So waking up at four AM to the jarring cry of his alarm isn't really a surprise for Jay. What does startle him is waking up to the sound of songbirds outside the thin metal walls of the RV.

It takes him a moment to catch up with last nights events. He needs to go, he doesn't have much time. Quickly, before Gannet stirs, Jay turns off the alarm on his phone. He sits up—

"Oof!" A pair of glowing pink hands swiftly pulls Jay back into bed. Gannet has shifted into Stygian unconsciously, holding Jay hostage with superhuman strength.

"I thought you were asleep," Jay wheezes.

"I am." Stygian snores, eyes still closed.

Jay smiles, sweeping Stygian's bangs from his face. "So you're sleep-talking?"

"I usually wake up first."

"Uh...?""

"Not all of me is awake. Gannet is asleep."

Jay blinks. "Wait, so is it like a dolphin thing? Half your brain is awake?"

"Something like that."

"That's pretty fucking cool. So you're not—integrated right now, or what?

Stygian smiles. "We're still integrated. Our oneness has little moments of fracture sometimes. "

"So it's normal?"

"As long as it's not a full separation. He's subconsciously aware right now. Just barely."

"Is he dreaming?"

"Yes."

"What's he dreaming of?"

"This moment. But in his dream you're telling him about a camping trip."

Jay flushes. That's so fucking cute. "Well if you're awake you can let me go."

The iron grip on Jay's midriff tightens. "Don't go yet. Stay a little longer."

"Hey!"

"You're not allowed to leave me yet."

Jay surrenders to the superhuman bear hug, taking a deep breath and going lax in the tight embrace. He marvels at how much he enjoys the squeeze—if it was anyone else holding him, he would be fighting tooth and nail to get away. But with Gannet it feels centering, not claustrophobic. Like Stygian is holding him together at the seams.

"I don't think I've ever talked to just one side of you before," Jay whispers.

"Do you want to ask me anything?"

"Who fell in love first? You, or Gannet?"

"Me. Definitely me," Stygian giggles, snuggling into Jay's chest. "Back at Netscie, they made us memorize all the supers in texas—I thought you were cute."

"That doesn't sound too romantic to me."

"Well I didn't love you then, but I had a little crush. I didn't get much interaction outside the staff so I latched onto anything I could."

"Did they make you memorize other vigilantes at the time?"

"No, actually. I thought it was odd too, their explanation was I needed to be prepared to fight anyone, but I didn't really see any way we'd interact as supers. I guess they were right though, we did end up fighting. Not that their training actually helped."

Jay's stomach turns uncomfortably. Why did they put such a focus on him? It doesn't make any sense. Jay pivots to clear his mind. "If you fell in love first, how did Gannet react?"

"Oh he hated your guts. He's so lame! Stop it, stop thinking about him! A hero wouldn't date us!" Stygian mimics in a whiny voice.

"Tough crowd."

"He was going through a lot. We fought a lot. Honestly, I was terrified we'd end up some Jekyll and Hyde freak."

"Do you miss being completely separate people?"

Stygian pauses, frowning. "Sometimes. I don't miss the fear of constantly going too far. Gannet is my self control. My morality. I need him or things would get ugly. Really ugly."

Jay thinks of Alpha, of the raw pain and fear in his eyes. Briefly, he contemplates if Stygian has the potential to cause the same amount of destruction, if pushed to the limit.

No, Jay decides. Stygian wouldn't. The similarities between him and Alpha are surface level.

"I think you should give yourself more credit. Gannet needs you just as much as you need him."

"I don't think so," Stygian's voice dips into a whisper, still raw from yesterday's crying. "As much as I used to want to be my own person, I don't think I could ever...get rid of him. But if I didn't exist, he'd have a normal life. He used to fantasize about it. About getting rid of me."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Jay grimaces, heart constricting in sympathy. "He was wrong, okay? I'm glad you're here. I love you, you know that right? All of you, Stygian."

Pink rises to Stygian's cheeks. "Yes."

"Good. Will you tell Gannet when he wakes up?"

"He'll know."

Jay smiles. He leans over, kissing Stygian's forehead. "Okay. Now let me go. I need to get to Houston for that emergency meeting."

"I'll just kidnap you again."

Jay pushes away, grunting in between laughs. "I can't stay! Stygian, let go!"

Finally, the tight grip eases. Jay stands from the bed. "I'll see you soon."

Stygian smiles, pulling Java into his arms as he snuggles into the pillow.

Jay quickly dresses, fighting off the urge to get back in bed and snuggle the cat too. Before common sense loses the battle, he leaves the RV and piles into the waiting taxi. Lucky for him, Traffic is very light this morning. He makes it just in time to get to his apartment and change into his super suit, right as his phone buzzes. Darius flickers onto his screen.

"Quickwit, good morning. I apologize for the early call, but there is work to be done."

"Good morning, director. Got a mission for me?"

"Not exactly. Have you taken a look at the news?"

"Not yet."

"Stygian has launched a deadly attack against Houston. You are required to meet with the Dawnbreakers to discuss your next moves."

"I understand. I'll be there."

"Good. We will be meeting at an undisclosed location—your ride will arrive momentarily. Oh, and your discretion is imperative. We will provide a full explanation of the details, but you must keep this meeting confidential. Understood?"

Now that makes Jay nervous. There's no way in hell he's not shooting a text to the group chat. "Understood."

Without another word, Darius ends the call. A few moments later, a sleek black car pulls up outside. Grabbing a canned coffee, Jay enters the nondescript vehicle. He cracks the drink open as he observes the weary group of heroes inside. Pixamena is applying her makeup with Pixiepuff sleeping in her lap, Scoops is drinking some kind of green smoothie, and Delta is wearily bouncing her son in her arms. Jay leans back in his seat, taking a sip.

Someone's missing. The bastard isn't here. "Where's Zenith?" Jay asks.

"He's meeting us there, I assume," Scoops says.

"So we must be going somewhere on Netscie property."

"Best not speculate."

Jay looks out the tinted window. He had thought it was just the early morning that made the roads clear, however, now he realizes that the streets are still barren. Everyone is hiding, fearful of another Calamity day. Fearful of Stygian.

Jay glances at Pixamena. She's applying eyeliner, but it keeps smearing around on her skin messily. Her eyes are too wet to apply it, Jay realizes.

"Fuck!" She cries suddenly, startling the other supers.

Jay scoots closer. "Pixie, put it down. It's okay. You don't need to wear makeup right now."

"Easy for you to say. Being cute in the face of disaster isn't your brand."

"You're cute without makeup too. Right, Pixiepuff?"

"She always looks beautiful," Pixiepuff agrees.

"You look better than me," Delta laughs. "I was up all night with this little guy. The soundproofing we put up didn't work."

Pixamena sniffs, slowly blotting off the dark mascara leaking from her eyes.

Jay doesn't bother trying to say anything else. As much as he wants to comfort her, he's a bit lost on what the right thing to say here is. What, should he say sorry your former best friend is being framed for mass murder?

"What are we even supposed to do about this? What will a meeting change? He's gone off the deep end," Pixamena croaks.

"It doesn't matter. There's five of us and only one of him," says Delta.

"Did you forget their little quote-on-quote Villain Alliance? They already have Razzmatazz, Texas, Taurrage, and now, Insight."

"Wait, who's Insight?"

Scoops sits up, excited to report the news. "He's a new super that appeared with Razzmatazz. He kidnapped a doctor and held her hostage. She's been missing ever since."

Fuck. They gave Jay a villain name? How did they even come up with that? Insight? Really? Not to mention, Jay made sure to check Texas and Taurrage turned their captive loose. So why is Scoops now reporting she's missing?

Jay sighs. He wants answers now, but all he can do is wait for what comes next. Lucky for him, the "what's next" is fast approaching. The limo takes a turn down an abandoned alley as the windows become opaque.

"What's happening?" Pixamena asks nervously.

"I assume we're nearing our destination," says Scoops.

The limousine skids to a halt. But before anyone can get out, Jay's stomach drops as they start to descend. A few tense minutes later, the doors finally open. Jay steps out warily, finding himself in a massive underground chamber.

Darius strides over to the landing pad, looking unbothered as ever. "Welcome heroes, to Netscie's underground laboratory. Please follow me."

Jay reluctantly follows the order. He stares up at the ceiling, finding clusters of white crystals there. "Are we in a salt dome?"

"Keen eye, Quickwit. Many years ago, this area used to be filled with crude oil and mineral formations. Now we repurpose it to keep Houston safe."

"What's down here?" Delta asks.

"That's classified. Please hold your questions until the end of the meeting."

The group falls silent as they approach a large metal door. The hiss of hydraulics is the only sound as the opening widens inch by inch. Finally, the path opens up. Jay swallows nervously as he observes yet another sterile, cold hallway. His instincts are to run back to the limousine—but he trudges forward with the others. It's too late now.

Footsteps echo on white tile as they progress down the hall. Suddenly, Darius stops in front of a door labeled Meeting Room 5A.

Scoops steps forward, but is stopped as Darius impedes his path. "The rest of you head down the hall to meeting room 6A. Quickwit is needed here."

Scoops gives Jay a nervous smile, "Good luck, Witty..."

Jay grimaces. "Why am I being separated from the others?"

"Please go inside and make yourself comfortable. An explanation will be given shortly.

Jay steps in as Darius leaves with the other heroes. However, comfortable is the last thing Jay could be when he spots Alphaman at the front of the room.

Jay drops his eyes to the floor, attempting not to show his fear. Part of his mind rebels: It screams this is all a trap, and there's no way Alphaman wouldn't recognize him. Thankfully, common sense is wrong once again. Alphaman doesn't move an inch from his seat as Jay sits down. A new shiny mask covers his face. Jay shivers, knowing that behind the indifferent chrome surface is an expression of insanity. Gannet wears it better.

Suddenly, the last member of their team arrives.

"Greetings, Quickwit. Thank you for coming," Zenith greets.

Jay glares. As if he has a choice.

Behind Zenith, a projection flickers to life. Jay's heart speeds up a pace as he recognizes the destruction from his last heist.

"This is the reason for our meeting. Last night, at approximately 1 AM, Stygian attacked an illegal research lab. We can only assume a deal between villains fell through, leading to a violent altercation. The result was a massive loss of life of several civilians and villains. The count is 50 presumed dead, at the moment."

Jay grips his chair with white knuckles. Despite his better judgment, he desperately wants to tell Zenith he's a bastard liar.

Zenith continues. "As villains grow more and more bold, the Network has realized that it's no longer possible to keep you in the dark about Stygian's origins."

The projection behind him changes. It's a video paused and awaiting input.

"Before we start, I must emphasize the secrecy of this meeting. Quickwit, please verbally accept your vow of silence."

Jay nervously eyes the camera in the corner of the room. "I accept."

Zenith nods, playing the video. The screen flickers to life as the scene flickers between static and whiteness.

With a flash of color, white text on a black background appears.