They’re watching us.

The small dorm room was barely large enough for an uncomfortable bed and folding desk, and it felt smaller still with three people inside, but Vincent’s words seemed to echo. Lucia’s dark eyes searched his, then she turned away, seeming lost in thought. Danny was anything but quiet.

“Are you out of your–” he caught himself as Vincent turned to him. He started again, “Aren’t you being, well, dangerously optimistic? Like, ignoring all logic, kind of optimistic? No one breaks out of the farm, man.” Danny realized Lucia had turned to face him, her eyes still red, and with two Villaris staring at him, he deflated a little.

“Look, I’m not happy we’re going to be split up either, but this is what happens, alright? We’re here so that our powers can Manifest, and we can serve the NGG. Will that probably mean our lives are kinda shitty? Yes. But it’s just the way things are. Getting shot and becoming fugitives just so Lucia doesn’t have to join the army is a bit of an overreaction.”

Vincent waited for his friend to get the outburst out of his system, then turned to Lucia, part of him knowing the answer to the question before he asked. “What power did you Manifest?”

Lucia looked down, and tears gathered in her eyes as she spoke in a rush, “We were all in the gym, as usual. The instructors had us pairing up for sparring sessions, and everything seemed normal.” She shook her head, and wiped her eyes before continuing. “I didn’t even notice at first, it just seemed a little louder than normal. But it kept getting worse. More voices, some yelling, some whispering, but it was like I was hearing them all at once.

“I couldn’t concentrate on the fight, and my partner was Kristy Woods, she’s been trying to beat me for months. When she realized I was distracted she took advantage, but I could barely feel it as she hit me. All I could think of was the voices getting louder and louder.” Vincent and Danny were both totally caught up in her story now, the truth becoming increasingly clear.

“I fell down, screaming. I had just enough clarity to stop myself from grabbing my head, but the pain was overwhelming. I managed to look up, tried to see what everyone was screaming about, but I think I already knew what was happening.” She fell silent for a moment, as if saying it out loud would somehow make it more real than the horrible experience she’d already gone through.

At last she met Vincent’s eyes once more, and whispered the truth, “I was hearing their thoughts,” she said in a broken voice. “I’m a Psychic.” Her voice rang out in the small room, and Vincent could almost hear the unspoken words Lucia refused to speak. Just like our mother.

Danny seemed to wobble for a moment, then he collapsed in the nearby desk chair and put his head in his hands. He knew as well as any of them what it meant to be a psychic. Getting shot in a failed escape attempt might be better. Lucia seemed to have deflated after getting the story out, as if bottling up the experience had been all that was keeping her upright.

Vincent needed information, but the room was thick with emotion, and he always seemed to handle these situations wrong. He felt increasingly uncomfortable each moment his questions went unasked, but he’d learned the hard way that people didn’t always want their problems solved right away. For some reason.

At last Danny looked up, “Okay, so how do we escape?” he asked, and Lucia’s head shot up in surprise. Vincent felt like a weight was lifted off his chest. Finally.

“Lucia, they wouldn’t have given you the full screening time if they suspected you were on the restricted list. Did they mention what powers they expected you to have?” Lucia shook her head.

“I’ve worked hard to make sure my record is nothing but average across the board, with slightly higher marks in physique and combat. They didn’t say anything, but the admin only glanced at my file before telling me I had three months. They probably think I’m a Basic.” Vincent nodded in relief, Basics were the lowest possible tier of super, barely above failed Adepts, that should mean little added scrutiny for Lucia.

“It’s a good thing KD’s are private,” Danny said, referring to the smartphone-like K-Tech Devices paired to their harnesses, “if they saw how far ahead your empathy is–” A sharp look from Lucia cut him off, and he looked over at Vincent awkwardly.

Eyes narrowed in suspicion, Vincent turned to Lucia, “What’s he talking about? You told me you were staying balanced.” She looked back at him defiantly.

“I’m doing everything I can to stay balanced, but it’s not possible, okay? I work out every day, I study, I take on lonely, miserable work details, but it’s not enough. I even try to just ignore people, but even if my empathy never went up another point, it would still be a lost cause.” She paused, then said in a quieter voice. “It was a lost cause. Now it’s too late.”

Vincent took a moment to let it all sink in. He knew there was no point getting stuck on what they couldn’t change, but it was difficult not to let anger cloud his mind. There was also some guilt as he considered the readouts from his own KD. “Okay, we move on. The important information is that we should have nearly the full three months to make this work.”

“Unless…” Danny said, and he paused to look awkwardly at Lucia. “Unless the Warden’s pet Psychs are brought in.” Vincent nodded, considering.

“Good point, they haven’t been here in nearly a year. I’ve never heard an official policy, but it seems like they only get called for special situations. No one wants Psychics around if they can help it,” Why did Lucia seem angry? Danny had a hand over his face for some reason, but after a moment he lowered it and the conversation resumed.

“I think they came last time because of the Gamma that went missing, though they played it off like it was some kind of routine inspection,” Vincent nodded, remembering the uncomfortable visit.

“We’ll have to hope that it wasn’t routine then, and that nothing else happens worthy of calling them in,” Lucia had just been staring between the other two for some time, but finally she cut in.

“Are you two really being serious? This is a Power Farm, you can’t escape. There are guards and cameras everywhere. There’s towers with snipers in them, and only one gate. The whole compound is surrounded by a fifty foot wall that leans inward so you can’t climb it. These places have been built specifically so people with powers can never get out!” Vincent smiled.

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this,” he said, and her face colored. “But you didn’t mention that our harnesses have trackers, and electrical charges designed to incapacitate us if we leave the grounds without clearance. Not to mention we’re surrounded by hundreds of miles of wilderness, and anyone in the state is going to be suspicious of three teenagers traveling alone.”

“Right,” she said, letting out a sigh. “I appreciate the thought, but we all know this is hopeless. Let’s just try to make the most of these last months together. Who knows, I’ve heard the army trains counter-Psychics, maybe I can try to be one of those, and we’ll see each other again.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Vincent said dismissively. “Just because something’s hard doesn’t mean it can’t be done. We just need to put the work in. I already have some ideas, but frankly I’ve been putting more thought into preventing Manifestation; we should take some time and gather information.”

Lucia stared at him incredulously, “Did you forget the parts about snipers and electrodes in our spines?”

“Of course not, we just talked about them,” Vincent said with confusion, and Danny just shook his head, standing up.

“I have a couple of classes I can’t miss, not if I’m going to stay balanced,” he said while smirking at Vincent. “If I learn anything in History or Math about prison breaks, I’ll let you know.

“Thank you,” Vincent replied, and Danny chuckled as he left the room. Vincent turned back to Lucia, letting some of his frustration show. “How high is your empathy?”

She shrugged, “No point hiding it now, I suppose. It was at fourteen for the last year and a half. It…it moved up to fifteen last month,” Vincent nodded, that information could be important. He wished he knew what Robert’s strength had been before he Manifested.

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“What about the rest? It might be a ratio instead of a threshold,” he explained.

“All between seven and nine, with intellect a bit higher. I did the best I could,” she finished quietly.

“I’m sure you did, but you’re right. It likely wouldn’t have been possible to make up such a deficit,” Unfortunately he knew that from experience. “All we can hope is that balance buys time, you’re older than Danny and I, and you likely would have been dismissed as a Failed Adept any day now.” Lucia gave him a flat look.

“I’m very aware of that, little brother,” Vincent nodded, lost in thought. “What about Robert, even with the day I’ve had, I couldn’t miss hearing about a Manifestation that violent,” she gestured at his injuries. “I take it you were involved?”

“As planned, and it may have confirmed our suspicions. Robert always had a volatile temper, and when he was pushed hard enough it finally happened. I think it was the combination of mental, and physical stress, either one alone didn’t seem to be enough.” He thought of something then, and looked at Lucia with suspicion. “You were fighting Kristy Woods, how do you feel about her exactly?”

Lucia looked embarrassed, “I…she’s not pleasant. She hates that she can’t beat me in self-defense, and she and her friends try their best to make my life miserable. I may have been…particularly excited to fight her today.”

“That’s good,” Vincent replied, “It’s another data point to work with. Danny and I will have to be extra careful to keep our calm for the next few months.” Lucia rolled her eyes.

“Right, do your best, Vincent. Try to control that famously hot head of yours.”

***

Lucia wanted to be alone after that, and Vincent still needed to exercise before his next class. It was already mid-afternoon when he stepped back outside, and he didn’t have much time before he needed to get to Power Theory, but after hearing about his sister, his own balance was even more important. He took out his K-Tech Device, comparing its readings to Lucia’s.

Physicality:

* Strength: 9

* Agility: 7

* Endurance: 8 (+1)

Mind:

* Intellect: 17

* Empathy: 3

* Ingenuity: 14

He sighed loudly enough that another student on the path gave him an odd look. At least the beating he’d taken had improved his endurance. He knew he was in no position to judge either Danny or Lucia for failing to keep the balance he valued so highly. No matter how hard you worked, certain aspects of your physiology were just naturally superior.

Vincent wasn’t particularly tall, and at this point it looked like he’d be lucky to see five foot ten, he was also slim, though his near-constant exercise meant he was relatively strong for his size. Still, the idea of doubling his current physical limitations was laughable. And then there was empathy…

Vincent didn’t understand why his evaluation was so low. He understood why people did what they did, and he understood how to convince them to do something else. He’d read books, and even just listened to people interacting with one another, but his evaluation wouldn’t change.

Lucia said it was about understanding emotions, but that was like claiming you needed to understand the chemical reason why someone was hungry in order to know they needed food. Whatever the reason, he had no hope of changing that number in any significant way. He just had to hope he could last another three months.

The gym wasn’t too busy when he arrived, and he was able to use some machines that allowed him to get a reasonable workout without straining his injuries too badly. He spent the time thinking, and running his mind back over a thousand details of the compound that had been simple facts yesterday, but possible threats today.

As he left the gym, he stopped at a sign-up tablet embedded in the wall, and looked at the available work details.

* Cleanup crew

* Maintenance and repair

* Tutoring

* Harvesting

* Cafeteria assistant

* Guardsman training

The list went on, but became increasingly specific to requests being made from different instructors. Vincent made note of each of them, but couldn’t think of how they’d be relevant to their current problems, and he needed to get to Power Theory as quickly as possible.

He was nearly late, and he considered it one of his most important classes–regardless of the fact that every lecture was either a case study of an already well known hero or villain, or pure nonsense meant to perpetuate ignorance. He raced across campus as fast as his exhausted and injured body could manage, and just barely managed to get the seat behind Emi Sato.

Another male student gave him a dark look as he was forced to find another seat. Emi drew a lot of attention for her appearance, and Vincent understood why. He wasn’t blind to the fact that her hair was particularly shiny, and the symmetry of her face was undeniable. He knew that his classmates thought he was obsessed with her, as they had two classes together, this one and Hero Support Tactics, and he always tried to sit behind her.

The truth wasn’t quite so simple, however. As Instructor Smythe began her lecture–today on Legacy, for what felt like the hundredth time, Emi did what she always did, and pulled out her KD. A small stack of books was carefully positioned to block anyone from seeing what she did–unless they were sitting exactly where Vincent sat every day.

At this point he was certain she knew that he watched over her shoulder, and once or twice she seemed to even move to give him an unobstructed view, but they’d never spoken of it. Likely she knew as well as he did that it was far too dangerous to draw attention to, but this was when Veridicus made his broadcasts, and they were always wiped from the Network after. You could only see the mysterious man live.

Instructor Smythe began her lecture, and Vincent listened absently as he waited for the Emi to access the real class on her device. “Good afternoon, students. Today we’ll be studying the greatest hero since the original, mighty Legacy!” Her enthusiasm was admirable, considering she’d given the same lecture at least three times in the last two months.

“Legacy was not only trained by the Great Hero himself, but he is also the only known super to boast a similar power set! Legacy is capable of creating solid objects out of Roid-Energy, using them as shields to protect the weak. It’s a perfect power set for a hero!” Thankfully Emi’s KD found the broadcast at that point, and Vincent did his best to watch while still appearing to pay attention to the lecture.

The setting was the same as always, with a simple desk in front of a wall covered in graffiti of cliched phrases about ‘resistance’ and ‘fighting the power’. A moment later Veridicus himself appeared, his typical outfit covering every inch of exposed skin with black gloves, a black overcoat, and a mask with a large red X painted across it.

Emi had the broadcast muted, of course, but subtitles were automatically generated. Still, it was somewhat comical to see the man make so many theatrical gestures without appearing to make any sound.

“Greetings, fellow seekers of truth, and deniers of the falsehoods of the hated New Global Government! I only have a small morsel of secrets for you today, as I suspect the NGG’s secret police may be tracing my broadcasts. As always we begin with the Pledge of Anarchy!

“Don’t believe their lies!

They’re always watching us!

The NGG is not what they pretend to be!

They deny us true power!

They deny us true freedom!

We will rebel!

We will be balanced!

We will not partake of the forbidden Gamma!

We know they are among us!”

“Excellent, Truthseekers. Now for the morsels I promised. New storms have appeared in Colorado, Washington, and Texas! None of these are accounted for by the NGG predictions. At least those they share with the people!

“In Vancouver, Nightshade was spotted going toe to toe with the local hero squad. The NGG claims she was after a supply of Gamma, but a Power Farm in that area was also mysteriously broken into, freeing dozens of trapped Adept children! Who are the real villains, I ask you?

“Our last grain of truth for you, seekers! The NGG has been making claims of ‘helping’ the poor, desperate Beta addicts around the globe. Official reports have shown a steady decrease in their numbers here in North America. However! Leaked intelligence shows that there has been a near-equal rise in Beta addicts in New Technopolis, what was once called New York City, and is the current headquarters of K-Tech, and its founder Tecnico.

“What does this mean, Truthseekers? Why would the NGG ship all the Beta addicts to the most dangerous city in North America? Does it have anything to do with the experimental Gamma plant that K-Tech has recently brought on line there? Or is it something even more sinister?

“Rumors abound that there are secret NGG facilities there, as well as some of the most dangerous supers ever recorded! And let us not forget, it was little more than a decade ago that the Cult of the Mind had its famous confrontation with Legacy in that very same city! Something for us all to consider, wouldn’t you say?

“Farewell, Truthseekers, until the truth brings us together once more!”

Vincent leaned back, considering everything he’d heard. He was forced to agree with Danny that the man didn’t inspire confidence. His theatricality and flare seemed to be taking away from the message, but Vincent was also aware the man was good at what he did; in only a few short years he’d amassed tens of millions of followers. People all around the world were very ready to believe that the New Global Government wasn’t to be trusted.

Regardless, the nature of Veridicus was for another day. The man had already given Vincent exactly what he needed.