I felt blocked at every turn. It was enough to make me scream.

I thought I'd made it when my father heard from Lia's father that they'd traced his credit chits down to Las Vegas. I found her there, buying groceries a block from where the chits had been spent last time. Before I could make a move on her, she slipped through my fingers, running from the police, northeast, out of the country, into the wilderness a hundred miles from anything. It was just what I wanted. Just her and me and the wilds, no one and nothing to come between us.

And then, somehow, impossibly, he was there. The Exhuman. How he'd managed to track her down the the wilderness, I didn't get. He should have been dead. The XPCA had him, and I know because I was the one who reported him, saw him taken away on the news holos. For him to be there...it was impossible.

He had to be even more dangerous than we knew. He had to have escaped and come after her, after Lia, after the light of my life. I had to do something.

But do what? There was nothing I could do. He was a monster. Unstoppable, blood-soaked. And apparently capable of sniffing out Lia even there. I stayed hidden and watched for a clue, and then one day, I had my chance.

The brute in the armor, who just called himself Tenebrae, he tried to fight the Exhuman and his cohorts. Did a pretty good job right up until he got destroyed and blown up.

But as they say, an enemy of an enemy is my friend. Man of few words he was, but he said he knew information which could bring the XPCA down on them like a ton of bricks. I rescued him, treated him as best I could, and brought him back to civilization so he could deliver this important info he had.

And hell, it worked. Except for how much it hadn't.

I was getting sick of being surrounded by bowing servants and fine boneware. This asshole was just giving me the runaround every day while the XPCA sat around with their thumbs up their asses doing nothing.

Always telling me they were getting ready, almost ready to move out, things were progressing on schedule.

I looked on the tablet holo he gave me and gently caressed the screen.

She was right there. Lost in that freakshow, surrounded by enemies at all times. Still, she acted so brave. Just earlier today, she and the Exhuman were walking and talking and she slapped him full-force across the face. I jumped out of my chair, I was so excited and scared, I thought he was going to kill her on the spot, but instead he did so much worse. He forced her to build a cage and sit inside it, and then poured lightning into it.

I didn't have any audio, and the image was about as good as you could expect from a satellite, but at some points, I saw her rolling around inside the cage, her mouth open in a silent scream, holding herself and thrashing as he tortured her in unspeakable ways.

And here I was, in some ritzy manor, powerless. It made my blood boil, made me sick. Made me just want to smash every damn thing in the whole house and make Blackett move, force him to understand that this was no ordinary Exhuman, and lives were at stake at this very moment.

I was watching the holo now as I always did, just to make sure she was still alive. The Exhuman had passed custody of her over to the hunter, and the two of them were walking and talking now as she was escorted to the smaller building, almost invisible under dirt and grass on this image.

What incomprehensible evils that hunter and the Exhuman had done in that place, I was glad I didn't know. Lia just had to be strong. I was coming.

I heard the car pull in and bolted to the foyer. I felt like a damn dog, greeting my master at the door, but this was the only way I could make him listen to me. The rest of the time, he just barricaded himself in his study, talking about god-knows-what with Tenebrae, or otherwise occupying himself behind locked doors.

With how many locked doors there were around here, and how I wasn't allowed to leave, it felt more like a prison than being a guest. He said he had his reasons, but my guess was that those were mostly because he was a pile of shit.

"Blackett, sir, with all due respect," I said, the moment the door opened. His servant shot me a look of contempt and pressed past me while I plead at Blackett. "Sir, we need to go now. I don't know how much more torture Lia can take. Please sir, don't let her die. She's all I have--"

"Mister Jack, kindly remove the child from my presence, if you please."

A second servant from behind Blackett advanced on me. He gave me a large smile and closed his eyes as he interceded between us. I stepped around him and continued to advance on Blackett.

Or...thought I did. Mister Jack was right there still in front of me, eyes closed, broad close-lipped smile. He'd wasted enough of my time that Blackett was slipping away.

"Blackett, damn it, come back here!" I shouted at his back. "You cocksucker! Bring back my girl!"

Suddenly Jack was there again, inches from my face.

"Please refrain from using vulgarities to disparage Master Blackett," he said, still smiling. One of his eyes was open just a crack and a beady eye sparkled at me, like he was winking at me.

"I'll say whatever I want to that dickless cock-holster," I said, shoving Jack out of my way to chase Blackett down. I didn't care if I had to kick down his door, today, he was going to hear me out.

Or...thought I did. Instead, I was on my back, Jack smiling over me making a tutting noise. How had I gotten down here?

"What the hell is this," I shouted, rolling to my feet. "Get the hell out of my way, jack-off."

"Please refrain from making vulgarities based on my name, as well," he said with the same smile. And then I was on my back again, this time, slamming the floor and having the wind knocked out of me.

I coughed. "Are you doing this? The fuck is going on?!"

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"Master Blackett would prefer not to be disturbed today. I must ask you to respect his wishes."

"My fucking ass, I'll respect anything about that cock--"

I felt intense pain and warmth as my nose broke. There was blood all over my front, and I gasped from the pain, and then choked on it, rolling sideways to cough up blood on the tile floor. Jack smiled as he wiped blood off of his knuckles onto a stained handkerchief from his pocket.

"How...how are you doing this," I gasped out, between coughing. "Just fucking let me pass, Lia's in danger, he doesn't under--"

"I have already made Master Blackett's position clear, I believe. Please refrain from further attempts or there will be more for me to clean up."

"More to clean up? Is that all you fucking care about? There's an Exhuman out there! Lives are in danger! Is Blackett or is he not director of the XPCA? Exhuman Pacification and Control Agency? There's an Exhuman, go pacify him!"

"I understand the confusion," Jack smiled. "Master Blackett is merely the deputy director. He serves directly under Mister Albion."

"Are you trying to tell me Blackett doesn't have the authority or power to get troops out there? That everything he's told me is a fat fucking lie?"

I felt a crushing pain in my abdomen and doubled over, coughing up more blood.

"Please do not impugn the master's good word. As the second-highest ranking officer in the XPCA, of course Master Blackett has such authority. I was merely explaining that he is deputy director, because you said before that he was director."

I coughed and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. "Deputy director, director, what the hell's the difference? Just let me talk to him, and stop fucking hitting me or whatever you're doing. I'm fucking coughing up blood, do you not see this?"

Jack smiled and lowered himself so that his face was only a foot above mine. "I believe I've made Master Blackett's wishes on seeing you today clear." He opened one beady eye at me over his charming, polite smile. "As for what I'm doing to you, I admit I may be going a bit far, but I believe everyone in this manor is tired of your constant petulance. I hope after this you will act quickly and quietly, in accordance with Master Blackett's wishes."

"You gotta be fucking kidding me. How are you even doing this, I never even see you move."

Still hovering a foot above me, he just closed his eyes and smiled. It was a nice smile, charming, warm, welcoming.

"Listen, man, Blackett's gotta know. Lia is dying out there. I can't just sit here doing nothing."

"He knows. Though I am loathe to speak on his behalf, I can say with certainty that everyone in this house knows your opinions of the Exhuman and the girl. You have mentioned little else in the week or so you've been here."

Thankfully, he backed off and resumed standing between me and the door Blackett disappeared through. Still fucking smiling. I sat up, and found pain. I gritted and did it anyway, choking back the urge to vomit.

"I've been watching them on holo," I said. "I've been watching them every day. I know what they're up to, Blackett has to listen to me."

"Master Blackett has to do nothing just because you tell him to."

"Listen, you jackass--" I said and launched myself through the pain and lunged at him. I fell right through him, it felt, my hands reaching out for his lapels, and then they weren't there. I crashed onto the floor on the other side of the foyer, slamming my arms against the tile, hard.

I'd barely landed before something hooked under me and slammed into my chest. Felt like I'd just been kicked in the belly. I heard one of my ribs crack, and this time, couldn't stop from throwing up, bile tainted with red.

"I believe I already warned you not to use my name in a disparaging fashion already," he said, somehow behind me, right where he was when I lunged at him. Had I just missed? How was this possible? My head was beginning to spin from the hits I was taking, and my body ached. "Now look what you've done, you've doubled the amount of floor I'll have to clean."

I pulled myself upright slowly, heaving for breath. I couldn't speak, but managed a low growl as I grabbed a fistful of blood and bile from the floor under me and prepared to sling it across all the walls in the room. Fuck this guy and his cleaning.

No sooner did my hand start to move then it stopped, gripped around the wrist by his. Like a goddamn vice, he held me, despite being smaller than me.

I looked up and he was right there, on top of me in an instant. The man was a demon. There was no possible explanation. I felt his nails stabbing me in the wrist with his death grip.

"Kindly relieve yourself of that mess, or I will be forced to break your arm," He said through a smile.

"...fucking...kidding me," I gasped out, feeling his grip tighten even more.

"Last warning. I've been more than gracious."

"Gra--" I coughed, splattering blood across the floor, right where he'd been standing. He was behind me now, my arm still locked in his grip. "Gracious? What part of this is gracious?"

"I could have done this to you the first day you arrived at this house. You've been permitted an exceptional amount of leeway, all things considered. Making all that trouble for Master Blackett every day, it really…"

He drew his face close in to mine, so we were only inches apart. I could feel his hot breath on my face. Still that close-lipped smile and blissfully shut eyes. "...really makes me mad."

"Mad? That's what this is all about? You're mad?"

"I believe my feelings have some minor value," he said with a smile, and twisted my arm a little, making my shoulder scream. I inhaled sharply, feeling my breath catch.

"Y-you fuck, people are going to die, and all you talk about--" he twisted my arm further. "--is your damn cleaning and feelings?" I tried to keep the tears and pain out of my voice, but it came out as a wail more than a shout.

"Dear me, it looks like I will have to break this arm after all," he said. "Do try not to shout, I don't wish to disturb Master Blackett."

I felt him twist my arm even further, to the breaking point. My muscles and tendons screamed as the arm wrenched past anywhere it was ever meant to be. I was gasping, trying to plead, trying to say anything, but unable to get out anything.

I couldn't get it. Was this all the XPCA was? Rich assholes like Blackett and heartless bullies like Jack? People who, even when faced with the evidence, with the proof, with a goddamn evil Exhuman slapping them in the face, cared more about their crystal jars and fancy vases than people out there dying?

If this was the top of the XPCA, what else could the whole organization be? Just how corrupt and shitty? I was never one for hero worship, but people out there, people like Lia, they counted on the XPCA, they needed protection, needed saving from dangerous monsters like him, Exhumans who could kill them with less than a thought.

And instead we had this.

Abruptly, the pain stopped. I fell forward as my arm fell loose, and grabbed at my shoulder where it had almost broken. I could barely hear over the sounds of my own pained gasps, but there were footsteps.

The door next to me burst open, and Blackett was there, flanked by Tenebrae, looking horrible and twisted as ever. He gave the room a quick glance and frowned.

"My apologies, sir. I'll have this cleaned up in a moment," Jack said with a low bow.

"No need. Have arrangements made for a cleaner to come out. You and the boy are coming with me."

I rolled over to see better and Blackett looked at me, covered in blood and my own puke with utter contempt. "On second thought, you and I are heading out, have Tower clean and change the boy and drive him separately."

"Of course sir. Where am I to tell Tower to take him?"

"The same place we'll be going," Blackett said, walking out the front door as Jack held the door for him. "To XPCA headquarters. It's time for our strike to begin."