“Maxis?”

I looked up to see my teacher, hand outstretched with a note. I had made it to the last class of the day wondering when I would be called on. Why had she waited until the end of the day? Did she suspect there was more to it and planned to confront me? I knew the note was a summons from Domination before my teacher even said another word.

“This is for you.”

I nodded slightly as I retrieved the note from my teacher’s hand. As I had suspected, it was a request to head to the Dean’s Office. Domination wanted to see me, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind it would be about my little adventure with Abby. I stood and packed my things, brushing off Jackson’s quiet speculation. I couldn’t imagine Abby or her mother would like me spreading around what happened, even within our friend circle. There was no telling how that kind of information could spread.

I let my mind wander as I strolled to the Dean’s Offices. I pinged my drones to see if they picked up any more Mechatech signals in the area – which they didn’t – and considered what other uses I could find for them. So far, I was blanking on what more I could do. School wasn’t exactly an interesting place and unless I could find more Pandora plants, I didn’t expect anything groundbreaking.

Breaking into The ECU personnel’s local communications network wasn’t that difficult either, but listening in proved pointless. There was nothing juicy to hear and the only conversations were about Ajax’s arrival and Abby’s speech. I couldn’t listen consistently because of classes, but my drones recorded everything they heard, allowing me to revise anything I missed after school. In the meantime, my sole concern was Domination.

My relationship with Catherine was cordial, and my brief interactions with her extended to notable social events like birthdays, Christmas, and New Year celebrations. As a senior ECU Hero, she wasn’t entitled to regular holidays, at least that is what she would lead you to believe since she stubbornly never took them. Catherine was someone my mother described as ‘absolutely dedicated to their work,’ so much so that it bordered on obsession. As much as Abby made a fuss about how strict and serious her mother was, it was easy to tell she admired her.

I couldn’t deny I also admired her to some degree.

So how could I lie straight to her face?

I wasn’t sure I was capable.

Lying to Abby was a simple task. She was still a rookie, and I suspected she brushed off her skepticism because of the trust we had built over the years, but I didn’t have that same connection with her mother. Catherine was different. She had been an ECU Hero longer than I’d been alive, and I knew as part of her extensive training she would know how to spot when people were withholding the truth. How much was I going to be able to hide from her? The last time we talked face to face, I had nothing to hide. I would have to hold my nerve and hope she didn’t clue into anything.

As I made it to the Dean’s Offices, I spotted Domination’s temporary post by the singular ECU soldier standing watch outside. They stepped to the side when I approached, gesturing for me to go on through the door.

“Maxis?” The soldier asked. I nodded and entered the room. Domination was sitting behind a mundane desk sorting through paperwork. It seemed I had caught her in the middle of a conversation, one she looked thankful to end.

“I will look into it, thank you. I have a guest, ending transmission,” Domination reached up and pressed a button on her earpiece. She allowed the professional expression to melt off her face, a warm welcoming one taking its place. “Maxis, it's been a while since we last spoke. As you know, I’ve been somewhat busy,” she gestured to a stack of papers before sighing and pushing them aside. “Especially recently.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“Please, have a seat.”

I felt my nerves pooling in my chest as I pulled up a chair to sit down. Catherine might be an ECU Hero trained for many decades, but she was also a family friend who ignored our household distaste for the organization. I took a breath and allowed myself to relax.

“You look well, if a little tired,” Catherine said. “It’s a trying time for all of us. I wouldn’t put it past anyone having trouble sleeping with the amount of chaos Bayside has had to endure as of late.”

“Grim suddenly remembering he has two legs and the ability to use them certainly had everyone concerned,” I commented lightly. I then realized how ridiculous that sounded, seeing as he could turn into a cloud of smoke and fly. “Not that he needed two legs anyway. The guy could fly.”

“Yes, and you can probably imagine that he has been a never ending source of grief for us. Abby has certainly talked my ear off about the subject, amongst other things,” Catherine intoned. She crossed her arms and leaned on the desk. “I’m sure she’s talked about this already with you, but I feel like it's only polite to ask first.”

“She has. Earlier today, actually.”

“I see. I had asked her to try and refrain from bringing up the subject on school grounds as trauma can manifest in multiple ways. I wished to spare you from any potential breakdowns, assuming you’re struggling to keep things together,” her eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. “Judging from your general demeanor, I suspect you’re not as affected as Abby?”

All I could do was offer an easy-going shrug.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I didn’t kill anyone, and I didn’t see my attacker die in the fire,” I explained, weaving truth and lies as naturally as I breathed. “I said as much to Abby, but she seems to think that I’m bottling things up.”

Catherine nodded fairly.

“As I said, trauma and guilt can manifest in different ways. Perhaps for your specific situation, you don’t retain responsibility for what happened. As I understand it, they attacked you and Abby first. While you two were in the wrong for breaking and entering in the first place, it is easy to justify your actions as acting out of concern for your friend, with self-defense being the final result.”

I agreed wholeheartedly.

“That’s the way I see it. I mean, sure we broke the law…’ I shifted in my seat, uncertain how to continue. Not only did we break and enter, but arson was technically on the list of offenses. I was willing to bet we weren’t facing punishment because The Cains were a much easier scapegoat. “But we needed to know Lucy was okay. We were both worried about her.”

“And in doing so, endangered both of your lives. Not only were you breaking and entering, but you also managed to breach the school’s administrative accounts,” Catherine’s gaze hardened, and I struggled to keep my nerve. The software I had made – while rudimentary – was still improved by my powers. If they had caught that, I was woefully underprepared to talk my way out of this. “How did you manage that? The school's systems aren’t encrypted with the level of protection that The ECU has, but we have still made improvements to prevent these kinds of occurrences.”

I did my best to maintain my composure.

“You know what my mom does for a living. I’ve picked up heaps of tricks over the years,” I laughed awkwardly. “Really it wasn’t all that difficult. The administrative accounts aren’t very well protected.”

“If you could, how would you change the system to protect against intrusions like the one you used?” Catherine asked sincerely. She even unfolded her arms and retrieved a pen to scribble down notes. “If any teenager with your skills can break in, then I’d hate to imagine what a Mentalist or a Mechakinetic could do with the right motivation.”

I swallowed.

“Aha… look I think you’re asking the wrong person. Mom would be a better consultant,” I shrugged, but Catherine’s eyes remained transfixed. I straightened up in my chair and thought for a moment.

I had connected my phone to one of the school computers and used my upgraded software to brute force my way into a faculty account. As I suspected, they kept all their records on a database connected to the school’s website. If they wanted to make it harder to access, then the first step was removing that database and putting it on a secure closed system.

“Disconnecting the administrative database and putting it on a closed system would be a good start. I’m not a professional or anything, but with how much sensitive information is on there, it should probably be better protected.”

The solution made sense to me, and it was the best I could come up with on the spot.

“ECU databases are more secure than a public school,” Catherine admitted with a nod. “We’ve been trying to work with the education board to get every school in the country into our databases, but there are concerns, namely the staff that would have access to them,” she waved a tired hand. “There’s been back and forth for years and we’ve made little progress. Minerva’s board has been particularly stubborn about it. There are a lot of politics involved.”

With the information I knew about the Headmaster and those two department heads, her explanation was not surprising.

“Unfortunate,” I offered my condolences. I tried to sound sympathetic, but even I heard how forced it sounded. Minerva’s security being so shit made my life easier. “Sorry I can’t be of much help there.”

“I wouldn’t have expected you to. I was only curious about your methods, and if you had any opinions on the matter,” Catherine said. “That being said, don’t ever do that again.”

The firmness in her tone conjured sweat on the back of my neck.

“I don’t intend to.”

“Good,” Catherine offered a diplomatic smile. “Now, I’d like to move onto the real reason I asked you here.”

Uneasiness crept into my mind as I observed her seemingly genuine response. It felt too easy. Was she letting me off the hook deliberately, or had she chosen not to push the subject? I felt she had me dead to rights with the school system infiltration. Sure, I had intermediate software know-how that I picked up from Mom over the years, but no teenager with those skills could do something like that nowadays. There were two options: either she overlooked it, which Catherine would never do, or she knew I was lying.

Unless Cyberspace has done some covering up when I wasn’t looking…

“The therapy thing, right?”

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“Abby has had difficulty with what happened. Compounding that with everything else she’s had to endure in such a short time period, it’s only expected I find avenues for professional help,” Catherine said, her features becoming softer. “When she mentioned your involvement, I figured it was only right to extend the offer to you. Usually, in these rare cases we would open a dialogue with the affected civilians and offer recovery options. Unregistered personnel are very rarely allowed to consult ECU specialists. This situation is one of those rare cases.”

“Thats—” I felt the impulse to respond with something snarky, to belittle the false sincerity that The ECU plastered all over their image, but Catherine’s concern was real. “—very kind of you. I told Abby I would consider it. You know what my mom is like, though. I don’t know if she’ll agree.”

“Parental consent is usually required,” Catherine started when a pained expression crossed her face. “However, I am more than familiar with your mother’s opinion of our organization,” she leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I understand she blames us for the accident. Seismic Shock was our responsibility and we turned a blind eye to his declining mental health.”

“How did you guys screw that up?” I asked, grabbing at the opportunity. As familiar as I was with Catherine, this was the first time we had been alone in a room. Years ago, I had been too young to ask the right questions when Mom was crippled, and I was drip-fed as little information as possible. Later, when I befriended Abby, I asked her to pass on my questions to Catherine, but I never got the answers I wanted. Now the opportunity was right here, and I couldn’t pass it up. “He tore through an entire street outside my primary school. Abby says you guys have fortnightly psyche checkups with Mentalists. How does something like that slip through the cracks?”

I looked at her as she heaved another sigh. Catherine suddenly looked very tired.

“I’m sorry, I cannot speak on that. There are details to that case that I am forbidden to divulge.”

Whether it was a slip of the tongue or a general statement she was used to saying for deflection, hearing that the finer details were actively suppressed was all I needed to know to realize something more was happening. The mental health excuse was bullshit, or maybe it was a key component of the whole case. Now that I had powers, I had a new perspective on what went on with Supers, their conflict, and the culture. There were always battles. When it wasn’t open warfare, it was a subdued struggle in the shadows.

As much as I hated to consider it, there was a chance Seismic Shock was a victim of some kind of Mentalist attack. There was also an angle of coercion. I knew speculation wouldn’t get me anywhere, but the birth of these thoughts wouldn’t go away.

“Was there a Mentalist involved?” I blurted it out without thinking. When Catherine shook her head, I decided to keep the ball rolling. “Mind control or something? Emotional Manipulation? If you’re not allowed to speak on it, then there’s confidential details The ECU doesn’t want getting out.”

“You may not believe it fair, but those details are confidential for a reason. They are there to protect the victims, and the public,” Catherine’s tone turned harsher, but the sympathy didn’t leave her eyes. “Maxis, I want to give you and your mother the closure you’re looking for, but I can’t.”

“Why? Why can’t you just tell me? Whatever you say won’t leave this room. No one has to know.”

For a moment, she actually looked like she considered my words. When her expression hardened, I knew the impersonal walls had come up.

“The therapy,” Catherine said, changing the subject entirely. It irked me that she wouldn’t entertain my questions any further, but I couldn’t blame her. It was part of her job, after all. “I would like you to attend with Abby. I believe you both will benefit from the meetings, however, you’re free to refuse if you want. I wouldn’t recommend it. I think you will find the opportunity to speak with someone qualified will do you good.”

I wanted to redirect the conversation back to the confidential details, but I knew I wouldn’t get any more out of her. My efforts would only serve to aggravate her, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

“I’ll be required to visit your Headquarters,” I pursed my lips, remembering the way she worded the process. “Given what you said about unregistered personnel, I doubt I’ll be able to just come and go for my appointments. I’m guessing Abby will be escorting me through the building?”

“Quite right. Our specialists work out of the higher floor offices. Activity there is rather remote, so the chances of you being bothered by any of our overbearing staff is unlikely, especially if you’re accompanied by Abby,” I spotted an amused curl to Catherine’s expression. “My daughter has a tendency to dissuade any staff that get too nosey.”

“Nosey staff? Seems kind of unprofessional,” I quipped. Immediately, feeling bad for sniping the chance to attack their reputation. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Catherine said. “Being nosey or overly curious can be a good instinct to cultivate, as long as you control it. It can lead to discoveries that otherwise would have remained hidden, such is the case with Lucy.”

Lucy’s name triggered a surge of curiosity I hadn’t yet investigated. There was no better time to ask than now.

“What exactly do you guys plan to do with her? There’s no way Abby hasn’t told you,” I analyzed the minute changes in her expression, looking for any intention that may go unspoken. I wouldn’t call myself an expert on reading body language or facial expressions, but I felt like I had a passable grasp on what Catherine was feeling. “Will you try to talk to her in private? Find a way to get her to safety, away from her family?”

“It’s a delicate situation and I understand your concern. Wildfire being her father presents a list of problems that will require a delicate approach. Unfortunately, I am not the one with the skillset to speak on the topic,” her demeanor changed again when her expression softened. “But as a mother, I worry about all of you. With how deep Lucy’s ties go, she puts you all in danger. The Pandora Initiative are not shy about threatening relatives and friends when it comes to securing loyalty. Should we not handle matters appropriately, there is every possibility your closeness with Lucy will put you, your mother, and your sister in their crosshairs.”

I felt a fire surge through my veins. I wanted to bite back, daring them to try. With the resources I had at my disposal, I wouldn’t let them get away with targeting me, my family, or my friends. I’d rain hellfire down on every Super or individual who even dared to associate themselves with the cult.

“So you plan to keep your distance?”

“For now,” Catherine replied. “My best judgment is to keep her under surveillance to try and prevent any harm from coming to her. Right now, she is alive, well, and at school. That’s more than I can say about many of Pandora’s victims, and those lost to Grim’s rampage,” Catherine tapped the table with a finger, looking deep in thought. “That is my best judgment, not necessarily what will happen. I will be consulting colleagues back at Headquarters about the situation and asking for recommendations.”

“Don’t suppose it’ll be too much to ask to be kept in the loop?”

Catherine chuckled.

“You should focus on passing the school year, and let me do my job. I can promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to ensure everyone’s safety.”

She sounded genuine, but even I understood the colossal undertaking. She placed the weight of my life, Lucy’s, my mother’s, Alex’s, and the rest of my friends on her shoulders. Even though I didn’t want her to, I couldn’t condemn the self-sacrificing mentality. Maybe… I could find a way to help her, leaving anonymous tips to point them in the right direction. I could cover for any mistakes they made. With Gold’s help—

No, I don’t think Sam would be too keen on helping The ECU.

The thought didn’t even sit right with me, but I preferred to see it through the lens of helping Catherine and Abby instead of The ECU. It made the pill easier to swallow.

“At least I can believe it when it comes from you,” I said with a smile. “I’ll do the therapy thing with Abby. Maybe you guys are right and it’s all just buried down deep into my subconscious, waiting to explode,” I shrugged. “I don’t know how this stuff works. All I can tell you is that I don’t feel very affected by the incident.”

“There’s every chance you aren’t, but it's better to know for sure than to ignore it entirely,” Catherine floated a pen and scribbled notes onto some paper. “I do not have any accurate times yet, but I can tell you to expect these sessions to be on a Thursday or a Friday shortly before school ends.”

I wasn’t entirely fussed about when these sessions would take place, but it seemed I wouldn’t have to work around them all that much. Depending on how long the appointments lasted, I’d have to manage my workshop time better. I didn’t want to lose any productivity, regardless of how straightforward my powers made daily development.

“Sounds good,” I said, sensing the conversation coming to a close. I stood up and offered a friendly smile. “Thanks for this, I guess. I suppose I’ll find out how much I need it or not,” I paused, meeting her gaze. “Are you… sure there’s nothing you can tell me about what happened with Seismic Shock? Anything at all? Mom refused treatment because she can’t trust The ECU,” I let my words linger in the air. “Is there something you guys know that I don’t?”

I never considered the possibility that Mom might have hidden something from me. I always justified her bitterness toward The ECU because of the event that left her crippled. Her mistrust of them I could understand, but it went beyond that. She and Alex actively despised The ECU as a whole, very rarely acknowledging the good they did do. I wasn’t blind to their lesser admirable aspects, but I figured my powers and friendship with Abby gave me more perspective.

Catherine interlaced her fingers and leaned forward.

“I can say with certainty that we have not afforded her any information that we otherwise wouldn’t share with you. Please understand that when I say that I cannot divulge more than what I have already said, I mean it. There is more than just protocol and law preventing me from doing so.”

I stared at her, puzzled.

Why does that feel so sinister?

“Alright,” I shrugged, trying to dismiss my curiosity. “Figured I’d ask again, just in case you changed your mind.”

“I’m sorry.”

I waved off her apology. It was needlessly repetitive, and I understood where she was coming from. It wasn’t fair to hate the messenger for delivering the message.

“I get it. Super confidential stuff. Whatever’s going on behind the scenes is none of my business anyway. Not like I can do anything about it if I knew the truth anyway. It’s okay, really.”

I’ll just find out for myself.

“Thank you for understanding,” Catherine’s smile was weak. “I’ll talk with Abby once I confirm what’s happening, and she’ll share the details with you.”

I nodded and turned to leave.

“Max.”

I stopped at the door, turning to look over my shoulder. There was concern in Catherine’s gaze, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Her tone implied she wanted to ask something, and I had a sneaking suspicion I knew what it was.

“Before you leave, I’d just like to put it out there that if you need to speak to me about anything, all you need to do is ask Abby,” her expression turned stern, but I saw conflicting emotions. “I know I’ve kept my distance when it comes to my daughter’s friendships, but with everything that’s happened, I feel as though I should be paying closer attention. I will make the time to lend an ear if you wish to speak in private.”

Does she know, or does she suspect that I’m Upgrade?

I couldn’t be sure.

Glancing at my phone, I saw no active transmissions connecting back to the Citadel, so Catherine didn’t have Mentalist support psychoanalyzing me while we spoke. Everything she was saying came from her worries and concerns. It was genuine, but I wondered if I was just being overly paranoid. From her perspective, I had survived a brutal encounter with Pandora and discovered one of my best friends had direct ties to their leadership within the city. All that, and I was seemingly unaffected – or unsurprised.

Maybe that’s why Catherine seemed so overly concerned.

“Thanks for the offer,” I replied simply. “If anything comes to mind, I’ll put the message through Abby.”

“I appreciate the consideration.”

She gestured for me to leave, and I saw myself out.

The moment I stepped out of the Dean’s Office, my phone rang. It was a private number, but my gut told me who it was.

I answered.

“I take it you heard all of that?”

“I have a particularly nasty habit of listening to conversations that I shouldn’t,” Cyberspace amusement tilted me. I knew their influence on technology and Mechatech was legendary, but it stung knowing my tech could be breached so easily. I’d need to invest more to stop that from happening. “You’ve found yourself in quite the predicament, haven’t you?”

“I’d prefer to call it an opportunity,” I replied, looking out at the city. I scanned the Citadel, observing The Mothership idling next to it just below the lowest cloud layer. “I’ll need some time to prepare.”

It was a good thing time was something I had in abundance right now.

I’d need a lot of it if I was going to get away with robbing The ECU and Ajax blind.