“Glory Girl, Panacea,” Weld greeted them as they touched down outside the PRT headquarters. It was still shrouded in early morning fog, the sun hadn't even risen yet. “Sorry to rush you but--”

“You said emergency,” Amy cut him off curtly as she clambered from Vicky's arms. Why did this even need explaining? “Come on.” He winced, but nodded and turned, leading them in. Vicky shot her a look and Panacea did her best to ignore the twisting in her stomach.

The lobby was a mess that Weld quickly sidestepped, taking them through the admin hallways around to the elevator. They began descending, past the quarters and down to the infirmary. She'd only got a hurried explanation of the headquarters having been attacked by the Undersiders. She knew the damage they could do. Amy had been worried it was this serious, and wasn't happy about being proved right.

“What happened?” Vicky asked as the elevator took them down. Weld grimaced, he seemed to have a lumpier face than normal.

“From what we can tell?” He sighed. “The Undersiders kidnapped and mind-controlled Shadow Stalker, then used her to infiltrate the headquarters here. Stole some data, not sure what but it can't be good.” The three of them shared a nod.

“How's Shadow Stalker?” Vicky asked, earning a shake of Weld's head.

“Bad,” he answered flatly. “Amaranth managed to break Regent's control with pepper spray, but that was only because it put her in extreme pain. She's sedated in an isolation room down here.”

“That's who I'm here for?” Amy asked, cocking her head. She didn't exactly like Stalker...but she'd do her job.

“Yeah.” Weld nodded. “Her and Amaranth.”

“Oh god what did she do now?” Amy groused. For a girl with a fucking invincible force-field, she sure needed healing a lot. Her gut squirmed, she shouldn't think like that, Lia actually tried, even if they were in the same fated boat.

“Didn't see,” he said, shaking his head. The door opened and he gestured. “Come on.”

They followed him into the stark, white halls of the infirmary. Amy saw a few people, mostly PRT officers, with various injuries major and minor. She would help them on the way out, make sure she did as much as she could while she was still...decent. For now though, she had a mission.

Vicky stayed outside as she entered the first room. Shadow Stalker was there, intubated and heaving ragged breaths. With a nurse's permission, Amy touched her skin and winced, that wasn't great. Worse, she couldn't get consent because of the sedation. She asked the nurse if she could counter that, even though she knew it would be totally safe. Sticking to her rules now was more important than anything else.

The nurse checked with one of two officers standing guard, who nodded. With the all clear, she increased the efficiency of Shadow Stalker's kidneys, swiftly processing the tranquilizer to nothing. A moment later, her eyes shot open with a pained gasp.

“Shadow Stalker,” Amy snapped, drawing the girl's attention before the pain could overwhelm her. “Do I have permission to heal you?” A curt nod was enough, so she got to work.

First was the worst series of internal chemical burns she'd ever seen, the only sort in fact. Somehow, maybe because of her Breaker state, the capsaicin was integrated into the cell membrane of...too many. Amy licked her lips, this wasn't exactly conventional medicine, and no textbook she'd read had described anything like it.

But...it wasn't that crazy, really. Working with her immune and blood filtration systems in tandem, Amy was able to clear the worst of it within a minute. Trickier places, the eyes and really everything around her head, save her brain by some miracle. Actually, it seemed the capsaicin didn't really penetrate too deep, besides the stuff that made it into Shadow Stalker's bloodstream.

Amy shook her head and focused, regenerating the ocular tissue that needed it and cleaning up the myriad injuries she sustained under Regent's control. She shivered, it was unbelievable that monsters like him were allowed to live in the bay. If she got her hands on him...no, none of that.

“Make sure to eat,” Amy snapped, shoving her hands in her pockets once she was done. “Otherwise you should be alright.”

“Great,” Shadow Stalker replied, raising her hand only to find it stopped short by a fancy looking handcuff. “What is--”

“Master protocols,” Weld explained quickly. Amy glanced over her shoulder and saw him standing there, arms crossed. “We're going down to isolation.”

“The fu--”

“We're going,” he said again, more gravely. “And I'd prefer your cooperation.” They glared at each other for a tense ten seconds before Shadow Stalker gave it up.

Amy left the drama behind, she still had work to do. Another nurse led her, and Victoria when she joined them, further into the miniature hospital. Where had these facilities been during the first week after Leviathan? Serving the many, many Protectorate and PRT casualties, of course. Still, there weren't enough heroes and officers together to warrant so many resources. It just felt like a waste...

“Panacea, Glory Girl,” Miss Militia greeted them as they entered another room. “Thank goodness you're--”

“Hiii Aaaamy,” a sleepy voice interrupted. She saw Amaranth, mask off and laying on her stomach, with a stupid smile on her face. “When did you get here?”

“Just now,” Amy replied, then looked back at Miss Militia. “What happened?”

“One of Hellhound's dogs got through her force-field,” the hero said, shaking her head. “It's bad. If you would please?” Amy nodded and stepped over to Amaranth's bed.

“Heeeey,” she drawled, staring up at the healer and blinking far too slowly. “Wow you're taaall, oh hey Vicky's here! She's taller.” Amaranth giggled like it was the funniest thing in the world. Amy couldn't see the wounds, covered by a sanitary paper sheet, but judging by the blood it was nothing good.

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

“May I?” Amy asked, reaching out. Amaranth stared at her hand for way too long, lips pursed like she was really thinking. Finally she nodded and lifted her hand. Amy took it, then frowned. “Force-field.”

“Sorry,” Amaranth apologized, then moved it.

Amy blinked. Oh, that was quite bad. Seven ragged, deep holes had been gouged into Amaranth's back. The worst was nearly four inches deep and the tooth that caused it had broken a rib. Her spine had been scraped and scratched, nerves severed. Add to that a bunch of insect stings and some pretty bad muscle tears from overexertion and it made for an ugly picture. At least she'd been given some fentanyl for the pain.

“Can I heal you?” Amy asked quickly.

“I dunnoooo,” Amaranth replied, sing-song. “Can you?”

“Amaranth.”

“Sorry,” she apologized at the crack of Miss Militia's voice. “Um, please do.”

Ignoring her annoyance at Amaranth's anesthetized antics, Amy got to work. She started with the bleeding, couldn't waste any of the little biomass Lia had available. She'd lost weight in the couple weeks since Amy had seen her, probably a result of the Ward training. Losing a little baby fat wouldn't hurt her, but it was a little irritating to not have the extra to work with.

“Hey Vickyyy,” Amaranth said as her rib began to knit together. “Um, uh, um, how...are you?” Wow, she was just full of stupid things to say today.

“Fine,” Vicky replied. Amy glanced and saw a warm grin on her sister's face. A look she missed... “Sorry you got hurt today.”

“It's fiiine,” Amaranth said, slowly shaking her head as much as she could. “I, um, I'm sorry.” Panacea narrowed her eyes.

“What for?” Vicky asked, sounding confused.

“I was kinda shitty and um.” She swallowed. “Said some things, and stuff. Sorry I was a bitch.” Panacea had no clue what she was talking about, but at least the healing was coming along.

“When was that?” Vicky sounded like she knew as much as Amy did.

“Oh...you know...” Amaranth tried to move the hand Amy was holding, to no avail except annoying the healer. “Whenever, I guess.”

“Consider it water under the bridge,” Vicky said, her voice gentle. “As long as you keep being a hero.”

“Okayyy.” Amaranth took a breath deep enough that it tore one of her wounds a little. Panacea clicked her tongue.

“Hold still,” she snapped, biting her tongue to hold back the apology that wanted to spring out. “Don't hurt yourself,” she finished gruffly, but softer.

It only took another minute to stitch everything back together and flush most of the drugs from her system. Amaranth dutifully stayed still, barely breathing after Panacea admonished her. She felt a bit bad, it wasn't like the Ward had really done anything wrong. Sure, she was the one that pepper sprayed Shadow Stalker, and that had done some real damage...but it was to counter a far worse threat.

It was still a hell of a lot of damage, done by a Nazi's kid to the one black girl on the Wards. Even if Lia disavowed that part of her past...it still had impact, had weight on what she did. Just like Panacea's own heritage, it was a weight that would inform every move she made for the rest of her life.

Trying to make her understand that had been...difficult. Lia was surprisingly receptive when the topic had been brought up after they watched that fucking cartoon. And she was trying to be good, that much was obvious with the danger she'd put herself in today. Vicky hadn't understood, of course, and just thought Amy was being a bitch; she'd said as much more than once. If Amaranth started thinking that way...

“Hey um,” Amy began, swallowing against her suddenly cottony mouth. “Could I...talk with Amaranth for a sec, privately?”

Miss Militia and Vicky shared a look, then the Protectorate hero left. Vicky hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something, but stayed quiet and followed behind Miss Militia a moment later. When she turned back to Amaranth, the girl was looking at Amy with a mix of fear and shame.

“Sorry,” she said, rolling onto her side. She curled in on herself a little. “I didn't mean to get hurt. Um, or hurt Shadow Stalker.” Amy furrowed her brow and sat in the chair Miss Militia had occupied a moment ago.

“It happens,” she replied, shrugging off the way the apology reminded her of her earlier thoughts. “You didn't go overboard, and you put yourself in harms way to help someone.” A small smile touched Lia's lips. Amy ought to nip that in the bud, but she had to explain herself first or she'd just come across as an annoying bitch and make Lia disregard the vital advice. “Hey, I...I have to tell you something, and I have to ask that you stay quiet about it.” The bank had been bad enough, she'd come within seconds of having every little black secret aired in daylight.

“Okay,” Lia said simply, her face studiously neutral. That would have to be good enough. She took a deep breath.

“I know my advice might come across as...abrasive, sometimes,” Amy began, getting a nod from Lia that stung just enough to be irritating. “But it's not because I...hate you, or anything.” She didn't really feel a lot for Lia, besides pity that the girl was stuck with powers she probably didn't ask for. And that she'd been sired by a monster... “I...my father, he wasn't a good person.” She swallowed the bile that rose with thoughts about the letter she'd found. “I know what it's like, to have that sort of heritage hanging over you. So, when I say shit that's...that's kinda shitty, it's because I know, okay?”

Amy clamped her mouth shut. She'd said far too much, especially about herself, and stupidly. All she had wanted to say was 'I know what it's like' and leave it at that, but of course she'd spilled everything like an idiot. She may not like Lia, but the girl was someone she'd spent time with and didn't feel out of place. It was weird, Lia was weird, and Amy had no clue what to make of it. Still, she didn't want to alienate someone she could spend tolerable time with, but she'd probably done just that. It was deserved, frankly.

“Alright,” Lia said at last, sitting up and shrugging off the bloodstained paper. “Um, that sucks.” The blunt expression made Amy wince. “Sorry, that's just...kinda how I feel about my mom. Like, I've got a lot to make up for, don't get me wrong. Just, yeah, sucks that she was a Nazi but I have my own shit to deal with.” They blinked in unison.

“Uh, sure.” She hadn't expected such blasé acceptance of a bombshell like that, nor the response. What the hell had Lia done that she felt was more important than making up for her mom being a Nazi?

“Thanks for healing me, by the way.” Lia grabbed her hood from the bedside table, turning it over in her hands and wincing at a sizable hole. “Uh...damn.”

“What?”

“Oh nothing just...” She trailed off and stuck her finger through the hole, wiggling it. It was about the right height to be almost perfectly centered on her head. “Just really glad it wasn't worse.” Amy's eyes widened.

“You got shot?” Lia nodded.

“By Tattletale,” she said, then sneered.

“The bitch,” they both said in unison. Amy shook her head and continued. “Fuck...glad it wasn't worse too.” She couldn't fix the dead...or at least didn't want to think about it.

“I should probably go,” Amaranth said, rising and replacing her mask. She pulled up the tight hood of her suit, but kept hold of the damaged, loose one. “Thanks again Amy, really.”

“No problem,” she replied, rising from the chair. “I hope I don't see you again too soon, no offense.” Amaranth got a weird look in her eye and nodded.

“Yeah,” she agreed, sounding terrified. “Hope so too.”

They left and Amaranth stayed in the company of Miss Militia while Amy headed out on Vicky's heels. She barely paid attention to the halls they passed through, her thoughts elsewhere. 'I have my own shit to deal with', what the hell did that mean? Amaranth had vehemently, violently denied being a Nazi, she'd gone out of her way to try and save Shadow Stalker too. What else could it be though?

Maybe she'd been part of some Hitler Youth thing, she did mention being a cadet. Was that what she meant, and just didn't want to talk about it? That would be fair, it wasn't like Amy was going around talking about who her father was. The fact that it was more...personal bothered her. She'd have to be more careful around Amaranth in the future, or at least make sure her darker impulses were being kept in check...assuming she kept hold of her own. That was a battle she couldn't afford to lose.

She wished it didn't feel like it was already lost.