My heart was heavy as I marched down the secret basement of Velveteria, past hurried wannabe artists preparing for their greatest work yet, past shuffling person-shaped echoes of things long since erased from existence, and into the chamber of the big boss himself.

I closed the door quietly behind me.

"Ah, the Master Controller. Nice to see you again. We haven't met in a while, haven't we?" As usual, there was almost no movement when he spoke. Just him, staring at his eternally blank canvas. "Is there something you wish to discuss with me? I'm all ears, so to speak."

I awkwardly shuffled closer, stopping a few feet away from him.

I had no real plan.

There was no way I could formulate one right now. Too many things were cascading through my head. This wasn't the Master Controller.

I was just Mallory.

"Look.....I just wanna....Is there any way I could convince you to............." Say it. Just say it. ".........stop the mission?"

His smile did not waver.

"You want me to abort my master plan? Now that doesn't sound very much like you, Conny."

I slowly shook my head.

"No....maybe....no. No, I don't. Go ahead and erase someone. But is there any way at all you would consider maybe changing the target? There are many other important corpses in that tomb. A lot of alternatives. Good ones."

Souto chuckled wryly.

"Are you afraid of a world without The One's influence? Don't be. I am not a miracle worker. All I take are memories, not..."

"I know what you can do, Antonio." I cut in.

I carefully studied his expression. His smile remained in place. But it was not a smile of blissful calm serenity anymore. It took him a while to speak up again. The silence hung heavy in the air until...

"Wherever you got this intel from, be it my mother, the agency, or the Villain profile, don't presume you have all the information. None of these sources have had their eyes on me for a long, long time. A lot has changed."

He turned his face to look me in the eye.

"You know, despite my interest in art, I was never quite good at it. Not creative enough, I believe. No real talent. For months now I have been trying to paint something. Anything. But it never comes out quite right. It's frustrating. Back then, I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. Not really. Erasing the canvas every time would be a hassle. I'd have to get a new one and arrange the brush and the palette again. Way too much work. But nowadays.....I have a much finer touch. If I just run my finger along the paint like this...."

He had not moved an inch the whole time. He wasn't then either.

"...and voila. My dreadful painting is gone, but the canvas remains. Isn't it amazing? Just like that, everything is just like it was before I started. And not a soul can even tell I attempted to draw anything."

With this, he fully turned to face me.

"I can apply that same principle to pretty much everything. Do you want me to show you? I can reduce your entire life to nothing bit by bit. A finger here, an ear there. Wouldn't it be fun to find out how far I can go before you will have never made it past your miserable childhood as a pathetic disfigured cripple?"

I said nothing. If he made a go at me, I was confident I was far enough away to make my escape. Instead, I just met his gaze.

"Fearless, huh? Or arrogant, maybe. It doesn't have to be this way. Are you here to bring me back? To kill me? Or do you think you can get away with a bit of blackmail? If it's the former and you're here on a mission, why don't you come work for me instead? I could always use someone with a talent as versatile as yours. I can guarantee you I pay much better than whoever put you up to this."

I shook my head again.

"No one put me up to this. I'm not here to blackmail you either. I already told you what I want. All I ask is that you consider switching your target. Nothing more. Nothing less."

This time his smile left him. Only for a second though.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect that......What to make of you?" He made a show of appearing deep in thought for a minute or two.

"How about this: Tell me why. Convince me why I should, then give a good pitch for a replacement. Maybe we can work something out here."

I raised my eyebrow, skeptical.

"Really? You're giving in this easily?"

Souto laughed out loud. It sounded genuine, too.

"Who said you were going to convince me easily? I'm pretty set in stone here. But I'm also a reasonable person, I think. Why insist on something that will cause friction when there might be a solution that works for all parties involved? It's up to you."

I had not been expecting this. I hadn't been expecting anything, really. Still, this was my best chance.

Possessing him would be pointless. My body would be left utterly defenseless if he had any sort of safety measure, and even if he didn't, then what? Even if I called the mission off or stalled it out until it was over, he would just start from scratch again as soon as I left his body. And using his Power....what would I do? Have him erase himself? Too risky. I had no idea how that would affect me while I was controlling him.

No....this really was my best option.

"The One......he........he was a big part of my life. An important part. He is the reason my Power developed as far as it did. He also.......he rescued my parents. Back when I was just a child. My life would be significantly different without him. I....I can't let that happen."

Souto leaned back in his chair and began stroking his chin.

"That would be an issue, I suppose. I can tell you this much: While I am not 100% sure, it seems to me that reality itself is somewhat.....resistant to my alterations. Time and time again when I erased something or someone from existence the effect was a lot less pronounced than I had assumed. The new reality, I think, tries to rearrange itself as close to the old one as possible. If there is a way for something to remain unchanged, it's a safe bet it'll happen that way."

For a moment I got my hopes up. Maybe I was worrying for nothing?

"But...."

There it was. The single most discouraging word in the English language.

"...there is a limit. Shortly after escaping the facility, I hid in a playground. The only people there were a couple and their little daughter. I was curious, so I walked up to the dad and....you know. Poof. I thought that maybe a new guy would show up and the kid look a little different, but no. The brat was entirely gone too."

I did my best to quell the disgust that started to build up within me. I needed to keep a clear head.

"The mom was still there though. We had a nice little talk. Single. No kids. Came to the park during her break to watch the children play. She sounded pretty miserable. I felt bad enough to poof her too. Didn't sound like a worthwhile life to me."

"So you can't guarantee my life would remain similar?" I prodded.

"No. Not everyone goes through truly life-changing events. I'd say most people don't. But if I remove a keystone of such events, I would bet that the affected lives would change pretty drastically."

I nodded.

"Right. Okay. Is that enough of a reason for you?"

Souto stretched languidly in his chair and let out a yawn before answering.

"I concede that you have a valid concern. But I don't really care all that much. As long as you can't give me a better alternative. Or one just as good."

I took a deep breath. There were a lot of options, really.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"How about..."

"But let me tell you upfront. Just another hero won't do. The One is the pinnacle of the costumed crime fighter. Erasing any other hero would just be a straight-up downgrade."

My fists clenched.

"You're attacking a Hero graveyard! Who the fuck else am I supposed to offer you there?" I yelled.

He raised both his hands in front of himself with a chuckle.

"Calm down, lady. I told you I was set in stone. It's your job to crack it."

I closed my eyes and forced myself to calm down. There had to be a way. I frantically searched my brain for any possible replacement until I landed on one. The only real option.

"How about Magnifica?"

Souto's smile grew wider.

"Magnifica? The Greatest Caped Mage There Ever Was? I think I vaguely remember learning about her in school. What makes you think she'd be a suitable replacement for the greatest Hero that ever lived?"

I wasn't super aware of Magnifica's history either, but I knew enough to make my pitch.

"Back when the Mages began forming their own communities and decoupling from "mundane" society there was a lot of friction. Lots of people had learned to depend on their magical peers and then suddenly help that was previously freely or cheaply given was either fully withdrawn or cost an arm and a leg. Magnifica became big when the tension was at its breaking point. Helped to gain back a lot of goodwill from the general populace. Lots of volunteer work. Cheap spells. She even formed a team, one hero for each type of mage. I think it's no understatement to say she was The One of her time."

He slowly nodded along with my story. "Interesting."

"Erasing The One will lead to major consequences, yes, but I'd argue the effect of erasing Magnifica would be exponentially more widespread. Just think about it."

After finishing my proposal I tensed up, waiting for Souto to mull things over. He crossed his arms and shut his eyes, tapping his left foot on the ground almost rhythmically.

Every second that passed felt like an hour to me. I began to notice sweat running down my forehead.

"I think...." he began after an agonizing eternity.

"....not."

I could almost feel my resolve shatter like glass.

"Why?! What's wrong with Magnifica?!"

Souto shook his head.

"You don't seem like a total idiot, so I'm surprised you can't follow me here. The One is important, yes, but he is only important to the spirit of our great nation. If what you say is true, and I don't doubt that it is, where would that leave us? Where would we be if the tension with the Mages had never been resolved? Magical products are responsible for most of our technological growth. Why would I want to create a world that is far less advanced than this one? Art doesn't exist to set humanity back. And that is just the best-case scenario. What if there had been an escalation? A war, even? Do you really think the Mages would've lost?"

I grit my teeth. I wanted to argue, but....I couldn't.

"So here are my options, Conny. I target Magnifica and have a 1 in 3 chance of getting what I want, a 1 in 3 chance of setting humanity back centuries, and a 1 in 3 chance of becoming a second-class citizen in a world ruled by arrogant, tribal manchildren infinitely more powerful than myself. Or, and I want you to stay with me here, or I target the guy I was planning to target from the beginning and get what I want with 100% certainty. Which option would you pick in my shoes?"

I took a step back.

"I..."

"And honestly, I can't be sure but I heavily doubt that in either of the two-loss scenarios your option presents, your life would stay like it is now. Magnifica is old. Chances are history will be disrupted enough that you were never even born. No matter how you look at it it's just flat-out a worse option."

I took another step back before steeling myself as best I could.

I tried.

It was stupid to think this whole thing could be resolved with a nice little conversation. But I had to make the attempt at least.

"Then....." Damn. My voice was shaky. I mentally cursed myself for being such a wuss. Way to project confidence, Mal. "Then I'll have to stop you."

"I suppose you do. It's sad, really. You did such a good job for us. I genuinely had hope that I could keep you on our payroll."

There it was again. The notion that the whole lot of nothing I did was in any way helpful to them. I had intended to just let it slide, but seeing as this was almost certainly the end of our working relationship, right now was the last opportunity for me to find out.

"How exactly did my stint as a glorified greeter play into your plans at all?"

He clapped his hands together.

"Oh yeah, you must be very confused. I might as well tell you. But why don't you let me know what you remember about it first? I do love to see the effect of my Power in action."

"Sure. That's easy. After all the only thing I did all day was play Charles the Chatty Gateguard. There really wasn't much to it."

From all the reactions I had expected from Souto at this moment, astonishment hadn't been one of them.

"Charles...? Now that is interesting."

I shook my head slightly.

"Why are you surprised? Wasn't that the guy I was supposed to take over?"

"Oh yes, it was. But you shouldn't remember that. Especially since he wasn't at the gate that day."

I had assumed some sort of memory fuckery was going on, but still...

"What are you talking about?"

Souto finally stood up and came closer. For every step he made in my direction, I took one back.

"See, Manet did task you to possess Charles, originally. But Charles isn't one of those underpaid stooges who check if the Heroes have renewed their club membership on time. He is the Diamond Hill hairdresser."

The hairdresser?

"Have you heard of the hero Tri-Lock?" He shook his head immediately. "Of course not. She doesn't exist anymore after all. Thanks to you."

Slowly it dawned on me where this was going.

"She had the pesky Power to turn any building she was in into an inescapable ever-shifting maze under her direct control. Perfect for keeping things safe from scoundrels like us. But sadly for her, she had made it her mission to protect the Memorial Hall of Legacy from intruders every night. Something personal, I'm sure. I don't really care. All that meant was she had to go. But that was easier said than done. We were going to work toward creating the perfect situation to catch her alone and off guard without anyone suspecting anything. It was going to take a few weeks, maybe months, but then.....then you walked into the picture."

"So you had me deliver her hair?"

I felt sick.

"Yes. A strand is not enough. I can make the hair vanish by itself, but to poof the whole person I need a good clump of their matter. Charles is a very personable guy, I hear. He and Tri-Lock were good friends. That was the only possibly exploitable weakness we knew about, but we couldn't do anything with it. It was fate that Manet noticed you when he did."

"I doubt that." I grumbled.

"But here is the fascinating thing."

For once he sounded genuinely excited.

"After the deed was done, the mission you had done for us changed as well. Tri-Lock didn't exist in this new reality, so we instead had you take over one of the gate guards and create a bit of a fuss so Smear could sneak in and collect something to help us with the Odd Gentleman's request. Your memory of that time seems to be a mishmash of both the past and present world. I've never seen that before. Does it have something to do with your Possession? Is there a way to replicate this effect? Maybe..."

All the while he was rambling Souto slowly stepped closer to me. This time I used that and his excited mumbling to my advantage. The moment he made his most recent step I lunged forward and buried my fist in his stomach. He doubled over and tried to grab at me but I had already moved to the side. I prepared to give him a kick to the ribs when something stopped me.

A hand.

A hand emerging from the ground.

Or more precisely, from the drawing on the ground that had not been there before.

The hand had grabbed my leg and pulled it down hard. I could feel my foot sinking into the ground. Before I knew it I was buried in the floor up to my chest.

Souto heaved as he pulled himself back on his feet. "Thanks, Smear. You're a real lifesaver."

I tried to struggle but the painted-on villain held on tight, not giving me an inch.

I watched in horror as Souto knelt down and reached his hand out towards me.

I braced myself for the worst when I felt him cup my cheek.

"I'm not going to erase you. I don't know what will happen if I do. Of course, the worst-case scenario for me would just be that Tri-Lock comes back and we have to postpone the mission for a bit. How lucky for you then that I really want to keep on schedule. Erasing The One on his birthday is too perfect an opportunity to ignore. You can stay here, safely guarded until tomorrow. Then you can seamlessly transition into your new life. But just to make sure you don't make a scene while we get you situated, let me occupy you a bit. You seemed really confused earlier, so why not jog your memory a bit? You can thank me later."

The part of my face where he touched me grew hotter and hotter until I felt a searing pain in my head.

"...do if she doesn't need a haircut?" I asked.

.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Manet did not seem to be bothered at all. "From what I hear she and Charles are like peas in a pod. Just work your charm. If he tells her she needs a haircut, she'll do it. Offer it up for free if you have to."

"If you say so. I still thi..."

Thoughts flooded my brain.

"..harles. Everything cool?" he asked while slapping me on the back.

"Of course, sir." I tried to be as polite as possible but immediately recognized my mistake when Red Tornado looked at me with a somewhat confused look on his face.

"Why are you suddenly so formal, man? Everything alright?"

Damn. I myself had been a member of the DH-Club way back when, and we did get real chummy with the hairdresser on staff then too. Celia. What a peach. I had hoped Charles was a bit more discerning when it came to his friendships, but It seemed nothing had really changed.

"Sorry. Lots of stress at the mom..."

New thoughts. No. Old thoughts.

"...rles. How are you today?" Honeybadger asked, looking at me with a wide smile. Next to her, I could see the hulking mechanical form of Future Guardian, one of my old colleagues, and a young man with his long, black hair tied in a neat ponytail. I knew about him. His name was Animator, an Enlightened who joined after my time.

"H-hey.." I started before mentally slapping myself. I had to keep it together. "Sorry, frog in my throat. Hey there, Honey. I'm as fine as a guy can be nowadays. How about you? Anything interesting happen lately? Anything spicy?"

This entire day was already stressful enough, but this was the worst possible scenario for me.

I desperately tried to extinguish the raging inferno of feelings and bottled them up as best I could.

I was Charles now.

Not Mallory.

Charles is not distraught right now.

Charles is relax....

The longer it went, the more agonizing it became. The torment rose and rose into a crescendo of torture and memories.

"...lp it, you know that." she whispered as she crushed me in the (surprisingly soft) bear hug.

I took the opportunity to let Charles' slender fingers comb through her hair.

"Tri-Lock, baby girl, you have to let me trim that mane. I absolutely insist."

The hero pulled back and looked into one of the mirrors.

"You think so? I feel pretty good about my cut, actually..." she mumbled, uncertainty lining her eyes.

Manet was right. This was too easy. I just needed one more push. Something personal, maybe. I began scrambling together as much info as I could get from the recesses of my mind. We teamed up a fair amount, but I was never really all that interested in her. Still, there had to be something. Tri-Parity and Tri-Barrage? No, they didn't seem to have that kind of sibling relationship.

"Please, I just want what's best for you. You know how quickly gossip spreads these days. Vultures, all of them. Do you want little Sabrina to stumble across a Guardians of Fashion article that calls her mother an incomprehensibly discordant eyesore?"

She whipped her head to look directly at Charles.

"Is it that bad?".

"Girl, I will do it for free if I have to. I just don't want to see you slandered by people who look for the worst in anyone they come across. They could never see your true beauty."

She smiled warmly and sat down.

"Alright, alright. But I'll pay. Don't even try to talk me ou..."

And then it all went black.