It took until Dynamo’s release for Silvertongue’s charmed voice to wear off, and by that point, she was trying very hard to keep her temper under control.

She would admit she had used disproportionate force. Cold Snap had been a B-list villain. She could have just given him a shock and cuffed him while he was twitching in the snow. Pulverizing his ribs had been overkill, and she would accept the censure she would receive from the Department of Heroes when she got home.

But the girl he had kidnapped had appeared to be putting a fellow hero in danger! And fake or not, allowing villains to just run around was idiotic. Villains killed people, ruined cities, and even the most minor ones inspired fear.

She’d sworn to stop them all, by force if she needed to. And people like this didn’t even care.

Her musings were cut short when an officer stopped her. “Miss, if you could wait, Silvertongue and Pain Management want to speak with you.”

The officer’s face was carefully neutral, but she could see the buried distaste in her eyes. For a moment, Dynamo wanted to snap at her, to tell her exactly what she thought of this stupid city, but she forced herself to stay calm. This could be a chance to convince them to drop this charade. And if it didn’t, it could at least give her information to bring to the Department later so they could shut it down.

“Fine. Show me where.”

The officer took her to a small conference room. She had barely settled in when the door opened again, admitting Silvertongue and Pain Management. Instead of uniforms, they were dressed in winter coats and scarves. Pain Management even had a poorly knitted hat with a pom-pom on it tugged close over their ears.

It took her a moment to break her staring (pom-poms? Really?) and stand to greet them, but Silvertongue waved a hand. “Keep your seat. This isn’t anything formal; I just wanted to clarify a few things.”

Dynamo sat and folded her hands on the table, trying not to watch Pain Management too closely. There was something off about their expression. Something about the way their eyes remained wide despite their smile put her in mind of a cat about to swat a bird out of the air.

She suppressed a shudder, then looked at Silvertongue. “What did you want to clarify, sir? I understand the conditions that my charges were dropped on.”

She could even see that they made sense, though she didn’t particularly like being banned from hero work in the city. The people here wouldn’t trust her, not for a long time, but she could still help. And the de-escalation training would make it easier to help, even—keeping confrontations low-key would keep people safer—

“That’s good,” Silvertongue said, cutting off her musings again. “But I’m talking about how the city works, and why the people let us do what we do.”

Dynamo bit her tongue to hold back her first instinctual response—because they’re all crazy?—and squared her shoulders. “I’d been wondering. Most people would be terrified of having villain plots going on all the time, even if they were all fake.”

Pain Management signed something, their hands making up for their unchanging face in wild expressiveness. Silvertongue smiled, a genuine if tired expression, then said, “They’re pointing out that it doesn’t happen all the time. People would get tired of it, and even with a whole pack of villains it takes time to plan.”

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“Even so, it’s dangerous.” Dynamo crossed her arms. “Villains aren’t exactly known for things like restraint or moderation or avoiding collateral damage.”

A single twitch of an eyebrow upward on Pain Management’s face made Dynamo want to flinch. She immediately chastised herself—they weren’t threatening her, and even if they were to attack, she’s definitely stronger and faster. She could be out the door before they even catch her.

They signed something else, sharp motions emphasizing words she couldn’t understand, and Silvertongue sighed. “Even if you prefer subtle, she has a point.” He looked up to meet her eyes, then added, “That’s why we clear every plan before it’s enacted, and why we have things like safety barriers and off-limits zones.”

“Which doesn’t stop anyone who wants to go rogue, does it?” Dynamo asked. She took a deep breath, forcing her anger down. “It doesn’t stop them from infiltrating and taking over your ‘villains’ from the inside. Or your heroes, for that matter!”

“No, it doesn’t.” Silvertongue gave her a subtle, approving nod, grass-green eyes grave and doing absolutely nothing to keep her calm. “So we watch ourselves.”

Pain Management just continued to smile, and her temper broke. “And who watches you?” she snapped. “That still doesn’t keep you from being infiltrated!”

Pain Management signed something that she was fairly sure was rude. Silvertongue just raised an eyebrow. “The people.”

“The people? The people you’re supposed to protect? I can’t believe this!” She stood up and slammed her hands on the table. “This—this game or whatever you want to call it is putting lives at risk, and I am not going to wait around for it to collapse and bring down the innocent people in this city with you! As soon as I get home, I am contacting the Department of Heroes, and they can sort you out!”

There was silence, and for a moment, Dynamo thought she had won, convinced them that this was too dangerous and gave potential villains too much power.

Then Pain Management moved.

It wasn’t much, just a slight tilt of their head to allow eye contact. But when their eyes met hers, a voice slithered into her brain and down her spine, sending every hair on her body on end. Go ahead.

Their smile widened, showing even white teeth like a row of tombstones. Go ahead, tell them. Let them come down on our little city, and try to take the joy my ducklings have built for themselves.

They’ll fail. They’ll come with their collars, and their cages, and they will fail, because we will be ready for them. Not just the ones with power, either—everyone who doesn’t have to be scared that they’re going to lose a job or a home or a family because we watch each other. We don’t let true villains take root, keep them entertained, and in return they keep us around. No, more than that—they want us here. And there’s precious few hero-infested cities that can say that.

“I—but—my home city wants me!”

Do they? Pain Management laughed silently. That’s the reason half of the villains my father employed joined him. They were disillusioned heroes, tired of people blaming them for damage whether it was the heroes’ fault or not, while demanding that they keep protecting their ungrateful lives. Here, we don’t have to protect anyone ungrateful, because we handle problems before they start.

They shrugged. But maybe they’ll abandon us anyway. And if they do, we’ll leave, and they can deal with the heroes and villains that fill the vacuum. I doubt they’ll be as nice as us.

Dynamo gasped slightly as they looked away, and their mental voice took on a more playful tone. You’ve got a room to check out of and a plane to catch, though, don’t you? You’re free to go.

Dynamo swallowed, then nodded and hurried to the door. Before she could step out, though, Silvertongue murmured, “Dynamo?”

She turned to find him watching her. In the solemn set of his face, his green eyes were hard. “You said I turned Painmonger. I didn’t—they just found something better, something that made them happy. I don’t want to see what will happen if that goes away.”

Dynamo swallowed again, then nodded slowly.

“Thank you.” He smiled slightly, the solemn lines of his face softening for a moment. “Sorry to keep you.”

As the door closed between them, Dynamo shuddered.

She didn’t think she’d be speaking to the Department about them after all.