“Come on!” Miss Militia yelled as we took off through the sodden streets of Brockton Bay.

  I ran after her with a huff of breath. The patrol had been going...decently, if I was honest. We'd stopped one group of looters so far, and a flare of orange from a street over was our next stop. More than a small part of me was terrified, after all I hadn't been killed by Burnscar and was certain she could find a fucking way. Everyone else had.

  Tonight though, maybe because I'd spent so long being tormented, the universe gave me a break. Five dumbasses milled around a burning shopfront, cackling as the flames snapped and cracked against the damp timbers. Miss Militia stopped no more than ten feet from them, power morphing into a shotgun that she raised and fired once into the night air.

  “Disperse now,” she ordered, leveling the weapon at them.

  “Fuck you you fucki--”

  The speaker, tallest and broadest of his group, went down hard as Miss Militia fired a sandbag round into his guts. I took advantage of the others' shock, charging towards the group with a yell. Another man, not quite so tall or broad, lashed out with a fist as I ran. It struck, doing nothing beyond stopping as it hit my cheek. I reached up to grab him, but he managed to slip away.

  More shots echoed down the street, but I ignored them as my opponent squared up. He wasn't wearing any gang colours, but had a hell of a lot of bangles on one arm. He was somebody, to someone, but right now I just wanted to break that arm. I stepped forward steadily, fists raised, hands open. It looked fucking stupid, but he wouldn't think so once I got a grip on him.

  “Little rat shit,” the man growled, reaching towards his belt. “Gonna teach you--”

  I didn't let him finish, stepping in when he opened his mouth and thrusting my hand out. He turned away and I got hold of his bicep. His other fist slammed repeatedly into my side, knuckles poking my projection weirdly. I squeezed, digging my projection-protected fingers deep into his muscles.

  He spasmed, and like that I'd won. When his shoulder flinched, I dragged his arm back and walked with it. I quickly flicked my gaze around, making sure there was no one coming to stab me in the back, then pushed the man's arm behind his back.

  Without warning, he spun like a ballerina, almost throwing me off balance. His fist came around and struck my kidney for the umpteenth time. I kept my grip on his one arm, feeling the shoulder 'pop' as he came around. I clamped my other arm down, on top of his, squeezing tightly until I got a cry of pain from him. There was a quiet tinkling and his resistance faded.

  With a grunt, I kicked out the back of his knee, forcing him down and cuffing his wrists. A gleam in the flickering light from the burning building caught my eye. I flinched as another gunshot echoed out and I glanced back just in time to see Miss Militia fold the last of her opponents in half; I guess most people paid more attention to someone with a gun than a kid.

  I knelt down next to the guy groaning in pain, examining the glinting thing my opponent dropped. I felt the blood drain from my face as it finally clicked: a push knife. I curled my lip, drew my projection away from my fist, and rabbit punched the fucker who'd tried stabbing me. If I had flinched even once...

  No, I couldn't focus on that right now. I glanced back at Miss Militia, now cuffing her opponents, then back at the knife. It reminded me that I was unarmed, maybe not by the Protectorate's standards but what was coming was beyond that. I needed something to defend myself and they didn't seem keen on letting me have a gun.

  I licked my lips as a bead of sweat trickled down my back. Before I could tell myself how stupid it was, I grabbed it and slipped it into the same pouch as my stun gun. It barely fit behind the taser, out of sight at least. I rose and dusted myself off as casually as I could, then walked over to Miss Militia.

  “All done,” I said, gesturing to the guy cuffed and face down. “Need a hand?” She shook her head and stood.

  “Good work,” she said, and I nodded. It really wasn't I'd still managed to take down one of the five arsonists, but I was tired of arguing. “A van should be here soon, hopefully before the fire department. We'll remain here and make sure no one causes trouble for the firefighters.” I nodded sharply, then checked my watch. We had time.

  “Sorry,” I said, after the silence dragged on a little too long. “About yesterday, I...wasn't myself.” I hadn't been for a fucking while.

  “It's alright,” Miss Militia replied gently, walking over and patting me on the shoulder. “You've been through a lot in a very short amount of time. If anything, your behaviour has been quite good; barring some minor issues with inappropriate language.” I winced. “Amaranth, it's really not that bad. Clockblocker had quite the foul mouth when he joined too, it's hardly unusual.” Yeah, I guess I'd been doing okay if you didn't count the last two weeks of failing and dying.

  “Thanks,” I said, trying to mean it. Her power flashed into a G36, slung by her side, as a siren echoed out. “Hey, uh...” She cocked her head. “Um, sorry if this is weird but...could I go to the range with you?” I blushed and shook my head. “Not like that! I just want to learn how to handle guns safely and stuff.” Officially, on the books...until I died. A wave of bitterness made me spit: “Maybe blow off some fucking steam.” I winced. “Sorry.”

  “It's alright,” Miss Militia reassured me. “I don't see why not; as long as I or another qualified person is there, it would be safe enough.”

  “And we work with cops,” I added, egging her on. I felt a little spark of excitement for the first time since...since last time. “Lots of gangsters have guns too. It'd be good to know how to like, handle them you know?”

  “You shouldn't,” she replied immediately, then huffed. “But these days, you might need to; I'm sorry for that.”

  “Not your fault,” I said with a shrug. “Blame the stupid asshole lizard that decided the waterfront needed to be more water than front.”

  “Language.” I shrugged again. “Still, I'm partly responsible for your well-being. I don't enjoy the facts on the ground, such as they are.”

  “Preaching to the choir,” I said with a sigh as finally the van arrived for pickup.

  As we began loading up the arsonists, a worm of guilt began squirming in my guts. I hadn't told anyone about Shadow Stalker yet, not wanting another trip to Mr. Coil's Fun-geon. Unfortunately that meant she got fucked for my benefit; no more than she had in the story, but still. Checking my watch again, I frowned. We were further from the headquarters than usual, but still had a while left on our patrol given we'd left later. I licked my lips and glance at Miss Militia as she pushed the last detainee into the vehicle.

  “Hey,” I said, trying to keep the guilt and fear from my voice. “Can I...talk to you for a sec?” She nodded and we walked a little ways away from the van.

  “Is something the matter?” Miss Militia asked, crossing her arms. I waggled my hand, frowning.

  “Sort of,” I replied, taking a breath. “I just remembered something that...that's going to happen.” She stiffened and I winced.

  “Explain,” she said, a steely edge in her voice.

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  “I don't exactly know how,” I admitted. “It's...weird.” Everything about this was. “But I know that the Undersiders are going to attack the PRT headquarters and soon. They'll have Shadow Stalker with them, under Regent's control.” I took a deep breath as she squared he shoulders, staring at me but not glaring...not quite.

  “How do you know this?”

  “I remember it,” I replied evenly. “Like...it's like any of my memories, but sticks out like a sore thumb. I know it's weird but...” I shrugged, knowing she'd buy it and that I was really bad at explaining shit.

  “How did they get control of Shadow Stalker?” Miss Militia asked, getting a sigh from me.

  “Kid Win, this is Amaranth,” I said after tapping my earbud.

  “What's up Amaranth?” he replied, almost immediately.

  “When was Shadow Stalker's last check in?”

  “Hmm, lemme check,” he said. “She left a while ago for a solo patrol, remember when I took over?” I remembered it several times. “Uhh, looks like it's been a few hours, hold on.” The radio clicked and I gave Miss Militia a look. “She's not responding, should I call it in.”

  “We're coming back, Kid Win,” Miss Militia spoke sharply, striding over to the van. I belatedly followed as its engine started. “Get everyone up and in costume, we're going on alert.”

  “Wh-- yes ma'am, Kid Win out.”

  “Come on,” she snapped and I fell in behind her.

  We clambered up into the back of the van, ignoring the angry glares from the arrested gangsters; the conscious ones anyway. Miss Militia continued chattering into her radio, presumably recalling as many heroes as she could to defend. That didn't feel...right, like it would make something go badly. I wracked my brain; what was off?

  “Hey,” I snapped at Miss Militia, interrupting her. “Hold on, I think...I think if there're too many heroes they won't attack.”

  It wasn't perfect logic, I'd only stopped the Undersiders completely twice. Once was because I'd tipped off Coil and, well, that wasn't it for obvious reasons. Before that...Shadow Stalker hadn't been kidnapped, and I'd been around; extra heroes evening the odds. I bounced my foot against the metal grating, thinking.

  “What is it?” she asked, but I didn't have an answer yet.

  Coil could split timelines, and he had for the Undersiders before. Which was...fucking Lung, that had been it; Taylor's first night ever. Sure that had been a big deal, but definitely wasn't enough to warrant a split, right? But he probably had later too, and an attack on the PRT had to be a way bigger deal than a gang fight. But if that was the case, if he had split the line and was waiting on a success or failure, then...

  Then if they didn't attack, Shadow Stalker was fucked.

  “They know,” I said quietly, getting closer to her. “Or they have some way of knowing if it works. Too many heroes and we can't save Shadow Stalker.”

  “Explain,” Miss Militia hissed the demand.

  “She's in the attack, part of it. If not, I don't think Regent is just gonna let her go. Do you?” She frowned, but barked into her radio for the other patrols to remain out. Hopefully that would be enough.

  The tires and brakes squeaked as the van came to a stop. Everyone piled out, the PRT officers dragging our prisoners down for processing. Miss Militia headed a different way, and I followed closely, heart beginning to race. My palms were clammy, my breath came short, as usual before a fight I was a mess.

  Didn't matter, I was here and right now needed to be here, nowhere else. Problems on the Undersiders: Regent, Bitch, Grue. Skitter couldn't do anything if I didn't flinch, and Tattletale couldn't do anything if I gagged her and/or broke her jaw; I hadn't decided which I preferred. Regent would be busy with Sophia, Bitch's dogs were still a problem but others could handle them too, and Grue...well, I just needed to avoid the big, black cloud.

  “Miss Militia,” Weld greeted her as she strode down a corridor. The other Wards were with him.

  “Weld,” she replied, halting and glancing over his shoulder. “Wards, good. Amaranth, how long?” I checked my watch, shaking my head.

  “Could be now, could be half an hour from now.” I sighed and scratched my masked cheek sheepishly. “Sorry, I know it happens after four, that's it.” I really needed to check my watch more.

  “Fine,” she said shortly, glancing up, then down the hallway. “This goes no further than us: the Undersiders have kidnapped Shadow Stalker and are on their way. We expect an attack, and our job is to repel it.”

  “And save Shadow Stalker,” I added, getting a nod from Miss Militia.

  “How do you know?” Weld asked, reasonably but annoyingly.

  “No time,” she replied for me. “We need to--”

  “Hey guys, Shadow Stalker's here,” Kid Win's voice suddenly echoed in my ear. “She captured the Undersiders and--”

  “Let's go,” Miss Militia snapped, cutting him off.

  She rose and we followed her out. When we reached the door to the lobby, a grabbed her arm. I shook my head, ignoring her sudden glare, then pointed to her and me and shook my head again. Miss Militia stiffened, then nodded, gesturing for Weld and the others to go ahead. I suppressed a sigh of relief, glad I could trust her to listen. Weld gave her an odd look, but nodded and headed into the lobby.

  “What's going to happen?” Miss Militia asked coldly. I couldn't blame her.

  “She's gonna act like she's fine,” I replied. “Lull them into a false sense of security, or try to anyway. Then...” I shrugged. Then it was obvious.

  “I see,” she said flatly. “Do you know why they're here?”

  “Assholes,” I replied evenly. “Probably to steal something, they're thieves right?” Not warlords, not yet; give it a day...

  “There's little they could steal here,” Miss Militia said dryly. “Perhaps they--” A blast cut her off, drawing both our eyes.

  Without a word, we burst through the doors and into the lobby turned battlefield. Miss Militia wasted no time, firing twice from a large rifle that appeared in her hand, then switching it to a shotgun and charged. I took two, hasty steps forward before I managed to stop myself. No, I had to slow down.

  The battle was a shitshow, with Wards, villains, and monstrous dogs all vying for space, attention, and blood. There was only one that I was truly responsible for dealing with, and she was currently jamming crossbow bolts into Weld's eyes. No one between me and them either, perfect.

  I finally joined the fray, heading straight towards Shadow Stalker. My pepper spray was in hand and for maybe the first time I was truly ready. I knew exactly what I had to do, who to target, who to save, and I could actually--

  The world outside vanished. I froze instantly, heart rate practically doubling as I was blinded and deafened. I swiped my hands at my face, brushing away a few insects gathered there, but it had no effect. Oh hell, Grue you fucking asshole. I forced myself to breathe slowly, standing as still as I could. Grue was tough, but he was human tough, that was something I--

  I shrieked soundlessly, a harrowing experience, as the black world outside my eyes spun, then jolted as I hit the ground. I felt a weight on top of me, and a rapid series of blows rained down on my head. I brought my arms up then went still as a corpse. He wasn't stupid, and when he realized his strikes were ineffective the weight vanished.

  I rolled and rose to my feet, disoriented. Which way was I facing, where was the shortest route out, and where the fuck was Grue? No answers were forthcoming, and I didn't get thrown again, so I slowly began creeping forward.

  One foot in front of the other, that was the only thing letting me know I was going anywhere. God, this was worse than navigating the building that fell on my fucking head. At least there I could see and hear shit, use that to figure a way out. At least, for whatever reason, I'd been left alone in the debilitating cloud.

  I continued shuffling along, hands raised, gripping my pepper spray tightly. Some small part of me demanded the taser, a smaller part the knife, but I ignored both. The first because it could kill Shadow Stalker, the second because it could kill anyone. I flinched at the sudden feeling of something brushing my arm.

  I blinked and lifted my hand to shield my eyes against the sudden light. The fuck? I looked around, eyes widening at the absolute shitshow that the lobby had become. Mounds of confoam dotted the area, gore from Bitch's dogs splattering them red. The troopers that brought the Undersiders in were practically buried under the stuff, and more were here now, tending to them. Vista, Kid Win, Flechette, and Shadow Stalker were all seated against the wall, unconscious or groaning in pain. Weld knelt next to Vista, speaking quietly, his face all sorts of fucked up.

  “Hey.” I turned and found Clockblocker standing there, rubbing the back of his head. “I uh...sorry.”

  “You froze me?”

  A wave of fury swept over me as he nodded sheepishly. I took a deep breath, then drew in just a bit more and let it all out very slowly. I unclenched my fists and turned around, taking in the rest of the lobby. The gift shop was basically destroyed, burned, blasted, and melted by the Undersiders fight against Dragon's mech, but...Shadow Stalker was here.

  “Amaranth.” My head snapped around and I sighed with relief.

  “Hey Miss Militia,” I said, shooting Clockblocker a glare. “Sorry I didn't do more.”

  “That's alright,” she replied easily. “Are you?” I nodded.

  “No problems at all,” I answered, cocking my head and gesturing to the Wards currently being treated by a PRT medic. “You guys saved Shadow Stalker?”

  “I saved Shadow Stalker,” Clockblocker retorted proudly.

  “I guess you have to fuck up to succeed.”

  “Rude.”

  “Amaranth.” I flinched.

  “Sorry.” I sighed. “Anyway, want to get me up to speed?”

  “Come along,” Miss Militia replied instead of answering. “We'll cover it in debriefing.”