My head is starting to hurt now. I didn't think I had limits to what I could absorb. As the Cape approaches, I finally identify who it is: Arbiter. He might be the only Cape who truly does it for the right reasons. The man hates fame and despises the celebrity culture around Capes. Despite that, he chooses to remain a figurehead of the Heroes' Union, a part of the problem. It's naive to believe these types of intrinsically rotten established systems can be changed from within; they can't. They can only be dismantled and destroyed. Only from the ashes of the old can a new system grow. Arbiter begins to slow his flight as he arrives, waiting for the rest of his team to appear. Glow Guardian's bulky suit floats up to land on the roof, ShiftState and PileUp in his arms. He drops them, and they fan out slightly as Sigilist appears next to them in a blur. Arbiter lowers himself to the roof, still hovering but only enough that we're at eye level with each other. How do you want to do this?

"Good evening, I am Arbiter, and my team and I are here as representatives of the Heroes' Union. Are you the one responsible for the display that has been reported tonight?"

"Oh, I am well aware of you and your team, Arbiter. I apologize for any disturbances that it may have caused to the city or its inhabitants. I admit I can be a bit overzealous when it comes to righting wrongs," I said.

Arbiter lightly smiles. "Excitement in the pursuit of justice is an admirable quality, but what wrongs were you righting exactly?"

"I'm sure the Union is aware this place is an illegal club run by the Triad. I couldn't continue to ignore the blatant criminal activity in the city I call home. Someone needed to rid the place of rats. I can only hope I didn't mess up the plan the Union had involving this place," I said, sounding as genuine as I could.

You incompetent morons had no idea this place was even here. If Nobody hadn't found this place, it would've continued to operate indefinitely. I will clean up this city one raid at a time.

"It's no problem at all. But I do have to ask, when you say 'rid the place of rats', are you saying that the Triad members are dead?" Arbiter asked diplomatically.

Despite his best attempt at appearing neutral, the way Sigilist is rotating to my right and Glow Guardian to my left makes it clear how they're treating me. They're wary of me, suspecting I might be a murderous Cowl. It's a smart move to be so cautious, but they wouldn't stand a chance against me. Vivienne would've beaten them even harder if she hadn't been trying to delay time for the rest of us. Still, seeing the way they work as a unit makes me angry. That would've been me if they hadn't been so prejudiced against my appearance. That should be me.

"Of course not. Every single member who was here tonight is currently detained below us. That includes FrostWyrm and Shock&Awe. They're also under supervision so that they won't escape. Follow me," I said, floating down into the warehouse on my light box.

I don't wait to see if they're following me, either they do or they don't. I will not bow or bend to the Union, but I won't be openly hostile either. My Cape identity is meant to hold up a mirror to the reprehensible actions of the Union; purposely antagonizing them is completely out of the question. I am no longer the weak-willed, timid, shut-in monster that I once was. Nobody has made me so unbelievably powerful that I am leagues above them. I hear the five of them discussing whether it's safe to follow above me. Arbiter's stern voice cuts through the chatter, and then the five of them enter through the hole. ShiftState hooks her legs into straps at the ends of her cape and then slowly floats down to the floor like an autumn leaf. The jets from Glow Guardian's suit sound like an airplane taking off as he lands.

"Holy shit," ShiftState said, earning a disapproving head tilt from her squad leader.

"Are those knights yours?" Arbiter asked.

"I'd like to think of them more as Paladins, but yes. And they are no longer needed now that you're all here," I said, dissipating the constructs. "Do you have a way of securing them, or will you require me to help transport them?"

"Just give us a moment, and then we won't need your restraints. ShiftState," Arbiter said.

"On it," she responded, pulling a roll of string out of one of the pockets on her costume.

ShiftState starts to wrap the unconscious gangsters in string while rolling something in her off hand.

Pressure is building in my skull. I absorbed way too much; I need to release the electricity soon.

"What happened over there?" Sigilist questioned me, pointing at the dead woman.

"Unfortunately, there was a casualty. One of the Triad members shot a club attendee as they were fleeing. She was dead before I could get to her. I trust that you'll figure out which of them is responsible. Now that all of you are here, I'll be taking my leave," I said.

"Wait!" Glow Guardian shouted as I started to float away.

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"Yes?"

"Who are you?" Glow Guardian asked.

"Call me Atonement," I said, as I finally decided on the best way to get rid of the energy. "Don't be alarmed by what's about to happen."

I snap my fingers, and all of the hard light shackles I created disintegrate into particles of light. Then I fully open the well as all of the electricity rages through me. Controlling it, I send it to my hands. An eruption of lightning explodes out of my palms, twisting and swirling around the warehouse as I manipulate it. The Capes stay calm, heeding my words. The idea I imagined takes form as the roaring gold lightning elongates into a serpentine shape. Four limbs sprout from the body, ending in razor-sharp claws. The oval of the head shifts into two great jaws with fangs, then the nostrils with long whiskers, and finally the eyes and curling horns. A pattern emerges all over the body, overlapping, teardrop-shaped scales. It has a mane of moving lightning and a tuft of hair at the end of the tail as well. Its draconic form is finally completed. I float up and jump onto the back of it as it clenches my hard light box in its mouth.

"This is only the beginning," I said, as the dragon flies through the hole in the roof and into the night sky.

(Aubrey POV)

"Hell of an exit after a hell of an entrance. Sounds like he's got a good head on his shoulders as well," Titania said.

"He left on a dragon made of lightning?" KnickKnack asked.

"Yes," Arbiter responded dryly.

"After summoning that sun that people reported seeing?" KnickKnack asked.

"Yes."

"And launching a one-man raid against the Triad without a single one of them getting away?"

Holy shit, this guy's a monster. Having such a powerhouse in Quinstin is awesome, especially with how things are going with the mystery man and his group. We're going to need all the help we can get. It's good that someone is taking the fight to the Cowls.

"Yes. Now, are you going to let me finish?" Arbiter asked, his frustration clear.

KnickKnack mimes zipping his lips and then puts his hands up. It's weird to be able to peek behind the curtain of these Capes I've watched my whole life. The heroes from my childhood who seemed larger than life are real people with flaws and personalities beyond the personalities they show the public. In retrospect, that's pretty obvious. Instead of ruining my opinion of them, it makes them more likable.

"After he left, we went about securing the prisoners, and we partnered with the police to canvas the scene. The dead civilian, Monica Rische, had bullet wounds consistent with several of the handguns found at the club. It wasn't either of the Cowls; neither of them had gunpowder residue found on their palms. The police are taking over that investigation, and we took Shock&Awe and FrostWyrm into custody," Arbiter said.

"It's a tragedy what happened to her, but what about Vixen?" Sequence asked.

"We found Vixen's body alongside a Triad member who had been chopped up inside an office in the back of the club. She had been beaten, mutilated, and force-fed chemicals. It's clear she was viciously tortured in a very brutish and rushed manner,' Arbiter said.

"Could it have been Atonement that did it?" KnickKnack asked.

"No, both civilian and gang member statements agree on the time that Atonement arrived. Vixen was dead before that, and Shock&Awe mentioned that he saw Vixen and the chopped-up man take two guys and a girl back into the office. He was too intoxicated to remember any physical descriptions of the three, and there are obviously no cameras in the building," Arbiter answered. "The truth is that there are a number of other Cowls who would be happy to remove Vixen. We don't have any ideas until someone claims credit for it."

"Is there anything else anyone would like to bring up? If not, we can end the meeting there," Sequence asked.

"Yes, I have something," Phoenix interjected. "Once it's been decided on where we're sending the two captured Cowls, I would like to propose that the probationary group undertake transport. It will serve as their first real test, and I will serve as command via comms."

Adversary whistles, and Virtue is vibrating with joy. We'd be transporting the two Cowls to one of the omnimax prisons. Prisoner transport missions are famously feast or famine undertakings. Either nothing happens, or we'll be ambushed. It will probably be uneventful, especially with Phoenix as command. Wait, that means we'd be unsupervised. Our first real mission as a team. This is a real show of trust. One that I didn't think would come so soon. I'm equal parts pumped and anxious. On one hand, this is what I've been working so hard for. A chance to show the Heroes' Union what I'm made of. On the other hand, if we fuck this up, it would set us back by a lot. Once again, I'm thankful no one can see my expression. Obviously, no one on our team is going to object to the mission, but it isn't up to what we want or what Phoenix wants. The squad leaders are quiet and thinking it over.

"Sure," Titania said.

"No," Arbiter answered.

"It's low enough stakes that I don't see why not," Sequence said.

"We all had to start somewhere. Let's see what you're made of, kiddos," KnickKnack joked.

"Then it's settled," Phoenix said. They turn and look at us. "This is an opportunity to show that you have been learning and that you are maturing. I believe in you guys, do not prove my belief wrong. Everyone, we will be taking our leave."

Phoenix stands up, and they head toward the door. We're leaving already? Damn it, I won't even get a chance to talk to Titania. Should I just run over really quick and say hi? God, I wish Violet had been less sad so I could've asked her to introduce us. I'm just fucked, there's no way to interact with her. I could probably make a stink to stay, but it would be beyond childish if I threw a tantrum about it. And it would ruin all the goodwill I've created with Phoenix. I would call this trip a wash if it hadn't been for some of my memories returning. I've finally found a clue as to what happened to me. There's a string to follow to try and unravel why I was there that night and who else was there. I have to go to Crimton. I need to visit the docks and see if it will trigger another wave of memories. Whatever awaits me at the end of this, I'll face it head-on.

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