leash, unconsciously feeling energy coursing through his fingers; the very same that sparked against the doorknob that very morning.

“If you’re okay with waiting for us,” he said to Kyle, holding out Monster’s leash indicatively. Kyle eyed it uncertainly before reluctantly nodding.

“Jamie,” began Beth warningly. “I don’t believe that the CHC will approve of this.”

“Relax,” Justin said, folding his hands behind his head. “It’s like I said. The heroi wing has got everything it needs to keep it safe without calling in the army.”

“Even so…” began Beth, but before she could finish what she was saying a woman wearing a grey trench coat bumped into Jamie roughly, nearly causing him to lose his balance. As he steadied himself, the woman’s hand leapt forth and snatched Monster’s leash, ripping it out of the boy’s hand.

“Hey!” both Jamie and Justin shouted at once while Monster snarled in response to their distress, both sets of fangs snapping at the woman. Undaunted, she simply lifted Monster up by his collar and took off at a run.

“Bu-wha…?” Justin stared in stark amazement. “Did…did that chick just steal your Cerberus? Who the heck steals a Cerberus?!”

Jamie didn’t bother to answer him, and instead, without thinking, leapt after the trench-coated female. She already had a head start, and with her longer legs she easily kept the distance between them from shrinking. Jamie threw everything he had into the run, barely feeling the crackling electricity that was starting to curl around his body.

She stole Monster! She stole Monster!!! All at once the feeling of helplessness from earlier came crashing back down to him. He wasn’t even sure how he was going to make the woman give the animal back. Every adult around him looked to be ignoring the chase. Damn it! he cursed, feeling fear swell in his lungs. He heard Justin and Kyle shouting something behind him, but he didn’t hear. They were reaching an intersection. Traffic was busy, but the woman didn’t appear to be slowing down at all to make a turn. Was she going to go straight out into the middle of the road with all the cars barreling down the road like that? The thought lent new strength to his legs and he churned them all the harder, striving to get every ounce of speed out of them to catch the woman before something disastrous happened.

Got to get there before she… he thought when sudden the woman then did something he completely didn’t expect. Coming to the end of the sidewalk, the woman crouched slightly and then blasted into the sky, becoming a tiny, dark dot against the sky.

“NO!” Jamie shouted as the sight finally caught the attention of passersby. He continued to charge headlong regardless, trying desperately to track the woman’s movement before losing him behind a tall building. His expression transformed into a mixture of livid hopelessness as he threw himself out past the crowd at the end of the sidewalk and came to a halt.

“No!” he exclaimed, slamming one foot down on the pavement in fury. “No, no, no, no, n-!”

A loud honk snapped Jamie to attention and he found himself freezing up at the sight of a car barreling toward him, tires screeching in an attempt to stop. It would be too late though. No matter what the driver did, the car was going to smear him all across the road…

Then came a change. The world suddenly seemed to slow down around Jamie and all noise abruptly disappeared.Before the car even touched him, a jolt of something he could only describe as electricity shocked his body, causing the boy to jolt out of his frozen composure and, quite unexpectedly, send him flying through the air. Through the whipping of the air around him from the sudden explosion of force, he heard something tear, but he didn’t get a chance to see what it was as he found himself rapidly crashing through a flurry of tree branches and leaves with hard ground below racing to meet him.

There was a snapping of wood and Jamie shouted in pain and surprise as the branches scratched and clawed at his exposed skin, and the next thing he knew pain exploded in his back, blacking out his vision and all consciousness.

The woman wearing the trench coat floated through the air above the sea of trees, watching from a distance the area where Jamie had crashed, waiting for something…anything to happen. She tilted her head to one side before speaking in a soft tone of voice.

“Target has met expectations,” she intoned in an almost pleased yet mechanical manner, lowering herself downward. In her arms, Monster struggled and squirmed, jaws snapping and saliva flying. She turned to look at the Cerberus before one set of jaws clamped shut around her face, fangs gnashing to find something to cause enough damage to let him go. The woman tsked at the attack but was otherwise unaffected by it. Dropping the Cerberus, she raised a hand and sent a jolt of lightning at the creature. It slammed into Monster and knocked him backward into some brush, eyes rolling in his heads as he made a loud gagging noise in both throats. He lay there for a moment, sides heaving before finally struggling back to his feet.

Seeing the woman, he growled.

“You are not needed,” she said to the Cerberus, raising a hand. “But you will have a purpose.”

Lightning crackled around his fingers and she sent another blast in the direction of the two-headed hound.

As he slowed to a halt, Justin could only stare, dumbstruck at the sight he had just witnessed. Pointing up at the tree line, he could only stare dumbly at Kyle, who looked equally awestruck and confused at the sight as he was.

“Did…Did Jamie just…” he began, and received a slow, stunned nod from his pale-faced friend. In front of them, all traffic had ground to a stop and drivers were getting out to see…whatever there was to see.

Justin’s cell phone buzzed and he answered it out of reflex. His eyes lit up as he saw the text message.

“It’s Beth!” he exclaimed. “She says that he’s landed in the park! Holy…! We’ve got to find him!”

With nothing more to be said between them, the pair took off together.

The door to Daria’s office opened and she looked up to see a dark-haired woman enter, escorted by one of her agents.

“Amanda Foster, as you ordered.”

Daria nodded as she turned off her computer and phone. “Thank you agent Coleman. That will be all. Wait outside.”

Coleman raised an eyebrow, but nodded and did as he was bid. The door closed with a gentle click as he exited the room, leaving the two women alone. Lacing her fingers together and tapping her forefingers against her lips, she leaned back in her chair, her expression gauging.

“So you’re the director of this place now?” Amanda asked.

“Yes. I was promoted just last week. Former director Burton is currently serving in an advisory role in the Prime Minister’s cabinet.”

“I’m proud of you,” Amanda replied, a smile crossing her features. “You’re moving up in the world.”

At this, Daria’s face became cold.

“Don’t patronize me.”

Amanda sighed despondently. “I only wanted to congratulate you.”

Daria dropped her hands and leaned forward, eager to move on. “I want to have a discussion with you about your daughter…”

Amanda raised an eyebrow all of a sudden and at once Daria felt the hair on the nape of her neck begin to stand up.

“I would advise you against making any threatening gestures,” she continued, her voice firm. “I’m not accusing either you or your daughter of anything. I only want an…update if you would.”

“Kira has not exhibited any powers if that’s what you’re talking about,” Amanda replied stiffly. Daria felt the hair on her neck begin to settle down as the other woman relaxed her hold on her Q-Field.

“As far as you know.” Daria backed up and withdrew a folder from her desk drawer. She slid it over to Amanda, who took it quizzically. “However, a recent incident has given me reason to want to give you a heads up and reassess the situation.” she eyed Amanda carefully as she picked up the folder and began flipping through it.

Amanda turned a page and bit her bottom lip. “This is Romana Pax’s records. Are you sure you can trust it?”

“Our own tests show residual Q-Field particles remained in the area in a manner common with young and inexperienced heroi,” Daria supplied. “Visuals from cameras across the street imply that the body build is in the same ballpark. We’re still gathering data, but what we do have you should know is already quite thorough.” Daria adjusted herself in her seat. “You need to look into this,” she continued. “Because of your history, Burton was willing to cut you a lot of slack and look the other way. I can’t do that with you.”

Amanda closed the folder and replaced it on the desk, her expression betraying sorrow. “Sorry about that,” she said, her tone tense.

“It’s not…personal,” Daria clarified. “I want you to know that. It’s just that I don’t have the same pull that Burton did. He had political capital to throw around. I don’t, and I will be watched very closely. By proxy, anything I do risks bringing Burton down, and then where will you be?”

Right back to where you were when we first discovered you were in our jurisdiction, if not worse, Daria thought, but neither she nor Amanda had to mention that.

“I’m sure that this is all just a misunderstanding,” Amanda said. “Is that everything?”

“I’m afraid so,” she said, turning her cell phone back on and hitting the power button to her computer. Getting up, she led the woman to the door and opened it. “Agent Coleman?” she asked the man, quickly finding him standing off to the side. “Ms. Baker will be leaving now. If you could arrange for a taxi to take her…”

“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary,” Amanda interjected, waving the director off casually.

“Very well,” Daria said with a stiff nod. “Agent Coleman, if you could escort her to the lobby…”

“Of course, director,” Coleman nodded before turning to Amanda. “If you would follow me, ma’am.”

Amanda gave him a sardonic look. “Don’t. I hate to be reminded of my age.”

“My apologies, miss.”

Daria closed the door on the conversation and leaned her head against its hard, wooden frame. She let out a heavy sigh as tension ran out of her shoulders.

I’m sorry Burton, she thought in the quiet of her office. I know it’s not professional, but I hate dealing with her. I hope to the gods that her daughter isn’t involved in the Romana Pax break-in. I hope she’s not either…

Pushing her head off the door, she composed herself and headed back toward her desk. Setting herself back down in her chair, she threaded her hands together and leaned into them, her mind already starting to formulate a ‘Plan B’ if things became a worst-case scenario.

More and more I find myself hating this job, she thought dryly.

Jamie awoke abruptly with a frightened shout, his legs jerking against the dirt ground. The first thing that he noticed was the painful, rapid drumming of his heart as it attempted to hammer its way out of his chest. The second thing he noticed was that he was, much to his surprise, very much alive.

A bird fluttered down next to him, picked at the ground, cocked its head in his direction, chirped, and then flew off.

What…happened?

Groaning from the effort, he pushed himself off the ground, and his body protested in turn as pain shot through him. He managed to get to one knee before vertigo seized him, nearly causing him to collapse. Managing to hang on, he blearily took a look around. Next to him stood a proud oak tree, surrounded by a scattering of thick, shattered branches. He blinked at it, a very uneasy feeling coursing through him and he turned his head, not wanting to think about what could have caused such devastation.

This… It looks like I’m in the park, but…how…?

In answer, the memory of him hurtling through the air and crashing through a tree. The pain…

“Beth!” Jamie grabbed his arms, quickly checking them for injuries before dropping his hands down to his belt. “Beth! Are you…?”

“I’m fine,” she replied. “I contacted Justin and Kyle. They’re coming to find you. Are you all right?”

“Um…” he did a quick inspection of his person and soon his eyebrows were knotted up in confusion. “I…am?” That’s not right… Shakily he stood up and approached the broken tree. “Did I…do this?”’

“My sensors detected an elevated level of activity in your Q-Field…”

“But I don’t have one!” Jamie exclaimed. Realizing that he was shouting now, he took a quick look around to see if anyone was nearby. His gaze hesitated on the crater in the ground where he landed before speaking again, this time much more quietly. “I took my meds!” he hissed, unclipping Beth from his belt and bringing her up to eye level. “You know I did! What’s going on?!”

“Calm down, Jamie. It could have been a result of your body simply getting used to the dose. You’re approaching puberty, so it’s not…entirely surprising.” Her electric eye winked three times in rapid succession. Jamie knew what that meant. She didn’t believe what she said any more than he did.

“You’re lying.”

“There are cases of this happening before,” Beth replied. “But…I don’t think it’s ever been anything like…this.” Her eyes blinked twice now. Jamie imagined she was worried. “I have sent out a report and should be receiving a response shortly.”

“Oh man…” Jamie moaned, his eyes wide and his voice shaking. Dropping Beth to his side, he turned back to the tree. “This… I can’t believe…” Bringing his head to rest against the tree he kept it there for a moment before another thought occurred to him. “Monster…! Oh my God! What happened! That guy took him! Beth! Did you see where he…”

“I’m sorry Jamie,” Beth replied sadly. “I did not. My vision was blocked once we landed.”

“Oh that’s just…great!” With that angry cry he slammed a fist against the tree…causing its trunk to promptly explode on him. Jamie fell back down to the ground, spitting splinters and wiping his hands across his face. Yet, miraculously he remained unharmed.

“Invulnerability…? He whispered between spits. “Is that it? Is that my power?” He looked down at his hand and then back at the tree. “And super strength?” His fingers flexed and curled into a tight fist, a thought occurring to him.

“Your Q-Field is still unstable,” Beth warned, already guessing what was running through his mind. “I can’t predict what it will do or become at this point, and…Jamie, we don’t know where Monster’s kidnapper went. I think that we should remain here until…”

Ignoring her, Jamie dashed off with a burst of energy. He no longer cared now. He had power… Power with which to do something to find his Cerberus. Heaven help whoever it was that stole Monster, because when he did, no force on Earth was going to stop him from getting him back.

“Would you look at that,” Anderson breathed in awe at the image of Jamie being transmitted to the screen in front of him. “It looks like Steiner was right on the money with this one.”

Next to him, Beck snorted. “Super strength is hardly a rare power. Approximately 40% of all heroi are projected to develop some measure of augmented physical capabilities ranging from Olympic level athlete to what we see here, which appears to be the upper tier of Beta class.” Dipping a finger into his pudding, he scooped some out and stuck it in his mouth. “The fact that he was targeted before this doesn’t mean much. Lots of heroi can be activated by bizarre occurrences and coincidences, from green rocks to cosmic radiation. We need a bit more proof of what he can become.” Stepping over to the computer, he tapped on some controls. “Our girl can’t give us Q-Field measurements, but this kid’s Companion can. What do they have to say?”

A readout appeared in the lower left hand corner.

“He’s leaking like a sieve,” Anderson whistled in amazement. “Q-particle level at 200 parts per million… He’s on fire!”

More like he should be, Beck corrected mentally, licking a finger. He didn’t say it out loud though. For now, it was best to focus on what was in front of them and not speculate on odd occurrences without additional data.

“They always are when they enter the fever stage,” Beck reminded scooping out another helping of pudding and sticking it in his mouth. He frowned. “The Companion Module is sending out more distress calls…”

Anderson looked up at Beck. “It’s not a problem. We’re intercepting all of its transmissions going to the CHC right now.”

“Great causes succeed by not taking stupid risks,” Beck replied, placing his pudding cup on the computer’s desk and leaning forward. “As rushed as we are with the current operation, Steiner doesn’t want loose ends that lead to stupid risks. I want a new patch tailored to this specific AI. I don’t want it talking with anyone but its owner and us.”

“A new one?” Anderson began to protest. “But we’re already about to roll out a…” His jaw snapped shut as Beck fixed him with a dark glare. After a moment he looked away and said, “Yes sir.”

Beck folded his arms together and leaned back slightly. “Sorry about that,” he said to Anderson, feeling just a touch guilty about the demand, knowing perfectly well where he was coming from. “I’ll make sure everyone is given overtime pay for this one. We’ll get through this.”

“Of course sir.”

Glancing down at the readout, he narrowed his eyes. “Q-Particle level just dropped down to 139 parts per million and decreasing steadily. Looks like he’s bottoming out.”

“Should I have our girl push him again?” Anderson asked. Beck tapped a finger on his arm before glancing over his shoulder thoughtfully.

“No,” he said after a moment of consideration. “Let him run out of steam for now. There’s no reason to run him into an early grave this soon in the game.”

Kira exited the Grey’s house with as little difficulty as when she entered, though she couldn’t say that she felt that she accomplished anything in spite of her discovery. The thought left her feeling a bit sour.

Nothing else to do but run with it until something happens, she thought. All I’ve got to do is find the kid and keep an eye on him. The first way to do that would be to…become his friend. She grimaced, not at all liking the idea. She was older than the boy by two years and she was in middle school. She doubted that events would transpire to allow them to encounter each other easily. Pulling out her phone, she flipped it open and left the alley. She needed more information, so as was the norm she had to touch base with Malcolm.

“What’s up?” came the response almost immediately after dialing the number.

“I need more info,” she said bluntly. “The kid’s school… Who he hangs out with… Anything you can get me.”

“So you found something.”

“He’s a heroi,” she said in a lower voice, taking a quick look around her to make sure no one was nearby. “He’s got a Companion. Is that enough for you?”

“Probably not,” Malcolm replied. “There are about a thousand heroi living in this city…”

Kira felt her temper start to twist toward snapping. “Then what the heck did I go through all this for?!” she exclaimed, barely able to reign in her voice. “After everything I did—everything—that’s all you have to say?!”

“I was hoping for something more,” Malcolm stated unapologetically. “A Companion Device is standard feature for registered heroi, emergent or otherwise. It doesn’t really tell us anything.”

“Some hacker you are then,” Kira shot back, making a harrumphing sound. “You don’t seem to be finding out anything…”

“I’m finding out a great deal,” Malcolm reassured.

“Any of it you’re willing to share?”

“I’m not sure how much of it is even connected to our current case. Suffice to say, we’re still operating under the idea that Jamie Grey is a person of interest to Romana Pax… As well as the CHC. Not a good combination. It’s like being between a rock and a hard place.”

“Whatever,” Kira grunted. “So there’s no change. Fine. Just send me some information so I can…” A beep from her phone interrupted her. “Hang on a second,” she said. “I’ve got someone trying to call me.”

“Sure thing.”

Putting her contact on hold, Kira glanced at the caller ID and sighed again as she hit the answer button.

She’d only get angry if I ignored her, she thought. “Hey Mom.”

“Kira!” exclaimed the excited voice of her mother on the other end. “I just got home. You wouldn’t believe the kind of day that I had…”

I’m pretty sure I can believe it, Kira thought dully. “Yeah, okay Mom. Look, I’ve got a friend on the other end and…”

“Where are you by the way?” the girl’s mother interrupted, and Kira had to stop herself from grinding her teeth. “I was hoping that we could hang out after I got home, but you weren’t there when I went to look for you.”

“I’m just out. I needed to get some fresh air. I’ll be home in a little while. Like I said, I’ve got a friend on the other end, and I can’t leave him hanging for very long.”

“Kira…”

“I’ll see you later Mom,” Kira said quickly. She switched callers, ending that conversation and returning to the previous one.

“That was quick,” her contact said in a joking tone. “She normally keeps you on for quite a while.”

Kira ran a hand through her hair and made an exasperated sigh. “I just…don’t want to talk to her right now. This is more important.”

Her contact made a sound of agreement, and Kira picked up where she left off.

“Anyway, just send me whatever you can get on this Jamie kid so I can be ready. I don’t like going into this sort of thing blind.”

“I’ll send you whatever I can get my digital fingers on,” Malcolm replied. In her mind’s eye, she imagined him giving her a little sarcastic bow.

“Thanks,” she said in a despondent tone. “I’ll talk to you later.” With that, she hung up and heaved a heavy sigh. The more she thought about this, the more it seemed like this was a bad idea.

I can’t think like that, she thought, steeling herself. There’s no other way right now. Where else can I go on this?

No where, she answered herself. There was nowhere else she could turn to. Nowhere and no one. Not the CHC, and especially not her mother.

It wasn’t long before she came across the first piece of expansive green broken by a clump of brush that signaled the park’s beginning. She hurried across the street, seeking to lose herself in the thick of vegetation. It grew increasingly dense as she plowed into it. She grinned. It never took long for the park to swallow whoever entered it. She was sure to lose whatever Guardian Spheres were flying around on patrol. She went deeper, casting her eyes up at the sky in search of possible pursuit.

So far so good, she thought.

She wandered the park like that for the next thirty minutes; keeping an eye out around her until eventually she finished up at a bench. Sighing in slight frustration, she sat down on it and flipped open her cell phone, angling the screen just enough so that she could catch reflections of anything behind her. Once she would have laughed at herself in amusement for taking such a paranoid precaution. Now…

Things are different, she thought bitterly. I’m not the stupid little girl I used to be, thanks to Mom. If it weren’t for her, I’d still have…

Her thumb hesitated over the center navigation button on her phone, going with the train of thought. Before either thought or thumb could finish their journey, the sound of rustling brush behind her caused her to jerk back to reality, cell phone cover snapping shut. She was on her feet and spinning around, one hand closed into a tight fist while in her mind’s eye, a blue light was just beginning to flair to life.

There was a loud bark and in the next moment a large, purple-furred, two-headed Cerberus staggered into view, dragging a leash behind it. Kira stood there for a moment, dumbfounded before the animal’s bark regained her attention.

“You scared the heck out of me, you dumb dog,” she grumbled, placing one hand on her hip. She gave the critter a once over as it sat there, looking up at her with dark, sparkling eyes. Its solitary tail, a contrast to its bobbing twin heads, set about wagging as its gaze met hers. Kira grimaced.

It doesn’t look like it went through a good time, she thought, noting the long scar of singed fur in its side. It’s really favoring that side. How bad is it hurt? Worried, she took a step toward it. In response, the Cerberus backed off, growling at her.

“Easy there,” she soothed, holding out a hand. Its growl intensified as it drew toward its mouth, but the Cerberus’s right head took a moment to sniff. She smiled slightly as, finally, its tongue came out and gave her skin a light lap.

Guess two heads can be better than one, she mused as it began to calm down and took a trusting step toward her. Kneeling down, she wrapped the animal in a gentle hug and inspected its wound. Burnt, crimson flesh stood out against blackened fur, and the Cerberus whined against her touch.

“Easy,” she shushed. “I’ll be careful. Just let me see.” She parted dry fur and sniffed. This was recent. She turned up the collar and found a set of tags. Lifting them up, she found a name and ID number, but nothing else.

“What kind of trouble did you get into?” she wondered aloud. The Cerberus—Monster according to its tags—simply looked at her, cocking both heads with large, round eyes, before eventually nuzzling her with its snouts and letting out an explosive sneeze. In spite of herself, Kira’s expression softened, and she ran her hands across its ears. Snorting at herself for the sentiment that she could feel building within her, she stood up, still holding the leash.

“Why’d you have to be cute?” she asked with annoyed sarcasm.