The moment I laid eyes on our new hideout, my heart sunk into the pit of my stomach.

As I stared distantly, dread pooled inside me. I had been here before, briefly over the last few years. Chris’ family owned this business, and my new employer had just bought them out. Did they do this to send a message to me? If so, what kind of message was Cyberspace trying to send?

For their sake, I could only hope that Cyberspace’s people paid them generously.

The building was an ‘L’ shape with the longest side hosting the open garages. There were cars and dozens of mechanics working away diligently. The mechanics would look like any other worker just going about their day to anyone passing by. From where I was standing, they were anything but. It was all a front – a veil – to disguise what this place was turning into.

Francis stood by me with his hands buried in his jacket pockets, watching with a relaxed but trained eye.

“These people are some of my best. They’ll manage the premises and keep you informed of any danger,” he said, pointing out some of the camouflaged Mechatech in and around the building. They appeared to be cameras, but I had already gleaned their functions beforehand. Each one contained small lethal and non-lethal weaponry, capable of being deployed at a moment’s notice. They also had EMP resistance and incredible durability. Nothing short of a direct explosive impact would be able to destroy them. “I don’t think I need to say this, but I will anyway. They are not your caretakers.”

I let out an involuntary chuckle at his tired exasperation.

“Never would have even considered the thought. They’re all here to do a job and that job is for Cyberspace,” I crossed my arms, pulling my jacket around me tighter. I wasn’t cold, but I was anxious that I was still wearing my suit in broad daylight. Francis had given me the jacket to help conceal myself from any prying eyes since the only thing that stood out was my headpiece. The hood was big enough to cover it. “That’s why we’re all here.”

The Old Man hummed in agreement.

“I figured I would say it just to make sure. Liam will need to hear it,” he murmured with a dissatisfied grunt. “Each of them has been provided with gear, all of which they know how to use. They are well trained and experts in their respective fields. However, maintaining their gear is something you can help them with. I’m sure it wouldn't be too far-fetched of me to say that Cyberspace is expecting you to develop on their equipment – perhaps even find inspiration.”

I could see that. The gear these guys had been rocking the other night was sophisticated. It wasn’t quite as advanced as Nanoforge’s tech, but it was nothing to scoff at. On their own, they could deal with any old-fashioned conflict. Supers would pose a proper challenge to them, but then they probably had the training to cover any weaknesses the gear couldn’t.

“No sense denying them aid when it can only benefit us in the long run. Though, I will still be prioritizing my projects and equipment,” I said, exhaling slowly. I saw more of Cyberspace’s people moving our things into the building. Sam, dressed in a similar jacket as me, directed them around. Mia and Liam stood off to the side, exchanging words, looking tired and worn down. “Can I ask something?”

He turned and gave me a look that told me to go ahead.

My thoughts drifted back to the first night I met him when everything had changed for me. He hadn’t been the only one in the room with me when we got attacked – but he had been the only one that pushed me to escape with them when everything went to shit.

“Our first meeting – the trade,” I clarified. “Cyberspace already said it was all a test, but I’ve been thinking about the nature of it. Those things you requested… they fit different parameters. The drone was testing my ability to construct simple but complex machinery that could be operated by people other than myself. The battery tested my efficiency to compress powerful technology. The swiss army knife tested my compatibility when interfacing with problems, like how would I improve on something that already has an answer to everything?”

Francis watched me with a keen eye as I finished my explanation. I stared, waiting for an answer. I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but apparently, my conclusions had impressed him. Slowly, he reached into his jacket’s inner pocket and retrieved the swiss army knife I had given him. He flipped it in his hand and observed it with a calculating eye.

“My old one broke.”

I frowned, feeling the indignancy bubble up inside me.

“However, you’re not wrong,” the Old Man continued, returning the multitool to his inner pocket. “Those items we requested were a test that you passed with flying colors. As you already know, Mechakinetics typically have specialties, their powers steering them toward specific areas. Nanoforge works with Nanites and Nanotech. Kriegsmaschine is able to create vehicles powerful enough to withstand the likes of Ajax. I don’t think I need to go into detail about what Ajax is able to do.”

I felt my head tilt toward the sky. Somewhere in the Earth’s outer atmosphere, Ajax’s space station lurked within a chameleon field so dense it was invisible to the naked eye. It was said to be several times bigger than any operational satellite, which was no surprise, considering I had seen footage of Ajax’s ships. They had a whole armada up there, powerful enough to scorch the planet if they wanted to.

“I can do all that too. All of that and more, with enough time.”

“Which makes you one of the most dangerous people alive,” Francis said, looking at Sam. She had her arms crossed, talking with the disguised movers. They were bringing in my printers, all draped in long clothes to conceal them from any onlookers. “Is it any wonder that girl has made it her mission to keep you around?”

I didn’t believe that was the only reason Sam wanted to keep me around. I understood there was an element of manipulation to her because she had Gold whispering in her ear, directing her every move. She could be hiding beneath a facade. However, I wanted to believe there was more to her than that. Despite everything, Sam was still human. The chaos that likely goes on inside her head wouldn’t stop her from feeling genuine emotion.

She said she could finally trust me.

“There’s more to it than that.”

Francis shrugged.

“There might be. I won’t deny it, but I have experience with Mentalists, kid. I know what they’re like. I know how they see the world. I know how they treat those around them,” he pointed to Sam’s back. “That girl right there has given me no reason to believe otherwise. So far, she’s checked every box on the list.”

The worst part was that he didn’t say it with any malicious intent. I could have sworn he sounded mournful.

“Sam will be different,” I said. I hated how uncertain I sounded, and Francis could tell. “If it does turn out that you’re right, then I suppose it’ll be a good learning experience. For now, though, I think I would like to offer her the benefit of the doubt. Just because she has these powers doesn’t mean she’s any less human. She doesn’t deserve to be treated any less.”

The Old Man hummed thoughtfully, pulling his gaze away from Sam.

“You’ve got a good heart, kid. Naive… but good. It’s just unfortunate that the naive die young,” he said, giving me a sympathetic look. “If you’ll be willing to take any advice from me, heed this: Guard yourself. Don’t look for enemies in your friends, but always be prepared for the knife.”

With that, he walked off.

I watched him leave, the words lingering in my mind. People often say to be wary of the elderly in a profession where people die young. Given that he looked to be somewhere in his seventies and claimed to be working in this field for thirty-plus years, I couldn’t brush off what he said, no matter how much I wanted to.

I wasn’t sure how long I stood in place contemplating the words that swam inside my head, but I eventually headed toward the garage. I idly swiped through my visor’s functions, pulling up my contact list and message threads. The only new messages I found were from Abby asking if we could meet to talk about what happened. I didn’t want to blow her off so I replied and asked what time.

While I waited for her to respond I noted my other contacts, specifically Chris. We didn’t exchange many messages, but I half expected him to be sharing the news of what was happening with his family’s business. Either he didn’t know, or he didn’t want to share. I wasn’t sure which was worse. I had always known his family enjoyed this profession, so maybe they’d use Cyberspace’s money to go off and start another business under another name. Until I asked, I could only hope things were going okay for him.

Lucy was still dark, which was concerning but not surprising. I already planned to do some investigating in that area as soon as I was able. Sam had mentioned that Lucy’s grandparent's place was likely outside the city in some rural area where the fighting couldn’t reach. Given what happened, I had to be grateful for that. Right now, Bayside was not a safe place to be, and things had boiled over last night.

Alex was uncharacteristically quiet. There was no way she hadn’t heard what was happening from Mom’s side, and since Alex knew the truth, I fully expected a barrage of messages or calls by now. Instead, there was nothing from her. I compiled and sent a message just to ease my anxiety. There was every possibility she had already heard I was safe from Mom and had no reason to contact me – but I would still send the message anyway.

Passing the disguised workers, I saw a few of them give me knowing nods before returning to work. I had to credit them for their convincing disguise. I couldn’t stand the thought of being covered from head to toe in grease and black smudges. Their dedication to the part was admirable. If I had been passing this place on a whim, I wouldn’t have given this place a second thought.

The pay must be worth it.

No one moved to stop me as I strolled through the garage toward a door that led into the other part of the building – the one that would become my designated workshop. The door clicked open without resistance, and I stepped through.

I drew in a slow breath and looked around.

The place was in good condition. I had no expectations coming in, and anything would be an improvement over what we had before. The lower floor of this building had all the machines and equipment needed to perform comprehensive repairs and assembling. The room was overflowing with spare parts, something a Mechakinetic like me could only dream of getting their hands on free of charge.

But it’s not free, is it? I’m an employee.

The joy bled out and died almost immediately. I could see the benefits of this place, plain and simple, but it bothered me immensely that we now had someone looking over our shoulders. We didn’t even know who Cyberspace was or where they were to develop any countermeasure in case things went sour. I knew Sam would construct a contingency plan, but that would take time. It would also require a comprehensive understanding of what Cyberspace was capable of. That, unfortunately, was something we had no proper scope of yet.

I strolled through my new workshop, my hands brushing across various machinery. I could visualize all of it in my head, the pathways forward. Automated fabrication. Bulk consumable production. Weapons manufacturing. The possibilities inside this one room were endless, and I now had the space to test some of the projects I’d been itching to develop.

I have time now.

I took in another slow breath, a smile forming on my lips.

Excellent… this will do nicely.

“Oh!” A familiar voice sounded from behind. I craned my neck to look over my shoulder to see Mia paused halfway down the stairs. The awkwardness was plastered across her face like she had just gotten caught somewhere she wasn’t supposed to. “I didn’t realize you were already in here. I thought you were still outside with the others. I was just taking a look around.”

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I returned my gaze to the rest of the workshop and started swinging my arms while rocking on the balls of my feet. It was all new, exciting, and terrifying at the same time. The concoction of feelings whirling inside of me had to be released somehow.

“Just taking in my new office,” I said, chuckling lightly. “It’s bigger than I was expecting. It was hard to really grasp the size of the place when staring at the blueprints.”

“It’s definitely bigger than the last place,” Mia agreed as she descended the rest of the stairs. Once she got to the bottom, she hesitated in deciding where she would go. It even looked like Mia was internally debating how to walk. Slowly and quietly, she began edging over in my direction. “So… this all feels really official now.”

“As official as it’s going to get,” I said. “This is how most Supers live. Only… it comes down to different flavorings. ECU, Cyberspace, The Queen’s Court. Take your pick I guess. I’m sure it’s all the same shit at the end of the day.”

Mia anxiously rubbed the back of her neck with an expression that made it look like she wanted to contest my point. Lumping the ECU in with those groups would have any regular person defending the government agency that held up law and order. However, Mia had seen their sinister side the other night. When no one was looking some abused their authority – and there were Supers in that same agency with the power and foresight to see that.

And they do nothing about it.

Immediately, I remembered what Abby had said to me. A pang of guilt shot through my chest, and I almost visibly winced.

They’re not all bad, and some of them do try.

Cyberspace and their loyal secret following wouldn’t bother trying to hide their intentions. Sure, they’d punish insubordination and remove anyone who threatened their overall goal. I could count on that much, they had a history of doing that and I doubted they would even bother to evade questioning if one of us asked. There was something I respected about that, as twisted as it was. Honesty went a long way, and the ECU didn’t have much of that.

For all their faults, they were trying to keep the world from falling apart.

I shook my head with a low grumble. There was no sense dwelling on those thoughts now.

“I would pick my normal life if I could,” Mia said wistfully. “All this is still happening too fast. I feel like I can barely keep up. I’ve got one of my statues watching my parents at home. They’re…” she swallowed, trying to repress the swelling in her eyes. “It’s hard watching them deal with everything without me around. They’re upset, angry,” she quickly lifted one of her sleeves to wipe away stray tears before pulling herself together. “It’s hard.”

I gave her a sympathetic look before realizing my helmet was still up. I retracted it so the conversation didn’t feel so awkward. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to stare at a featureless tinted visor while having a heartfelt conversation.

“What’s really stopping you from going back to them?”

Mia heaved a sigh.

“After I contacted them the first time to let them know I was okay, they called the ECU. They’ve had people in and out of the house, talking to them at every opportunity. If I go back, they’ll catch me,” Mia’s downcast expression intensified. “I had to choose between you guys and them.”

I couldn’t understand it. I knew Liam was here, and she didn’t want to throw him under the bus, but there had to be more to it than that.

“I… suspect there’s more?” I asked without really thinking. Her downcast expression shifted and became more pointed – more accusatory. Thankfully, she didn’t get angry, but it was easy to tell she wasn’t pleased. “Sorry, I’m not trying to pry. Just thinking out loud.”

Mia sighed again.

“There is more, but it’s personal. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s bad enough that Sam probably already knows with that Gold thing you guys keep referring to,” she huffed. “That other personality. The one that doesn’t really give a shit about your feelings.”

“Yeah I know the one,” I murmured. “If it’s any consolation, Sam won’t say anything to anyone. Gold whispers in her ear whether she likes it or not.”

“It’s creepy.”

I shrugged. It wasn’t worth complaining about my eyes. Sam had no reason to spread personal information unless the details Mia kept under wraps proved dangerous for everyone’s well-being. I believed she was a better person than that.

Mia opened her mouth to say something else, only to stop when grinding metal echoed throughout the room. A small generator came to life, and one of the metal doors slowly opened. As the light poured through, I saw piles of my stuff stacked against where the door had opened. Sam was standing on the other side, flanked by half a dozen disguised movers with a wide grin on her face.

“I found the remote!”

“You could have just asked me to open it,” I called out. “It would have saved you the trouble.”

“Naaaaah,” she chirped happily. “Gave me an easy excuse to let Pink stretch my legs a little. She loves a little bit of seeking. Plus, I needed it. Still a bit stiff from the other night,” Sam’s eyes drifted to Mia, her smile remaining as wide as ever. “Hey there! Do you like the place so far? You know, I had my doubts but I think I could really grow to like it here. How’s upstairs? Have you picked a bedroom yet? I’ve already called dibs on the biggest one.”

“It’s an office,” Mia replied blandly. “Or what used to be an office. Carpet is boring, every room has windows that are too big, and everything smells like paper.”

Sam brushed her off with a wave. “We have time to make it homey. Max can touch up the walls and alter their composition to be more like bedrooms. It won’t be as spacious as a whole apartment building, but what’s life without a little challenge?”

I felt my brow raise at that.

“You think I’m going to waste my charges on restructuring the rooms upstairs? You have the skills as Orange to fix the place up without my help – and we have the resources to do it. You could have it all done in a couple of days by yourself,” I said, crossing my arms. “You don’t need me to do it.”

Sam gave me a grimacing smile.

“You sure you want me to take a sledgehammer to the walls with Red? I might go overboard.”

I rolled my eyes and grumbled.

“If you’re too lazy to do it, just say so.”

There was a competitive flash in her eyes – or maybe that was all her different personalities fighting for control. Regardless, Sam’s hands went to her hips. Her grin never faltered, not even for a second, and I knew I had struck a chord. We had never had the time to properly get to know each other outside of our ‘professional’ relationship, but I could see she was the type to fight and prove anyone wrong.

“I know you’re playing me.”

A smile threatened to tug at my lips, but I restrained it – not that it mattered. Gold would be informing her anyway.

“Am I?”

“You think you can do a better job than me.”

“It’s in my name.”

Sam’s nose wrinkled as she sniffed. Her gaze turned hard, and she nodded.

“Alright then. You’re on. I’ll reconstruct the whole upstairs myself by the end of the week, and I’ll do it to everyone’s taste,” Sam clapped, snapping her fingers at me and Mia. “Wanna place any bets? Think I can’t do it? Come oooooon, give me something to look forward to.”

My thoughts lingered on a probable prize, something that Sam would like. For once, I didn’t limit myself to thinking about things that would strictly increase our survival odds for the future. It could be something mundane that could make her life easier. Maybe I could fix up some kind of automated hair stylist machine? It would be a fun investment to work on and tinker with in my spare time. I could also investigate other appliances she used and look to improve them.

It was then I realized that I had limited myself again. All I was thinking about were feminine products. Outside of our Super life, I didn’t know what kind of hobbies Sam liked. Did she even have any? I couldn’t remember if I had even asked. Every interaction we ever had focused on something relating to our lives as Supers. Even that trip to New Market had an ulterior motive, as pleasant as the outing was.

“I don’t really have anything to bet with,” Mia said with a shrug. “I suppose normally, I’d buy you a present, but something tells me that money is not in short supply for us anymore. You could buy anything you’d ever want with these guys around.”

“I think its the thought that counts,” Sam replied earnestly.

Mia brightened.

“Okay, well… I guess I’ll go shopping – assuming you win and everything is up to our standards.”

“Cool! Look forward to it,” Sam turned to me. “How about it, Max? You got something for me to work for?”

“How about a date?”

The words spilled from my mouth without any real thought or intention behind them. Even now, as the words hung in the air, I didn’t feel embarrassed. We had already been on one, albeit with the guise of it being all pretend, so the idea of something more real didn’t feel all that daunting. Besides, it would also give Sam another opportunity to separate herself from all the stress of being a Super.

She had liked it last time. Why not do it again?

“I… uh– aha,” she choked out a weak laugh. I squinted, giving her a pointed stare, wondering why she seemed so surprised. I didn’t expect to catch her flat-footed like this. Gold would have warned her, right? “That’s a bit of a surprise, but not entirely unwelcome!” Sam quickly regained her composure. “I think that could be fun, yeah,” she let out a long breath, and now I was the one with heat crawling onto my face. Had she not expected me to ask? “Looks like I have my work cut out for me.”

“Good luck,” I offered with a smile.

Sam snorted confidently.

“I won’t need it.”

She turned and strolled away, leaving the workers to finish moving and unpacking my things.

“Can’t say I expected that,” Mia commented with a wry smile. “That was nice of you.”

“I considered a bunch of things I could build for her but I’d do it if she asked anyway,” I coughed. “This felt easier and we’ve already done this once before and enjoyed it.”

“Once before?”

“Yeah, we went to New Market for a day with her friends. It was…” My thoughts trailed off, remembering the guy Seraphim had brought with her. Something about him still rubbed me the wrong way, and the more I thought about it, the more I felt sickly. “Fun, for the most part. Interesting,” I met her gaze and saw her smile widening like she had just discovered a priceless treasure. “I think I’ll go see Liam now. He’s upstairs, right?”

Mentioning Liam seemed to dull her growing amusement.

“Yeah, he is. He’s trying to distract himself,” Mia said, her smile dying. “We’ve talked, but he doesn’t seem to want to say anything. Nothing other than grunts anyway.”

I considered her words, pondering if trying to talk to Liam right now was the best move. He needed time to process what had happened, and lengthy conversations didn’t seem like something he wanted to entertain. While the guilt about what I had done lingered, I realized that I could easily distract myself by immersing myself in potential projects and other upgrades I could be making. Liam, unfortunately, didn’t have that.

“I’ll see if I can help,” I said, no louder than a whisper.

Mia gave me a grateful but weak smile.

“Thank you.”

I moved toward the stairs and ascended, my thoughts whirling with every step.

When I arrived at the top and opened the door, I peered inside to see what the place was like. Mia had been right when she said the top floor looked and smelt like an office. There was a lot of open space with indents in the carpet, signaling that there had been more furniture in the room. Those movers worked fast.

I found the break room door slightly ajar with the sound of a game coming from within.

I found Liam inside, attempting to let the couch swallow him whole with one controller in his hands. He stared at the TV, playing a game I didn’t recognize, but seemed immersed in what he was doing. It looked like any old platformer from the last fifteen years. I didn’t recognize the game. I was more into PCs than consoles.

“Tired?”

Liam shrugged.

“Lil bit,” he gestured with a foot to an open box in the corner of the room. “Brought some of my stuff from my place. Figured I’d set up here since it looks like I’m gonna be staying here for a while,” he explained. I watched as he kept playing, only for the console to freeze up and the game to crash. Liam groaned. “Fucking hell, piece of shit.”

Walking over, I placed my hand on the console and paid a charge to repair it. I even threw in a couple of hardware upgrades as well. It was a new day, and my charges had reset. I could waste a few on this now that things had calmed down.

Liam’s face brightened.

“No way, for real?”

“For real,” I replied with a grin. “I can’t remember if I said I would, but I figure; why not?”

The console finalized the repair and upgrade before restarting entirely. The loading was quick, much quicker than it had any right to be.

“You play?” Liam asked with a smile, gesturing to the spare controller.

I rolled my shoulders and nodded, grabbing the controller.

Talking could come later. Right now, Liam could use the company.