If someone could’ve peered through the windows of Athena’s apartment, they would’ve seen a mass of black oozing across the walls, punctuated by occasional flashes of light. The windows were also beginning to steam.

Thankfully, magic kept the apartment cloaked.

Athena took a break from practicing with her staff to open the rest of the windows. She’d stripped down to a tank top and loose-fitting shorts, but it still wasn’t enough to weather the heat from Clara’s meditation.

“Seriously, how are you two not sweating?” Athena asked. She walked over to the sink, wet a rag, and put it on the back of her neck.

Emmett glanced up from his spot on the floor. He was sitting cross-legged where the table used to be. He replied without missing a beat. “Have you tried letting go of the flesh?”

Clara took a break from her own meditation. She was sitting across the room—at Athena’s insistence. She laid back on the floor, breathing deeply.

“You’re sure no one can see us through the windows when they’re open?”

“Honestly, right now I don’t care,” Athena replied. A second later, she added, “Seriously, it’s fine. Just don’t go blaring music.”

Emmett took the banter as a cue to take a break.

SATURATE ENVIRONMENT

The nanite swarm spread evenly across the apartment, the puddles of nanites coating the walls, ceiling, and floor. The swarm was large enough now that it extended between the racks of servers and down the hallway. A few moments later, the thin sheen of black disappeared completely.

Athena had watched the swarm disappear from the walls. She glanced in Emmett’s direction. “You promise those things aren’t on me, right?”

Emmett smirked. “No. …Just everywhere else.”

Athena sighed and leaned against the counter. “As long as this place can cool down a bit.”

Emmett leaned back on his hands and tried to relax. He felt completely fine even after practicing with his swarm for the last few hours and the heat building in the room. He wasn’t sweating, and he wasn’t tired. Emmett took both of those facts as a sign of progress.

CAUTION — OVERFLOW

NANITES 145% CAPACITY

His swarm practice had involved the usual exercises—pushing it outward, pulling it back toward himself, and moving it around the room like he was saturating enemies. TINA supported him sometimes—mostly just during the transitions and when his concentration was reaching its limits. She’d help him hold out just a little longer.

Emmett felt like he was back in the gym, lifting weights with Antony. His younger brother did the same thing when spotting during bench press—always pushing Emmett to get one more rep. Even at the end of a set, when Antony should’ve been pulling the weight off of Emmett, Antony would lift the weight just enough so that Emmett still had to struggle.

Antony would say struggling like that was, ‘Like eating your vegetables.’

As much as it sucked at the time and as sore as Emmett would inevitably be the next day, he had to admit… His younger bro had a point. Emmett had never made more progress in the gym than when he’d gone consistently with Antony.

Well, until Emmett had gotten hit by a truck and turned into a cyborg.

And now, Emmett’s progress controlling his nanite swarm was proof enough of TINA’s coaching. Even overencumbered, Emmett could command the swarm in a fraction of the time it used to take him. His body and brain were keeping up. If anything, his progress had only gotten faster over the last week.

So instead of waiting for Athena to bring back more appliances, Emmett had started going out himself. It was more efficient for Emmett to climb into a scrap yard and let his nanites make more of themselves than it was waiting for Athena to go back and forth.

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Emmett got up and stretched his arms overhead. His prosthetics didn’t need the movement, but his shoulders and torso still did. He was about to go back out again, when Clara interjected from the floor.

“I don’t get it,” Arsenal said. “How could Dad make a deal with them?”

Athena replied, “Look, not all vampires are that bad… Gods, I can’t even say that with a straight face.”

Emmett shrugged. “I’m sure your dad didn’t have much choice. Clearly, he couldn’t go to the Brotherhood or to the Summit.”

Athena said, “To be fair, how many organizations would react well to Venture saying he wants to take over the world?”

Arsenal groaned on the floor. “And then there’s that… We don’t know what he was up to, but we know it wasn’t good. I just… I just can’t believe it.”

Emmett said, “Ichabod’s right. Venture wouldn’t pick a fight he wasn’t sure he could win. Even though the Brotherhood took over the lab, he made sure we all got out—so the fight isn’t over. So how was Venture planning on defeating every other super on the planet, possibly permanently… And why did he ally with Gnosis?”

Athena snorted. “You guys put your old roommate down with nanites. Maybe that’s what he was planning.”

“Dad wouldn’t do that.”

Emmett added sheepishly, “That was technically my idea.”

Clara continued, “And there’s a big difference between taking down one villain and taking down everyone.”

Athena replied, “My point is, Venture didn’t mind playing dirty, and he didn’t mind breaking the rules. TINA being the prime example.”

Emmett glanced at his phone on the arm of the couch. He expected TINA to respond, but she stayed silent.

Emmett spoke up, “So Venture needed more than just Gnosis. Whatever he was planning, he needs TINA, too. Otherwise, why would he risk making her?”

Athena said quietly, “Not every child’s birth is planned.”

Emmett hesitated. Athena was right. As far as Emmett knew, TINA’s birth was accidental. And it wasn’t hard to think why Venture kept TINA after she was born… the thought of deleting her just seemed wrong.

“It’s okay, Emmett.”

Emmett wasn’t sure if she’d read his mind or if she’d just read his hesitation. He wasn’t sure it mattered.

“...Thanks, TINA. We’re in this together now.” Emmett glanced at Clara. She was sitting up now and staring off into space with a worried look. “What is it?”

“I think I know what Dad was worried about… I think he was worried about my mom and her planet.”

Emmett and Athena shared a look. Over the last few weeks in the apartment, Clara had confided in Emmett and Athena about her mother, Narine. Well, the parts that Clara knew, anyway. The way Clara talked, she didn’t know her mom all that well. She’d known that her mother was an alien, but she didn’t know anything about Terradun or just how powerful the Dunamen were. She’d only learned that after her mother was forced to leave Earth.

Emmett said, “We didn’t find anything about the Dunamen in the Brotherhood’s plans. Do you think your mom told your dad something the Brotherhood wouldn’t know about?”

Clara shook her head. “I don’t know, but if you want a reason for my dad to go power hungry, then that’s the best one I can think of. Maybe he’s trying to be ready if the Dunamen come back.”

Silence settled on the room.

The Dunamen left Paragon behind to act as a protector, and they promised that the Earth would stay sovereign. It was why Paragon stayed above Earth politics and had been so reluctant to help humanity against the Deep Ones.

…Was Paragon just keeping an eye on Earth until the rest of the Dunamen came back?

If that was true, Emmett couldn’t imagine anything humanity could do to stop them. Supposedly, every single Dunaman was a Class 5 super like Paragon, including Clara’s mom. Even if every super on the planet put aside their differences and banded together, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Athena cleared her throat to get their attention. “I think there’s something else we need to consider. Say we free your roommate, and say we eventually take back the lab… What then? Are we going to help your dad take over the world?”

Emmett and Clara glanced at each other, but neither spoke.

It was TINA who broke the silence.

“I think we should side with the vampires.”

The three humans in the room laughed—a mixture of snorts and scoffs.

Athena said, “I hate to break it to you, TINA, but vampirism and immortality aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.”

Clara asked, “You swear you’re not a vampire, right?”

Athena groaned. “Not a vampire.”

“I think we should hear what he has to say. …I don’t know why Dr. Venture started on this path, but I believe he had good reason. We owe him that much.”

Emmett looked at his friends. “I agree. We need answers. We can decide later what to do with that information. It doesn’t change our current plans, right?”

Clara laid back down on the floor and gave a thumbs up.

Athena sighed. “I agree, but we can keep talking too. It would give some of us time to cool off.”

~ ~ ~