TCR 59) After report.

Shimmer crossed her arms while holding up one hand, so it was not so much that she was denying my story, as signaling that she needed to think. “That’s a lot… Just a lot.”

Manifest had taken us to the fire pit on Lookout Peak and I had taken a moment to start a fire while I told my story, right from the beginning. The Royals had given me the benefit of letting me talk it out rather than constantly stopping me to ask for explanations or more details.

T’Rex grunted. “A lot of crazy.”

Manifest grinned at him. "Of course, you would say that. At Rank 3 you're the most under the Narrator's influence. Automatic denial is lazy writing.”

The shapeshifter narrowed his eyes at the Transporter. "Rank 4. Even if it's mostly only a technicality since my other shape has more mass."

Fable was still stuck on the fact that me and Larry brought someone back to life from being very, very dead. "With Shimmer her brain was still alive even if her heart stopped. You didn't bring her back so much as just resuscitate her. This is… I want to say wrong, but why would I say that? You brought someone back to life, that's a good thing. Am I being influenced? But people coming back to life all willy nilly is totally a comic book thing, so…" She wrangled her hands in the air.

Shimmer looked at me. "Are you different now? Did getting linked to Stepbrother... stupid name, to Larry, change you in any way."

I thought about that and reached out with my powers. "I remember what it was like, to sense people's injuries, and to reach out to heal them. But it's gone. The only thing that changed is that I can feel the link between us. Me and you. I can use my powers on you, and on the girl I healed. We're linked."

I shrugged. "Of course, my Brute power is the same as yours so it won't do much for you, and the girl has Regen on her own so that power of mine won't do much for her. Nothing with the guy up on the moon, or Samantha, but they might might be out of my range.”

Manifest grinned at me. “Or you just don’t want to be linked with the woman you just stranded in government custody or a guy.”

Then he turned to Shimmer. "So? Any clue what we're going to be doing here boss."

She gave him a blank look, then shook her head as if to clear it. "I'm going to have to think. A lot. Why don't you take everyone else home? I'm going to fly in."

I found my woman sound asleep in my bed. With both dogs taking up the rest of it despite them being outdoor dogs. After making sure I had a fire extinguisher on hand, I settled in on the living room couch.

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Hard to say why, we had five other bedrooms in the house. I guess it just didn’t seem right to sleep in another bed when Scorn was in mine.

Besides, the couch is pretty comfy.

I got a text from Shimmer late the next morning calling me in for a meeting.

At the Palace. With the Circle.

The ruling council of overpowered Supers wanted to hear things from me firsthand.

I wore my interview shirt.

As Shimmer hadn’t told me to hold back on anything. It appeared that she had already told her parents everything.

Which I decided not to bug her about. I like to keep things close to my chest. But the boss was smarter than me. So I figured she had decided her goals were best served by getting her Parents, and the Circle, involved.

Or it was her inconvenient never lie thing.

The Circle took it well. There was a lot of disbelief. But Core seemed... troubled. “I always thought people were better than that. I don't know if I believe it. But it's something I want looked into…"

The next day Core held a press conference. Larry was Lawrence Day, and his parents had signed him over to government custody eight years ago. Seven years ago they had gotten a lawyer to get him back and then someone scrubbed their minds of all memories of their son.

Carol, the security telepath, had cleared the memory blocks, and the parents were pissed.

Core leaned onto his podium at the press conference. "While we had stopped the abuse and human experimentation on Earth. We now know our political overlords have just moved their atrocities to the moon. We even had confirmation that wounded criminals such as Samantha Gregor had their deaths faked while they were transferred in secret off world.”

Nice one Core. Always looking out for our kind.

Later on, I was asked to meet with him as he set a jury rigged looking device on a table in front of us. After a moment a green light came on. "There. The Narrator's signal is blocked." He took off his cowboy hat and gave it a look of disgust. "I don't know how I ever thought this was a good idea. I'm from Pennsylvania.” He looked at the device on the table."Okay. I know why it seemed like a good idea, but Carol said the Mind Twister doesn't send information into people's heads. They just influence what's already there. So how did the idea of dressing up like a cowboy get into my head to start with.”

Shaking his head sadly, he sighed. “And why did I ever give a damn what bathroom people used. I could have just added some unisex ones in an afternoon.”

He straightened up in his chair. “Sorry. I’m still reeling a bit here. But what you care about is why I called you here. Right?”

I nodded at him.

He tossed his hat across the room and began taking off his string tie. “Shimmer had a bit of a falling out with her parents. The details are between them and her. But she has decided to relocate out of state. And to sign up with the government’s sponsored Hero program, and the Royals are going with her.”

He held up his hand. “My problem is she decided not to try to bring you with her. She doesn't want to take you from your home, or her sister. I think she doubting her own motivations for some of her decisions, like shanghaiing you into her team.”

“The thing is son, she needs you. Or someone like you. Not just for your powers, or for your older viewpoint. But because you aren't under the Narrator’s influence, and never have been. She needs that reassurance that what she decides makes sense to you. Or she'll get stuck in an endless loop of doubting herself.”

I sat there for a moment. “Can you find the Narrator?”

He shook his head and tapped the device on the table. “It’s coming from everywhere, it’s not like they are projecting it like a telepath. I’ve been told it’s like we’re all inside the borders of their mind. They don’t send their thought out, we just get them like they're our own. The deep ones that influence you without ever thinking about them.”

Looking up, I could see the haunted look in his eyes. "Are they the source of Superpowers?"

He slowly shook his head. "It was suggested. But we have no clue. If they are, they are even more scary."

I scratched my chin. "I'll back up the Royals. As long as they will have me. For their sake. But I would like a favor.”

He nodded. “Name it.”

“There’s a monastery I would like to visit. Without anyone ever knowing I was there…”