Alternate Opinions

By J.E. Bonneau

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Copyright 2013 by J.E. Bonneau

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-his boo% is dedicated to Cami e and -aia !or %eeping me smi ing when things oo%ed dar%est. "nd the .ue er "DC /eads !or ma%ing a mid i!e change o! career one o! the most !un and empowering things 01ve ever done.

Chp.1 2ic% Seaver drove home victorious !rom the Senior1s Cup. Jac% and Dic% had both invited him to their houses !or barbecues3 but he heard the ca o! his bed a itt e too oud y a!ter tournaments these days. 2ot surprising to him as he was !ive years o der than his c osest competitor. /e cou dn1t he p but thin% o! the ta % he1d had with his niece3 E ise3 the wee% be!ore. She was standing in her %itchen3 an apron over her suit. She1d run ate at her o!!ice but she wanted dinner ready when her husband returned !rom the airport a!ter a wee% in 4enya3 buying c ay. /e ran the most e5tensive art supp y warehouse in the country. -hey had been ta %ing norma y when she p ay!u y but honest y turned on him. 6(hat is it with you 7nc e 2ic%8 9ou are si5ty:seven3 and sti a pro!essiona ath ete. 9ou have a photography boo% that is sti se ing we a over the wor d !ive years a!ter it was !irst pub ished. /ow do you !ind time to be so o d8; -o which he rep ied3 6<o ! is not a sport. 0! anything 01m a pro!essiona entertainer. "nything my mother did unti the day she died is no more a sport than wa %ing. -he most recent picture in that boo% was ta%en ten years ago. (hen i sti had the energy to trave . 0 =ust didn1t get around to cutting a boo% together unti 0 was too o d to do anything e se with my time.; But inside he thought she was right. /e was wa %ing up the cobb estone path to his condo when he rea i>ed he didn1t have his %ey. /e had separated his house %ey !rom his car %eys that morning because the car had a ready been running when he rea i>ed he had to go bac% !or his wa et. -he ast time he1d seen them he had used the nai :c ippers on the chain to ta%e care o! a hangnai by the !i!teenth ho e. /e wou d =ust have to go bac%3 now that he thought about it he was pretty sure he remembered eaving them on top o! the !i!teenth ho e ba washer. "s he wa %ed bac% toward his car he thought3 6(hy shou d 0 go three mi es out o! my way to the !ront gate and go through a the hass es with security? on y to be to d to have a cup o! co!!ee in the guards ounge whi e some nineteen year o d who can1t get a rea =ob goes oo%ing !or it. @! course he won1t !ind it because not on y wi he be oo%ing on the thirteenth ho e3 but since he has

no idea what a ba washer oo%s i%e he is actua y chec%ing the top o! a burnt out !oot ight. (hy shou d 0 put up with that when the seventeenth ho e is practica y right at the bottom o! my street3 and the ho e !i!teen ba washer is maybe !ive hundred yards as the crow ! ies !rom there. /e wa %ed to the bottom o! his street3 crossed the road3 and stepped over a %nee high chain b oc%ing the dirt path3 suspending a sign which read3 6."02-"02E2CE A@"D3 "uthori>ed Bersonne @n y.; /e wa %ed Cuic% y to the !i!teenth ho e3 where he easi y !ound his %eys. "s his !ingers touched them he saw a ight. D Chp.2 -he brightness was a spot ight directed onto him !rom appro5imate y one hundred !eet up. (hich he !ound unnerving as he cou dn1t hear he icopter b ades3 the on y ogica thing he cou d thin% o!. Sudden y he saw owering into the ight a arge crane i%e those !ound in boardwa % s%i games. /e was comp ete y ! ummo5ed by the bi>arre nature o! the situation. -his shoc% threw him o!! but the rea reason he did nothing was a mi5 o! curiosity and con!idence he cou d hand e whatever happened. /e was grasped by the crane and began to rise towards what he was beginning to suspect might be a spacecra!t. "s he neared the port he was pu ed to the side and out o! the g are o! the spot ight and =ust be!ore he entered the door he saw the cra!t was disc shaped. "board the ship he was greeted by itt e green men. 6-his is too c ichE.; he thought to himse !. -hey were about !our and a ha ! !eet ta 3 with ight green s%in3 dar% green pe ts and boar i%e snouts with protruding dar% ye ow tus%s. -heir hands had sCuat thic% !ingers with sharp brown nai s o! a hoo!y sort. 69ou must be Dopey3 S eepy3 Doc3...; /e started. 6Si ence3 humanF; @ne bar%ed. 6"nd you must be <rumpy.; /e aughed.

2ic% was po%ed and >apped by a device sort o! i%e a sma e ectric catt e prod. 6Si enceF 9ou are very uc%y human3 you have been chosen to serve the Borc.; <rumpy grow ed. 6Chosen to serve the por%3 we one o! you had better =ump in the oven then.; 2ic% aughed. 6-his is a great honor3; @ne came !rom the center o! the group and began to wa % around him. 69ou were chosen !rom amongst a the bi ions o! humans.; 6@n y because 0 was the on y one on an empty go ! course when you pu ed up. 0! this had been !i!teen minutes ater you1d be te ing Joe the security guard that he had been chosen !rom amongst the bi ions.; 2ic% !ound he =ust cou d not ta%e these guys serious y. 69ou wi be the vanguard o! the Borcine !orces who wi soon arrive to cha enge your p anet. "nd ru e it.; 601m not going to betray my p anet !or anyone. Especia y not re=ects !rom the .uppets. Bigs in Space !rom the p anet Coo>ebane.; 2ic% said aughing but angry. 69ou wi human3 and ma%e no mista%e. (hen your indoctrination is comp ete you wi use a your status as a respected human e der3 p us the abi ities we gi!t you with to serve us. -his time we wi triumph.; 2ic% assumed this one was important as on y he and <rumpy had spo%en. 6-his time8; 2ic% as%ed. 6Do you thin% it =ust a coincidence that green men !rom space in saucer shaped cra!t are such a !i5ture in earth stories8 @ur two races have met be!ore3 but this time we wi have an Earth man at our disposa . .ore than an Earth man a Super .an.; 6Superman8; 2ic% as%ed. 6Si enceF -o assist you in your mission to ma%e Earth a Borcine co ony our computer has been programed with a avai ab e media on the metahuman hero Captain Sierra. @ur scientists !ee they can recreate his abi ities in a test sub=ect3 through a combination o! contro ed radiation3 and chemica enhancements. -hese wi inc ude super heated breath3 supercoo ed breath3 ! ight3 the abi ity to run at or near the speed o! sound3 you wi have the strength o! appro5imate y !i!ty:seven adu t human ma es3 which wi be increased sti !urther due to everage and concentration o! being

in one body. 9ou wi have 5:ray vision3 in!rared vision3 hear c ear y up to a mi e away. See c ear y enough to read head ines on a newspaper as you ! y by three thousand !eet overhead. -hese changes wi begin now and when they are comp ete your indoctrination wi begin. Sad y it cannot begin be!ore that as your physica changes might de!eat the programing.; 6(hy do you need me3 i! you can =ust turn yourse ves into supreme warriors8; 2ic% as%ed. 6-hat1s =ust it human3 we cannot turn ourse ves. -he e5treme amounts o! radiation and to5ic chemica e5posure is !ata to us.; -he )eader said. 69ou are =ust uc%y humans are so incredib y adaptab e. -hey a rushed him at once3 wrest ing him down3 aced him into a harness and p aced him on hoo%s going into what at east on the outside oo%ed i%e an enormous 1*,0Gs main!rame. /e hung down as i! !rom a hang g ider as he was pu ed through the machinery. Hirst red ights shined on him as he was e5posed to some sort o! radiation. 0t !e t i%e he was getting sunburn3 but it wasn1t hot. /is s%in =ust began to tighten and hurt. -hen he was e5posed to green radiation3 which made him di>>y and nauseous. /e stopped !or what seemed i%e an hour in a cubic e that was comp ete y dar%3 where his body was bombarded with subsonic vibrations that made his s%in hot and made his ! esh writhe i%e it was a ive and trying3 it seemed3 to pu itse ! o!! his bones. 0n the ne5t room he saw hypodermics coming at him on insecti e robot arms. By now he was evacuating e5p osive y !rom every ori!ice3 each breath seemed i%e !ire. /is s%in !e t i%e a mar%eting disp ay !or a hundred di!!erent %inds o! pain. /e began to scream when the g owing caustic sa ts poured over him in a snow!a . Eventua y he e!t the machine3 by then he was beyond a rec%oning o! how ong he1d been in there. "s he e5ited the hoo%s hanging him by the bac% o! his restraints came o!! their runner3 dropping him ten !eet onto the stee ! oor o! a ho ding ce . /e wept with re ie!3 it was over. D Chp.3 2ic% bare y noticed when !our Borc pic%ed him up and carried him to a heavi y rein!orced

ce they hoped cou d ho d him. -hey apparent y thought their e5periment had wor%ed. -here was no way 2ic% !e t up to te ing them how wrong they were. /e =ust ay there on the ! oor3 his s%in coo ing3 the spasms s ow y subsiding. /e dri!ted s ow y into unconsciousness as his breathing s owed. (hen he wo%e he !e t great3 rea y great !or the !irst time in years. -wenty years o! ower bac% pain had seeming y vanished. /is %nees were comp ete y pain:!ree !or the !irst time since co ege !ootba . /e tried to gent y test the bonds o! his restraining harness. 0t tore i%e crepe paper. /e too% a c ose oo% at it? heavy canvas rein!orced with thic% hide bands. .aybe this pub ic de!ender thing had something to it. /e pressed his hands against the ! oor and e!t !aint but noticeab e impressions in the stee . /e ! ew up to the cei ing then spira ed down to the ! oor. (e it obvious y wor%ed. But how8 /e wou d probab y never %now. 2ow he needed a p an. -here was no way he was going to a ow himse ! to be brainwashed to serve the Borc. But how cou d he escape8 /e used his 5:ray vision to e5amine the wa s. 0t appeared that the simp est3 sa!est3 and and most i%e y route o! escape was through the hu o! the ship3 -he ce had !ive wa s o! heavi y rein!orced stee cored with an e ectric !orce !ie d. -he si5th wa 3 the hu o! the ship3 was sheet stee on the inside and some ste ar po ymer on the outside. 0t oo%ed about as threatening as cardboard to him now. But that wou d be suicide. 2o air in space and the pressure di!!erence cou d ma%e him pop i%e a ba oon. /owever Captain Sierra cou d do it. -he )eader had not isted a o! Captain Sierra1s powers3 but had said that a avai ab e media on Captain Sierra had been studied and they cou d reproduce a his powers. 2ot to mention3 in honesty3 he wou d rather die than be used to ens ave the earth. /e began ! ying around the room spira ing around trying to speed up to as !ast as he cou d.

(hen he reached a speed that he was beginning to ose the abi ity to ban% turns be!ore hitting a wa he c osed his eyes and headed !or the hu . /e punched through and the escaping air bu eted him out into space. /e didn1t need to breathe3 at east in the short term. /is whoop o! =oy was ost in the vacuum. /e ! ew !or home. /is c othes were most y burned away by the a ien1s e5periment. "ny remaining scraps were burned away by the !riction o! reentering the earth1s atmosphere. )uc%i y it was the midd e o! the a!ternoon. 4ids were in schoo 3 adu ts were at wor%. 0t wasn1t e5act y the cover o! night3 but it was the ne5t best thing. /e anded on the sma ba cony outside his bedroom3 %nowing that door wasn1t i%e y to be oc%ed. -he entire door %nob twisted out o! the wood in his hand3 so he wasn1t sure whether it had been oc%ed or not. /e went into his condo and straight into the shower3 to get the assorted a ien and space detritus o!!. 0n his bathroom he e5perimented with being gent e enough to not brea% anything. /e !ound that i! he !i5ed what he wanted to do in his mind and touch things so ight y he bare y made contact it wor%ed acceptab y. D Chp. ' -he ship he1d hu ed was a most certain y dead3 but the Borc invasion was sti coming. /e needed to get himse ! together and get over to the o!!ices o! -he Citi>en1s Specia "ssistance )eague and spea% to Captain Sierra himse !. (hen he !inished his shower he !aced the issue o! an identity suit. /e had never heard o! a pub ic de!ender wearing street c othes. "nd he cou dn1t imagine Captain Sierra and the others ta%ing him serious y without one. /e !ound some grey therma s that cou d wor% as a unisuit. /e eyed a pair o! green speedos he hadn1t worn since a European vacation twenty:!ive years ago. But then he thought3 62ic% you are +, years o d3 there is a ine between we preserved and shame ess.; /e chose green trun%s which were a very c ose match to his rainboots3 and !ound a sheet that matched per!ect y !or a cape. (hich he had tai ored in a !ew moments o! super speed. -he !inishing touch was putting eyeho es in one o!

the strip scraps !rom the sheet3 !ashioning a mas%. /e stood be!ore the mirror3 pondering. 6<reen .an8 -he <rey <rump8 @ d.an8 Supergramps8 <rampsor the .agni!icent8 Bapa Bower8 2o thatGs ridicu ousF; But a name cou d come ater. /e had a i!e or death situation in the wor%s. /e ! ew the hundred mi es to )"3 but got ost among the industria and o!!ice bui dings. /e anded to as% directions. /e didn1t see anything promising when he touched down. /e cou d see a .obi gas station on the end o! the b oc%. /e decided to =ust wa % there. "s he wa %ed a passerby said3 6)oo% 4y e3 it1s the <reat <ee>or3 hero beyond compare.; 2ic% grabbed the guy with one hand3 i!ting him up3 and said3 6Smi e when you say that3 son.; then he tossed him bac% against the wa . )ight y3 but with !ee ing. 2ic% wa %ed into the .obi . 6Can you te me how to get to -he Citi>ens Specia "ssistance )eague bui ding8; 6"ren1t you a itt e o d8; -he c er% sco!!ed. 6(e you %now what they say3 it1s never too ate.; 2ic% was trying to put a happy !ace on things but he was beginning to get !rustrated. 601m thin%ing in your case it probab y is. (ho are you supposed to be anyway8 Si ver Sentry3 the <erito years8; -he c er% continued aughing. 2ic% punched through the bu etproo! g ass cage the c er% was in and said3 6)oo% buddy3 can the banter and he p me out.; -he c er% now oo%ed shoc%ed and scared3 6)oo% 01m sorry man. 9ou =ust go up to )a Cienaga and turn e!t. 0t1s hard to miss3 everyone1s seen it on t.v.; 6-han%s.; 2ic% said ! at y and e!t. /e immediate y too% to the air. (hen he %new where to oo% he had no troub e !inding the !ami iar white marb e bui ding with its g ass !ront and spires. /e anded and entered3 on y to be detained at the reception des%. D

Chp.& 60 shou d have %nown it was too good to be true.; Dr. .anagua chided himse !. /e had ca ed to ma%e an appointment with one o! the richest3 most success!u businessmen in the country and been given it no Cuestions as%ed. 9et this morning when he arrived3 he was met with a very embarrassed oo%ing assistant. 60Gm sorry sir3 but thereGs been a prob em.; 6/as there8; /e as%ed. 69ou see 0Gve on y been at this des% !or two wee%s. (hen .r. <o d gave me a ist o! the twe ve peop e who shou d be immediate y trans!erred through to him he wrote it himse !. "nd you see his writing o! Dr. .antigua3 Iice president o! production oo%s rather i%e Dr .anagua. But as it turns out he doesnGt %now who you are and is a bit distressed that anyone he doesnGt %now was a owed to get a meeting direct y with him. -here shou d have been at east one pre iminary with a manager or =unior vice president so we cou d be sure that it was de!inite y something that reCuired his persona attention.; -his was a huge disappointment !or the doctor but he was we %nown !or being Cuic% on his !eet. 6@h dear3 that is disappointing3; /e said3 but immediate y countered with. 6Do you thin% you might give me one moment o! his time. Just to in!orm him o! e5act y who 0 am.; 60Gd i%e to3 sir. But 0 a ready am in something o! a tough spot. "nd 0 did sort out a meeting with Dr .antiguaGs assistant. 0Gm sure he wi be ab e to answer any Cuestions you may have and i! this is determined to be a situation where .r. <o dGs presence is needed 0Gm sure heG be inc uded.; 6B ease3 .o y3; /e continued3 getting her name !rom her des%p ate. 60 donGt want to be that guy. 9ou are a ove y woman doing a very comp icated =ob. "nd 0Gm certain that norma y your per!ormance is above reproach. But your mista%e has brought me down here with !a se e5pectations. "nd 0 thin% anyone wou d agree you owe me one moment o! your bossG time. Just to te him who 0 am. 0Gm certain that i! you to d him o! this appointment he is at this moment wondering who 0 am.; -he doctor said. 6Hine3; She said. 6(hat do you want me to say8;

6Just te him 0 am Dr .anagua3 ead research scientist !or the Citi>enGs Specia "ssistance )eague and te him3 0 am con!ident he %nows why 0Gm here. -hose e5act words.; Doctor .anagua said. .o y =ust oo%ed con!used. " oo% that remained the entire time she was on the phone. 6-a%e a seat heG be with you =ust as soon as he can.; she said3 as i! she cou dnGt Cuite be ieve it. )ess than !ive minutes ater three men in suits e5ited the o!!ice and to d the doctor he cou d go right in. Dr. .anagua entered the o!!ice -he door3 i%e a doors in the bui ding was a !oot higher than a norma door3 but more than doub e the width? as i! the bui ding were bui t !or a ine o! incredib y sCuat giants. 2o surprise as he oo%ed at the owner. -ristam <o d was o!!icia y3 in the record boo%s3 the !attest man ever to ive. /e ran his !inancia empire !rom a trip e wide hospita bed bui t onto an e ectric cart. -o enab e him to get around his own properties !ree y3 even though the !act that he hadnGt been ab e to wa % since he was ha ! the si>e he was now meant he was basica y imited to bui dings he owned and the great outdoors3 i! he didnGt mind being stared at3 pointed to3 and moc%ed Cuite merci ess y. 6(hat can 0 do !or you doctor8; the ! esh mountain heGd come to see as%ed the doctor a!ter they had sha%en hands. 60 %now who you are3 and 0 %now what you can do3 2ight!a .; Dr. .anagua said. -he man he !aced tried hard to oo% surprised and !ai ed. 60 do not %now what you mean.; 60 %now what was wrong with you to begin with3 why you %ept growing !atter even though you didnGt eat very much3 or poor y. 0 %now you commissioned a course o! irradiated diet sha%es that !undamenta y changed your body turning you into a substance that might be ca ed sentient po ymer c ay. -his enab es you to a ter your shape and the abi ity to evitate. (hich can3 i! you do it right3 appro5imate ! ight.; 69ouGre mad.; 2ight!a said. 6(here wou d you get such a wi d idea.; 60Gve to d you what 0 do3 but 0 havenGt to d you who 0 am. 0 have been wanting to be a

bioengineer my entire i!e. /ow the body wor%s and why is the most !ascinating magica thing in the wor d to me. -he idea o! wor%ing with those who have abi ities beyond traditiona scienti!ic understanding is the most e5citing =ob 0 can imagine. )itt e did 0 %now how much o! it is theoretica . 0 was prepared !or peop e with abi ities that modern science had not advanced enough to Cuanti!y. But not that !ew o! them wou d be wi ing to wor% with us =ust to see i! we cou d !igure it out.; 60nteresting3 doctor. But nothing to do with me.; 2ight!a said. 60 have a !riend3; Doctor .anagua continued. 6-his person wor%s !or you but is connected to me so tenuous y 0 do not worry you wi be ab e to !igure it out be!ore 0 have proven to you that this person did you a !avor in te ing me.; 6Havor or not3 a con!identia ity agreement is a binding ega contract.; 2ight!a said. 6(eG see. "nyway 0 have been studying your issue since you brought it to your own doctors and scientists. 0 was studying why you %ept growing bigger with abso ute y no bio ogica reason. 0 discovered why but you were a ready changed by then. 9ou were born with a condition 0 ca Sa i ipotrypsinhydrosis. 0nstead o! digesting !ats your body uses sa ine and water to bind them into the proteins o! your ce s. Causing both a retention o! !at in the ce s but a so a retention o! water. 0t is why a your ce s are noticeab y arger than the ce s o! an una!!ected man. -he diuretics in the sha%es you were provided with3 =ust i%e other diuretics you have been given cou dnGt re ease the e5cess water because it was actua y chemica y bonded to the ce .; 60! thatGs true3 how wou d you treat it8; 2ight!a as%ed. 6DoesnGt matter.; Doctor .anagua said. 60 wi write up my !indings so they might be o! use i! it happens again. But 0Gd bet anyone a!! icted with it wou d pre!er to ta%e your diet sha%es. 0 am not sure i! a the ingredients are necessary3 but 0 %now o! !ive that made it a most unthin%ab e that you wou dnGt change in this way3 given your uniCue body chemistry. "s you %now gamma3 theta3 and beta wave radiation has a sma chance o! creating une5p ained abi ities and a great chance o! creating radiation sic%ness and death. But where the new research is being done is in not on y wave but !reCuency. -he current be ie! is that genetics3 wave!orm and !reCuency a p ay their part in how

radiation e!!ects you. (hen the non:irradiated sha%es did abso ute y nothing !or you3 your team began oo%ing into radiation. -hey eventua y sett ed on gaeta waves3 which are gamma rays e5panded to the intensity o! theta waves by putting them through a !ro>en hydrogen b oc% the si>e o! a sma room at a !reCuency o! ten e5aherts minimum. -hese had the e!!ect o! turning the !at3 the oi in your ce s into a biopo ymer. 0n a reaction simi ar to the one that turns crude oi into p astic. -his po ymer3 since it was created by the in! u5 o! energy and sti is powered by the e ectric energy o! you being a iving person3 ma%es your matter s ight y out o! phase creating both your shapechanging abi ities and your se ective immunity to the e ectromagnetic energy o! the earths gravity.; 6"nd what does that mean in aymanGs terms8; 2ight!a as%ed. 60 %new i! you survived you wou d i%e y have abi ities and i! you were not even harmed obvious y at a you wou d be made o! p asticine c ay at the east with i%e y abi ities to shape change or evitate or both. -he moment 0 !irst heard o! 2ight!a 0 %new who you were.; 6"nd what do you p an to do with this ridicu ous story8; 2ight!a as%ed. 69ou canGt possib y be trying to sha%e me down.; 6@! course not.; Doctor .anagua said. 6.y minor mission is to as% you to =oin the CS") on a probationary basis. 0 am certain 0 can get you entrance status. But my primary reason is you are my dream. " person with powers that 0 be ieve 0 can he p you deve op. "t the moment you drop !rom the air and sp at the crimina to the ground3 binding them with your mass. 0 be ieve 0 can teach you to proper y ta%e other shapes. -o throw out pseudopods o! ! esh i%e an amoeba. -o change your viscosity !rom near iCuid to near stone. 0 want to o!!er myse ! to your service3 !or the good o! both o! us. Bre!erab y under the auspices o! CS")3 but 0 wi !o ow you anywhere !or the opportunity to wor% with you.; 60n that case3; 2ight!a he d out his hand again3 engthening it with obvious troub e to reach Dr. .anagua across the enormous des%. By the time it reached him it was starting to so!ten and ose de!inition as a hand. .anagua shoo% it ginger y as 2ight!a continued3 60 am 2ight!a . "nd 0 am

very p eased to meet you.; D Chp.+ 6Do you have an appointment8; 2ic% was as%ed by a very disapproving oo%ing woman. She had a oo% i%e she had =ust bitten a emon. " oo% which was we worn into the creases in her !ace. 60 don1t need an appointment. Does Sunstar need an appointment8 Does Jac% Hrost need an appointment8; /e said3 sti con!ident that this must be a misunderstanding. 62o3 but they don1t show up in ong =ohns3 swimming trun%s3 gumboots3 and a sheet c aiming to be a pub ic de!ender.; She sneered. 6(e e5cuse me i! my tai or cou dn1t ma%e it. But 0 thin% it1s the powers not the c othes that ma%e the man.; /e ! ew up to the cei ing and circ ed three times be!ore anding. 6So you can ! y. 0t ta%es more than that to be a pub ic de!ender.; 0t a most seemed as i! she had something against him persona y. 601m sure it does3 but that shou d be enough to get in to ta % to someone.; /e said3 sti trying to be reasonab e. 6Everyone here at the CS") JShe said it as KCeci G rather than the initia s as i! it was an insider secretL is very busy. 2o matter who you are3 you shou d have an appointment. But 01 see who is in. -he "ma>ing "rcher is in3 but he does not accept visitors. Sunstar shou d be in in a !ew moments. -he "merican Eag e is in3 perhaps he wi see you.; She oo%ed very put upon that she might be e5pected to do her =ob. But !or a he %new3 as a gate%eeper o! sorts3 perhaps being di!!icu t was her =ob. 6.ay 0 have a piece o! paper to write a note8; /e as%ed. 6" note3; She said handing him paper. 62ow that wou d be per!ect. 01m so p eased you chose to see reason.; /e too% the paper and wrote3 60 want you to ca down to -he 0nternationa Bress and 0n!ormation bui ding and te <eorge 6Captain Sierra; " en that you have a situation here.; and

handed it bac% to her. She read it and her !ace went dead white. -hen with her mouth set in a thin angry ine she dia ed the phone. 69es3 may 0 have .r. " en1s des%8... <eorge3 this is Bhy is down at the /a . -here1s a cra>y o d man here. But he %nows about your predi ection !or tights... 2o no3 0 don1t thin% he p ans to out you. But he is insisting on a meeting... 2ow... @%ay3 than%s.; She hung up the phone. 6-his had better be important.; 2ic% had a very tense !ive minutes waiting with the receptionist pointed y ignoring him be!ore Captain Sierra himse ! wa %ed through the door. Even though he had basica y strong armed him into coming3 2ic% was sti ama>ed to be in the same room with a pub ic de!ender who had not on y been wor%ing throughout his i!e but who had a media presence that basica y made him synonymous with the term. Captain Sierra sti had the same brown brushcut heGd sported in the !orties3 when he !irst appeared on the scene. /is ta muscu ar !rame sti oo%ed to be about thirty:

two3 a though chrono ogica y he had to be at east eighty. /is si ver suit with go d boots3 be t 3 and shie d on his chest was i%e y new3 un ess it was indestructib e3 but the cut and sty e hadnGt changed a thread. 6-his him3 Bhy is8; /e as%ed pointing at 2ic%. 2ic% answered !or himse !3 69es 01m him3 Captain Sierra3 0 am the Senior Sentine .; 601m sure you are. (hat1s with the get up8; Captain Sierra as%ed. 6-his is my temporary costume unti 0 can get to a tai or.; 2ic% answered. 6(hat are you supposed to be8; Captain Sierra as%ed3 disbe ieving y. M01m a pub ic de!ender3 =ust i%e you.; 2ic%1s patience was =ust about used up. 6Don1t get ahead o! yourse ! now. (hy are you even here anyway. "uditioning8 -hatGs not how this wor%s.; /e =ust oo%ed 2ic% up and down again3 oo%ing smug. 6.aybe in part. 01m not sure. .ost y 01m here to warn you o! an impending a ien invasion.; 2ic% thought this might !ina y =ar this =er% out o! his own stupidity and into an attitude o! actua y being use!u . 6)et1s go in the bac%.; Captain Sierra said3 eading the way to the )eague1s meeting room. 2ic% recogni>ed the wide e5panse o! b ue ti e3 huge meeting tab e and wa s o! tech? !rom computer

ban%s to te evision reports. 6So3 a ien invasion8; Captain Sierra Cueried. 69es3 the Borc. -hey gave me my powers in an attempt to use me as a Borc representative on Earth. 0 escaped their ship be!ore the chemica brainwashing began. (e have to stop them.; 2ic% was g ad to !ina y be ma%ing some progress. 6"nd 01m guessing these a iens are green and short3 ! ying saucer shaped cra!t.; Captain Sierra said. 69es3 yes. 9ou %now o! the Borc8; 2ic% thought3 now that this had gotten moving it1s not bad. 6@! course3 they are one o! the Earth1s greatest enemies.; Captain Sierra said3 but what he was thin%ing was3 62o3 but given your age3 0 assumed you1d be a traditiona ist oony.; "s 2ic% too% the seat he was o!!ered3 Captain Sierra ! ipped a switch. 6-his wi activate a beacon summoning a o! the )eague to the /a . -hen we can a ta % about the Borg.; /e said. 6Borc3 the Borg are the cyborg hive race out o! Star -re%.; 2ic% corrected3 sti thin%ing it was a s ip o! the tongue3 rather than he was being moc%ed. 6(hy am 0 not surprised you %now that8; Captain Sierra said3 6(hi e we are waiting why don1t you te me how you penetrated my <eorge " en persona.; 6Easi y3 a reporter !or a ma=or metropo itan newspaper3 then tv anchor man3 now the news director !or the internationa news !eed and a pub ic de!ender. 01ve been seeing both o! your !aces near y every day !or !i!ty years or more. .y Cuestion is why isn1t it common %now edge8 Hi!ty years in the pub ic eye and neither o! you age a day. 9ou ma%e no attempt to disguise yourse ! e5cept !or combing your hair ! at and wearing g asses as <eorge.; 60t1s sub imina s. 0 have had a sub imina advertising campaign on the radio3 tv3 movies3 and bi boards a around the country since day one to prohibit anyone !rom ma%ing the connection. -he mi ion do ar Cuestion is how did you !ight it8; Captain Sierra oo%ed none too p eased. 6)oo% <eorge3 sub imina s don1t wor% on everyone. 01m betting there are others. -hey probab y a =ust thin% what 0 a ways thought. 0! a near y invu nerab e parahuman3 who is so !ascistic y conservative and convinced he1s per!ect that he is o!ten ca ed /err 7ber/ero behind his

bac%3 wants to %eep a secret3 0 don1t !ee sa!e brea%ing that con!idence.; 2ic% was becoming more and more sure he didn1t i%e this guy. Don "gua and -he "ma>on arrived together. 6(ho1s this8; -he "ma>on as%ed. 60 am the Senior Sentine .; 2ic% introduced himse !. 6/e was =ust te ing me itt e green men were going to invade the earth a!ter giving him super powers. So3 0 don1t %now what to thin%. But 01m eaning toward the 1he1s an o d oony1 theory that Bhy is put !orward.; Captain Sierra said. 69ou bastardF; 2ic% said. 60! there are no a iens3 where did 0 get my powers8; 6(hat powers8; Don "gua as%ed. 62o one here has seen any powers.; 6-he Borc have given me the same powers as Captain See:a:pric% here.; 2ic% said. "s he continued on to te his story other )eague members were !i ing in. (hite )ightning said3 6(hy doesn1t somebody who can ! y into space go oo% !or this dere ict a ien ship and .r. Senior here can demonstrate his powers whi e we wait.; She was young3 no more than 1&3 and oo%ed a itt e ghost i%e and monochromatic. Bairing a white suit with b onde hair and very nordic pa e s%in was not the combination 2ic% wou d choose but she seemed to be the c osest thing he had to an a y and he was grate!u !or her. 6-hat sounds comp ete y reasonab e. Sha we ta%e the young ady1s advice8; Captain Sierra re!used to even give him that measure o! the bene!it o! the doubt and instead cha enged him to a competition3 since he c aimed to have the same powers. Hina y Sunstar agreed to ! y out to oo% !or the ship. 2ic% and Captain Sierra competed !or over two hours. 0t was !ina y conceded that they seemed to have the same powers and were even y matched. Despite radica y di!!erent physiCues. Sunstar returned with a report o! !inding the Borc ship empty3 they must have somehow b oc%ed o!! the area when it ost pressure and escaped in some sort o! emergency cra!t. Captain Sierra tried to convince the others that 2ic% had probab y bui t the ship himse ! to bac% up his ridicu ous story. (hite )ightning was the voice o! reason once again3 when she pointed out that the )eague

remained prepared at a times !or a manner o! disaster inc uding a ien invasion. So when and i! the Borc returned they wou d dea with it as it came. 2ic% was accepted into the )eague on a probationary basis. /e e!t the bui ding no onger at a sure he ever wanted to dea with these peop e again. But at that time3 as !ar as he %new3 i! one wanted to be a pub ic de!ender one had to go through channe s. /e wondered i! he wou d have been ta%en any more serious y i! the Borc had been seven !eet ta and avender. D Chp., "s 2ic% was dressing the ne5t day he heard a sma voice3 6/e p3 /e p. B ease someone he p me.; /e cou dn1t be bothered !inding his suit. Donning a burgundy smo%ing =ac%et over his b ac% si % ounging pa=amas3 he soared down to investigate. /e !ound a sma gir o! si5 or seven in the top o! an enormous pine. -he thin top branches a ready bending under her weight. 601m here to he p.; /e said stopping to hover ne5t to her. 601m scared mister.; -he itt e gir whimpered. 69ou1re going to be !ine dear. (hat1s your name8; 6Sidney Stein.; She said smi ing shy y. 60 am the Senior Sentine .; 2ic% said. 69ou oo% i%e my <rampa. 01m going to ca you <rampa .an. @%ay8; She said =umping into his arms. 6Sure3 et1s get you out o! here.; /e g ided so!t y and s ow y to the ground. 6(here do you ive sweetie8; 6@n the !ourth ! oor. -hat window with the geraniums3 by the !ire escape3 that1s mine. Can you ! y me up there8; Sidney as%ed3 indicating the window o! her apartment. 6(ords right out o! my mouth3 Sidney.; /e too% her bac% into her arms and ! ew to the !ire escape. 6.ommyF .ommyF; )itt e Sidney ca ed as she c imbed through the window3 6<rampa .an

saved me.; " dar%:haired woman in an apron with dough on her hands wa %ed over to the window. 6(hat happened8; 60t seems your itt e gir !ound herse ! up a tree3 so 0 brought her home.; 2ic% smi ed. 6-han% you3; -he woman said3 wiping her hand on her apron be!ore e5tending it to sha%e. 601m Shona Stein.; 62ic% Seaver.; 2ic% said3 sha%ing her hand ever so gent y. /e decided that i! an occasion brought him out in his street c othes he was a ready too much o! a pub ic !igure to not use his rea name. /e was actua y having second thoughts about a costumed identity anyway. 60 thought 0 recogni>ed you. (e have your boo%. 0 didn1t %now you were a pub ic de!ender.; She motioned him into the apartment. 601m !air y new to the gig. "bduction by a iens e!t me with some abi ities.; /e said3 duc%ing through the window and into the iving room. 6"re you with the Specia "ssistance )eague8; She as%ed. 6@n a probationary basis. But 0 suspect it isn1t going to wor% out.; /e et a itt e bit o! his !rustration out. 6(hy not8; 6-hey seem to have a prob em with the age thing. 0 suspect they have a bit o! a prob em with me period.; /e said. 6But why8; She as%ed3 60 !ind a distinguished pub ic de!ender re!reshing. .ost o! them seem to have the nervous arrogance o! a high schoo chess whi>. Sunstar saved me !rom a mugging bac% in co ege and made some very strong hints that he e5pected something in return. "nd Captain Sierra8 /e rea y gives me the creeps. 0t1s as i! he1s waiting !or <od to retire3 so he can ta%e the =ob.; She shoo% her head absentminded y3 he guessed commenting on the !oo ishness o! the )eague. Sidney brought him a soda. 6Sorry it1s %ind o! warm3; Shona said3 6-he !ridge is bro%en. 0 can1t seem to !i5 it this time. .y husband3 )ucas3 is bringing a new one home when he comes home

a!ter wor%. So we1 =ust have to mudd e through unti then.; 62o prob em3; 2ic% said wa %ing to the re!rigerator and b owing a scrim o! ice over everything. 6.aybe that wi he p ho d you over.; 6-han%s <rampa .an.; Sidney said. 69es3 2ic%3 than%s !or everything.; Shona said. 60 have to be on my way3 but maybe 01 stop by and visit some time.; 2ic% said handing bac% the soda he hadn1t opened and heading bac% out the window. 6(e1d i%e that.; Shona said. /e too% to the air and ! ew home. D Chp. N Butch oo%ed to her e!t to see her best !riend3 (hite )ightning3 ! ying a ong beside her and her mentor3 -he Shrew3 on her right as they ran a ong the roo!tops. -his race with the Si ver "rachnid3 the most !amous o! the non:powered pub ic de!enders wou d count as their entrance e5am !or CS"). 60G be right a ong cheering !or you.; /er !riend shouted. 6But 0 cannot inter!ere. @bvious y i! you !a 0G catch you. But that wou d be a !or!eit.; 60 %now3; Butch shouted bac%3 62ow shhhh3 0 need my air !or running.; 6Aight. Sorry.; Butch cou d see a bit o! her !riendGs b ush o! embarrassment !rom where she was? her pa e comp e5ion ma%ing it Cuite obvious. Butch was near y si5teen with short mousey brown hair that sti somehow managed to oo% shaggy in the manner o! the boy band archetype she resemb ed. "t east in !ace and genera s ightness o! bui d. But beneath her !avorite b ac% eathers her body had a bit o! ath etic bu %. -he two together3 musc e and eather combined with a certain something a her own gave her a vibe that constant y ca ed !or a bat or hoc%ey stic% in her hand. She had an easy smi e and was a bit o! a c own3 but that unspo%en ca !or a bat carried a threat o! mayhem !ar more than sport. /er mentor was even more o! an anoma y. -hin and ath etic as any marathoner3 he spo%e with

a voice more stereotypica y gay than even his avender and pin% identity with !eather trim and a seCuined mas% wou d cause one to presume. " so3 his running was more a groundeating prance. Even given a that3 his grace was more predator than dancer. " so3 whi e he oo%ed i%e heGd be i%e y to use his nai s3 and perhaps even teeth3 in a !ight? he sti dar% a ey he wou d !astidious y disassemb e the arger man. -he Shrew had run urban cross country !or over a decade. "s a home ess youth he rea i>ed his best de!ense was a Cuic% escape. So he spent his days sprinting through a eys and timing himse ! as he c imbed !ences and bric% !acades. 2o one %new the city better than he did whether at ground eve or a ong the roo!tops. So in areas where the bui dings are c ose enough !or an ath etic man to =ump between them3 he a ways too% the ead. But since his partner did have a sma additiona abi ity o! strength about doub e the human norm3 she was a owed to ead in areas where the ne5t bui ding was =ust beyond his reach. SheGd =ump across and tie a rope and he wou d s ac% ine across it. -he more di!!icu t !orm o! tightrope wa %ing possib e on a common ine. -he Si ver "rachnid had a near eCua %now edge o! his city and much better too s3 but thatGs why theyGd been a owed to wor% together two on one. (hite )ightning had to d her !riend she e5pected they wou d be admitted even i! they ost by a sma margin3 because -he "rachnid was a pro!essiona o! over !ive years and had access to too s that went !rom web shooters to specia y designed nanotech g oves3 boots3 and %neepads that enab ed him to gain purchase and craw up wa s made o! some g ass and abso ute y anything more te5tured than that. /owever neither she nor her mentor wanted to ris% anything ess than a win. -he Shrew motioned e!t when -he "rachnid veered right and they were ab e to sweep around in a ha ! circ e that a owed them to =ump !rom roo!top to roo!top to end up on the ower edge o! the <o den State ban% bui ding at the same time -he "rachnid was rea i>ing his path had e!t him on the wrong edge o! a gap !ar too arge to eap. " most immediate y he pu ed a gun i%e a!!air !rom his munitions be t and !ired a stee spider oo%ed i%e i! he met a thug in a

trai ing a cab e that e5tended to the gun at the same time a dart !ired out the bac% sin%ing deep enough into the bric%wor% that the sma sha!t cou d not be seen. /e s id a ever on the side and i!ted his !eet o!! the ground. -he cab e too% his weight easi y and the motor in the gun began to whis% him a ong over the street toward the actua roo!3 two stories above them. Shrew roared and began c imbing. -his was not going to be sett ed so easi y. -he "rachnid made it handi y to the top !irst but then he shot another down to the roo! o! the ne5t nearest bui ding3 and the pair %new heGd on y been a owed two. -hey a so %new that where he had engaged the re ease that separated the cab e !rom the bui ding piercing darts o! the !irst one and enab ed him to sa vage that cab e3 he wou dnGt et them !a to their deaths so be!ore he cou d sa vage the second3 they hoo%ed their be ts around his >ip ine wrapping the ends around their hands and !o owing him. /e cou dnGt in good conscience sabotage their sa!ety and deciding he cou d use the ead more than the cab e he abandoned it and %ept running as soon as he hit the roo!. -he pair had no c ue how to scavenge the cord themse ves so ta%ing a moment to untang e their hands they !o owed immediate y3 rep acing their be ts as they ran. -he "rachnid was one roo! c oser than they and ess than !ive hundred yards to the !inish ine when a oose bric% !rom a cornice he was about to eap !rom shot sideways with his !oot !o owing it. /e anded !irst on his opposite %nee with his eg out to the side and as he tried to save himse ! without enough room to do so3 he ro ed o!! the edge o! the roo!. /e was ab e to catch himse ! with one hand whi e the other caught on a p ace the gutter was sp it and he tore his hand on the =agged meta . Be!ore -he "rachnid had a chance to come to a precarious stop3 -he Shrew a ready had a suspicious y !ami iar stee gun: i%e contraption out and had !ired it past Butch and the Si ver "rachnid and into the bui ding the "rachnid had been =umping toward. Since there was enough o! a downs ope to s ide3 Shrew re eased the motor that wou d have carried the gunbarre a ong and =ust gripped it tight y and =umped.

-he speed he pushed o!! at and the downward s ope rede!ined >ip ine. /e ye ed to his opponent to atch on as he passed and the "rachnid easi y did. Bushing o!! with his !eet and grabbing -he Shrew with his good hand and wrapping his other arm around tight y3 eaving his wounded hand unc enched. Butch used her be t again and =oined them a moment ater. -he pair o! them he ped -he "rachnid over the ast two corner to corner roo! =umps that enab ed the ast !ive hundred yards to be near y a straight ine. -here was a debate because -he "rachnid wou d have ost without he p but he was he ped by someone using his own gear. 0n the end it was dec ared a tie. -here was ta % o! disCua i!ying -he Shrew and Butch because he sto e one o! the "rachnidGs ine guns. (hi e there might be some who individua y doubted his e5cuse? 60! they were a supposed y on the same side something i%e supp ies becomes community property i! not in !act than at east in practice.; -he concept that it was a reasonab e thing to be ieve cou dnGt be convincing y disputed. D Chp.* 2ic% wo%e up !rom his third nightmare in a wee%. /e didnGt remember this one any more than the others. /e %new that everything seemed big and threatening3 even the !urniture and the house where he was3 and Sunstar o! a peop e was there. But his obno5ious but harm ess new teammate was sudden y terri!ying y threatening. " though awa%e 2ic% cou d remember no speci!ics. /e got up and tried to sha%e it o!!3 hoping a shower wou d he p. But as he oo%ed at his costume hanging there ne5t to his day c othes he =ust became angrier. -he mundane persona thing seemed i%e a comp ete waste o! time to 2ic%. /e had never understood why Captain Sierra wasted time with a regu ar =ob3 when he cou d be he ping peop e during that time. /owever a street identity was )eague po icy3 so he had to try. /e had to practice !or hours to hit a go ! ba and have it not disappear in a pu!! o! dust. -hen there were sti more hours unti he cou d hit it across one green instead o! the entire course.

0t on y added to his disgust and disappointment that even with a new s ee% suit designed by the )eague tai or3 he was sti moc%ed open y in the media. E5cept the 2ationa Citi>en3 Captain Sierra1s a ma mater. -hey3 whi e not moc%ing him3 sti !e t the need to phrase things a certain way. 6Despite his advancing age3 the Senior Sentine is probab y the most promising o! this years probationary )eague entries. (ithout the embarrassing ! amboyance o! -he Shrew3 or the grotesCue e5cesses o! 2ight!a .; 6-his may be =ust one reporter1s opinion. But 0 thin% it is because the Senior Sentine reached such an advanced age3 that gives him such compassion in his new ro e.; 2ic% i%ed to point out i! Captain Sierra had aged norma y he1d be over eighty. /e pointed out that he was on y si5ty:seven3 which was hard y decrepit. /e pointed out he was very !ond o! -he Shrew3 his side%ic% Butch3 and 2ight!a . " he ever received was a metaphorica pat on the head !rom the media3 so he decided even responding was a waste o! time. /e %ind o! b amed himse ! !or the name he1d chosen3 now he was =ust c inging to it to prove some sort o! point. D Chp.10 0t was a beauti!u a!ternoon when 2ic% anded on the Aoo! o! the CS") headCuarters. Brobab y two or three hours unti sunset3 but the sun didnGt have that amp i%e heat and power it acCuired in the summer. (hen he wa %ed down the stairs !rom the roo! he !ound his way b oc%ed. 2ight!a !i ed a good portion o! the stairway3 with Sunstar !i ing the rest. Sunstar had a smarmy smir% but his eyes were hard and !i ed with hate. /e was spea%ing in a very !a%e cheer!u voice. 60 was thin%ing about ! ying a %i%e this a!ternoon. 2ice bree>e but not too strong3 per!ect weather !or ! ying %i%es.; 6@r at the very east the per!ect weather !or be aboring stupid =o%es.; 2ight!a rep ied. Sunstar !ro>e !or a moment as i! %noc%ed o!! the rai s by the rep y. -hen he turned to 2ic% and said3 6(hat do you thin%3 o d man8 0snGt it a great day !or ! ying %i%es8; 69ou are threatening someone whose po ymer body you cannot hurt. "nd saying you are going to ! y him3 when ! ying is the primary way he gets around. 0t pretty much sounds i%e

schoo yard !oo ishness to me.; 2ic% said. 6HineF -hatGs =ust !ine o d man. Jew overF (hy donGt you ta%e your !at hebe boy!riend and marry him.; Sunstar said and too% o!! dangerous y3 ! ying in the sma stairway. 69ou shou d report this.; 2ic% said. 60Gve reported the other times heGs done simi ar things? /eGs got some ho d on Captain Sierra. he ta%es his side even in the !ace o! c ear and obvious truth.; 2ight!a said. 60tGs weird that you say that. Ever since 0 =oined up 0Gve been having these recurring dreams. Hirst 0 was rea y sma and Sunstar is threatening me. But not even that3 not rea y3 /e is more ooming creepi y. But the dream was so mudd ed and 0 wo%e up in such a state. )ater they got c earer and the Captain was there. 0 was oo%ing to him to he p me but he wasnGt he ping he oo%ed sad and bro%en hearted but he stood there ma%ing no move to he p. D Chp. 11

2ight!a !inished wa %ing up the stairs and too% to the air3 a most !ee ing gui ty that he wasnGt angrier. Course he was more com!ortab e with gui t than anger anyway. /e was pissed3 certain y3 but that was not the point. "s a phenomena y success!u ibera Jew with specia abi ities he was much more i%e y to pity the ess !ortunate. Sure Sunstar had powers too3 but 2ight!a needed a secret identity not because he was a creepy a ien i%e Captain Sierra. @r because he was a !amous ayabout dudebutante i%e the Si ver "rachnid. But instead 2ight!a was a super rich entertainment entrepreneur who wor%ed si5teen hour days in between saving peop e. @!ten he wou d be conducting business on his ce on both coasts and three continents as he ! oated above the city. 7sing the e5cuse o! sate ite inter!erence when he had to drop down to serve the cause o! =ustice physica y. 0n his dai y persona o! -ristam <o d3 2ight!a was a bi ionaire music producer who had grown a sma inheritance into a do>en di!!erent !ie ds. Hirst and deepest in music with his abe Hat

Bastard productions? but !ar !rom e5c usive y# his atest venture was the !ro>en !usion cuisine company (huppass Hoods. /e was a so in the <uinness Boo% o! (or d Aecords as the !attest man ever to ive. 2o amount o! private doctors cou d give him a satis!actory answer as to why he was over !ourteen hundred pounds. /e had never eaten habitua y poor y. "t his current si>e he ate a arge amount o! !ood but it was most y sa ads and ean meats. /e ate the diet o! a hea thy 1&0 pound ath ete at 3&0. 2ow he ate the diet o! a 2&0 pound weight i!ter. /e e5ercised regu ar y3 unti his own girth prevented it. Hor near y ten years he had ru ed his empire !rom a trip ewide hospita bed on a specia y designed e ectric cart3 so he cou d get himse ! around the specia y made ha s and e evators o! his o!!ice and the bui ding where it sat. Just one o! the properties he owned. " !ear o! surgery and an otherwise adventurous nature convinced him to use e5perimenta irradiated sha%es that had been designed by his own scientists in abs that he !unded. -he si5 wee% program he ped him to ose a hundred pounds. Bare y noticeab e on his !rame3 but he was p eased. 0t a so e!t him with ma eab e ! esh i%e sentient Himo dough. /e said c ay3 but in !act it had a po ymer character that natura c ay ac%ed. /e a so !ound he cou d evitate3 and even ! y by in! ating c andestine airbags around and within his bu % and b owing the air out i%e an untied ba oon. /e wrapped himse ! in a do>en yards o! b ac% materia and became 2ight!a . Because when he ! ew overhead he !i ed the noon s%y turning it instant y to night. "n e5aggeration3 but not as much o! one as one might e5pect. D Chp. 12 @ne day as 2ic% ! ew over San Diego he heard the radio signa o! a 1si ent1 a arm. /e ! ew down to chec% things out. 0t was a ban% robbery in progress. /e tried to be reasonab e. 6But your weapons down. 2obody1s going to get hurt.; -he three crimina s turned to !ace him. @ne o! them began to augh. 6)oo% guys3 it1s @ d .an. 9ou rea y shou d have a big @ on the !ront o! that suit. -here is no way we are surrendering to some seni e o d !oo . 2ow ay on the ! oor with the others3 or 01m going to have to open a ho e in your chest.; 0n the b in% o! an eye a the guns were on the

ground e5cept !or the shotgun be onging to the one with the smart mouth which was now wrapped around his nec% tight enough to restrict breathing but not cut it o!!. -his o! course got him in troub e. Crue and unusua punishment3 and wor%ing beyond the )eague1s accepted codes and ethics. (hich he made worse3 by not being the east sorry. 6(hat are you going to do8 Hine me8 <ive me ten demerits8 0 don1t get paid !or this. 0 do this out o! a sense o! !e ow !ee ing and a desire to he p the average citi>en. 0! some ban% robber is traumati>ed3 good. .aybe he1 be scared straight. 0 heard he was robbing a ban% to a!!ord a awyer good enough to get him o!! on drug dea ing charges.; /e oo%ed at Captain Sierra3 60! the rumor mi is to be be ieved3 you have %i ed a !air number o! suspects3 and then used your !riends in the media to he p cover it up.; -o which Captain Sierra rep ied3 6-his is not oo%ing good !or your probationary membership.; 601ve got an idea3; 2ic% said3 6/ow about you probationa y bite me. /ow about you %iss my probationary ass. But no tongue this time3 it irritates my 1roids.; -hen he stormed o!! and ! ew away. Be!ore heGd even ! ew a !ew minutes he was !ee ing bad. 2ot that he wasnGt =usti!ied3 itGs =ust it was a itt e harsh on the Captain when he was no more at !au t than anyone e se. 0tGs =ust the damn dreams were getting worse. Sunstar was the primary vi ian o! these scenarios3 but 2ic% %new he was horrib e. But the Captain was now showing up too. 2ot with his norma over y structured and outdated positive intentions3 but a gui ty indi!!erence that made 2ic% very nervous indeed. D Chp.13 2ic% was in his condo c eaning and doing aundry when he heard a crash. /e ran out the door and too% to the air wearing an o d torn San Diego State " umni sweatshirt and paint stained =eans. "t the end o! his street there had been an accident. @ne car3 driven by his neighbor .rs. @rbach3 was dented but intact. .rs. @rbach sat behind the whee oo%ing b an%. -he other car had crump ed i%e paper. 0t was one o! those subcompacts that seemed to be made o! tin!oi and wire.

0n the bac%seat were two carseats3 ho ding an in!ant and a chi d o! about three. -hey were bad y =ost ed and crying hysterica y. But a Cuic% 5:ray vision chec% ru ed out any serious damage. -he bac% door cou d be opened enough to get them out. /e ! ew the wrec% Cuic% y to the hospita 3 as that wou d be more convenient than trying to ! y a !our o! them seperated. "s the chi dren were e5tracted he ta %ed to them and to the parents in the !ront. 60t1s going to be o%ay. 0 am3 0 guess 0 am the Senior Sentine . 01 get you out o! there.; -he !ront o! the car was too crump ed to open the doors. -he steering co umn was crushing the mother1s chest and the engine was practica y in her ap. /e gent y tore the car apart and p aced the pieces on the ground ne5t to him. /e ta %ed to them as he wor%ed. 6-he %ids are !ine. 9ou sir are !ine e5cept those cuts on your !ace. @ne o! which may need stitches. But my primary concern is you3 ma1am. 7n!ortunate y both your egs are bro%en and you have three crac%ed ribs. /owever the good news is it a oo%s c ean and easi y mended. 2ow 0 assume this was the other ady1s !au t8; 6"bso ute y3; the !ather said3 6She was driving on the wrong side o! the road3 and hit us head on as we rounded the corner.; 6-hat1s .rs. @rbach3 a neighbor. Every time she comes bac% !rom visiting her daughter in 2ew Oea and we !ace this same prob em. She a ways gets in a !ew accidents unti she remembers which side o! the road to stay on.; /e ran over and grabbed a gurney in a sp it second. /e ginger y i!ted the woman onto it as he continued. 6She has a the money3 and buys o!! anyone she crashes into. Just don1t press charges. -hat on y upsets her.; 6(e rich peop e who thin% they can =ust throw money at a prob em upset me.; -he husband said. Hi ed with the righteous anger that !o ows such !ear !or the sa!ety o! his !ami y. 60 do hear you sir3 0 tru y do. /owever there is such a thing as pic%ing your batt es. Just remember3 this is "merica where you get the e5act amount o! =ustice you can pay !or. -his way you %eep your mouth shut and .rs. @rbach covers a medica bi s and gives you a seven digit buyo!!. "nd your dear wi!e hea s without even a imp. 01m not saying don1t !i e a po ice report. By a means do itGs your ega duty and probab y wi get her icense ta%en away. 01m =ust saying don1t press

charges yourse !.; /is wi!e spo%e. 6(e can do that3 can1t we honey.; -he husband agreed. "s 2ic% saw them through into the emergency room3 the man than%ed him. 6-han% you !or being there and everything you1ve done. 9ou saved us.; 6Just doing my =ob sir.; 2ic% said. -he woman continued where her husband e!t o!!. 60t was such a com!ort to have a !ather !igure there ta%ing care o! things. -his horrib e terri!ying thing happens and you show up oo%ing i%e my !ather does when he1s puttering around the house on the wee%end. 0t was a damn sight more com!orting and natura than a rainbow body stoc%ing and a cape.; -hat made 2ic% thin% a the more about ditching his super persona and =ust he p peop e as himse !. Between these thoughts and the !ight heGd =ust had with the Captain he decided to ta%e a wee%s eave !rom the )eague to sort himse ! out. D Chp.1' -he Shrew and Butch came in a!ter assisting po ice in uncovering an ES) schoo that actua y was a cover that ured young women !rom asia and eastern europe with !a se scho arships and promises o! a new i!e. )uc%i y Butch spo%e accent ess chinese due to iving over there !rom three to eight whi e her !ather opened !actories across asia. So she was ab e to pass as a native chinese o! mi5ed european ancestry. -hey were rushed past the media that a ways seemed to %now about any case bro%en with the he p o! the po ice. -hey were ta%en straight into Captain SierraGs private o!!ice. -his was a surprise in itse ! as they had not had much contact with the e ected Custos o! -he CS"). -hey had s ight y more contact with his @!!icers3 -he "ma>on and Don "gua3 who =oined them there. -he third @!!icer3 the one they were most !ami iar with3 -he Si ver "rachnid3 was conspicuous in his absence. (hen they were a seated3 the representatives o! the eadership commision on one side3 -he Shrew and Butch on the other3 the meeting began.

6Hirst y3 o! course we commend you on the schoo case. 9ou rea y outdid yourse ves.; Don "gua began. 69es3 certain y3 we a be ieve in giving credit where credit is due.; -he "ma>on said with a tone that seemed to convey disgust more than gratitude and a very !a se oo%ing ha ! smi e. Butch oo%ed at the "ma>on3 her best !riendGs adopted aunt and guardian and thought bac% to the day she !irst met the gir that wou d one day be (hite )ightning. Butch was eight3 in her schoo uni!orm3 waiting !or the bus at the bus depot downtown. 0t was =ust dar% as it was & oGc oc% in December and she saw a s%inny bare!oot gir with b onde hair to her waist dancing down the sidewa % with two itt e ones running a ong ne5t to her. 0t put Bobbi3 as she was then %nown3 in mind o! a c own or circus per!ormer. Because she wasnGt dancing or marching or running but was something that resemb ed a o! the above and oo%ed i%e she was having so much !un Bobbi didnGt %now what to thin%. 6Dance with me.; .anon3 who was years !rom becoming (hite )ightning said3 p anting herse ! in !ront o! Bobbi but not stopping. She =ust !un%ed out there on the concrete with a huge smi e on her !ace. Bobbi didnGt =oin immediate y and the smi e became e5pectant as the two itt e gir s =umped up and down beside her. 2ot being given much other choice Bobbi started dancing with the gir . Doing her best to %eep up as apparent y this sort o! dancing was a distance sport. -hey went up and down the sidewa % past a the bus berths3 most o! which were unoccupied. (hen BobbiGs bus came and she too% her eave the other gir !o owed. 6(hat about the two itt e ones8; Bobbi as%ed. .anon waved her hand over at a disheve ed woman who was now ta %ing to the gir s. She oo%ed very young3 but not necessari y too young to have %ids that age. 60 thin% thatGs their mom. 0 donGt %now3 never seen Kem be!ore. -hey =ust started tai ing me.; -he gir s sat beside each other and !ina y got a chance to introduce themse ves. a!ter they shoo% hands3 .anon oo%ed at the so e o! her !oot at a b ac% oi smear. She ic%ed her thumb and tried to wipe it o!! with on y minima success. 60 start at your schoo on !riday.; .anon said

indicating the uni!orm. Bobbi was surprised. 6Aea y8 .y schoo 8; /er schoo was very restricted and e5pensive and this was a gir dancing bare!oot in the street wearing a s eeve ess ! ower dress so o d it was near y see through. 6(hy8; Bobbi as%ed. 6.y Dad has subsidi>ed pub ic schoo with home essons3 et me do whatever 0 want in my down time3 because he has a very busy schedu e at his ab3 but my aunt is moving in to put her !oot down. .y Dad wor%s a ot since my mom died so her best !riend decided 0 cou dnGt be e!t to run wi d3 K)i%e an "rcadianG. "s she says. (hich 0 guess is <ree% !or a hi bi y.; 6"ncient <ree% maybe. 0 %now Ban was an "rcadian <od. is she <ree%8; Bobbi as%ed. 6She doesnGt have an accent at a and she says sheGs origina y !rom 2orth "!rica. But she does ta % i%e an encyc opedia o! <ree% .yths and Ho %ta es.; .anon said. 6Sounds i%e -he "ma>on. Hrom the Citi>ens Specia "ssistance )eague.; Bobbi said. 60 %now who -he "ma>on is3 those are most y the on y superheros around.; .anon said. 6-hatGs not at a true...; Bobbi began but .anon was a ready ta %ing again. 6-hereGs a bigger reason 0 %now who the "ma>on is. -he reason why my "unt sounds i%e her.; .anon began3 a most sounding a bit embarrassed. 69our aunt is the "ma>on8 /owGd that happen8; Bobbi as%ed. -here was something about her new !riend3 possib y her matter o! !act wi dness3 that never made her Cuestion the truth o! these statements. 6.y mom was )ady )iberty. .y dad is a physica engineer who wor%s !or the CS")3 especia y the Si ver "rachnid. .y mom was "ma>onGs assistant3 -he /andmaiden3 when she was a teenager and they =ust got super c ose.; 6-hatGs cra>y.; 60tGs secret.; .anon said3 60 on y to d you cause weGre best !riends.; Bobbi was a popu ar enough p easant gir but between an independent persona ity and the !act that sheGd ived a around asia !rom the end o! todd erhood unti ess than a year be!ore3 she didnGt

rea y ma%e deep connections. "n adu t wou d ca her many K!riendsG casua acCuaintances. So she had nothing to compare it to and assumed that a best !riends were instantaneous connections. .anon had most y spent her time with adu ts or a one in the woods. So she rea y on y had te evision to socia i>e her3 and !riendships happened that !ast on the screen3 so she didnGt %now any di!!erent either. (hether their connection was Knorma G or not3 they were best !riends !rom that moment on. Bobbi met her at the schoo gate on that !irst day and wa %ed her to the o!!ice. She showed her where a her c asses were and where she i%ed to eat unch. Bobbi a so became a !i5ture at both the Citi>enGs Specia "ssistance )eagueGs o!!ices and .anonGs !atherGs ab. -hey grew c oser and c oser3 rare y was one seen without the other. Every wee%end !or !our years one or the other o! them was spending the night at the other oneGs house. 7nti the a!ternoon when they were twe ve3 when Captain Sierra accident y stumb ed upon them practicing %issing in a c oset. -hey both endured a very embarrassing and !rightening ecture !rom the reactionary Captain about what dirty itt e gir s they were and how se5ua inversion drove women mad and stopped them !rom having babies. Sudden y Bobbi was not accepted as .anonGs constant companion. Captain Sierra %ept his promise not to te 3 but it sti managed to ma%e the rounds that Bobbi was being shunned even i! no one was Cuite c ear why. -heir !riendship remained !ast and strong3 but became a secret. Si5 months ater3 Bobbi was grabbed by arge mas%ed men in a con!rontation that wou d end in her introduction to the Shrew. -he Shrew who now sat beside her3 as her most trusted !riend and partner3 in these o!!ices where she was once we comed with open arms. /owever3 recent y it had been made very c ear that the past was simp y that and her current status was much c oser to the persona non grata status sheGd

su!!ered the ast wee%s when she was twe ve be!ore she decided not to sub=ect herse ! to it any onger. 0n !act this treatment was rea y starting to get her bac% up. "s she sat in the stu!!y o!!ice and pondered her emotions in the heavy si ence. Hina y she stood up3 6/ey Custos3 thatGs enough.; "ddressing Captain Sierra by his tit e as head o! the )eague3 as she a ways had since the a!ternoon o! aw%ward speeches where he had a but accused her o! near y raping her best !riend with her uncontro ed esbian ibido. She did it because it enab ed her to not sound as rude as she !e t inside when she said 6Smooth move3 Custos.; @r 62ot too smart3 are we Custos8; She did the same thing with ca ing her !ather and his business associates KSirG. But she wanted another ayer o! separation between her and the man who ca ous y3 though unintentiona y3 devastated her young i!e. She had heard his ong:winded description o! his vision o! the )eague1s p ace in the wor d as embodiments o! KrespectG and Kso emn dutyG with ha ! an ear as she reminisced about .anon and her chi dhood p aying in this very bui ding. But even with ha ! an ear she %new the CaptainGs basic nature and she soon saw what he was saying. 6Jin3; She began3 !acing her partner. 6/eGs saying we donGt !it the image o! the )eague. 0Gm not sure i! heGs !iring us3 or =ust threatening to !ire us i! we donGt start acting more gender appropriate.; 6Aoberta3 youGre being overdramatic.; -he Captain began. 6@bvious y we wi be happy to continue your eva uation i! you show a wi ingness to accept constructive !eedbac% and adapt your pro!essiona per!ormance according y.; 60t wou d be one thing i! it was !or socia or cu tura reasons.; -he "ma>on said3 60! it was3 0 wou d go to the mat !ighting !or your rights. (e a wou d. But what youGre doing is =ust being !rivo ous and as the Captain said3 over dramatic.; 6But it is a socia and cu tura thing. 0 am a ro e mode to a subcu ture that has none. Show me a twin% in any respectab e position3 et a one a pub ic de!ender3 who has not been robbed o! his right

to simp y be himse ! i! he wanted to succeed. 0 wou d:; Jin obvious y had a ot to say and both the Captain and the "ma>on were a ready preparing to argue. Butch si enced him with a hand on his arm. 6(e can pretend that what they say is what they mean. "nd we can argue whi e they twist our words and then their own in a desperate attempt to not have to !ace that they are neither open minded nor democratic. But at the end o! the day an u timatum has been issued. (e can change and betray ourse ves or we can re!use to change and be run o!! under the idea that we ignored constructive advice and re!used to put the we !are o! the team be!ore our own se ! centeredness. 03 !or one3 am not interested in wasting time when the outcome is so c ear.M -he Shrew3 her partner Jin3 oo%ed physica y pained as he swa owed bac% a he wanted to say3 but he trusted her. /e rose to eave. -he "ma>on and Captain Sierra began to spea% at once3 but Don "gua was on his !eet hands raised to si ence them. 60 donGt i%e her characteri>ing us as deceit!u any more than you do3 but the gist that they must change or their probationary period wi end both Cuic% y and unsatis!actori y is correct. So why Cuibb e over detai s. )et them eave in si ence i! they wish.; 2ight!a Gs resignation was even ess dramatic than that. "s he wor%ed with Dr. .anagua on changing shape and aunching pseudopods he !ound that his yards o! shape ess b ac% c oth were becoming a hindrance and they started discussing him =ust ! ying in whatever !orm was the most aerodynamic. 2ude and unrecogni>ab e. /e wou d =ust be a !ace that appeared in any convenient p ace on a creature that was sometimes man but more o!ten than anything was a para%ite !orm dri!ting in the upper atmosphere. " new de!ender ca ed -he "moeba a!ter his shape ess !orm. Since this decision corresponded with -he Shrew and ButchGs departure3 the Senior Sentine being on eave with no c ear !uture and continued issues with Sunstar# it was decided that 2ight!a wou d eave the o!!ice never to be seen or heard !rom again and the "moeba wou d =oin with his !riends Jin and Butch to de!end the pub ic as best they cou d. Dr .anagua chose to !o ow him as he had said he wou d. Just handing in his resignation and

po ite y re!using to discuss it !urther. D Chp. 1& -he )eague seemed !ran% y p eased to see 2ic% go. 7nti one day two situations that cou d use Captain Sierra1s 1uniCue1 abi ities occurred at the same time. -hen sudden y they ca ed his ce with ta % o! missing him and the importance o! being a team p ayer. /e was dispatched to <rant Chemica and Betro eum3 the huge processing center that covered a sma is and o!! the coast o! @range County. 0t too% him on y a !ew minutes to !ind himse ! at the edge o! a hundred acres o! ! aming destruction3 with easi y twice that sti to burn i! he cou dn1t contro it. /is icy breath was o! some he p to stop it spreading but did itt e to the areas a ready burning. /e cou d see that there were !ive oi reservoirs that had a ready caught !ire. /e wou d need to ta%e care o! the two c osest to the edge !irst to e iminate !ear o! a spread. -oward that end3 he thought to ! y to the beach and ! y in a spira pattern that wou d draw near y a ton o! sand up in his cyc onic airstream. /e ! ew bac% maintaining the whir wind3 unti he dropped it on the !irst o! the !ive. -he ne5t he was ab e to dea with using a dumpster !u o! !ire retardant powder which he was ab e to i!t and empty onto it. -he other three were grouped c ose y enough together that he was ab e to ! y in circ es around the three !ast enough that the updra!t was ab e to push its way between ! ame and !ue and starve the ! ames out. -he wind he created a so coo ed the tan%s to e iminate his worry about it re! aming. /is coo ing breath was more than a match !or a the itt e incidenta !ires. Bac% at the )eague1s o!!ices3 Bhy is3 the receptionist3 met him immediate y upon anding and ed him through teams o! reporters and into the bui ding. 6/ow many times must you be to d that probationary members come in through the bac% door8; She as%ed. 6(hy is this on y a prob em when reporters are out !ront8; /e as%ed in return. 6Because the reason !or the ru e is so you peop e don1t spea% to the press. 9ou do not yet have su!!icient e5perience to communicate c ear y with the media.;

60 wor%ed in the media !or over !orty years.; 2ic% said. 6"s a photographer. 2ow the others and 0 have been spea%ing about your image.; 2ic% !orgot to even argue that he was a photo=ourna ist who o!ten wrote the story as we . Because he was !ocused on how she said 1the others1 rather than 1the )eague1 as i! she were one o! them. 6(hat about my image8; 2ic% as%ed. 6(e have some brown si icone spray that shou d coat your hair3 even i! it canGt penetrate it. 9our !ace doesn1t oo% that o d3 and your body was drastica y improved by your trans!ormation. .aybe a itt e !oam rubber enhancement sewn into your costume. Spea%ing o! your costume3; 60 i%e the way 0 oo%.; 2ic% said. Bhy is continued as i! he said nothing. 6Spea%ing o! your costume3 it1s a disgrace. 9ou oo% i%e a !oo . " pub ic de!ender in street c othes3 it1s ridicu ous. "nd your name3 the Senior Sentine 8 0t1s embarassing. (e don1t ho d it against you that your o d. 0 mean it1s not your !au t3 obvious y. But the way you insist on ! aunting it in everyones !ace is positive y sic%ening. 2ic% was angry3 but he sti !e t that the )eague was his on y option3 so he too% a deep breath and %ept trying. 6@%ay3 what do you suggest8; 6(e1ve been ta %ing about... (e 3 with the hair dyed b ac% and the rubber musc es in the suit... (e thought no one rea y has time to get a good oo% at Captain Sierra1s !ace. 9ou have the same powers. @! course he wou d sti do a press con!erences3 and persona appearances3 he is the rea Captain Sierra3 a!ter a . Just thin% o! a the peop e you1 be he ping.; She seemed to be a itt e embarrassed3 but not near y as embarrassed as he !e t she shou d be. 60t wou d probab y be about the same amount o! peop e as 0 he p now3 as myse !.; 2ic% said. 62ow8 2ow3 you he p peop e augh.; Bhy is said sarcastica y. 6-hey weren1t aughing at <rant Chemica and Betro eum.; 2ic% was near y at the end o! his rope. 6-hat1s because it was evacuated and no one %new it was you. -hat is e5act y why 0 rushed

you past the press. (e have to ma%e peop e thin% it was Captain Sierra who too% care o! the situation at <rant Chemica and Betro eum. Do you have any idea what it wou d do to our approva rating to send a withered o d man on a mission that important.; Bhy is practica y snar ed the ast sentence. 6(hy are you doing this8; 2ic% was angry but he was a so hurt at her vehemence. 6Because 0 want to he p you. Do you want to be a !oo or part o! a egend8; She didn1t sound particu ar y interested in he ping him. 6(e i! 0 get to be myse ! as a !oo 3 and as a egend 0 have to pretend to be someone e se3 the decision is pretty goddamn easy.; 2ic% !rowned. 60 don1t understand why you can1t =ust be serious.; Bhy is said. "ctua y %ind o! e5asperated as i! he was trying to be intentiona y dense. 60 am tota y serious. 01 dea with the =anitor here ca ing me <ramps3 when he ca s everyone e se sir. 01 dea with being rushed o!! crime scenes so my seni ity won1t become o!!ensive. 0 can even to erate no one be ieving me about the Borc3 even though their ship was discovered and there is no other possib e e5p anation !or my powers. 01 ignore the itt e bott es o! hair dye e!t in my mai bo53 and the comp ete ac% o! respect !or me as a pro!essiona . But 0 re!use to become Captain Sierra. (here do you get o!! harassing me8 9ou1re the receptionist. 9ou1re not even one o! us.; 2ic% said. 67s8 (hat do you mean 1us18 9ou aren1t one o! them either. 01ve wor%ed here !or !i!teen years. 0 was as%ed persona y to do something about you. -he Citi>en1s Specia "ssistance )eague is too busy and important o! an organi>ation to be bothered with something this trivia .; Bhy is said. 6)oo% you are a ac%ey hired to do our scutwor%. "s a probationer 0 cannot command you to treat me with respect. But i! you can1t manage that3 0 suggest you get the !uc% out o! my !ace. Be!ore someone gets hurt.; 2ic% was beginning to !ina y et his anger show. /owever Bhy is was happy to esca ate the argument as high as he wanted. 6"re you threatening me. (ho the he do you thin% you are8;

601m a man who can me t you with a breath. 0 can crush you to iCuid. 01m someone you do not want to piss o!!.; /e said with an eerie ca m in his anger. 6"s am 03 o d man. 0 am someone you do not want to piss o!!.; 2ic% %new that it was up to him to end this. 6-his is ridicu ous. 01m =ust going to head home.; /e wa %ed a !ew steps away3 be!ore turning bac%. 6Did you %now your precious Captain Sierra is over eighty8 "nd you have to be pushing si5ty3 i! youGre not pu ing it behind on a trai er hitch.; 69es3 but at east -he Captain has the dignity to noit ma%e an issue o! it.; She ye ed. 6"nd my age has no bearing on anything.; 69our Captain was uc%y enough to stop aging at thirty.; 2ic% pointed out. 6Either way3 he1s not throwing it up in peop e1s !aces.; Bhy is said. -urning and going bac% into the o!!ices. 6(hatever3; 2ic% said reso ving to dea with it ater. Just as he was about to ! y away3 Captain Sierra and -he "ma>on arrived. 2ic% turned his attention to them. 6Did you hear8 "ccording to Bhy is 01m an embarrassment to everyone. "nd 0 can either change my image or eave.; Captain Sierra at east had the decency to oo% uncom!ortab e as he said3 60 rea y cou d use the he p.; -he "ma>on added3 6(e1ve a ta %ed about it. 9ou understand we have to cater to the citi>ens. 0! you are a aughingstoc%3 it ma%es us a oo% bad.;

2ic% tried to pu himse ! together. 6So she was spea%ing !or you8 -hen 0 assume -he Shrew and Butch can oo% !orward to this ta %3 they1re homose5ua s you %now. "nd 2ight!a 3 he1s un!ashionab y overweight.; 6-hey1ve a ready been spo%en to3 during this ast wee%3 whi e you were gone.6 Captain Sierra said3 6-hey a went their own way3 with some ta % about starting -he Citi>en1s " ternative "ssistance )eague3 o! a ridicu ous pipe dreams. " !a se modesty aside3 0 thin% you shou d be ! attered and honored to be o!!ered the go den shie d3 no one but me has ever been =udged worthy. "nd you wear no costume at a at present.;

2ic% oo%ed a bit sad as he said3 6)oo%3 than%s but this is not going to wor% out. (e =ust are never going to see eye to eye. 0 guess there is no reason !or me to even !inish out the month. .aybe 01 go so o. @r better yet. .aybe 01 oo% up the Shrew and 2ight!a . "nyway3 a my best.; /e

too% to the air and attempted to depart. But sudden y Sierra was there. 62ico as3 p ease3 0 donGt understand why you wou d argue so vehement y against wearing my go den shie d. But 0 understand you do not see it as the honor 0 meant it as. -hatGs !ine. 2o hard !ee ings3 we can wor% past that. "nd Bhy is obvious y upset you. She is a straight shooter3 she has never he d with the idea that women shou d be so!t and doci e.; /e said. 6-hatGs not at a what 0Gm saying. 0 very much be ieve in a strong assertive woman being no ess !eminine. But Bhy is is not strong and assertive. SheGs a raging:; 60G spea% to her.; -he Captain interrupted ho ding his pa m out ! at indicating that 2ic% stop. 62ow come on bac% inside with me3 give me !ive minutes to pitch this idea 0 have. 0 guarantee you wi be very happy with it.; 2ic% decided he had nothing to ose3 he didnGt want it to end this way any more than Captain Sierra seemed to. 6Hine.; /e said3 turning toward the par%ing ot o! their headCuarters. (hen they were sett ed in Captain SierraGs o!!ice he began his pitch. 6"s 0 see it we are a owing ourse ves to be divided by issues that do not need to be divisive. "s "ma>on said3 we need to cater to the citi>enry. "nd i! you are a source o! moc%ery it casts aspersions on a o! us. 9our stand is you want to be an individua 3 not a second rate version o! me. -hatGs not so strange as to bogg e understanding. B us3 0 thin% both these issues are easi y so ved.; 60Gm istening Captain3; 2ic% rep ied. 62ow 0 donGt %now i! you have heard o! the Jap practice o! >entai. But3 it rea y is Cuite interesting. 0 am !ran% y shoc%ed that it hasnGt !ound its way into pub ic de!ense be!ore now. -here are these spande5 suits that cover you !rom head to toe? inc uding !ace3 hands3 and !eet. Since a man introduced a character ca ed <reen .an3 which is basica y him in this a encompassing green suit3 at a sporting event in Bhi ide phia they have ta%en the sports wor d by storm. 2ow being o!!ered in

team co ors and patterns. But they have yet to appear in pub ic de!ense even though they are the per!ect secret identity %eeper. 2o ost mas%s when it is a one piece. @ur top researcher recent y e!t us3 but be!ore he did he designed something to show you3 at my reCuest. 6/e pushed the button on the intercom but didnGt say anything. "pparent y the beep was a signa . " man wa %ed in. -hat was a that 2ic% cou d say with certainty. /e was in a stretch spande5 suit that covered him comp ete y3 ma%ing his !ace entire y !eature ess. -he suit was red and white striped !rom shou der to %nee. with hood3 g oves and boots o! b ue with white stars. Even with the change o! patterns3 as !ar as 2ic% cou d te the entire suit was one piece. 60t is a ighter weave o! the traditiona po yneocarbonate !iber that our suits are primari y made o!3 so it can withstand the punishment o! you using your heat or ice breath or vision abi ities through the suit. "nd best o! a 3 the name. "merican /ero. <iving credit to our country and the so diers who serve.; 2ic% sighed. /e shou d have %nown this prob em wasnGt going to be so ved a o! a sudden3 a!ter bui ding since day one. 60Gm happy as myse ! Captain.; Captain SierraGs broad smi e !e . /is mouth sett ed in a ine so !irm it reminded 2ic% o! how one o! the CaptainGs nic%names was the .an o! Stone. -he Captain spo%e co d y3 60 guess itGs my !au t3 0 !orgot that itGs a about you. 0 thought you were a pub ic de!ender. " man o! the peop e. " patriot. -hatGs the prob em with your generation. Se !ishness. 2o sense o! duty3 no oya ty to ! ag and country. 2o wor% ethic to spea% o!. "nd this disgusting smarmy !ee ing o! superiority toward peop e who are duti!u and respect!u . 0G wager you were one o! those hippies who spit on our vets when they got o!! the p anes.; 6Hirst Cappy3; 2ic% paused =ust a sp it second to en=oy the oo% on the CaptainGs !ace at the hated diminuitive. 6Hirst3 you better not et anyone hear you ta %ing i%e that. 9ou sound i%e an o d man. 0 can te you !irst hand3 that is not an image you want in peop eGs minds. "nd second y3 you %now 0 was in the "rmy during Iietnam. (or%ing !or Stars and Stripes during my tour and returning immediate y in country !or -ime and )i!e a!terward.; 60! thatGs the case3 when did you get so bitter and !u o! contempt. "re you in a whee chair8 0s

it some sort o! )ieutenant Dan$Born on the Hourth o! Ju y situation8; -he Captain demanded. 60 have nothing but ove and respect !or my country. "nd the mi itary that serves her.; 2ic% said. 6"nd 0Gm the mac%ere snappinG Bope o! Aome.; Captain Sierra said. 6<osh a man can S"9 anything. 9et3 no red shoes appeared on my !eet.; 6-his is going nowhere3 and 0Gve said what 0 need to say.; 2ic% ran the two steps across the room and ! ew out the window. -his time Captain Sierra et him go. D Chp. 1+ Jin oo%ed around3 as Butch whipped his b ind!o d o!!. 0t was the a ey behind the biggest .ar ey and (ayne warehouse in the city3 o! course it was near the corner o! .ar ey and (ayne. 62oF "bso ute y notF; /e %new this a ey we and it was unacceptab e. 6-his shou d be empowering. -his is the a ey where -he Shrew was born. "nd -ristam owns the warehouse on the end. So it is your beginnings eading straight into your present. /ow can you not see the per!ection8; Jin remembered being thirteen and a one. /eGd run away !rom home where his unba anced mother had raised him as a gir his entire i!e. -a % o! surgery to correct his birth de!ect o! having a penis had !ina y scared him into running. But a sma thin e!!eminate boy cou d do itt e to protect himse !. /e !ound an abandoned moving trai er in this a ey and started practicing running. /e rea i>ed he ived in a b ind a ey and c imbing the bric% wa was added to his routine. /e spent a !ew hours a wee% at the oca home ess she ter. pic%ing up and dropping o!! schoo wor% and genera educationa house%eeping. But he %new he cou d be assau ted =ust as easi y in the understa!!ed center. Easier3 as he didnGt have the room to move around. 60Gd =ust as soon !orget my time here than%s.; /e to d his partner. 60! that was where the connection ended3 0 might say o%3; Butch said. 6-hough that wou d be

enough in my eyes. But it doesnGt end there does it8 (ho e se was born in this a ey8; Jin had been wor%ing & to N hours a day or more on running and =umping and c imbing3 earning everything a good prey anima must earn !or three years. /e wou d throw roc%s at muggers and o!!er what he p he cou d !rom a distance. /e even had a purp e and pin% unitard3 a !eathered mardi gras mas% and a name3 the Shrew3 a!ter bitchy women everywhere. -hen one night a twe ve year o d gir =umped out o! a car at the stop ight on this corner3 her c othes torn to tatters3 her hands cu!!ed behind her bac%3 and b ood on her ips !rom where sheGd bitten the hand over her mouth. -he car pu ed into the a ey and three men got out. Jin %new roc%s werenGt enough this time. /e too% a piece o! c othes ine !rom his !anny pac% o! tric%s and dropped a oop over one o! their heads. Be!ore the man or his cohorts cou d react3 Jin s id down the chain o! a big oading bay door3 pu ing the rope a ong through the pu y. /e gave the rope$chain twist one good pu 3 then wrapped it o!!. Just a !ew inches o!! the ground might have been mi es with how much it mattered to the man hanging. Jin then grabbed a beer bott e o!! the trash strewn ground and g assed the ne5t guy in the !ace. Aetaining the =agged nec% he ran !orward and s id on his %nees in the garbage soup in the gutter to s am it !u !orce into the third mansGs crotch !rom behind as he bent over the gir . /is s ac%s were pu ed taut so the g ass passed through easi y. 2one o! them were dead3 but on y the man with ha ! his chee% hanging to his chin had any !ight e!t in him. Jin brandished the bott e at him. 60! you havenGt had enough 0 swear 0 wi ta%e your eyes ne5t to remind you !orever that you shou d have done the decent thing and put your !riends above revenge.; -he man sat on the street to show he gave up and too% out his ce phone and ca ed emergency services. 69ou !o owed me !or a year a!ter that3 because they cou d identi!y me but not you3 so you had to adopt me. 0n that year you earned outside o! handcu!!s 0 was a brown be t with the money to than% you by !inancing essons with my teachers. 0t wasnGt ong be!ore we discovered the panic had

tripped something in my brain and given me minor super strength. 0 wanted to =oin you as -omboy. But you %ept te ing me 0 had to study hard in schoo and ma%e a rea i!e. By the end o! the year 0 discovered b ac% eather3 became Butch and started !o owing you bac%.; 6So we sta %ed each other into a partnership. 0 %now. (hat 0 donGt %now is why donGt you hate this p ace as much as 0 do.; Jin said. 6(hatGs to hate. -his p ace is our origin story in 3D. "nd best o! a 3 right there in the dead end o! the a ey there is a grate that eads to the basement o! a warehouse owned by our team mate$bene!actor. So we can set up a air !or a o! us. 0tGs per!ect.; 60t is not per!ect. Stop saying that. But3 0 suppose3 it is good enough.; /e !ina y capitu ated. D Chp. 1, -hey had not even comp ete y moved in when 2ic% Seaver arrived. 6-ristam to d me 0Gd !ind you here.; /e said wa %ing up the road. /e wore a ight b ue go ! shirt with a dar% b ue and white co ar3 tan chinos3 and brown tasse ed oa!ers. (ith his age and dress he wou d be assumed to be somebodyGs boss. /owever3 around a these warehouses in the midd e o! the a!ternoon3 he didnGt oo% out o! p ace i%e he wou d at night. Butch and Jin put the o d couch down and went over to him. 60 wasnGt sure how open you wanted to be so 0 anded a b oc% away and wa %ed.; he said. 69ou neednGt have bothered.; Jin said. 6(e hope to !ind some way into some subterranean tunne s or other c andestine airs. But we are going to need to have pub ic access as we . -his wi be our o!!icia o!!ice where weG meet with the pub ic.; 6"s the Citi>enGs " ternative "ssistance )eague8; 2ic% as%ed. 6(e actua y were =ust arguing about that.; Butch said. 60 !e t that it ties us too c ose y to the CS"). But then Jin said we canGt get away !rom the comparison and we might as we win% at it and et peop e %now weGre in on the =o%e. /e even went so !ar as suggesting we ca ourse ves K-he " ternatesG !or short.;

6/onest y3; 2ic% began3 60 came in here thin%ing pretty much what you said3 Butch. But Jin has made some good points in previous conversations and now. 2orma y 0 am not a vaci ator but 0Gm going to have to go ahead and say 0 thin% my vote has changed.; 6Do you get a vote8; Jin as%ed. 60 donGt remember you =oining us.; 6Sorry. Butting the cart be!ore the horse. 0 had a b ow out with the CS"). (ith the receptionist primari y actua y.; Butch spo%e up3 6Bhy is8 (here does she get o!!8 She has been giving us passive aggressive bu shit since we =oined3 which became aggressive:aggressive stu!! wee% be!ore ast. Hina y we were given a ecture on how we werenGt team p ayers i! we wou dnGt con!orm. Ho owed by giving us our wa %ing papers.; 6Bretty much the same thing happened to me. So can 0 =oin you8 0 promise 0 wonGt get my o dness a over everything.; 2ic% said. 6DonGt worry about it.; Butch said. 60 donGt care i! you eave your pub ic de!ender !ormu a Ben <ay tubes everywhere. Shrew:boy here oves anything with gay in the name. "nd your on y worry with -he "moeba is he thin%s anything remote y spreadab e be ongs on a sandwich. @h and -ristam is the "moeba now because heGd rather ! y around na%ed as a shape ess b ob3 than be covered in a b ac% sheet; 2ic% aughed and Jin said3 6-hatGs gross. Brimari y the sandwich comment but a itt e bit thin%ing about -ristam na%ed.; 2ic% pitched in then moving !urniture. /e was ab e to have the rest o! the stu!! moved in the time the other two moved the couch. 60s -ristam coming8; Butch as%ed. 60s he bringing !ood8 0s he bringing computers8 (e rea y need des%tops !or our des%s and aptops !or our aps. "nd 0 need one o! those new E:S ate 0IGs.; 69ou ta %ed to him ast.; Jin said. 6Did not. 2ic% said he to d him we were here.; Butch responded. 6Aoberta Dena ia Bu!!a o:nose Shortbread Smythe:/ic%ory3 you %now as we as 0 do 2ic%

doesnGt %now whether or not -ristam is bringing computers. /e as%ed what the boot command to oad windows is.; Jin said. 60 may be out o! date3 but 0 %now peop e my age who sti send etters through the post o!!ice. .y son was a computer !rea% and we had money. 0Gve had a home computer since your parents were eating paste in %indergarten.; 2ic% said. 6JinGs mom is your age3 but my parents3 probab y so.; Butch said. 60Gm sorry about bringing up your son.; 69ou had no idea.; 2ic% said. 6(as any o! what Jin said your rea name8; 6;Hirst and ast3 but 0 pre!er Butch. Dena ia is what he ca ed his mom. Because she was in denia . -he rest were si iness3 obvious y.; Butch e5p ained. 2ic% wasnGt sure why the rest o! them were 2ic%3 Jin3 and -ristam rather than Senior Sentine 3 Shrew3 and "moeba respective y but Butch was never Aoberta3 or even Bobbi. /e thought it might be because she viewed Butch as a nic%name not a hero identity. " moment ater there was a ring on the phone in the corner. Butch answered it. Said a !ew words3 istened and hung up. 6-ristam3 happy to KdonateG o!!ice eCuipment and supp ies to his new !riends and Kwe comeG them to his bui ding. /e wou d i%e to invite us over to his o!!ice to KmeetG us and have unch in his e5ecutive dining room.; 69es we a get it Butch. -ristam is sti heGs the "moeba.; 60 %now3 0Gm being ironic.; Butch said. 60Gm not sure that you are.; Both 2ic% and Jin said simu taneous y. 6So heGs sending wor%men over to set us up. he says oc% the door to the street but not the one to the warehouse. -hen his guys wi need to go past warehouse security and get chec%ed. @ther than that. /e says they can have the p ace sorted in two hours.; D Chp. 1N iving a doub e i!e and doesnGt want peop e to %now

2ic% too% them each around the waist and ! ew them to the ba cony outside -ristam <o dGs o!!ice. 0t wasnGt !ar3 they made the ! ight in a !ew eisure y minutes. <o dGs o!!ice was bui t on a mind twisting y sCuat sca e o! giant but short. -he richest man in town was in a combination doub e:%ingsi>ed hospita bed and e ectric cart that he !i ed i%e a norma man in a sing e stretched to !unhouse sca e. -he wor d %new -ristam <o d was the wor ds !attest man at near y three Cuarters o! a ton. -hey %new he was a !amous entrepreneur and phi anthropist. (hat they didnGt %now was specia y designed irradiated sha%es intended to ma%e him ose weight changed his body. 2ot on y cou d he evitate but his ! esh was now a ! esh co ored semi:aware c ay i%e po ymer he cou d shoot o!! in psuedopods as we as !orm himse ! into any shape. @n y inhibited by the !act that there was so much o! him that had to be accounted !or3 as he cou d re shape it but not ma%e it disappear. @rigina y he covered himse ! in yards o! oose b ac% !abric and ca ed himse ! 2ight!a dri!ting weight ess in the bree>e oo%ing !or wrongdoing. "!ter hiring a biophysicist to he p contro his body and his power3 he too% to the air as an amorphous b ob creating systems o! muscu ar air sacs that wou d b ow out to navigate as he ! ew. <rowing a !ace wherever and whenever necessary and using the name "moeba. -ristam rec ined in his bed cart wearing what can on y be described as a suit made o! si % py=ama materia . Jac%et3 vest3 Shirt and tie tuc%ed around him. /e was covered by bed inens at the waist but his !riends %new !rom e5perience as i%e y as not he wore shape ess but com!ortab e pa=ama shorts3 as no one outside his c ose !riends and sta!! wou d ever see them. -ristam %ept to his bedcart in his o!!ice and the e evator3 but once they were behind the guards and oc%ed doors in the e5ecutive dining room he evitated out o! bed and stood. 6By god3 it is nice to be up and about. 0! 0 cou d a!!ord turning my i!e into a circus !or a year. 0Gd come !orward =ust to never be bed ridden again.; "n hour ater it was time to eat3 -ristam was bac% in his bedcart and pu ed up to the head o! the tab e and they were =ust about to be served when 2ic% heard an atona e ectronic sCuea 3 that

grabbed his attention3 !o owed by a series o! chirps3 simi ar to an o d newscast. -hen he heard the beginning o! a transmission3 KBorc scout haitch this is:; /e heard the sound o! someone !rantica y trying to si ence it because he was giving it his !u attention3 But the moment he heard KBorcG he was out o! his chair out the window and ! ying at speed toward the sound. -he scout was invisib e but 2ic% was sti ab e to catch him because he heard him s%id into the side o! a car when he tried to stop running because 2ic% was in sight. /e on y sCuirmed in 2ic%s hands !or a moment be!ore !a ing imp. " resu t o! what wou d turn out to be a poison tooth. D Chp. 1* <emma Aose wo%e up !irst3 as usua . Sometimes her twin sister was up ater3 sometimes <emma was3 but every morning regard ess3 <emma turned to see 2oni s eeping peace!u y. -hey had a big day so where <emma might otherwise give 2oni a !ew more minutes she immediate y %issed her sisterGs chee% and said3 62oni3 sweetie3 come on we have a big day.; 2oni yawned and oo%ed into her sisters eyes. 6<em3 itGs Saturday.; 69es but we have our driverGs test today.; <emma rep ied. 6"t 3#30. -hatGs in seven hours. Do you want to practice !or seven hours8 -hatGs sic% <em.; 2oni said. 62o 0 want to go !or a run3 maybe do some weights. /ave brea%!ast and yes we do need to do driving practice.; 6Hine.; 2oni said with an e5aggerated ong:su!!ering sigh. 6But c ose your eyes3 0 donGt want you to see my boob.; <emma aughed and whipped their sheet o!!. )oo%ing down at their body. 6/ow is your boob di!!erent !rom mine8; 60 donGt spend a my time comparing our boobs3 pervo. Just c ose your eyes.; 2oni said3 with a no nonsense tone o! voice3 raising her hand and trying to cover her sisterGs eyes. " though she had no idea why this was perennia y !unny to her sister3 <emma had gotten

used to 2oni !inding the most e aborate e5cuses to get her to c ose her eyes and et her ead her around. 6But 0 =ust oo%ed at your boob.; <emma said3 6So it shou dnGt matter.; 6<osh3 brag much8; 2oni as%ed sitting up with automatic assistance !rom her sister. She he d her pi ow to her chest. 6)oo% c ose your eyes and give me your hand and 0G shower. <emma c osed her eyes so tight y she scrunched up her who e !ace and reached her e!t hand over to be ta%en in 2oniGs right. 2oni c utched their intertwined !ingers to their chest. 6@%ay3 ! oor is c ear3 =ust wa % !orward.; <emma %new it was important to her sister to guide her3 but she didnGt %now why. She =ust et her3 it was a sma enough thing. -hey wa %ed into the bathroom attached to their bedroom3 2oni ed <emma gent y to the !rosted g ass showerbo5. She s id open the door and turned the shower on. -he two o! them sat down to pee as the shower warmed up. 2oni handed <emma <emmaGs brush and ta%ing her own brush Cuic% y ran it through her hair. <emmaGs eyes popped open as she brushed her hair. She a ways brushed her hair with her eyes open even though they werenGt !acing a mirror. 2oni used to try to brush <emmaGs hair as we but it too% too ong and was too inconvenient !or even her ong su!!ering sister to humor her !or ong. -hey had tried di!!erent hairsty es in midd e schoo 3 since their hair was one o! the on y p aces they cou d disp ay any individua ity. But the !irst time they oo%ed in the mirror they cou d see being con=oined twins so connected they were essentia y a two headed gir made even that much di!!erence shoc%ing y pro!ound. (earing ma%eup in s ight y di!!erent shades was about the most they cou d manage without their mother saying they were ma%ing her di>>y. -he shower did not seem unusua or pro!ound in any way. -rue when the s ippery shampoo bott e shot out o! <emmaGs hand3 2oni caught it handi y. But they were both surprising y grace!u and ath etic !or the !act that they each contro ed ha ! their body without even sharing sensation past ead you to the

an inch over the divider ine on each side. So their hands and !eet didnGt share contro or sensation anymore than standard twins did. 0t wasnGt unti <emma went to shut o!! the shower and she pushed the %nob deep into the wa that they %new they needed to ca their mom. 2oni grabbed !or their robe and she had it !aster than their eyes cou d trac%. .oving very care!u y they so!t y and Cuic% y but not too Cuic% y had their robe on and their hair up in towe s. water was sti spraying !rom the ruptured pipe but it remained contained to the showerbo5. -hey were in such a hurry they tripped on the stairs3 something they did even ess o!ten than a sing e person3 because they were conscious o! it. But this time their !eet e!t the ground but they =ust hung in midair suspended. -heir mother was possib y the most respected physicist in "merica. She had bui t and pi oted her own short distance spacecra!t be!ore they were born. " itt e superstrength and evitation didnGt impress her. She turned the water o!! at the main and too% the gir s to her ab and immediate y began testing them to try to iso ate what was going on. 0t on y too% about an hour to determine3 <emma had super strength and cou d actua y ! y3 not =ust evitate3 and 2oni had super speed and was ab e to ta%e the ma5imum e5periment with stimu us her mother was com!ortab e in! icting unharmed. She was de!inite y unnatura y tough and she might be invu nerab e3 more tests wou d need to be done. -hey postponed their driverGs test !or two wee%s. -hey e5pected to comp ete y contro their new abi ities in a !ew days3 but the Department o! .otor Iehic es was a busy o!!ice and the !irst avai ab e appointment gave them p enty o! e5tra time. -hey discovered that <emma cou d ho d onto 2oni tight and ! y norma y3 but 2oniGs speed served much better to b oc% baseba s !ired at her sister than to try to trave at any sort o! speed. 2oni was immediate y discussing a scooter or something where on y her eg wou d prope it and <emma wou d =ust be whee ed a ong as a passenger. But their mother pointed out she wou d need to

design one i! they wanted it to be ab e to withstand the stress o! trave ing at !reeway speeds or even beyond. D Chp. 20 2ic% de ivered the body to their basement o!!ices to !ind the others a ready there. -hey immediate y bro%e duties down. 2ic% too% to space to oo% !or others3 Jin assisted Dr. .anagua3 -ristamGs assistant3 in autopsying the Borc. -ristam too% to the air3 to search the city and Butch started canvassing the area where the Borc was !ound3 oo%ing !or c ues and Cuestioning citi>ens. -he ne5t day3 at the same time as <emma and 2oni were discovering they had ta%en another step !arther !rom being average3 2ic% was spea%ing to his team mates about the new threat. 6(hat did you guys !ind out once you got him open8; 2ic% said. .anagua spo%e up. 6(e got a ot o! pictures about what they oo% i%e inside. -hey have a three chambered heart3 they seem to be !rom a p anet with higher gravity than ours as they have signi!icant y denser bones. (e discovered that the green co or to their s%in seems to be environmenta not genetic. (e !ound out beyond a doubt that he died by crac%ing his poison tooth. -he poison seems to be a re ative o! synthetic acety cho inesterase. -he en>yme that te s musc es to stop contracting. But at these doses it wou d be to5ic causing a the musc es in the body inc uding the heart to =ust re ease. 0tGs actua y the same principa some bug sprays operate on. -o oo% at a dead one 0 see nothing that wou d ma%e them any harder to %i than a human. E5cept the more dense bone structure is harder to brea% so s%u shots and chest shots with guns are a bit ess i%e y to actua y penetrate but as ong as you stun them. and !ire through so!t tissues it shou d do comparab e damage as it wou d with a human. 0 wou d suggest armor piercing rounds. E5cept !or the obvious !act none o! us have guns at a .; 2ic% brought up what he !e t was the most important Cuestion. "nd one he didnGt %now how much support he cou d e5pect with. 6(hat do we te the CS")8 "nything8; /e as%ed. 60 say !uc% them.; Jin said. 6-hey not on y have been ine5cusab y rude to every one o! us.

-hey were comp ete y horrid to you3 2ic%3 when you warned them against this very issue.; -hat was e5act y what 2ic% had been thin%ing3 but he !e t he needed to hear it !rom everyone e se. Butch was a in !avor o! hand ing things themse ves. But she con!ided that was at east eCua y because she was very committed to getting their name out as a egitimate a ternative to the CS")3 than any antagonism toward the other group. -hough there was p enty o! that as we . Dr .anagua3 o!!ered his advice !ree y when they as%ed !or it3 a though he reiterated that he %new he was not a !u member and so didnGt o!!icia y get a vote. /is uno!!icia vote made it unanimous. /e !e t that con!iding in the CS") at best wou d resu t in them trying to usurp a credit3 and worst case wou d resu t in the CS") turning on them in the media and spar%ing o!! a ong running !eud. -he )eague had a ready made it c ear that they were wi ing to get invo ved in ! ame wars and then somehow come !orward to ay a that immaturity at their opponents !eet3 as i! they had not instigated everything themse ves.; .uch to his surprise Dr. .anaguaGs statement stopped the debate dead. though it wasnGt much o! a debate as they a agreed with each other. But he had brought up a new Cuestion. 6(e are in the very ear y stages as a group3 but 0 see no reason why you wou dnGt be a !u y invested voting member. 9ou have as many super powers as Jin3 perhaps as many as Butch itGs =ust you are at pea% human potentia 3 possib y even superhuman menta y versus physica y. 9ou are our on site tech guy. 9ou have great y advanced -ristamGs contro o! his abi ities and 0 am curious to see i! you cou d he p me.; 60 %now3 0 was under the impression you were a ready one o! us.; Butch said. 60 was under the impression that you came parce ed together with -ristam.; 69eah3; -ristam said. 60 hadnGt thought about it at a . 0 thought o! you as our tech guy3 0 never Cuestioned i! that meant you were a voting member o! the team3 but o! course it does.; 6-hen itGs unanimous again. Doc is o!!icia y an " ternate.; D

Chp. 21 (hen they had !inished a their momGs tests the gir s went to their room to ta % about what these new abi ities meant. 2oni said3 6(hy is this happening now8 0t canGt have anything to do with our driverGs icense3 because thatGs ridicu ous. 0t canGt be turning si5teen. -hat was wee%s ago and you got your period when you were thirteen and a ha !. -hat wou d be a ogica time !or this to start.; 60tGs your period too3 we on y have one and i! we share !ee ing we share !unction.; <emma said. 62o one is interested in your period ta %. But i! you can tear yourse ! away3 0 thin% the !act that you can ! y now might be an interesting topic.; 2oni rep ied. 6.ore so than the !act that you can s ap a bu et out o! the air8; <emma as%ed. 6(e 0 a ways %new 0 wou d be something specia 3 but 0 pretty much assumed you wou d =ust be a hanger on.; 2oni said. 6"nd yet it is 0 who have to ho d onto you3 so you donGt =ust dang e ! opping in the wind.; <emma smi ed. 2oni oo%ed a itt e sad !or a moment. 6(hoa3 that actua y hurt my !ee ings a itt e.; <emma immediate y hugged her sister hard. 60Gm sorry3 you %now 0 ove hugging you when 0 ! y.; 2oni %new she did3 but wasnGt sure she wou dnGt pre!er to ! y a one it that was an option. " moment ater their mother %noc%ed on their door. 6<emmima3 "ntoinette3 may 0 spea% with you p ease8; 6CGmon in .om.; -he gir s said in unison %nowing their mother wou d not enter unti they had both invited her. -heir mother entered and sat down in a chair across !rom where they sat on their bed. 62ow gir s3 0 have a ways been per!ect y open with you about the circumstances surrounding your birth.; She began.

69ou and Daddy oved each other very much and decided to go on a trip.; 2oni began. -heir mother oo%ed e5asperated and said3 60 donGt %now why you insist on ca ing -he Daeda us3 Daddy. 0 %now it must be strange to you to not have a !ather but it is unhea thy to imbue those !ee ings into an ob=ect.; 6.other she is =ust teasing you. She does not have an attachment !or -he Daeda us.; <emma said. 6-easing me8 0 donGt see why.; -heir mother rep ied. 6@%ay teasing you is wrong. She is ma%ing a =o%e around the !act that Daeda us cou d conceivab y be abbreviated Daddy. " though Daeddy wou d be more precise. But she is ta%ing that abbreviation to ma%e it sound i%e the common e5p anation o! where babies come !rom about Ka mommy and a daddy oving each other very muchG3 this cou d conceivab y be changed to Kmommy and daddy ta%ing a tripG i! the chi d was conceived on a honeymoon or even more so i! the chi d was adopted overseas.; 6But you werenGt adopted.; 6(e %now that3 .other. 9ou %now 2oni has a very broad sense o! humor.; <emma said. -heir mother smi ed and said. 60t was a very c ever =o%e dear.; She was a ways supportive3 even though she was a itt e angry when she !ound out the !act she didnGt get them was part o! the reason why these =o%es were !unny to 2oni. She a so assumed sheGd stopped doing it because it upset her mother and a the ! at =o%es since then had been we meaning attempts at humor and not a subt e moc%ing o! her mother. 6"nyway3 yes 0 bui t -he Daeda us. -he !irst private y owned3 sing e occupant space cra!t meant to be ! own deeper than earth orbit. 0 was success!u and had a most made it to the moon. -hen there was a ma !unction with my radiation p ating protection. 0 succumbed to radiation and became unconscious. -raditiona y i! one is e5posed to a su!!icient amount o! radiation to ose consciousness it is a so a !ata dose. But when 0 awo%e in earth orbit 0 seemed we enough. 0 ater discovered 0 was pregnant3 a though 0 had not had intercourse in years. 0t seemed one o! my eggs

had been irradiated which caused it to behave as i! it were !erti i>ed. -he end product was o! course the two o! you. 0 be ieve your uniCue physio ogy is due to the ear y ro e radiation p ayed in your beginnings. 2ow the ea% was sma 3 so 0 was ab e to te myse ! perhaps the waves coming through were !ocused by the breach. -here is no Cuestion that you have my D2" a one3 no Cuestion that 0 had you parthogenica y. But the !act that there was no other damage. 0t =ust seems i%e y that we donGt %now the who e story. 0 didnGt te you3 because it seemed a need ess additiona comp ication. But 0 did have another theory about what happened. 0! an a ien inte igence had %noc%ed me out and impregnated me. @bvious y they might not have human D2" ying around3 so impregnating me with my own D2" or even having a machine that can cause a ce to rep icate i%e a !erti i>ed egg is certain y possib e. -he issue is the !act that you are now mani!esting superhuman abi ities does not uneCuivoca y point to one option over another. -he !act that radiation can bestow superhuman abi ities is proven by any number o! homo sapiens parasapiens at the CS") or any number o! other organi>ations. /owever whi e " ien techno ogy accounts !or substantia y !ewer powered individua s. -here are certain y more than enough to show that it is possib e. Just recent y photo=ourna ist turned semi pro go !er 2ic% Seaver.; 2oni oo%ed con!used and <emma said3 6-he Senior Sentine .; 60tGs my understanding that he has decided against using a pseudonym3 as we as that ridicu ous costume.; -heir mother c ari!ied. 6-hat may be true. But 0 was =ust trying to get 2oni to recogni>e who you were ta %ing about. So whatever name he may pre!er isnGt an issue. 0tGs what name sheGs most i%e y to recogni>e.; 60 didnGt raise you to ta%e the easy way out3 <emima.; -heir mother said. 69ou didnGt raise us to have super powers either. But here we are.; <emma rep ied. 60 donGt see what one has to do with the other.; -heir .other said. 6)etGs not worry about it right now mother.; <emma said. 6(i you p ease continue with what you were saying about 2ic% Seaver.;

6Just that he %nows !irst hand what itGs i%e to be granted powers by a iens and maybe he cou d be o! some he p to you. " so having super human powers does come with a certain responsibi ity. 0 wou d not support you deciding to go into the business o! !u time pub ic service. But 0 certain y wou d support a meeting !o owed by spending some time with other parasapiens. 9our <randmother has been as%ing us to come and visit her and "unt "pri and her %ids. 9ou might want to ! y down the coast and see .r. Seaver. -hen go over to <ramma BethGs. 0G drive down in a day or two and meet you.; 6-hatGs about a !ive hour ! ight3 given that you canGt ! y much !aster than a bird. "re you going to be ab e to do that8; 2oni as%ed. 69eah 0 thin% so.; <emma said. 60 do hope we can eventua y wor% out a prope er you can twir or some other way to add some o! your speed to my ! ying. But unti then3 it doesnGt rea y tire me out at a . Certain y no more than =ust staying awa%e on ong drives. "nd 0 thin% we can count on this being su!!icient y interesting to counteract that.; -he gir s dressed !or the ear y autumn coasta weather then added another ayer against the persistent bree>e whi e ! ying. <emma he d her sister tight and they too% to the air. -hey had a very en=oyab e a!ternoon. 0t was e5ponentia y better than they had even hoped. 0t was a the !un o! an a!ternoon adventure by themse ves away !rom their motherGs watch!u ga>e. "dded to that they had a !air amount o! money in their poc%et and their mother had given them a good amount more. So they cou d stop anywhere they wanted to eat and do anything they wanted on the way. 0t was a teenagers dream? p us ! ight. -hey ac%now edged that they wou d never get sic% o! ! ying3 no one ever cou d. But they %new one day they wou d ta%e it !or granted but that day was wee%s3 months3 or years away. -he on y reason their mother trusted them to do it was because it came so easi y to <emma that it was inconceivab e she wou d have a prob em. "s !ar as they cou d te it was two separate actions3 evitating and propu sion. So even i! she KtrippedG she wou dnGt crash3 because a momentary g itch in propu sion whether it be something happening to her or being hit by a power!u crosswind sti cou dnGt ma%e her crash3 Just i%e when sheGd tripped that

morning? her !eet had e!t the ground3 but she had =ust hung there in midair rather than !a ing. -hey met Butch !irst upon anding. She too% one oo% at them and said3 60 am so your new best !riend.; 6(hich one o! us8; 2oni as%ed. Both o! them hated when peop e treated them i%e one person with two heads. But 2oni was !ar more passionate in her anger. 6Both o! you.; Butch said. 60 was using the p ura KyouG.; 0t was the right answer3 but it wasnGt going to do her much good. 6(eGre a ready each otherGs best !riend.; 2oni said. 60 a ready have another best !riend myse !. but K0Gm youGre new good !riendG doesnGt have the same punch.; 69ouGre not my best !riend.; <emma to d 2oni. 2oni immediate y had tears in her eyes. 6@h3; she said. 6DonGt get me wrong3 youGre my !avorite person in the wor d. 0 i%e you a most more than 0 i%e me. But you are my sister not my !riend.; <emma said 6But weGre !riends too.; 2oni rep ied. 62o3 weGre !riend y. But sisters3 especia y con=oined twins canGt be !riends3 by necessity we have to be c oser than that. 9es we have a the pros about being best !riends. But we cannot have any o! the cons. 9ou are itera y stuc% with me. (e can and do have disagreements. But can you imagine how horrib e it wou d be i! we got in a proper !ight8 @r even a rea argument.; 60 i%e thin%ing o! you as my best !riend.; 2oni said. 6But 0 see what you are saying. "nyway Boy<ir 3 we are oo%ing !or the Senior Sentine .; She turned her attention bac% to Butch. 6B ease ca me Butch.; Butch said. 6Aea y8 -hatGs better than Boy<ir 8 "nyway3 is 2ic% Seaver around8; <emma as%ed. 6/eG be bac% in 1& minutes3 ish. (hat are your names8; Butch as%ed. 6<emma and 2oni.; 2oni said. 6Serious y8 -hat is too coo .; Butch said.

6(hy3; <emma as%ed.; 6-win pub ic de!enders named <emma and 2oni. <emma2oni8 <eminiF; Butch said e5cited. -he twins were speech ess. /ow did they not see that8 -hey had to admit it was per!ect. 6@%ay3; 2oni said. 69ou are our new good !riend.; Soon 2ic% returned !rom his patro o! the city and met with <emma and 2oni. /e not on y was happy to have them in the group3 so was everyone e se3 since it was certain y not his decision a one. D Chp. 22 )ess than a wee% ater the twins were hanging around headCuarters and 2oni as%ed3 6(hat do you do !or money. CS") members need a day =ob and a secret identity. But you donGt seem to go into that at a 3 so what do you do8; Jin smi ed and said3 6(e a are emp oyees o! -ristam <o d. Hat Bastard Broductions has a charity arm ca ed Share the Hat. -hey have a new private industry program which pays us to be !u time pub ic de!enders. 0t !unds other programs as we but itGs socia sa!ety arm open y pays us and gives us !u bene!its to do this.; -ristam came around the door in his go em !orm. 6)ega is drawing up the papers. -hey shou d be ready Hriday. 9ou need to decide i! you are going to be !u members or a sate ite duo. Hu membership pays more3 but 0 %now thatGs not your primary concern and membership a so means 2' hour ca .; -he twins oo%ed at each other. 6-wenty:!our hour ca is !ine.; -hey said in unison. 6@ur mother wi not be thri ed.; <emma said. 6But we can ta%e care o! her.; 2oni conc uded. -he " ternates open:armed acceptance o! the twins was nothing in comparison to how the CS") acted i%e they were a persona a!!ront. Hirst there were waves o! accusations and insu ts about -he " ternates =ust wanting !rea%s !or the sa%e o! being di!!erent. (hich was run with by the

mainstream media. )ess than two days ater they rea i>ed what they were saying and aunched a two pronged de!ense where they deny saying anything and try to somehow !orce the e5p anation that they were doing it out o! outrage that the twins were so young. (hich whi e a ready ridicu ous y o!! topic was !urther cha enged by (hite )ightning turning si5teen that wee% and starting !u time wor% as a member o! CS"). 0t wasnGt ong unti they were contacted by the Shadow o! Justice a goth$independent group out o! the Bay "rea. Aaven3 a <oth with the powers o! a te5tboo% vampire arrived at their headCuarters one night. 6(hat are you thin%ing8; /e as%ed. 6Because i! you are thin%ing they wi drop this and et bygones be bygones you are dead wrong. 0 was a probationary member !i!teen years ago a ong with my teammate an incredib y power!u hereditary witch who was e5communicated !rom her coven on a !a se charge o! mora turpitude. 0 was too ! amboyant !or them especia y in those days.; 69ouGre gay8; Butch as%ed. 60 pre!er the term me ancho y.; Aaven said. 6-hatGs a big o d ! aming yes.; 2oni said. Jin o! a peop e gave her a semi subt e high !ive. 6(hen we were given the con!orm or head out speech we tried to hang around !ree ance. 2ot ma%ing any noise3 =ust Cuiet y he ping peop e where we cou d. -hey started ramping up the tur! war. Sierra thin%s heGs the boss o! the who e wide wor d and is Cuite wi ing to ma%e his disp easure %nown i! that is cha enged. Sunstar is a monster who Sierra %eeps on a !rayed eash3 at east in part by etting him get rid o! enemies in any way he p eases. 0t was on y our swearing to eave town that %ept us sa!e and it was on y serendipitous discovery o! what ho ds the two o! them together that we were ab e to reverse a move to Europe into a move to the Bay area. " big city and itGs within eight hours drive o! their sacred ground. But even then that was on the ru e that we wou d %eep membership under si5. 9ou are direct y cha enging them on their own ground.; 69eah but when you te us what everage you have on Sierra and Sunstar3 weG be right as rain.; 2oni said.

62o we promised never to revea that to anyone. 9ouG have to !ind your own peace with them. 0! you insist on being !oo s. -he CS") and itGs partner organi>ations is wor dwide. 9ou cannot cha enge them. But there are thirty sma er but signi!icant teams in 2orth "merica a one. Just !ind your niche and ma%e your peace.; Jin spo%e up3 6-his is our peace. one in a mi ion peop e is a pub ic de!ender. -hat ratio has remained pretty constant throughout history as !ar as we can te . -hatGs where the phrase Kone in a mi ionG comes !rom. -hatGs over 300 in the united states3 112 in .e5ico on y 3& in Canada but sti thatGs a most '&0 in 2orth "merica. "nd that is on y counting powered heroes. 2ot peop e i%e me who train ourse ves to do it as a vocation. Say a hundred3 hundred and twenty at the outside are a!!i iated with CS") in some way. .uch ess than ha !. 9et the ma=ority o! citi>ens on the !ringe donGt have anyone to turn to. Beop e who can count on CS")Gs begrudging he p but abso ute y %now itGs begrudging. -he " ternates stand up and say3 we are =ust i%e you3 we are your !riends and neighbors and i%e your !riends and neighbors we consider it our p easure and our responsibi ity to be o! he p. @ne day3 perhaps we wi be as%ing the Shadow o! Justice to a!!i iate with the " ternates. But what we wi not do is bac% down. -heyG have to physica y attac% us on ive -I. and win. -hatGs the hard part3 and win i! they want to ma%e us go away.; 6" right. 0tGs your choice. <ood uc%.; /e didnGt end it by ca ing them idiots3 but it was obvious he thought it. But seeing as how si y it oo%s when a <oth who ta%es himse ! way to serious y turns into a very sma bat it oo%s ridicu ous enough that his disdain was comic. D Chp. 23 @ne evening a!ter 2ic% and Captain Sierra had a most come to b ows when they both showed up to !oi the same ban% robbery3 2ic% !ound himse ! pondering the !act that this was one time when the pressG reputation o! b owing ce ebrity !euds out o! proportion was coming in handy. /ere were two groups who honest y were !euding and honest y wou d ove to destroy each other3 but everyone assumed it was ess vitrio ic than it was because the press cou d on y be trusted to e5aggerate and

they were a adu ts. Super powered as we which meant the average citi>en e5pected them to behave better than norma 3 with se ! contro and empathy. )itt e did they %now. "t the ne5t meeting3 the ne5t morning3 Butch was incensed. 60 donGt even want to thin% about what wou d happen i! we had gone pub ic with the Borc3 i! this =ihad theyGve ca ed on us is their reaction to us doing no more than the same =ob they do and them !ee ing i%e we are stepping on their toes.; 2oni spo%e up as she and <emma got to their !eet. 6Captain Sierra went so !ar as to say that we have gone !rom hiring the !rea%ish y o d3 !at3 and gay to hiring actua !rea%s when <emma and 0 =oined. (e tried to get an apo ogy3 even went so !ar as to comp ain to the "merican Disabi ity )eague and they both said the same thing. (e are not disab ed. 0! anything weGre superab ed or meta:ab ed one o! them said. Either way nothing. )ast year that woman who wor%ed at burger %ing who had that s%in condition where it oo%s i%e sheGs me ting with that specia mo d that grew in her !o ds so she sme ed i%e rancid vomit. (as ab e to sue the company !or not etting her wor% !ront counter. She was hired to wor% in the ca center comp aint ine and on y as%ed to be trans!erred so theyGd say no and she cou d sue them. She gets a !ree awyer and 2 mi ion do ars. "nd they wonGt bac% me up with a sound bite sent to the news o!!ice. "nd they wonder why disab ed peop e hate other disab ed peop e.; <emma said3 6B ease donGt et anyone hear you ta % i%e that3 even i! someone doesnGt %now you we enough to %now you are dead serious3 it sti 6(hatever you say .ein Huhrer.; 2oni said. 6Do you even %now what .ein Huhrer re!ers to3 2oni8; <emma as%ed. 60t re!ers to you being an insu!!erab e prig.; 6C ose; <emma said. 60tGs 2a>is and speci!ica y /it er.; 2oni smi ed. 62ow the 2a>is3 those were the bad guys in (o !enstein 3D3 right8 0 donGt p ay o d schoo games.; <emma said3 6-hey were a so rea during wor d war two.; oo%s bad.;

"t the same time Butch said3 6-here were two seCue s in the ast ten years.; 2oni on y answered Butch. 6SeCue s are N0P nosta gia. 0! 0 donGt care about the !irst one 0 donGt care about seCue s.; 6"nd it was rea 3; <emma repeated. "t the same second 2ic% said3 60tGs a travesty3 but itGs not her !au t3 itGs the schoo s.; 2oni pointed at 2ic%3 60 am disappointed in you3 but 0 wi !orgive you because youGre o d and o d peop e have a tendency to ta%e the bu shit in!otainment on the news as truth.; She turned to !ace her sister as best she cou d. 60 wish 0 was on a good ang e to bite you.; She grow ed. 6.om might be tota y secu ar and sciency but Bubbie and Oaidy werenGt. (e had our Bat .it>vahs because it was OaidyGs dying wish. 7nc e David was in the Company that !reed Buchenwa d. /eGd never ta % about it and he died be!ore we were born3 but we %new he did it.; She turned bac% to 2ic%. 6Schoo s very much teach who the 2a>iGs were. -hey are sti va id as pop:cu ture. "nyone who doesnGt %now who they are is %idding or honest y doesnGt care.; <emma reached up to stro%e her twinGs hair. 60Gm sorry 0 wasnGt thin%ing. 0 %now you %now who the 2a>is are.; 2oni gave her sister a tiny smi e. She had vented and the sisters where incapab e o! staying mad at each other. 6Dumb bint.; she said patting her sisterGs hand. -he phone on the des% rang. -ristam answered it. 6Just a recording te ing me to ho d the phone away !rom my !ace.; he said3 doing as heGd been instructed. " !igure in white spande5 appeared. 0t too% them a moment to recogni>e (hite )ightning3 the c osest thing they had to an a y in the CS") camp. /er white suit now e5tended up to a hood that covered her hair and the top ha ! o! her !ace. 6Butch3; she said. 60 came to spea% to a o! you3 but you especia y.; She wa %ed across the ! oor3 stopping in the center o! their group she indicated Butch with a wave o! her hand. 60 want you to %now 0Gm sti your !riend. 0 have nothing to do and want nothing to do with the CaptainGs cra>y vendettas. (hich you did nothing to instigate3 0 a so want to ma%e c ear that 0 do %now that3 since 0 seem to be the on y one over there who does.;

Butch smi ed3 6DonGt worry about it3 .anon. @! course weGre sti best !riends3 0 %now you are not i%e that. 9our !oster mom was one o! them and you thin% she wou d want you to stay with them. 0 understand. 0 honest y thin% you wi be one o! us within !ive years because 0 have that ow o! an opinion o! them. -hey wi !ind a reason you arenGt good enough. )i%e y because youGre !riends with me.; 6Berhaps youGre right.; .anon said. 6But !or now 0 want to give them the bene!it o! the doubt.; 6So whatGs with the new costume8; Butch as%ed. 6Hirst things !irst3 are you going to introduce me to your new !riends8; .anon said. 6@! course3 sorry.; Butch said. 62oni3 <emma? this is my dearest !riend .anon. .anon3 these are my new teammates 2oni and <emma.; 6.anon3 whatGs your pub ic de!ender name8; 2oni as%ed. 6(hite )ightning. .y name came !rom my dad =o%ing about how every b ac% pub ic de!ender in the ,0Gs and N0Gs ended up B ac% Storm3 or Dar% .oon3 Brown /ornet something i%e that. .y parents named me .anon <ae and my !atherGs pet name !or me was .oong ow. .y mom died when 0 was a baby. She was )ady )iberty3 who was a non:powered hero i%e the Shrew or the Si ver "rachnid. .y Hather strugg ed with her death and issues o! his own. -he "ma>on a powered de!ender he ped him raise me and he became convinced that 0 needed powers to protect me3 whether 0 chose to use them to become a pub ic de!ender or not. E ectricity powers were something he cou d reproduce in a ab. So 0 can shoot e ectricity3 trave as e ectricity3 ! y and create e ectromagnetic pu ses. 0 hope to eventua y be ab e to ma%e e ectromagnetic shie ds. But anyway .oong ow invites the nic%name .oonshine which combines with my !atherGs comments about b ac% heroes needing b ac% or dar% in their name. So 0 became (hite )ightning.; 6Si ver "rachnid is B ac%.; 2oni said. 60 %now3; .anon said3 60 tried to get him to use the name Brown Aec use. But he =ust pointed

out that he is !air y sociab e both in and out o! costume. "ctua y the B ac%3 Brown 3 Dar% thing was most y thirties through seventies. "nd most y with !ictiona pub ic de!enders. @bvious y when ive ones did it it was even more o! a statement than what 01ve done. (hich honest y cou d sound =ust a tiny bit racist itse ! i! 0 to d the story wrong. But my dad i%ed it and the .oonshine and (hite )ightning thing sti wor%s3 so why not.; 6(hatGs with the new costume anyway8; Butch as%ed again. 6"s you %now 0 agreed to not rea y start patro ing unti 0 was 1+3; .anon started and Butch made an agreement noise. 60Gve =ust been training and observing and hanging around the o!!ices. "nd3 you %now 0 turned 1+ ast wee%.; 60 spent the night at your house3 0 bought you a tee shirt.; Butch said. 6"nd 0 ove that shirt.; .anon said. 6"nyway3 now that 0Gm in the !ie d they wanted something that hides my identity even more.; 6@ur si5teenth was a itt e ess than a month ago.; 2oni said. .anon started to spea% and then busted up aughing. 60 a most =ust said3; she con!ided. 60 a most =ust said3 K@h you have the same birthday3G; Everyone started aughing. <emma said. 69eah weGre twins. DonGt !ee bad. .ost peop e canGt te because 0Gm so much more mature.; 60 donGt thin% anyone has given us a better demonstration o! seeing us as separate peop e.; 2oni sighed. 60 de!inite y i%e you.; 69ayF; .anon did a itt e dance bounce. 60 i%e you too. (e are tota y going to have to be the three mus%eteers o! the teen hero !ront.; 2oni gave her a oo% that showed she might have =ust dropped a !ew rungs in her estimation. 6Hour .us%eteers.; She said. 6(hat8; .anon as%ed. 6Be !our .us%eteers. 7n ess you werenGt counting Butch or were counting <emma and me as one.; 2oni said3 obvious y bothered.

62either.; .anon said. 60tGs =ust your sister3 we sheGs %inda shy and doesnGt ta % much.; <emma a most spo%e up again but 2oni spo%e over her. 69ou want to say my sister3 my twin sister3 my twin sister who 0 share an assho e with3 canGt be part o! our itt e p aygroup. /ow are you p anning to get around the !act we share a body8; .anon oo%ed so shoc%ed it was comica 3 then her !ace washed over serious. 6Hirst3 0 sometimes say things that pop into my head without thin%ing. Second3 0 never said she cou dnGt come. 9es !or one moment 0 was thin%ing o! us as the three mus%eteers and her as your itt e con=oined side%ic%. But 0 wou d not even be physica y capab e o! doing something so shitty as to uninvite your sister !rom our group.; 6Sorry3; Butch said3 60 %now you wou dnGt do that.; 60 have my suspicions3; 2oni said. 6But thatGs on y because o! the company you %eep3 and 0 %now how wrong that is.; 6)etGs =ust start over.; <emma said. 6/i .anon3 0Gm <emma and this is my sister 2oni.; 6@h are you sisters8; .anon said. 60 can rea y see a resemb ance. 9ou shou d =oin Butch and 0 in p otting against the CS").; 6(eGre in.; 2oni said instant y. Just as .anon was Cua i!ying3 62ooo3 0 canGt do that. Even i! they act i%e =er%s sometimes3 theyGre my team. 6 6(e understand .anon.; 2ic% said wa %ing over and gesturing as i! to sweep her out. 6But we are a team too and we need to have a team meeting3 which un!ortunate y you cannot be here !or.; .anon understood and immediate y said her goodbyes with a hug !or Butch and a hug each !or twins and e!t. 6" right gang.; 2ic% said when she was gone. 6.y source at the 2ationa Citi>en says they are running a story cha enging why we havenGt a enro ed with Se ective Aegistration.; 6-hatGs ridicu ous. -he argument about whether to mandate Bub ic De!ender registration has

been raging hot and co d !or two hundred years3 since we sp it !rom Eng and where it has been !ought on and o!! !or centuries. Aegistering with the government is somewhere between putting our names in the ye ow pages and ta%ing out a !u page ad in Iariety !or any ay person to see. 0t wou d inconvenience at best. But cou d easi y comp ete y compromise our abi ity to wor% as a hero.; Jin said. 60 !ee my sa!ety is very much tied up in my having a secret identity. -ristam is a ce ebrity3 i! he is revea ed it wi be bed am we cannot possib y predict. not on y are there do>ens o! esser au5i ary members who havenGt enro ed. -here are severa o! the ": ist over in the CS") o!!ice who have re!used.; 6-hey c aim the ist o! our secret identities wi be top secret.; -ristam said. 69eah they c aim a sorts o! stu!!. -hey c aim that the entire ist wi have the highest goverment c earance. "nd yet ast year the ist was hac%ed by a !i!teen year o d gir .; Jin said. <emma spo%e up. 6)oo% 0 am rea y sorry about that. 0 donGt thin% 0 cou d have done it without the !act 0 was using my mothers access to a university based eve !our "0.; 6-hat was you8; Butch said. 62ot a one. 2oni did he p as 0 said and the "0 and 0 on y thin% it was because we three were so di!!erent in how we thin%. and it was coded to %eep out crimina s and governments. 2ot teenage wanna:be pappara>>is and a computer that was smarter than the average ab !u o! scientests wor%ing together.; 6"nd it is than%s to us that the government even thought to inc ude pappara>>is as a target demographic to speci!ica y combat.; 2oni added. 6(ou d you gir s register8; Jin as%ed. 6@n the one hand we are the on y dicepha ic parapagus con=oined twins3 which is a ot o! words to say this.; <emma indicated their body with a hand sweep. 6"nyway3 we are the on y pair born in our generation. So itGs a most impossib e !or us to hide.; <emma !inished and 2oni continued. 6But on the other hand our mom hates the !eds so no3 weGre not on y not signing3 we are active y denying that we are the superhero <emini.;

-hen they said3 6(eGve discussed this.; in unison. 6<ood3; Jin said. 6-he idea o! any o! us registering our name3 %nown a iases and powers with the government not on y sounds i%e a horrib e invasion o! privacy but !ee s to me i%e any one o! us enro ing endangers us a .; /e oo%ed at 2ic%3 60 donGt mean you 2ic%. 0 %now you have a ready registered. But you ive !u time as an KoutG pub ic de!ender. -he on y one you associate with out o! costume is -ristam3 who is a ready %nown to own the bui ding where our o!!ices are3 so thereGs no suspicion.; 60 associate with a o! you out o! costume.; -ristam said. /is =o%e !e in si ence. -hen Dr. .anagua and Jin started aughing whi e the others stared on. 6(hat8; 2oni said3 60 donGt get it.; =ust as <emma started aughing too. <emma answered. 6Because when heGs out there patro ing the s%ies3 %eeping this !air city sa!e3 heGs tota y na%ed.; -he others started aughing a bit as 2oni said3 6Eww3 mind picture.; 6Spea%ing o!3 0 have a Cuestion !or you -ristam. Aemind me to as% you ater.; <emma said. 6Spea%ing o! mind pictures o! me na%ed8; -ristam as%ed. 62o spea%ing o! you and -he "moeba and your patro s.; <emma said. 6<ross3; She conc uded under her breath. 6(e as% me now. (eGve pretty much e5hausted this topic !or now.; -ristam said. 62o we havenGt.; <emma said. 60 have some thoughts on that too. But 0 guess they can wait.; She too% a deep breath. 6@%ay3 now you are uh... a... um3; D Chp. 2' 69ou are so !at as to basica y be a shape ess c ay co ored mass3 ! ying around as a shape ess c ay co ored mass. She thin%s the on y way you havenGt been made yet is because itGs so hard !or the pub ic to see you as a pub ic de!ender3 which is genera y an ath etic pro!ession.; 2oni =umped in he p!u y.

6"nd than% you 2oni. (e 0 was trying to thin% o! how you might be ess i%e y to be recogni>ed.; <emma continued. 6"nd she was thin%ing about c ay =ews and thought o! -he <o em o! Brague.; 2oni =umped in again. 6-han%s sis3 0 got this.; <emma said. 60! you went out as -he <o em. 9our mass wou d ma%e you whatever ten3 !ourteen !eet ta 3 you can have him have c othes made out o! c ay too so the peop e wonGt thin% about the !act that you obvious y must be nude. "nother thing 0 am thin%ing cou d be a c ue to the mystery o! who the "moeba is. youGd have a !ace and no matter how <o em y it oo%s i! peop e see a !ace they automatica y stop oo%ing !or what your Krea G !ace oo%s i%e and =ust accept the one they see. But youG sti be ab e to do a the coo c ay e!!ects because <o ems are made o! c ay.; 6"ctua y3; Jin said3 6Since it wou d be so id c ay and youG want a !air y muscu ar bearish !orm 0 wou d say seven and a ha ! !eet is more i%e y. (hich ma%es you heroica y ta but not unre atab y ta .; 6-hat is a thought and certain y a good one. "nd JinGs note ma%es it better.; -ristam said. 6"nd that way 0 cou d wa % around and actua y interact with peop e. But my power is on y evitation 0 canGt prope myse !. Aight now 0 do it through stretching sai bits and having air sacs 0 b ow out.; 60 hadnGt thought o! that but my !irst instinct is =ust push and pu yourse ! a ong against bui dings and scenery.; <emma said. 6-hat cou d wor%. But 0Gve a ready changed !rom 2ight!a to the "moeba3 0 donGt want a rep as someone who changes their persona every !ew months.; -ristam said. 6But isnGt that the reason to change now when you are sti ess than a year in the who e hero

game. 0Gm sure a !air number o! peop e donGt %now you were 2ight!a and =ust thin% 2ight!a disappeared. -he same with the "moeba i! you change now.; 60tGs a thought. 9ou and 0 and Dr .anagua can discuss it !urther. (hat was your idea on the

Se ective registration Cuestion8; 60! we can get a rebutta written 0 can get it up oaded into todayGs issue without anyone %nowing unti itGs printed.; 6.y Cuestion3 i! it wou d not be rude.; Butch began. 60s how can you be a computer genius when 2oni isnGt i! you each contro one hand8; 6Easy. Hirst et me say that 2oni is good. SheGs no n:>ero:>ero:b in the vernacu ar. She is an advanced end user and the reason we can hac% when 0 need her to wor% the other hand is we can touch type and she trusts me. So i! 0 =ust say out oud what 0 need she does it immediate y.; 60 =ust want to say that we over ha ! o! %nown heroes and citi>ens possessing super human abi ities are not registering. inc uding an eCua percentage o! the CS") itse !. .a%e it c ear that itGs un!air to sing e us out when it is an unpopu ar program that garners no trust !rom the citi>enry in itGs necessity nor its sa!ety. .aybe bring up 2a>is or Soviet Aussia. "nd do it in the voice o! an angry o d man whoGs not going to stand around and et his !reedom3 his country be ta%en !rom him.; 60 %now e5act y what you mean. " ready have it ha ! written in my head.; 2oni said and sat down at the des%3 s iding the chair in in !ront o! a computer termina . (hen she rea i>ed everyone was oo%ing at her cross eyed she said. 60Gm every bit the writer that <emma is a coder.; <emma agreed immediate y. 60! she says she has it written in her head she does.; /er and 2oni were sudden y whispering bac% and !orth as their !ingers ! ew over the %eyboard. 2ic% !ound himse ! thin%ing that it was ama>ing that they cou d type as !ast as anyone heGd seen with each on y ab e to contro one hand. -hey werenGt oo%ing at the %eys each pausing =ust ong enough !or her sister to hit her assigned %eys and =ust assuming itGd be done. -en minutes ater <emma and 2oni pushed bac% !rom the des%. 6Done.; -hey said. Jin and -ristam were out o! the o!!ice doing something in with Dr .anagua. Butch was =ust wa %ing bac% into the room with drin%s and 2ic% oo%ed up !rom where he wor%ed on another termina . Butch handed each o! the twins a drin%. 60 didnGt %now how many to bring.; 2oni said3 6(e each have our own stomach and get hungry and thirsty independent y. But our

stomachs are sma and even though we have a most comp ete interna organs o! our own we on y have one set o! outdoor bits so in the end the two o! us together eat between one and one and a ha ! an average persons diet.; 6But in our socia circ e3; <emma continued3 6Sharing !ood and drin%s is norma . 0! thereGs !ree re!i s we wi get one !ries and one drin% !or si5 %ids when weGre at the ma . So as ong as we %now you %now we are sisters not the same person3 as you obvious y do3 we arenGt going to be too !ussed whether you bring us one or two drin%s.; D Chp. 2& -he gir s were drin%ing their sodas and chatting when the door ! ew open and .anon was there with an unconcious Borc. 6.other!uc%erF; She e5c aimed as she dragged him in. 0t was %ind o! impressive to see. She was a bit ta er than him but she was sti a sma thin gir . and her Cuarry probab y weighed at east ha ! again more than she did. 60 was ab e to ma%e him weight ess as 0 was ! ying3 0 %now how to i!t myse ! and cargo but donGt %now how to =ust i!t cargo yet.; 6Dr .anagua cou d probab y he p. /e seems to be doing great he ping -ristam e5p ore his powers.; Butch said. 2ic% was a ready on the intercom. 60 ca ed the others. <et a drin% or whatever you need and you can te us the who e story in a !ew minutes. -he twins wi watch your prisoner i! you need to go to the restroom or anything.; " !ew moments ater near y everyone had gathered in the !ront o!!ice3 on y missing were Dr .anagua and the Borc. /e was 5raying itGs mouth to be sure that he !ound and disposed o! itGs poison tooth. @nce .anon started the story didnGt ta%e ong. 6"s you may or may not %now my motherGs !ami y is c ose to the Bennings:-rust !ami y. .i anna Bennings:-rust was a chi dhood !riend o! my motherGs. -oday .s. Bennings:-rust was giving her speech accepting the nomination !or <overnor and 0 attended because sheGs a ways been a part o! my i!e since 0 was a chi d. She seemed weird

and her speech not on y covered opinions she had never he d but the speech patterns were not the woman 0 %new. "pparent y 0 can sense the bioe ectric signature o! a iving creature. DonGt %now how 0 did it3 but 0 %new there was someone e se on that stage that 0 cou dnGt see. 0 %ept a ow pro!i e bac%stage and when it passed c ose enough 0 >apped it. 0 didnGt %now what to e5pect. Some new vi ian with the powers o! invisibi ity and mind contro 0 suppose. (hen 0 saw it was one o! the Borc 0 brought it to you.; 6"nd why3; 2ic% as%ed3 6Did you bring it to us8; 60 =ust %new that you had had previous contact with them. 0 thought that maybe you wou d %now... um and Dr .anagua is so smart3; .anon said nervous y. 60 to d her we !ound the Borc and we were hiding it !rom the CS") because they are dic%s.; Butch said. 6-hey rea y did treat you very shabbi y when you !irst tried to warn us. "nd they never too% you serious y about the danger the Borc posed.; .anon said supportive y. Dr. .anagua entered the meeting. 6/e is starting to come around. /eGs restrained now. 0Gve removed the poison tooth. 0 have his =aw sedated so he cannot bite or c ose his mouth e!!ective y. But he can spea% inte igib y i! you isten care!u y. (hat do you want to do8; .anon he d up two !ingers in a peace sign3 but then e ectricity started arcing up her !ingers i%e a JacobGs adder. 60Gm going to interrogate him o! course. /e is !uc%ing with my "untieGs brain and 0Gm going to !ind out why.; .anon went in and they immediate y saw that her hippy parenting had not had the desired e!!ect or at the very east it didnGt count when someone c ose to her was in danger. -he !irst thing she did when she entered the room with the prisoner is shoc% him in the crotch. 69ou %now what that is8; She as%ed. 6-hat is the e ectric shoc% 0Gm going to torture you with unti you give me any and a in!ormation 0 want.; 6Do your worst.; -he Borc so dier grunted. Everyone was Cuiet with shoc% at how readi y .anon had ta%en it to this p ace. Dr .anagua

stepped !orward. 6Borc physio ogy is not direct y ana ogous to human. -he crotch is a good target3 but his testic es are not the nerve bund e they are in human ma es. /owever he does have rough y ana ogous nerve bund es up in the crease between upper thigh and pe vis. (here humans wou d have their inguina ymph nodes.; 6-han% you Doctor.; .anon said "nd s id her hand up his eg to the right p ace and there was a ! ash and a sme o! o>one. D Chp. 2+ Aather than screaming the Borc sCuea ed i%e an in=ured pig. 2ot surprising when you thin% about it3 but Cuite a shoc% when one isnGt e5pecting it. 6-here we go. -hatGs the reaction 0 was oo%ing !or.; .anon said. 62ow what can you te me about your abi ity to be invisib e and contro peop eGs minds.; 60 donGt %now what youGre ta %ing about.; -he sweating !rightened Borc said in his s urred s oppy diction provided by not being ab e to comp ete y contro his mouth. 6)oo% guys3 0 =ust discovered 0 can do this.; She !irst he d up her thumb and !ore!inger an inch apart. hundreds o! itt e ightning bo ts passed bac% and !orth3 grounding in her ! esh. She too% ho d o! his itt e !inger and in a sp it second the !irst two %nuc% es were burned to ash between her !ingers. 6"s you can see. 0 am not ta%ing things s ow. (ou d you i%e to see i! 0 can ma%e your eyeba disappear in a pu!! o! steam8; 6@%3 0G ta %.; -he so dier said. 2ic% was surprised he asted even this ong. 6@n my be t3 there is a device that causes ight to be re!racted around you without re! ecting. 0! you move s ow y it wi ma%e you invisib e. !ast =er%y movements cause some b ur3 but even then you are moving pretty invisib y. -hat thing in the sma sheath that oo%s i%e a b uetooth receiver. (e shoot the brainpin into the sub=ect with a dart. -hen anything said into the headset goes into the sub=ects mind as i! it were their own idea. But it on y wor%s i! we are within si5teen !eet o! the sub=ect at a times. /ence the need !or invisibi ity.;

-hey tested the eCuipment and it a seemed to wor% precise y as the Borc had described. -he contro er cou dnGt be tested as no one was interested in vo unteering to be brainpinned. But Dr .anagua was ab e to arrange computer diagnostics that con!irmed it was e5act y what they had been to d. 62ow what do we do with it8; 2oni as%ed. 60 can shoc% him hard enough to erase his memory.; .anon said. 6" o! it8 )i%e wiping it c ean8 @r =ust recent8; 2oni as%ed. 6"re you sure you can8 "re you sure itG be permanent8; 2ic% as%ed. -hen he continued. 6Because 0 %now they have unusua y thic% s%u s. DonGt %now how that changes the game or even i! it does. 0 a so %now that we have no c ue about Borc neuro ogy. 0 am not as b oodthirsty as .anon and or itt e 2oni seem to be. But 0 donGt see any way !or us to tru y be sure no one wi !ind out is to %i him. .y !irst thought was !or me to ! y him up to the moon. /eG die o! e5p osive decompression and they wi never %now what happened. But my concern is they wi %now something happened. (e canGt =ust eave him in the road as that wi b ow the id o!! their presence and no one wants that at this point.; 6(e cou d stic% him in -ristam.; 2oni said. (ith no e5posure to any air he wou d dry cure rather than rot. -hen when their presence does become %nown we can =ust eave him on the street. Sure there wi be the mystery o! what happened but it wou dnGt be in%ed to us.; 6-hatGs disgusting.; -ristam said. 60 am not going to carry around a dead Borc inside my body !or months.; 6(e you cou d carry him ive.; 2oni said. 60Gm sure3 with a itt e practice3 you cou d ma%e a bubb e inside yourse ! big enough !or him. Change the air in it out when you breathe. But he wou d go comp ete y insane !rom the sensory deprivation a most certain y within =ust a !ew days.; .anon interrupted. 60! you guys can stop this horrib e discussion !or one minute.; She wa %ed over and shoc%ed the sobbing3 gibbering3 mad eyed Borc into unconciousness. 6Carry on.; She motioned them to continue.

6-hat was pretty rude o! us. -a %ing about it right in !ront o! him.; Butch said. 69ouGre te ing me. 9ou werenGt one o! the ones actua y doing it.; 2oni said. <emma was oo%ing at the BorcGs burnt !inger and said. 6.anon3 why not =ust !ry a o! him to ash. -hen itGs =ust a mysterious disappearance. Can you do that burning thing on that big o! a sca e8; .anon thought !or a second and said3 60 can abso ute y burn him3 or anything e se up with e ectricity. -hat speci!ic disintegration burning 0 do by crossing hundreds o! di!!erent arcs. 0 cou d probab y ho d my hands i%e they are going around the edge o! a arge p atter and initiate and ground di!!erent arcs in my hands.; She he d her hands up to demonstrate and sudden y the air between her hands was !i ed with a semi visib e g owing p ate o! criscrossing mini ightning bo ts. 60 wou d =ust need to run this a ong his body and it wou d ash it3 a most i%e dragging an eraser over him. But it wou d stin% to an insane degree. @>one and burning ! esh. But i! 0 did it outside or in a concrete room with industria air circu ation tech3 it probab y wou dnGt be insurmountab e.; 6(e do have a !ew rooms i%e that in bui dings 0 own around the area. 0 actua y own a crematorium oven uptown at a mortuary 0 own.; -ristam said. 60 do not suggest we ta%e him out o! here i! we donGt need to.; 2ic% said. 60 %now 0 was ta %ing about ! ying him to the moon3 but i! we can dispose o! him here3 that means thereGs no chance o! being caught or observed.; 6.y concern3; Jin began3 60s we donGt %now i! they have the abi ity to trac% his D2" and we are p anning to brea% him down to the mo ecu ar eve and spread him a over the wor d.; 60tGs a !uc%in Captain Seirra moment3 2ic%. (eGve seen "dmira 2ipp epants do it itGs time !or you to scoop up his ashes and crush them onto a diamond.; 2oni said. 60! 0 grant that 0 can do that3 because we have seen -he Captain crush carbon into diamond. 0 sti wou dnGt %now how.; 6"dd =ust a itt e bit o! water3 to ma%e a very thic% paste then sCuee>e it hard enough to sCuee>e a the water out !o owed by hard enough to ma%e a diamond.; 2oni said it as i! it was

obvious3 and it immediate y seemed that way. 6-here is sti going to be runo!!.; Jin said3 60! they can trac% his D2" there wi sti be samp es a over.; 6(e canGt e5pect comp ete evidence remova . 2ot down to the mo ecu ar eve . (e donGt have the techno ogy.; Dr. .anagua reminded them. 6But 0 see no evidence they do either. -hey pic%ed 2ic% up with a boardwa % s%i crane. 2ot on y do they not have tractor beams or matter transmission they donGt even have a device more assertive than gaming eCuipment. " net at the very east3 a asso8 -hey were ab e to capture 2ic% because he was curious and et them. -hat is not threatening high tech. 0 havenGt seen their eCuipment up c ose. But what 0 have seen doesnGt impress me. 9es they have an interste ar drive 0 wou d ove to get my hands on. But other than that one thing their techno ogy oo%s to be comparab e to ours3 maybe ess.; 6So we have to chance it.; Jin said3 resigned. 69es we do Jin. 0! we are going to enter this !ight we have to accept. "L -hat they outnumber us on a huge sca e Jus the team3 not us humansL. "nd BL 0! they pu some superadvanced science out o! their ass3 we wi not be ab e to thwart it. But we have superpowers and they donGt and at east !or now they donGt %now we are onto them. -hat is a surprise we have to ho d onto !or as ong as we can. 0 thin% 0 can wor% up some persona radar devices that can stop them getting c ose enough to use their invisib e puppet machines.; 6-hatGs something beyond our techno ogy.; Jin said. Q69es3 0 %now that. 0 can see it =ust i%e you. But !or a we %now they !ound invisib e puppet machines and an interste ar drive in a cave on their p anet3 e!t by super advanced e5p orer species be!ore the beginning o! their history.; Dr .anagua said. 6Do you rea y be ieve that8; Butch as%ed. 60 donGt be ieve anything3 not yet. -here isnGt enough in!ormation.; -he doctor said. 6;0t is a hypothesis that accounts !or a in!ormation we %now at this time. (hich means itGs =ust as i%e y as anything e se we cou d suggest at this point and more i%e y than anything that doesnGt cover a the

bases.; 2ic% spo%e up then. 6"ctua y that !its with everything 0Gve seen so !ar. 0 havenGt seen anywhere near enough to !orm an educated opinion. But the stu!! 0 have seen oo%ed a ot more i%e /o ywood o! the !i!ties than i%e Star (ars3 or even Dr (ho.; 6-hat wou d be !unny as he 0 have to admit.; -ristam said. 6Hor EarthGs !irst invasion to be !rom a ess technica y advanced species.; 6(atch out Earth ings3 we have mus%ets.; 2oni said and everyone aughed. 6.arve puny humans at our abi ity to harness the very energy o! the universe. "s we create... !ire.; <emma said3 and 2oni high !ived her. 69ouGre not going to thin% this is so !unny when they throw you in the stoc%s !or witchcra!t when they see your 0pod.; 2ic% said aughing. 60G thin% itGs !unnier3; 2oni said3 6Something can piss you o!! and upset you without you denying that itGs incredib y !unny.; 6"greed3; 2ic% said. D Chp. 2, -ristam was ab e to snea% out soon a!ter the biwee% y management meeting. /is va et assumed he was wor%ing through the night when he re eased him !or the evening3 but once he was assured Dr. .anagua was himse ! wor%ing a night in his ab3 so wou d be avai ab e shou d -ristam need anything3 he e!t satis!ied. -ristam used the passageways between the wa s any time he was wa %ing under his own power even when he had no reason to be ieve there was anyone on his ! oor o! the bui ding3 e5cept the Doc3 who he had no secrets !rom. -he passageways were a so the !astest way to the smo%estac%. -he giant chimney that mar%ed this bui ding a !actory a hundred years ago had supposed y been bric%ed up. Eighteen months be!ore he had had the inside scrubbed down3 when heGd gained his powers. @!!icia y it was to ensure that the soot and po utants never !ound their way out and into

the air or the ground water. 0n rea ity it was because his evitation turned the empty smo%estac% into his persona e evator to the roo!. /e wrapped himse ! in a sheet o! dirty white$brown$grey ! eece so he wou d oo% enough i%e a pu!! o! opaCue smo%e !rom the ground that he cou d scout around !or observers be!ore dropping it bac% down the inside. @nce again he was in the c ear3 no witnesses to be seen. /e ! oated a ong3 investigating and observing his town. 0t tru y did !ee i%e his town every bit as much as any sma town boy ever !e t oya ty to a tiny burg popu ated e5c usive y with %ith and %in. /is !atherGs !ami y had been iving in downtown )" !or !ive generations3 his motherGs !ami y !or three. /is !ami y had watched the spraw ing metropo is grow up around them. /is !irst ancestor in the area "do ph <o dmeer moved to the area in 1N'0 a !ew years be!ore the go drush that wou d ma%e him rich. /e was a geo ogist and importer in San Hrancisco who decided to move to )os "nge es with his teenaged daughter )i ian when his wi!e died. -he Bay ho ding too many pain!u memories. /e tried his hand as a gent eman !armer3 to no more than minor success. -he discovery o! go d in the area meant his s%i s in geo ogy and %now edge o! stone and soi became very much in demand. /e went into partnership with a miner who moved to the area in the <reat Aush. Ay>owy and <o dmeer were proud y shut out o! many dea s because o! their rampant ethnicity. But my grand!ather Binches Ay>owy became Beter <o d when he married )i ian <o dmeer. Choosing the name both to honor his !ather in aw and because that was the substance that he credited with a the =oy in his i!e. 0t had brought him to his wi!e and supp ied their every com!ort throughout their i!e. (hen the go d had a been ta%en and ta ied the <o ds were a modest y wea thy !ami y. Beter and )i ianGs son .orris went into and deve opment. But he did not thin% particu ar y big. /e was a good steward o! the !ami y !ortune3 but he didnGt grow it a that much. /is son .artin3 -ristamGs grand!ather was a sch ema>e to hear the !ami y te it. /e was a good man and a oving !ather but he was so chronica y un uc%y it was practica y a curse. /e ost near y a the !ami y money as he !ai ed at ha ! a do>en businesses. Hina y he went into case management at a home ess she ter. (here he was com!orted that there was a ways someone worse o!! than him and i! he became a

=o%e that every cup o! co!!ee or soup spi ed in the p ace somehow ended up on .arty <o d3 he sti had a modest but regu ar paychec% and the ove o! his community. -ristamGs !ather /aro d had a apartment bui ding and a sma =a>> record abe that he inherited direct y !rom his own grand!ather .orris3 bypassing his uc% ess !ather. "nd i%e .orris he ran them success!u y3 without any rea drive to grow too much. /e eventua y bought a second bui ding and ran both we enough to reinvest and %eep them in top mar%et condition. -his was he ped a itt e by the happenstance o! them both being in a neighborhood that remained gentri!ied without the !a to urban b ight so many )os "nge es neighborhoods cyc ed through in the hundred years between the twentieth and twenty !irst centuries. -he record abe was not so uc%y. 0t had become deva ued enough that -ristam was given it outright when he entered university to study !or his .B". /is !ather thought it wou d be a good rea wor d e5perience. "nd it was. Even with a arger than norma course oad he had turned the abe around in two years. -urning it into an a ternative hip hop abe . -argeting artists who were mi5ed race i%e himse ! Jwhi e -ristam was Jewish right the way bac%? "do phGs wi!e had been a Cuarter b ac%. BeterGs mother was Siberian and grew up in a yurt3 she converted when she married. .orris married a gir who was part 2ative "merican. .artyGs wi!e was B ac% with an 0nuit grandmother. and -ristamGs own mother was B ac%3 Chinese3 Spanish and <ree%.L Starting with a coup e Chasidic rappers o! mi5ed Sephardic$"sh%ena>i descent. B us a guy who was incorporating his grand!atherGs -uvan throat singing into his beats. /is !irst big star was a )atina$4enyan who started o!! as a se5ua y charged rapper at 1N and 1* and had moved into more o! a dubstep$ARB ba adeer by 2&. "nd Husion Aecords had birthed Husion Hoods and !ina y co ard green chow mein and tandoori bacon ti%%a were avai ab e at supermar%ets across the country. -ristam wor%ed 1+ to 20 hour days and in time became !abu ous y wea thy. But he a so had a medica y mysterious constitution that caused him to %eep gaining weight regard ess o! diet and a hand!u o! persona trainers. /e was over !ive hundred pounds when he reached 21. (hen he hit 32 he moved onto a motori>ed hospita bed. /e never e!t that bed e5cept !or the toi et and shower

unti he gained his powers through irradiated diet sha%es si5 years ater. /e had ived a over this city and he !e t that provided him with thorough predetermined maps without being predictab e to his enemies. /e wou d ! y a ong the route he wou d ta%e to his great grandparentGs house. -hen over to his dadGs dad3 then his materna great grandparents. /eGd bisect the city with a straight shot to the e ementary schoo he attended. -hen over to the !irst de i owned by the !ami y o! Cantor Eddie who taught chorus at the yeshiva where he went !or the ast two years o! high schoo . -he andmar%s went on and on in his private memories and they criss: crossed his be oved city and made him !ee i%e he was doing the most thorough patro possib e !or someone ac%ing specia hearing. 2ic% too% care o! patro ing whi e uti i>ing specia hearing and Jin and Butch were at the o!!ice covering the po ice radio and any phone ca s that came in. " o! them had a !ie d agents on <BS and he wou d be ca ed in !or bac%up or dispatched to a potentia scene3 i! anyone heard anything he might be o! he p with. /e was ha !way between the home o! his best !riend in seventh grade and the gir that went to his !irst dance with him when he heard an a arm and went to investigate. /e !ound a young woman with mu tip e contusions o! the !ace and body craw ing bac% into a arge we appointed home. -he burg ar a arm going cra>y. (hen he anded ne5t to the woman she screamed and said3 62ot you tooF; 60 assure you maGam. 0 have no connection to your assai ants. .y name is the "moeba and 0Gm here to he p.; -ristam said. 6-hatGs the same thing he said. But he was =ust with the other guy.; She moaned. 6then he chased me through my house and right into the other guys trap. -hey did this to me. -hen they threw me through my !rench doors and o!! the ba cony. -hey said theyGd rape me ne5t whether 0 ived or not.; 6(hy are you going bac% into the house8; -ristam as%ed. 6-hereGs a panic room in my o!!ice on the other side o! the !oyer and 0 thin% they might sti be upstairs.; she said.

-ristam !ormed into a shie d over her and wa %ed her into the o!!ice? then became a wa between her and the door whi e she opened the panic room3 entered and oc%ed up. She warned him as the doors c osed that her younger brother wou d be home in about !i!teen minutes. "s the door atched he !e t severa high ca ibre s ugs enter his bac%. 0n an instant his !ace was on the other side. /e was sti wor%ing on a ot o! his tric%s3 but the instantaneous !ront to bac% switch was down pat. /e didnGt a ow his shoc% at seeing a po ice o!!icer !iring on him to !ree>e him as it might have a !ew months ago when he !irst started. /e shot out a pseudopod o! putty ! esh that grabbed the o!!icerGs gun and ! owed over immobi i>ing that hand. 60 am the "moeba and 0 am p acing you under citi>enGs arrest !or the crimes o! brea%ing and entering3 aggravated assau t3 battery and terroristic threat. (ait3 you a so shot me twice3 not %nowing it wou dnGt harm me so weG add attempted murder.; -he o!!icer pu ed at his unusua bonds. -ristam didnGt have super strength. " though he was stronger than norma simp y because he was bigger than norma and had e5perience moving that bu %. /is on y powers were evitation3 which he had no use !or in this case and the abi ity to change the consistency o! his ! esh !rom iCuid ate5 to hard rubber or c ay and through that3 the shape o! his body. -he o!!icer was he d immobi e because his hand and soon the ower ha ! o! his arm was encased in what !e t i%e ga vani>ed rubber that wou dnGt re ease him and the !act the "moeba weighed over !ourteen hundred pounds. -ristam e5truded his phone that he was carrying in his body and dia ed it with a sma !inger i%e pseudopod. /e dia ed emergency services and reported the situation. /e re eased the o!!icer into the custody o! his !e ows. /is accomp ice or accomp ices got away. -ristam earned that !irst they had entered the house vio ent y. Bossib y with others coming in through other doors or windows. -he po iceman presented himse ! +:N minutes ater as a rescuer. -his enab ed them to ta%e physica custody o! the woman. (ho they beat severe y. 0t was not present y c ear i! they had thrown her over the ba cony amidst threats. (hich wou d have been wi ing y and !oo ish y giving up physica custody3 or the more i%e y she !e over the ba cony in

the midst o! !ighting !or her !reedom and they ye ed threats to attempt to continue the !iction that they were in contro o! the situation. -ristam a so %new that it was very un i%e y the croo%ed cop wou d be punished at a and i! he was it wou d be much ess than a civi ian. But as ong as he remained committed to he ping !rom within the ru e o! aw there was nothing he cou d do e5cept turn over the suspect3 ma%e sure the authorities %new where to contact him and promised to turn in a report. -ristam had ta%en a security guard c ass to insure that he understood his rights and powers as a citi>en. 0t e5p ained how to do a citi>enGs arrest. 0t a so e5p ained the Kobserve and reportG standard security o!!icers wor%ed to. /e was not reCuired to !i e a report o! what happened. But he %new how to !i one out and !e t it was appropriate to he p the authorities in this way with any arrest he made. (ith one ast chec% to ma%e sure the victim didnGt need him3 -ristam too% to the air to continue his patro . /e ca ed in to report to headCuarters to e5p ain his whereabouts and what had transpired. -his was not the on y crime he thwarted that evening3 but the others were more a ong the ine o! !ights being bro%en up and screaming arguments mediated. 2othing !urther that reCuired arrest or ega inter!erence. " part o! him assumed it was unhea thy that he was com!orted so much by ! ying around his city parenting everyone but he cou dnGt he p how he !e t and he gave himse ! a brea%. 0tGs how he had been raised. /is !ami y had a ways had a sense o! nob esse ob ige when it came to their neighbors. /e didnGt have any need to over ana y>e it. D Chp. 2N Butch tapped on JinGs bac% and when he g anced over she indicated he shou d turn o!! into an a ey and par%. She too% her he met o!! as he raised his visor. 6(hat8; /e as%ed. 6(eGre here.; She said3 surprised he wou d even as%. 62o3 he said .angrove; Jin said.

6/e said .an!red. 1'32 .an!red. 0 remembered because my grandmotherGs handyman$house%eeperGs name is .an!red. 0 on y met him once3 but 0G never !orget. /e has no concept o! persona space so he stands %issing distance !rom you and eans even c oser to te his racist =o%es and anecdotes. (hich 0 a ways !ound odd since he %new !u we 0 have a cousin with three mu tiracia babies. -hough thin%ing o! it 0 thin% 0 have my answer. -hey did a have the same dad. but he e!t her every time she got pregnant so 0 thin% <randmother saw a owing his comments as a passive aggressive airing o! her disapprova . "nyway3 this is the right p ace. "re we going in or going up the side.; 67p the side3 but not the !ire escape. 0Gve been to this bui ding3 there is an e ectricians adder that goes up the side by the bac% corner. 0t goes past the circuit bo5es and the meters. But i! you are right about it being this bui ding then 0 %now how weGre going to get in3 and probab y even into the o!t where itGs a going to happen.; Jin said. 6/ow come you %now so much8 9ou didnGt even %now what bui ding we were going to3 now sudden y you have the b ueprints in your pants.; Butch as%ed3 surprised. 6(e they are two di!!erent s%i sets. 4nowing your way around Bui ding " is not the same as %nowing i! Bui ding " is a crime scene. Because o! my years on the street 0 %now my way around any bui ding within a !ive mi e radius o! headCuarters and a !ew others that =ust happened to be in p aces 0 had reason to go !reCuent y.; 6So this is what3 human tra!!ic%ing8 Chi d pornography. (hat are we doing that needs to be done by pub ic de!enders rather than the po ice8; Butch as%ed. 6She was one o! Sunstars rape victims. /e dropped her o!! with human tra!!ic%ers with the caveat that she is out o! the country by ten tonight.; Jin said. 6/o y shit.; Butch answered. 6 0 was !uc%ing around. 0 thought it was another cheating husband or industria espionage.; 60 to d you as soon as -ristam gave the " ternates our headCuarters bui ding itGs being run as a charity and we donGt have to ta%e any wor% outside3 detective3 persona appearance3 or anything

e se. (e are now emp oyed by the !oundation and our =ob is !ighting !or whatever seems important to us at the time. Such as busting a !e ow hero.; Butch didnGt s ow down what she was doing3 but she too% a moment to augh Cuiet y to herse !. SheGd been moc%ing Jin in her head !ive minutes ago !or not being ab e to %eep the address straight3 and she didnGt even %now what the assignment was. 62ow that you %now whatGs at sta%e3 are you certain itGs .an!red8; Jin as%ed. 6Comp ete y certain.; Butch said as they !ound the adder and started c imbing. 0t was a stee adder bo ted to the wa every other rung. 6-his doesnGt crea% at a .; Butch said as she was about ten !eet up and Jin c imbed up behind. 6-hatGs why itGs so much better !or snea%ing3 itGs proper y and permanent y rooted to the wa . Hire escapes crea% so bad because there is so much sCuare !ootage going out !rom the anchors. -his adder doesnGt come out !rom the wa more than 3 or ' inches.; Shrew said. D Chp.2* <emma and 2oni werenGt grounded anymore3 but their mother was sti not happy with them. She wanted them to go to schoo and try to have as norma o! a i!e as they cou d. She pre!erred that heroing be something they =ust did on wee%ends or even better put it o!! comp ete y unti a!ter university and then =ust do it as a hobby. (hen she !ound out they were ! ying around patro ing and s%ipping severa periods she grounded them !or two wee%s. -hey had given her overnight to ca m down and had come bac% with a detai ed p an o! how they cou d do their schoo wor% on ine through one o! severa on ine charter schoo s. -his wou d inc ude some virtua c asses where they had a teacher and c assmates in rea time with everyone con!erenced together over the schoo version o! S%ype3 and other c asses that cou d be comp eted on ine at their convenience. -hey were ab e to disp ay how this might assist them in getting ear y admission to university. "nd !ina y they !e bac% on the !act that they were si5teen3 had super powers3 and a ready had signed up with a team that wou d et them ive in the headCuarters bui ding

so the on y reason she had any input in their decisions was their ove and respect !or her caused them to want her input3 but it wasnGt necessary. -heir mother was a consummate pragmatist and rea ist. She too% their suggestions with an open mind3 i! not necessari y good humor. Hearing !or their socia i>ation she insisted on meeting Butch and .anon as the two peers most i%e y to in! uence them. she a so insisted that they do si5 hours a wee% tutoring at the boys and gir s c ub so theyGd have wider socia connections than -he " ternates and .anon. -hey !ought to get it on ine because o! their recogni>ab e physiCue. -hey tried to e5p ain that the argument that they were not <emini was basica y po itica and no one too% it entire y serious y. Hina y <emma convinced her sister that they wou d =ust have to hope the !irst time it became c ear that they endangered the other students with their presence it wou d be a situation they cou d hand e and the esson cou d be pain ess y earned. 0n the end a dea was struc%3 though not entire y happi y on either side and their mother repea ed their grounding. -his was why they !ound themse ves patro ing the air above the city about an hour be!ore sundown. -hey wore their recent y comp eted costume. it was based on a grecian tunic. as that had an open nec% ine convenient to their dua nec%. it was white with a go d be t and a go d gemini symbo embroidered on. -hey had gone with a cu otte bottom that oo%ed i%e a s%irt3 but sti was bi!urcated to stop it !rom b owing upward in an embarrassing !ashion. 0t was comp eted with green domino mas%s to concea their identity. 6<emma3 where are we8; 2oni said oo%ing down. 6Downtown8 0Gm not sure. 0 cou d get us bac% to <rammaGs no prob em and cou d get us to headCuarters3 /o ywood3 the airport. But the chun% o! city be ow us is not !ami iar to me.; <emma rep ied. 60Gm sure that the peop e down there wou d be thri ed to %now their protectors see them as !ace ess interchangeab e drones.; 2oni said. 60 didnGt say that.; <emma said. 6/mmm3 0 guess 0 did.; 2oni said. -hen there was a gunshot. 6/ead down over there.; She

to d her sister3 who was a ready descending. -heyGd been !ired on twice by the time they touched down. @ne 2oni s apped out o! the air. -he other she crossed her eg over <emmaGs and caught it on her shin. "s a ways the !act that the shots happened to ta%e p ace on <emmaGs side as we as it sti being unc ear how hard it was to hurt her =ust pissed 2oni o!!. " 2oni needed to %now was her sister was not invu nerab e i%e she was3 and she was being !ired on. So she was in a !ren>y when they touched ground. 6" right !uc%er3 give me one reason 0 shou dnGt ma%e you eat that gun.; -he gunman c utched his weapon in one hand and a sma chi d in the other. -he %id was crying3 but not strugg ing. -here were severa bruises and b oody areas where the chi d had i%e y been struc% to subdue them. 6/eGs got a hostage.; <emma announced. " itt e scared o! her sisterGs impu siveness. 6(e can be on him by the time he can point the gun and 0 can have his hand o!! be!ore he can pu the trigger.; Sudden y she was ho ding a arge curved ghur%a %ni!e. 6(here did you get that8; <emma as%ed. 60Gve had it !or years3 so 0G assume you meant why is it with me now. 0 grabbed it rea Cuic% on the way out o! the house. Hor e5act y this sort o! situation.; 2oni rep ied. <emma was surprised and not speci!ica y p eased that her sisterGs idea o! Krea Cuic%G now meant !aster than the eye cou d trac% and so smooth she didnGt notice it3 even sharing a body. 60Gd isten to her. SheGs ma%ing a ot o! sense.; <emma to d the man. 6Daddy3 why8 (hy daddy3 why8; -he chi d moaned. -hey seemed too she shoc%ed to scream3 which made their Cuestion creepier. 2ot to mention the creepiness o! the content. 6-his is your %id8; 2oni as%ed3 disgusted. 6/eGs no %id o! mine. -hatGs what his bitch mom a ways said. But she was such a whore any random !uc%er on the street is more i%e y to be his dad.; -he man said sha%ing the %id by his co ar. )east now they %new the %ids se5. K"ctua y a surpriseG <emma thought to herse !

6@h come on3; 2oni said. 6)et me waste the stain. 9ou %now 0 can throw this too.; She brandished the %ni!e. 69ou remember a those days ast summer that you stood in the bac%yard painting the grape arbor whi e 0 practiced throwing this. 0! 0Gm throwing it with an arm that swings near the speed o! sound. -his cou d cut him in ha !.; 6Do:the:gonGt ta :the:gaw% a:the:ga:bow:the:gout %i:the:gi :i:the:ging hi:the:gim i:the:gin !ro:the:gont o:the:go! the:the:ga %i:the:gid.; <emma said. te ing her KdonGt ta % about %i ing him in !ront o! the %idG. 0n the pre!erred gibberish anguage o! their chi dhood. 60! 0 canGt say it. that puts the %ibosh on doing it3 0 guess.; 2oni said. 6Du:the:guh.; <emma rep ied. 6Dude3; 2oni said3 6/ow bout you put down the gun and the %id3 be!ore you or my sister does something that pisses me o!! so much 0 ta%e us a down.; 6Huc% no.; -he guy said. 60 %new. 0 wou dnGt ma%e it out a ive when 0 decided to do this. -he p an is suicide by cop. -he %id isnGt a hostage. /eGs a hera d. -hreaten him to %eep you osers o!! my ass. Cops show up. 0 send him on ahead to te /e 0Gm on my way and then they send me to !o ow him.; 6(hy8; <emma as%ed. 60Gm chec%ing out because 0 am not going to ive with the humi iation o! what his bitch mom did to me. /eGs coming because 0 wou dnGt ta%e bets on him being ab e to survive in her house without me. "nd even i! he did3 she doesnGt deserve him.; <emma saw immediate y that this guy was bad mouthing the %id =ust a moment ago3 and thought he was probab y pretty cra>y. " moment ater she rea i>ed he didnGt bad mouth the %id3 but his paternity and his wi!e. /e used thought ess termino ogy but never said he didnGt ove the %id. /e was sti abso ute y cra>y. But his a!!ection !or the %id might be rea and there!ore usab e. -hen the moment was ruined by the arriva o! Sunstar. 67nhand that chi d3 cri: what the !uc% are you8; he !inished catching sight o! the twins. 6/ave you never seen a pair o! con=oined twins be!ore8; 2oni as%ed3 shoc%ed.

6"ctua y 0 KavenGt. But thatGs not what you are. 9ouGre a damned two headed gir .; /e rep ied. 6(e regard ess3 you can move right a ong .iss Sunshine. (eGve got this.; 2oni said3 ma%ing a KshooG move with her hand. 6)eave it to the pro!essiona s3 !rea%. 0 doubt they teach aw en!orcement procedure in a circus sideshow.; Sunstar said condescending y. 6"nd 0Gm sure the eotard store is basica y po ice academy.; <emma said -he crimina aughed a itt e at that one3 then said. 62obody is ta%ing me in. 9ou two are %ids. "nd this one isnGt even bu et proo! when his sun shie d is down.; -he sisters hadnGt thought o! that. 6But you need to have your sunshie d on to be ab e to ! y. So you turned it o!!3 when !aced with a gun wie ding crimina .; 62ot intentiona y. But 0 was a itt e shoc%ed when 0 saw my perp ta %ing to a circus !rea%.; /e said. "s he was spea%ing3 2oni was mumb ing to her sister. Be!ore he !inished they dropped to 2oniGs side and she pic%ed up a bott e3 and had hit Sunstar right above his ear !aster than the human eye cou d trac%. /e earned !irst hand that when throwing things3 super speed eCua ed super strength. /e crump ed to the ground. -he crimina re eased the boy and dropped his gun. Both actions done s ow y as he stared dumb!ounded at the unconscious pub ic de!ender. S ow y his mouth c osed then he said3 69ou gir s have bigger prob ems than me now.; /is voice was s ow and care!u . 6Battery on one o! the CS"). -hey might spin this into attempted murder.; /e sat down right on the ground and put his hands on his head. -he boy3 moving !rom terri!ied to concerned %ne t beside the man and whispered to him. 6-his is some very bad shit.; /e made noises as the boy ta %ed to him and it was obvious he cou d hear and understand3 but he said nothing more. 2ot on y nothing to the twins but no obvious words to anyone. -he po ice were soon there3 they pic%ed up both crimina and his son. 2ow that he was so

doci e3 the po ice were surprising y gent e. But that was not the end to the twinsG prob ems. D Chp. 30 69ou busted SunstarGs head with a bott e8; -ristam as%ed. 0t was obvious he thought it was great but was a so !orcing himse ! to ta%e the situation serious y. 60t was a spur o! the moment thing. .ore than anything it was intended to point out he came into a dangerous situation and immediate y dropped his shie d. But 0 was pissed and 0 am new to my powers. 0Gm not ma%ing e5cuses3 =ust te ing you what happened. But with his shie d up heGs invu nerab e with mu tip e sun based powers. (ith it down he is a norma guy. So he goes into a situation with a gunman ho ding a minor hostage and he immediate y drops his shie d.; 2oni said3 getting wor%ed up again. 60 shou d have never gone a ong with it.; <emma said3 oo%ing gui ty and agitated. 6Do not !a into that trap o! termina responsibi ity3 sis. (e got out o! it anyway.; 2oni said. 69ou canGt e5pect that to happen every time.; 2ic% said straining to %eep a straight !ace and !irm voice. 69ou are not one to ta %. 9ou threw down with Sunstar ast wee%. -he on y reason the cops werenGt brought in is he was embarrassed that an o d man had %ic%ed his ass. /eGs no more i%e y to be ca ing the authorities on us.; <emma said. 6"nd on top o! that 0 %now you a most threw down with Captain Sierra himse ! on -hursday.; 60! they want a !eud 0 say we give it to them.; 2oni added. 6@! course you do3; -ristam said. 69ouGre si5teen. DonGt ta%e this as condescending3 but you are e5act y where you shou d be. But sad y3 most o! the CS")3 a though adu ts3 are e5act y at that same eve . Sunstar started with you3 he started with 2ic%3 /e has ca ed me a !at %y%e !aggot more than 0 cou d count. /e says worse to the Shrew3 !or being actua y gay. Someone has to ta%e the high road. Sunstar is we %nown as a racist3se5ist3 anti:semitic3 homophobic assho e. (ho has

ta%en the advent o! his powers as a reason to actua y get worse !rom his time as a high schoo bu y. /e has se5ua y assau ted women heGs saved. /eGs poc%eted money and goods !rom thieves and crimina s heGs busted. But he doesnGt do it a the time and heGs a Knationa heroG so his supposed 1goodness1 is above Cuestion. /e =ust gets a !ree pass. Captain Sierra3 not as bad but he at east has the s%ewed mora ity o! the white mainstream in the nineteen thirties. /e abso ute y has a simi ar egotism that says when he does it it canGt be wrong no matter what.; 2ic% =umped in then. 6Be ieve me 0 understand the urge to punch their smug itt e smi es o!! their !aces. 0Gm not even going to mora y censure you. 0 donGt be ieve what youGd i%e to do is even wrong. But it is a bad idea. (e need to ta%e the high road3 as -ristam says. (e need to ma%e an e!!ort3 because they wonGt. "nd a superhuman !eud has too much possibi ity o! co atera damage o! innocent peop e and their property.; 6<uys3 !ocus upF; Jin ye ed. /e pointed at the arge wa monitor. "s they a oo%ed at it Jin

put his computer !eed through the networ% and it c ic%ed on. 60n a comp ete y unprovo%ed attac%3 handicapped superpowered teen and on y iving two headed gir 3 <emini Aose attac%ed CS") /ero Sunstar and interrupting him mid:heroics and a most enab ing an armed %idnapper to escape.; 6)ying sac% o! shitF; 2oni said. 6(e Sierra is the news director at that station.; 2ic% said. -his derai ed the conversation !or severa minutes because the twins didnGt %now that. (hich ed to other Ksecret K identities they didnGt %now. (hich brie! y moved onto the tangent o! a !ew they did %now. .inor heroes theyGd heard o! through their momGs connections to the rea m o! academia3 speci!ica y3 app ied Bhysics and Engineering both !ie ds that had a high concentration o! se ! made super humans. (hen they returned to the origina sub=ect <emma remembered that they needed to ca a press con!erence. 6-o ca that reporter a ying sac% o! shit and out Sierra8; 2oni as%ed. 69es and no3 %ind o!3 and no.; <emma said3 69es about him ying3 but not so much about his

rea ies. (e did promise ourse ves that even though we are the on y twins o! our type a ive today3 we are going to deny that we are <emini comp ete y and no matter what.; 6Coo 3; 2oni said. 6But are we ca ing a press con!erence as us to deny weGre <emini or as <emini to deny theyGre us8; 67s. <emini doesnGt ta % to the press.; <emma said. 6Sorry3 0 didnGt %now that.; 2oni rep ied sarcastica y to her sister. D Chp. 31 69ou are the on y two headed gir a ive today. Bossib y the on y one who is proper y proportioned ever. "nd you e5pect us to be ieve that you are not <emini3 a two headed metahuman who is eCua y appropriate y proportioned.; -he same reporter who had o!!ended them on -I was now at their press con!erence. -hey had agreed <emma wou d ta%e the ead. She was much more i%e y to be ca m and ogica . 6Sir. we are o!!ended. (e are not a two headed gir . -hat is one entity with e5tra parts. " three armed woman cou d e5ist3 perhaps. 7n ess that e5tra arm had a persona ity with thoughts and dreams o! its own she wou d be a sing e entity. (e are con=oined twins. (e have separate heads3 hearts and most y separate interna organs. (e each can on y !ee our ha ! o! the body and a ine a ong the midd e o! about an inch. (e are not a sing e entity and to c aim we are is incredib y o!!ensive. "nd Kproper y proportionedG8 (ho decides whatGs proper8 9ou8 9ou %now who e se set themse ves up to decide which individua s were a owed to be peop e and what was proper8 -he 2a>is3 thatGs who. So 0Gm very g ad my sister and 0 have passed your =udgement and we wonGt have to be gassed. Just how ong have you !e t that those who werenGt proper y proportioned shou d be gassed. Does your news station %now they sent a eugenicist out to our press con!erence. -hey do now3 0G wager.; -he =ourna ist was eager y trying to de!end himse ! but so many others were ta %ing and the twins were be broadcast oud enough to ma%e his argument e!!ective y destroyed.

2oni3 patted <emma com!orting y3 and said. 60 apo ogi>e !or my sister3 she is understandab y upset. Do any o! you have Cuestions that donGt Cuery our personhood or our right to e5ist8; " =ourna ist raised her hand and 2oni indicated she may spea% ne5t. 6(hat 0 be ieve we a want to %now is3 the two o! you are con=oined twins o! a very speci!ic type. -his is rare to the point o! it being a rea possibi ity that you are the on y ones on earth.; 6Aight. -here is one potentia answer to your Cuestion. @n Earth. (hat evidence do we have that <emini is not an a ien. Bossib y !rom a wor d where dicepha ic paragenous twins is the norm. @r possib y one o! the heads is a comp ete y separate i!e !orm that is =ust perched on the shou der o! itGs sister. .aybe in each !ami y on y the !irstborn has a humanoid body and the rest are =ust !ree heads. (e have no way o! %nowing who <emini is3 we can on y say who <emini isnGt. "nd even then the on y peop e we can say de!initive y that <emini is not is us. Hor a we %now maybe <emini is a two headed gir 3 and not con=oined twins at a .; <emma said. "nother =ourna ist ca ed out3 6Do you have any comment on the !act that <emini has the e5act same hair and eye co or as yourse ves3 as we as s%in co or and the ventra head is turned toward the center by !ive percent3 =ust as yours is8; 6(hy does a particu ar individua have a speci!ic s%in co or8; <emma responded. 60 wi not even digni!y such an o!!ensive Cuestion with a rep y.; D Chp. 32 2ic% wasnGt speci!ica y surprised when Captain Sierra interrupted him on patro . "s he ! ew over the city3 the other hero appeared out o! nowhere grabbed his shirt and ! ew him up to sub: orbita space. Be!ore pushing him away and g aring at him. /is eyes practica y g owing red with anger. 6(e need to ta %.; /e grow ed3 g aring at 2ic%. 2ic% considered te ing him to !uc% o!!3 then ! ying away to resume his patro . /owever3 he was o d enough to be pragmatic even whi e he was ivid y angry. /e %new that Sierra wou d not drop it no matter how ong it too% unti he got what he wanted. " so he was at east a bit curious as

to what e5act y this was about. 6Hine3 ta %.; 6-his is ridicu ous. Bub ic !ighting between us. 0tGs humi iating even !or you.; Sierra said. 6Even !or me8 (hat do you mean by that8 0 have !ought physica y with Sunstar3 who started it and is a border ine sociopathic narcissist and 0 have been drawn into verba and print arguments with you. " o! which you started and you are a meg omaniac who the best thing 0 cou d say about you is your heart seems to be in the right p ace when dea ing with civi ians. 9ou are too arrogant to treat them i%e peop e but you donGt seem to wish them harm.; 6DonGt seem to wish them harm8 0 am the sing e greatest protector o! humans on earth.; 6Bhysica y3 you are admitted y up near the top o! the ist. " though i! you counted acts rather than numbers you are no better than hundreds o! po ice o!!icers or so diers3 who =ust donGt have the resources to save a who e p ane3 train or cruise iner that you do. "nd incident !or incident you are !ar behind even an average !ire!ighter3 paramedic3 or surgeon. But beyond physica y3 you being a news director o! a paper and AES 2ewsG !avorite ce ebrity gives you the opportunity to win most consistent y !a acious news pro!essiona 3 and pub ic !igure in both number o! outright ies and severity. -his !rom an average o! si5 !act chec%ing organi>ations a year. 9ou have said <ay schoo teachers are &00 times more i%e y to mo est a student. 9ou said ,NP o! tattooed peop e were convicted rapists3 and that statistic was =ust the ones that had been caught. 9ou said that .us ims were regu ar y %i ing baby gir s in "merica3 because in the current economic c imate on y boys were worth !eeding. 9ou reported that ess than one in !ive prisoners were b ac% men even though they commited over !i!ty percent o! crimes. " very bad statistic to get reversed. " issues that might have been written o!! and !orgotten but you have never3 in more than !i!ty years3 ever3 admitted you had made a mista%e.; 6-hatGs !or them3 a o! them. -he peop e o! earth need to be ieve that it is possib e to be per!ect. -o be so consumed with the desire to do good that you itera y cannot !ai . 0! 0 were to ma%e a mista%e it wou d devastate them3 and right y so.; Sierra said. 6But you have made mista%es3; 2ic% countered. 6.any mista%es. 9ou have made bad ca s

with vi ains that %i ed innocents3 you have ied %nowing y to thousands. -hat itt e bu shit scam to try to ma%e me be your understudy. " o! those were outrageous mista%es.; 6DonGt even mention the o!!er 0 made you.; Sierra said. 60t sic%ens me to thin% about a the good we cou d have done i! you hadnGt been so se !ish and egotistica .; 69eah3 you ma%e me sic% too.; 2ic% rep ied3 smir%ing a itt e. 6-his is getting tiresome Seaver. 0s there nothing that 0 can say to convince you to eash that band o! thugs and g oryhounds you associate with3 and get them to put the we being o! the citi>ens be!ore their own power trips8; 6-he !act that this who e discussion has =ust been an e5ercise in you trans!erring a the worst things you %now about your own peop e onto mine shows that you wi never be capab e o! reasonab e e5change. So 0 guess3 game onF; /e turned and ! ew away. /e private y admitted to himse ! he was %ind o! g ad to have the uno!!icia !eud made o!!icia . D Chp. 33 (hi e 2ic% had his use ess argument with Captain Sierra3 the twins were arguing with their mother about schoo 3 an argument they had thought was over. 60 donGt care what your !riends do.; -he pro!essor said. 60 am not their mother. But my daughters are !inishing high schoo .; 6Certain y .other3 no one is arguing that. But doing charter schoo on ine is !inishing high schoo . this isnGt i%e the charter schoo s o! twenty years ago. -his isnGt something to get us through the <ED. -his is an award winning education. (e wi have rea time c asses on s%ype with a ive teacher and ive c assmates we can ta % to. 0t wi a so a ow !or se ! paced study that we can do any time so we wou d be ab e to patro .; 60 donGt want to hear about patro ing3; -he Bro!essor said. 69ou are going to co ege.; 60 understand what youGre saying and no one is disagreeing3 6 2oni said. 6But .other3 we on y have one body between us and we have superhuman powers. 2ot to mention we ove the wor%. 0 %now 0 have never been happier then when patro ing the city with <emma. 0t is the most !un3 the

most e5citing and the most rewarding thing 0 have ever done. Both o! us agree with going to co ege. But that is !or something to do in addition to3 not instead o! heroing.; 69ou have been heard. But 0 re!use to et that in! uence your schoo ing at this point. 9ou are sti minors and sti bound to my decisions about what is best !or you.; 6"nd being teased and pic%ed on is your choice8; 2oni said. 60 %now you have had e5periences =ust as bad as ours. 9our strength was a great mode !or us in those times. But wou dnGt it be better to avoid it a together. @n ine we are =ust twins. 2ot con=oined twins. (ith sing e handed %eyboards we can do our own wor% and have an independent schoo i!e in a way we can never have in the ! esh.; 69ou %now 0 hate the inconvenience your sing e body causes you.M -he pro!essor said matter o! !act y. MBut =ust i%e the physica discom!ort you get sometimes !rom having such a crowded thora5 or !rom <emmaGs s ight y turned spine. But the way things are is the way things are. "nd there is no reason to pretend to be someone you are not.; 2oni continued3 6"nd we have had ten years o! schoo as a !rea%3 and 1+ years o! i!e. 0 %now you donGt i%e that word. But 0Gm proud o! it3 =ust i%e 0Gm proud o! everything e se about us. 0 ove being with <emma. But there is no reason not to do our ast year and a ha ! o! schoo without mentioning things strangers donGt need to %now. Can you imagine how that wou d be !or us. -o have an area o! our ives where the !act we share a body cou d be our private business.; 0t was c earshe was bringing up issues the Bro!essor hadnGt thought o!. 60G thin% about it.; -he Bro!essor said3 in c osing3 but in such a way that they were pretty sure theyGd won. (ho %new with her though. -hey had p ans with .anon and Butch ater but since they were the newest to their powers and the team. B us they wanted to ma%e a good impression. 2ot to mention they were the daughters o! the Bro!essor3 so they were care!u to practice at east two hours a day. .astering their own abi ities and earning to wor% in tandem. "!ter practice the twins put on their b ac% =eans and their red eather =ac%et. <emma wanted to

wear the new madras shirt their grandmother had gotten them. "s anything not buttoned had to be a tered to have two co ars. 2oni rea y wanted to wear the grey sweater with the bare midri!!. Since she was right when she said she was sure sheGd seen 2ana !inishing up a tering it. -hey !inished the out!it o!! with matching sung asses and hats. Sti p aying their incognito game3 a though they were sti the on y twins o! their %ind and they were p anning on ! ying. 2oni said i! they were seen ! ying then they were <emini incognito. 0! not3 then they were Jemima and "ntoinette3 trying not to be mista%en !or <emini. .anon ! ew Butch and <emma ! ew 2oni. (hen they anded Butch said3 6H ying in that e ectromagnetic !ie d a ways ma%es my ears and teeth !ee bu>>y. "nd 0Gm pretty sure a my pubic hair !e o!! !rom e ectro ysis.; 6(hy =ust your pubic hair8; 2oni as%ed. 6Because we can see the hair on my head is sti there and 0 !e t it deep in my gut i%e a period cramp too.; Butch said. 60! youGre going to be ta %ing about your gir period ta % to <emma.; 2oni said3 turning her head away. 62oni has body issues.; <emma said. 69ou donGt need to say that in !ront o! them.; 2oni said bac% 60Gm sorry. But i%e 0Gve said a hundred times. 0tGs youGre period3 every bit as much as itGs mine. (e on y have one.; <emma said. 6@ne period or one treasure bo58; Butch as%ed. 6Both.; <emma said. 6(e have three ovaries and two uteruses i%e a cat. But we on y have one vagina.; 6Can you p ease not use that word. "nd can we p ease not discuss this =ust out in the open i%e itGs nothing.; 2oni was obvious y getting upset. So whi e the other three got oo%s on their !aces that they were =ust as bothered by her having this big o! a prob em with something a o! them had and dea t with every month they shut up and changed the sub=ect.

6.anon and 0 were ta %ing. She suggested we stea Sunstars ring. -hen she too% it bac% and !e t gui ty. 0 was hoping the three o! us cou d peer pressure her.; Butch said. 69ou %now how to get SunstarGs ring8; <emma as%ed. 6)etGs get that !uc%.; 2oni said. 6/eGs power ess without it3 right8; 6/e can sti ca it3 and it can get as hot as the sun to burn itGs way out o! wherever itGs trapped.; .anon said. 60 have a itt e !ireproo! sa!e the si>e o! a cash bo5. 0tGd ta%e at east !i!teen minutes !or it to burn through3 and i! it was that hot it wou d burn o!! any !ingerprints and evidence o! where it was.; Butch said. 6But he on y ta%es it o!! to shower.; .anon said. Because otherwise the water wou d turn to steam be!ore it touched him. So this a so inc udes having to brea% into his apartment.; .anon said. 6Coo weG brea% in. 9ou guys grab his ring and <emma and 0 wi ta%e a shit in his bed.; 2oni said. 6She on y is shy about certain bodi y !unctions.; <emma said. 6"nd we are not doing that.; She said to her sister. 62ow whoGs the prissy itt e bitch.; 2oni said. 60Gm a most certain i! 0 have a bit o! warning to tune our innards to my !reCuency 0 can do it in a second.; 6Serious y8; Butch said. She oo%ed at <emma and .anonGs reaction. 60Gm sorry but i! she can do it at super speed. 0tGs a most i%e itGs no bigger dea to us than spitting on his bed but itGs a he o! a ot o! a bigger dea to him. -hin% o! what a dic% heGs been to a o! us and our !riends.; She oo%ed at .anon3 /er !ingers brushing her !riends chee%. 6/e may have been nicer to you than us3 but he hasnGt been nice to you. DidnGt he get drun% at your !ourteenth birthday and try to stic% his hand in your pants. "s we as ca ing your mother3 who he never even met3 names and your !oster mother3 who he did %now3 even worse names. "t her !unera 3 no ess. But 0 wi ta%e bac% my vote i! itGs going to ma%e you thin% o! me di!!erent y.; 60t is supreme y gross.; .anon said. 6"nd he is at east nomina y a teammate o! mine. But

you ma%e good points about he is a comp ete bastard. 2oniGs speed wi ma%e it a most nothing to us3 and sheGs obvious y wi ing. "nd at the end o! the day3 itGs =ust poop. 0tGs gross and messy3 but itGs not dangerous. 0 canGt be ieve 0Gm saying this. But i! <emmaGs on board 0 am.; <emma oo%ed uncom!ortab e but said3 6@%ay3 do whatever you need to to Kattune our innardsG.; .anon too% Butch and ed the twins to the roo! o! an apartment bui ding. 6-hatGs his p ace3; She said3 pointing to an apartment. -hey chatted away !or about ten minutes when the ight in the iving room went o!! and the !rosted g ass bathroom window it up. 60 actua y wonder i! he has some sort o! c ean iness psychosis3; .anon said. 6/e is not on time !or anything and he is rude and condescending to anyone who Cuestions him on it but he wi on y shower in his own apartment starting between *0, and *12 every day. "nd i! something uncontro ab e stops it !rom happening he wonGt shower at a that day and the ne5t day it wi be i%e a radiation ea% decon shower. Boi ing water industria so vents and sti!! p astic brushes.; She said as they ! ew over. 6(e i! thatGs the case my pran% wi probab y %i him.; 2oni said. -hey had entered the apartment smooth y and were standing in his bedroom. .umb ing cou d be heard !rom the bedroom where they stood. "pparent y he passed the time in the shower ma%ing conversation where he p ayed both ro es. -he twins had assumed a position and 2oni was !ussing with her c othes ! ipping her s%irt up and moving her panties. 60 donGt thin% we shou d.; .anon said. 60 didnGt even thin% that he might be patho ogica y c ean in addition to his other patho ogies.; 6-oo ate.; 2oni said as the sme hit them. 6But how8; .anon as%ed. 6Bu ed the b an%ets aside3 !inished3 pu ed them bac% straight wiped myse ! with his pi ow

and rep aced it stain side down.; 2oni said as i! it were nothing. 6-hat was !uc%in ama>ing.; <emma said. 6-hat was so !ast even 0 wou d say it !e t i%e a weird !art.; 6(e 0 doubt Sunstar wi be as impressed.; Butch said. 6)etGs get that ring.; -he ring was on a itt e she ! right outside the bathroom door. So it wou dnGt be in the same room as the water but wou d be as easi y obtained as possib e. -hey grabbed it and e!t. 6Easy to grab but that does mean he wi notice itGs gone in =ust a coup e minutes.; .anon said. 60 e!t my sa!ebo5 on the roo! where we =ust were this a!ternoon when we cased the p ace3 as you %now.; Butch said. 60 %now.; .anon said. 6(E wi camp you guys out on the roo! to watch him. 0 wi ta%e the bo5 and ta%ing to the power ines 0 wi catch one o! the big ones that go under the Baci!ic to other countries. 0G get out at one o! the switchbac%s and eave it there and shou d re=oin you be!ore heGs out. (eG watch unti we see a go !ba si>ed meteor shows his ringGs return weG bug out bac% to a ternates base.; -hey were bac% on the roo! by the time they ac%now edged the p an and she was Cuic% y gone. She was bac% a moment be!ore the bathroom ight went out. 6-hat ring can heat up to the temperature o! the sun to get bac% to him3 but it heats up pretty s ow y when itGs not on his !inger.; .anon said. 6Shou d we have =ust given it to Butch and she cou d have been HireButch8; 2oni as%ed. 60! weGd %i ed him.; Butch said. 6"s ong as the previous owner is a ive they can ca the ring. 0t wou d have wor%ed !or me. But it a so wou d have burned o!! my !inger to get bac% to him. (hoever !irst c aims it a!ter he dies wi be itGs new master inarguab y3 but .anon wasnGt ready to give me the o%ay on doing him in whi e he was showering.;

6DonGt even =o%e about that3 Butch.; 6Sorry3 sweetie.; -hey cou d hear his scream !rom across a busy street and a hundred !eet up !rom his apartment. -hey thought heGd !ound his bed3 !rom the pure high pitched surprise o! the scream. But it must have been him missing the ring. Because the high gobb ing scream grinding down to a roar that ended in the sound o! dry heaving was unmista%ab e. -he three " ternates aughed whi e .anon started oo%ing gui ty.; 6)etGs not push our uc%; 2oni said. 60 canGt protect you i! we wait here watching !or him to get the ring bac%.; 60 thin% heGs proven time and again he is o! more danger to observers than enemies.; <emma said. 60 agree.; -he other two agreed Cuic% y and the !our o! them e!t !or the sa!ety o! " ternate /T. D Chp. 3' "s soon as they were through the door the twins were oc%ing it behind the other two. Jin and 2ic% sat at the tab e ta %ing. -hey oo%ed up at the noise the gir s were ma%ing. 6"ny reason your oc%ing things down8; Jin as%ed. Butch said3 60nnocent pran%3; at the same moment. 2oni said3 6Simp e accident3; -hen in per!ect unison i%e they rehearsed it they both said3 6But we a %now how Sunstar overreacts.; " !our gir s oo%ed at each other then co apsed into aughing3 their arms around each other3 their heads together. Both the e ders had smi ed when theyGd entered and their !aces went ! at when Sunstar was mentioned. So the gir s to d their story. Everyone but Butch was surprised that 2ic% aughed and Jin oo%ed horri!ied and disgusted3 a most i%e theyGd done it to him. Butch %new that 2ic% was o d3 but had spent that ong i!e as an adventurous manGs man type3 who had assured y done !ar stranger pran%s. (hi e Jin might be her partner and mentor but he was

a so a bit o! a priss3 and his years o! home essness made his hatred o! !i th !ar worse. "s i! any e5istent grime had wronged him persona y. But once the shoc% o! what 2oni did wore o!! they were much more interested in the throwaway comment that i! Sunstar died whoever had his ring had the powers. -his was news to both o! them and an obvious p us o! having an in with one o! his teammates. 0t probab y shou dnGt have come as a surprise when a moment ater the door o! their headCuarters was hit by a so ar energy ba that not on y vapori>ed three Cuarters o! the door it superheated the surrounding bric% so it e5panded so !ast that severa crac%s ran a ong the unburned portion. 6<et those itt e bitches out here. 0G ma%e sure that their shitting days are over.; /e be owed through whatever so ar vibration e!!ect that caused his voice to get i%e that when he was behind his shie d. 2ic% was immediate y at the door as his opponent anded. /e was a most as indestructib e as 2oni but didnGt have a vu nerab e twin tagging a ong. .anon a most certain y wou d have protected her3 but she was sti his teammate. 69ouGre not we come here. "nd donGt thin% we wonGt be sending a bi !or our door to the CS") o!!ices in the morning.; 6" bi !or your !uc%ing door8 (hat about my mother!uc%ing shitty bed8; Sunstar be owed. 60G than% you not to use anguage i%e that in !ront o! the chi dren.; 2ic% said oo%ing down his nose at the other man. 6-hey are si5teen3 thatGs o d enough to !uc% in most states. "nd most countries. "nd they shit in my mother!uc%ing bed. 0! theyGre o d enough to do it3 theyGre o d enough to ta % about it.; /e was rea y strugg ing not to ose it. -he others were pretty sure 2ic% was trying to push him intentiona y. 6-hese are gir s3 sir. -eenaged gir s3 and young adies. 0 wi not have you accusing them o! such base acts. 2ow apo ogi>e to them.; 2ic% put his hands on his hips and oo%ed at the !ra>> ed Sunstar i%e an errant chi d.

-his was too much !or a man who was not stab e on the best o! days. Sunstar started by throwing himse ! around 2ic% to shoot a so ar ! are at the twins. 2oni was a ready most y ang ed in !ront o! her sister and with her speed she was we prepared to b oc% the sing e shot he got be!ore 2ic% too% him down. 2ic% tac% ed him to the ground and began beating his head against the ! oor. 60s that what you do !or !un. -hreatening o d men3schoo gir s and peop e without powers.; 6 0 have video o! that two headed !rea% cunt shitting in my bed.; 6Hrom the numerous hidden cameras in your bedroom o! course.; 2ic% said3 ho ding SunstarGs head but no onger banging it. 6-he prob em with video is itGs so easy to doctor it with modern techno ogy. /ow do we %now you didnGt put one o! your !amous spy cameras in the bathroom at the gir s house and edit in your bedroom as a bac%drop. 9ouGve done worse.; Sunstar cou d ramp his shie d up to the heat o! the sun3 with a the damage to the surrounding area o! having a man si>ed sun in contact with the earth. 2ic% wou dnGt be ab e to ho d him at that temperature but as soon as he started to warm up 2ic% i!ted his head again s ammed it down onto the concrete ! oor. -he shie d protected him !rom having his head iCui!ied by the b ow but it sti pac%ed a wa op. 6-hey a so sto e my ring. -hat is not on y a crime that is an act o! war.; 6@h poor si y Sunny3; 2ic% said. 6(ar was a ready dec ared. By your side. 2ow un ess you want to end up a proper y bro%en casua ty o! that war3 0 suggest you ta%e your temper tantrum and your accusations and eave.; 60G eave. But (hite )ightning has obvious y chosen her side and she is no onger we come

in our o!!ices.; Sunstar said. 6-hat is not your decision to ma%e. "nd i! you cannot prove wrongdoing3 most o! the CS") wi agree that she was raised to not choose her !riends based on whoGs popu ar. So she can innocent y be!riend our gir s. "nd a so to treat her e ders with respect. So nothing that she witnessed between you and 0 today demanded that she inter!ere.; /e i!ted Sunstar bodi y3 too% him out through the doorho e and threw him physica y into the air.

2ic% wa %ed over to the gir s. 69ou are a too o d to be to d what to do. "nd itGs not my p ace to raise you regard ess. But that was not my proudest moment. 0 am not a man o! truth so much as a man o! =ustice. 9ou need to ma%e your own decision about that !or yourse ves.; D Chp. 3& (hen a the !un was going down at the o!!ice -ristam was out patro ing. /e had thought about it and decided to at east try the twins go em idea. /e messed around with a !ew di!!erent ideas because the go em pictures heGd seen were very crude y detai ed. -he go em !rom the !amous si ent movie oo%ed si y with its huge he met o! pointy hair i%e a wi debeestGs horns. -he go em statue in Brague oo%ed too much i%e Darth Iader with his c ay in the shape o! armor. /e ended up going !or an internet adventure and sett ed on a picture o! .uhammed " i in a grey ! eece warm up suit o! sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt accessori>ed with his championship be t. /e added some detai s to !ee more i%e himse !. /e !e t it wou d de!eat the purpose i! he used himse ! as a mode 3 but he sti wanted to honor his heritage. /e went with ong hair and beard. (hi e in rea i!e he hadnGt had a haircut as an adu t and wore his hair in two braids that e5tended !ar enough that he %ept them coi ed in his ap. "s -he <o em he =ust had a cur y mop that went =ust past his shou ders3 %ept semi:tame by a arge %nitted %ippah. /e made the boots signi!icant y bigger than the ones in the picture3 as he a ways had big !eet. Hina y he shran% the be t =ust a itt e. /aving an out andish y arge be t seemed to ma%e the out!it say pub ic de!ender in one Cuic% detai 3 but the championship be t was =ust too big. 0n the mirror he said hero in bui d and dress. /e said B ac%3 2ative "merican3 and Jewish in !eatures3 because he had to give the !igure his own Semitic nose. 0n the end3 e5cept !or being monochromatic and near y eight !eet ta ? he oo%ed i%e a mu ticu tura ath ete !rom many a city par%. (hen he too% to the air in the new !orm he moved through the s%ies with a combination o! pu ing himse ! a ong on bui dings and trees and swimming through the air. which wor%ed

shoc%ing y we . Bresumab y because he was weight ess but sti had mass3 a sma push wou d %eep him moving because o! inertia or something. /is was more socia inte igence then scienti!ic but he was sure .a agua cou d e5p ain it i! he ever cared to as%. (hen -he <o em made his !irst appearance at /T3 the gir s !ussed over how good he oo%ed and3 Jin and 2ic% both gave their approva 3 but it was a a bit o!!. Ha se y cheer!u and e5aggerated. Hina y he as%ed what was going on and managed to ho d it together3 he !e t admirab y3 as he was to d about 2oniGs and 2ic%Gs interesting e5p oits o! the evening. 6what the he 3 can 0 not eave any one o! you a one.; 6DonGt be umping me in with the degenerates.; Jin said3 a so !rustrated. 2oni said3 6(eGre degeneratesF; and tried to get her sister to high !ive her. But <emma =ust oo%ed sad. )uc%i y Butch was right there. She s apped her !riendGs hand and said3 6-his is not a damn mora ity contest3 this is a war.; 6"nd !rom where 0Gm standing3 weGre winning.; 2oni said -ristam ro ed his eyes and said3 6Do you have anything reasonab e to say !or yourse ves at a 8; 2oni ashed out. 69eah. 9ou better ta%e some bass out o! your voice son. 9ou are not our !ather3 our mentor or our boss. 9ou do not have the re ationship with any o! us that Butch and Jin have. 2ic% has ived out in the rea wor d !or ong enough to get a itt e e5tra respect. " you have is youGre super rich. (e 0Gm sorry son3 but our mother didnGt raise us to revere money !or its own sa%e. 2ic% is our e der3 Doc is a most as smart as our mom3 and Jin gets e5tra points because we donGt want to upset Butch.; She paused a moment and continued in ess o! an angry voice. 60 i%e you. 0 thin% you are !unny3 smart3 and very %ind. But you are our !riend and our eCua . -ry to ta % i%e youGre anything more and we wi ro you up in a ba and oo% !or the biggest pottery whee in the city.;

<emma oo%ed on si ent y3 but the !act that she wasnGt dressing her sister down !or spea%ing !or her meant that she agreed at east !or the most part and stray detai s cou d be nai ed down ater. -ristam was si ent !or a moment3 then continued in a more subdued voice3 60 see your point. "nd 0 apo ogi>e3 to a point. /owever when you antagoni>ed one o! the two east menta y sound opponents we have3 you brought some rea shit down on a o! us. 9ou %now both the "ss )eague and the pub ic3 shou d they get wind o! this are going to b ame a o! us.; 6"greed and apo ogi>ed3 0 suppose; 2oni said. 6"nd i! youG agree this was nothing more than youth!u hi=in%s3 we can be done.; D Chp. 3+ 0t wasnGt even an hour ater when the news report hit the airwaves and internet. Sudden y they hadnGt sto en his ring which wou d have made him oo% wea% but sudden y there was Kreason to be ieveG it was an attac% by the entire team in which !eces was smeared on the wa s and anti semitic and homophobic hatespeech was written a over the wa s in !eces and b ood. -he " ternates didnGt thin% they cou d be more surprised and o!!ended unti the news crew showed the !ootage proving their reporting right. "pparent y this was how Sunstar ca med himse ! down !rom his mouth!oaming rage when he e!t. <emma was on the net bombasting him on every b og she trusted to not be as !a%e as the broadcast news3 and de!ending them as best she cou d. 6Even with Captain Sierra where he is3 he sure y canGt in! uence the entire media machine.; Jin said. 69ou %now as we as 0 do that he pretty much does.; 2ic% said. <emma oo%ed up3 69ou were a !amous photo=ourna ist !or thirty years3 are you honest y saying you donGt have any contacts in the media you trust8; 6(ait youGre that 2ic% Seaver8; 2oni said. 6.y mom tota y wants to bang you.; 62oni3; <emma said. 6Sorry.; 2oni said. 6-he Bro!essor doesnGt bang anyone. "nd regard ess3; she continued3

6<emma ma%es a great point3 you must %now someone.; 6.ost my contemporaries are retired. (e can probab y get on "dam SmithGs "merican Stories. But that is BBS and tapes month y3 so it wou dnGt be very topica when it aired. @ther than "dam3 .y !riend John Aappaport cou d probab y get me on the Aappaport Aeport3 but thatGs a comedy show.; 6-he Aappaport Aeport is the primary news source o! more than !i!ty percent o! "mericans under '0. "nd is very popu ar with the rest o! the popu ation.; Jin said3 6Sure y you %now that3 as a pop cu ture !act even i! you donGt thin% it shou d be i%e that.; 60t cou d be worse. /e was one o! the most respected news anchors in the country at one time. /e was my generationGs wa ter cron%ite. /e %new heGd never stop wor%ing so he used the !act that he is a very !unny man by nature to host a ha ! hour ampoon o! the news in ieu o! retirement. and it pretty much turned him into your generations wa ter cron%ite. But with us o d peop e oo%ing down on you !or getting your news on the comedy networ%. Been gui ty o! it myse ! and 0 %now heGs the best. 0G give him a ca .; /e too% out his phone and wa %ed out o! the room. 60 own severa maga>ines.; -ristam started3 Be!ore 2oni had a chance to ro her eyes and say something snide3 he continued. 6"nd they have a web presence. 0 can give you an open !orum 2oni3 to say whatever you want. "s we as getting some interviews and !eatures done on us.; 0n that two minutes he was spea%ing 2ic% made his phone ca . /e wa %ed bac% in and said3 6/e was ab e to bump the guest !or tonight3 we shoot in two hours. /e wants us at the studio in 1& minutes so we can ta % be!ore we tape.; 6-hatGs awesomeF; Butch said. 6(hy didnGt you do it be!ore8; 2oni as%ed. 6(e havenGt had a voice in this !ight and now they tota y have a ead.; 60Gve done it now.; 2ic% rep ied3 6"nd he seemed so e5cited3 0 thin% weG have a voice in the media a!ter this.; -he !ina decision was whether or not to ta%e Doc .a agua. Everyone but he himse ! c aimed

that as a !u member he needed to be there. /e trumped it with the combined reasoning o! eventua y the " ternates wi be bigger. -oo big to a go on a show and second y3 he said no and no one cou d ma%e him do something he didnGt want to do. -ristam brought up that he a so had no desire to be out as a member yet3 but no disguise. (hich everyone aughed at. "pparent y heGd !orgotten he was in <o em !orm. D Chp. 3, -hey were at the studio on time. -hough in the end -ristam turned himse ! into a giant si5 pac% co ar o! ! esh around everyone and 2ic% towed it using both ! ying and super speed. -hey had ca ed .anon to invite her to =oin them3 but she said she was not ready to spea% pub ic y against anyone on her team. She sti hoped things cou d be wor%ed out peace!u y. 0t too% a moment !or -ristam to re!orm into his <o em shape and they wa %ed in. 2ic% had been advised by his !riend to and on the he ipad on the roo! o! the studio to avoid not on y !ans waiting !or tic%ets but even simp e passersby. -he page who waited to escort them to the studio had obvious y been trained against being unpro!essiona with !amous peop e. 2ic% and -ristam both encouraged her to spea% up. 0nitia y she =ust said that it was her !irst time meeting metahumans. " moment ater she mentioned that she had no idea who <o em was. She was on y a !ew years o der than Butch and the twins3 so she was most e5cited to meet them. -he twins had decided to stay in town !or a day or two and 2oni as%ed i! she %new o! anything coo to do3 and sudden y they had a native guide. -he most recogni>ab e !ace in "merican news was a ready waiting !or them with a coup e sta!! when they entered. <emma and 2oni gave the page gir a hug and they a sett ed around the con!erence tab e. -he gir s to d their story3 with others occasiona y co aborating3 especia y once the story got to SunstarGs reaction. (hen they !inished <emma said3 69ou guys i%e to do puns in your head ines3 60 was thin%ing something about the caca:phony o! SunstarGs poop ies.;

6"t the chance o! saying something as groanworthy as as you =ust did3; 2oni said. 60 have to say that is a shitty =o%e.; 60t is a tiny bit gradeschoo . <"-E program smart grade schoo 3 but sti .; Butch said. 6)oo% gir s3; Aappaport said3 69ou are ta %ing about a guy so cra>y as to smear his own shit and b ood a over his own house to imp icate you3 we have much more pressing points than needing an amusing pun to put on the tit e card. /onest y 0 thin% our biggest prob em is a re ated though# this isnGt !unny. 0 can ma%e it !unny but not without encouraging peop e to ta%e it ess serious y than they need to. 0 have mentioned that those women who accuse him o! se5ua assau t a rescind accusations or meet with accidents. But that has happened !ew enough times in the ast !ew years3 peop e can ma%e e5cuses. 0 can ma%e sure that it remains my top story as ong as Sierra manages to %eep it in the news. But 0Gm saying right now3 0 donGt %now what good it wi do.; 60 donGt understand.; <emma said and her sister motioned to say she didnGt either. 60 can moc% Sierra !or being o d and behind the times. But 0 have to !oreshadow the =o%e with a itt e something that reminds peop e o! his age !irst. 0 can stress the !act that it is basica y common %now edge that Sunstar is a rapist and psychotica y narcississtic. Bossib y a sociopath. But Sierra oo%s 3& and Sunstar is a member in good standing o! the Citi>ens Specia "ssistance )eague. 2o matter what peop e %now about them in their heads3 their hearts say they are heroes and deserve specia treatment and !orgiveness.; 60s there nothing at a we can do8; Jin as%ed. 69es and no3; Aappaport said3 6 -his is =ust me spitba ing but 0 say we so!tba it. midd e o! the road moc%ery. Sierra is out o! touch and =udgementa . Sunstar is a oose cannon3 capab e o! anything and a se ! important entit ed ass. -hen we =ust ramp it up s ow y so when this brea%s we hit them hard and the peop e wi accept it because theyGd been prepared3 eased into it. But the !irst priority is to paint you as victims. -hey donGt have to be ieve it was Sierra and Sunstar. But you have to be portrayed as good peop e who are misunderstood. .isunderstood because youGre di!!erent. "nd de!inite y p ant the seed that these misunderstandings are intentiona on someones

part. 0 wi say what you wish. But my advice is to deny everything. But i! you choose that3 i! somehow it comes out3 0 have to be as suprised as anyone e se. But even with the who e truth we can sti se you as good %ids who made a si y mista%e. 0 wi abso ute y p ay it as you cou dnGt be bu ying him. But that wonGt be a hard se . /eGs a grown man and you are teenage gir s. Can you get (hite )ightning here.; 6SheGs trying to stay out o! it. /er guardian is a ready pissed at her.; Butch said. 60 understand that3 but 0 thin% this is now big enough3 sitting out is not an option. She wi oo% worse trying to ignore it than !acing it and de! ecting it. 0 %now the "ma>on. 0 havenGt seen her? not in years3 but 0 %now her we enough 0 cou d ta % to her i! you thin% it wou d he p.; 60G ca her with your advice and your o!!er.; Butch said3 ta%ing out her ce . 6-hen weG put you and her aunt on i! it oo%s i%e it wi he p.; .anon remembered having seen pictures o! Aappaport with her parents as we as the "ma>on3 even one o! him and her when she was an in!ant. /er mother was ho ding her and he had his arm around them. /aving seen other pictures !rom the same evening she %new it was the (hite /ouse Bress Corp dinner o! the year she was born. But that particu ar photo had nothing about it that made it stand out3 e5cepting the sub=ects. /er mother had been in the white house press corps !or a time. Aappaport %new she was )ady )iberty3 but that wasnGt why she was there in the way that it was precise y why "ma>on was there. 62e5t thing.; Aappaport said3 6"re you two going to insist you are not Jemima and "ntoinette Aose the on y dicepha ic paragenous set o! con=oined twins a ive today.; 6<emini does not discuss her origin. But the Aose twins made very c ear who they were and by that same to%en3 who <emini is not.; 2oni said. 6So what you are te ing me3 as an uno!!icia !riend o! the team3 is you wou d =ust as soon 0 respect your privacy as minors enough to pretend that Cuestion does not e5ist in anyoneGs mind8; Aappaport as%ed. 69es3 than% you3; <emma said.

6Berhaps you shou d bring that up with other =ourna ists.. 2ews cannot report anything that is considered private detai s about a minor without consent.; /e said. 6But thatGs enough o! that. 0 have to go start the show. 9ouGre on in 20:2& minutes.; Aappaport e!t them in the meeting room. /is assistant !o owed him out eaving them a one. 6So how does everyone !ee about this8; 2ic% as%ed when they were a one. 60 de!inite y !ee i%e weGve got someone in our corner3; <emma said. 6But 0 am rea y not !ee ing too good about being on camera.; 60 agree Sis3 but we pic%ed a i!e in the spot ight.; 2oni he d her hand up3 6@r had it thrust on us3 either way3 timidity is not going to wor% !or us3 so itGs not worth entertaining. But being comp ete y outspo%en and %eeping our own amusement as !irst priority3 that wi probab y wor% !or us Cuite we .; 60 thin% <emmaGs sty e is more sitting bac% and etting you be wi d and aughing.; Jin said. 60nitia y. But when 2oni has antagoni>ed the audience unti someone says something <emma is immediate y right there de!ending her. (hich ma%es 2oni de!end her3 and thatGs when the coro ary in=uries start.; Butch continued. 6<ood point3 we made.; 2oni said. D Chp. 3N (hen it was time to go onstage they needed to hurry. Because they on y had the norma commercia brea% and needed to get si5 peop e on stage3 sett ed and video ready. B us one o! those peop e was the si>e o! -ristam. /e ended up as a sma er go em with the rest o! his materia !orming a chair. Seated with him were 2ic% and Jin3 with Butch and the twins on stoo s to put their !aces on a di!!erent eve and bring everyone together. Everyone was in their uni!orm3 even 2ic% who didnGt have a secret identity had !ound street c othes unconducive to ! ying and !ighting now wore p ain navy b ue covera s. 6@%ay my !irst Cuestion is !or you3 2ic%. Since you are the on y one 0 %now outside o! this

rea m. (hy did you decide to oo% i%e a mechanic rather than a pub ic de!ender8; -he audience aughed and it was obvious Aappaport meant it as good natured ribbing but 2ic% answered serious y. 60 am si5ty eight years o d3 0Gve chosen not to hide my identity. Street c othes b ow around in ! ight and bunch up whi e 0 wor%. .y !ather and my grand!ather were both inte ectua s3 but when it came time !or yard wor% or wor%ing on the car3 anything outside they threw on navy covera s. -hey donGt oo% i%e much but they are the most uti itarian garment on the p anet. B us at my age 0 donGt need anything s%in tight.0 am we past the showing o!! my body stage3 no one wants to see that.; -he audience went wi d. 6"pparent y they do.; Aappaport said. 6-a%e it o!!3 ta%e it o!!F; -he !irst !our chanters were a group o! !rat guy oo%ing men who may have wanted it because it was against societa norms. @r maybe they were interested !or the same reason as the women who pic%ed up the chant ne5t. Soon it was a most a o! the audience3 then the rest o! the " ternates pic%ed it up and 2ic% stood up. -he wi d crowd became !ren>ied. /e turned his bac% to the audience and oo%ed bac% at the camera and batted his eyes. -he cheering =ust %ept ramping up ouder and wi der. /e un>ipped his covera s to his waist and dropped them o!! his shou ders. /e had the e5act body one wou d want at his age. /eGd never pass !or thirty even with someone b ind!o ded. But he oo%ed i%e an ath etic !orty:!ive year o d with s%in that oo%ed great but was s ight y too big. /e obvious y had had no wor% done and it was apparent that the transition to his powers had !ro>en him as is not given him anything he didnGt have. /e turned around. /e didnGt have a si5pac% but there was de!inition and a si5ty eight year o d man with a si5pac% wou d oo% creepy. (hen he went to >ip bac% up the chant o! Kta%e it o!!F -a%e it o!!FG began again. /e shrugged and un>ipped comp ete y and stepped out o! them. /e handed his c othes to -ristam and wa %ed across the stage in an% eboots and white bo5ers with a sma subt e red chec% pattern. /e stopped and posed in the stage e!t corner3 in the midd e and the stage right corner. (hen he wa %ed bac% to -ristam to regain his c othes the chant to ta%e it o!! started again. /e he d

his mi%e up to his mouth and said3 6-he bo5ers stay on. 0 must %eep some mystery.; Everyone booed and moaned. /e grabbed -ristamGs head and stretched it so his nec% was !our !eet ong. 6-here3 now you have something to oo% at whi e 0 put my c othes bac% on.; Everyone in the studio inc uding his teammates were interested in watching -ristam do this. /e was too new on the scene !or even his c osest co:wor%ers to have seen this enough !or the nove ty to even begin to wear o!!. 60 guess thatGs my c ue to spea% to your team mate. Sir3 can you hear me8; 6Certain y. Aegard ess o! shape 0 can a ways hear and i! 0 have a mouth 0 can spea%.; 6"nd who are you8 0! 0 may be so rude as to as%3; Aappaport continued. 6"s a newer metahuman 0 have done some e5perimentation with my persona. -he audience may be more !ami iar with my ear ier attempts 2ight!a and the "moeba. (hen 0 met <emini they suggested that since 0 was essentia y iving c ay3 that 0 ta%e the name <o em a!ter the !amed c ay giant !rom "sh%ena>i !o % ore. 60 didnGt even %now 2ight!a and the "moeba were the same guy. 0 was actua y wondering what ever happened to 2ight!a .; Aappaport said. 6But i! you are 2ight!a and the "moeba than that means you can ! y. Correct8; 6"ctua y no. 0 can evitate. 0 can ride the winds or 0 can pu myse ! a ong on trees and bui dings. -hats what 0 did as 2ight!a and "moeba we that and b ow myse ! up and et the air out b owing me around i%e a oose ba oon. " so3 as 0 get better at using my powers 0 can stretch myse ! and even shoot o!! itt e pseudopods and pu myse ! a ong.; "s he said Kstretch myse !G he stretched an arm across the set and pic%ed up a vase o! ! owers and as he said Kshoot o!! itt e pseudopodsG a doub e !ist si>e chun% o! c ay came o!! his shou der at throwing speed and shot up into the ights on a stretched c ay rope o! ! esh and he i!ted himse ! about !ive !eet o!! the stage. -he audience went wi d cheering and app auding. -ristam resumed his origina !orm. (hen everyone was returned to norma and seated3 Aappaport spo%e. 62ow the invitation was open to CS") young gun (hite )ightning. 0 had hoped she wou d have been ab e to =oin us. 0

%new her parents and 0 wou d have i%ed to see her again.; 60 wou d not oud y announce that you %now the birth identity o! a metahuman who has no intention o! registering with the Hed. 9ou cou d !ind yourse ! on the wrong end o! an interregation.; -ristam said. Aappaport oo%ed nervous !or a moment then said. 60Gm a ce ebrity. 0Gm sure it wou d be more .cCarthy hearings than .idnight E5press.; 6@h thatGs good3; -ristam said sarcastica y3 6Because no one had any troub e with .cCarthy inCuests.; 2oni3 never one to et attention wander !rom her !or ong3 especia y i! it had wandered to history more than twenty years o d3 said. 6John3 may 0 ca you John8; 69es thatGs !ine <emini.; Aappaport said. 6"nyway .r Aappaport3; She continued. 6-hatGs !ine as we .; Aappaport said. 6"dmira Hree 3 can 0 get i%e a cup o! water.; 2oni continued. 6-here is a cup o! water !or each o! you right there. 0n !ront o! you on the des%.; /e indicated the cups in !ront o! them. 6@h o%ay3; 2oni said. 6Cou d someone hand one to me3 0Gm rea y not !ee ing we .; Everyone made appropriate noises o! concern as she continued. 60Gm rea y having a hard time with my gir period. 0Gm cramping rea y bad.; Aappaport oo%ed uncom!ortab e and tried to change the sub=ect3 but 2oni =ust bu do>ed over him. 60 thin% 0Gm trying to pass a c ot.; 2ow the team was trying to hush her as we but she ignored it. Butch aughed and <emma oo%ed horri!ied. "s 2oni =ust %ept ta %ing3 6@ne o! those big ge atinous ones3 that even once 0 pass it wi sit there on the pad i%e a %notted string soa%ed in raw egg.; By now Butch was bare y ab e to stay on her seat as <emma tried to cover 2oniGs mouth. 2oniGs arm wrest ing <emmaGs arm down. <emma was !ar stronger but 2oni %ept whipping her

arm around !aster than anyone cou d see and s apping her hand away. 2oni ca m y continued ta %ing. 60Gm suprised 0 sti get one at a with a the se5 0Gm doing. "s soon as 0 get this one3; She pointed at <emma. 67nscrewed and stored aboard our ship 0 =ust am se5ing with boys i%e anything. 0 te them 0 can se5 them comp ete y3 0 do a the strategies.; <emma was sudden y no onger !ighting instead she was smir%ing. 60tGs true3; she said3 6.y sister o!ten te s me o! new se5 arrangements she earned. 0n both the consecutive and discontinuous manners.; -hey both stopped and smi ed b an% y at Aappaport. /e said3 62ot to accuse you o! anything but 0 donGt thin% you cou d have made it more c ear you are an a ien with itt e idea o! how humanity operates i! you wore a sign.; 6-hat is ridicu ous.; 2oni said. 60 am tota y not !rom another wor d where two heads is the norm and humans oo%ed amputated. 0n !act 0 !ind you very desirab e. 0 want your manness in my gestation tube right now3 in !ront o! everyone. 9our pens in my hot c it. 9our pisti in my stamen3 baby.; Aappaport said. 62ow whi e that is tempting3 0 am happi y married with a daughter about your age.; 60s she avai ab e8 0! she is as p easant as you 0 wou d en=oy e>>ing her o!!. -e her 0Gm a power bottom and a shrimp Cueen.; 2oni said oo%ing e5cited. -hat is comp ete y inappropriate.; Aappaport said. 6"nd 0Gm pretty sure none o! that termino ogy was correct.; 6(e sir3 0 apo ogi>e. @n our wor : (e are !rom Hrance were the se5ing is common and ta%en as granite.; 6"nyone e se want to =ump in here8; Aappaport as%ed desperate y. 69es3; Jin said3 60 wou d i%e to second that that termino ogy was incorrect.; 6-hatGs great Shrew. But 0 was wondering i! anyone a so wou d i%e to change the sub=ect.; Aappaport said.

6Sure.; Jin said. 60 was !air y we %nown in downtown3 especia y in the neighborhood where our headCuarters are3 since my teens. 0 was sma but wiry and home ess myse !. 0 did what itt e bit 0 cou d to protect peop e. @r at east to he p them. 2ot even ten years ago Hriday was !uc% day !or Sunstar where he wou d abduct and rape a gir every sing e !riday. Even surpassing the !act that Captain Seirra3 the on y one who cou d3 didnGt intervene ti he too% a high schoo va edictorian o!! a suburban street. Comp ete y bypassing that !act3 !or 21 months he raped a new gir every wee%. @dd y enough he didnGt pay !or his crimes. /e was re eased whi e severa men went to =ai as his accomp ices. -hey were gui ty o! he ping him do something he wasnGt gui ty o! doing.; /e oo%ed around at the audience3 oo%ing into each camera as he passed. 6Aegard ess o! how it came out3 it was at east newsworthy that he was tried. -oday3 not on y is that not coming up3 but peop e are so shoc%ed at the idea he might be the vi ain here. -wo men are sti serving time !or aiding and abetting and no one mentions it. /e comes on te evision to accuse !our young gir s o! attac%ing and abusing him and thatGs ta%en as truth. 0mmediate y3 without Cuestion3 and without any attempt to get the gir s side. Someone in the media is showing unpro!essiona !avoritism toward Sunstar. -hat is c ear. ECua y c ear that said person is high enough up in the media that they can persona y in! uence what is ta%en as news across a mu titude o! companies and stations.; /is voice had been rising as he spo%e. 2ow he too% a deep breath be!ore continuing in a so!ter register3 60Gm grate!u !or the opportunity we have here tonight3 but 0 donGt thin% any o! us rea istica y be ieve this wi even count on a arge sca e as us being given a chance to share our side. <emini was right to act ridicu ous3 we are going to be edited to !it into si5 minutes and !unny is more important than truth. Sure youG put the !u interview up on the website. which wi be seen by maybe a tenth o! the numbers who saw SunstarGs itt e show. "nd it wi be a samp ing ta%en !rom your viewers who are much more i%e y to be sympathetic with us anyway.; 6By the !act that no one is gasping and screaming Ksay it ainGt soG3 0Gm guessing whether they ta % about it or not3 this isnGt news to anyone.; <emma said. 6Because itGs news to me. "dmitted y 0 was a %id when it happened and we have never had tv at home. Just watched DIDs o! shows and

movies. 0 mean it was be!ore 0 came to your p : wait no the !irst one. "nyway? why donGt more peop e ta % about this especia y when the topic o! conversation is Sunstar.; 2ic% said3 6Beop e went to =ai !or he ping the Aepub ican party e ectronica y stu!! the ba ot bo5 and stea the 200' e ection. 9et he was a owed to remain president. (hy isnGt that brought up when the topic is government in the Bush years. Because humans have monumenta y sma attention spans and they =ust donGt care. Especia y i! itGs something they wou d !ee i%e they ought to do something about i! they admit to %nowing.; 6(hoaF -his went o!! the rai s since the <o emGs itt e show. 0tGs >ig>agged bac% and !orth but going bac% on the rai s seems i%e itGs not even an intent.; Aappaport said. 6Does anyone have anything to say that might return this to the same universe o! an interview.; 6Sunstar shou d remember3 6 <emma began. 6-he other side o! teenagers thin%ing everyday situations are i!e and death. (e a so see i!e and death as an everyday situation.; 6-hat sounds i%e a warning.; Aappaport said. 62aw. -hereGs not going to be a warning.; <emma said. 60Gm not going to say weGve bested you in batt e3 weGve been uncha enged in your home and sto e the source o! your power. 9our continued e5istence is at our su!!rage and 0 thin% weGve su!!ered enough.; Aappaport aughed3 69es3 itGs good you arenGt going to say that.; 60ndeed it is.; 2ic% said3 oo%ing none too thri ed. D Chp. 3* (hen they were a bac% to headCuarters 2ic% rai ed at them. 6(hat cou d you gir s have been thin%ing8 (e were supposed to be trying to get peop e on our side. /ow did 2oniGs bio ogica tirade going to he p8; 6-here isnGt a woman in that audience who is certain <emma and 0 are# a iens3 practica =o%ers3 or some third option to be named ater. 2o Earth gir wou d ta % that graphica y on tv !or no reason. "nd 0 threw things in that no woman 0 %now wou d ever say. 0 cou d have =ust as easi y say

my gir period is no prob em3 0 =ust sit on the toi et !or thirty minutes and it a comes out. -hatGs how unrea istic 0 sounded. "nd at parts 0 sounded i%e Eng ish was my second anguage3 but what 0 was shooting !or was 10 donGt even %now the names !or these things1 0 thin% most women wi pic% up on that without thin%ing itGs a set up.; 2oni said. 6"nd what about <emma threatening Sunstar on -I8; 2ic% as%ed. 62ot on -I3 youG have to go on ine to see everything. @n y the most homogeni>ed o! pap wi be seen on tv. So probab y your stu!!. 0n !act 0Gm betting they wi ca you tonight when they rea i>e that the non:controversia stu!! they have with us is too dis=ointed. you wi be as%ed to ! y over and heG ta % to you in tight c oseup so it reads on tv i%e weGre a there but you do most our ta %ing.; <emma said. Butch pitched in with3 60tGs possib e some o! our stu!! wonGt even get on the web. Some o! it was on y !or the studio audience.; 6So why antagoni>e him3 especia y i! it might never be seen8; 2ic% as%ed. 6Because it wi be seen. By him? heGs paranoid and connected. Even i! it is on y seen by the audience3 he wi sti hear about it. "nything we do between now and when we destroy him3 heG %now within the hour. Because he wi ma%e it his business. "nd whatever tapes he has to stea 3 whoever he has to threaten or hurt3 he wi %now what we do.; Jin spo%e up then. 60! thatGs true3 rea y even i! itGs not3 he sti has shown himse ! to be a vi ain3 not a hero or even an anti:hero. /e is a straight up vi ain and shou d be dea t with as such. /e shou d be apprehended and turned over to the authorities.; 6-he authorities donGt want him. 9ou %now that as we as anybody. DidnGt you =ust spea% about that on the show8; Butch said. 6/onest y the on y ogica Cuestion is can he be contro ed. Bersona y3 0 thin% that Cuestion has a ready been answered. 0 be ieve the rea Cuestion is can we et him ive8 2orma y 0 donGt advocate etha !orce3 but in this situation it may be the on y sane option.; 6Huc%3 2oni was right about teenagers3 wasnGt she8; -ristam said. 69ou are ta %ing about

%i ing a man3 a ce ebrity3 as the on y sane option.; 6" dangerous y menta y i ce ebrity. " ce ebrity who has powers that wi protect him i! he has any warning at a . " ce ebrity who cannot be restrained because he can heat up to the temperature o! the sun. 2othing on earth can withstand that. So whatGs your p an8 Bre!ronta obotomy and hope !or the best. /ow we going to do that8 @r do you thin% we can convince him he needs to get on meds8; Butch said de!ending herse !. 2oni spo%e up. 60 donGt thin% any o! us are com!ortab e with Butch being the voice o! reason. So serious y get on board or !ind an argument that isnGt ridicu ous. (hi e we arenGt !ussed3 we donGt active y want to %i anyone. 9ou3 Jin3 and the Doc are supposed to be the geniuses. (eGre =ust grunts3 so donGt et us ma%e you oo% i%e !oo s.; 60 can bui d something that can contain him.; Dr. .a agua said !ina y entering the conversation. 6But then what8 (e wi not be a owed to ta%e charge o! his incarceration. -he government made it c ear they didnGt want to prosecute him years ago when he got o!! !or raping those gir s. Scott !ree i! 0 may add. 0 grew up in a very bad area in Co umbia3 0 do not understand the "ng o !ear o! %i ing. 0tGs !unny to me3 every one o! you who is !ighting this so hard has %i ed a perp. Since we may spea% !ree y. 0 %now each o! you has not on y %i ed in anger but %i ed with p anning and detached intent.; 6But heGs a pub ic de!ender. 2ot the most heroic o! heroes3 0 %now3 not even itera y perhaps. But in the court o! pub ic opinion he has egitimate y !i ed the ro e.; 2ic% said. 6)egitimate in that he is accepted as a member o! the CS").; <emma said. 62ot egitimate in the way o! a true3 deep3 dyed in the woo it de!ines him.; 6/e has used super human abi ities to save citi>ens and bystanders3 thatGs the de!inition. "nd he uses it to save !o %s more o!ten than to oppress and vio ate them 0 be ieve that was the awGs ta%e on it at his tria .; 2ic% said. 60 hate to p ay this card. Because obvious y we have not destroyed crime. But is one o! us more or ess that big o! a oss8; Butch as%ed.

2oni agreed. 6Especia y when we can ta%e that !uc%in ring and give it to someone better. So we wou d be rep acing him. "nd rep acing him with someone better ma%es a net gain.; <emma =umped in. 69es the best choice wou d be i! we cou d ta%e that ring away and =ust imprison him.; 6But as ong as he ives he can ca it.; Jin said. 6"nd we canGt tric% it3 right8 Cho%e him to death3 brea% the bond3 then CBA him bac%8; -ristam as%ed. 60 be ieve3; Butch said3 6-hat itGs a matter o! ca ing it. 0! he can ca it3 it wi come. .eaning i! any o! the previous masters came bac% to i!e and ca ed it it wou d come bac% to them3 in order o! !irst to ast in priority.; 6(e as soon as Jesus Christ ta%es his p ace among pub ic de!enders weG have him raise a better custodian o! the ring.; 2ic% said. 6Do you thin% Jesus was a pub ic de!ender8; <emma as%ed. 6Jesus was a mythica character. But i! he was even based in truth3 itGs obvious he had to have been a pub ic de!ender o! one sort or another.; 2oni said3 6"nd you %now it3 everyone %nows it.; 6@bvious y3 !rea%.; <emma said. 6But some o d peop e disagree and 0 wanted 2ic%Gs answer. Boy3 you too% that persona y. (hereGd that even come !rom8; 60 wish Jesus rea y was here to resurrect someone with an ear ier c aim than Sunstar.; 2oni said. 6<ood point. Sorry3 2o:no; <emma said. 2oni oo%ed at her sister3 too shoc%ed to be angry. 62o:no8; -ristam and Jin said at the same time. 6-hat !its you too per!ect y !or us not a to ca you that.; Jin said. 62ot even my mom ca s me that. 9ouG never be <emma3 obvious y. But maybe one day i! you are as c ose to me as a regu ar sister. 9ou can ca me that without me seeing it as a persona betraya and coming down on you according y.;

6(hat about me8; Butch as%ed. 69ou can use it? very sparing y.; 2oni said. 6So =ust in !ront o! Jin3 to under ine that he doesnGt get to8; Butch as%ed. 69eah3; 2oni said. 6-hat sounds right.; <emma !inished. -he phone rang then and Butch grabbed it3 6/e o3; " high pitched sCuea i%e a !a5 machine sounded and she he d it at ma5imum e5tention !acing out. Sudden y .anon was in the room. 6Sorry 0 cou dnGt ma%e it to AappaportGs3 te me a about it.; 6(e when 2ic% said he %new the guy3; 2oni started. 60 thought they were i%e o d =ourna ist co eagues or something3 but no. 0mmediate y when we get there he o!!ers 2ic% the ongest s oppiest b ow=ob o! his i!e. "nd each time 2ic% rebu!!ed him he got more graphic in describing =ust how s oppy it was going to be3 and why. Eventua y 0 had to put my !oot down and insist everyone behave pro!essiona y and appropriate y !or a basic cab e news show.; 2oni actua y spo%e in a be ievab e tone i%e she was the voice o! reason that had to separate those two and it had wore her out. She had some acting chops when it came to se ing ridicu ous stories. 6/e was !ine !or i%e two sentences. -hen it was =ust on and on about how he needed to gag on 2ic%Gs rod. /ow 2ic% cou d bring as many !riends as he wanted i! that sweetened the dea . Eventua y his sty ist had to give him a shot o! thora>ine. (hich is not part o! the =ob description i! you as% me. (as a bit sad? Jin was de!inite y into it and 03 !or one3 thin% -ristam was coming around.; 6@%ay3 anyone want to te me what rea y happened8; .anon said3 aughing. 6"ctua y3; Butch said. 60Gd say thatGs pretty accurate. (ou dnGt you say <emma8; <emma oo%ed ost !or a moment and then =umped in. 6E5cept !or Jin as%ing every sing e sta!! member he met i! they !e t he needed to powder his ba s !or this interview. (ou d have been !ine i! he stopped a!ter the !irst yes answer he got3 since that was obvious y the answer he wanted.

But he %ept as%ing and a owed any ta%ers to powder him right there i%e it was norma behavior.; 6Sorry 0 missed it.; .anon aughed. 6Be ieve me3 youGre better o!!.; Butch said. 6/eGs a good oo%ing guy. But no one oo%s good getting their ba s powdered by a CCC page.; 69eah3 youGre probab y right.; .anon said. -he men were good enough sports to not interrupt the gir Gs !un3 but when they seemed done 2ic% spo%e up. 6(e Aappaport as%ed about you. 7nsurprising3 he remembers meeting you as we .; 6Be ieve me thatGs on my mind. -hereGs a ot o! good arguments why 0 shou d have been there.; .anon said3 60Gm in this and 0 %now it. "nd whether or not the "ma>on is pissed3 or i! sheGs right to be pissed isnGt going to change anything. 0 canGt hide.; Jin spo%e up3 6" though this might wor% out. 0! you stand with us !rom now on missing the !irst one3 that might match the Kwith us but not one o! usG vibe you want.; 2ic%s ce started beeping and within a moment o! answering it was c ear it was Aappaport and that news was not good. 6-hereGs been a ea%. Bossib y an audience member but =ust as i%e y one o! AappaportGs crew. 0t hasnGt even aired yet and news networ%s are a ready running with the story that we used my previous re ationship with Aappaport to ibe Sunstar and the CS"). -here is ta % that they wi ta%e us to court. "nd Aappaport reminded me that i! they can saturate the news with this p aying the indignant victims the average citi>en wi assume we are gui ty and !igure the reason they stopped hearing about it is the tria is over and we ost.; 60t canGt be that easy.; Butch said. 60t is3 sweetie. 0Gm sorry3 0 wish a you %ids cou d grow up in a wor d where the media wasnGt !or sa e or trade and the average citi>en wasnGt a s ac%:=awed moron3 but this is the wor d we have.; -ristam said. 6(e a ready mentioned SunstarGs rape re ease3 and Bush ba ot stu!!ing into a second term. (hen 0 was a %id a daycare center in San Diego was c osed in the midst o! mo estation a egations. 0t had been run by the !ami y !or twenty:!ive years. -heir ives were ruined3 death

threats abounded. 0n tria the mother who started the accusations turns out she is %nown by name at the po ice station because o! mu tip e nuisance ca s. " iens mo esting her %id and the doctor she chose who ed the way3 !e t he cou d te i! a chi d had been raped by stic%ing his !inger up their ass. "nd depending on how the anus reacted he cou d te i! theyGd been raped.; 62o way.; 2oni said. 6<oog e K.c.artin preschoo G. -he tria asted seven years and cost 1& mi ion do ars. -he ongest most e5pensive tria in 7S history. " because the media too% the word o! a woman who said and be ieved that her sonGs mo esters cou d ! y. "nd that the %ids were !orced to have se5 with gira!!es. 2ot toys3 >oo anima s. 0! it b eeds it eads and i! itGs a tremendous ridicu ous ie it eads. Beop e ta % about dishonest =ourna ism as i! honest =ourna ism e5ists. 0 was out o! the country in "!rica and the .idd e East in those days. But Aappaport can te you about news directors ordering him not to Cuestion anything and =ust read the reports as written.; 2ic% said3 with more anger and cynicism than anyone had seen him disp ay be!ore. 6(hat do we do8 /ow do we !ight it8; <emma as%ed. 60 thin% we need to do damage contro .; Doc .a agua began3 6But !ighting him is =ust as important. @r more. 0! we can neutra i>e Sunstar as a threat most o! this wi =ust go away. .edia has a ha ! i!e o! 2' hours3 no matter how big the story. 7n ess someone %eeps re!reshing it. Sierra is the !orce behind this3 but it is to %eep eyes o!! the !act that he %nowing y is a owing a monster among us in the guise o! a hero. So ta%e away the possibi ity o! pointing !ingers and 0 bet you a groat he wi bac% down generous y i! given an opportunity.; 69ou bet us a goat8; 2oni as%ed. 62o a groat3 the !ibrous outer covering o! an oat.; <emma corrected. 6.y grandmother used to say it3 meaning a gent emanGs bet.; Doc said. 60 thin% it might have started in SCuirre 2ut%in by Beatri5 Botter.; 2ic% said. 60t may have =ust been an o d country saying. 0 be ieve SCuirre 2ut%in actua y says K0G give you a groat.; 0n a betting situation but doesnGt say 0G bet you a groat.; Doc rep ied.

6Same thing.; 2ic% said. Jin ro ed his eyes and said. 6(hi e the oat she is ca ed the groat that has nothing to do with betting a groat. " groat was a Eng ish and Scottish !our penny coin. 0t was a arge coin and other nations !our pence were a so usua y minted arge. because they had !our pennies worth o! si ver in them. -he Dutch one was ca ed a groot3 !or its great si>e. 0tGs not worth a groat came to mean itGs not worth a penny which came to mean itGs not worth an oatshe . (hich was when the con!usion began. (ith SCuirre 2ut%in it was a ridd e more than a bet. MAidd e me3 ridd e me3 rot:tot:toteF " itt e wee man in a red red coatF " sta!! in his hand3 and a stone in his throat? 0! you1 te me this ridd e3 01 give you a groat.; (hich turned out to be a cherry.; 69ou turned out to be a cherry. 9ou virgin nerd.; Butch said. 6"s opposed to your wea th o! e5perience8; Jin shot bac%. 69ouGre a virgin8; 2oni as%ed3 surprised and seeming y thri ed. Hor the gossip3 not persona interest. 6Hirst y3 no. But 0Gve never had a re ationship. 0 was home ess. -hen 0 was pretty busy with this. 0 got through my ado esence with the random3 practica y anonymous3 hoo%ups that any young gay in a big city can !ind. "round the same time 0 started with this one3 Jhe =er%ed his thumb at ButchL 0 decided to be done !or a whi e3 unti 0 cou d get a boy!riend. 2ot even serious. Just someone 0 %new decent y. 0 never e5pected it to ta%e so ong. But being a hero is a !u time thing. Especia y with no powers and a city to patro . 0 have bac%s id twice since ma%ing that decision and had another random hoo%up3 but itGs =ust not worth it. Butch teases me because 0Gm smart and nerdy and sheGs never seen me with a guy. But with the guys 0Gve been with there isnGt a who e ot o! time thatGs suitab e !or spectators. (e teenage spectators.; 6Shou da stopped two sentences sooner.; 2ic% said. 69eah3 rea i>e that.; Jin responded. 60tGs been a !ew years !or me too3 %id.; 2ic% said. 6.y wi!e died twenty years ago. Sad y on y got !ive years with her3 incredib e woman. Dated an average amount !or a man o! my age had a

coup e that asted a !ew years. .y ast bro%e up twe ve years ago and it =ust seemed to not happen !or me. /ad a =ourna ist !riend that 0 had an arrangement with as ong as we were both sing e. -hat was on and o!! !or ten years then she passed. -wo years o! nothin !o owed by this happening. Did you ever read Sha!t o! Stee 8; -here were assorted murmers in the negative. 60t was an pop biophysics essay e5amining what Captain SierraGs bu et stopping3 stee bending body might do to a woman o! ! esh and b ood.; 6Ewww3; <emma said. 6Did not need the visua .; 6Sorry.; 2ic% said. 60 was seven hundred pounds by the time 0 was 21 and was not yet !abu ous y wea thy. 0Gm not a virgin but am ess than one hand count away.; -ristam con!essed. 6Hine. 0 thin% itGs sic% !or three midd e aged men to be sharing se5 stories with !our teenage gir s.; Butch began. 60Gm twenty:!ive. -rist is '& and 2ic% is si5ty eight. -hat is a huge range !or midd e age.; Jin said. 6Everyone %nows3; 2oni said. 6-o si5teen year o d gir s midd e aged means a ready o d3 but not near death. 2ic% got a mi5 because his powers might ma%e him immorta .; 6" 0 was saying3; Butch said3 60s3 !ine 0Gm a virgin.; Everyone stared at her !or a moment as everyone tried to thin% o! a po ite way to say a si5teen year o d esbian who is every bit as busy as Jin3 no one was surprised. E5cept 2oni3 who as usua was thin%ing about what she was going to say ne5t and said3 60Gve been masturbating my sister !or years.; <emmaGs mouth dropped open and her s%in went dead white3 then she actua y reached up and s apped her sisterGs !ace. 2oni oo%ed surprised3 but not i%e it had never happened be!ore. 6But other than that 0Gm a virgin3 was a 0 was gonna say:: bitch.; 69ou do not ca me a bitch a!ter what you =ust said.; <emma said3 stern y.

<emma on y paused a moment to be angry. She was a ready stro%ing 2oniGs !ace3 where she hit her3 when 2oni apo ogi>ed. 6(e this =ust ma%es me sad.; Jin said. 60 wasnGt thri ed to be a !rea%3 but !inding out 0Gm not ma%es me !ee bad !or you guys. <ir s 0Gm not addressing3 itGs too sensitive an issue.; 62o oneGs as%ing you. "nd i! a simp e discussion o! groats gets you ta %ing about se53 0Gm not sure we !ee com!ortab e being here.; Butch said. 69eah3 0 thin% we need to go somep ace sa!e3 i%e .anonGs. Jin you need to get with the Doc and thin% about what we can do about Sunstar and Sierra. 2ic%3 -ristam3 someone needs to patro . "nd switch areas because 0 donGt want anyone who comes oo%ing !or 2ic% to have an easy time !inding him. Since he pissed o!! both our primary enemies.; 2oni said. 6"nd how3 i! 0 may as%3 did you become the eader8; Jin as%ed. 60 thin% a better Cuestion wou d be how bad must you be screwing up3 that 0 need to step in. 0Gm =ust a young gir with a be oved sister to protect3 oo%ing !or some consistency and sa!ety. "nd the adu ts 0 oo% up to =ust roya y drop the ba . (hat am 0 supposed to do8; 2oni oo%ed be ievab y distraught. 69ouG be uc%y i! we donGt a end up pregnant so we have someone we can count on who has to ove us.; <emma added. 6Bretty sure3 0Gm not gonna get pregnant.; Butch said. 6)oo% at that. 9ouGve turned Butch gay.; 2oni said. 6Butch is gay3 0 %eep touching my sister in the bath. 9ou guys have rea y dropped the ba as ro e mode s.; <emma too% o!! their go d cape et and dropped it to the ground. 60Gm stripping now.; She said. 0t became obvious that Jin who was the on y one who actua y considered it his responsibi ity to be a good ro e mode was getting honest y hurt by the =o%es3 so they stopped and everyone went ahead and did as 2oni suggested. D

Chp. '0 .anon carried Butch and <emma cudd ed 2oni c ose as they ! ew to .anonGs house. "ma>on was not home so the gir s were ab e to re a5. -hey went straight up to .anonGs bedroom. 6.y grandparents =ust sent me a bunch o! c othes !or my birthday.; 6@h is it your...; 2oni began3 but then she caught herse !. 6(ait a second3 0 %now you =ust had your birthday because when we met the other day you were ta %ing about how now youGre si5teen you were starting to go on patro s o!!icia y. 0nstead o! snea%ing o!! with Butch to patro .; 62o one ever said anything about patro ing with Butch.; .anon said. 69es but itGs pretty obvious thatGs what you two were doing.; 2oni said. 62oni and 0 wou d do the same thing i! someone to d us we were too young !or this.; <emma added. 60 have a !ee ing 2oni wou d =ust disregard any instructions she doesnGt agree with.; .anon said. 6@dd y no.; <emma said. 62oni argues with our mother more. But when she puts her !oot down 2oni says we have to obey.; 6SheGs our mother.; 2oni said3 as i! that was a the reason she needed. 6See3; <emma pointed out. .anon too% a deep breath and breathed out3 6"nyway3 the reason 0 brought this up is to as% i! you want to see what 0 got.; <emma spo%e up !irst3 60 donGt thin% weGve ever seen you in anything but your uni!orm. So3 yeah3 !ashion showF (ooF; 2oni =oined in on the KwooG3 but .anon continued3 60 more meant ho ding them up3 than trying them on. But sure we can do that.; By the time she was in her second new out!it .anon had an idea3 6)etGs put on street c othes and go out. (e a ways are in our wor% c othes3 ets go be norma teens tonight. 0 have a cow nec% shirt that wi wor% !or the -wins and i thin% we are the same si>e in the waist. 9ouGre a bit ta er

than me but i might have some =eans that are a bit ong. Butch we a ready %now you can wear my dadGs c othes.; She turned to the twins to e5p ain. 60 %ept a coup e out!its o! his that have meaning !or me.; -hey had =ust !inished ma%ing the !ina ad=ustments to the nec% ine o! the red shirt the twins were wearing. (hen the "ma>on came through the door3 6/i3 /oney. 0 guess you didnGt h:; She stopped when she saw Butch3 then the twins. 69ou have company.; She !inished. 6/i3 "unt Dana. -his is <emma and 2oni Aose3 and you remember Butch.; .anon was trying to be noncha ant but it was obvious she %new this was not good. 6Certain y3 0Kve seen the Aappaport !i m.; "ma>on said coo y. 6<emma3 2oni3 -his is my "unt Dana B:; .anon began. 6Dana wi be !ine gir s3; -he "ma>on interrupted. 6.anon3 may 0 spea% to you in the ha !or a moment8; .anon wa %ed out. Butch immediate y bared her teeth in an angry smi e and hisspered3 6Dana wi be !ine3 "L i%e we donGt %now who she is. BL i%e we care.; Dana Bointe had been one o! the co:anchors who reported on the Sunstar story. She hadnGt spo%en3 but she was sitting right there and there was no way Butch and the twins didnGt %now e5act y who she was. 2oni put her !inger to her ips then pointed at the door. -he three o! them crowded c ose. 2one o! them the type to worry i! .anon returned and they were caught eavesdropping. they cou d easi y hear the voices o! .anon and Dana on the other side. 69ouGve been to d not to have that Butch gir in your bedroom.; "ma>on was saying. 6K-hat Butch gir G is my best !riend. "nd the ru e is !or us to not be a one in my bedroom. <emma and 2oni were there.; .anon said. 6-hatGs not the ru e as 0 remember it.; Dana said. 6But it doesnGt matter3 because these are the gir s who are why you are on the news. -hey ed you to attac% your own team mate. -hey are bad in!uences and 0 do not want you spending time with them and thatGs !ina .;

.anon et out a sharp bar%ing augh3 6(ou dnGt it be neat i! the wor d wor%ed that way. 0 ove you and 0Gm grate!u !or what youGve done. But 1+ or not there ainGt a damn thing you can !orbid me !rom doing. @ut o! respect3 i! you donGt want to see my !ace 0 wi s eep at !riends a !ew nights. But i! that happens3 0Gm going to want you moved out o! my house when 0 come bac%. Jin is sti o!!icia y home ess in that he ives in " ternate /eadCuarters. /eG move in and be my ega guardian no prob em. 0 %now you sti have your condo in the city.; 0t was obvious .anon was either near tears or crying3 but not as hard as -he "ma>on who was obvious y deep into a crying =ag. 6@! course youGd choose him. /eGd et you do anything you wanted. /eGd be thri ed.; She paused3 b ew her nose and tried to continue ca m y. 69ou are so strong i%e your mother. 9ou remind me o! her every time you spea%. Especia y i%e this3 standing up !or yourse !. But you arenGt her3 are you8 (hat wou d she say8; 69ou %now e5act y what sheGd say.; .anon said. 6-hatGs why youGre crying.; 6She was bri iant. But that doesnGt ma%e her every opinion !act.; -he "ma>on said. Butch spo%e up in a whisper. 6SheGs a bitch3 but she obvious y is having a rea strugg e.; 2oni3 who oo%ed surprising y stressed3 said3 60Gm not sure 0Gm com!ortab e istening anymore.; But that wasnGt an issue. "ma>on b ew her nose again and said. 6Be home by one. "nd that Aappaport video has gone vira 3 the twins arenGt going to be ab e to have a norma night out. Even to the degree they ever cou d. 0! youGre going to do it and you can ta%e everyone3 go to eng and or something. 0 %now your !riend canGt ! y that !ast.; D Chp. '1 .anon %new -he "ma>on was trying and she appreciated it. -o show that appreciation she decided to do as she suggested. .anon had an internet !riend in )ondon who they were ab e to ca and =ump through the phone. SheGd never te the twins but sheGd never have been ab e to do it i! they had each had a separate body.

-hey arrived in a sma urban apartment oo%ing at a sma gir o! about their age but signi!icant y sma er than their si>e. She obvious y had some !orm o! dwar!ism3 but it went beyond that3 with her spine twisted both vertica y and atera y. (ith her short b ac% hair white turt enec% and orange sweats she oo%ed i%e a cigarette that had been twisted out3 6<ood thing mi mumGs at wor%.; -he gir said. 6Butch3 <emma3 2oni? this is Betty Struth. Betty3 this is Butch3 <emma and 2oni. (e !igured i! we were going to have a casua night out we needed to get to where they havenGt seen -he John Aappaport show.; .anon said. 6(e get the Aappaport Aeport3 .anon. @n a 2' hour de ay. But we have computers and smart phones and everything you have. 9ou are right that ess than a tenth o! who youGd see tonight wi have seen it. But you are trave ing with the on y dicepha ic paragenous twins in the wor d. (e donGt give the bene!it o! the doubt as easy as "mericans. "nd even i! someone sees you and is wi ing too3 you are !amous in your own right. 9ouG probab y be swamped. 0 might %now a p ace. 0tGs owned by an "merican3 but a bunch o! my !riends go there. 0tGs ca ed the "narchistGs Bie Shoppe. 0 thin% itGs supposed to be a =o%e on the "narchists Coo%boo%. 0tGs a hang out !or !rea%s3 gee%s3 revo utionaries3 and !o %s who wou d be in the " ternates here i! such a thing was ega .; 6(hat8; 2oni as%ed. 60n the 743 especia y in )ondon3 i! you are a metahuman interested in he ping the popu ace3 you =oin the Specia "ssistance .inistry. 9es that name was sto en !rom your )eague. But the aw is very c ear on that. Join the S" .inistry3 use your abi ities on y in sma ways !or persona use. @r i! you try to he p others and you donGt want to be strongarmed into the ministry or tic%eted !or unnatura inter!erence with someone e ses i!e you !ind yourse ! on the !ringes trying to oo% innocent. @r even more so3 disinterested. Because around here ta%ing an interest in peop es ives is supposed to be e!t to the government.; 6Betty is a te etech inguist. She can communicate with and contro e ectronic devices and programing. <oing downtown might be an e5hausting adventure occupying a who e day. But !rom

here she can access a o! ondonGs cameras and a government and most private computers. 6)i%e the Bie Shoppe3 0 on y ma%e it there physica y month y i! 0 can manage it. But 0Gm there near every night. Iirtua presence through a monitor mounted in my booth. 0Gm wor%ing on a way to up oad my persona ity onto the web when 0 die and tru y being the ghost in the machine.; D Chp. '2 Jin oo%ed across the tab e at Doctor .a agua. 6(hat do we %now about Sunstar3 or even more important y3 what do we %now about that ring8; Doc said3 6Iery itt e. 0 %now the stone is something unheard o! on earth to my %now edge. -he band is pure carbon !iber but it is more i%e a po ished b ac% stone than a meta )i%e a combination o! anthracite and diamond that somehow had a the mo ecu es aid the same way i%e pic%up stic%s.; 6-hat is aw!u y speci!ic.; Jin said. 6-wo wie ders ago there was a physicist who he d the ring. -hey donGt advertise it because it might be the !irst step to !inding a wea%ness. But his notes do e5ist i! you %now where to oo%.; 6(hich you do.; Shrew said. 60 approached -ristam3 not the other way.; Doc e5p ained3 60Gve wanted to be a biophysicist he ping metahumans since 0 was o d enough to want anything. CanGt say 0Gd turn down powers i! they were o!!ered3 but 0Gm iving my dream.; 6-hatGs great. "ny idea how we can get the ring away !rom him8G Jin as%ed. 62ot that easy partner3 thatGs what we are supposed to be wor%ing on.; Doc said. 6(hat about destroying the ring8; Jin as%ed. 60t apparent y gives the appearance o! rudimentary signs o! i!e and sentience. 0t wi protect itse !. So it wou d be harder to destroy than he wou d be.; 69eah3; Jin said. 6But apparent y we canGt even discuss destroying him. Because no one %nows how.;

6(hat 0 ta%e away !rom that3 !riend; Doc said3 60s he has the power o! the sun protecting him3 but a these !oo s are behaving i%e there arenGt ha ! a do>en ways we cou d destroy the sun with stu!! we a ready have here.; 6(hat do you mean8; 6Aadiation. E ectro .agnetic Bu se. 7se a very sma wormho e to move a b ac%ho e into the center o! it. "ntimatter.; 6"nd how do we have those things here8; Jin as%ed. 6-he e5perimenta generator that powers -ristamGs entire comp e5 and intervening bui dings is nuc ear. 0 can harness both Aadiation and E.B by !uc%ing with it. 0 discovered how to ma%e a pinho e wormho e ten years ago. 0t was in a the papers. 0tGs =ust it canGt go any bigger without becoming e5p osive y unstab e. 9ou didnGt %now that8; 60 didnGt %now we were running on nuc ear energy. 0 wor% ong hours around very tight ipped !o %. B us3 ten years ago 0 didnGt %now anyone who had a tv or cou d a!!ord a paper.; D Chp. '3 2ic% wo%e up3 but immediate y %new something was wrong. /e wasnGt himse !. /e was sma and thin. Dressed in dirty ! anne pa=amas and he was pretty sure he was a gir . 0t was the dream again but his s eeping mind cou dnGt atch onto why things seemed so !ami iar. Since he !ound himse ! wearing a co ar o! sti!! !abric webbing that chained him to the bed with about eight !eet o! movement he Cuic% y abandoned wrac%ing his brain !or what seemed i%e trivia3 what he needed to !ocus on was !reedom. /is new!ound brain operated independent y !or his observance. 0t was !i ed with thoughts o! <eorge " en3 %nown to the wor d as Captain Sierra. /e remembered when he met <eorge. /e had !ound the ring maybe a wee% be!ore. -he moment he s ipped it on his !inger it !it per!ect y3 " though he wou d have sworn that it was a arger thic%er more mascu ine cut when heGd pic%ed it up. But it !it his !inger per!ect y and oo%ed !eminine and e egant. -he moment it was in p ace he

%new that it was !rom some a ien wor d and it gave him the power o! the sun. 0t cou d give him a shie d o! ight or heat. it cou d enab e him to ! y and shoot !ireba s and ! ashes o! ight so strong they cou d b ind anyone and burn anything. /e instant y %new o! a the powers that came with the ring. 0t was then that he decided to become a pub ic de!ender. 0t was his second day o! practice that <eorge " en showed up. /e cou d sense the temperature shi!ts and e ectromagnetic disturbances caused by his practices. <eorge was so nice and 2ic% was e5cited to meet a rea "merican hero. But <eorge had very speci!ic opinions about a gir being a pub ic de!ender. (omen had powers in the same numbers as men. "nd i! they cou d !ind the time around their more socia y acceptab e responsibi ities3 they cou d certain y !ind ways to he p. <etting pets and chi dren out o! trees and other important i! not especia y dangerous wor%. But <eorge cou d see no reason why a gir wou d need to start practicing any %ind o! combative maneuvers as 2ic%Gs dream persona c ear y was3 and at her age8 /e !e t it was unacceptab e 2ic% said she was !ourteen and that was p enty o d enough. <eorge disagreed sound y and whi e he agreed to he p her train in appropriate heroics !or when she was o d enough3 he as%ed that she not wear the ring away !rom him. She did oo% up to him a great dea 3 she !e t tru y honored that he wou d ta%e an interest3 and he rea y did seem to %now best. (hen he caught her practicing a one !or the second time3 the gui t she !e t made her serious y isten when he suggested she pass the ring to a worthy adu t ma e. /owever e5tensive discussion came to nothing. 2either %new o! someone they were sure they cou d trust3 there was a possibi ity the ring had chosen her3 and most important y they %new the ring wou d come i! she ca ed it and i! inhibited wou d s ow y heat up to the temperature o! the sun3 unti it had burned !ree. "nd this wou d happen as ong as she ived. Even i! she didnGt ca i! the ring pic%ed up her wanting it it wou d destroy her appointed regent to return to her.

0n the end the compromise was she wou d et him ho d the ring. /e cou d hand e the heat o! the sun pain!u y but without damage and i! it tried to go to her he wou d %now. Hor two years he he d her ring3 and she on y used it when he was there to train her. 0n that time she trained herse ! to ca him instead o! the ring. <eorge had very strong thoughts on the unseem iness o! a gir ta%ing care o! things herse ! when she had a protector i%e him. (hen the man %noc%ed her out and stuc% her in his van3 things went b ac% be!ore she cou d scream. (hen she awo%e di>>y3chained and na%ed she strugg ed into the !i thy used pa=amas be!ore she ca ed him. 4nowing he wou d rather not rescue her than see her na%ed. Because he pre!erred to thin% sheGd rather die than be seen na%ed. SheGd rather ive but the e!!ort o! dressing triggered a di>>y spe that continued to unconsciousness. She didnGt %now how ong passed in dar%ness passed in a ! ash o! dar%ness. Sudden y she was awa%e and screamed !or him. She screamed !or him !or about ten minutes when her abductor arrived. 6<eorge isnGt here3 beauti!u . But go ahead and scream. 0 i%e it.; (hen he punched her in the !ace hard enough !or her eyes to dim !or a moment3 she screamed a the ouder !or the mentor who cou d hear her anywhere in the country and it occured to her !or the !irst time to ca the ring. (hen he pushed her on the bed and tore the pa=amas bad y but not Cuite o!! her3 she ca ed the ring. Sudden y 2ic% was in the room with the screaming gir and her rapist3 but was no onger inside the gir s head. 2ow he was beside the bed a bodi ess impotent observer who %new e5act y what horror was about to ta%e p ace3 but cou d do nothing more than watch to see the speci!ics. (hen the ring shot through the roo! and hit the ! oor beside the bed3 2ic% hoped against a reason and ogic that the gir wou d reach it !irst. (hen Captain Sierra !o owed suit through the roo! ess than a minute ater it was obvious he thought he was rescuing a protege who was in an emergency situation but was protected by the ring which is why he swooped in to pic% her up at a speed and !orce to turn her body into a b own out

meatsac% !u o! burst organs and bone !ragments. /e %new immediate y what heGd done and dropped to the ! oor with a moan that was practica y a scream. /is body now tender y arched around her3 =ust a moment too ate. 60 shou dnGt be crue enough to than% you !or that.; Sunstar said3 g owing with his shie d o! the ringGs energy. 6but 0 rea y do appreciate it. 9ou turned a certain prison term and i!e o! shame into a i!e o! g ory with you as my protector. @r do you want to e5p ain to the press why you have a secret teenage con!idant8 0Gve been in San Jose po ice 0nterna "!!airs !or a do>en years. 0! you doubt 0 have a report a written and tuc%ed away sa!e to protect myse ! you are even more o! a !oo than this murder proves you to be.; /e too% a sma bo5 !rom his coat and with a coup e other pieces assemb ed a Brownie 12,3 giving 2ic% an idea o! when this was# ate nineteen si5ties. /e too% severa snaps o! the Captain crad ing the gir . -he camera was protected !rom reta iation by the shie d and protected by the shie d3 =ust i%e SunstarGs c othes3 by being on his person when it was activated. 2ic%Gs a arm wo%e him then. But this !irst e5perience o! the entirety o! the dream3 had a ready to d him a he needed to %now. D Epi ogue /e needed to see% Captain Sierra out. Even i! the dream was not rea 3 which it a most certain y was3 he now had an idea o! how to hand e the Sunstar prob em. Sierra was not hard to !ind3 as someone who considered himse ! i! not per!ect at east superior and assumed everyone e se agreed? on y one outsider %new about the one mista%e he be ieved heGd made and that outsider was Uwi ing to par ey. "nd basica y was par aying with the terms K0 wonGt te anyone i! you wi he p cover it up.G /e !e t spoi ed. 9et no ess than his due. 2ic% ca ed Jin and .anagua. /eGd on y recent y stopped sha%ing a!ter the morning heGd had. /e %new he was etting peop e o!! easy. /e %new the gir s wou d demand torture and torments !or everyone. But he =ust wanted it over. /e made sure they %new where to !ind Sunstar and what to do.

0nitia y nothing was c ear y visib e as being out o! p ace3 a moment ater 2ic% concea ed and observing noticed something at the same time Sunstar shouted in pain3 drawing attention to his e!t hand. -here was a very c ear distortion3 !irst oo%ing i%e the waves o! heat coming o!! a summer highway3 and then a ! ash o! ight that was b inding y bright even against the b a>ing a!ternoon sun. (hatever made the ! ash a so %noc%ed Sunstar bac% about si5 !eet. /e he d up his hand and it was obvious he was missing a !inger. " though it was c ear y not b eeding as much as one might e5pect. 6.y ringF; /e screamed. 6-hey got my ring.; 0t was c ear he didnGt %now who KtheyG were and was =ust assuming someone had done it. 6Come to meF; /e shouted3 ho ding up his unin=ured hand. 6By the power o! the ring3 0 summon you.; /e paused a moment3 oo%ing stric%en3 then be owed at the top o! his voice3 60 summon youF; 2ic% approached him and said. 60t is obvious your ring is gone beyond your reach. "nd without its protection your time has come. 0 p ace you under citi>enGs arrest !or the crime o!...; =ust in case o! an un%nown observer. "s he spo%e Captain Sierra3 new y arrived on scene3 ! ew at Sunstar saying. 60 wi ta%e him into custody. 0 owe him that much.; "s he spo%e the ast sentence he connected with his e5: teammate. /e didnGt Cuite ! y through him but he did pu p enough bones that# !irst Sunstars body tried to wrap around him with no more so id in!rastructure than a bag o! soup3 then it !e in a messy pi e. 6.y !riend3 my !riend. 0 was so used to the ring protecting you. 0 didnGt thin% to meet you s ow and gent y.; Sierra moaned3 crad ing the bro%en body as he re eased two per!ect crocodi e tears. "nd this was SunstarGs ignob e end p ayed out =ust in case. Because in the twenty:!irst century even when you =ust want to get it over with in secret someone might be watching and !i ming !or posterity.