I didn't get more than an hour of sleep after my escapade with Jeb and the vicious Watcher. Still suffering from remnants of last night's panic attack, I felt restless, persistent spasms and muscle twitches jolting throughout my body as I lay in bed.

Not being able to quell my nerves with alcohol made the lingering effects of anxiety so much worse, and sleep was nearly impossible. The entire ordeal had me doubting if I had what it took to continue with Leo's crusade...

When the sun finally rose on my waking eyes the next morning, I gave up the vain search for rest and left my bed, dragging myself downstairs and across the street to Marv's for breakfast.

The place was nearly empty when I entered, and Marv greeted me with a grunt from over the grill as I slumped on the stool against the bar.

"Usual?" he asked.

I yawned and nodded in reply.

Moments later, Ling came around. "Morning," she said as she poured me a cup. "You hear what happened last night?" she asked, looking up at the TV overhead as she passed me the mug.

Lifting bagging eyes, I followed her attention to the screen. Then my skin went cold.

A news chyron affixed to the bottom of a shaky cell phone video read; "Masked man saves woman from vicious attack." It was a fuzzy clip of my fight with Jeb before the Watcher had emerged. The segment ended after I kicked Jeb across the road, then cut to a news anchor.

"The video went viral this morning, garnering a wide range of responses on social media. While some argue the masked man is a fascist, using police aesthetics to terrorize the community, others believe he is a hero, with the woman who posted the video calling him her "knight".

One clever commenter coined the moniker Knightstick after noting his use of a police nightstick, which has been trending online ever since. The strange encounter has left everyone wondering, who is this mysterious Knighstick? And where will he be sighted next?" The anchor allowed himself a smile.

While Ling watched the broadcast, I pulled my sunglasses from my head over my alarmed eyes and slumped down low in my seat.

The girl filmed it? Goddam cell phones, when did she even have time to get it out? The news anchor's words rolled through me, worsening my anxiousness. "Where will he be sighted next," he had said... Keep calm, I coaxed myself, no one saw your face. It was hard for me to fathom my actions getting this much attention.

I had hoped creating the image of a super-powered cop on the hunt for predators would scare the bad guys, not start a damn hashtag. And what kind of asshole basement-dweller came up with that name? Knight-stick...

Even in my shock, the irony was not lost on me. I could almost hear Maria rolling over in her grave as her surname was usurped for clickbait. I amused myself briefly imagining what her annoyed face would look like if she were here now.

"Weird, right?" Ling said as she turned back, now looking over the top of my head. Her brow furrowed, and she looked down at my sunken form. "What the heck is wrong with you?" she asked, puzzled.

I tried to play off my unease, "oh, nothing, just a long night," I said, shifting uncomfortably and occupying myself with the coffee mug. Marv rang the bell for my food, and Ling went to get it, shaking her head while muttering something about strange boys.

Moments later she returned and slid the sizzling plate of bacon and eggs toward me before turning to tend to another customer.

"Mmm that looks good!" A voice said from nowhere.

I jumped and turned to see Leo seated on the stool next to me, rubbing his hands together and eyeing my food.

I quickly scanned the rest of the diner. "Dude, not here!" I hissed.

But he wasn't listening. Instead, he set out an imaginary silver platter filled with roast vegetables and a whole turkey leg on the counter next to my plate. I gawked while Leo tucked a bib into his shirt and started cutting his meat with a set of fine cutlery.

"You did a marvelous job last night," he said, before taking a bite.

I rubbed my forehead, "thanks. Go away,' I said under my breath without looking at him.

Leo manifested a tankard of something dark and took a swig. "You'll need to practice feeling out your targets better though," he said, chewing and ignoring my plea, "you should be able to feel a Watcher much sooner than you did."

I smiled nervously as Ling walked past, still eyeing me warily. I kept my face forward in the hopes of appearing less crazy, "Yeah, suck less, got it. Are we done?" I whispered tersely.

I vaguely registered the bell ringing above the diner door while Leo wiped his face. He opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could, someone came up from behind and sat inside Leo, taking his stool.

At a loss for words, I watched his spectral form waver and distort, until my new neighbor's face broke through Leo's incorporeal one and came into focus. It was Uncle Chuck, and he looked miffed.

I tried to hide my surprise, "hey, what's up," I greeted awkwardly.

In response, he dropped the morning edition of The Sacred River Bee newspaper on my plate, covering my eggs. Splashed across the front page was a blurry photo, clipped from the same cell phone video of me from the night before. I gulped.

"You're back on the sauce, is that it?" Chuck asked.

I looked around the room, checking neither Ling nor Marv were within earshot.

"What makes you say that," I asked, feigning innocence.

A vein in Chuck's head throbbed. "You think I'm dim?” He tapped the photo. "I gave you that damn uniform! What, did you get drunk and go looking for some payback after what happened at Ace's?" Chuck scoffed, "god dammit boy you could have been killed!"

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

I waved at him to keep his voice down, "Sssh!" I urged. "It's not like that-"

Chuck rode over me, "You seriously think I wouldn't find out? And now you're on camera wearing your granddaddy's clothes!"

I threw up my hands in defeat, threw cash on the counter next to my untouched food, and got up to leave. Chuck followed, stalking after me like a man about to teach a lesson.

As we exited the diner he rounded on me, "Don't you ever walk away from me boy!"

At the risk of losing an arm, I lifted a hand to silence him, "Not out here!" I said. "In my apartment, alright?"

My uncle's nostrils flared, but he followed me across the street all the same.

We went upstairs and I keyed my way inside. On entry, Chuck noticed the antique uniform lying on the heirloom chest by the door. The vein in his head looked ready to explode as he slammed the door, locking us in the room together.

I held my hands up in surrender. I knew my uncle's temper was clogging his ears. Trying to explain the madness that I had been living was not going to be possible. I couldn't tell him, I was going to have to show him.

As he lifted an accusing finger, his neck muscles straining against his fury, I lifted my hand to the wooden chest and the nightstick jumped across the room, passing Chuck by an inch, and landing in my outstretched hand.

Whatever he had expected, that had not been it. He froze, finger still raised, but his eyes now round with shock, the red anger in his cheeks draining away.

"I am telling you," I began, "It isn't what you think..."

***

Over the next hour, I told him everything. Chuck's expression shifted between confused, to unreadable as I walked him through the oddities of the last several months. I was sure I sounded insane, describing the Aether, Negasites, and Watchers. To make matters worse, Leo showed up halfway through, distracting me by leaning over the counter and staring at my uncle as I spoke, (which I absolutely did not tell him).

Chuck examined the talisman, listening quietly to my explanation, and I demonstrated my abilities with the baton several more times to drive home the point.

When I finished recounting my first battle with the wicked Watcher, Chuck took the nightstick from me and sat on a stool.

His eyes pinched shut, "It was on fire?" he asked skeptically

"Aetherfire," I corrected, "but yes."

Chuck gave his head a shake, "And, you can see anyone who's about to be attacked before it happens?"

I paused, trying to find the words. "I still don't know how it all works. But I do know when I get the visions, they aren't wrong... I knew those bikers were going to try and kidnap a woman, and sure enough, they did. That's what was happening when she caught me on camera."

Chuck rubbed the back of his neck. I could tell he was uncomfortable. Not surprising since I had just told him monsters were real and offered him a shiny bobble and a few magic tricks as proof.

"And..." he said, "you're wearing the uniform to send a message? He snorted out a laugh, “Good lord...”

Leo put his hands on his hips and frowned disapprovingly at Chuck's snark. I rolled my eyes and waved him off, to which he leaned back against the sink and began to sulk.

"Yes," I replied, turning back to my uncle, and trying to sound confident.

Chuck fixed his eyes on the talisman and sat, pondering it silently. After what felt like an eternity, he finally looked up again. "OK," He said, nodding slowly.

I blinked, waiting for more, but he offered none. "OK, as in you believe me?"

Chuck shrugged, turning over the talisman. "It sounds ten kinds of crazy but..." he eyed the nightstick in his other hand warily, "I can't explain this," he said.

I felt an odd sense of relief in my uncle's acceptance. For some reason, having him know what I was going through (even if he barely believed it) afforded me some small reprieve. Like I finally got to share the burden with someone.

Also, I had never seen that look on his face before, awe, mixed with hesitation. I allowed myself a small prideful gloat, summoning the baton across the room to my outstretched hand and letting it levitate in slow circles over my palm.

The talisman glowed in Chuck's hand, as he watched it in wonder "Wild," he said.

He put the talisman on the counter and I stopped showboating. "So what's the plan now?" he asked, rubbing his chin.

I shrugged, "Keep looking for bad guys until the talisman gets another hit I suppose. Bounty hunting should help with that. Lord knows that last check made Jack happy, so, you know, two birds... Maybe I'll even find one or two of those missing people along the way."

Chuck's expression suddenly darkened. "What do you know about that?"

His sudden intensity caught me off guard. "Just that missing person reports are way up, mostly women and children. After what I saw with the Acolytes, I'm assuming they are at least partially to blame."

Chuck's eyes hardened and he shook his head, "Not partially, we think they are the reason."

"How do you know that?" I frowned, "Wait... whose 'We'?"

Chuck smirked, "You ain't the only one with surprises kid." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black leather wallet. He flipped it open and showed me a badge, and it wasn't his retired one.

"Finnick called me up. Asked me to come back in, but under the table. I’m helping them investigate what looks like one of the largest human trafficking operations I've ever heard of this side of the border. He has unconfirmed intel that city hall and a ton of other privileged assholes are involved, including some cops. It's organized, well-funded, and damn scary. Best I can tell the Acolytes are their foot soldiers. We intend to find them all, and shut it down.”

My turn to look shocked. The severity of what Finnick told us after he saved Daniel and I suddenly hit me. When we hit Aces, we had risked blowing his operation. My uncle's operation. I collapsed into the chair by my desk, running my fingers through my hair.

My already severe exhaustion intensified, and my body suddenly felt very heavy. It was one thing for me to take out a few thugs when they stepped out of line, but even with the talisman, I couldn't take on a cartel...

Chuck watched me closely while I processed, reading the defeat etched across my face.

"You know your dad used to tell me there was no such thing as coincidences. That it was all meant to be," he snorted. "I don't know about that. But the timing is odd..."

I lifted my heavy head, "What timing?

"You, finding a..." he waved his hand, searching for the word, "that." He said, pointing at the talisman on the counter, "then catching that bail jumper case, and mixing it up with the Acolytes, of all people."

"I don't follow."

He chuckled, "You catch a case of superpowers pointing you in the direction of the worst corruption this city has ever seen. People are being hurt, killed, or worse, and now suddenly you have the power to throw a man through walls?" He looked down at his hands, still smiling. "I think your daddy would have something to say about it."

Leo was still leaning against the sink, but his sullen demeanor shifted as he watched me intently over Chuck's shoulder.

I didn't like it. In fact, I hated it. I never believed in fate, the idea that I had no control over my destiny. So the idea this was all meant to be grated on me. Fighting bad guys was all well and good, but thinking I was fated to take on something of this size...

Chuck met my eyes, "You ain't alone in this kid." he said, reading my thoughts. "So here's the deal, If you are going to keep taking on bruisers and thugs whenever your little shiny badge tells you to, fine. But you need to be smart about it." He pointed his finger at me, "You call me before you go after someone, and you tell me when you get a vision, or whatever, so I can keep the department in the know. We work together on this."

I started to protest when he held up a hand interrupting me, "I won't tell anyone who you are," he assured me, "lord knows I can barely comprehend it myself. I'll make up something to tell them. But I still need to know. Got it?"

I nodded, unsure what else to say.

Leo sauntered around the kitchen to stand between my uncle and I, positively beaming.

"Well well, looks like this just became a family affair! Go, team!" He said pumping his fists in the air exuberantly in front of my unaware uncle.

At least he was happy. Good grief.