String - Interjection 13.1

“I never imagined I would be inviting the likes of any of you into my home.”

Prometheus regarded each one of us with a wary eye. Her old, tired eyes lingered on me the longest, but she made sure to make everyone feel a tad more uncomfortable, despite being invited into her home.

We were all positioned around the cramped living room, with me sitting directly opposite the ex-Pandora Matriarch. Alice had placed herself by the sole window so she could keep an eye and an ear out for any intruders, which is exactly what Prosperity was trying to do. Anomaly found the nearest comfortable chair and plopped down into it without much care, which wasn’t far off from what Copycat did. Vigil and Seer were left standing awkwardly on either side of me because the rest of the furniture had been taken.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think any of us imagined a meeting like this would ever take place,” Lucy commented, her attention fixed on the Rookies. “I’m still not sure why you three are here instead of Abby.”

The Rookies exchanged uncertain looks with one another before Copycat nodded in my direction.

“She lost her nerve the moment Seer decided to mention that these guys were coming.” He spoke up, crossing his arms and shooting Seer with a knowing glance. “Can’t really blame her to be honest. She was pretty torn up by whatever happened, but I think she’ll share the details sooner or later.”

I felt everyone’s gaze land on me, and Lucy’s was particularly pained. There was only guilt in her eyes, despite the fact that she had been the one to pay the ultimate price.

“It’s my fault. I was instructed to lure her there,” Lucy murmured, clearing her throat. When I turned to look at her, she refused to meet my eyes. “Keep you out of the loop so you wouldn’t compromise anything. I tried to argue but Cyberspace didn’t exactly give me time to consider my options. They pushed and threatened me—”

“Wait, stop-stop. Back up a second, did you just say Cyberspace?” Copycat interrupted, looking more than unsettled by the mention of their name. “You’re talking about the real deal, right? The one that had everyone jumping at their own shadows like ten or something years ago?”

“Five years or so, and yes.” Alice answered flatly, joining the conversation. “One in the same. We established a working relationship with them right after Grim was dealt with, about a month now if we’re counting. At the time, it was in our best interest to cooperate with them, given the scale of their operation here.”

Copycat shook his head in disbelief.

“You can’t be serious.”

“She is, and we are.” I said, drawing his attention. “I’ve been working on a lot of technological projects for them, most of them being collaborations with other Mechakinetics across the world. Anomaly and Vigil have been keeping Groves Den and what was left of the Cains's territory clean, while Alice helps coordinate other efforts.”

“Uh, okay,” Copycat appeared perplexed. “And you’re sharing this information because…?”

“Because Abby isn’t the only one that feels betrayed,” I said simply. “Once we’re able, we’re going to cut ties with them.”

“Cyberspace…?” Prosperity’s brow furrowed at the name. “I’ve heard of the name before, but I don’t know anything about them.”

“Cyberspace is one of the most ruthless Supers in recorded history,” Prometheus stated, sipping a cup of freshly made tea. “I was first made aware of their activities in 1997, not long after I was hand picked to help establish the New Elpis chapter for the Pandora Initiative. They do not operate like a typical Evohuman, opting to employ various third-parties to achieve their goals. I thought it rather cowardly at first, but overtime I could not ignore that this cowardice achieved significant results.”

“You’ve fought with their agents and groups like us.” I mused curiously.

Prometheus inclined her head slowly.

“I’ve never had the pleasure of burning the one responsible. They conceal themselves well, and no matter how many of their agents we tortured, our Mentalists were never able to discern an identity. It was like we were chasing a ghost. Over time, we eventually became comfortable with the idea that they would never be caught, and all we were capable of doing was stamping out the infection whenever and wherever we found it.”

“You’ve never spoken directly to them?” I asked.

“No,” Prometheus said. “They’re particularly careful with how they communicate. We were never able to intercept any transmissions, and I suspect it was because our Mechakinetics were not specialized for that.”

“Well, aren’t we special,” Alice muttered. “We have the misfortune of being subjected to a conversation with them every other day.”

“Do you?” Prometheus arched an eyebrow. “What makes you think you are talking to the real Cyberspace and not some proxy?”

“When I was still able to access my Mentalist power, I was able to tell if stuff like that was legit,” Alice replied. “We talk directly to the real thing, and even though I’ve lost that power, that fact hasn’t changed at all.”

Prometheus frowned as she turned to Alice.

“Lost your power? Once a gift is given, it cannot be taken away. The only one I know of that is capable of disrupting the connections to our gift is Liberation, and even then, that power of his is limited.” Her gaze darkened. “Is there another that has awoken with a greater focus?”

“No,” I said, drawing her attention back to me. I knew Alice wasn’t going to be comfortable explaining this, so I would take the lead instead. “Not long ago we encountered a Mentalist with a power to heavily influence the mind. There’s more nuance to his power, but for the sake of clarity, let’s just keep it simple. His brief interaction with Alice damaged her Mentalist power, and we’re uncertain if she’ll ever regain the ability to use it. However, she was not his only victim.”

“Seraphim,” Seer cut in, drawing the room’s attention to him. “One of ours. She’s still missing, and the longer she’s gone, the worse things are going to get for her. It’s another reason I want to help you,” he turned to me. “I’ve… seen glimpses of her on the line I’m following. She… I’ve seen her trapped in something—but still alive. Whole.”

“That’s… That’s a good thing, right? Nik—Seraphim,” Prosperity caught herself before she blabbed the girl’s real name. “She’s alive?”

“I’ve seen outcomes where she is cut down and labeled as ‘acceptable collateral damage’ by Chronos and Ajax,” Seer replied somberly. “In those instances, she’s too far gone. Attacking people like a rabid animal, murdering and butchering anything that moves. It’s… I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Horrifying?” Lucy suggested plainly. “Twisted. She doesn’t deserve it.”

“Nobody deserves to have their mind and emotions played with,” Seer declared easily. “That’s part of why we're here.”

“What the hell kind of person would force her to do something like that?” Copycat growled. It was the first bit of real emotion I had seen from him since we had met, and I got the feeling it was out of character for him, given how his teammates reacted to his tone. Prosperity’s shoulders sank while Seer tensed. “Who’s the bastard controlling her?”

“Her boyfriend.” Seer replied clearly. “It’s the only answer that made sense, and I warned her not to get too close. You can never be too careful with civilians. You never know who has the ability to take advantage of you.”

“Even if she heeded your advice, the outcome would have remained the same,” I said. “Seraphim was snared the moment she met him, and it was only by sheer luck that Alice and I avoided being caught,” I continued, remembering our day back in New Market. If Richard had wanted, he could have had us then and there. The only reason I could think of was that he was trying to maintain some sort of mundane social presence. “His power works through vocal commands.”

“Shit.” Copycat muttered, beginning to look anxious. “We gotta find this guy and put him down.”

“No need,” I said. “It’s already taken care of.”

The Rookies and even Prometheus looked stunned.

“You killed him?” Prosperity asked like she was afraid of the answer. “If he’s dead, how are we supposed to—”

“He ain’t dead,” Anomaly cut in, looking rather unsettled by the conversation subject. “We got him locked up tight. Upgrade’s tryna figure out how to reverse all the shit he did. Got him hooked up to a bunch of machines to do it. Seraphim wasn’t the only one the bastard got. He messed up her grandparents as well.”

“And how exactly are you doing that?” Prometheus asked with a frown. “What sort of machines are these?”

Before I could get a word in, Prosperity stepped away from the window toward me, her features flashing with a righteous anger that looked completely out of place on her face.

“You’re using those machines from Grim’s Bunker, aren’t you?” Her anger slowly morphed into horror as she looked around the room at Anomaly, Alice, and finally Vigil. “You’re all okay with that, after what we all saw what Grim was doing to those people?” Her gaze fell on Vigil, who flinched at the fiery stare. “You! You were one of them, weren’t you? How can you stomach that? Don’t you remember?”

I wanted to redirect the focus on Vigil back to me as it had been my idea in the first place, but surprisingly, she straightened up and stood her ground.

“I remember bits and pieces. The sensation of being squeezed and suffocated in my sleep and not being able to do anything about it. I go to sleep every night and experience it again and again, my muscles and body being reshaped and played with like I’m a fucking jigsaw puzzle that needs to be rearranged. I don’t remember everything, but I remember enough,” Vigil breathed as she dug up the trauma. “I don’t like it one bit, but Upgrade isn’t using it like Grim was. He’s not torturing innocent people, he’s trying to reverse the damage that’s already been done. That’s why I stomach it.”

“Yeah, he ain’t like that,” Anomaly added, coming to my defense. “We’re using it to try and fix all this crap, not make it worse.”

Prosperity wasn’t entirely convinced.

“The ECU would—!”

“Not be the answer,” Prometheus cut her off. Prosperity spun on her but flinched when she saw the older woman’s smoldering glare. “You put too much faith in an organization obsessed with maintaining a status quo. They believe in Old World values, order, and tradition. Governments made up of the rich and powerful…” She muttered, rolling her eyes like it was the silliest thing to come out of her mouth. “The structure they believe in can never work with the way the world is evolving. As much as I am loath to say it, that technology is better suited in the hands of someone who knows how to use it properly, and ethically.”

“Yeah, see? The ECU ain’t going to do shit about any of this,” Anomaly rolled his shoulders. “It’s better it stays with us.”

“You four barely qualify,” Prometheus remarked flatly. Anomaly scowled at her, but before he could come up with a retort, she continued. “You’re children under the watchful eye of someone who would see this world drown in madness, and chaos. If you were to ask me of my opinion, which I’ll admit holds no weight, that technology should be destroyed. Grim sought to use it for his own selfish reasons. Pandora, the ECU, and the Queen’s Court as they are now would do the same.” she heaved a tired sigh. “At the very least, you four are claiming to be using it for a good reason. But…” her eyes narrowed as she looked at me. “Even those with the best intentions are not protected from hedonistic tendencies.”

I heard the implication loud and clear. 

Fixing Richard’s victims was only the first step, and Prometheus could read me like an open book. I had every intention to replicate and go beyond what Gaea had done to me. Ajax presented the biggest obstacle, but I couldn’t ignore Cyberspace’s looming eye. I was fighting a seemingly impossible cold war, but Splicer’s technology and Gaea’s insight were my keys to getting ahead.

“You call it hedonistic, I call it surviving.”

Prometheus snorted.

“To a certain perspective, you may be right. However, there is a point where it stops being about survival. After that, it becomes about chasing power. Once you have that, domination and dominion, so on and so forth. I’ve seen it all before, and you’re no different,” Prometheus said with a tinge of sadness. “I suspect you’ve already crossed that line. You just don’t realize it yet.”

I wanted to snap back with something smart like how Ajax and Chronos weren’t going to stop with Pandora, but Lucy’s hollow expression caused the words to get caught in my throat. With the silence hanging in the air, I slightly turned my head to look at her, and she noticed. Lucy looked back, and the first thing that struck me was just how tired and worn out she looked.

Apparently, it wasn’t just her. 

Prometheus shared a similar look, along with the rest of her family. 

Looking beyond her, a look of hopelessness on Prosperity's face, while Copycat and Seer shared an anxious tenseness. 

I saw the usual looks of uncertainty in Vigil’s body language, along with Anomaly’s clueless nonchalance. 

Even Alice looked the same as she always did, exuding an air of confidence while simultaneously keeping tabs on the conversation and scanning for danger outside.

Throughout all of this, I could identify that we all shared one throughline that united us in a way I suspected no one realized except Prometheus. None of us knew what was going to happen next. Even Seer, for all of his power, couldn’t give us any certainties. If he did, he would have said so by now and taken control to make sure things happened his way.

“Maybe you’re right,” I said softly. “I’m no different from anyone else trying to grab at power. I want safety and security for my friends and family in a city that looks like it's two steps away from falling into anarchy. Ajax might be here, but let's be honest, no one here can pretend people like that. Anyone with eyes can see the riots outside the Citadel and all over the news. Something needs to change, and to that end, I’m willing to use the tools at my disposal to figure that out.”

Prometheus let out a quiet, hollow laugh.

“Many will deny it, and I suspect you will too. You sound like the ideal Pandora recruit,” she mused. I held my tongue and waited for her to elaborate, to which she looked surprised. “Funny, I expected some sort of reaction from that. When I say the ideal Pandora recruit, I mean my vision of Pandora—what I believe the ECU should have been, instead of what it is.”

“What do you mean?” Prosperity asked tentatively. “What should have they been?”

“It’s not a complicated concept, dear,” Prometheus said with a sigh. “Let’s level with each other for a moment. I know a lot of children and youth around your age these days didn’t grow up with the same religious upbringing that I did, so humor me, and scrape away the fanaticism that’s commonly associated with Pandora. Tell me, what is the Pandora Initiative?"

“A collective of Evohumans with a belief that they are superior to their peers. Superior to normal people,” Vigil answered without hesitation. “That’s the agreed upon sentiment.”

“A bunch of crazies,” Anomaly said. When Prometheus scowled at him, he just shrugged. “Look, you asked me to level with you. That’s all I’ve seen of them in this city. They exploit people.”

“They hurt and take advantage of those beneath them.” Prosperity added, siding with Anomaly. “I haven’t been part of the ECU for long, but I’ve seen some of their victims. I’m not going to fall for this ‘um actually’ tactic. I know evil when I see it.”

Prometheus just sighed and shook her head slowly, which caused Alice to let out an audible groan. I watched her turn and scowl at the ex-Pandora matriarch, before straightening her back and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I get what you’re trying to do. It’s not like we didn’t all just hear you declare your differences thirty minutes ago. We can sit here and debate philosophy about what organizations should and shouldn’t have been all day and we’ll get nowhere. The fact of the matter is that they are what they are. There’s no changing that,” Alice ran a hand through her matted hair in frustration. “So what if we overstep the line between surviving and chasing power. There’s no other way to play this game. If you aren’t on top, you’re trying to get there. If you are, you’re trying to figure out how to stay there. That’s what the ECU has been doing. It’s what Pandora has been doing. It’s what Cyberspace is doing. Everyone is doing it!”

Alice turned back and leaned on the windowsill, letting out a long, exuberant sigh.

“How hard is it to just want to exist and not play by any stupid rules? With the ECU, it’s all about being a hero. With Pandora, it’s all about some religious mission to guide humanity to a better future. If it's not those two, it's just some other bullshit, and you have the gall to wonder why so many Supers our age try to grab at power?” Alice shook her head as if she couldn’t believe these were words she actually had to say out loud. “It’s because we all take one look at the world we’re suddenly thrust into and realize if we want to have any agency of our own, we have to fight to the death to get it!”

Her words threw the living room into an uncomfortable silence, and I could see the Rookies took it more personally than anyone else. Copycat appeared rather indifferent, but Seer and Prosperity looked like they had been punched in the gut. I could tell they wanted to argue, but there weren't many points they could make from where I was sitting.

“Believe it or not, I used to share similar sentiments,” Prometheus started, sounding strangely nostalgic. “I might’ve been raised with different beliefs, in a vastly different environment, but I was young, just like you. I know you don’t want to hear it, because I didn’t either. Our powers are a responsibility, no matter how much you want to deny it.”

“I’m not denying it,” Alice shot back angrily, refusing to turn and face her. “All I’m saying is that I want to be the one that decides how to use them. Not Pandora. Not the ECU. Nobody except me. That’s why I’m fighting—why we’re fighting,” she gestured to me and the rest of Madhouse. “We’re going to do things our way.”

“And what if your way hurts people or makes things worse?” Prosperity challenged.

“We don’t go out of our way to hurt people,” Anomaly chimed in, not wanting to leave Alice high and dry. “We’re just not about doing things your way. Isn’t that why you guys are even here in the first place, because the ECU isn’t doing shit?”

“We just want to help!” Prosperity shot back.

“And what if your helping ends up hurting people as well?” Vigil asked, turning the girl’s words against her. Prosperity looked hurt, but Vigil, being the bleeding heart that she was, held up her hands to comfort her. “I’m not saying that to discredit what you’re trying to say. There’s no clear-cut answer. All of us are flailing about in the dark trying to do what’s best.”

“I’ll believe that from you, but not from her,” Prosperity pointed to Alice. “You expect me to believe someone like her has any intention to help people if it didn’t benefit her in some way. I know her type,” she glared at Alice. “You heard her. She doesn’t want to help people if it inconveniences her.”

“Okay, let's chill out a bit before we start putting words in each other's mouths.” Copycat cut in before Alice could lunge forward and tear the girl’s head off. “I can actually sympathize a lot with what she said, but that doesn’t mean what you think it does. Just because she wants to be in control of her own life, doesn’t mean she’s gonna turn her nose up at someone about to drown or something. The world ain’t that black and white.”

Prosperity stared at Copycat for a few moments before her morpher ears flattened in shame. She awkwardly turned back to Alice, struggling to meet her eyes.

“I suppose… he’s right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go in on you like that.”

“Nah,” Alice said flatly. “You did. You might be sorry now, but you absolutely meant every fucking word.” Her words came out like acid, causing her target to flinch at the spiteful tone. “I know why. Don’t need to be a Mentalist to see this one. You’ve read my file. All of you have. They brief you on us—on Madhouse. You saw I used to be part of the ECU before I left. That’s where all this hostility is coming from.” Alice slowly walked up to her until they were arm's length apart. “You can’t stand me because all you can think about when you see me is a selfish little bitch who could have been a hero, but decided to throw it all away because she couldn’t be bothered. Is that it?”

Prosperity met Alice’s gaze, unable to look away. Alice’s hostile intensity had her locked in place, and the rest of us on edge. I knew she wouldn’t do anything egregiously stupid like attack her, but that was only what I thought. I had no idea what was going through everyone else’s minds.

“What am I supposed to think, that it’s all lies?” Prosperity muttered angrily. “You just up and left it all behind, abandoned your teammates and your parents, leaving a trail of carnage behind for everyone else to clean up. Was it all an exaggeration?”

“Oh, come on.” Lucy grumbled. “Are you guys seriously going to do this now?”

Her protest was ignored. Alice and Prosperity were too riled up to be distracted.

“Exaggerated? Probably not,” Alice admitted without losing any of her fire. “But I don’t think for a second that the full story was in a few slips of paper. You don’t know my side. You don’t know my parents, and you certainly don’t know the Rookies I worked with, or the heroes I trained under!”

“In her defense, they made it pretty clear that you were a dangerous, unstable person,” Seer commented, drawing Alice’s attention. “I don’t think there were any assumptions made in this case. She, and the rest of us acted on the information we were given.”

“Well, if you were all given the same information about me, why is she the one being so vicious about it?” Alice quipped, but it was clear she already knew the answer. “Oh, I know. She’s the bleeding heart type, as if she hadn’t already made it abundantly obvious to everyone around her. The poor, sweet, indoctrinated heroine. I bet the ECU just loves the fact they’ve gained another loyal moron to throw into the meat grinder.”

Prosperity shuddered as a wave of fresh anger rolled through her.

“You know I can hear that trembling in your voice, right? Throw every bitter insult you can but just know that I can see right through—”

“ENOUGH!”

Everyone turned to me with varying degrees of surprise. 

I even surprised myself. I hadn’t realized I could sound so angry. Still, the constant bickering over nothing had ignited a short fuse within me that I didn’t even know was there. We didn’t have time to throw insults back and forth like this, and nothing productive was going to come of it.

“Both of you sit down. I don’t care where. We came in here to talk, not to argue,” I growled. Prosperity scowled at me while Alice just looked shocked. Regardless, they listened. They separated and placed themselves on opposite ends of the living room, refusing to even look at each other. It felt like playground drama; pointless and unproductive. I turned back to Prometheus and considered the question she initially proposed. For a moment, I felt like I was back in that cocoon with Gaea. “Do you still want me to answer?”

“If you desire.” Prometheus answered.

I thought about it for a moment before coming to a startlingly simple conclusion. If gangs like the Cains represented the various individuals like us grasping at power, and the ECU represented stagnation and complacency, then Prometheus’s vision of Pandora was a given.

“Change,” I said. Prometheus smiled weakly and nodded. “Adapting and embracing our powers and using them to create building blocks for a better society.”

“That is what I believed in—what I believe the ECU should have been from the very beginning. If they were… then they would be the heroes they so desperately claim they are.” Prometheus sighed wistfully. “Alas, no matter how hard I tried, selfishness, exploitation, and indulgence was one sickness I could never burn away. So I left once I mustered the courage,” she set her cup of tea aside and rested both arms on her chair. “Coward, heretic… all technically true. I was only one of many, and I did not wish for my family to be consumed by their twisted rhetoric. However, I was…”

Prometheus couldn’t finish the sentence. The grief returned to her eyes, and I knew it wasn’t going to be appropriate to push any further.

“Nana,” Lucy reached out and held her hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, child,” Prometheus breathed out slowly. “Your father—my son’s death is of my own doing. If I had recognized the writing on the wall sooner, things would be far different.” I observed quietly along with everyone else as she lingered on those thoughts. “Perhaps if I had handled things differently, the city wouldn’t be tearing itself apart right now.”

Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn’t. I couldn’t say for sure. However, what I did know was that intervention was needed, and Seer claimed only we could be the ones to do it.

“We can stop it, allegedly,” I spoke up, breaking through the thick emotion that was suffocating the room. I pointed to Seer, and the blind rookie unfolded his arms. “Not sure on the details of how or why, but things apparently get worse if something isn’t done soon. Much worse.”

“Of course they are,” Lucy muttered dejectedly. “That’s exactly what Cyberspace wanted; my father dead, Pandora whipped up into a frenzy, and the ECU made to look like warmongers. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had something in store to make Gaea look bad just to pour salt in the wound.” She turned and stared at me. “What makes you think you guys can stop it?”

“We can’t stop it entirely,” Seer jumped in. “I’ve seen too many outcomes where the conflict spirals out of control. With our and Madhouse’s cooperation, we can minimize the damage,” he paused for a moment as he considered his next words carefully. “We need your help as well.”

The request left Lucy speechless. 

Prometheus showed no visual reaction, but I suspected she wasn’t pleased, and neither was her family. Her grandfather started muttering quietly to Lucy’s mother in Korean, and my translation software picked up their discontent. Lucy miraculously survived being turned to dust because of the nature of her power, and I couldn’t imagine anyone in her family was particularly thrilled at the idea of her jumping back into the action.

“I…” Lucy started, but she stopped for a moment to think. After a few moments, her eyes narrowed and she shook her head. “Sorry but you’ve wasted your time. I need to be with my family right now. I know you might think I can help, but I can barely control my powers at the moment. I wouldn’t be much help.”

Seer opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped himself. He lifted a hand to his forehead and held it there for a few seconds before nodding and stepping back.

That’s not suspicious at all.

“I understand,” he said softly. “I won’t push, but I figured I should at least try.”

He must have used his power, because he didn’t even try to persuade her, especially after he was convinced her help was necessary.

“I told you she needed her rest. Children… you always have to do things the hard way,” Prometheus muttered. “Let me give you some advice; don’t involve yourself in this conflict. Leave the city and find somewhere else to go with what family you have. This fight is not worth your lives.” She murmured, looking around the room. “But… I can see that many of you will not heed that advice.”

“There’s too much at stake,” Seer said. “If this conflict spirals out of control, it won’t just be Bayside that’s affected. Running isn’t a solution.”

“We don’t want to run.” Prosperity spoke up, finding her voice. I noticed how small her voice sounded, and I had to wonder if I was the reason why.

“Very well. If you want to put this conflict to rest, you will need to deal with Liberation and Mercury directly. However, you will not get anywhere in a fight with Mercury directing the Initiative's defenses and offenses. He will be the reason why the ECU and Ajax are unable to make any headway in pushing them back. His power is unique in that regard, I’m sure you all know, given how well documented his power is.”

It wasn’t difficult to find the information about him. His power was well documented, and just from a brief read, I could tell he would be one of the most frustrating Supers to fight against.

Area displacement.

He could freely move anything and anyone around wherever he wanted. The moment Ajax’s war machines got close, Mercury would arrive and move them someplace else. Not only that, but he was able to mark areas too, which gave him range. However, he wasn’t omnipotent. He needed a constant stream of information relayed to him.

“I’m aware.”

“Good. You’ll have to find a way to deal with him first, but do not kill him,” Prometheus warned. “There will be severe repercussions if one of the founders is killed. I trust that the ones who somehow managed to defeat The Reaper will have no trouble in this regard.”

“No trouble she says…” Anomaly scoffed. “That wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.”

Prometheus ignored him.

“Once Mercury is removed from the equation, Pandora will lose their footing and Ajax will overwhelm them. If Liberation is not dealt with swiftly, they will get desperate. I must stress that you cannot allow that to happen.” She instructed, slowly turning her head to look at Seer. The boy’s lips thinned as he held his head again. “Crush them in one fell swoop, and their morale will fail. They’ll surrender the fight.”

“What happens if we can’t do that?” Vigil asked. “What will Liberation do?”

“Then I dread to think what kind of scorched earth protocols they have concocted since I left. Rest assured, they will not go down easily, and they will make sure they look like martyrs,” Prometheus’s gaze fell to the floor. “In this instance, I believe his description of the Initiative would be accurate.”

Prometheus pointed to Anomaly. He didn’t look proud to be right.

“...Shit.”

Copycat cleared his throat.

“Alright, so we take him down and wrap him up in a nice little bow for the ECU to process before he can order anything batshit crazy.” Copycat shrugged. “Hey, maybe they’ll lighten our punishment if we manage to pull this off? I’m all for trying, it’s not like things could get much worse for us.”

“Capture,” Seer said softly. I saw his lips twitch as he mouthed something else under his breath. Nobody else caught it, but I did. “Or killed.”

I would have to consult him later on which of those options would provide the better outcome. Right now, killing Liberation would only make us look bloodthirsty, but I had already hesitated before. If it came down to it, I knew what had to be done. 

No more repeats.

“Whichever you decide, know that there will be repercussions.” Prometheus warned as she squeezed Lucy’s hand. “They will remember you—all of you.”

Good.

I wouldn’t want them to forget. I never would, not after what Wildfire did to Lucy.