Niel hastily calls Callum.

"I don't know where Alanna is. I looked everywhere and I can't find her." Niel is trying to keep his cool, but trickles of panic slip out into his voice. He can hear Callum take a shaky, mortified breath.

"I'm coming around the turn now."

The call ends and Niel spots a violet mist fast approaching him from the bend further down in the road. Once it's a few metres away from him, it coalesces back into Callum's shape. He runs past Niel and into his house, screaming his daughter's name. He's unsure of what to say to calm Callum to a reasonable level, so Niel just follows him around the house until they reach the basement. Niel saw earlier that the plants are all still here with nothing touched or moved, and Callum seeing this now makes him drop to his knees in realization.

"They're all still here..." Callum laments. He then looks up at Niel as his grief turns into tearful anguish. "Do you know what this means!?"

Niel catches on nearly instantly. "Whoever took her, she was their only target."

Callum is a wreck on the floor. Niel knows that time is of the essence if they're going to find Alanna, so he needs to take charge if they're going to get anywhere. Niel grabs Callum's shoulders and hauls him upright.

"Do you have any idea who could've taken her?" Niel asks forcefully, glaring daggers into his eyes to keep him focused.

"I... Yes."

"Who!?"

Callum shrugs off Niel's grip as he eases himself into a better sitting position. His emotions have also shifted into despondency.

"Invictus. Have you heard of them?"

"I think...?"

"They're a brutal gang, been terrorizing the city lately. All deals on the street go to them. Including mine..."

"You're one of them?"

"Fuck no. But that's the problem. If you're not one of them, they deal with you."

Niel thinks he sees where this is going, and it causes his heart to sink.

"I said before that Breanne was killed. She wouldn't work with them, so they killed her. They've been targeting me, too. Paying them off has kept them away, but the fuckers have been bleeding me dry on purpose. They limit my customers, and they take more than what they're owed. When I left you with Alanna on Tuesday, I was going to see if I could work out a different deal with them, but I barely got out with my life. Now they've taken everything I have left..."

"I'll get her back." Niel doesn't hesitate to say this.

"That's suicide. They're all over the city."

"And I'm more than capable of tearing this whole fucking city down."

It's at this when Callum notices that Niel's carotids have darkened and that a light is slowly flashing from underneath his sweater. He doesn't know what's causing this, but he doesn't question it. There's no way he can get his daughter back on his own. If Niel is this confident, then he has no choice but to trust him.

"Go to the alley we first met in and find someone dealing. Chances are that it's someone in Invictus."

"And then shake them for info—got it." As Niel steps away to leave, he turns back around to ask one last question that just came to mind. "Are you going to get the police on this, too?"

"Man, the police are the last thing I need right now."

"They'd keep you safe."

"Behind bars."

"Fair enough."

Niel uses Shadow Dives to get to the alley as fast as possible. Wasting even a minute could result in Alanna getting hurt, if she isn't already now. He scans the alley as soon as he arrives and finds that there's only one person within. Niel remembers how there were multiple people in the alley with Callum before. Now after what he's been told, he understands that those were Invictus cheating Callum out of business. He enters the alleyway to confront the dealer, but not before concealing his face and head with his shirt and hood.

"What are you selling?" Niel asks. The brown-haired dealer watched him walk over so Niel doesn't have the element of surprise, but after scanning the dealer and finding a pistol in his waistband, neither does he. Niel also severs the gun's firing pin, rendering it inoperable.

"Plenty. Why don't you come take a look?" the thug says as he brings his backpack to his front. Within the backpack are bags of white powder and milky rocks; hard drugs, and likely laced with something even worse.

"Hm. Good stuff in there. Do you want to know what isn't?"

"What?"

"Invictus, the spineless fucks." Niel is provoking a reaction to test if this dealer is a part of the gang, and based on the man closing his bag and taking an aggressive stance, he has his answer.

"You lookin' for a fight, you little bitch?" The dealer is blading his body and bringing his right hand close to his waist, which means he's likely going to draw his gun. Niel steps in tune.

"I'm looking for a lot more."

Niel pretends to reach for a gun, causing the dealer to draw his. He uses this moment to slam the man's face with a left haymaker, then catch and lift him up by his neck with his other hand. The dealer squirms and kicks weakly, but an unseeable layer of Dust restricts his movements almost entirely. The pistol clatters as it hits the ground.

"Your boys took a little girl from her home earlier today. East side of the city. Where did you take her?" Niel demands.

"Don't... know... shit..." the thug chokes out.

Niel clamps down even harder with his hand and Dust, restricting oxygen and blood for the thug completely. He lets go when the man falls limp, and after a few seconds of lying still, he stirs back to life on the ground. Niel also takes the gun and presses the muzzle against the man's temple.

"Where. Is. The. Girl?" Niel demands again.

"She's— 224 Riverbend Drive! Blue house at the end of the street! She's being brought there!"

Niel pulls the trigger to make the man yelp at the sound of the hammer clicking, then places a marker in the collar of his shirt just in case he wasn't being honest. He also butchers the internals of the man's phone so he can't warn anyone quickly, just for good measure. Niel vacates the alley using the narrow exit he and Callum used before to evade the police.

224 Riverbend Drive. The map says it's on the northeastern side of the city, right where the river takes a noticeably sharp turn to the east. Niel follows the river northeast to the address, where he slips in with Shadow Dive to survey the situation. Inside the shaded den are two Invictus members standing guard. Niel scouts through the rest of the property, and while he does find plenty of illicit drugs, drug paraphernalia, and wads of cash ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, there's no hint of Alanna being here. But right when he's about to interrogate the men, one of them gets a call.

"Yeah?" the man in the ripped blue sweater says. "The fuck? She's a kid! How'd the hell you let that happen!? ...Just get your asses over here with her and stop fucking around!"

"The hell happen?" the man with the stained red sweater questions as the first thug aggressively hangs up.

"Those fucking dumbasses lost her on the way here."

"Seriously? Where'd that happen at?"

"Somewhere between Heartstone and here."

"We gonna help 'em?"

"No. We need to stay here in case Callum comes knocking."

Niel assumed they were talking about Alanna to begin with, but mentioning Callum directly confirms it beyond a shadow of a doubt. But before he slips out of the house to join the search, he stuffs his pockets with a couple thousand dollars—likely only a fraction of what Invictus owes Callum. He then heads southwest towards the centre of the city.

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"Got an update for you," Niel says to Callum over the phone as he traverses the rooftops. "They're moving Alanna to 224 Riverside, but she managed to get away somehow, somewhere between there and Heartstone Market. I'm out looking now."

Niel can hear Callum give a relieved sigh. "Okay. I'm going there now."

"No. If they see you, they'll gun you down. I need you to set up a rendezvous point for me to bring her to."

"You sound like you've done this kind of thing before. Let's meet up... There's a bus station on the north end of the city, near City Park."

"I'll bring her there."

Niel is becoming sweaty and exhausted running through the city. He keeps surveying the ground below, but with all of the people walking about, it's hard to discern who is guilty and who is innocent. He could wait for them to bring Alanna to their safe house and ambush them there, but not only would breaking her out be difficult without revealing his Dust, but there also aren't many places to run or hide in that area. There's also no telling how many Invictus are lying in wait in the other houses there. Cutting them off out here in the city is his safest move.

It's next to impossible to figure out who anyone is down below, so Niel comes up with a plan: search the alleyways for the Invictus pursuers and use them to help him search. Most people are smart enough to avoid the alleys, so two or more people convening within them is worthy of suspicion. Niel applies this to his search, and after a few minutes, he discovers some dishonesty between two men and a women below.

"Anything?" the woman asks.

"Fuckin' nothing," the first man says.

"How'd the hell did that runt get away from us?" the second questions.

This is them. Niel tags the trio so he can keep track of them before returning to the rooftops unseen.

Finding the needle in this haystack is continuing to prove a nearly impossible task, but after a few more minutes, he notices that the three trackers he set are speeding up and converging on each other. He slips down to ground level and over to the place they're gathering, and he discovers that Alanna has finally been found hiding inside a cardboard box. Surrounding her are the three from before, plus two others he didn't find. It's going to be a fight, but now's the time to rescue her while they don't see him.

Niel makes note of things in the alley to be aware of. The distance between the walls is rather slim, which will help him fight one or two opponents at a time, rather than all five at once. On the other side of the trash pile he's taking cover behind is a rusty metal pipe—good for throwing or bludgeoning, but they can use it against him should he throw or drop it after use. He scans the gangsters and finds that three of them are carrying pistols, so he cuts the firing pins and dices their phones to eliminate the threat of immediate backup. He's ready to move now.

With their backs toward him, Niel grabs the pipe and hurls it with his Dust at the nearest gun thug's head, causing them to crumple on impact. The remaining two thugs with guns draw on him, but Niel slowly approaches as the pistols click without report. The lone woman takes charge and runs at him with the thrown pipe in hand. He ducks a swing and counterattacks with a punch to her stomach, then grabs her by the arm and head and, assisted by his Dust, slams her hard against the brick wall face-first.

Niel notices that the Dust he scattered on one of the thugs has fallen off completely, and when he looks over proper, he quickly discovers that the thug in question had Phased into a red vapour and is about to pistol-whip him in the face. He hastily blocks the attack, punches the man in the lower ribs, and then headbutts him repeatedly into a concussion. The second-to-last gangster also tries to throw punches, but Niel strikes him in the face multiple times before slamming him against the ground.

"Alright, that's as far as you go," the last thug says. He has Alanna pinned to his body with his left arm, and his right hand against her head. Niel can see a greyish-silvery powder coalesce from his arm to his fingers; he holds a natural gun to her head that Niel can't disarm. He has another idea.

"You really think you're in charge?" Niel questions to buy the few seconds he needs.

Suddenly, the man frees Alanna and stiffly wobbles in Niel's direction. The man's anguished and horrified expression tells the story: his actions are not his own. Niel has slipped Dust underneath the man's skin and seized control of his bones. When the two of them are half a metre apart, Niel releases his puppet from his grasp of malice, and in a state of fight-or-flight, the thug throws a punch. Niel slips it and throws a left hook into his opponent's jaw before grabbing his head and slamming it against the wall beside them. He punches the thug in the face again on his way down, and while he's kneeling, Niel punts him in the face to put him on his back. When the thug deliriously looks up at him standing over, Niel stomps his head back into the pavement.

With the fighting concluded, Niel turns his attention to the frightened Alanna cowering against the base of the wall further away from him. He notices her becoming more frightened as he approaches, so he pulls his shirt off of his face so she can see who he is. Once she recognizes him, her face lights up a small bit with relief.

"Let's bring you back to your dad," he says to her softly so the thugs laying dazed behind him don't overhear. He lifts her into his arms and they begin the trek north to the bus station.

"Alanna!" Callum cries as soon as he sees the pair approach. Alanna hops out of Niel's arms and into Callum's. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay daddy," she responds as she buries her face into his coat.

"Niel... Thank you so, so much for finding her." This level of sincerity and gratitude is alien to Niel, but he's thankful that he was able to help. He expresses this with a silent nod.

"What are you going to do now?" Niel asks. "Invictus will come back once they learn that Alanna was rescued."

"I know. That's why we're here," Callum says, referring to the bus station behind him.

"Are you leaving the city?"

"Yeah. It's not safe for us here anymore."

"We're leaving? What about our house?" Alanna questions drearily.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. We have to find a new place to live."

"What about your stuff?" Niel questions.

"I have it all in my backpack, plus some emergency money. We'll spend a night in a motel or something in the next city over, but I'll have to come back and sell off the house and whatever's left in it."

"In that case, I have something for you."

Niel pulls the money he stole from the den out of his pockets and hands it to Callum, who then counts out the bills in disbelief.

"This is over two grand! How'd the hell you get this?"

"It's some of what Invictus owes you, taken straight from the safe house they were planning to hide Alanna in. That should help you get back on your feet."

"Dude... You're a lifesaver."

Callum pockets the cash and he gives Niel a hug of gratitude.

"Stay safe, okay?" Callum says to Niel.

"As long as you do, too," Niel responds.

"Later, man."

"Later."

"Bye-bye Niel!"

Niel gives a wave as they go their separate ways. Though, he does wonder why Alanna hid in the alley rather than go out and find help among the civilians. Perhaps it's just because she's young and afraid of strangers, or maybe Callum taught her to avoid talking to people she doesn't know. He supposes it doesn't really matter now since she's safe. When he gets home, he ends up crashing on the couch and accidentally falling asleep after eating supper.

Niel expects there to be days of silence after this event, but on the next day, he receives another text from Callum, though this one is less severe: Callum wants Niel to join him at a graveyard. It's an even warmer day than yesterday, and along with today being Saturday, Niel sees a lot of people walking around the neighbourhood on his way over. Once there, he finds Callum standing at the entrance.

"You look a lot smaller without your sweater," Callum comments in place of a greeting.

"You're one to talk," Niel jabs back at the noticeable skinny man missing his oversized jacket.

"Here. There's someone I want you to meet."

Niel tilts his head slightly in confusion, but he follows Callum through the field of headstones regardless.

"Where's Alanna?" Niel asks.

"Daycare in the city over." Callum comes to a stop in front of a grave and takes a knee. "Here."

'Breanne Verne' is engraved in the stone.

"After everything you've done for us, I wanted to take you to see her."

Niel isn't sure what to say, so he nods and looks back to the headstone.

"I said before I was considering putting Alanna up for adoption. After what you said before, and after what happened yesterday, I've given up on that."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it," Niel responds. "Every child deserves a parent. I know that Alanna's glad it's you."

"Thank you. That's touching, coming from the kid who not only stood up against a veritable crime ring, but also managed to stop the Electric Mute Thief."

"Huh?"

"Am I wrong, then? I figured that doing something extracurricular like using a bent metal rod to pin someone to a dumpster would be your doing."

A wave of anxiety shoots through Niel. Was it really that obvious?

"I... You're correct..."

"Hah! I was right!" Callum sounds triumphant. "I'll be honest, it was really just a guess. You went home at around that time so I figured you must've had a run-in with that kid. Damn fine work. Did you get zapped?"

Niel proceeds to tell Callum about the encounter, though he bends the truth a fair bit to exclude his Dust. He seems to buy it.

"Don't know if I believe something like that, but I guess you got your reasons."

Or not.

"I know you're something special, Niel. The way you took down that mugger, you following me to Alanna, taking down Electro-boy, and especially rescuing Alanna. I don't know what that glowy thing is you've got on that chain under your shirt, but I know you can't do all of what you did if you're normal."

Callum looks at Niel and sees that he's clutching the bump under his shirt, and that his expression is one of sensitivity. He should probably let this go.

"I guess it doesn't matter."

A short bout of silence ensues as both direct their attention back to Breanne's grave. Stuck in the ground at the stone's base, Niel notices a faded playing card stained green from the grass.

"A queen of hearts?" Niel questions.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. That was her nickname: Queen of Hearts. She got it from some game she played. She wore hers on her sleeve... and had mine in the palm of her hand."

With the setting and the personal question, tears well up in Callum's eyes as he speaks each word. The answer is so heavy it drains the energy from the conversation again, but Callum pushes on to tell Niel other stories of when his wife was alive.

"I wonder if meeting you when I did was fate," Niel says once Callum finishes his train of thought.

"Heh. Fate's bullshit—don't put any stock into it. If you think something needs doing, do it, rather than letting 'fate' decide." Callum stands up, so Niel does too. "Alright, I gotta go offload some plants and clean up the house to sell. I'll be back in Soul to visit every now and again. Check on everything, keep her headstone clean. Things like that."

"I'll be here when you do."

"In that case, look after the people you care about, okay? And look after yourself, too."

"I will."

With another greeting comes another departure, and the pair bids each other farewell once again. When Niel gets home, he finds Illia and Mabel out on the front deck, with Illia blowing bubbles.

"There you are," Mabel says. "Illia wants to go for a walk. I know you just got back, but do you think you could take her?"

"Sure. Let's go," Niel responds, much to Illia's delight.

Illia continues her bubble blowing as they walk down the street, and Niel takes this time to reflect. Much like with Mavrick, he's pleased with this outcome, though the same question he had then persists now: why? Callum was nothing more than a shady stranger in an alley. Why did he risk making such a dangerous enemy in Invictus for a stranger? He doesn't know, but he undoubtedly has made a difference in Callum and Alanna's lives.

And that may just be enough.