=== SHAY ===

I tried to lay low for a few days after I stopped that bank robbery. I really did, but after being on patrol so much, staying home was boring. There were always robberies and thefts happening. And people needed my help. I helped stop a few small-time crimes. I'd intercede if I was close enough to intercept a tripped alarm. But a lot of the time, I needed to be closer to do much.

  So, I sped up. Well, I tried, at least. I got another long copper line, and I tried to alternate which arm I was swinging off of. It didn't work. I wasn't strong enough to swing one-handed easily. And I fell on my ass more than a few times trying. So, I sat, posted up on the roof of some building, trying to think of a way to move faster, when I saw this tiny figure running across another roof. I frowned. Whoever they are, they can't be more than 4 feet tall, I thought. The figure stalked over to the ledge and looked around before jumping off the building and landing in a roll. I winced as phantom pain shot through my shins up to my knees. The figure rolled as they landed and disappeared into the shadows.

  This is an excellent chance to practice sneaking around, I thought. My powers weren't subtle. Lightning is kind of loud. It's always buzzing and crackling, trying to escape from control. It's also usually shining bright. But I had been practicing a lot and could control the current pretty well. My stomach twisted as I stood up on the roof. I took a deep breath and stepped off the edge. As I fell, I took the copper line, now twice as thick since I had braided the two lines together, in both hands and lashed out, sending a small stream of energy through it. The ductile material responded and wrapped around an electric cable, and I swung off of it. Had I mastered the double line, I might have tried to do a flip. But as it stood currently, I could just barely land safely. Kari's lucky she can fly. Doesn't have to fuck with all this other stuff, I thought. I rolled into the ground and narrowly missed a trash can. I stepped lightly forward, trying to trace the path of the mysterious short person.

  It was only a short time until I found them. They were running straight towards a barbed wire fence across the street that was easily four times their height. But they climbed it like a freaking spider-monkey. I also realized I couldn't see any of their skin. They wore a ski mask, gloves, and long dark black sleeves. They just launched themselves over the barbed wire when they got to the top. I stood there, mouth agape, watching them land on the other side. After a moment, I processed what I had seen and realized that they were going to rob the place. I sighed and looked around. It wouldn't do for me to just go in after them. If the cops came, they might think we're both trying to rob them. And I didn't need that. I looked at the sign posted on the fence. This was a police building. It was just a giant warehouse downtown. I frowned and extended my senses. There were several security measures. Cameras, window and door sensors, and when I tapped into the camera feeds, I saw guards walking the area, doing their rounds.

  I also finally got a decent look at the prospective thief. It wasn't a little person. The proportions were wrong. It had to be a child. What kind of child can jump a 20-foot fence? I asked myself, furrowing my brow. I watched the kid run up a wall and catch the ledge of a window twice their height above them. The camera could have had a better vantage point, and I couldn't see what they were doing. After a moment, they slipped through the window, and I lost them entirely. I checked the alarm sensors, and they had tripped them. They're good, but not that good, I thought, relieved. With the alarm going off, I have an excuse to go in. I ran across the street, unfurling my whip. I swung my arm, and the tip wrapped around the top of the fence. I climbed up the whip quickly, balancing on the top pole, before jumping over it. My coat got stuck on the barbed wire.   I slammed against the chainlink on the other side and hung there for a moment, gritting my teeth. My coat tore, and I fell, rolling. I picked myself up and started out. Guards were rushing around. One saw me and started charging toward me, shouting, "Freeze!"

  "Whoa!" I said, raising my hands as he drew his gun. "No need for that. I'm here to help!"

  "Likely story. What's your name?"

  "I'm Thunderblast, the lightning hero. I heard the alarm."

  "How'd you hear a silent alarm?" The guard demanded angrily.

  "I'm a lightning hero. It's an electronic signal. I can sense them," I said, bemused. I was getting really sick of people I was helping pointing guns at me. I gestured with one hand. "There was a breach on that window, right?"

  The guard looked at the window and nodded, lowering his gun somewhat. There was gunfire coming from the building. I started moving, motioning for him to follow. "Well, let's go."

=== CINDI ===

I watched my husband scrub the video for any hints as to where they were. The original had been deleted, which he claimed made things more difficult. I wouldn't know. I still wasn't sure why he was bothering. Pinikir shifted in my mind, wanting something to do. I frowned. It's strange having another presence inside of me.

  I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WITHIN YOU. YOU'RE JUST CONSCIOUS OF IT NOW, She thought. I nodded. That seemed true. Her presence was familiar, almost like the touch of an old friend. But still. You said that Curt was yours two. I don't know how I feel about that. She directed her attention to me directly. ALL THAT BELONGS TO YOU BELONGS TO ME. YOU ARE MY AVATAR, MY POWER GIVEN FLESH. IN RETURN, YOUR FLESH, FRAIL, IS GIVEN POWER. IT IS A FAIR TRADE. AN EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE.

  Curt jumped up and shifted so that his control was around his middle finger and thumb. He was gearing up to do something. "What's going on?"

  "I think I found them," he replied gruffly. He'd been on edge a lot since Marcelli had installed that bomb inside of me. It had gotten a little easier since we managed to escape his clutches. But this was precisely like that. And that was a problem. When Curt was like this, he got reckless. And when he was brash, he got hurt. And not just a little hurt, either. I won't allow that, I thought, crossing the room and wrapping my arms around him.

  "What's the plan, then?"

  "We stop them."

  "Darling, that's more of one of my plans than it is yours," I murmured into his ear. I felt him stiffen against me. "What's the layout? How many are there? Do they have security or patrols? Is it in a crowded area? These are all the things you ask when we go on a job. These are all the things that you're especially good at asking. The details. What do we know?"

  "I . . . There's no time for all of that, Cin," he said somberly. "What if they make another move during our recon?"

  "It would still not be your fault. You're not a hero, remember? You're a thief. And you can't save the world."

  "So, I'm just supposed to do nothing!?" He demanded, pulling away from me. My arms fell to my side. "I'm just supposed to let them hurt people and blame me?"

  "I never said that, husband." His voice was hot, but mine was ice cold. I closed the distance between us and gripped his neck. I couldn't tell if it was Pinikir or me, but the tone he took with me was not to be tolerated. "These people are dangerous. They're capable, and they have no qualms about killing people. You do. If you go in there unprepared, you will get hurt. You might die."

  "I don't ca-" he began. I pushed him against the wall. Hard.

  "I do. You're mine. You are not allowed to die. You're not allowed to get hurt. I'll let you do many things, but those aren't on the table." He couldn't meet my eye. "Think this through, Curt. You are Esvanir. The second greatest thief in the world. Don't fight them like her. Fight like yourself."

  He scowled at me, chewing on my words, before nodding. "You're right, Cin. I wasn't thinking. I . . . I just can't handle this. . . . Does Tierra owe you any more favors?"

  "Tierra?" I asked, thinking about it. "I'm sure we could work something out."

=== CHUCK ===

We left Bellemere, flying back through the rain and thunder. Lightning struck off distantly. Kari was next to me. Neither of us were talking. Just stewing in our own thoughts. I left them in that terrible place was the thought that kept eating away at me. Being in there had been hell. A bunch of people trapped inside their bodies, unable to move, barely able to think. Nausea and resentment building. Bed sores consuming them.

When we got back into the city limits, I landed heavily on a building. I was drained. My costume shattered around me, leaving me in my street clothes. Kari landed next to me and wrapped an arm around me. She didn't say anything. I just sat there, rain still pelting us. I leaned into her, and she cooed softly in my ear. "It's okay . . . It'll work out. We'll figure it out, Chuck."

  I kept her emotions at bay, but I could still identify them. She was just as emotionally raw as I was, seeing the results of our actions. She hadn't destroyed her friends, despite what Esvanir said, but she was still deeply hurt by what she did to those people. After a while, we got up and went home, neither of us having the energy to patrol.

  The next day, we woke up, curled into one another. Kari was up before me, scrolling on her phone. I looked, figuring it would just be Twitter, but it wasn't. She was looking at different meta-advocacy groups. She frowned at her phone. "Kari, what's wrong?"

  "These groups don't really do all that much. The Meta Advocates have teamed up with the ACLU for a few cases, but they have yet to go anywhere. Metas are Humans have done some demonstrations, but no real action's happening."

  "A lot of these changes are slow."

  "Yeah, that part makes sense. But even with that, people treat them like they're destroying society. These small, incremental changes they're asking for are met with doomsaying. Some people are saying that metas aren't even people. That we're aberrations. That we're Marked by the Beast."

  "There are always people like that. Do you remember the BLM protests? Almost all of them were peaceful, and those that weren't were usually instigated or escalated by the presence of police."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  "Chuck, what should we do? We have to do something. I got so wrapped up fighting with Curt and being a hero, but I've had these questions. I've been ignoring them for a really long time. And seeing that place . . . I can't just sit by."

  "But we also can't just let dangerous people exist. Many metas are antisocial, and we can't just let them run rabid."

  "But why are we antisocial?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "You and I aren't destructive. Not really. We fight a lot, but that's to help people. To save people. And there are lots who are just everyday people. Harold wasn't even a hero until I hooked him up with Jenny."

  "Do you think there's another cause?"

  "Yeah. People are scared of us and treat us differently. Some people just lean into that." I nodded at my girlfriend, smiling. She's right. And I'm sure even Curt would give her that credit.

  "What do you want to do about it?"

  "What if we gave some support to these groups? I'm really trendy. I'm always trending on Twitter. We could have Jenny reach out. Maybe be a brand advocate, or whatever."

  "That's worth looking into, at least."

=== CURT ===

We met at Tierra at Des' place. Apparently, she's still sleeping there. I frowned at this thought. Des' knows what they're doing. They'll be fine, right? Right. Of course. Getting involved with a thief always ends well. Just look at Cherry and me. Or Thelma and Louise. Bonnie and Clyde. My thoughts darkened as I sat across from Des' and Tierra, the pretty, tall woman with a shaved side of her head opposite mine. Especially as another thought crossed my mind. That's even more reason for you to stop coming to them with your bullshit problems, dumbass. Des' hair was down from their signature ponytail, and they were hanging off of Tierra. They looked just as dumb and smitten as I'm pretty sure I did when I looked at Cindi. It's nice to see that look on their face. Whenever I visited them, all I got was a sharp wit and a sharper tongue . . . Maybe Tierra will make them happy. I ignored the second thought that bubbled up immediately. Unlike you, who only brings pain and misery.

  "What can I help you with, Mister Drei?" Tierra cut in. I came back to myself. I realized that I had been dissociating for the last few minutes. And that she had been watching me suspiciously.

  "I have a job that I'd like you to help me with. If you have the time."

  "Is this job dangerous?" Des asked. Tierra smirked down at them, leaning into their touch a bit. "I've patched you up enough to know how your jobs go."

  "It is dangerous," I said honestly, meeting their eye. Then I met Tierra's gaze. "But it'd be safer with you on the job. From what I've seen and what Cin tells me, you can stop people from acting. Is that right?"

  "Kind of. More I just push on their emotions, finding the one that disables them the most," Tierra said in a bored tone. "For you, it would be anxiety. If I want to ramp you up, it's anger. For Cindi, it's greed to ramp her up and fear to paralyze her."

Cindi sat straighter next to me and narrowed her eyes at Tierra. "Relax, Cherry. I'm not looking to do it. I just know what to do. What's this job?"

  "I want to take out the cult that's doing bombings in my name. I have a pretty good idea of where they are."

  "Oh, that. Nah. Forget it," Tierra responded blandly. "I'm not involved in that. That's between y'all. You can handle it yourself."

  Des stiffened against their girlfriend a little but didn't say anything. I sighed and nodded before starting to get up. "Well, it was worth a shot. Thanks for your time."

  "Wait," Cin began, grabbing my arm and pulling me back down to the loveseat we were sitting on. She wrapped an arm around my neck.   "What would it cost?"

  "Your husband doesn't have anything I need, Cindi," Tierra responded simply. I watched her. Something's off.

  "Oh come now," Cindi responded, giggling lightly. "The second greatest thief in the world doesn't have anything to offer you?"

  "Oh, you certainly do. I just don't see what he has. He's vanilla."

  "He's fought and won against Smash Gal."

  "He's survived those fights. I wouldn't call any of them a win," Tierra shot back. "And besides, what's this got to do with me? This job doesn't have any windfall. I don't get anything out of dismantling a cult of personality surrounding some nerd with authority problems."

  "That's fair," I cut in before Cindi could try to defend me against those entirely true accusations. I saw what was happening now. I wasn't used to negotiating. "It's not your usual kind of job. I get that. But I do have a couple of things I could pay you with. Things you can't get anywhere else."

  "What's that?"

  "I get you Poppers." She raised a brow at me, rolling her hand. I sighed. "Quick, one-time use teleport devices. Gets you anywhere within the hemisphere. Ensures a quick getaway anywhere in the world."

  "Unlike you and Cherry, I don't need quick getaways. I don't do jobs that I get shot at." She let that hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "Unless I'm working with you two. Besides, if I wanted your powers, what's to stop me from just suppressing you and taking them right now?"

  Des frowned up at their girlfriend again. They don't like that, I thought. They're not going to like this any more. "There's nothing. Except you wouldn't be able to use it. It's too complicated."

  "Cindi can use them. Are you insinuating that I'm dumber than her?" Tierra responded, her tone playfully dangerous.

  "Cin can use them because I allow her to." It was my wife's turn to stiffen. "If I wanted to, I could shut hers, mine, and with enough prep time, even the Stargate Bion designed. There's a lot of math and programming that only a pissed-off nerd with admin privileges can keep up and running. That's outside of your skill set. And there's nothing wrong with that. But it does mean I have something to offer. It's not money, but it is freedom."

  Tierra considered my words. She didn't seem outwardly offended by my words. But I'd also been more diplomatic than I had wanted to be. "How many of these poppers would I get?"

  "I have ten prepped that aren't promised to Cin. You can have all of those."

  "Why do you have ten that aren't for me?"

  "I make sure I have some backups in case something goes really wrong with my rig or Des wants a day trip to a spa." Des gaped at me, blushing.

  "Curt!" They shouted. I smiled at the couple across from me.

  "Your girlfriend has been taking low blows and potshots this entire time." Tierra grinned toothily at me. "Gotta get in a cheap shot where I can. It's how I survive, after all."

  "I think we can work something out. But Curt?" I met Tierra's gaze. "I want the payment upfront, and if things go sideways, I'm leaving. I'm no hero. And quite frankly, I don't give a damn if you die."

  "Understood."

=== SHAY ===

The security guard and I got into the warehouse, where two other guards were doing their best Scooby Doo routine with what had to be a child. They would run after the kid and disappear behind some shelves, only to reappear a few seconds later from behind a different set of shelves, still chasing the kid. I stopped and watched for a moment. How could I not? They even managed to recreate the scene where they lost track of the kid and just stood in the middle of two shelves for a moment.

  Enough of that, though. I cycled through electrical signals I could use to find the kid who had very much disappeared. I could sense the soft buzz of energy from the guards' phones, the building itself, the lights, the security system, and the refrigerator. But the kid had nothing on them. I frowned. "Well, it's been a minute since I played Hide-and-Seek, but I was the best back in the neighborhood. Might as well come out now because I will find you, kid."

  I didn't mention that I had been the best because I could detect their phones on them. I heard some soft shifting to my side. I motioned for the guards to be quiet and gestured toward the sound. They nodded. We stalked over as silently as we could, going around a shelf filled with stuff the police had confiscated. The kid was digging through something, then pulled it out. It was a sword that was as tall as they were. I held up a hand. "Whoa, watch out. That's dangerous."

  "You have no idea," the kid whispered seriously. They fit the scabbard in the cloth belt they had at their waist, joining another shorter wooden sword, then called out. "I don't want to hurt you. Get out of my way, and I won't have to."

  "Kid," one of the guards said, closing in. "Just give up. You're caught."

  This child jumped off one of the shelves and did a backflip behind him, landing perfectly. The guard turned and lunged at them. The kid rolled under his legs, the sword getting caught and halting their progress. They growled and spun their legs in a kick, striking the guard several times; then, they launched themselves from the ground, connecting their feet with his face. He fell back, and the kid landed on his chest before dashing toward another guard. That guard pulled out his gun and fired, but the kid just slid underneath it and slammed the sword's handle into the man's stomach. The guard next to me also fired but missed.

  My chest tightened. I don't want to see a kid die. I charged forward, unfurling my line. Brandishing it. It shot forth with a flick of my wrist, and I caught the kid's ankle. It zapped them slightly, and they fell to the floor. Shaking from the small current I was putting through, the kid drew the sword. It was massive relative to them. They sliced at the line, chopping through it. I must've been using more electricity than I intended because the sword was smoking afterward. The child put the sword away and continued running away.

  I ran after them until they got to the door. I threw out a spark and locked it. They slammed into it, growled, and kicked it. I stepped up behind them, the guards following me. "It's over, kid. Come on. We don't want to hurt you."

  "You can't," they said petulantly, taking out the blade again. "S-stay back, or die."

  The weapon was way too big for them, but they knew how to handle it. That much was obvious. They held it in both hands, and when one of the guards shot, they moved the blade in the way, and it cut the bullet in half. I threw out an arc of lightning, and they also sliced through that, smoke gathering around the sword. I don't think I'm the one doing that, I thought, eyes widening. They swung the blade, and a wave of green fire washed over us. We were thrown back, and I landed hard on my back. I pulled myself roughly off the ground and watched as the figure turned to the door and slashed; the door was thrown from its frame and landed heavily outside. The child dashed out into the night. I started to chase them, but a groan of pain stopped me; I checked on the guards. They were both laid out and struggling to sit up. I patted the regular flames away and checked on them. I'm no medic, but I'm better than nothing. I called an ambulance to make sure they got the help they needed. The police were already on the way, considering this was their contraband warehouse. When I checked the radio signals, I heard my name. I sighed.

  Tonight's going to be a long night.