Weaver, the voice had a slight digital twang at the edges, to the point that I thought it was Bakuda for a second, even if the two voices were entirely different.

I lowered my book. Defiant stood in the doorway to my cell, flanked by two of the prison guards.

I swung my feet to the ground, simultaneously sitting up. If youd asked me a few weeks ago, Im not sure I would have believed that Id actually be happy to see you.

Youll be coming back, he warned me. This is a temporary leave.

I know, I said. I marked the page in my book, placing it in a corner, where it joined twelve others.

And yes, Im not surprised you had hard feelings. We werent on good terms then, and even now

He didnt finish the sentence. Even now, we arent friends?

A lot of books, he noted the stack of prison library books. Youve read them all?

Yeah.

In seven days?

Lots of time to myself. I dont have classes, but I have homework and self-study, and that cuts into reading time, or Id have read more. But its kind of nice, if you ignore pretty much everything else. Ive had time to think for the first time in months.

I know what you mean, Defiant said. I remember worrying every day if that would be the day innocents were caught in a crossfire between Coil and Kaiser, or the day a member of Empire Eighty-Eight was initiated into the group, with the requisite assault of an acceptable target.

I grimaced at that. He extended an arm, indicating I was free to leave the cell.

He continued as we walked, flanked by the guards. And then there was the team, handling the internal politics, Assaults harassment of Battery, the Wards and their individual issues. The countless requests for appearances, for photo shoots, interviews, and demonstrations, figuring out which have to be accepted, which can be turned down, knowing that too many refusals in a row could mean a negative article. And then there were the threats, of course, dealing with powered criminals. Every team member becomes a resource, and those resources have to be allocated judiciously.

And in the midst of all that, youre still trying to find time for you, I said.

Free time is the easiest thing to sacrifice, Defiant said. It costs you, to give it up, but theres little guilt. Time to yourself is best spent preparing. Developing new technology, strategizing, adjusting equipment-

Weaving costumes, pre-preparing lines of silk, I said.

Defiant nodded.

I may have inadvertently screwed Miss Militia over, I said.

Defiant shook his head. Shes a natural leader. I wasnt.

That might make it easier to handle, I said, But shell still be in a position where she has to worry, has to prioritize and make sacrifices, and I dont know if she asked for it.

Shell manage, Defiant said, as if that was that. I couldnt tell if it was trust in his teammate or if he wasnt particularly empathetic on that front. Miss Militia was the one whod supplanted him as team leader. Were there still hard feelings?

We stopped at the end of the hallway, and the guards stopped to check in at the control station that managed which doors opened and when. There were procedures for seeing a prisoner out, and it took some time.

I could see into cells near the gate. Prisoners glared at me. I was a villain to everyone who had a grudge against supervillains, a hero to everyone who had a grudge against cops. A traitor. A murderer. The person whod killed one of the strongest heroes in the world. Whod killed someone who had fought for decades to save the world, again and again, and who may have doomed us all.

The other prisoners were still trying to assess me, I was pretty sure. Nobody spoke to me or approached me when we filed off to get our meals or when I visited the library. The words printed on my uniform were probably daunting for the unpowered.

The judge had seen fit to assign me to a close security prison, a wing in a medium security facility. It was somewhat backwards, as rulings went, everything taken into consideration. Id been charged as an adult, for one thing, so juvenile detention was out. Too many crimes under my belt. I was apparently too dangerous for a minimum security institution, but the PRT had asked for leniency, and this was the compromise theyd come to.

As far as I could figure it out, it was everything I might have expected from a medium security prison, complete with a station that controlled the opening and closing of cell doors, constant supervision, and escorts wherever we went. The only difference was the emphasis on programs. We were here to be rehabilitated, to find work, get an education and get therapy. All mandated.

Id already started studying. Now, with Defiant here, Id get okayed to start other projects. I hoped.

The warden was waiting for us in the hub, the room with benches where wed waited to be assigned to our cells. She wasnt what Id expected from a person in charge of a prison. She made me think of a stern teacher, instead. She was old, pushing sixty if not well past it, and ramrod straight, and thin. Her graying hair was tied back into a short braid that didnt quite reach the bottom of her neck. She was tough in a gnarled, craggy sort of way, like the veteran actors of cowboy movies, but female.

Taylor Hebert, she said.

Maam.

Every rule in my prison applies while youre outside. You know this.

Yes, maam.

I know you capes are magnets for trouble. If a fight happened to erupt while you were en route and it came down to you fighting back or getting stabbed, I expect you to get stabbed and then graciously thank your attacker, you understand?

Yes maam.

That said, best if you dont get hurt. Running would be preferrable, so long as you dont run. Trying to escape would be the worst thing you could do, and it wouldnt succeed.

You want me to stay out of trouble. I understand, maam.

Its a cushy deal you have here, but one word from me, and that changes.

I get that, maam. Really, I do. I get that I did some sketchy things. I get that this is a kind of penance, probably not as harsh as I deserve, and I welcome it. I think, given a choice between walking away free right this second and continuing my sentence, Id choose the latter.

She studied me for long seconds.

We have a no-tolerance policy on powers, Ms. Hebert.

Yes maam.

What appeared to be an emerging case of body lice in the main prison seems to have abruptly corrected itself, according to our physicians. The roach traps in the kitchen arent catching anything, either.

Yes maam.

Theres a part of me that would like to think youre doing us a service, cleaning things up. Which would still be a violation of the zero-tolerance rules, but somewhat forgivable given the intent. Another part of me has to be concerned that youre hoarding these in the same manner another prisoner might hoard makeshift weapons.

No, maam.

Which is it?

I sort of hoped to talk about it with my therapist, on our first meeting, and figure out the best way to approach it before talking to you.

She made a continue gesture with her hand, arms still folded, her gaze hard.

My power is always on. It takes a conscious effort to block them out and let them act normally. I feel what they feel, sense what they sense, sort of. Its not fun with lice, crawling around in prisoners pubic hair, you know? Being aware of that, across eighteen, nineteen prisoners, twenty-four-seven?

My concern, Ms. Hebert, is what youre doing with those bugs.

Nothing, I said. I- moved them away from the prisoners. Ive mostly left them where they were, let them starve. I cant leave them stationary like that where there are rodents, or theyll only feed the rodent population and youll have a bigger problem. I could kill the rodents, but then youd have dead rats in your walls, and-

This isnt acceptable. You understand why this isnt acceptable?

You have to protect other prisoners, I said.

Even if it means letting them have lice? I didnt say that last part.

If bugs are your weapon of choice, I cant let you have access to them.

What about a bucket? I asked.

Hm?

Set up a bucket in some back room, fill it with something caustic enough to kill them on contact. Ill drown every bug I can reach in the bucket, and youll be able to see for yourself, by the volume of bugs that are in there.

Lets postpone measures like that, Defiant cut in. Go change.

I nodded, happy for the escape route. I made my way to the combination shower-and-change room area, pausing to collect my civilian clothes from the guard in the bulletproof glass enclosure that overlooked the hub.

I would have liked to shower in relative privacy, but I didnt think anyone outside was planning on waiting. I stripped out of the prison uniform, a lightweight, gray one-size-fits-all cotton tunic and pants that felt more like pyjamas than real clothes. Mine werent as threadbare as the clothes the other prisoners wore. For one thing, I was a small. Sort of. It was a choice between either wearing a medium-sized tunic and have it hang around me like a tent, or wear a small and have it barely reach my beltline. Id chosen the latter.

The other reason I got a uniform that hadnt been worn a hundred times by a hundred other prisoners, was that I wore a special prison uniform with Sp. Inmate printed across the shoulders and sleeve, informing everyone who saw me that I had powers.

After folding the garments, I donned my Weaver costume. Id have to update it. It wasnt real, wasnt fit for fighting. The underlying bodysuit was something generic they kept on hand, no doubt similar to what made up Clockblockers costume. Much in the same way his costume had been elaborated on with armor panels, mine had armor that Dragon had 3D-printed prior to arriving at the PRT headquarters.

It felt wrong, especially the way the straps fit into it, and I didnt like knowing how flimsy it was.

I didnt wear the mask or the armor panels, merely holding the bundle that contained them. Instead, I pulled on clothes over the bodysuit, rolling up the sleeves until they were midway up my biceps. The same short-sleeved, button-up shirt Id changed into after wed met with the judge, and jeans.

When I emerged, Defiant and the warden were talking. She had enough presence that even Defiant, six feet tall and clad in armor, looked like he wanted to back down.

She tapped him in the center of his chest to punctuate her words, before lockdown. And I want all paperwork, as soon as you get it.

Youll have it, he responded.

Hand out, the warden said, turning to me.

I extended a hand.

She strapped a device to my wrist, like a pager, but with a coarse black strap attached. So we know where you are.

Okay.

The warden looked to the guard in the bulletproof glass enclosure. She gave him a hand signal, and he opened the front door to the prison.

We made our exit down a corridor of double-layered fences topped with barbed wire. We entered the parking lot, where a small crowd had gathered around Defiants ship, staring.

They parted to let us board, and then backed away as the jets started to thrum with life.

Were alike in some ways, Defiant said, from his seat at the controls. I sat behind him, having belted myself in.

My response was cut short as we started moving, and inertia hit me like a pressure wave against the front of my entire body. I managed only a Hm?

Weve both been leaders. Weve both made our mistakes, and weve faced a form of detention for it. You with your prison, me with my retirement.

Oh, he was back to that? Wed been interrupted.

Guess so, I managed. And Dragon?

Not a leader, Defiant answered me. Not unless you count the artificial intelligences that operate the other suits. But her prison? It remains worse than any you or I have faced.

Remains? I asked.

Yes, he said, but he didnt elaborate.

How could her prison be worse than jail? And how could she still be in it, unless was she disabled? Cerebral palsy, partial or total paralysis, something else?

I wasnt sure how that factored in with her current inability to communicate. If she relied on a computer to speak for her, maybe something in the program had broken?

The craft changed direction. Defiant tapped a button, then let go of the controls. Autopilot?

Whatever happens, he said, Youre a member of the Wards. Thats done, but the nature of your membership is still very much in question, understand?

Im not sure I do.

Before, I mentioned the tasks of being in charge of a Protectorate team.

Allocating people.

Yes. Today youre going to meet some people who are going to play a very crucial role in deciding how you are allocated. Best case scenario, we put you on a team in the thick of something. Not the quiet youve been enjoying in your cell, but youd be helping. Everyone benefits.

And the worst case?

The worst case is they say its a mistake, and you go to jail for the foreseeable future. I dont see that happening. The second-to-worst case is more likely, where there are no team leaders willing to take you on board with all of the inherent risks.

You just said I was a member of the Wards.

I did. Miss Militia has your back, but theres no way you could join the Brockton Bay Wards, under her. Conflict of interests, animosity

I figured.

Chevaliers interests are in restoring the PRT and Protectorate programs. Weve committed to helping in any world-scale crisis events, which means participating in the next Endbringer program. He respects Miss Militias opinion, and your appearance before the media means weve committed to keeping you. That was partially intentional.

Intentional?

Because it throws a wrench in the plans of anyone who might want to maintain the status quo. But as much as Chevalier is on your side, if the capes directly under him in the command structure deem it necessary, he could easily send you to a place where you couldnt do any damage and bring you out of hiding for media appearances and Class-S threats.

A place where I couldnt do any harm? Like?

Guard duty at the quarantine area in Madison, perhaps, or a town without a cape presence, where youd be doing little more than making appearances and talking to kids.

Im I dont want to sound arrogant, but Im better than that.

Mm hmm, he said. Lets hope they think so.

He pressed the button and took hold of the controls. New York. The central headquarters of every Protectorate team in America.

With Defiant beside me, my civilian clothes removed, costume donned, I entered the common room of the local Protectorate team.

The interior wasnt dissimilar from the Wards headquarters in Brockton Bay. Id visited that spot when wed stolen the data from their server. The layout was similar, with what seemed to be interchangeable or connecting pieces defining the interior. The difference was in the quality of the pieces. Gold or faux-gold trim marked pillars and short walls. There wasnt any brushed steel or ceramic. It was marble. This would be where they held the interviews and wowed the people who invested in the merchandising side of things.

Inspiring, in a way. Intimidating.

Equally intimidating, if not more so, was the crowd that waited for me. Eleven people, arranged across the room, most of them capes.

In the lead, we have Prism, second in command of the New York team, Defiant told me.

Prisms lips flattened into a tight line as she looked at me. Wed met, at the Mayors house. Shed been one of Legends people. I supposed that Chevalier would have wanted someone who knew the city and the routines as his second in command.

Rime, team leader of Los Angeles, Defiant said.

Taking over for Alexandria, I thought. A cape with black hair in a blue skin-tight costume with fur. I recognized her from the Echidna event, the cape who made ice crystals. I remembered how shed been following Chevaliers orders. His second in command? It made sense hed promote someone he knew to the second largest team in America.

Revel, team leader of Chicago.

Revel was a woman I hadnt seen before, even in the background of the various Class-S fights. I was pretty sure I would have recognized her. She was clearly Japanese, with a painted mask covering her lower face, and a massive lantern on a stick that rested against one shoulder. She wore a white skin-tight outfit with straps at the shoulders, the legs ending mid-thigh, giving her a degree of modesty that the stylized crimson kimono didnt. The kimono hung loose around her, held in place more by belts and what must have been wires in the fabric, elbow-length and just barely long enough to be modest. Her shoulders were bare and narrow, her expression one eyebrow was raised as she studied me.

Dispatch, the second in command of Houston.

Prism at least had an apparent reason to dislike me, but Dispatchs expression suggested hed come to that conclusion all on his own. His costume was white, with steel points rising from his shoulders and either side of his brow. The mask that covered the upper half of his face was sculpted into a perpetual frown. I might not have given it a second thought, but his mouth the frown left me little doubt he didnt like me, right off the bat.

You may recognize some of the captains of the respective Wards teams. Jouster from New York, Vantage from Los Angeles, Tecton from Chicago and Hoyden from Austin. You know Clockblocker.

I nodded. Tecton, in what looked to be a fresh outfit of bulky rust-red power armor, gave me a salute. Jouster was playing up the medieval theme, a spear in hand, while Vantage was a black guy in forest green and silver his costume looked a touch flamboyant, at a glance. Hoyden looked more like a desperado than a superhero, with a costume that incorporated a kerchief with eyeholes over the upper half of her face, her blond curls tumbling behind, and a jacket and jeans in what looked like black-painted chainmail.

Clockblocker leaned against a desk, unreadable.

Mrs. Yamada, youve met, if the records are right.

I nodded at the Japanese woman in a casual dress-suit who was standing beside Revel.

And Im Glenn Chambers. PRT head of Image, a man spoke. He approached me to offer a fat hand for me to shake. He had a firm grip. Glenn didnt look like someone who was particularly invested in image. He was obese, his clothes not flattering, his hair not quite cut into a mohawk, but gelled into something resembling one. He wore rectangle-framed glasses that made it easier to see how he seemed to perpetually squint a result of long eyelashes.

And I suppose Im Weaver, I said. Eleven sets of eyes, all on me, judging me. I hooked my thumbs into my pockets.

Im surprised Chevalier hasnt shown up, Defiant commented. He glanced at Prism.

It wasnt Prism who answered. Dispatch, the Texan cape, spoke instead. I asked the same question. He brings us all the way here, but he doesnt show himself?

Hes handling a small crisis, Prism said.

Were all handling crises, Dispatch said. Half of us have no experience as team leaders, were dealing with capes in mourning, with government capes auditing our team rosters for Cauldron capes-

Leave it be, Dispatch, Rime interrupted him. We should get down to business. The sooner this is settled, the sooner we can get back.

Mrs. Yamada cleared her throat. What are you thinking, Weaver?

Suddenly put on the spot. Honestly?

Honesty is good, she said.

Im intimidated, I said.

How do you usually handle something like that?

By being more intimidating in exchange, I thought. It wouldnt do to say that out loud, to explain how Id fallen back on being scary and ruthless for so long that I wasnt sure how to approach something like this.

Im not so sure anymore, I said. It was the truth, and it wasnt self-incriminating.

Mrs. Yamada nodded.

Defiant spoke , Lets ensure were all familiar with whats going on. Weve had capes with criminal backgrounds join the Protectorate and Wards teams, though that has remained largely discreet, and Weavers civilian identity is public knowledge. Weve had experienced capes join, as well, forcing us to adapt to their experience and retrain them where necessary. Weaver is both. Shes currently serving time in Gardener. Under the terms of her sentence, shell be continuing her high school studies independently, shell be getting therapy as soon as weve settled on a schedule, and shell be ferried out to various teams for testing and evaluation.

A lot of hassle for a little girl, Jouster said.

A little girl? I kept my mouth shut, but it took some effort.

Clockblocker, however, was chuckling.

What? Jouster asked.

She beat Alexandria, Hoyden said, Hes laughing because youre putting down the girl who killed Alexandria.

Not a selling point, Hoydens boss, Dispatch, cut in.

Shes an absolute nightmare to fight, Clockblocker said. Ive been on the receiving end enough times to know. So when Miss Militia told me she was in custody, I started asking questions, trying to get a sense of what was happening and when. I dont even have to be here, and Im picking up extra patrols later this week to make up for it, but I wanted to come and say this: I dont like her, not really. But if my word counts for anything, as someone whos only spent half the time dealing with the shit in Brockton Bay that she has? We want her on our side. Somehow, in some form. Because the alternative sucks.

Thank you, I said, my voice so quiet I wasnt sure everyone heard me. He was standing up for me, in a way, at a point in time I wasnt sure how to voice those sorts of things myself.

I could see Jousters eyes behind his helmet, as he gave me a once-over.

She killed Alexandria, Hoyden said. And, what, she was there for Leviathan, she was there for the Slaughterhouse Nine, for Echidna

She went head to head with each of those, Clockblocker said. He looked at me. Right? Like, you werent just there. You were in the thick of it, exchanging blows?

I nodded.

Today is numbers, Prism said. Power evaluation, interviews.

No, no, Dispatch said, shaking his head. Ridiculous. You dont invite us here, then make us sit through that nonsense.

We need to evaluate her abilities, Defiant said.

Do it on your own time. And skip the interview, Dispatch said. Your own notes, Defiant, say shes a manipulator and a liar.

Ive retracted those statements, Defiant said.

And whos to say she hasnt manipulated you? You and Chevalier were arguing for a cleaner, shinier Protectorate, didnt you? Lets not get off on the wrong foot. We vet her thoroughly, and if we dont get a consensus that shes an asset to the team, then thats that.

What would you suggest, in place of testing and an interview?

We do what were doing with the Cauldron capes, run her by our thinkers, Dispatch said. We can get a more concrete assessment of her now, with a field exercise, than by any amount of talking. If Im remembering right, a notice went out, didnt it? A New York group of villains is poaching Wards and Protectorate members?

The Adepts, Revel said.

Two birds with one stone, Dispatch said. He looked at the collected captains of the Wards. We want to know how she functions in a team environment, lets put her in the thick of it. If theres trouble, or if the mission doesnt look good, the rest of us can step in.

Eyes turned my way.

Youre serious, I said.

As cancer, Dispatch told me.

I dont have any of my stuff, and the costume Dragon gave me isnt my usual. Besides, youll be expecting me to follow different rules.

Youve read the handbook, havent you?

I nodded. But I havent completely thought of ways around the restrictions. Id picked the name Weaver based on the idea that Id be using thread more, but I didnt have any prepared, not here, not yet.

Im sure Prism will let you have access to the New York teams supplies. Largest cape groups in America, theyll have a little of everything.

I frowned. If I said no, itd be a black mark in my record, and some of these people were obviously not interested in giving me any slack, unless it was to hang myself with.

Okay, I said.

The Adepts dont kill, he said. If theres a problem, its on you.

There should be a rule against saying things like that, I thought. I didnt care that he was putting me on the spot, or blaming me for stuff that hadnt happened yet. He was implying this would be easy, practically ensuring this would be anything but.

Adepts, Jouster said. I assume everyones up to date?

Tecton was walking in front of our group, his tank of a suit giving us enough presence that the crowd parted before us. Dont be a jackass. You know Skit- Weaver hasnt read the files. Theyre in your city, you fill us in.

I know the basics, I said. Id read the file in Tattletales office. Theyre wizards, or they pretend to be, like Myrddin. Led by a time traveller.

Theyre led by Epoch, Jouster said, without looking at me. Group is very organized. Thing you gotta know about New York is its bigger. Everything is. So these guys, theres a lot of them. Theyre organized into tiers, and they compete with one another for placement in the tiers, challenging ones in higher tiers, paying a penalty if they fail the challenge. Theres one tier one, two tier twos, three tier threes all the way down to the tier fives.

Fifteen in total, I said.

He gave me a hard look, then fell silent.

Am I not allowed to talk?

This city sucks to move around in, Hoyden said. Crowds, traffic how do you get anywhere?

We have different sub-teams for different roles, Jouster said. Lancer group for fast response, those of us who can fly or move over rooftops. Another group of heavier hitters whore old enough to ride the bikes and licensed to travel the tracks.

Tracks? Hoyden asked.

Subways. You use a computer to help know which tracks you can stay on and when, so you dont get hit by a train.

And the ones who arent old enough, or arent naturally mobile? Tecton asked.

Foot patrol, or sidekick duty with a Protectorate member, Jouster said.

Loads of fun, Hoyden said.

Am I the only one who likes doing the ride-along thing? Vantage asked.

Yes, Hoyden said. Definitely.

Jouster shook his head. Its the job. They grumble, sure, but its a few years at most before they get to do the bike thing.

Im guessing youre one of the lancers, I said.

Jouster gave me a dirty look, What of it?

Nothing, I said. Just made sense.

Flechette was one too, he said. She was going to lead the squad when I moved up to the Protectorate, with Shelter taking over as Wards captain.

I believe it, I said.

Seem to recall that shed defected, joined your old team.

I dont know anything about that, honestly, I said. Only that she had romantic interests towards one of us Undersiders, and-

The doll girl, Jouster said.

Vantage punched him in the shoulder.

I didnt know if she was out, so I didnt want to say, I said, feeling lame.

Thats right, Vantage said. Thats how youre supposed to act.

The earbud Id been supplied with buzzed with a womans voice. Prism? They own the building up ahead. Cut the banter and focus on the job.

A male voice. Talk us through everything youre doing, Weaver.

Focusing on my bugs, I said.

Tap the earbud twice to start the feed, Tecton said.

I tapped it twice, and it beeped faintly. Focusing on my bugs. Ive been collecting them as we moved from the headquarters to this spot, so I have quite a few.

Lethal and venomous bugs arent allowed, you know that.

Tying my hands. It was fine. I didnt plan on using them anyways. Im selecting the smallest and most discreet, and sending them out. Itll take a minute at most, but Ill be able to track their movements.

The Adepts?

Everyone. I mean, the areas dense, but once I have tabs on the Adepts, Ill have an idea of where the civilians are, too. It means we can keep them out of danger, and well know if anyone runs into the line of fire.

There was silence on the line in response. Were they talking about me? Discussing the particulars? Hell, was I already breaking rules by violating peoples privacy?

I spoke, hoping that I was interrupting them if they were saying something along those lines. I have other bugs on the periphery, drawing out cords of silk.

Show us. We have a camera in Tectons suit.

Okay, this was getting borderline annoying. Second guessed every step of the way.

My swarm moved in front of Tecton, swirling.

Image, Weaver, it was a different man who spoke. The fat one I couldnt remember his name. We need to do something about appearances, here.

Appearances?

The black, amorphous swarm. It conveys the wrong ideas. Its disturbing to any onlookers, and if photos of you using your power on any greater scale made the rounds, it could be fodder for some ugly articles. You already face an uphill battle, with your reputation as an ex-supervillain.

Youre serious, I said. I tapped my ear to shut off the channel, looking at the others, Is he serious?

Glenn is always serious, Clockblocker said. When I first picked my name, Clockblocker, and announced it in front of a live camera so they couldnt retract it, they punished me with intensive lessons with Glenn.

They do that any time you screw up on the PR front, like swearing on camera, Hoyden said. And in the sessions, he talks to you about your hair, about redesigning your costume

How to talk so you command attention, Vantage said, over-enunciating his words.

How to hold yourself, Jouster said, straightening his back, squaring his shoulders and raising his chin a touch.

We can hear you, you know, a woman said through the earbud. Rime?

Maybe we need lessons in decorum, Glenns voice buzzed in our ears.

Hoyden made a pained expression. She glanced at Tecton, then ducked low, avoiding the camera, while she walked around to Tectons back. She pushed at his shoulder, urging him to turn around. He rolled his eyes and sighed as he obeyed, and Hoyden prodded him forward until he was standing right in front of a wall.

I really dont know what you expect, I said. Its my power.

By all reports, youre a clever girl, Glenn said Surely theres a way to present your power in a less threatening way.

I opened my mouth, but the sheer number of protests that came to mind all jumbled together. I looked at the Wards, trying to see if I was the butt of a joke.

Lucky, lucky you, Clockblocker whispered to me, covering his ear with his hand, You get his attention right from the start, and Im willing to bet hes not going to leave you alone. It almost makes me feel better about the time you crammed those bugs into my mouth and ears.

Vantage made a face at that.

So worth the extra shifts Im pulling this week, Clockblocker commented to Jouster. Just to see this.

Im not sure what you want, Glenn, I said, after tapping my earbud, I could send my bugs in one at a time. Thats not threatening, right?

Your sarcasm isnt appreciated, Weaver, Defiant informed me.

Im willing to play ball, I said. I just want to figure out what the he- heck you want, first. Do you want, like, ladybugs? Theres color there, a nice red cloud. Theres only, um, two hundred and twelve ladybugs in my range. But I could use them. Or butterflies? Theres more butterflies than ladybugs.

I accessed the butterflies in my swarm, drawing them to me.

Tekky, Hoyden said, Turn around. Theyll love this.

Tecton, he mumbled, stressing the word. I hate techy, tech geek and all those names. Just like I hate being the camera guy, the guy who the PRT gets to fix the vans when they want to cut work early

I drew the butterflies into formation, a stream of them following after one another.

I just want you to realize that this is what youd be asking me to-

Yes, Glenn said, cutting me off. Excellent! They did say you were smart.

Youre serious, I said.

Clockblocker was laughing silently, his shoulders shaking.

Serious as cancer, Hoyden mimicked her superior. All Glenn cares about is the image, the PR. Up to you to figure out how to hold yourself like a lady while youre dealing with street thugs with guns.

You would know, Hoyden, Glenn said. Id hoped something would sink in for you, with you having more meetings with me than anyone has in the past year.

Stick to business, please. Where did you get all those butterflies, anyways? I think it was Rime, on the comms.

Rooftop gardens, I said. There was a whole block with older buildings and a garden on every roof, while we were heading this way. Lots of balcony-mounted flower troughs, too.

Wed need to get you a steady supply, Glenn said. I wonder how we arrange that.

Theyre really going to make me the butterfly girl? I asked.

Clockblocker only laughed harder. I was pretty sure he was faking it, at this point. He couldnt find it that funny.

If this is a problem, Defiant said, the earbuds digital sound only compounding the faint digital note of Defiants voice, We can cancel the job, take a few days to discuss the tools you need to do the job effectively.

The worst of both worlds. Id be backing down, theyd probably argue for this as a way to keep me tame, and Id look disobedient.

No, I said. You want me to use butterflies, lets do that.

For real? Hoyden asked.

I nodded. Were picking a fight with the Adepts?

This is only a branch, Prism said, over the comm, They have three primary properties. They dont hold territory, so the local gangs leave them be. The idea is to discourage them. Fight only so long as youre confident youll win. Communicate whats going on, and well step in if need be. With luck, this will be a setback for them, and cause to stop headhunting from our side.

Okay, I said. Whos in charge?

Me, Jouster said.

It would be weird to not be the leader, after heading the Undersiders. You okay with me as recon?

Suppose you have to be, if youre limiting yourself to butterflies, he said.

I wasnt going to limit myself to recon, I said.

Youll tear them to shreds with butterfly bites, Vantage said. Do butterflies bite?

They dont have mouthparts that can bite, I told him. They have proboscises.

So are you like, super smart or something? Hoyden asked.

No, I answered her.

Dont get distracted by the new member, Jouster said.

I noted what my bugs were telling me. Theres three of them inside. Two men, one woman. The men have groupies with them, I think. In their bedrooms. There might be more, but they dont have costumes on.

They should have numbers on their sleeves. Roman numerals.

I cant really see through the bugs eyes, I said. One second

I found the woman, sitting on the couch, a laptop on a coffee table in front of her. The bugs traced her sleeve.

Its not embroidered, I cant sense anything raised, and the bugs eyes cant make out the letters. Sorry.

Check the surroundings, Jouster said. Tools? The groups practices involve using tools, ritual, rites, chants, and all that crap to try to achieve better control over their abilites.

Kind of makes sense, I said. Abilities get stronger when youre in a mental state closer to how you were thinking before your trigger event, so-

Wait, what? Clockblocker cut me off.

Yeah, I said. I triggered while I was in a locker. Ive been thinking, I get just a little stronger when I feel trapped, or when I despair, or when I feel betrayed. My range extends.

It doesnt matter, Jouster said. Three of them. No tools?

Sort of a tool. A rod, short, barely a foot long, and blunt, no barrel or anything. Carved, I think.

Not sure, Jouster said. Doesnt ring any bells.

Um. But if you look, I pointed. Theres birds. Usually theyll pick off a few bugs that get too close, but they arent moving.

And theres some inside? Jouster asked.

Three five birds in cages inside the apartment, I said.

Felix Swoop, tier three member of the group, Jouster said. Master-blaster hybrid. Controls birds, but not as much control as you seem to have. Thing is, he applies fire immunity and pyrokinesis to the birds, programs them with movements. You said hes distracted?

I noted Swoops presence in the bedroom, tried not to pay too much attention to the particulars of what was happening inside. Definitely occupied.

Lets move, Jouster said. He began striding across the street. He raised his voice, Back away from the building!

No reaction from the men in the bedroom or the woman on the sofa. They couldnt hear it.

I directed my swarm. Bugs moved through the crowd, and I organized the swarm so it was surrounded by butterflies, masking the core of the disturbing black swarm within.

Cheating, maybe, but Id do what I had to. The irritating part of this was that I had to look at the swarm to make sure everything was in place. Itd become natural sooner or later, but I really didnt need more handicaps.

Back away from the building. You can watch the fight, but watch from the other end of the street, I spoke through my swarm.

So weird, to be doing this with a veneer of legitimacy.

What are you doing, Weaver, one of the capes asked me, through the earbud.

Warning the crowd. I can mimic my voice by using the sounds my swarm produces, only Im using mainly butterflies.

A bit of a fib, but it would fit what Tecton was seeing by way of his camera.

Keep us updated on your thought process and strategies.

Jouster led the way into the building.

Im using the silk cords I prepared earlier to hamper the birds on the balconies, I said. Theres a pigeon roost above, but Im covering the door, so hopefully Swoop wont have access to all of those pigeons. And Ive got other bugs surreptitiously gathering in the clothing that Swoop and the other male discarded. Im assuming I can use the scarier bugs if the public isnt about to see?

That goes against the spirit of what I was talking about, Glenn told me.

Yeah, Hoyden said, from just behind me, You should want to use butterflies and butterflies only.

Tecton pushed the door open, splintering the lock and snapping the chain with just the strength of his power armor.

Tecton in last, Prism said. Well want eyes on the scene.

Im the toughest of us, Tecton protested.

Dont flatter yourself, Hoyden said, patting his chest as she walked by.

Two upstairs there, with two more that might be initiates, might be civilians, I said, raising my voice a fraction. I pointed in the direction of the two men. I moved one hand to point at another point. One woman there. All two floors up.

I hung back as the heroes ascended the stairs, and got to see as Tecton placed his hands against the frame of the door.

Let me know when, he said. And brace yourselves.

Wed gone over the powers in this particular group before we left. I knew what Tecton and Clockblocker were capable of, obviously. That left Vantage, Jouster and Hoyden. I could track them as they broke into the apartment.

Jousters blaster-striker hybrid power involved his lance, a power that conducted along the usual channels, only the form it took varied. He speared through the computer, then swung the blunted side of the weapon at the couch. The woman rolled out of the way, and energy rippled away from the lance, freezing and shredding cushions.

He could choose the effect, making it fairly versatile. Concussive blasts, fire, ice, lightning, suction and disintegration, among other things. Trick was that he had to hit to deliver the effect.

The advantage, conversely, was that he had another power. With a brief-lived burst of superspeed, he closed the distance to the woman, coming to an abrupt stop just in time to kick her in the midsection.

Clockblocker followed, stepping forward to touch the woman and freeze her.

Woman is Paddock, Jouster said, through the earbud.

Caught her, Clockblocker said.

Hoyden and Vantage were already breaking into the other rooms, interrupting the men and women at play.

Vantage had super strength, but his strength and reflexes scaled up as the number of opponents rose, with diminishing returns. He wasnt especially durable, but he packed short-range teleports. Very short-range a matter of two or three feet, at best. He teleported to help close the gap to Swoop and slammed one hand into the mans collarbone. The woman scrambled for cover.

Anyone want to break the wishbone? he quipped.

The other man raised a hand at Hoyden, and she stopped in her tracks. He almost leisurely stood, taking the hand of the girl beside him, then reached down to collect his robe, and recoiled in horror at the bugs that festooned it. He couldnt get to the rod, whatever it was supposed to do.

Heads up, Hoydens ensorcelled or something, I said, communicating through the earbuds.

Nuh uh, I could hear her speak through the earbud. She caught the cape from behind, then hurled him through the doorway, at Clockblocker. He stepped on the mans bare back, and the man was frozen.

Cape two captured, Clockblocker said.

Hoyden was one of the capes with a mess of powers. Things she hit exploded, things that hit her suffered a retaliatory explosion. She was stronger, more durable, and to top it all off, she had a peculiar resistance to damage and powers that improved as she got further from her target.

Between them, they each had the ability to apply their abilities in devastating ways. They were team captains for a reason.

Wait, was this okay? Id barely done anything. I was used to hanging back, supporting my allies, and delivering decisive strikes where necessary, but I was supposed to be proving something. Would I be able to say Id achieved anything definitive?

Was that intentional?

I hurried up the stairs in double time. I reached the door frame, and I got a look from Jouster.

Definitely intentional. Hed had his team bulldoze through the capes, leaving nothing for me. Id provided recon, but would that be enough?

Securing the bystanders, Clockblocker said, from across the room. He approached one of the women, and she made a squeak of alarm as she jumped back from his reaching hand. Shhh, its okay. Doesnt hurt. If youve done nothing wrong, theres nothing to worry about. Youll wake up in a few minutes, visit the police, and then go home.

She glanced at Jouster, as if looking for confirmation, and Clockblocker touched her, freezing her.

The other woman was pulling on pants, the kind of skinny jeans you pulled up inch by excruciating inch, if you were lucky enough to have actual hips. She still wore a black bra, and way too much eye shadow.

Last one, Clockblocker said. You can call in the PRT vans.

She buttoned up her jeans, then ran her thumb along the chain that ran from her belt loop to her pocket.

Wait, I said. The chain- there were charms on it. Those charms.

My embellishment, she said.

Shit! Jouster said. Clock!

Clockblocker lunged, but she leaped back. Landing on his hands and knees, Clockblocker reached out, firing the fingertips of his glove at her, each trailing cords that extended to his gauntlet. Two of the cords looped around her limbs as they made contact. Thick, I noted. Not fishing lines that might cut when they were frozen in time.

He froze them, then freed his hand from the glove. She was immobilized.

It wasnt enough.

Its Standstill, Jouster said. He broke into a run, charging her with his lance held ready.

Thirteenth Hour, now, she retorted. Her eyes flared with light, and I felt my body jolt.

Tecton! I spoke through my bugs.

My heartbeat slowed to a glacial pace, my breathing slowing. My outstretched hand started drifting down, the strength to hold it up slowly leaving my body.

Thirteenth Hour collapsed, going limp in the midst of Clockblockers suspended wires. Jouster, mid-stride, did much the same.

My thoughts were slowing down, volition gone. The others were the same. My sense of time I was reminded of a dream Id had, of being put under a spell by Coil. Scopolamine.

Clockblockers power wore off the various Adepts, one by one. They composed themselves, dressing.

Swoop dialed a number on his phone, approached the sleeping Thirteenth Hour while holding it to his ear. He lifted her chin and kissed her, staying beside her to catch her as the cords were released.

Spot of trouble, he said, with a faint accent. Australian? British? Wouldnt mind one of the top tiers. Theyll have reinforcements.

My eyelids drifted closed. I didnt have the will to raise them.

But I could follow my bugs as they stirred, converging, moving as if with a mind of their own.

Following my unconscious directives?

The bugs went on the offensive, biting, stinging.

No. It wasnt even a coherent thought. Id get in trouble.

No, the bugs whispered, their droning forming crude words.

Swoop and the others startled at that. I could sense their movements through the accumulated bugs. He made a hand gesture, murmured a phrase, and birds took flight from the cages around the apartment. After a moment, they ignited, winging their way through the thickest areas of the swarm.

The others would be arriving soon. I had to do something.

That urgency, more than anything, seemed to translate into an order for my swarm. They began moving, bearing silk threads.

That, I was okay with.

The binding they performed was carried out as if from some deep-seated, creative part of me, the part of me that would doodle absentmindedly in the margins of my notebook when I was tired in class. Instead of aimless doodles, however, it was cords and lines of silk extending from table legs to feet, from wrists to earrings and between the loops of shoelaces, and it was all accompanied by the butterflies that I was still maintaining in formation.

Swoops improvised phoenixes couldnt get close enough to burn those things without burning the individuals in question.

The other Adepts were arriving. My sense of time, still, was obscured. Where were the Protectorate capes?

How long would we be stunned like this?

Swoop, one hand pressed to his collarbone, moved his other arm to allow a flaming pigeon to rest on one hand, then winced in pain as he wound up nearly yanking an earring out. Curses!

He really said things like curses.

I did not want to lose to these guys.

The bugs were still moving, aimless, without my active direction, but they were using the silk cords.

Butterflies, I thought.

The butterflies Id been prepared to use moved into the formations Id instructed, joining and complementing the swarms of bugs that were weaving webs of silk over and around the four Adepts, including the sleeping Thirteenth Hour. I could sense her breathing.

How to break the spell?

Tecton.

He was under the effects. I could tell, by how his arms had drooped from where he had them on the door frame.

If this was simply a kind of hypnosis

I called bugs to me, directed them to gather on my face.

Not enough they couldnt get through my mask.

Without me asking it to, a cockroach started chewing through the fabric. The fabric that wasnt nearly as strong as spider silk.

The female Adept that Jouster and Clockblocker had attacked as they entered the apartment made her way toward the kitchen, stumbled as a silk cord around her knees failed to give her enough give.

Annoying, she said.

Admirable, almost, Swoop commented. This is the sort of thing we hope to train, and shes already a fair hand at it, isnt she?

Whatever, the woman said. She drew a kitchen knife from a wooden block on the counter, then began cutting the most obvious threads.

Seconds, minutes, hours passed. I couldnt say for sure. There was fighting outside. Capes fighting capes. I couldnt focus my attention on it.

With the hole in my mask now large enough, the cockroach wormed his way in.

Two ways this could go, I realized, as it dawned on me what I was doing. What my passenger was doing? Either this worked, or it would fail disastrously, and theyd be distracted, at the very least.

The cockroach reached the back of my throat. I gagged and coughed.

And that disruption was enough to shake off Thirteenth Hours influence. My thoughts began to coalesce into something more coherent.

Still coughing, fighting the urge to throw up into my mask, I directed bugs into the eye holes of Tectons mask, down to his mouth, to do much the same.

No, the cape with the rod said.

Another mind-affecting power. I could see my spiders getting larger as they crawled, the apartment getting smaller, I felt vertigo

Tecton reached out to the doorframe and made the building shudder with enough force that everyone stumbled.

Everyone woke, Thirteenth Hour included. The hallucinations stopped.

Again! Swoop shouted.

Thirteenth Hours eyes glowed, her power flaring

But I was ready. A cockroach mobilized to set off my gag reflex a second time, and I was alert before the effect had even sunken in.

So gross.

Vantage and Jouster wore masks that covered their mouths. Itd take a second to get into Tectons, and I didnt want him to unwittingly wake Thirteenth Hour again

I woke Hoyden instead.

I wasnt making friends or allies here, I suspected.

Hoyden strode forward, coughing and wiping at her mouth. A flaming bird soared at her face. In the instant it made contact, it detonated in a ball of flame and unburned feathers. She was thrown backwards.

Another homed in on me. I wasnt durable, like Hoyden. I shielded my face with my arms.

The armor protected me, the cloth didnt. I could feel it as though something scraped against my flesh, felt the hot prickle that promised future pain. A burn.

Stop, the cape with the hallucination power said. He made a sign with his hands, extending his rod at me.

Again, I felt the sensation of things distorting.

I was free of Thirteenth Hours power, though, and my bugs were winding silk around his arm and face. He clawed at it, to little effect, and the more butterflies that settled on his face, the less effective he seemed to get.

Hoyden had returned, and endured a barrage of more flaming birds. The larger birds werent obliterated as they exploded, and circled around to strike her again. I ducked below one I could sense only by the bugs it burned along its path, then backed away.

The one with the knife. I tied some silk around the knife handle, connecting to the silk between Swoops leg and the table.

She tried to bring the knife down to cut something, and the cord went taut, pulling it from her hand. She tried to bend over to pick it up, and the thread between her throat and the light fixture pulled taut.

What was her power, even?

I wasnt interested in finding out. I navigated the threads by using the bugs to track their placement. The armor Dragon had fashioned didnt have compartments inside the armor panel at the back, but I had a taser dangling from my belt. Before she could figure out a way to break a thread, arm herself or use her power, I jabbed her with the taser.

She fell, momentarily suspended by the threads. I had the bugs near the light fixture manually break the thread before she strangled.

That left Swoop and Mr. Hallucination, who was apparently suffering for not having removed more threads from himself earlier. He swatted at the butterflies.

I reached Jouster, shaking him. When he didnt rouse, I shook him harder.

Nothing. Not jarring enough.

I kicked his leg out from under him, and he sprawled.

Fuck you, he mumbled, as he began to climb to his feet.

Wake up Clockblocker and Vantage, I said.

You dont give me orders, he said. He approached Swoop. The man smacked Hoyden with one more bird, whirling around to face Jouster, and then got slammed in the chest with the fattest part of the lance. The third tier Adept flew into a wall and went limp.

Jouster wanted to clean up? Fine. I tazed the hallucination guy, then hurried to Clockblockers side. When shaking him didnt rouse him, I raised his head from the floor and then smacked it down hard enough to startle him.

Jerk, he mumbled.

Jouster had poked Vantage awake.

Our reinforcements are fighting their reinforcements, I said.

Good to know. We get Tecton and back them up.

You kicked their asses with butterflies, Clockblocker said, as we made our way to the stairs.

I cheated. The butterflies are superficial, decorative.

No, no, no, he said. If anyone asks, you kicked their asses with butterflies.

Defiant and I walked back through the corridor of double-layered chain-link fence. There was a long pause as the gates opened.

You may have won over some of the ones with doubts, but Rime was grumbling about your attitude, and I suspected she was on your side to start with.

My attitude?

I dont know. Something to ask her, when the time comes.

I sighed.

Your arms?

Hurt, I said. I extended my arms, prodding at the bandage on my forearms. Nothing serious. Will probably peel like a motherfucker.

Language, he said, as we entered the hub.

The warden was there, waiting for us.

You got injured.

In the line of duty, Defiant said. Permitted duty.

I told you to keep her out of trouble.

Wasnt my choice, Defiant said. I can give you my superiors number if youd like.

I would like. Taylor Hebert? On the issue with the bug population of my facility, I feel it would be a very bad idea to provide you with a caustic substance to give your bugs, given what your file says you achieved with capsaicin. I had a bug zapper purchased, and you should be able to access it with each and every one of your tiny soldiers. I expect to see it used, understand?

I nodded.

Go change. Ill have a guard waiting here to escort you to your cell.

Okay, I said.

I changed back into a fresh prison tunic and pants, leaving my shoes behind. It pained me to leave everything behind, but I did. The female guard patted me down when Id emerged and handed the bundle of clothes to the guard at the hubs office, then led me to my cell.

I was cognizant of my fellow prisoners, who watched me. Prisoners who, I had little doubt, saw my injury as a sign of weakness, a reason to descend on me like wolves with wounded prey.

Being out among the Wards had shaken me, on a level. I still needed to find out how to fight like a Ward. A more effective Ward than the ones Id encountered in the past, ideally. I needed to adjust my tactics, the very way I thought. To build a measure of self-confidence that wasnt borne by fear and intimidation.

I settled down on the bunk with my book.

I shifted restlessly. I still had trace amounts of adrenaline in my system. The rush of a fight. My arms hurt, too, despite the over-the-counter painkillers Id tossed back. A second degree burn, and like so many other injuries of the hands and arms, they seemed as though they had been strategically placed where theyd be most irritating and debilitating.

Tonight is going to suck, I thought. How was I supposed to get comfortable like this?

My bugs found the bug zapper, and I began systematically eliminating every cockroach, louse, fly and ant in the building.

The spiders, I kept on hand, directing them to the burned corpses. They could breed, in time, and I could put them somewhere where they wouldnt encounter any people.

Breaking the rules, maybe, but it was something to occupy my thoughts. It made me feel just a little safer, a little more like myself.