Veritas’ ability is a Mentalist one requiring blood ingestion of the target. Once ingested, the person’s temperature will rise every time they lie. In exchange, Veritas cannot lie to the target. A vague truth or a misconception doesn’t count as a lie by her ability. She relies too heavily on her truth-telling to her deficit. I want her ability.

“That was two questions from your side. Does that mean I get two as well?”

“Fucking greedy asshole,” Rorschach spat.

“Fine. You may ask two,” Veritas said, ignoring Rorschach’s outburst. “Why don’t we all be a little more careful with our language going forward?”

“How very kind. This collective of Cowls you have, what are its goals?” I’m purposely asking a question that requires more than a yes or no. Veritas is going to be forced to answer with specifics.

Rorschach scowls and Rushdown looks unhappy as well. I can’t be sure, but I doubt Veritas is smiling beneath her mask. I have no plans to join them, but my asking about their goals makes it look like I’m interested. The longer we spend talking, the higher the chance of Vivienne waking up. Erisate is grinning, and Constrictor is staring at me like I’m prey. All of them have been Cowls far longer than I have, but they seem almost amateurish. None of them are masking their feelings. I expect this from everyday interactions, not from hardened criminals. They are too dysfunctional as a collective. A leader shouldn’t be questioned by their subordinates, especially not in front of a potential recruit.

“We created this group because there is security and power with numbers. And it makes pulling off jobs easier,” Veritas said. She still skirted around the specifics.

They’re thieves and bound strictly for survival. Could I wrest control of the group from Veritas? I need bodies to get things done. If I want to be able to establish myself in Quinstin, I will need minions. I do not have a ton of time to pick out allies. And if I can’t bring them into the fold, I can get some new powers, at least. I hear a faint noise come from Vivienne’s cage. She’s almost awake. Let’s ramp things up.

“For my second question: how does Constrictor feel about the physical changes he went through due to his power?” This could potentially be an amazing question to ask. If I’m right, this could drastically change how this night goes. If I’m wrong, then I haven’t lost too much.

Constrictor looks down at Veritas as she fidgets in her seat. “He… hates the way… it makes him… look.” Veritas pauses every few words as she’s forced to reveal Constrictor’s private feelings. I was right.

“Of the eight you’ve killed, how many were Neuvohumans?”

“Five,” I answered immediately.

I’m running out of time, and Vivienne hasn’t made another sound. I do not doubt she can handle all five, but only if she’s awake. Veritas’ newest question makes the puzzle pieces aline. I had been missing two things this entire time, whether due to my incompetence or head injuries. Murmur is the woman I murdered last night, the one with the sound orb ability. Luckily for me, I hadn’t put two and two together when they asked me. I’m betting Veritas can’t ask the same question twice. Her power seems to be following a theme: trial, truth, perjury, and punishment. Because I didn’t know who Murmur was, she was forced to find new ways to ask if I had killed their partner. I need a new plan if Vivienne isn’t going to be a factor. I could try and pull Constrictor to my side. He looks like the muscle; we should be able to subdue the rest together.

“Five Neuvohumans? How the hell did you do that? Wait, don’t answer that. It’s rhetorical,” Rushdown said.

“And here I was hoping to get another two for the price of one,” I said.

“Are you a Tinkerer?” Rushdown asked.

“Asking me about my powers seems unfair, but I promised honesty, so no. Which of you is the strongest?”

“Constrictor,” Veritas answered. “Rushdown, please refrain from wasting our turn on irrelevant questions. Would you be willing to join us as a replacement member?”

“Your group interests me, but unless you are willing to concede the leadership role to me, then I wouldn’t join. I want you all to know that regardless of how the trial ends, I am interested in hiring this group.”

“You got some balls on you, man,” Erisate said.

“I would like to give up my question for this round in exchange for making five statements that Veritas will confirm are the truth. I know you all probably want to vote on this.”

“Absolutely fuckin’ not. This bastard is planning something,” Rorschach said.

“I want to hear what he’s going to say,” Constrictor said.

“I vote yes,” Rushdown said.

“He said he didn’t kill Murmur, so we kidnapped the wrong guy. Therefore, I also vote yes. I’m interested in hearing him out,” Erisate said.

“My vote no longer matters, but I would like to state that I am against this,” Veritas said begrudgingly.

“Wonderful. First, if you all agree to work for me, there will be no retribution for tonight’s festivities. Second, I am offering to hire you all full-time and indefinitely. Third, your current roles in your group will not change upon working for me, and I won’t force you to compromise on any ideals you have. Fourth, Constrictor, I can fix you. Sorry, let me be more specific. I can make you human again. And for my fifth and final statement: anyone who doesn’t join me will not leave here alive,” I said.

The room is so silent you could hear a pin drop. The tension is thick enough that you could cut it with a knife. Rorschach’s face is furious, and Rushdown looks ready to attack me. Constrictor’s eyes are boring into the side of Veritas’ head, waiting for her to confirm my statements. My eyes zoom in on Erisate, though. Above her left palm are two of the coasters spinning in the air. She’s looking at me with a thin, dangerous smile. She’s a Manipulator. Telekinesis, magnetism, or it could be something else I’m unaware of. So, a Mentalist, a Manipulator, and I’m sure Constrictor is a Bruiser of some kind. Rushdown and Rorschach could be anything, but he’s probably a Traveler based on his name.

“He told no lies. He means every single word,” Veritas said.

Chaos erupts at her proclamation, and multiple things happen at once. Constrictor may not be fully human, but I think I recognize hope in his monstrous face. The coasters in Erisate’s hand are spinning fast enough that their edges look blurry. Rorschach stands up and reaches for something below the table. Vivienne finally stirs in her cage. She starts to move about, and I can hear her mumbling something. The trial ends here.

“I’m going to kick your ass, you fucking bastard. You’re outnumbered, weakened, and you have no weapons on you. What gives you the balls to threaten us?” Rorschach screamed.

“Because in about a minute, you’re all going to die. Painfully. So decide now, are you with me or against me?”

None of them make a move, each eyeing the others and me. Veritas and I are the only ones still sitting. Constrictor is still staring at me while the other three bicker about my offer. Vivienne is yelling about being stuck in a cage as I address Constrictor.

“V, wait for my signal. I mean it; I can offer you freedom from that form and make you normal permanently. Do you accept my offer?” Last chance, snake man, take it or die with the rest. I can always just remove your power before I kill you.

“Constrictor, don’t,” Veritas said.

Rather than speak, Constrictor’s tail lashes out, knocking everyone else back from the table. None of them are ready, and all four of them go flying. Erisate gets off the ground first, levitating up high as the rest of the coasters float up toward her, spinning around her like saw-blade satellites. Rushdown vanishes in a blur, reappearing before Constrictor and swinging his baton at his leg. The giant reptile hisses in pain as the strike makes a resounding crack. Not teleportation, but something speed-based, perhaps? He carries his momentum when reappearing, which could be a dashing ability. Erisate launches six of them like shuriken, and they bury themselves halfway into Constrictor’s chest. He falls to one leg but uses his tail to spring back to his feet. Rushdown jolts forward into him, but this time, Constrictor is ready. The reptilian powerhouse falls back, causing Rushdown’s baton swing to miss completely.

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Rushdown looks like he’s about to tumble until he activates his power; I see it clearly this time. He dashes past Constrictor, rolling into a crouch. The lizard man rips the metallic objects out of him, causing blood to burst out of the wounds. The gashes rapidly heal until there isn't even a mark. He has an additional regenerative ability related to his reptilian condition. As their fight continues, Vivienne fully wakes up. It takes her a second to acclimate and realize what’s happening. Her eyes focus on me, and I nod. She transforms, obliterating the cage she’s held in. She quickly closes the gap to where the other three are fighting.

“The lizard has sided with us, V,” I shouted.

More coasters fly down from above, aiming at Vivienne. The metal discs ding off of her as she tries to bat them out of the air. I’m in no condition to get involved, but Veritas is up, and she heads over to help the others. Another swipe of Constrictor’s tail knocks Veritas to the floor. Vivienne tries to get closer but Erisate is keeping her at bay as more of the metal hexagons swarm around her. The floating woman’s top is nearly completely gone, with only two plates hovering in front of her nipples. Her outfit isn’t made for fashion; it’s made for function. Rushdown is wary of Constrictor’s tail and keeps fake dashing to trip the lizard up. The giant reptile just ignores Rushdown and leaps up at Erisate, trying to claw at her. Erisate deftly dodges him, and the two rings floating around her head race through the air at him. One ring slides over his head onto his neck, and the other loops onto his tail. She throws a hand toward the ground, and Constrictor is brought back to the floor hard.

“There’s still time to stop this, and we can go back to before tonight happened,” Veritas called out, slowly standing up.

“I refuse,” Constrictor said.

His attack on Erisate served as an excellent distraction, and Vivienne is free to get involved now. None of them realize that the longer this goes on, the lower the chance of winning becomes, not that they ever had much of a chance to begin with. Rushdown charges her, baton in hand, and she lets the weapon bounce off her harmlessly. She shuffles forward with a form reminiscent of a boxer and whips her leg up before bringing it down on top of him. Rushdown takes the blow right onto his shoulder, and it crunches. He cries out as her mangled arm hangs loosely at his side. Before he can make another move, Vivienne spin-kicks him backward. Veritas is still hurt, and now Rushdown is handled as well—two down, two to go.

Vivienne walks over to the trapped lizard, grabbing the metal that’s pinning him down. The metal melts into goop in her hands. The burns she creates on Constrictor quickly heal, and now it’s two-on-one. Rorschach chooses now to enter the fray, flanked by two pitch-black hawks and tens of similarly colored mice. Those are the same mice that were all over the place. She was watching me from the moment I woke up. One of her birds flies straight at V and explodes on contact. A dark black cloud of vapor covers Vivienne’s head and she tries to wave it away as the second bird hits her. When I look away to check on the other fight, I see Constrictor squeezing Erisate with his tail. She’s bleeding from several claw marks all over her body. It’s a good thing I only need her alive, not in peak condition, to take her power. His form is covered in half-buried pieces of metal. He looks more like a dinosaur with all the plates sticking out of him.

“Bring her to me!” I yelled out to him.

“Put her over there,” I said, pointing to the table.

Vivienne, meanwhile, finishes destroying all of the little inky creatures. She dispatches Rorschach with a palm strike to the forehead, knocking her out. V steps over her and joins me at the table. Constrictor comes over to stand before me, drags the woman over to me, and throws her onto the table. His claws and tail are drenched in blood, discoloring the green with muddy red streaks. It would be imposing if I didn’t have my obsidian Valkyrie beside me. Flanked by these two monsters, I am once again in a position of power. I stand up carefully and limp over to Veritas. My head is quite cloudy, and my thoughts are getting muddled.

“Veritas, forgive the theatrics, but as you see, you were never in control. Now, are you willing to bend the knee, or will you die along with the other members of your cabal?”

“I refuse,” Veritas said as she pulled a gun from behind her back. Vivienne jumps in front of me as Veritas unloads the full magazine. Constrictor pounces on her and claws out Veritas’ throat.

“NO!” Rushdown yelled, dashing at us.

Constrictor’s tail intercepts the charge, impaling him through the chest.

“Why did you kill them?” Two powers that he has stopped me from getting, I need to correct him. If I could be angry, I’d be furious. That power was mine to take. That snake robbed me of another personality piece.

“What? She just tried to kill you, and Rushdown wouldn’t have given up without a fight. You’re welcome, man,” Constrictor said.

“V, break his arm repeatedly,” I commanded.

Before he can react, Vivienne grabs him. Despite their similar sizes, she picks him up like a child and snaps his elbow backward. He briefly struggles against her grasp but gives up after not budging her. It’s a vicious war as his regeneration fights against V’s heat. His skin blisters and pops before new skin and scales form. The point is to show him never to act without permission. She waits for the elbow to right itself before snapping it back again. To Constrictor’s credit, he doesn’t cry out or whine and just accepts the punishment she doles out. She repeatedly breaks the elbow six times before I hold a hand up to stop her.

“Just a heads up, Lizzy, Nobody is a bit of a control freak,” Vivienne said.

He doesn’t respond to Vivienne’s taunt or warning. She drops him, and they follow me as I limp over to the table to sit down. Good, I can’t have insubordination in my organization. Vivienne showed him the stick; now I can show him the carrot. I’m beginning to feel light-headed from all the competing injuries I’ve sustained tonight. My hoodie is soaked with all the blood I’ve lost. I still have no idea what time it is, and I have my meeting with Maria tomorrow or today, depending on the time. I must collect my powers and pawns before rushing to the doctor. I’m going to have to show off my ability. I don’t have to explain it to them.

“I said that I could make you human, and I meant that. You probably won’t understand what’s happening, but I will explain it at a later date. Understand this; you are now and forever intrinsically linked with me. If I prosper, you prosper, and my enemies are yours. Now take my hand, and I’ll free you from the monster you’ve become,” I said.

His scaly-clawed hand dwarfs mine as we touch, and I activate my power. He doesn’t complain or even twitch as I take from him. As the five minutes go by, he morphs back into a human. His scales change into skin, and his tail shrinks as it’s absorbed back into his body. The rest of him gradually loses its more reptilian features until all that’s left is a naked, completely hairless, black man. He’s slightly taller than me, but where I have a swimmer’s physique, he’s more of a Hollywood leading man type. It’s no wonder he was so upset about his appearance if he used to look like this. Vanity isn’t something I’ve ever cared about beyond being a tool to use. I feel his ability inside me, a hybrid Bruiser/Alter. The personality piece is troubling. Self-loathing is not something I want, and I already have some negative traits inside me. I will deal with it later on.

Constrictor hasn’t moved an inch, mesmerized by the human body he has again. While he’s dazed, I move on to taking Erisate’s power. Being knocked out prevents her from doing anything to stop me—another power nestled inside me for safekeeping. She’s classified as a Manipulator. She has some sort of limited energy inside of her that she can imbue into other objects. It regenerates daily, but it’s a minuscule amount. Imbuing an object with enough of her internal energy granted her a form of telekinesis over said object. What an extraordinary ability, Erisate used it so effectively as well. Her loss is my gain; unlike Constrictor, she’s given me curiosity. What an auspicious evening.

“I completed my promise to you. Now it is time you earned the gift I’ve given you, Constrictor,” I said.

“Sorry, yeah. Even after Veritas confirmed your words, I was skeptical. I never thought I’d ever see my own skin again. Whatever you want, Nobody, it’s yours. You’ve given me something priceless. And call me Isaiah. Constrictor is dead now,” he said happily.

I can use him to try and coax V into the role I’d like for her.

“Well, Isaiah, welcome aboard. I think you’ll find me quite a pragmatic boss. I reward competence and punish failure. My goals go far beyond these meager pissing contests between wastrels and petty thieves,” I said, motioning around the room. “For now, kill Erisate and bring me Rorschach.”

Vivienne stays transformed by my side, taking her job as my bodyguard quite seriously. After letting us get ambushed and abducted, she probably thinks I intend to punish her. In truth, I do not blame her for that. Both of us have a lot to learn. She did incredibly well in that fight and protected me. Her strengths lie in the open, confronting things head-on. Isaiah can be my man in the shadows. It’s only right, as I now own his future. Still in his birthday suit, Isaiah shatters one of the beer bottles from the table. Without even blinking, he jabs it into Erisate’s throat. It slices her carotid artery, erupting and covering Isaiah in red. Crimson droplets drip down his body as he moves to get Rorschach. He picks her off the ground and hoists her over his shoulder.

“What do you wanna do with her?”

“Tell me about her, everything you know.”

“She runs, sorry, ran reconnaissance for our group. She’s a Ruler capable of creating animals made of ink. She can see and hear anything that they do. Her power lets her process all of the varying sources of information at once. Because her creatures are made of ink, they’re incredibly weak. She’s got a nasty personality and isn’t a fighter. She’s squeamish around violence and blood. Do you want me to kill her too?” Isaiah asked.

“It depends. Will she fall in line? When faced with the reality of her situation, will she capitulate?”

“She’s headstrong and was the one of us closest with Murmur. They were actual friends. She’ll join if the money is good. If you did kill Murmur, and Rorschach finds out, she’ll try to get revenge. She’s an extremely capable asset for a crew. But only if she doesn’t think you committed the crime. I’m not saying that you did, and I don’t care. I don’t even care how you cured me. You have more than earned my loyalty.”

“Your words mean nothing without action behind them. Not to say your loyalty isn’t appreciated, but it will be tested. Speaking of, who was the witness that came to you and said that I killed Murmur?” I asked.

“Some drug dealer obsessed with body mods named Santiago Skull. Said he saw you murder Murmur. He gave us your name, description, and the make and model of that white SUV. Rorschach sent out some ink birds, and that’s how we found you,” he answered.

“That creepy Halloween fuckface? He’s the reason I woke up in a cage? I swear I’m gonna fucking cook him. Nobody, we’re going after him, right?” Viviene asked me.

She used the word we. Already, she’s falling into a referential role. If I can get the doctor to agree to lie to Rorschach for me, I can bring her to my side. I’d prefer not to kill her and find someone else to run recon for me. I don’t know if her power would take a while to master. The doctor may be the next chess piece my organization needs.

“Yes, but we’re going to use him before that. Isaiah, tie up Rorschach and put some clothes on. Vivienne, find the vehicle and make sure the package is secure.”

With my instructions, they split up to accomplish their tasks. While the two of them are away, I pull my shirt up to inspect my body—new bruises from tonight litter my chest and sides. The stitches are ripped wide open, and the gash is even larger. A shocking amount of blood oozes from the hole. It’s worse than I thought. I might not make it to the doctor conscious. Shakily, I rise from my seat to take a look at Veritas. Collapsed on the ground with a chunk of her throat missing, she looks less like a judge and more like an executed prisoner. Cutting her mask loose reveals a woman so unremarkable, so unrecognizably plain. She could’ve been anyone: a barista, a lawyer, a police officer, or a congresswoman. She would’ve been a good soldier.

Isaiah returns first, wearing the bottom half of Rushdown’s costume. It barely contains the large man’s thighs, and the ends of the pants are ripped. He’s carrying a trash bag slung over his shoulder that has to contain Rorschach. Vivienne shows up after another ten minutes, no longer in her shifted form. She’s holding her keys in her hand.

“Found the car, and the package is still there. We can leave when you’re ready. Oh, and you finally put on some clothes. Look at you, shuffling around in your slutty little hot pants,” Vivienne’s laughter echoed in the quiet room.

“Count yourself lucky. Take a look at the pinnacle of the male form. I was stuck as a disgusting reptilian creature for the last seventeen years. I’m committed to wearing as few clothes as possible. We don’t have to wear uniforms, do we, Nobody?” Isaiah asked tentatively.

“I don’t care what you wear as long as you can follow orders. Vivienne, rip Veritas’ cape into strips. Then I’ll need your assistance to wrap up my torso, my stitches opened. Go quickly. We need to visit the doctor again.” My last couple of words came out slurred. The fogginess that has been clouding my thoughts all night is making it hard to focus. My vision is darkening, and I must give proper instructions before passing out. If I want this organization to work, then I need to be able to trust V to accomplish goals.

“V, bring me back to the doctor. It’s all in your hands now.” Vivienne will rise to the occasion, or I might not live to see the sunrise. It’s all in your hands now, Vivienne.