My mood was rather dull in contrast to the bright ambers of the sunlit dunes acoss the wasteland as the quake-wagon rocketed through the dry dust.

The morning had gone by in a blaze. I had spent some time staring and prodding at the stolen mecha. Other than being able to sense that it was full of strong magic, I didn’t understand much of it. Clara didn’t want me to try to dispel anything, in case it ruined the whole. She wanted to copy it and apply it to me at some point in the future.

That prospect was both exciting and worrying.

Thankfully, although my progress toward that target was nearly zero, I was at least able to stay out of the way of the other two as they argued about setting up the two new buildings. Roxy didn’t like being pestered about, and Clara liked to do just that. It was something of a miracle that when I emerged from my fruitless task; the techie hadn’t been squashed beneath one of the walls.

Now we had five buildings, including the house. It had caused me to pause, briefly overwhelmed at how things had developed. As if the seed of my prior hovel had grown into a tree. One that would store weapons and machinery to allow me to bloom.

There wasn’t enough time to fully appreciate it, as the rest of the group arrived soon after. We got ready, and then we were away.

Everyone in their normal superhero outfits, which seemed strange now. It was just the simple case of it being the most effective thing they could wear. Armored to some degree, and built for them to fight in.

Which is something they’d have to do. Clara gave us a short briefing before vanishing into her office. The artefact was reported to be underground, a place that used to be a town but that had long passed. Now it was full of mutants. Not as tough as the lizardkin, but almost as senior when it came to longevity in the wastelands. That meant greater numbers. Most of their time was spent underground, so she didn’t have much more for us than that.

As for the artefact itself, she said we’d know it when we saw it. With two of us able to detect magic, that seemed reasonable. Ren might even be able to spot it, considering how familiar she was with her own weapon. Our target for this treasure hunt was not a weapon, however.

Despite a few pointed questions, Clara would only let on that it was some manner of power source, but different from the crystals. The others were rather cool on the prospect of running this mission without knowing exactly we were getting in trouble for, but Roxy soon fired them up.

So we had then left. Other than Roy’s fixed fist weapon and a belt for Belle to hold three arcane crystals, the techie didn’t have any new surprises to give us. It was a miracle that she had been able to get those things to us, given the lack of time between events. I had all my gear, including three of each grenade. It was enough. It would have to be.

“You’re quiet, Dubs.” Roxy said, taking a break from staring out at the roving horizon. “Busy deciding who your other six girlfriends would be?”

[Hmm? Oh. I guess just Stacy and the rest of the team.]

“Dumbass.” She smiled and rolled her eyes. “That reminds me, though. You notice that Ren hasn’t been stuck in her phone and business bullshit lately?”

[I have.]

“She’s been leaving that side of things to her husband more, and it’s done wonders for their marriage, she told me.” The super looked in the side mirror at the vehicle following behind us. “I’m really happy for her.”

[That is great. I wasn’t aware.]

“You forget these chumps were my friends years before you popped along, babe. We disconnected, but now I get my ears filled with all their gossip once again.” Roxy looked back at me with a wry smile. “Roy is ace, and you are not Belle’s type in the slightest.”

[I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of exposition somewhere.]

“Nah, we haven’t been together long. Things have gone… very quickly, so you haven’t been slowly eased into everyone’s baggage.” She clicked her tongue, eyes probably visualizing a calender to count how many days we’d known each other. “Roy had a girlfriend for a while, but it was more performative. League pushed it. C-Rank hero. Eventually, he couldn’t keep up the act and they split.”

[And Belle?]

“You know her history with the Church. I think she’s just burned out with relationships, and wants to work on herself and her faith at the moment.” Roxy raised an eyebrow. “She sent me a message after you went to see her to reassure me that she had no attraction to you. She had a feeling you’d be good friends due to the magic shit you have in common.”

[At least I have Stacy then.]

“I can’t tell if you’re joking some days.” She sighed and relaxed into the seat. “Well, no. I know you are, it's just that I have a habit of overthinking these things. I’m sure you have your hand full as it is.”

[I was actually thinking about the looming violence.]

The super was quiet for a few moments. “Ah, that makes more sense. I was trying to ignore it. It’s not just me, right? This feels… different.”

There were several reasons why that could be. This was illegal in several ways. Against what the League would want. Putting us into unknown danger with no backup. Far away from Goldarch, it might not just be mutants we needed to worry about.

[It’s the old outfits.]

She raised an eyebrow and looked at me. Although she chose not to respond, I wondered how close to the truth I had struck. It was mostly a guess. They had signed the contract to say they agreed to be something new. Something more. Now they were running through the wastes in the same old getups. Their old personas, almost, even if they weren’t going to be very different after the swap. This kind of thing was important to superheroes, even if it didn’t really affect me.

I checked my messages, but there wasn’t anything new. Clara had sent me a route to take and then had settled into designing molds for the foundry until we got closer. That was as good a prompt as any to message the mining outpost when I had a moment.

I’d already spoken to Teeba earlier. Nothing exciting to report, but I let them know to expect something soon. He said the drop pod have been adjusted and could put things about a mile off from our home base. That seemed close enough. Once I got my own ammunition built, I would be a threat to most. Even Roxy.

While she rested her hand on her palm and stared out of the window, I shot her a glance. I had always wanted to be strong enough to defeat her, but she had the same goal. While few people would argue that I was weak by any definition of the word, she was just far beyond most others. Part of it was just her desire for me to be less injury-prone.

I was almost willing to believe I had been through the worse of it. The days of getting my arm repeatedly broken or bleeding profusely out of sloppily earned gunshot wounds were long over. Not that I should be tempting fate by thinking that, but I had a leg up over Agent W. Two legs, in fact, with how much I had improved in all regards since those days.

[In the unlikely even that the World Government knows where we are going and sends something…]

“We’ll kill them,” Roxy said, without budging.

[Potentially making us international criminals.]

She grunted. “Some days that feels like an eventuality, anyway. Would be nice to have a real challenge for once.”

I let her statement sit for a while, the rough terrain providing the only audible noise as we thundered onwards.

[Were the mechas that almost killed you not challenge enough?]

The super pulled a face before turning her head to me. “Physically, sure… but not like… my convictions.”

[Oh. You want to fight for your principles and beliefs. Eject everyone trying to control you, and live truly free.]

“That’s just idealistic, Dubs.” She wrinkled her nose up before shrugging. “I wasn’t content following the League’s whims. I was even more disappointed with life when I bucked my responsibilities. Things are getting better now, but I want… more.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

[A higher purpose?]

“Nothing that dramatic.” Roxy smiled. “But sure, that’s what you want too, isn’t it?”

That was quite the question. Reborn into validity, what did I really want for my future? It had started as a way to escape the thumb of the League. In knowing and accepting my past, my goals had shifted. Just like Boss had wanted, I was going to use my given tools to grab out for the life that I wanted.

At present, that meant gaining power. Spending time with friends and those I’d come to love. Anything bigger picture than that could wait until I was ready.

[Perhaps. Until I know for sure I am willing to back your dreams with everything I have.]

“Smooth talker. So… have you thought about the name for your citizenship? I’m guessing you don’t want to take your ‘fathers’ surname.”

[Not unless I want the World Government to up the ante. Can’t be that overt with my current strength.]

“What about something opposite? Like… Redd?”

[Pass. Does it have to be a forename-surname thing? No mononyms?]

“Fuck if I know. I’ll pester the gremlin for the rules. You’d want to be called just ‘Dubs’?” She tilted her head.

[I haven’t had the time to think about it, really. ‘Dubs’ is the first name I feel a real grounded connection to, and it sounds more like a nickname that something realistic.]

I could tell that she wanted to present some more suggestions—perhaps some normal names that started with a W. I’d hear her out eventually, but now wasn’t the time. She could tell I was tense about the artefact hunt, and not just because of the violence.

The potential avenue to not only have a replacement arm, but something powerful, had me hoping for success. There was a chance there would be disappointment if the item we sought wasn’t present. Or if we died, that would be pretty bad. The more of my past I had excavated and discarded, the greater my desire to have a hand again grew. A gun-arm had always been awkward and unconventional.

But in a similar vein to how I refused a vocalizer for so long, I let my weapon become something normal. Long accepted as something unchangeable. Earlier I had tried to put my tact vest on and got it caught on the end of my barrel, pulling it out of my hands to fall onto the floor.

It was the final nail in the coffin. The technology existed, even if it was distant and difficult. I had the most competent people around me needed to make it happen. I just had to sign up to it internally.

I wanted my arm replaced.

The wagon rocked as we crested over some rough rocky terrain.

“We need a new vehicle. A team one.”

I glanced over at the super. The fact that she didn’t like the ‘quake-wagon’ name aside, she had a point. Both of our vehicles were barely a few steps above civilian vehicles. The group of us had varied transversal skills that didn’t align. A vehicle we could all travel in at the same time while keeping us safe would be a huge boon.

[Let me bend the ear of the Director.]

“You think you have some sway with Kingston?” She raised an eyebrow, but didn’t seem disbelieving.

[I wouldn’t say that I trust him, but we have an understanding over what is at stake here. If he wants me to be a good hero and stay alive, he’ll bend the rules for my benefit.]

In a way, he had to. It wasn’t just about me being a valuable asset and loose cannon, but I now had sway over a whole team. Within a sentence, I could probably convince Roxy to do anything. The others would follow reasonable orders, but weren’t all the way in. Still, us two with Clara backing us would be a giant thorn in the League’s paw, if it backed us into a corner.

[About twenty minutes out.]

Roxy just nodded, her fingers flexing into fists and relaxing a few times, ready. I wondered where the intel about the artefact had even come from. What were the mutants doing with the power sources? If they were using to fuel their little civilization, we were essentially condemning them to erasure.

Maybe I could just ask them for it.

That thought just clacked noisily into a second one, like a marble. I had been asked how it felt to be a superhero now, and then I had complained about not being heroic. Roxy was right about it being a meaningless title. We were about to snuff out an unknown amount of lives for our own greed and lust for power. That didn’t even make us villains, really.

We were just…

I paused as a message came in, from someone who I hadn’t given my contact details.

//Silhouette: Good afternoon, Gunquake.

//Silhouette: If you are going where I think you are, then I’d advise to turn around.

//Gunquake: Are you spying on me?

//Silhouette: Let’s just say you have a way with words.

//Silhouette: I’m keen for us to sit down and talk properly.

//Silhouette: Being in one piece and not detained would make that easier.

//Gunquake: If you know something, say it. Otherwise leave me be.

//Silhouette: The Warren of the Molepeople is suspected to be an Amber Site for Gov presence.

//Gunquake: That means?

//Silhouette: They aren’t just working with the WG. There might be WG groups stationed there.

I exhaled through my nose. A complication that we didn’t need, and something I couldn’t really keep to myself. Whether this meant I could trust him or not, I wasn’t sure. There was still the chance that he was another super solider that I had fought with all those years ago. My line about singing him a song was enough of a clue to get his interest.

[I’ve had some intel come in. The places we’re heading might have Government groups stationed there.]

“Fuck… fuckers!” Roxy’s mood switched in an instant, her brain flicking through potential scenarios. “Who is telling you that?”

I briefly considered telling her it was an anonymous source, but I couldn’t lie to her. It had only been a few minutes since she was gung ho about murdering her way through any problem, but now that it was possibly real, she had to think about it with a little more sense.

[Silhouette.]

She pulled a face, unsure how to process that information. I didn’t blame her. He was a S-Rank hero, and potentially my brother. The warning might be well informed and valid given his position, but how and why was he giving this to us?

//Clara: Running a scan, please hold.

The drone beeped as it turned on, but didn’t move from my backpack. These days, I expected the techie to be spying on us at all times, so it didn’t move the needle to know she had heard that conversation. Like Roxy had said, the techie had full access to whatever she wanted.

Even before she confirmed it, I had a pretty good idea what she was about to say.

Tracking device on the wagon. Placed by Silhouette while we were in our meeting, inert until we were well into the wastes this afternoon so that our home tech didn’t pick up the communication once it was on.

//Clara: I don’t have a way to disable it remotely.

//Clara: You’ll have to do it once at the location.

By that point, it was less of a problem. The damage had already been done.

//Gunquake: Are you going to rat us out?

//Silhouette: No.

//Silhouette: I prefer it when people don’t know I have my eye on things.

//Silhouette: So you can imagine how serious this is for me to contact you.

//Silhouette: You’re all adults, you can make this decision for yourselves.

//Silhouette: Just be aware of the hornet’s nest you might be shaking.

//Gunquake: I will keep that in mind.

“As my second in command, I need you to weigh in on this, Dubs.” Roxy still had a sour expression on her face. “I haven’t told the others yet.”

[Is the World Government our enemy?]

The question didn’t help her facial expression much. As the wagon rolled through the wastes, she exhaled and shrugged. “They are potential enemies of the League, who are our employer and local government.”

[But they aren’t kill on sight. Could there be ramifications for us if we engage them?]

“Quit with the leading questions.” She scowled. “I don’t want you to push me to an answer. I want to know what Gunquake wants to do.”

[Respectfully, I will kill anyone standing in between my gun-arm and getting that artefact. Objectively, we don’t know if the intel is reliable, or the nature of the Government presence. I don’t kill innocents, so it will depend on what they are doing there.]

She nodded slowly, perhaps wondering if she should prod me on whether mutants counted as innocent or not. We would soon find out, if they attacked us first. Surrender was always an option. I was long past avoiding being a monster, but I could be nuanced. Especially now that I was dragging the others into my messes.

Roxy nodded, but her eyes were off sending messages. “I’m laying it out for them. They can go home right now if they want, with zero judgements. Once we arrive, they will have to lock in. Full commit.”

Tough, but fair. I didn’t think it was likely they’d abandon us, and after a minute of silence, Roxy confirmed that fact.

“They’re in. Stupid bastards.” She shook her head and sighed. “Hopefully Silhouette is just slinging shit and we aren’t about to fuck ourselves over.”

Although she wasn’t saying it, I could read between the lines. A group of supers moonlighting out in the wastes, killing off mutant tribes? The World Government might not like that, and even if they didn’t care for the various groups making do in the wastelands, they would surely love to needle the League about it. More pressure to capitulate.

So Roxy was saying we would need to leave no witnesses.

Part of me could sense the granules of the future, like I was panning through the muck with foresight. Either a time-honed gut feeling or part of one of my emerging latent abilities. The last two wasteland outposts I had stuck my pan in had produced nuggets of value and growth without too much bloodshed clouding the process. I wanted to make this a hat-trick. Sifting about, I was sure to dredge up something untoward eventually. Still, while my legs stayed dry on the embankment of success, I’d filter through any golden opportunity that came up. Hoping to strike it rich with a few empty shells and a stream of souls as the only cost.

“Play things smart and focus on getting in and out with what we want.”

I nodded and slowed the vehicle. We were here.

Or at least near enough that we weren’t immediately attacked by any guards. Ren’s vehicle pulled up beside us, and then it was go time.

All out. Drone up into the air. A ruined building sat in the middle of an empty space of arid rock. It reminded me of the mine entrance, except it was more of an office block. Old bricks bleached light gray from constant sunlight over the years. Any windows had been bricked over, but the doorway on the ground floor had been widened to four or five times wider than a usual entryway. It was wide open, as well. Dark inside, as I presumed it went straight down soon after.

“Gunquake and I will attempt diplomacy first,” Roxy informed the group. “The rest of you hang back in case they are immediately violent.”

[We’ll take this slowly. I expect a series of tunnels beneath the surface, so we’ll be clearing sections as a team again.]

They nodded and set off. The reason it was us to up front was simple. I had the charisma, and the super was likely to be able to weather whatever attacks came our way once I inevitably screwed up negotiations by allowing my shotgun to speak.

//Clara: Two figures spotted at the entrance.

As we neared, the shape of them became clearer. Molepeople was rather apt. Unless the two waiting for our approach were twins, then the mutants had some similarities. A longer left arm, thicker as if it had been inflated. A metal claw sat at the end of this limb, probably used for digging. The rest of them were pretty humanoid, aside from their wide heads. These two wore goggles—round ones than were similar to mine. Mouths full of long, blunt teeth. Their more normal right hands held some manner of projectile weapon.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Roxy murmured. “You sure the talking route is the right call?”

[Trust me. I’m an expert at this sort of thing.]