The Tacony Music Hall is a bit like an old, eccentric aunt--charming in its own way, but definitely past its prime. As I step inside, the musty scent of old wood and dust tickles my nose, and I can't help but wonder if Jordan's been slacking on the cleaning. I mean, I get that we're a bunch of teenage vigilantes, but would it kill them to bust out the Febreeze once in a while?

Speaking of Jordan, they're currently leaning against the stage, a smirk playing at the corners of their mouth as they survey the room. "Well, well, well. Looks like the gang's all here. I don't think this place has seen this much action since the great rat invasion of '09."

I raise an eyebrow. "The what? Rat invasion?"

They shrug. "Just a hunch. I mean, look at this place. It's got 'rat haven' written all over it."

"You've seen a rat? Like, for real?" Spindle asks, suddenly looking very nervous and pale. Paler than normal, at least.

I roll my eyes, but I can't help but crack a smile. Leave it to Jordan to find the humor in even the most bizarre situations. As I glance around the room, taking in the Auditors, the Tacony Titans, and Team Mayfly, I feel a twinge of apprehension. This whole situation is a mess, and I'm not sure how we're going to untangle it.

The Titans seem impressed by the size of the hall, their eyes wide as they take in the high ceilings and the ornate moldings. I guess when you're used to meeting in garages and local parks, a vintage music hall is a step up. Sundial, her bandana mask hanging loosely around her neck, gives me a nod of approval. "Not bad, Bloodhound. You've got style."

I snort. "Yeah, if by style you mean a fine layer of grime and the lingering scent of mothballs."

"I clean!" Jordan protests from the corner.

Meanwhile, Team Mayfly is huddled together like a bunch of nervous penguins. Kate, Tasha, Lilly, Marcus, and Jenna, all high school freshmen, all my friends, look like they'd rather be anywhere else. Kate, I know why she's here. The rest of my friends - apparently Kate wanted to bring them along. It was a big argument, but she insisted with such sincerity that I just had to buckle.

I clear my throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. First things first, Miss Mayfly is officially grounded. No going on the next operation. Ideally, no going on any more operations, ever. The rest of you, well, we'll get to you."

Kate looks at me with a look of cold steel, but doesn't protest. I half expect her to go against my instructions and get herself involved anyway, which is why I feel the need to do this in public. Semi-public. "Since when?" She challenges under her breath.

I feel my temper flare, but I take a deep breath, trying to keep my cool. "Since my best friend decided to play superhero without any backup or training. You could have gotten yourself killed, Kate."

She opens her mouth to argue, but Tasha puts a hand on her arm, shaking her head. The rest of Team Mayfly remains silent, their gazes fixed on the floor. I can tell they're not thrilled about being here, but tough luck. They're just as guilty as Kate in my book. Not of any real crimes - I, personally, can look past... the assault - but of enabling Kate's behavior. Or was Kate enabling their behavior? It all blends together into an uncomfortable morass.

Jordan, sensing the tension, tries to lighten the mood. "Hey, at least you guys have a cool name. Team Mayfly? It's like you're a bunch of tiny, adorable insects. I bet you could totally infiltrate Sparkplug's lair through the air vents or something."

Lilly shoots them a withering glare. "Not helping, Jordan."

"Yeah, read the room, dude," Marcus mutters.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. This is going to be a long meeting. "Look, we're not here to point fingers or assign blame. We need to figure out our next move."

"Next move?" Jenna asks, her voice small. "I thought we were done. I mean, we found Sparkplug, right?"

I shake my head. "Not even close. We know he exists, and we got Squeal off the streets, but Sparkplug is a blank slate. We need to take him down before he can do any more damage - to people or the streets."

Kate leans forward, her eyes glinting with determination. "So, what's the plan?"

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I hesitate, glancing at the Auditors and the Titans. We haven't exactly had time to come up with a detailed strategy, what with the whole "my best friend is a secret vigilante" bombshell. But I know one thing for sure: we can't just sit back and do nothing.

Before I can respond, Tasha clears her throat. "Um, S- Bloodhound? There's something you should know. About Team Mayfly, I mean."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

She glances at her teammates, who all nod in encouragement. "Well, the thing is... Kate wasn't acting alone. We were all in on it. The whole vigilante thing, I mean."

I blink, feeling like I've been slapped. "Uh huh. And that's why Kate insisted you all be here with her, invading my business."

Marcus nods, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, it was kind of a group effort. We couldn't just sit back and do nothing while you were in the hospital. So we kind of put our heads together. You know, five people, maybe we'd be a fraction of the efficacy of one super-girl."

Kate, who's been brooding in the corner, finally pipes up again. "Don't get too mad at them. It was my idea."

I stare at them, my mind reeling. On the one hand, I'm touched that they wanted to help. On the other hand, I'm furious that they put themselves in danger like that. I mean, they're just kids. They don't have any powers or training. What were they thinking? But I'm just a kid, as Kate reminded me. I only have a little more power and a little more training. I lock eyes with Kate.

I don't believe her when she says it was her idea. But I won't say anything about it.

Jordan sees an opening. "So, let me get this straight. You guys have been playing superhero behind our backs, and now you want to join the big leagues?"

Tasha shrugs. "I mean, we did manage to track down Sparkplug. That's got to count for something, right?"

I hold up a hand, silencing the chatter. "You made what was going to be a very clear sting into an extremely complicated clusterfuck that ended with Kate taking a lightning bolt to the chest. You got lucky."

Kate bristles. "Lucky? We worked our asses off to find him. We may not have powers, but we're not useless."

"And Kate's new scar is really cool!" Lilly quips.

The Tacony Titans, and Derek, and Spindle, all just stare at this unfurling shitshow with the sort of reluctance to speak that's typically saved for someone going blank before a group presentation in class. My entire body feels cold - my entire friend group, going behind my back, getting themselves involved in my business, and putting themselves in danger. I flick back and forth between being offended and being touched. I feel a little bit like I'm having a seizure.

I sigh, feeling like I'm talking to a bunch of toddlers. "I never said you were useless. But this is dangerous stuff. You only get one close scrape with someone like that."

Lilly, who's been quiet up until now, speaks up. "So, what are you saying? That we should just give up? Let you guys handle everything while we sit at home and twiddle our thumbs?"

I run a hand through my hair, feeling like I'm between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, I don't want to encourage their reckless behavior. On the other hand, I know how stubborn they can be. If I shut them out completely, they'll just go off and do something even more dangerous on their own.

Thankfully, Sundial says it for me. "Yes. Trust my future sight," she says, putting her hands to her temples. "If you continue down this road, you, all five of you, are going to get seriously hurt. I can't see far enough, but it's not looking good."

Everyone but Kate looks spooked. I'm pretty sure this just made Kate more determined, which is not exactly good. And I don't think Sundial's power works like that, but I'm not going to correct her.

"Look," I say, choosing my words carefully. "I appreciate that you guys want to help. I really do. But if we're going to take down Sparkplug, we need to do it right. That means no more solo missions, no more secret vigilante stuff. If you want to be part of this, you need to follow our lead. Got it?"

Team Mayfly exchanges glances, a silent conversation passing between them. Finally, Kate nods. "Fine. But we want to be part of the planning process. No more benching us just because we're kids without superpowers."

Derek pinches the bridge of his nose. I join him. "I am benching you because there is a limited quantity of lightning bolts that a human body can survive, and it's generally less than one. Sit in. Brainstorm. Enjoy the amenities. Stop getting yourself involved in a physical sense. Can we agree on that for now?" I ask, almost pleading.

They all look at each other. When Kate grumbles out a 'fine', the assent falls quickly like dominoes.

They nod, looking appropriately chastened. Jordan, who's been watching the whole exchange with a smirk, claps their hands together. "Well, now that we've got that settled, let's talk strategy. How are we going to take down the walking bug zapper? Our first sting failed, and I strongly doubt he'll go for another one. We don't even have another stooge to use as bait like Squeal. So we're back to square one."

The Tacony Music Hall falls into an awkward silence after Jordan's question. Everyone looks around, hoping someone else will have the answer. I'm about to suggest we take a break and regroup when Lilly speaks up.

"Well, since Kate's gear is pretty much toast, we figured you guys could make better use of what's left," she says, gesturing to the pile of damaged equipment on the table. It's been sitting there basically the entire time, but I wasn't really paying attention to it. I figured it was one of Jordan's many tech experiments. Maybe upgrading the locks.

Jordan leans in, inspecting the various gadgets and gizmos with a critical eye. "I might be able to salvage some of this, but it's gonna take some work. Where did you guys even get all this stuff?"

Tasha and Marcus exchange a glance before Marcus clears his throat. "We, uh, we built most of it ourselves. With some help from online tutorials and a lot of trial and error. We bought the mini-drones online but I figured out how to code the LIDAR so they could fly in formation... lot of good that did us."

"Hey, be proud of yourself," Tasha mumbles, elbowing Marcus.

I won't lie - I feel a little bad bringing them all this low.