I was ushered out of my last class at the end of the day to see a blacked-out SUV parked in the school parking lot. It was remarkably similar to the car Francis had driven Lucy and I home in.

Climbing inside, I was able to get a feel for the tech. It streamed through my mind like a river. While it looked ordinary enough, it had the durability of a modern-day tank. It was very similar to Francis' car when you considered the copious amount of trackers and basic automated defenses with more of an emphasis on riot suppression.

I supposed that was one difference.

Cyberspace's transports didn't bother with non-lethal options.

"You know, it's been a while since I've been in a car," Abby admitted. "When you can fly, you don't really bother. Though it is quite comfy," her hands glided over the flawless upholstery. "I wonder if I should go for my learners?"

I found that rather amusing. The poster child hero couldn't drive.

"You may find it useful one day," Catherine said from the front passenger seat. "Especially if you find yourself a girlfriend. Take it from me, flying around isn't as exciting for your partner as it is for us."

"Ugh, don't remind me. I think my love life peaked when I got asked to the middle school dance," Abby lamented. "It's been all downhill from there. Powers screw everything up."

Catherine scoffed in amusement.

"That's not a reason to think it's all over."

"Yeah, because you and dad were so successful."

Catherine took the ribbing in good humor. It helped that the split was amicable, Catherine's job just put too much strain on her relationship and they agreed they worked better apart. Last I'd heard, Abby would be getting a half-sibling in a few months.

We pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road without any dillydallying.

The driver was just another ECU soldier, but his armor was different from the standard issue. It wasn't as bulky and far more streamlined. I was tempted to find a reason to try and touch him just to see what information I could pull from it, but sticking my hand forward unprompted would probably raise some eyebrows.

"Driving is nice," I said lamely, trying to make an effort to seem casual. "Traffic can be annoying to sit in sometimes, but overall I think it's worth it."

"There's no traffic in the sky and one of the few upsides of not having a secret identity is that I can fly anywhere at any time. I just gotta be mindful of certain altitudes, the last thing I want is to crash into any planes." Abby shrugged. "There's also the general public to look out for. I get the occasional request for an autograph, but most of the time people are too busy doing their own things to notice me."

"Unless you're flying," I pointed out.

"Well, yeah," Abby replied. "I do try to make a point of not making a scene. That's when you really get swarmed. Mom gave me some tips when I went through my power testing. Just because you can land somewhere, doesn't mean you should. I try to limit my time out in public anyway."

"Too many opportunities to be attacked," Catherine added. "It's best not to risk exposure when it isn't necessary."

Her reply got me thinking, which finally gave me the opportunity to ask a question that had been bothering me since I got my powers.

"Why'd you do it? Going public with your identity I mean."

Catherine looked at me from over her shoulder and offered a polite shrug. Her expression didn't give much away and I suspected that was by design.

"I've always thought that our identities should be public. The rookies I understand, even with powers, minors are still vulnerable in other ways." That briefly brought Seraphim to mind. "It's just unfortunate that Abby's identity was leaked when she was young. As for the adults? We might have extraordinary abilities, but we shouldn't be given special treatment. Police are required to show their faces to the public and for good reason. Hiding behind a mask makes us… unapproachable. Our job is to help the public, and with our abilities, we already make people nervous by showing up. I see no reason to exacerbate the issue."

"At the cost of your privacy and personal lives," I replied, keeping my tone level. I didn't want to criticize, I just wanted to understand. "Isn't it exhausting being heroes all the time?"

Living two lives for almost two months was stressful enough, but I valued the normalcy of my civilian life. Despite my issues with school and how much I contemplated it, I didn't know if I could give all of it up.

Certainly not by choice. The full transition felt like an intimidating choice, one I clearly wasn't ready to make.

Abby made a conflicted noise.

"Yeah, sorta. Kinda— well, to be honest, it fucking sucks most of the time—"

Catherine turned and glared at her.

"Abby—"

"Yeah-yeah, sorry. Going to school has always been a pain, you've heard how much I've bitched about all the shit criminals get away with," Abby explained. "But it's not all bad. I know it's cheesy but seeing the relief on people's faces when you show up to help, and the smiles they have when you're able to put a stop to any crazy shit going on… it feels good; and the feeling of being appreciated never goes away."

I wondered if the feeling she was describing was what I felt when we were able to put an end to Grim. The feeling of knowing that you were the one responsible for positive change in the world.

I just wish I could forget about all the other problems.

Mirage was still out there.

Lucy was still trapped within Pandora's grasp.

Liam's sister was missing and we were making zero progress.

Sam was starting to reach her breaking point.

All of this, and Cyberspace watched our every move like a hawk.

It was suffocating, and sitting in this car was starting to make me feel claustrophobic. I tried to turn the window down, only to have the button buzz angrily at me. It had been disabled.

What was the point in having tinted one-way windows if your passengers were just gonna roll the windows down?

"But what about all the setbacks?" I asked. "When the bad guys get away or break out of containment. I know you hate it."

"Well, that's the downside I guess," Abby's features darkened. "People are pretty much always appreciative, but I never feel like we're making any progress. Like Grim and The Cains got ripped to shreds but barely a day later and we have new problems crawling out of the woodwork. Madhouse, the Dreadnoughts, MotionMasters, they're all scrambling to take the scraps and we can't seem to stamp them out."

"What?" I asked, perplexed. The other two names were completely new to me. "I know about Madhouse but who are the other two?"

Had I been so fixated on my work that I blocked out other rising groups? I remembered dealing with the occasional stray like Basilisk and Starburst, but no one else really seemed like competition.

Surely Sam and Cyberspace knew.

"Oh, well The Dreadnoughts are apparently some breakaways from Pandora, somehow they're even crazier. MotionMasters are like…" Abby stopped and scratched the back of her head, turning to look in her mother's direction. Catherine remained quiet until she noticed the pause. "I can't really remember, actually I think—"

"They're new, a bunch of kids grouping up. The youngest is eight, the oldest is fifteen," Catherine recited the words like she was reading directly from a file. "We were briefed on them during the meeting on Saturday. You were distracted for most of it."

"I… oh," Abby shrunk in her seat. "Yeah. I just remember the name."

"There are more groups," Catherine informed casually. "Many of them have been apprehended by Ajax."

That was probably why I hadn't heard of any competing groups. The information wouldn't be passed on to me because it was irrelevant.

That didn't mean I wasn't curious.

"Oh?"

I knew how effective the Walkers were, but I never bothered to look into or ask how well they were actually preventing skirmishes between groups. I was too busy focusing on figuring out a way to take one down, and more recently, Gaea's revelation.

"Since their deployment last week, we've had over six thousand incarcerations. Eighty-seven of those are evohumans," Catherine said. "Ajax has made all the footage of his arrests public and you can access them online. Though the ones containing evohumans have been edited for their own safety."

"Eighty-seven?"

I was floored.

I hadn't realized there had been that many captured.

"Most of them are new as well," Abby chimed in. "Bunch of idiots fresh from an Awakening, figuring they could capitalize on their power. It never works out for them."

"Ajax's war machines have been a tremendous aid to controlling the chaos Grim left behind. Without his interference, we would have spent years trying to wrestle control back," Catherine's tone implied there was a heavy 'but' coming, and I was right. "But it's not all good news. I'm sure you may have noticed that his presence has caused significant problems."

The Mothership was like a permanent storm hovering above the city, its engines shaking the air.

To my eyes, it looked like a mechanical utopia, a ship of endless possibilities.

To others, it was an ever-present reminder that they lived in lockdown. Restrictions were placed on the public and they were forced to abide by a strict routine or face the consequences. Over six thousand arrests in under a week was not a good metric by any means, and that number would only continue to rise.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"People are frightened and angry. All the restrictions might protect them, but they inconvenience everyone. Eventually people will get frustrated and once that happens…" Catherine's words felt ominous.

Chaos.

Ironically, it was what Ajax was best at preventing.

However, just by being here, he was unsettling people. He only came to countries that were mired in conflict, absolutely war-torn. He chased down and apprehended the vilest evohuman filth imaginable. Indisputably the greatest hero to ever exist, and him showing up at your home was probably the worst omen anyone could receive.

We all knew why.

The tremors beneath the earth.

We all rode in silence until we pulled in close to the Citadel and I got a real look at the unrest within the populace. Crowds were assembled outside the shield's perimeter, and ECU soldiers were stationed to act as a buffer so civilians didn't hurt themselves trying to get through the energy field.

The protesters seemed peaceful at first, but the closer we got to the shield, the more I saw the aggression. Some had signs with Chronos' face crossed out on them, while others had text telling Ajax to leave in very colorful language.

I heard chants about how Gaea would save the city. That she was the rightful leader that would fix all our issues at the drop of a hat. I wondered if her new capability had let her become a bit bolder if she was pushing a narrative of her being a savior now.

"Protests?" I murmured, watching the crowd hype up each other. They fed off each other's frustration, all while the ECU soldiers stood there like statues. "Since when?"

"A couple of days now." Catherine explained. "They were okay with it at first, but with all the restrictions since Grim's rampage and now the curfew… well, people are only willing to put up with so much for so long."

"None of them get it," Abby shook her head sadly. "They want things to go back to normal but with what's happened, it's impossible. Until we have things under control, Ajax and Chronos are staying."

"How long will that take?" I asked.

"Repairs need to be made. Grim caused catastrophic damage, but he's not the only one to blame. Madhouse flooded several districts in their gambit to weaken Grim, and while it worked, the damage has only worsened the situation for the public," Catherine said. "We've been trying to bring in the Architect to fix it, but he's been unwilling to travel here because of the earthquakes."

I knew our plan would result in a lot of collateral damage, but I hadn't thought it would've been this bad. We cleaned up our area, but after that, Cyberspace insisted I get to work on my personal projects, rather than worry about repair efforts.

"All we are able to do is suppress any major conflict. It's mostly Ajax doing that though," Abby waved a hand dismissively. "So we're not really doing normal patrols. We've been on cleanup duty ever since," she ran a hand through her hair and grimaced. "Some places in the city are completely uninhabitable, it's going to be a long time until the city is back to normal.".

"Water damage," I mused, feeling a chill crawl across my skin. "I know it's horrible, but personally I think the ends justify the means. Grim could've…" I stopped when I saw the sad look Abby gave me. "Grim could have done a lot worse. Maybe I'm wrong, but can you honestly say if Madhouse didn't do what they did, we would've been better off?"

Abby's expression became downcast as she considered the question. Fortunately for her, she didn't have to answer.

"Their methods were extreme, but necessary," Catherine said flatly. "Sometimes there are no good choices. Only ones we have to live with."

The shield opened up as we passed through in silence. The Citadel was a giant spire stretching all the way into the sky so high it looked endless. The Mothership only made the sight more impressive as it loomed over us, blocking out most of the sky. I seared the image into my memory as we moved underneath the tower.

This underground garage wasn't like the ones Cyberspace had. To call it a garage was an insult.

It was a Mechakinetic marvel.

The walls were made of the same material used to build the exterior of the Citadel, while the ground utilized a different material altogether. We followed a holographic guide to a parking spot, all while I got to observe the inner workings of The ECU's base.

Crimson red shields were deployed around danger zones where machinery repaired armored transports. Cranes and other equipment were fixed to the ceiling where gigantic pieces of metal hung by steel chords. Not a single machine was idle.

Another part of the garage caught my eye – the war machines.

Sweepers were hovering on standby with floating lights dancing all around them – the same lights I saw the Walker deploy moments after I escaped the apartment complex the other night. They were zipping around like hummingbirds, zapping and sparking against the Sweepers on standby. From my guess, they were performing maintenance.

I lost count of how many there were after two dozen.

Not too far from the Sweepers were some undeployed Walkers. They stood side-by-side just waiting for activation.

Thirty.

Eighteen were deployed and roaming the city and they had another thirty down here in reserve. I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing. We spent so many days worrying about how we were just going to take one when it would barely put a dent in their firepower.

"It's a lot to take in," Catherine said, gauging my reaction. "General Jessamine and Ajax have ensured that we are well prepared."

"Yeah," I murmured. "I can see that."

The driver parked and I was ushered out of the backseat. The moment I planted my feet on solid ground, I resisted the urge to crouch down and touch the floor. I would get plenty of chances to investigate my surroundings and I didn't need to make myself look suspicious, so I settled for what any kid would do in my situation.

Stare with bewilderment.

"Come on," Abby strolled past me, bumping my shoulder in the process. "Elevator's this way."

Abby grinned at me as I took my time. I constructed a mental map of the underground garage from the moment we entered the place. All I needed to do was touch the wall next to the elevator and everything connected to the floor, walls, and ceilings would be analyzed by my power.

"You guys got a whole army down here. I'm surprised you haven't turned the whole city upside down yet," I said. If they had this many Walkers just standing by, why not use them? We already managed to find a gap in their patrols with my seismic sensors. If they used everything here, we would be powerless. "Why not activate all of them?"

"It sends the wrong message," Catherine interjected before Abby could get a word in. "They're here to help us regain order, not to exterminate pests."

"Oh," I muttered. I detected there were more reasons but from the look on her face, I could tell sharing it with me would probably get her in trouble. "Well, this is still surreal to see. It's like a whole other world."

"Most of this is Ajax," Abby shrugged with a frown. "It used to be much less overwhelming."

We reached the elevator and I placed a hand on the wall as I entered.

I let my power loose and the information crashed down on me like a tsunami. My knees buckled and my brain felt like it was going to explode. I quickly let go and caught myself as Abby looked down and laughed.

"Watch your step, dork," she chuckled, giving me a playful jab as I regained my balance. "Don't go getting all jelly-legged on me now. I know it's cool the first time, but the novelty wears off quickly. You remember the newbie I told you about, Prosperity?"

"Aha, yeah," I laughed awkwardly as Catherine followed behind me. The look on her face turned my blood to ice as her gaze turned curious. "I remember that. What about her?"

"She was sick of this place after a week, though if you ask me…" Abby leaned over to whisper in my ear. "It's probably because Tricky is the worst flirt imaginable. What makes it worse is he's constantly trying to bat way out of his league."

Catherine broke eye contact and turned away. She pressed her hand against a biometric scanner and pressed a button to take us up.

"Tricky is the… youngest one, right?"

"Yep. The teleporter. Sometimes I wish he'd teleport himself into some power lines, but y'know, can't have everything." Abby sighed. "I'm praying we don't run into him."

"We're not passing through the rookie quarters," Catherine stated flatly. "Your friendship with Maxis does not permit him to learn the identities of your fellow heroes, Abby."

"Right," Abby muttered. "Sorry, I'm a little scatterbrained right now."

She was clearly nervous about the therapy and I couldn't blame her. I started to feel a tad tentative myself. I knew coming here that every single action I took would be monitored and scrutinized. Though Cyberspace assured me that unless I did something stupid to give myself away, their Mentalist resources would be directed elsewhere. The only people I had to worry about were the ones with eyes and common sense.

Which included the two people I was currently sharing the elevator with and the therapist I was about to spend an hour talking to.

Given my recent track record, the odds weren't in my favor.

Shit.

The doors slid shut and the room thrummed as we started upward. I felt my stomach drop as we began picking up speed, but neither Abby nor Catherine seemed to notice.

"Well, maybe we can start with that then," I said with a brittle smile. "Maybe it'll do you some good to just lay everything out on the table. You're already doing much better than me. I feel like I'm too calm about this," I allowed my eyes to wander, but there wasn't much to see confined in an elevator. I was nervous but my mind was preoccupied by all the new information. "I don't really know what I'm supposed to say."

"There are no expectations," Catherine said easily. "Speak only what you wish to share. The topics you discuss with our contracted psychologist will remain sealed as per confidentiality laws. They will be punished if they share private details with us outside of rare circumstances."

"Like if we're going to hurt ourselves or someone else?"

"That about sums it up," Abby nodded. "There are a couple other things but it's nothing you need to worry about."

On the contrary. That sort of thing was exactly the kind of thing I needed to be worried about.

The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open. Catherine took the lead with Abby and I following close behind.

These hallways were narrower than I expected. The doors we passed on our way down led to various different rooms with rehabilitation equipment. From a quick look around, I could summarize that this floor was dedicated to both physical and mental rehabilitation.

Catherine led us to a door with a plaque on it that read 'Dr. Williams' in big bold letters. She stepped to the side and gestured for us to enter.

"I have some work to do, so I'll be leaving you here. Abby—"

"Yeah, I'll show Max out once we're done, don't worry— and I won't take the shortcut," Abby said quickly before her mother could get in another word. "I've already been punished for that once, I'm not about to do it again, especially if I have to take this dork with me."

"Good," Catherine's tone lightened as she turned to address me. "Thank you again for coming. I know this wasn't easy for you. I know of your and Eleanor's distaste for our organisation and while it may not be completely unfounded," she paused for a moment and sighed. "I just hope you'll grow to see we are necessary."

With that, she walked off.

"She thought you'd back out at the last second," Abby said, causing me to turn. She was standing with her arms crossed while leaning against the door. "I told her you wouldn't."

I looked back to see Catherine's form disappear around a corner.

"She really thought I would get cold feet?"

"Yup," Abby confirmed, pushing herself off the door. "Alright, let's get this over with. I think I'm first so…" She knocked a few times and stepped back. The door opened and Doctor Williams poked his head out. He was a grey-haired man with glasses. "Hey there. Abby and Maxis, here for our appointment."

"Wonderful!" He chirped his gaze switching between us. "Would you like a drink? We have water, coffee, and tea."

"Tea please," Abby said.

"Coffee," I paused, narrowing my eyes for a moment. "Triple shot."

"Excellent," Doctor Williams clapped. "Both of you make yourselves comfortable, they'll be here shortly."

He stepped to the side and allowed Abby through while I turned and plopped myself down on the seat next to the door. They were going to be around an hour so I had some time to kill.

My eyes scanned the room, searching for any obvious cameras. To my delight, I found none.

I laced my hands behind my head and leaned back into the chair so that the back of my hands touched the wall. Once more, I let my power go to work.

The stream of information washed over me just as fiercely as before, but this time I was prepared. The entire Citadel opened up to me floor by floor as my power passed through and mapped out every single electronic device connected to the place.

My head throbbed at the influx of information, but my lips curled into a smile.

There it is.

The Citadel's storage room… hidden inside one of Deadlocked's storage spaces.

Connected to all that?

The Mothership.

Billions of pathways opened up.

Blood trickled out of my nose.

I could see it all.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.