It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but I was finally allowed to drive my own damn car.

Alice had insisted that she was the best driver out of the two of us and while I was inclined to agree, I wasn’t about to let her play with the new toy I had created before me. As far as I was concerned, the maker had first dibs. If she wanted to drive a mechatech car so badly, she could make her own.

Thankfully, it lived up to everything I had hoped it’d be. The interior was fresh with that brand-new car smell. The dashboard lit up with a display of pretty lights after switching the ignition. There was a calm, subtle hum of the electric engine – barely noticeable – as I pulled out of the underground garage.

I didn’t bother to hide my grin as I felt the smoothness of the steering wheel. Everything just felt so right and the best part was I could continue to make it better. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I’d never be satisfied. There would always be something to do, a little piece here and there to add and improve. For now, though, I was living the dream.

“Quit pouting. You’ll get a turn later,” I said, eyeing Alice. Even with my helmet on, the visor was wide enough that I could make out her face in my periphery. She was annoyed. “It’s my car. I get first dibs.”

“You don’t even know where we’re going.”

I pointed to the space on the dashboard where a screen sat. I tapped through the settings and brought up a map before leaning back and gesturing to Alice. With a huff, she leaned forward and tapped in the address.

“I’ll add a feature later that allows the car to drive itself. Then we won’t have to argue about who gets to drive,” I said, trying to placate her annoyance. It was childish and I totally understood. I would be pretty annoyed if I was her as well. The car was that good. “I just wanted to feel what it’s like to drive a car like this. You only really see things like this on TV for millions of dollars.”

“If you add an autopilot, it’ll ruin all the fun,” Alice playfully whined. Then, she changed her tune on a dime. “But it is useful, I suppose. Gold approves at least. Though, if you make it more sporty, we won’t be able to take it out during the day; we’ll just get pulled over. We’re going to need multiple vehicles. Looks like we’ll have to go car shopping.”

The idea was certainly appealing. Maybe it was the child in me but a garage full of expensive-looking cars sounded awesome. I could toy with a couple as well if we got enough. There were trees that led to flying cars and ones capable of going underwater. Put in enough time and I’d even make something able to do both.

So many ideas and projects.

“Hmm. We’re not exactly broke, but I don’t want to blow what I have buying cars.”

Alice laughed.

“Who said anything about buying them? We’d be stealing them.”

I lifted my foot off the accelerator and allowed us to glide comfortably to the side of the road. It had been a thought in the back of my head but I had always wondered just how exactly Alice exactly sat on the whole Villain, Hero, and Vigilante spectrum. I wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it.

Abby was constantly complaining about how many problems villains caused for the city, those like Beep and Boop made small-time crime popular enough that it could be midday entertainment and was even shown for a quick laugh on the news.

Alice noted my silence. “That bothers you, doesn’t it?”

I had broken laws. I was no saint and I’d be a hypocrite to try and take the high ground but I’d like to think there was a difference between selling my own stuff and actively taking other people’s property. I had things stolen from me. It wasn’t a nice feeling.

“A little bit.”

“It’s not like we’d be stealing from the manufacturers. It’s much easier to keep doing what we’re doing and take from the gangs. What’re they going to do, report us to the police?” Alice snorted. “I suppose we could buy some if you really wanted, hell it wouldn’t be too expensive since we can just get some beat up old cars; but I’d suggest stealing them. Putting several cars under our name would probably draw some eyes given we’re only sixteen and I’m technically a ward of the state.”

I hummed in agreement. “Good point. Though it would piss off the gangs, it's not like we aren’t doing that already. It just seems that we’re slowly justifying more acts of vigilantism. I know we’re given some leeway, but I don’t want to test it.”

Alice shrugged indifferently. “Vigilantes are just villains the ECU tolerates. It’s not hard to see why, they help trim the crime. The moment they step over the line, they’re done. It’s best just to make our own rules and stick to them. Screw the system.”

I couldn’t blame her there. Mom had never been the biggest fan of the government and I guess that had just rubbed off on me. I had seen things over the years, everyone did. Most people just chose to ignore it and live in blissful ignorance.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“You don’t sound so sure,” Alice said. She shifted in her seat and crossed her legs. “I have been meaning to talk to you about our little partnership. I’ve been wondering how far you’re comfortable going and I suppose now is as good of a time as any to figure it out.”

“You’re concerned I’ll leave?”

“I’m worried about longevity – well, Gold is – and I know you have hang ups about being seen as a villain,” Alice clarified. “But you also have reasons for not joining the ECU and I’ve done my best to stop Gold from prying too much. You can see where I’m going with this. Hero or villain, you’ve gotta pick. Trying to ride on the middle ground doesn’t work. People have tried before and they either end up dead or in prison.”

I sighed and suppressed the urge to grunt.

“You’re starting to sound like Mirage.”

“He might be our enemy but he has a point,” Alice said. “I figured this out a couple years ago. It’s either—”

“I know,” I cut her off. “There’s no need to hammer your point. I get it. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“It does mean you have to accept it,” Alice replied swiftly. “Why are you really doing this? You said you wanted to get your mother out of her wheelchair but if you really wanted to do that, you’d just tell her you have powers and build her something to fix that problem. You’re more than capable.”

“That might solve one problem but it makes a dozen more. She’d never be able to leave the house without wearing my tech. People would notice and ask questions. I’d eventually end up with the ECU or blackmailed by someone who knows my identity, and neither of us want that.”

When I got my powers, I thought about this constantly. I eventually settled on selling my tech to whoever wanted it, but hindsight was leading me to believe that I was just kicking the can down the road. Once I got the money, what then? Would Mom even accept the Biokinetic treatment? Wouldn’t that just cause the same problems as if I had built Mechatech for her anyway? She still had regular check-ups and her doctor would figure something was off very quickly.

People would ask questions. How had she gotten the money to afford Biokinetic treatment on a software developer salary?

What the hell am I even doing?

“Upgrade?”

I stared at the road, my mind blank. Everything that I was doing… What was the point of it? I wanted to fix Mom and get her out of that wheelchair, but I couldn’t see a way to do that without giving up this secret. Was it even a secret I cared about keeping? There was no guarantee that Mom would even agree to be fixed in the first place if it meant exposing me to the ECU.

Abby is constantly going on about it at school. Maybe…

My stomach churned at the thought.

“What are your reasons?”

Alice blinked. “What?”

“For not joining the ECU. You said you had your reasons.”

“Personal ones,” she said, staring. “Do you really want to know?”

I picked at the steering wheel nervously. “Only what you feel comfortable sharing.”

Alice hummed, drumming her fingers across the top of her knee. She looked away from me and out the window, opting to remain quiet for a time. I was about to give up and continue driving when she sighed softly.

“Mom and Dad; they were part of the PR team in California’s ECU Branch. It was one of the reasons we moved to the U.S. It paid well, I suppose,” Alice’s voice was uncharacteristically monotone. “When I had my Awakening, I told them I developed powers. They… forced me to join. I lost any semblance of freedom I had before. My life became rigid, loud, and obnoxious.”

She had been a rookie before, like Abby. A young one, clearly.

“I wasn’t happy and some things… happened. I ditched them. You know most of the other bits. I did some odd jobs here and there. Got into scuffles with Pandora before I landed here.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Your parents… you don’t—”

“No,” Alice cut me off. Her tone was cold. I could see in the reflection of the window that her eyes had shifted to a burning red. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“Okay.”

I sat quietly before I started the car again and pulled back into the street. I followed the directions of the GPS, still feeling empty. I didn’t really know why I had asked her for her reasons in the first place.

“It’s fine to want to fix your mother,” Alice said again, after some prolonged silence. “But if that’s all you really want, then I’m afraid this isn’t going to last very long.”

Her words cut deeper than I expected.

----------------------------------------

The meeting was set in an old run-down boat hanger by the harbor.

The area had long since been decommissioned so this place rarely saw activity even during the day. The wear and tear really showed and, if the obscene amount of graffiti was anything to go by, then gang activity was fairly high. Nobody really wanted territory here seeing as there was nothing to gain by holding it. Though if I had to pick, it’d probably be considered Pandora’s if push came to shove.

I parked the car inside the hanger, making sure to hide it from casual observation. Alice went and stood at the entrance while I chose to sit on the trunk of my car. I got the impression that she was upset with me but I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it. There were bigger things on my mind and I felt that she wouldn’t be satisfied until I figured out what I really wanted.

“Do you think he got lost?” I asked, trying to make conversation. Our new recruit was ten minutes late and I was starting to think he wasn’t going to show. “Maybe we got the wrong building. It’s a strange place to meet after all, though I do like listening to the ocean. I don’t come down here that often.”

The ambient noise of the sea around the building did somewhat allow me to think clearer.

Alice had been leaning on the large hangar door frame when she pushed herself off and strolled back in.

“No. We’re in the right place and I don’t think he’s late,” she shot me a playful smile. “He actually beat us here. He’s been trying to listen in to see if we’re the real deal and not some trap one of the gangs is waiting to spring.”

Right on cue, a blob of darkness dropped from the ceiling of the hanger and pooled a couple of meters away from us. It started to rise before reforming into a humanoid figure, no taller than me and no older than either of us. Honestly, given that both me and Alice are supers I was more surprised than I should have been.

“Anomaly, so glad you finally decided to join us,” Alice beckoned with open arms. “I was beginning to worry you’d skulk around up there all night!”

Anomaly adjusted his facemask a little and kept his distance. It was easy to see he was weary. I kept my pistol next to me, a hand comfortably wrapped around the grip. Alice had filled me in on what she knew about his powers. Some kind of Morpher that was able to change his entire body. What exactly to, we weren’t sure. He wasn’t new, but it seemed like he’s made a habit of keeping himself inconspicuous. Nobody really had a grasp on how his powers worked.

“Could've saved me the trouble and just said you were a Mentalist. I wouldn’t have bothered trying,” his voice had a tinge of annoyance to it, like a child who constantly got into disagreements with his parents. “So you guys must be Madhouse. Weird name.”

“In my defense I didn’t pick it,” I voiced, shooting a glare at Alice. “I was out voted one to six because Alice here counts as six… apparently.”

Alice turned and flashed me a cheeky grin.

“You don’t think I’d leave all of me out of the process, right? They all get a say.”

I scowled. “They’re all technically you. That’s hardly fair.”

She waved me off. “Semantics.”

“Alright,” Anomaly gave us a strange look. “Well, you wanted to meet and I’ve never really done this before, so what now?”

Alice nodded. “For now. We’re here to establish how we can help each other. No one would expect you to join for free.”

“I already told you what I want.”

“The Cains destroyed, apparently. An admirable goal,” Alice said. “Don’t suppose you already thought about going to the ECU for help? They could certainly help you in that regard.”

“Fuck the law. Jail’s too good for those assholes.”

I sympathized.

“What did they do?” I asked. “I had a similar experience. They caught me, fucked me around, took my stuff and then tried to kidnap me.”

“They took a friend of mine. She doesn’t have any powers.”

“A girl?” Alice grimaced. “That doesn’t bode well. You are aware of what the Cains usually take people for right? Human trafficking.”

The words sent a shiver up my spine. Pandora did something very similar and they were very open about it. They just veiled it and shrouded the truth in a pretty lie for all the idiots to believe. The Cains very much took the old-school business approach to it. Alice had told me it was one of their main revenue streams and I couldn’t imagine anything more sickening.

“I know,” he grounded out. He frowned, looking almost reluctant to speak. “Which is why… I need your help. It’s been two days and I have no idea where to look.”

“We can help,” I said. Alice slowly turned and gave me the stink eye. I returned the look with confusion. “What, we can, can’t we?”

“We can,” Alice said, turning back. Her lips stretched into a cheshire smile. “I’m gonna need a little bit of information if that’s okay. Just to help narrow things down.”

Anomaly looked weary. “What do you need to know?”

“A few things,” Alice started, switching to Gold. “Age, height, measurements, skin color, hair color, hair length, hair texture, any unique identifying features. I don’t expect you to know everything but every little bit helps. We’re dealing with scum of the earth here, so I need you to be clear with the details unless we want to end up in the wrong place.”

Anomaly stared at her, bewildered by the request. His gaze flickered to me before returning to Gold.

“Why do you need to know all that? Can’t you just do your… Mentalist thing and figure out where she is?”

“I’m not a clairvoyant nor can I scry the city. I need information in order to extrapolate from, I can’t just pull whatever I need out of my ass. That’s just how my power works, so are you going to provide what I asked or are you going to ask more stupid questions?”

“Alice,” I hissed. “Tact?”

She ignored me.

“Fine, whatever,” Anomaly didn’t sound too happy. “She’s nineteen, um… maybe five-six—”

“Maybe?” Gold raised a brow at that. “I need certainties, not maybes.”

“Hey, I’m trying my best,” he argued, sounding more than a little frustrated. “Five-six. I don’t know how you expect me to know her measurements but she’s got a nice tan, so white, I guess? She’s a brunette, shoulder length hair and… soft?” He shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know, I’ve never touched it. It looked like she took care of it.”

“Middle-high-class white girl with enough of a tan, so she’s definitely thin. Probably has just the right amount of fat on her to make her curvy and desirable. Nineteen… eh, most sickos prefer them a little younger, but she’s not old enough that they’d consider her useless.”

I shuddered. “You sound like you're reading off a list of prerequisites.”

“When you're dealing with these kinds of people, they view their captures as products, not people. If we want to find her, we have to think like them,” Gold replied grimly. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the churning in my stomach after that. “New Elpis isn’t known for human trafficking so business is probably slow for the Cains.”

“What does that mean?” Anomaly asked.

“It means this isn’t Mexico, the Middle East, or a third world European country,” Gold paused for a moment to think. “Or Greece. It takes time to get these things rolling. If your friend was in one of those countries we’d be shit out of luck already. She would’ve been out of the city the day of her kidnapping. Maybe the next day if there were complications.”

“What the hell does any of that even mean?” Anomaly asked, looking ready to break something. “Is she safe? Is she even still in the city?”

“Aha, safe? No,” there was no humor in her dry laugh. “Still in the city? Yes. Given from how I’ve seen the Cains operate, we’ve got a week before anything… irreversible happens to your friend. Two if we’re lucky.”

Anomaly looked ready to bounce. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

“Ah-ah! Wait a moment,” Alice stopped him before he had a chance to transform and disappear. “There’s still some other details I need to know, plus I want a guarantee that you’ll join up with us. We help you, you help us. That’s how this works.”

Anomaly scowled. “I’ll join after we find Mia.”

Gold smiled. “Cute name. How was she kidnapped?”

“We were at a party and things got a little heated between us so I left. After a bit I went back to apologize and ran into the Cains. Got into a fight with Gold Rush and she held me up as a truck drove off,” he paused for a moment to collect himself. I could hear him getting emotional. He blamed himself. “After, I looked everywhere. I found some of the people I rescued and they told me that the Cains already took Mia in the first group.”

“She was taken in a group?” Gold hummed. “Interesting.”

Anomaly glared. “Why’s that interesting?”

“It means the Cains are hurting. Profits are down and they’re being bled dry by someone. They don’t have a history of snatching up groups of people. Normally, they’d van people off the street when nobody's looking. Added to that, they sent Gold Rush to help ensure the operation went smoothly,” Alice chortled. “How stupid of them.”

I glanced at Alice. “That makes them stupid… how?”

She turned and glared at me.

“Did you read nothing of what I sent you?”

Heat climbed up my neck and embarrassment flared on my cheeks. Thank God I was wearing my helmet.

“I… skimmed most of it.”

She rolled her eyes and turned away, muttering under her breath. “Useless.”

I scowled. “Hey!”

“Gold Rush has a tendency to spend her merry time at Poseidon’s Vault. Grim put her there because she’s a powerful deterrent against some of Pandora’s more aggressive supers,” Gold explained, ignoring my indignation. “She also happens to live in the area, if my scouting has paid its dues.”

For the first time since he arrived, Anomaly scoffed.

“Powerful? All she seemed good at was running away.”

“Says the indestructible cosmic horror,” Gold quipped, rolling her eyes. “She did her job and stalled you. As far as she and anyone else is concerned, she won your little encounter.”

Anomaly sneered.

“Simmer down,” Gold said easily. “You’ll be seeing her soon.”

“We’re doing that now?” I asked, surprised. We were about to dive deep into Cain territory and fight a super. “Shouldn’t we… I dunno, plan or something?”

“It won’t be much of a fight. There’s three of us and one of her,” Gold pointed out, switching back to Blue.

Anomaly scoffed, sounding somewhat pleased with the outcome. “I injured her as well. She’ll be slower than usual.”

“See? Nothing to worry about,” Alice turned her gaze to Anomaly. “Feel free to ride in the car with us. But you’re mobile, so you can tail us too. Whichever suits you.”

“I’ll follow,” Anomaly said a little too quickly. “No offense. Still don’t really trust you guys.”

“That’s fine. Trust is earned after all,” Alice said. “Now, let’s go catch some lightning.”