After Finn confirmed his acceptance of the offer, Moonflower had sent him a time and place for the meeting almost immediately.

That wasn’t overly surprising, since they had waited until the end of the allotted week to give their answer. Finn had wanted to squeeze every bit of time they could for Jack to conduct his investigation.

But in the end, his friend’s investigation didn’t amount to much. He was just one person, and Cyrus had managed to keep an entire organization hidden for who knew how long. Again, not surprising.

What did strike Finn as odd was that Cyrus seemed awfully confident in letting him know who he was. Maybe that was because he knew Finn wouldn’t do anything through this mysterious source of intel he had hinted at, or due to the simple fact that, should they try to leak anything, it was their word against his.

Alternatively, there was the possibility that it was an open secret that all the important people already knew. In that case, Finn would’ve been even more behind than he thought. He hated how much information he was still lacking.

That was part of the reason he was coming here. Another part was the need for strength. If there was one thing the fight against Trooper had taught him, it was that, as he was now, he could only go so far. Parlor tricks couldn’t bridge the gap between himself and real monsters.

Did that mean he would give up? No.

He would just have to find a way to get better.

Currently, he was in his Shade costume, joined by Lyra in her Calliope outfit. They weren’t planning to do any fighting—even if they were, their bodies weren’t in optimal condition—but Finn didn’t want to show his face to Cyrus, even if Lyra’s identity was already known. Jack had taken steps to make sure they wouldn’t be recognized in their association with Lyra, and Finn intended to keep it that way.

They arrived at the meeting location. It was on a rooftop, which he could say was definitely his style, but he wouldn’t be waiting for someone the way Cyrus was. He usually didn’t pick this type of building, either. A hotel terrace near the center of the district.

The man, impeccably dressed in a suit and tie, sipped from a cup of coffee, sitting on a shiny white chair as he did so. Steam rose from the mug as he looked over it to them. Looking back at the open door to the staircase behind him, he beckoned someone over.

Contrary to Finn’s expectations, the fourth person attending this meeting was not Moonflower. Instead, a figure clad in a red-and-gray bodysuit stepped out, hands folded over each other. He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.

“As per our accord,” Cyrus said, and the figure stepped toward Finn. They reached out a hand, and Finn’s first instinct was to dodge, but he calmed himself when he realized nothing dangerous would be happening.

When the hand touched him, he felt a pulse of wellness course through him. Not at all like the electric surge of energy from the other superhuman who had used his power on Finn when Cyrus first made contact with him. More like a misty cloud of blissful peace seeping into every fiber of his body. He felt whole.

He also felt a slight sense of ecstasy, but that could’ve been him getting high from the pain meds he was on. Best not to show any signs of that outwardly.

Lyra’s reaction was not so curated, as she visibly slumped with relief as soon as the healer touched her. The moment it was done, the healer bowed to Cyrus and left.

Cyrus stood, leaving his beverage half-finished on a table. His chair folded in on itself about twelve times before landing in the man’s palm as a small square plate. Finn could hardly believe his eyes. Had he actually just seen that thing shrink?

“Now that you are in form, there is no need to delay. Follow me,” the billionaire said, walking towards the edge of the roof.

He jumped.

Finn and Lyra sprinted after him and got there in time to see him maintaining his straight posture as he plummeted a solid fourteen stories down. Right before hitting the ground, his pace slowed to a crawl, and he landed deftly on his feet, as though he’d just hopped down from a sidewalk. It was only when his expectant gaze turned to them that they jumped down after him.

The familiar lurch in Finn’s stomach gradually declined when he deployed his grappling hook and lowered himself to stand next to Cyrus. Lyra had already come down, simply breaking her fall with a shock wave and a roll.

“It doesn’t escape my notice that one of your members is absent,” Cyrus remarked.

“They’re listening,” Finn answered, knowing Jack was observing this encounter in real-time. They had kept their technical support off the field in case something happened during the meeting. Mentally, though, Finn had an “I told you so” moment. His friend had underestimated his own value.

“Come now, there is no need to be so bashful. I don’t bite,” their new boss told them. He tapped his watch and waited there, in the presence of two known vigilantes.

“Why didn’t you bring any security?” Finn asked. He didn’t know Cyrus well enough to be able to tell if the man was just in a particularly reckless mood, or if this was regular behavior for him. Throwing himself off rooftops and standing in the middle of the street, seemingly defenseless.

“Why, it’s because I know you two will be on your best behavior,” Cyrus responded.

Finn recognized the obvious lie, but he knew he wasn’t going to get a straight answer, so he didn’t push any further. Unless he had precogs who told him he wouldn’t be attacked tonight? Honestly, Finn hated that thought far more than simple security guards.

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“Aren’t you, ah, concerned about being seen with us?” Lyra asked, glancing around.

“Not particularly. Are you?”

The question was so casual, it took the girl a second to find her words. “I… guess not.”

This was extremely suspicious. Why had Cyrus kept his identity hidden from them for so long if he was just going to blow it before their working relationship even started? It made no sense. If the goal was to betray them, he would become the prime suspect after exposing himself like this.

Or would he? Finn paused. Looking around, he noticed that no one walking past had stopped to look at any of them. At all. Not even once. In fact, no one had even thrown a single glance in their direction.

It should be impossible. People should be swarming them. The richest man in Apexia being out in public with two up-and-coming Aegis heroes? Front page news, easily.

“What is your power?” Finn inquired in a low voice.

“I am afraid I must disappoint you. I do not have one. In my younger days, I considered that a setback, but I now realize there must always be someone sitting on either side of the chessboard,” Cyrus exhaled. “And that role just so happened to fall into my hands.”

If he was telling the truth… Goosebumps rose all over Finn’s skin.

Cyrus wasn’t alone. His security was just out of sight.

Some obscuration power. Perception manipulation? Finn was willing to bet that if he tried to attack Cyrus right now, he would be just like those people passing by them. Just not register the guy’s presence anymore.

If he didn’t catch a laser to the skull. He wasn’t keen to find out.

“Are you saying we’re pawns?” Lyra questioned. Her tone was less accusatory than Finn’s.

And it got a smile out of Cyrus. “Currently, you are nothing. I don’t mean that in a denigrating way, it is just your reality as of this moment. You need to be polished, first and foremost.”

With that, a black limousine pulled up in front of them, and Cyrus got in.

“I don’t like this,” Gridlock suddenly spoke up over the comms. “I’ve been trying, but I can’t even get a look at this guy. Whatever gadget he has on him is distorting and corrupting all image capture.”

“Does that mean we should run?” Lyra proposed. With her power, she could talk out loud into her microphone without Cyrus hearing her.

“No, it's expected that he'd have something like this on hand, I guess. Just really annoying,” Jack sighed. “At least I have your location.”

After his friend’s bold temptation of the universe, Finn expected to be teleported to another dimension, but their benefactor fortunately had no such plans for them. They merely entered the spacious limousine and took a seat.

Finn sat next to Lyra, wanting her close in case anything went down, and on the opposite side of Cyrus.

…He was really going through with this. Finn couldn’t believe he’d managed to convince himself to do this. On the way here, it wasn’t real yet. This was the next step, he had said as much, but now, here in this high-end vehicle with a squeaky clean floor, fine leather seats, and crisp lighting, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

At least they hadn’t been backstabbed yet. He tried to make himself seem comfortable.

“You have likely deduced this already, but the location we’re headed to is one you’ll be visiting often in the next few weeks,” Cyrus explained. “It will be crucial in preparation for your next undertaking.”

“Why didn’t you just tell us to meet you there?” Finn pointed out.

“An old man can’t indulge in some theatrics every so often?” Cyrus joked, then added, “The person who healed you is on standby for another operation as we speak. It was more convenient to have you come there first.”

Cyrus wasn’t even that old. He was forty-four. They’d done enough research on him to know that. But the second part might have been telling. “Then that’s your only healer?” Finn concluded.

“I will neither confirm nor deny.” Cyrus gave away nothing through his expression.

“Do you know what our roles will be?” Lyra didn’t bother using her voice filter anymore, knowing there was no point.

"I have a notion, contingent upon your forthcoming progression. I may revise my stratagem in how I position you, based on your capabilities on the field. Or off the field, should you prefer to stay out of peril entirely.”

“You’re taking us to a training facility, right?”

“Indeed I am, yes. Though I will not be staying with you personally, since I have other matters to attend to this evening.” The man gestured at his watch. “It is best to expect this manner of business from me often, in the future. I will call upon you as needed, and you are otherwise free to make use of the resources at your disposal.”

Soon, the tinted windows around them indicated that they were entering a well-lit tunnel of some sort. The vehicle came to a halt, and the door opened automatically. Realizing that was their cue to leave, they got up and stepped out into a long garage.

“I am eager to hear about your progress,” Cyrus called after them. “Arrangements can be made for accommodations, if you wish. Simply inform Azur of your choice. Until next time.” The door closed.

As the luxurious car drove away, a woman holding a sheet of glass like it was a clipboard walked toward them from the other side of the garage.

“My name is Azur,” she introduced herself. “Any questions you have about your training schedule or other related topics, I’ll answer to the best of my ability. The instructor is already present.”

Without awaiting a response, she gracefully pivoted on her heels, her brown ponytail dancing behind her, and went through the nearest door into a labyrinth of cutting-edge facilities.

“Are you still with us, Gridlock?” Lyra asked, unbeknownst to their new guide.

“Yeah,” Jack answered.

They followed in silence, passing what looked like advanced locker rooms and other areas Finn didn’t recognize. After a left turn, they entered a huge space, bigger than a football field by a third.

Beneath them was a jet black floor, glowing red lines marking the boundaries of two rectangular training fields, one of them being empty. Standing in the middle of the other training field was a man wearing a motorcycle helmet in dark climber’s gear over a bodysuit with a square-shaped red bullseye on his chest.

Finn did a double take. This was Frameshot. An independent hero active in the district. And he’d never had a clue this man would be associated with someone like Cyrus. It made sense, but having such a blatant example thrown in his face made him wonder just how many of the “independent” heroes truly worked alone.

“Hey, kids,” he greeted, waving. “Come over here so I can tell you how this is going down, and we can get this session underway.”

Lyra walked ahead first, hesitantly, and Finn strode after her. When they made it to their instructor, he launched into a detailed description of the different parameter tests he had planned for them today.

Not even five minutes had passed before the man was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

A girl with honey blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a sharp blazer over her otherwise casual outfit.

Casey Wardell had entered the building.