October 31st 7:21 PM

Ripley

I supported Clementine out of a wheelchair. Who was Clementine? She was a lovely baker's apprentice; she'd gained enough consciousness half a week ago and was the first of Diana's Dreamframed children to recover. She gripped my hand weakly, her face scrunched up as braces in her legs carried most of her weight and connected to the fresh Sustain BUG that Maiden and I had installed.

Implanting children was a horrendous practice, but with the trauma these children had endured… Diamante said a Sustain Feature would be their best shot at a quick recovery. For a meaningful recovery. "Come on Clem, you can do it."

"I'm trying Mr. Ripper…" She heaved a breath out… "I… why can't I walk anymore?"

"Deary…" Maiden put a comforting hand on her back. "When you're done with us, we'll have you running faster than a Silver Olympian. Say the thing, Ripper."

Even though I didn't have my goggles on, I responded to that name. "Just take one step at a time, Clem. You're being so strong for us."

Unsteadily, she wobbled forward, using both me and Maiden as support. But it was a step, it was her first of many. Resolve washed through me as I clenched her arm, a feeling of… purpose settling in. "Clem, forget Olympian. I'll have you run faster than NeoCore Heralds…"

"You can?" Her big green eyes settled on my face.

"Uh, it'll take a while… you'll have to open your bakery first. But one day, we'll both get there." I let her take another step with my hand, her posture kept straightened by Maiden.

"This guy's a dreamer. Be like him, a little wild and crazy… but not too much like him." Maiden joked, getting a reciprocative laugh from Clem.

———

Once Clem was sedated and busy sleeping again, we let her Implant settle in the changes. My hands itched, feeling like we could do more. "What if we-"

"No. Ripper." She cut me down like a knife to a plastic bottle

"You didn't even hear my suggestion," I complained to the air.

She shook her head. "No more chrome in their heads or limbs, Externals only. A child's body grows quickly, and they manifest more potent and sporadic Feature updates. No experimentation… everything you put in a kid needs to be replaced every few months, or it'll mess up their growth. Ever heard of shard-spine syndrome?"

Scoliosis due to a premature Neuroframe implantation, how could I not? My mother had been putting it aside for years before she let me get one.

"A skull doesn't change in size much."

"The mind does... a lot."

"What I'm saying is some Dreamframe architecture remains… just because it was used against them, it doesn't mean we can't turn it into a remedy." I sighed. I'd learned a lot about Dreamframes from my… nightly observations of Elsa.

Her skull had peeled open, revealing the human brain enclosed in a wired sheath that contained everything which made her who she was. It was vulnerable, it was beautiful… it was terrifying. Every time I looked at her specs, I needed to hold her, for both her sake and mine.

"I'll put it in the back of my head if progress plateaus, but for now… our duty is keeping them stable." Maiden cupped her mouth, taking a deep and painful breath. "I'm never seeing another kid die on my table again."

To that, we could agree.

———

At Elsa's apartment, she was busy doing the last bits of makeup on me as I questioned whether our Halloween Costumes were sufficiently mocking, genius, or stupid. She contoured my cheekbones perfectly and combed my hair down in a middle part. My eyes looked through the new cosmetic options, and my Frame carried another two presences in my head for preparation.

Starlight and my mother were making their own Halloween costumes, and Missy was going to pick them up while Diamante picked us up.

"This is the first time I'm wearing less makeup than you." She joked, her body covered in layers of intricate armor that I'd made.

"Well, you're going to wear a mask." I reached up and cupped her cheek, I'd never seen my girlfriend in military gear like this… it was a look I very much liked. Not to mention, confirmed a hypothesis of mine. "I actually wonder how many people are going to wear your costume tonight?"

"Lots, there was a surprising amount of guides on the Net, even surface-level." She chuckled, sitting on my lap as she did the final touches. "Oh, you're so pretty now. Just have to add the piercings now."

"Only the ones that are meant to be visible," I warned, pointing to my ear.

She rolled her eyes as she brought an earring and plucked it through the artificial cartilage of my ear. "There. Now you're perfect."

"I'd be perfect if I were wearing an oversized sweater and had bed-hair right now." I pinched her cheeks.

"Ah, but I'm not exactly covered in grease and haven't taken a shower in a week now, have I?" She got off my lap, running her hands over the fine lines of her suit.

Of my suit. She was dressed as Dreadwire. The padded armor was refined to be more visually appealing and showcase my girlfriend's beauty as she slid her version of my mask onto her face. Complete with four false Arachnodyne limbs stretching and moving around her back with a simple hydraulics system.

And I was dressed as Mirage. A gender-bent Mirage in a fine, half-black, half-white suit with a lavender tie with a similar pattern in my swept-back hair with eyes that shone violet, red, or blue. I also had an accompanying mask to keep my identity hidden — this party was for Dreadwire, not Ripley. There would be a little more privacy for me to remove it once the night grew longer.

I wasn't sure how I looked, but she was sexy. My hands reached for her waist and pulled her closer to me. "Well, miss Dreadwire, you can scrap me down any day."

"Oh, and you, Mister Mirage… are more than free to delve into my mind." The mask split and pulled and back, golden eyes shining as she kissed me.

We were interrupted by a message from Diamante.

[Get down, we're leaving now.]

Sighing, she pouted as she slid her mask back on and pulled me with her hand. "On the bed, as soon as we're back."

Down in the parking, Diamante was seated in the driver's seat of a heavily tinted sedan, and we were pointed to separate so one of us sat in the back and the other in the passenger seat. Getting in next to Diamante, I was surprised to see Topaz and Quartz huddled behind me. Topaz was dressed with a lot of glamor, like he was an early 25th-century rockstar with way too much skin showing, combined with pulsating piercings along every inch of his skin.

Quartz was wrapped in bandages, like a… mummy. If I remember correctly, those were Egyptian things. Elsa and I had watched a movie about them. She actually seemed to recognize Quartz's costume. "Oh, that's ironic. You're dressed as the Invisible Man."

"Topaz insisted I come." Quartz huddled in his corner, clearly uncomfortable. "I've taken… a lot of suppressants to not be a nuisance."

His voice even sounded a bit sleepy. I had no idea what the symptoms of Gene-Limiter overdosing were, but I was a bit worried for him. "Hey, I think your outfit looks neat. Also, how's the new tongue, Topaz?"

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Ah, perfect! Maiden had no issue adding the additional features I requested." Topaz stuck his tongue out, which now had a shinier tip; it vibrated. His new fingers did the same.

Diamante groaned. "Fuckin' children."

"Why aren't you dressed up as anything?" Mirage leaned from the crammed back seat. "It's just the hat and… a lot of leather."

"What?" He looked back, offended. "I'm a cowboy! Even got a lasso! You just can't see my boots, got real spurs and everything. And you're rich to talk, you're just dressed up as this idiot and he's… dressed up like you for some reason."

"It's called matching couples outfits." She pouted, slamming back down onto the seat as Daylight's blue eyes revealed, and she hollered up with a thick accent. "Well cowboy, giddy us up and get to rootin' tootin' down the streets!"

I had no idea what any of that meant. I needed watch more old westerns.

"Hold your horses." Diamante said humorously, since horses weren't real animals. "Saddle up, because we're late."

———

8:45 PM

Diana

Walking up the stairs of the Intelligence building, it was hard to find myself comfortable with the memories I'd made here. From Intelligence to Special Intelligence… I'd climbed so quickly in such a short time. Squad 13 had memories, good and bad, from Rorsche and Indra to Choirmen and Anthony.

Entering the floor that I thought I would be stationed on for years, I was greeted by a bustle of activity. Intelligence didn't get Halloween off; they had to monitor potentially hundreds of crimes that would be committed by drunken masked partygoers or more insidious conspirators who used the nightly masquerade to conceal their own activity.

That didn't stop them from dressing up. I found the recently appointed Deputy-Leader barking away orders while dressed as a zombie. First-Investigator Tluste Choirmen. I saw the surprise form in his face, stress-laden wrinkles tightening and loosening as emotions painted on him. "D-Diana?"

"That's Associate Special Ulrich to you," I said with a snarky smile, I was dressed up in a fairly cheap witch costume I'd bought for… a ludicrous amount. "Just messing with you, Choirmen. I thought I'd come buy and offer some treats while you're busy dealing with the tricks."

"Oh… uh, come to my office. We weren't expecting you." He waved his arm. The recruit he was shouting at stared wide-eyed as I passed and I lent him a friendly smile. There were more than a few unfamiliar faces now, four members of the squad were removed in just a month and in their place flowed in several recently promoted officers and Investigators.

There were also some familiar faces. Corporal Reiner Krauss was surprisingly here tonight and saluted me. Risa Wickett simply painted her Shardware white and scowled at my appearance, before turning away and marching down the hallway. Other Investigators, like Ramish, waved at me in awe, and the delving and analytics team were all largely too busy to even notice me. In Choirmen's office, I sat in my seat firmly as I pulled out some stuff from a basket.

"A little treat on my behalf." A wine bottle sat on his desk before I put a few candies and other treats down. "For you and your wife, plus a few things for the kids."

"Thank you, uh… Jone- sorry, Ulrich, what brings you here?" Choirmen instantly entered business mode, before I shook my head.

"Just Diana. I'm here as a… friend." I sighed, before a smile fell on me. "As for why I came, honestly… no reason in particular. I had today off, and thought maybe visiting you during this hectic day would help — just a little bit."

"It does, too many unfamiliar faces around. Ain't half as dependable as you were, or even Anthony for that matter." Choirmen gazed down sadly, biting the air down. "I… I pushed him too hard. I was stressed, but that didn't make it right. Kid deserved better, so do you… and I'm glad you're getting it."

"That's… another reason why I'm here." I plucked another treat out from my basket. A vial of Mutagen. "Choirmen… are you still a human shield?"

He looked offended, but didn't deny it. "I'm a bastion of the law. It actually does wonders in getting these recruits to respect me."

"Well, here's a damn regeneration Mutagen called Blood Knit. Already signed off on it, bought it with my merits for you. Works on others too, you can heal wounds by stitching them up." I rolled it on his desk, he snatched it like his life depended on it.

"Wha- how much did it cost?" Choirmen stared up at it, it was both specific to his blood Mutations and one that would heal him. Regenerative Mutagen was among the rarest types, especially ones that worked on others.

"Certainly not an insignificant amount." I mouthed, just because I was in Spec' Ops didn't mean I had an endless amount of money. "But it's worth it, for you. I didn't know you for long, but you saved my life multiple times, and Anthony's life… and you'll continue doing so. That's who you are."

"Who I am…" Choirmen creased the skin of his forehead with his hands. "I never told you why I joined up, right? With the police?"

"No."

He had a nostalgic look on his face, looking down on the Mutagen with a hint of caution before speaking. "Two decades ago… I grew up in Vista Del Este, Ninth Precinct territory. A shithole run by Los Diablos… back then, I actually ran in their circles — was a kid, but they provided a way to give back to my family. They had me distracting cops, I was a fucking menace to the patrols there, always causing issues by just being a brat. Until one day, I ended up getting caught doing something that made me more than a nuisance… did the only thing I could… tattled on Diablos. It got my family killed."

He stayed silent for a second, cupping his mouth as though pulling the courage out.

"All… except me. I was there, shootout at my place, they hid in their cars and pulled rifles out. Home barely stayed standing up by the doorframes as they unleashed hell on my place, they call it Martillo Del Diablo, the devil's hammer. Only reason I stayed alive was because the Investigator there who was interrogating me… protected me with his body. Blood hardening, he wasn't a good man, but for a moment… he saw me as a kid. When it was done, all that remained was his SIM… and I took it."

Choirmen took a deep breath. "From then, I joined the police looking for revenge. Thought it would give me peace, worked in Ninth Precinct for more than a decade… even got a name for myself. El Reventador. The burster, I blew them up with their own blood."

His sad gaze flowed to the left, down onto a portrait of him and his family. "Everything changed so quickly when I met Teresa, classic story of a burnt out grizzled man finding light in a partner who'd suffered just as much… but it changed me. Wasn't looking for vengeance anymore, I needed to protect them. I thought it would mean having to be El Revantador for them… but divorce papers changed that, then pregnancy changed that… until, I realized… just how fucking stupid I was. This life, no matter how many demons you kill, it doesn't dent them. It only empowers them, it just depends which side of the conflict you're on. If the police had killed my family, I would be no different than Los Diablos. But Los Diablos had been the monsters in my view instead… so I abandoned my mission. Fled with my family, could have been a fucking Special Investigator if I stayed, instead I… chose the cushy life in the First Precinct."

I nodded, not sure why he was telling me all of this, but relating to it nonetheless. "You made the decision that kept your new family safe."

"Yeah." He let out a large, drawn-out breath. "And now… I'm not an idiot. This Mutagen, there's a reason for it. The same reason why Anthony's in his state, I gather?"

He had figured some of it out. "I- it's not entirely unrelated."

"Point of the matter, the reason why I get shot at is simple. I'm used to it, and it gets me paid. I don't need to be anything… more than a glorified bodyguard. That's what I used to think. Then you messed my life up by getting Rorsche fired, now I'm in charge of people and suddenly… I can't just stand in front of them, a part of me needs to be behind them, around them… and guiding them. It's tough. Saw your interview, whole squad did, hell I'm constantly barraged about what it was like ordering you around. They look up to you, and because of that, they look up to me. You really just can't help but make my life difficult."

"It's a perk of having me as a coworker." I smiled.

"Yeah," he sighed, exasperated, "tell me honestly, Diana… what's your plan? As you, as your father's daughter, as Silvereye?"

"My plan…" I gazed down at his family portrait. "There's monsters lurking in our city, I thought I had to be one to kill them. Thought it was that simple. Now… I know some things that'll likely impact every crime in this city, that things will get worse before they get better. A lot worse. To fight it… I need to be Silvereye to the media, Diana Ulrich to the police, and just Diana to those around me. If I fight this alone, I'll be spread thin, but if I have… support, then maybe… maybe things can change. I'm not asking you to run investigations on my behalf; what I'm asking is that you be prepared. Be vigilant. Because sooner than even the Swarm, this city will be upended. And then once the Swarm does happen, we'll be in for the fight of our lives. Doesn't matter whether you're Diablos, or police, monsters don't see a difference."

"So you're recruiting me for your special secret monster-killing club." Choirmen sighed. "I can't."

"I know." Nodding, I stood up. "Keep the Mutagen anyway. It's not a bribe. I really do feel sorry for how often you get shot at or blown up."

"Diana…" Choirmen stopped me. "The Silver Heart Foundation, got a donation page opened up?"

"Donations?" I shook my head.

He sighed before a wise smile warmed up. "Soon as there is, tell me. I'll see what I can do."

———

Getting in the car, Belle — dressed up as some action-movie character — looked at me expectantly to which I just shook my head. "Not surprised, he didn't even ask me more about it."

"Well, looks like us two for now are the only ones who'll keep an eye out on The Uncaged." Belle started up the car. "What about Sabrina?"

"She's looking into Dreadwire, it'll complicate things for her. Or it could… be a way to keep her out of implicating him." I leaned my head deeper into the seat. "Let's just go and pick her up before the orphanage."

As we stopped outside her house, a lavish building with three floors and a heavy gate ahead of it. Out stepped Sabrina, dressed in foam painted black to look like armor in a suit I very much recognized, she even had a matching mask with drawn on gold streaks to compensate — and what looked like cardboard arms stuck to her back.

Belle broke out into laughter as she waddled her way forward, nudging me in the elbow. "Ain't no fucking way she's dressed up as your crush."

I stayed silent, lightning sparking in my eyes. Sabrina sat in, smiling as she adjusted her four dorsal arms into the car. "So… love your outfits. How's mine compare?"

"Very dreadful." Belle smirked.

I puckered my lips. "Why are you dressed after the guy you're investigating?"

"Oh, you know… was thinking it would help me get into his mindset!" She picked up a cardboard mask and pulled some elastic strings to put it on her face. "It's not as helpful as I thought it would be, but besides… his suit is cool looking. Forgive a girl for having good taste."

"Oh," Belle had a wised look on his face, "Diana could probably tell you all about what it's like to have good taste."

"Drive." Thunder snapped from my tongue.

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