"So, did you find anything?" Mikael asked Aphrodite, casually tossing his half-full mug of chai away from the table. Just before it would've hit the patio floor, a blur of motion intercepted the falling cup, neatly collecting it in weathered hands and placing it on a scuffed black plastic serving tray.

"Awww, c'mon bro, that's not cool," the aging surf bum in board shorts and an aggressive Hawaiian shirt complained. "I worked hard on that brewski."

"You fucking suck today, Chad," Aphrodite replied, throwing her own nearly-full cup of coffee at him. Somehow, it ended up on the same tray without spilling a drop. "If you're going to run a coffehouse, at least learn how to make the damn stuff consistently."

"Whoa, like, that's harsh, man. I'm doing my best."

"No you're not," Mikael declared definitively. "You're surfing right now, aren't you?"

Chad laughed genially.

"You got me, bro. There's some skyscraper rollers coming in off the All Blue and the sets are gnarly. Refills are on you, broski, because I am out. Tip 'em if you got 'em."

The weathered beach denizen disappeared along with the tray, and Brock thought he heard the sounds of crashing surf and squawking gulls.

"Fucking Chad," Aphrodite and Mikael muttered at the same time. Brock stared at his own cup of garbage hot chocolate, debated taking another drink, then hesitantly threw it at the floor. The white porcelain shattered into multiple pieces, spraying mocha liquid across the patio.

"Whoa, hey, what was that for?" Aphrodite exclaimed, and Mikael shook his head in disapproval. Brock's mouth fell open.

"But... uhhh... I was just... you guys did... he was supposed to... goddammit..."

"If you're not on Chad's list, he's not going to catch your cup," Aphrodite said disapprovingly. "Learn to read the room." Mikael nodded knowingly.

Brock folded his arms across his chest and glared at them.

"You two are worse than Bindy."

Mikael and Aphrodite both burst out in incredulous laughter.

"Oh man," Aphrodite wheezed, pointing at Mikael, "you really have been taking it easy on him, haven't you?"

"Director's orders," the swordsman snorted, trying to cover his sudden mirth with one hand and failing. "System's not allowed to escalate."

"Fuck me sideways," Aphrodite chortled, "what I wouldn't have given for that."

Brock sniffed, completely lost.

"Glad you're both having fun at my expense."

"Oh jeez, it's just, when you said we're 'worse than Bindy,'" Aphrodite choked out, wiping her eyes, "you really have no idea, do you?"

"No spoilers," Mikael said, trying to keep a straight face. "We're both on the job, here. Might have been ready to kill each other a minute ago, but now we're cool."

"Okay, yeah, just, give me a second."

Aphrodite sucked in several deep breaths, settling her features, then returned her attention to Brock.

"...allright, I'm in, and yeah, his mind is still a mess. Frayed strands in the background are unchanged, local weaves scan consistent, and his day to day is still twisted to hell and back. All sorts of nonsense going on in the short term flashes... more than a few outside influences... you... the Director... me..."

"So nothing new, then?" Mikael asked, suddenly disappointed, but Aphrodite waved a hand across his face to shush him, eyes still piercing Brock's own.

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

"...the Director again... you... and then something that doesn't... no... wait... no it's... FUCK!"

Aphrodite's scream was followed a split-second later by Mikael's hazing red-black containment field rising up around them, his hand tense around his katana's hilt.

"Sitrep."

The swordsman's voice was deadly calm, eyes scanning everywhere at once.

"Psychebomb," Aphrodite grimaced, pressing a knuckle to her nose in order to stem the trickle of blood, "but I caught it in time. I think."

A short silence, then a sudden onslaught of ruby tears. Her hands started weaving thin air.

"Nope, didn't catch it. It's regressing. I'm losing it."

"Shit."

"Yeah, no shit. Brock," Aphrodite said suddenly, reaching across the table to force his wavering focus back into her blood-streaked eyes, "what did you do today? Starting from this morning and leaving nothing out?"

"Uhhh... KB (Administrative) woke me up and dragged me to work, then I had to do more harem training, then... uhhh... I had to meet with the Oversight committee, then I left to go home-"

"Stop. When you met with the Oversight Committee, what happened?"

"Uhhh, they tried to 'appraise' me or something, and then they yelled at me for breaking their toaster, and then Cap showed up, and then they yelled at us some more, and then I made some lady so mad she turned into a werewolf but her breath smelled real nice, and then it was over, I guess. Then I-"

"Stop. Operator Thorne?"

Why is she looking at Mikael?

"Brock," Mikael said slowly, staring intently at his magiphone, "did you talk with Councilor Drast at the end of the Oversight Committee meeting?"

Brock racked his brain, then smiled.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot about that. He came up and said hi, since we saw him last night at Rin's."

Aphrodite and Mikael exchanged glances, bloody tears still streaming down her face, and the swordsman narrowed his eyes.

"Did you speak with Councilor Drast about anything, Brock?"

"Uhhh, not much that I can say," Brock said honestly, attention suddenly drawn towards the street. "Hey! Is that a tap-dancing kappa?! Wow, it really is-"

Brock felt his vision dragged inexorably from the red-black haze back towards Aphrodite's implacable focus.

"What did you talk with him about, Brock?"

"I... uhhh... well... it wasn't really anything..."

"Did Councilor Drast approach you after the meeting and offer you his assistance in exchange for your silence about his plans?" Mikael asked flatly, putting his magiphone on the table and tapping it. "Because that's what your Form Twenty-Three C states is what happened."

Brock shrugged.

"To be honest, I kinda blanked out when Bindy was running me through the tutorial."

Mikael shook his head as Aphrodite whistled in a low tone, rubbing her arm across her face in a blur of tan and red.

"Son of a bitch."

She turned to Mikael, looking oddly vulnerable.

"You need to scan me, now. That fucker is on committees with me! He was next to me last night."

Mikael's sword flashed in a silver blur, and then he grimaced.

"If he got you, he either got me too, or I can't find it."

"...shit. Okay. Shit. Okay, okay. I'll keep going, I guess?"

"Guys?" Brock interrupted, looking back and forth, "what's the big deal?"

"Brock," Aphrodite said carefully, regaining her composure somewhat, "do you trust Councilor Drast?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Brock asked, confused. "He's on our side, right?"

"And if I told you we need to arrest him? Take him to jail so we can put him on trial and execute him?"

A sudden pressure in Bock's head caused a blinding headache, his vision narrowing to blackness, then the pain and disorientation vanished as if it had never been there. It was eerily similar to how his previous injuries seemed to disappear as soon as he recognized them.

"I think that might be a little aggressive," Brock replied, then grinned. "Besides, the Director was very clear, we need evidence."

Aphrodite and Mikael let out simultaneous breaths of relief, the latter's hand still clutched tight to his katana hilt.

"Caught it in time. Good work, Councilor."

Aphrodite wiped at her eyes with a napkin, then noticed she'd been weeping bloody tears.

"Ugh, gross. I'm... not sure I did catch it in time." She frowned at Brock. "That psychebomb definitely detonated, but he didn't die or go berserk. Guess he has some protection from haremers."

"...whut?"

"You got mindfucked, Brock" Mikael announced unceremoniously, leaning back against his wrought-iron chair, letting his hand fall away from his sword. "Split right open by an expert manipulator trying to hollow out your brain."

"I... whut? Someone did something to my head?"

"That fucker Drast," Aphrodite spat, "and you all better be careful if he's installing mindbombs that powerful. Pretty sure that's still illegal, by the way." She threw her wadded up napkin at Mikael, who carelessly flicked it away, lost in sudden thought.

"Yes, it's brazen, even for Drast," Mikael replied quietly, lost in sudden thought. The red and black haze continued hissing around them. "Unfortunately, the question is if it was related to our search or not."

Brock felt he had finally caught up to the conversation at this point, and he glared at Mikael.

"You said he tried to 'harem' me and put a bomb in my head! How is it not related to us looking for the Conductor?!"

Mikael and Aphrodite both froze, the latter's mouth slowly dropping open and an expression of horror dawning over her face, the former going stone-still. Brock looked back and forth between them in confusion.

"...whut? What did I say?"