=== CURT ===

I snapped across the street from Des’ building and looked around, trying to make sure that this wasn’t a trap. Des hadn’t sounded like they were under any kind of stress, so I didn’t think it was probable, but I had been captured enough times for a lifetime. I checked the alley and the street in front of it. There were no suspicious cars or service vehicles. I know Des had been fielding more calls since Smash Gal hadn’t kept their name out of her god damn mouth. But I think after they were questioned by the authorities and they had given them nothing, the cops just gave up. Cindi had gotten Des a different phone to reach us by. I hadn’t thought of it. I really am sloppy these days. I should have done that when I started visiting Des’ office more than twice a year. I snapped to just outside of the office, in the hall, and looked around. I waited for a moment, prepared to get out if there were any signs of danger. No one jumped out and tackled me. So, my luck must have been not the worst. I opened a portal large enough to stick my head through at ground level. I was pretty familiar with Des’ office, so it wasn’t hard to find a place to do this. It was dark, except for the light coming from under the door to Des’ actual office. The place where they did their paperwork and ate lunch and hid from patients. I let the portal close and snapped to just outside the door and knocked on it.

  After a moment, they opened the door and motioned me in. “Took you long enough.”

  “Needed to check on things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Make sure I wasn’t going to be arrested immediately upon arrival. That you weren’t being watched.” They stared at me for a while.

  “Curt, do you really think that was necessary?”

  “This is where Smash Gal found me last time. Your association with me is public now.”

  “I . . . I guess so.”

  “So, what’s the job?” I asked, walking past them and taking the seat. This is where they did interviews and had private conversations that weren’t strictly medical. Their office was cluttered and full of paperwork, medical records, pictures of patients, and events they went to. They helped the entire neighborhood with all kinds of projects and parties to raise money for food. They’re a better person than I am. And I almost ruined their life. Why am I here? Why am I risking them again? I took a few deep breaths, only to realize I had lost track of what Des was saying.

  “So, that’s what I need.”

  “I’m sorry, Des. I missed that entirely. I was . . . I was thinking about something else.”

  “Curt . . . Are you okay?”

  “I . . . You know me, Des. I’m always okay. Nothing can keep me down.” I gave them my best smile. Must not be that good, because they shook their head.

  “Curt, I think you need to talk to someone.”

  “I’m talking to you right now,” I evaded.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Who could I talk to, Des? Anyone who isn’t a friend would have to turn me in. And I don’t have any . . . therapist friends.” They frowned and passed me a card. I looked at it.

Chuck Berry

M.D. Psy.D.

Phone: (413) 555-5555

Fax: (413) 555-5556

[email protected]

“Call him. Do it now. Leave a message and tell him you want to schedule an appointment.”

  “Des, this is insane.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m on the FBI’s most-wanted list. I can’t go to therapy. I can’t afford to be arrested anymore. I never could, but now with Cindi . . . With . . .What do you expect me to do?”

  “Curt, you’re smart. You’re really fucking smart. But you can’t do this alone. And it’s not fair that you keep pushing your problems onto Cindi and me. We can’t do this for you anymore. We love you. But you’re changing. You’re becoming harder. You’re paranoid. You’re constantly looking over your shoulder. And just last week, you were prepared to die. You’re . . . you’re scaring me, Curt. You’re scaring Cindi.”

  “I need to be harder!” I shouted. They flinched and backed away, eyes wide. I took a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry. But damn it, Des! What am I supposed to do? I am fighting what in any other time period would be considered a fucking goddess of war! I’ve made enemies of the most powerful people on the planet. And you’re actually telling me that my fear is irrational?”

  “No, Curt. It’s not irrational,” they responded in a small voice. “I’m not saying you’re wrong to feel this way. I’m just . . . You’re not taking care of yourself. And what happens if you crack?”

  I stared at the card for a moment, then met their eyes. In a soft voice, I asked, “You think I already have, don’t you?”

  “I . . . I think you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately and I don’t think you’re coping with it. I think you’re ignoring it and hoping that you will just die and not have to worry about it. And I’m scared, Curt.”

  “I . . . Let me think about it, okay? I . . . You’re probably right . . . But I need . . . I need to find a way to talk about my problems without being locked up.”

  “So, you’ll do it?” They asked. I nodded. “Promise me, Curt. Promise me right now.”

  “I promise I’ll try. That’s all I can do, Des. But let’s get back on target. What do you need me to steal?”

=== KARI ===

I flew through the city, stretching my arms out. It felt good. The media firestorm around me had finally died down. People were still talking about it, but there had been like ten huge stories that had pushed me lower on people’s priority list. A fight had broken out at an award show; some celebrity’s nudes were leaked and she responded by doing a full nude spread to reclaim control; Esvanir and Cherry were back up to their games, having stolen stuff from eight places in the past few weeks. At least most of them seemed to be them. There were a few that were that copycat that was going around. But I wasn’t very focused on any of that. I was much more invested in living in the moment for the first time in a long time. Chuck and I had gone on some more dates and things had been fine. Just fine. He was always companionable. We went on patrol some nights and got dinner some other nights. The media did have a field day with that. The paparazzi had gotten images of us. We were in costume, fortunately. But now all of our dates had to be in costume, which made things a little awkward.

  One of the benefits was that I did get to see Professor Mind in a superhero/formal wear fusion. Chuck has some interesting ideas about fashion. He darkened his color scheme, using the dark blue that was typically an accent on him and using that as the primary. He created himself a cute little bow-tie. His logo became a pin on the lapel. But he kept the domino mask. The people at the restaurant found it very funny. So did I. But it was also cute. That was one of the photos that had been making the rounds. He was currently off talking to Jenny about getting him a fashion sense.

  Right now, I was just flying through the city and looking for basically anything to do. I didn’t really feel like stopping any minor crimes and the supervillain front had been quiet for a while. There were occasional breakouts of prison or people who thought they could just get away with things now that Bion was arrested. But between Thunderblast, the Cannoneer, Professor Mind, myself, and a few other minor leaguers, there wasn’t really enough to go around. Not to mention the fact that so few can actually stand up to me anymore. So, I just watched the city.

  I landed on a tall building and let the cool evening air pass by me. Having slowed down, I saw something. There was a figure jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It’s probably just someone doing parkour, I thought. Whoever it was, they were tiny. I watched them launch themselves high off of a building and land in a roll and continue running in one smooth motion. Whoever they are, they’re good. I watched them stop and peer over the ledge of the building they were on. Then they ducked down. They’re following someone. Curious, I let myself fall off of the building. I soared down six or seven stories before catching myself and flying still well above them. But as I got closer, I could see more details. They seemed familiar. They were still very short. Maybe a little over four feet tall. But that didn’t stop them from running, jumping a ten-foot gap and landing perfectly on the next building as they continued stalking someone. Their prey must have gone across the street because they sat waiting for a few moments before flipping over the ledge and slowly making their way down to the street. And that’s when I got a good look at their face.

  And I recognized it. It was Suiren. I flew around the building to make sure I saw what I thought I saw, but it had to be her. What other four-foot-tall person can parkour like that? When I got to the other side of the building she had disappeared. I frowned and landed on the street, looking around. “There’s no fucking way she got away.”

  I started to walk away, then something caught my eye. I stopped. Someone was hiding in the alley behind a dumpster. I could see their foot. I blasted down the alleyway and stopped, hovering just above Suiren. She sighed and looked at me and said, “You’re getting better at noticing things.”

  “Hard not to when I can see everything for miles around me. What are you doing?”

  “Nothing that concerns you. Go away.”

  “Can’t follow someone with me around?”

  “No, I can’t. You’re like six-feet-tall and hot pink.”

  “Who are you following? And why?”

  “It’s not your problem, Kari. I’m your teacher. Listen to me. Go away!” She shouted, waving her arms out.

  “Ren, c’mon. Maybe I can help. What’s going on?”

  “She’s looking for me,” a voice said from down the alley. I looked and it was a woman in dark black armor that had a faintly purple hue to it.

  “Lady Blade. You were tailing Lady Blade? Are you insane?”

  “She wouldn’t have had a chance to don her armor if it weren’t for you!” Ren countered. Lady Blade brandished her sword and sent a torrent of flame down the tight corridor. The world slowed down for me. At least that’s how it seems when I actually start focusing on something. I charged forward, spinning through the flames to disperse them. I felt the heat try to spread over my clothes, but fire doesn’t do well at Mach 1. I glanced back and the fire hadn’t reached Ren. Thank God, I thought.

  “Lady Blade, surrender! I’m taking you in.”

  “Just because you took down that sinner Bion doesn’t mean you can take me down too! Especially since you let the police do your dirty work!” She slashed at me. I sidestepped the sword and slammed a fist into her armor. She rolled with the punch and used the momentum to spin and slash at me again and I dodged again.

  “You should really just turn yourself in. I’m a lot better than I was the last time we fought.”

  “Oh really?” The woman asked. She started attacking relentlessly. But I had trained with Suiren and her grandmother and their entire class of black belts at the same time. She was fast, incredibly fast. But she was one person. In a few seconds, she had slashed maybe ten times. But none of them hit me. I reached through her flurry and heard Ren’s voice.

   “Kari! Don’t!” But it was too late. As I reached into her blazing purple lines ignited in the air. My arm was caught in a cage of her fire. Damn it! How’d I fall for another trap!? I had thought she had been slashing at random, trying to catch me off-guard with a stray blow, but I hadn’t even considered the magic of the sword. The fire sliced through my arm and I grimaced. I tried to pull away, but my arm was stuck. Pain started flowing through my arm. I watched Lady Blade raise her sword, preparing to disarm me. Literally. But a figure launched herself off of the wall and ax-kicked down onto the woman’s shoulder. Unfortunately, Suiren just doesn’t have a lot of weight behind her and basically bounced off of the heavy armor. She caught herself in a roll and tried to sweep Lady Blade’s leg, but her foot just clanked loudly against the leg armor.

  Lady Blade, not missing a beat, swept her sword down at Ren and I screamed, trying to wrench my arm from the cage. My teacher rolled through her legs and threw herself bodily against her opponent’s back who didn’t so much as stumble. The taller one spun around and slashed through the air, wavering purple smoke trailing behind it. Suiren managed to duck under it. Then from her crouching position, she rocketed up off of the ground and slammed her tiny fist into Lady Blade’s jaw, who did stumble back. Angrily she brandished her sword, a tongue of flame licking out at the pavement, that promptly started melting. She took a step forward and brought her sword down at Ren, who tried to dodge admirably. But Lady Blade was at the peak of her physical strength. And Suiren was eight.

  But, as I’ve said many times, I am Smash Gal. I screamed in a rage as the swordswoman angled her blade at my teacher’s throat. And the sword bounced off. All three of us froze for a second. Breathing heavily, I realized what had happened. I had created a forcefield around Suiren. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? Stupid, Kari. You’re stupid! I tried to free my arm again, but the flaming tendrils wouldn’t relent. I flexed my arm and pain bit into it. Lady Blade turned to me and prepared to slash at me. I took a deep breath and had an idea. I created another forcefield. This time around my arm. I pushed it in between my arm and the tendrils of flame, prying them up in what seemed to be an agonizingly slow action. Just as Lady Blade brought her blade down, I reinforced my forcefield and her blade bounced off again. I felt my field crack, but it didn’t matter. I tore my arm free. There was a spider-web of marks going down my arm but that didn’t matter. What did matter is that the cage collapsed on itself. And then exploded outward. Lady Blade and I were thrown forward.

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  Fuck! Suiren. What happened to Suiren? I picked myself up off of the ground and looked around. Suiren had used the building as cover and she was fine. Covered in soot and sweating profusely, but fine. The building, however, was destroyed. The explosion had destroyed the walls of both buildings, fire claiming the insides. Whatever she had done was like a bomb. Dust and debris slowly settled to the ground. Lady Blade picked herself up off of the ground, gripping her sword, and spun violently, sending out a whirlwind of violet flames at us. Suiren couldn’t dodge them. I was still slightly woozy from the blast and I don’t think I could have spun them out again. I launched myself off of the ground and scooped up Suiren. My flight was a little unsteady and my ears were ringing, but it was the best thing. I retreated. Again. Fuck! I knew it was the right thing to do. I couldn’t go as hard as I needed to and protect Suiren. And I was not going to let anything happen to her.

=== CURT ===

“I need you to get me into Horizon Medical. They’re a pharmaceutical company.”

  “Okay. And why do I need to bring you there? Why can’t I just grab whatever you need and bring it back to you.”

  “Because I’m not exactly sure of what I’m looking for,” Des said simply. “So I need to be there to find it.”

  “What? That’s ridiculous. If you tell me what I’m looking for, I can find it.”

  “It’s a medical data report and a chemical examination. Can you read those?”

  “I could figure it out,” I replied defensively.

  “Oh? So you’re a doctor now? Tell me, doctor. What do you do when a patient is experiencing severe tachycardia?”

  “You call Doctor House. He’ll send in Foreman to shock the patient with some defibrillators and that makes it better.”

  “Well, House isn’t available. I am. And I need to examine the reports. I think a medicine they have released is causing it and I want to see if they knew about it. And get a look at the ingredients list to see if it’s likely to cause it.”

  “Why can’t I just download the files and bring them to you?”

  “This company’s very litigious. As soon as they figure out they were broken into they’ll destroy all of the files and if you grab the wrong files, then we’ll have nothing. Now let’s get going.”

  “No! Absolutely not. This is not happening. I’m not taking you on a theft. It’s a bad idea.”

  So we had broken into the Horizon Medical Research firm on the west coast. Pharmaceutical companies could generally give security firms a run for their money in paranoia and overkill when it came to security. Which is why I didn’t want to bring Des along. But they insisted. The jerk. With that said, few places can prepare for Esvanir. We made it past the guards and teleported to the camera blindspots until we were finally in one of the research labs. I gave Des a hard-drive with a program that would brute force its way into the system. I kept watch.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked them, as I watched for any sign of life down the halls.

  “Why am I doing what?”

  “Why are you really here, stealing something? You have never wanted to do anything like this before.”

  “I . . . This company is killing people, Curt. Wouldn’t you do the same thing?”

  “I’ve been told that I’m unreasonable and can’t steal my way to justice.”

  “And you listened to that crap? Since when?”

  “You’re the one who said it.”

  “I did?”

  “Yeah, the second time we met.”

  “I . . . I don’t remember that.”

=== FLASHBACK ===

The first time we met was just after I had created my rig. It was just after midnight. You had just opened your practice. I hadn’t done my calculations right and I had left behind a foot of skin inside some concrete somewhere. I was in agony and was bleeding profusely. Des had the closest Doctor’s practice I knew about. I didn’t know their preferred name, yet. They were listed under Doctor Aaditri Desai. But they were my best option at the time. Going to the emergency room would mean I’d have to answer a bunch of questions that I couldn’t think of any good lies to answer. So I broke into their office. Unfortunately, I made a lot of noise doing it. I had managed to pick the lock just fine, but I had lost a lot of blood and didn’t see the table. I tripped over it and overturned a chair and the table, throwing the magazines on it everywhere. After picking myself up off of your floor, I got to one of the exam rooms and tore it apart. Their practice looked the same on the surface as it does now. But they have a lot of cool stuff in their cabinets because of me. A shaky voice called out from behind me, “W-who are you? What are you doing?”

There was the distinctive clicking noise of a gun being cocked. I raised my arms. Or tried to. One of them was covered in blood and had gone numb. I looked over my shoulder and responded, “I’m just here for some supplies?”

  “Supplies?” Des asked. They haven’t changed much over the years. The bags under their eyes were a little less pronounced. But they were still rail-thin, still wearing androgynous clothes, still had long black hair that framed their face. Though, there are a few gray hairs there now. Probably from knowing me.

  I took a risk. I took out my phone, selected a spot in my little GPS mod, and teleported to just before them, and with my good hand, grabbed the gun and pulled it. They shot me. Des shot me. But the shock of the sound caused their grip to loosen. I grimaced and tucked the gun into my waistband and stumbled over. They just stared at me as I went through their cabinets, looking for anything. I grabbed some gauze and slammed it onto the table and tried to work my shirt off. I struggled with it for a full minute before Des came back to reality. They had finally realized that my arm was bloody. They rushed over and helped me. “What happened?”

  “Skiing accident,” I lied.

  “Skiing accident,” they repeated, bemused. “In July.”

  “In Australia. Just got back. They didn’t want an American taking their health care.”

  “Uh-huh. Come over here. Sit.” I did so and they started cleaning out my wound. “I’m sorry I shot you.”

  “Happens,” I said through gritted teeth. I was in a lot of pain. But I had successfully teleported. I needed to refine the system. Military GPS was way more accurate than the commercial ones I was using. I could probably get into a military site and piggyback off of that. Maybe. Or I could just find another military-grade satellite and co-opt that. Shouldn’t be too hard, I thought as they started wrapping up my wound.

  “How’d you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “You were ten feet away and then right in front of me. Are you a meta?” They asked as they pushed me back and looked at the gunshot wound.

  “Amateur magician, actually. I’d do a card trick but my arm. You understand.”

  “Do you ever tell the truth!?” They demanded, annoyed.

  “Doesn’t matter. You’re never going to see me again. So, my medical records are hardly necessary.”

  “I’d settle for your name,” they said, deflating. “Bullet went straight through. You’ll just need stitches.”

  “I think I can handle that much on my own,” I muttered, sitting up. They put their hand on my chest and pushed me back down.

  “Stop it. It’ll only take a minute. Then you can go back to Austrian magic skiing.”

  “Australian.”

  “Does it matter? It’s a lie, either way.” They finished stitching me up. Even back then, they were the best. I felt a little guilty that I didn’t help them clean up. As soon as they turned their back to me, I brought out my phone and teleported home. It was risky. But easier to do that than it was to risk any more questions. Though, when I was breaking into Wan En to borrow one of their satellites, I had found a prototype for a special type of gauze. I took the patent and all but one of the prototypes and I teleported it into Des’ office with a note.

Doctor,

I don’t have any money to pay you for patching me up, but I wanted to give you something for the trouble. These are a special type of gauze that adheres to the wounds and compresses them. Also supposed to be shower safe.

Hope it’s useful.

Curt the Magnificent Skiing Magician

Unfortunately, I used them a few more times. I wasn’t as experienced as I am now. I got shot, landed from high places, and broke more than a few bones. Instead of seeing them, I chose to forge some prescriptions to get pain meds. Which ultimately didn’t help with the accuracy problems I was having. I never saw them. Each time I did, I’d leave behind some new piece of technology or a useful tool. Their practice had improved a lot in that time. And I was content to do that. But I got shot a few times. Well, technically, I got shot 27 times. None of them were fatal, obviously. At least not immediately. But I was in a lot of pain. So, I broke into their office again. This time directly. I didn’t know that Des’ apartment was above the practice. And I wasn’t trying to make a lot of noise. But once you’re out a few pints of blood, it’s hard to notice. One of the items I had given them was something to help retrieve bullets easier. And I didn’t know where they had hidden it. In the middle of my search, in the dark, the exam room illuminated only by my bloody flashlight, I heard the same sound of a gun being cocked. I sighed and turned, hands raised. They were shaking, but I got both of them in the air.

  “Come back to steal more scripts? Or to leave behind more ill-gotten gains?” They asked.

  “To use some of the ill-gotten gains, actually. I’d steal it again, but I don’t really have the time. And your office has terrible security.”

  “Not that many people can get through a deadbolt with no signs of entry. I assume that’s your little magic trick?”

  “You got it. I hid in the plant in your waitin-” I didn’t finish the statement. The world shifted and I was on the floor, suddenly. I tried to stand up, but the doctor was right there.

  “Fuck! What the hell did you do?”

  I looked down at myself. “I . . . I got shot. A lot.”

  “Yeah, no shit. I need to get you to an emergency room. There’s no way . . .” They trailed off as they reached for their phone. I grabbed their arm.

  “No emergency room. Thief, remember?”

  “You’re an idiot! You’ve lost so much blood!”

  “Just patch me up,” I said weakly. “I’ll be fine.”

  They did just that. I must have passed out at some point because I woke up as a mummy in one of their exam chairs. They weren’t there. I pulled myself up slowly, groaning. They had taken my phone. Fuck! I thought. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckety fuck fuck! Without that, I couldn’t make a clean getaway. They had also taken my rig. I groaned. I got up and shambled out to the waiting room. I looked around. No one was there. I needed to get my things back. So I couldn’t just leave yet. I found the stairs and made my way, stumbling up them. There’s only one floor above Des’ practice. I knocked on the door. They answered. They looked haggard and exhausted. But my phone was in their hand. “That’s mine. I need it back.”

  “What if I said no?”

  “Then I’d take it,” I said simply. It wasn’t a threat. “I need it.”

  “And I need to know how you keep doing what you do. I know where you got shot. I figured that much out.”

  “How?”

  “You don’t keep a lock on your phone,” they responded, handing it over to me. I took it and pocketed it.

  “And my rig?”

  “Not until we talk.”

  “Doctor Desai, I don’t think we have anything to talk about. You’re not involved.”

  “I’m breaking the law!” They shouted. “I’m not reporting a gunshot. I could lose my license! I could go to jail!”

  “If you had reported it, I would’ve been killed,” I said with a sigh.

  “What?”

  “That place I came from. The place I was shot. It’s a cop’s stash.”

  “What!?” Des whispered desperately.

  “I was trying to get evidence. And some of the stuff they were hiding there.”

  “To sell.”

  “To substantiate my claim. The chief of police keeps all kinds of his dirty laundry there. And if I can prove it, I can tear out one chunk of corruption in this fucking city.”

  “Is that what this is all about? Trying to correct the corruption.”

  “Trying to make the world a less shitty place, doctor.”

  “You can’t steal your way to justice.”

  “They stole it first. I’m just evening the odds.” They looked at me suspiciously.

  “The police?”

  “The police, corporations, politicians. They stole everything and left people with scraps. People are struggling and dying out there. And I can do something about it.” I watched some of the tenseness drain from them and they just looked at me, almost dumbstruck.

  “A-and how are you going to do that if you’re dead?”

  “It would be more difficult.”

  “You stole some prescriptions. I looked at them. They were for pain meds. What did you do?”

  “Some of it was for me. Some were for other people. I had broken a few bones. And needed a way of dealing with the pain. Can I have my rig back now?”

  “I need you to promise me something.”

  “I’m a thief. Think you can trust me?”

  “You’re an idiot. So, yes.”

  “That’s probably fair. What is it?”

  “When you’re hurt, you come to me. Day or night. You let me know that you’re hurt.”

  “Because . . . If you mean what you say. If you’re genuinely trying to make the world a better place . . . Maybe you’re right. Maybe you can steal your way to justice. Besides, I really like the toys you bring me.”

=== PRESENT DAY ===

“I did it!” Des shouted, bringing me back to the real world. I shook my head and focused in again.

  “Got the files?” I asked, looking around.

  “Yeah, I’m starting the transfer right now. They knew about it, Curt! I was right.”

  “Of course, you were,” I said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Because it was.

  “You believed in me.”

  “I always believe you, Des. I just think you should leave the thieving to me and Cin.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you shouldn’t steal your way to justice. You can make a difference in the light. I work in the shadows.”

  “You’re not in the shadows anymore, Curt. And I’m not in the light anymore.”

  I checked my phone. This had taken too long. But there was little we could do about it now. I checked the status of the transfer. Des was just transferring the whole database after all. Probably to look for more signs of malpractice, I thought. I checked Twitter. Generally, my mentions were a disaster, so I avoided them. But this time I saw something.

  “Fuck!” I exclaimed.

  “What?”

  “I think you’re right. Again. I am going to need therapy.”

  “Well, duh. But why are you saying that?”

  “My parents did an interview with the news.”