A Second Generation Whateley Academy Adventure

New Year's Escapade

by

MaLAguA

 

Part Three

 

Saturday, December 31th - 6:37 pm
Downtown Portland

“Alright, Sophie. Stay with me.” Vic looked over his shoulder at the eight-year-old girl that was following after with hastened albeit careful steps. The snow made the steps slippery. In between the older crowd going to parties and gatherings, this didn’t exactly feel like the place for them to be.

But this was their quest: to make it to the Blackbell Hotel where a superhero convention would be taking place, just so Sophie could hand a present over to her father. So committed was she to her goal, the girl even went so far as to slip out while her mother was away–and Vic, knowing what it was like to want this, agreed to help her make the delivery.

Hopefully, it would just be a simple matter. She would be allowed in to see her dad, give him the present and then they would just head back home before Caroline got back. That felt so unlikely, and yet he had to hope that it would be the case.

“Don’t get away from me, alright?” Vic said, offering a hand for Sophie to hold.

After a couple of seconds, she accepted it.

“It won’t be long,” Vic reassured, assuming she was forcing herself to tag along.

“Where do we go now?” Sophie asked.

“It’s south from where we are. We just need to go around the block and we’ll be there.” Vic said, showing her the map on his phone.

“Oh! Oh! What if we go through the alley there!” Sophie suggested, pointing towards the gap between two businesses, a narrow space that, according to the map, with some twists and turns would spit them out just a couple of blocks away from the hotel.

It was a sound and convenient path, so Vic hesitated for one moment. While Sophie was already trying to run ahead, he held her by the hand. “Why? The map says it leads to the other side,” Sophie objected.

“You said you would do as I said, right?” Vic said as they kept on walking only to stop at the entrance of the alleyway. “One second.”

He leaned in first. At a simple look, there didn’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary. A gap of about two to three meters wide, enough to allow a group to comfortably pass through, with enough lighting to keep them from stumbling about.

However, as he looked for them, he quickly found points of concern. First of all, from the look of the map, the alley curved itself halfway in its path, breaking into a sort of simple ‘lightning’ shape, which could easily spell a setup or a hidden threat. Then there was a door at the side of the path that appeared narrowly open, just enough to allow a bit of light from the inside to slip through. Plus, there appeared to be a pair of men hanging around in the lot near the back, pretending to be entertained in conversation while smoking…

This felt like a setup. One that he’d seen Urresti’s gang use every now and then in Massachusetts: Pick an alley with a lot or a blind spot, set up the men, have someone in the nearby building to close the escape path and then do whatever they want with the victims. And Caroline did mention there was a thug problem in town.

“We’re going another way around,” Vic decided, trying to cross the gap.

“But…” Sophie prompted them to stop at the alley. “Why?”

“It could be dangerous,” Vic told her as one of the men at the back turned to look his way, prompting his talking buddy to also turn around their way. Either they estimated the value of Sophie’s coat, or they realized their plan had been busted. Whichever it was, their attention and Vic’s words were just enough to get Sophie to relent and follow Vic as he redoubled their pace, slipping back into the current of people.

“Vic? Someone came out of the alleyway,” Sophie whispered with a tinge of panic, ten steps into their hastened walk. “They’re coming our way!”

“Then pick up the pace.” Vic did so, but kept himself from breaking into a run, just as to not call any attention to others. Casting a look over his shoulder he could see them: men from the street dressed in layers of ragged garments that may well conceal weapons. And they had their eyes fixated on the two of them.

“Are they still following us?” Sophie asked.

“Don’t look back…” Vic whispered as he led the way weaving through the crowd. Of course, street thugs would probably think that taking on kids for ransom would be much easier. They would either tail them to get too close before they could scream, or find out where they ended up. Of course, that was assuming that the kids were worth the chase and, while Sophie’s coat was on the nicer side, neither would, hopefully, be worth the effort.

“Mom says I have to scream for help,” Sophie suggested.

“Only if they catch up to us…” Vic muttered. While screaming would be the easier solution, attention wasn’t something he wanted. “Hold one in, just in case,” he added. It was more for her peace of mind than his own.

Eventually, he found an out at the corner of the street, where the lights were giving them a pass. When he happened to glimpse the amber color in the light for the cars, he pulled Sophie along. “Run!” Vic whispered as they picked up the pace, making it to the other side just as the cars were starting to move.

And right after, the lights changed and the cars resumed their flow, only getting them a couple of car honks from the disgruntled drivers as they passed by. The sleet and frozen sidewalk made for an awkward stop, but neither of them tripped or fell, just slipped slightly. In that break, Vic spied at the other side of the road just to see the petty criminals run back to their alley. Either to reset their trap or to move out if they thought Vic and Sophie would oust them.

“That was close,” Sophie said. “No wonder Mom was always careful whenever we came here.”

“Yeah… there’s still plenty of bad people in the city,” Vic said as he felt Sophie’s hand reach out for his again.

“Let’s continue,” Sophie said.

The two continued down along the route, walking down the street with his focus always centered towards the block with the alley, just in case they were to be spotted again, as unlikely as it might be. “Stay to my left,” Vic instructed, guiding the kid.

“Okay,” She answered. And yet there appeared to be curiosity about her as the silence didn’t last long.

“Why couldn’t I just call for help right away?”

“I thought it could delay us if the police came by us. Can you imagine what it would’ve been like if they’d called your mother?” Vic answered, looking away as he adjusted the scarf around his cheek. “Too much explaining and attention.”

“Does it also have to do with the cut on your cheek?” Sophie asked. Just enough of a change of topic to get Vic to look at her. “You’re a… special after all.” Coming from a family of mutants, her parents did teach her discretion as she was already spying in the surroundings just to bring out the topic. Fortunately, there was enough distance between people and none of them appeared to be minding them.

“Yeah, I am,” Vic said.

“What sort of things can you do? In that game you play?” Sophie said, once again trying to use codes when walking in public.

“Well… I… I mean, my character can control water.”

“Like a waterbender from Avatar?”

“Yeah, that’s the more convenient explanation.” Vic nodded. “I can control any liquid I touch, move it around, shape it and so on.”

“Doesn’t sound bad,” Sophie said.

“There’s also another trick I have that I can show you right now. That is if you want to, since it might be a little weird. Do you still wanna see it?”

“Sure,” Sophie nodded.

“Okay…” Vic shuffled about as he tried to figure out how to test it. In the end, he just bit the rim of the glove on his free hand to expose some skin.

Sophie just watched him curiously, while also bearing a slight smile of amusement.

“Now I do this.” He touched his exposed skin against her hand. And once the mental link was formed, the next words came into her mind. <And now you can hear me in your head.>

Sophie gasped, her free hand reaching up to the side of her head. “I can hear you.” She blurted out.

Vic nodded, although trying to get Sophie to move forward just so they could put any distance from anyone who might’ve heard that outburst. <Try to speak in your mind but not say the words.>

<Like this?>

<Better. This should make it much easier.> Vic mused.

<It’s so cool.> Sophie giggled.

<It’s my personal walkie-talkie,> Vic joked.

<I can say anything without needing to say it. Oh, can I ask you to give me the answers to a test?> Sophie sounded curious, making sounds within the channel just to hear an echo–or rather to imagine an echo.

<Don’t think your mom would approve of that.>

<Lala la lala, lala la lala!> Sophie mentally hummed. Given the malleability of the mental voice, it was much easier for her to replicate the My Little Pony theme song. She broke into giggles at the end.

<Glad to hear you’re having fun,> Vic said as he adjusted the glove and scarf.

<And… that marking on your cheek? Are you like…”

<I’m changing. Yeah. Slowly.>

<Slowly?>

<I got the news about it a few weeks ago. I thought that when I manifested my powers that would be it, but I was surprised to see that something is going…> Vic shook his head. <Actually, it’s a bit of a long story. Whenever I push my powers or get hurt, I change a little bit more. At least that’s what I used to think. Now I’m just slowly changing. Not sure how long will I be able to walk the streets without having to worry about people looking at me weird.>

<Oh…> Sophie said somewhat crestfallen. <But you go to that mutant school, can’t they help?>

<They can help. It’s just that they can’t stop it.>

<I’m sorry to hear that.>

<Hey, maybe I’ll end up as a fishman. Could be worse, I could end up as a sort of snail,> Vic said, borrowing Josh’s joke, just to lift the spirits while keeping his focus on the street and what was ahead. He even played along holding out his fingers to pretend to be stalks

<Ew…> Sophie giggled.

<Yeah.>

<Maybe it’ll be something like ‘Monster High,’> Sophie said.

<Maybe? I don’t know much about it.>

<Ooh, we can watch it.> She chimed.

<Sure…> Vic tried not to sound sarcastic–but then again, he was practically done with his homework and had a week of just doing nothing ahead of him. <So… what are you going to tell your dad when you see him?>

Sophie thought for a moment. Vic ignored the mental muttering so as to give her privacy until she directed her thoughts to say. <I don’t know. I don’t see my dad often. I want to ask him to play with me. To go to the zoo. To the aquarium, to watch a movie. Can you believe I’ve never done that?> Sophie gasped.

<That’s harsh,> Vic said.

<Haven’t spent much time with him. Mom says he’s trying and will agree to anything I want next time I’m there. But I just couldn’t wait.>

<I’m sure you’ll have fun.>

<I don’t even see my brother as often.> Sophie shook her head. <Well, that’s because he lives at that school.>

<I know. Being in Whateley is very… encompassing?>

<Encompassing?>

<I mean that it can take a lot of your attention.>

<I hope it doesn’t do that to me when I go there.> Sophie sighed.

<You’re thinking of going?>

<Dad tells me that he’ll send me to that school to learn superheroing,> Sophie said. Vic picked up on the neutrality in her mental tone, a faint whisper that seemed to spell out the lack of interest.

<Well… superheroing isn’t all we learn.>

<Villain stuff as well?> Sophie wondered, looking at Vic in a way that was pretty telling.

<Hm… not exactly,> Vic answered as he looked away. <I’m not a villain.> was all he could say while keeping his thoughts about the Syndicate, his friends and everything he’d been through since leaving his home in Rhode Island, locked behind the other side of the imaginary lobby. <I’m just a student.>

Silence lingered between the two as they awaited at the corner of the street for the stoplight to change. And, even as it did and they crossed the street at a brisk pace, there was a myriad of thoughts coming from Sophie that he opted not to intrude upon until she had her own thoughts in order. Even if he could hear questions about him, Whateley, and Dereck.

In the end, she directed them back again.

<Why was my brother wrong about you?> Sophie said in the end.

<I think it’s just that we don’t like each other.> Vic said sheepishly. <He didn’t like that I was staying here and I didn’t like the way he told me. From there things just escalated.>

<He said you tried to drown a friend of his.>

<His fr… Yeah, I did.> Vic said figuring there was no point to correct her. Dereck probably didn’t want to admit that he lost that day. <Just to get him to leave me alone.>

<And that you broke a girl’s arm.>

<I… I did that.> Vic admitted.

<But you had a good reason… right?>

<It’s complicated,> Vic said. <I didn’t want to do it.>

<Ah…> Sophie said. And a couple of minutes later, she chimed in. <And are you sorry?>

<I am.> Oh, how he was…

The two continued down the path, with Sophie’s thoughts swirling and slipping into the mental link. So, he opted to let the mental link between them fade.

“Um… Vic? I’m…” Sophie began to say, with her own voice, but his focus was set on their destination and, no sooner they turned around the corner, before she could finish her drawn out sentence, he raised his hand to point at the large building where people had gathered near the exit where signs and billboards announced the events and guiding the attendees. “We made it. The hotel is there and so is the Heroes United event. Now, let’s find our way backstage so you can give your dad your present.”

Sophie nodded, excitedly clutching her coat’s pocket where the present lay.

Saturday, December 31th - 6:55 pm
Kythe Residence

A sigh of relief escaped Caroline’s lips as she parked the car and made her way to the front door. Now, with this last matter sorted out, she would be free for a week or so as the Syndicate would start to boot itself back into work for the next year. So, she was looking forward to a week of time with her daughter. Hopefully, the animosity between Sophie and Vic would lessen somewhat.

“Even if they can’t be friends, I just hope they can coexist. Otherwise, it’ll make for an awkward summer break,” Caroline voiced to herself. “I suppose I can pull some strings and have Vic stay elsewhere. But that is the worst case scenario.”

And with that, she entered her house, only to be greeted by an empty living room. The TV was on, at low volume, but there was no one on the couch. The coffee table was still littered with the books Sophie was working on but no sign of her daughter in sight. “I’m back,” Caroline called as she walked back to her room to leave the package. And all the while, the place was as dead quiet as a library.

“Sophie? Vic? I’m back.” She called out again on her way back to the living room, peeking into the basement and the kitchen, but there was no answer.

Now she was starting to get worried.

“Kids? Where are you?” She asked out loud.

And as no answer was given, she could feel panic start to creep up in the back of her head. Where were they? Where was her daughter? What was going on… and who could be responsible?

The thoughts rushed through her head, leaving her off balance as the possibilities and fears rushed in. Maybe it was the Syndicate? Could it be Laureate’s way of getting revenge for her going over his head and showing up and pleading the case for the candidates? Would he dare to do that, just show up and take away her daughter and ward? Considering how protected her family was supposed to be under the contract?

What if it was a villain? That thought got her blood running cold through her. She thought she’d certainly gone out of her way to avoid making enemies in her time as ‘Safety’ that just meant that it could be someone who knew her as Lifeward, from one of her jobs in the Syndicate. Her mind bounced back to last month in that blackmail job, where she threatened that bounty hunter, Voidgrip. Could he or his employer do something so bold?

Fortunately, to keep her from spiraling, her hands had worked the phone. Her fingers quickly found the app for the security system around the house. It gave her a view-by view of what happened, even if there was no sound to go with it.

She focused on the living room right after she left, watching Vic and Sophie part ways, him going to the kitchen and her staying. But rather than carrying on with her assignment, she instead flipped her book closed to look at a piece of paper hidden under it, for quite some time. Eventually, she got up, slipped on the coat she’d left on the side of the couch and ran out the door.

Not long after, Victor came out of the kitchen before slipping into the hallway. It didn’t take long before he realized Sophie had left the house as he was soon moving down the corridors calling out for her. He made it back to the living where, upon inspecting the book, he found the same hidden paper under the open cover. A trip to his room later, he was rushing out the house with hastened steps.

Caroline followed the example, closing the textbook on the coffee table (which Vic happened to have left open) and finding the paper: the pamphlet to the ‘Heroes United’ event. For her ex-husband’s personal reality show mixed in with a convention for hero fanatics taking place downtown.

“Could that be where she went?” she thought out loud. She knew her daughter had been longing for time with her father ever since they’d separated. But would she be so daring as to go downtown? Not only were the words of Cole’s report of the event still fresh in her mind, she was also aware of the crime statistics in the area.

“She is so grounded after this,” she grumbled as she dialed for her daughter’s phone.

A ring tone made itself present. Muffled and not as clear, but definitely heard in the silence that reigned the house. The sound had Caroline’s heart sink in her chest as her hand immediately threw off the cushions on the couch. There, in the corner of the armrest, was Sophie’s phone, the one she’d received on her birthday.

“I just gave her a phone.” Caroline sighed, the only thing she could do to keep herself from panicking further as she looked at the black slate of tech that also just happened to be in the single digits of battery life. “I mean. I’m glad she doesn’t cling to it like other kids do but… you’re supposed to take it with you if you’re going out!”

“Vic… I hope you managed to find Sophie,” she muttered as she dialed Vic’s number.

Saturday, December 31th - 7:01 pm (a couple of minutes earlier)
Blackbell Hotel - Heroes United Convention

“Something wrong?” Sophie asked, looking at Vic as he’d pulled her onto the side, moving away from the convention’s current, fiddling with his phone.

“Nothing…” Vic grumbled as he tapped on his device. “I forgot to charge my phone since Wednesday and using the map app just did away with what was left of its charge.”

“Oh… Are we in trouble?” Sophie asked.

“No, we’re not. I’m just going to turn it off just to save juice, just in case we need to make an emergency call.” Vic tapped on the screen, then slipped the phone into his pocket. “Do you have yours?”

“I left it at home,” Sophie admitted. “I realized my pockets were empty at the bus stop.”

“Well, that’s wonderful.” Vic thought for a moment before opening his mouth again. “Wait, couldn’t you have just called your dad to tell him you have a gift for him to pick up?”

“I… I don’t have his number. Mom always passed her phone to me to talk.” Sophie sighed. “She says he’s very busy with his job.”

“I see.” Vic sighed. Was this the point where plans started to break apart? “We just need to hurry, then, and hope that your mom hasn’t come back home yet. Fortunately, we know the route back to the bus stop.”

“What about the bad men?”

“Hm… we’ll be careful,” Vic assured. He’d bought a small bottle of water from one of the stalls, its contents swirled and sloshed in his grasp. It would have to be good enough protection if they happened to run into the thugs from before. “Let’s go,” he said, offering his hand to Sophie. Once the girl accepted it, they moved through, joining back into the crowd that circulated about.

There were two parts within the “Heroes United” event. One was to be a tryout for prospective superheroes and vigilantes willing to work for the organizing agencies when they would open branches within some of the cities this tour would be visiting. As such, Vic could spot one or two people around the place bragging about the equipment they bought, be it armor or a weapon they carried. Fortunately, guns were not allowed within the premises of the convention. The selection process was open to even baselines and prop men. All they had to do was introduce themselves and make an impression at the interview to pass to the next step.

Of course, these weren’t details that Vic was particularly interested in. Especially considering how he would be playing on the other team. As a matter of fact, he had the feeling he should be feeling a tad more nervous about having made it as a prospective candidate for the Syndicate. And yet there was something exhilarating about everyone not knowing about it.

The other side of the event was meant for the fanbase. A large convention centered and focused around heroes of the agencies that had teamed up to oversee the project. There was a bit of everything. From contest stands that ranged from fighting to trivia with an assortment of prizes on the line, open to the crowd. To booths that contained artists, gadgets sanctioned for public use by the support company, and even food stalls in service, which is where Vic got the bottle of water from, paying perhaps a bit too much than he should’ve. People lingered about waiting near one of the stages for the next event in the schedule.

Not that Vic and Sophie could claim they were unaffected by it. Their feet stopped and their eyes lingered as they passed the stalls, or a TV screen showing a scene from the event. Sophie pointed out images of her dad and uncle, along with one or two of his fellow teammates, while Vic was just interested as an amateur capewatcher. But it didn’t last long before they continued.

The event wasn’t bad, but it was too chaotic for his and Sophie’s comfort. People moving around, bumping into each without even offering an apology, just scolding back. No doubt, this was in part thanks to a couple of vendors that were putting out alcoholic drinks as a celebration for the new year. All this would spell a bad outcome as they heard people raise their voices and threaten each other.

“Stay with me Sophie,” Vic reminded as he carved their way through the crowd.

“Okay,” Sophie answered, a tinge of hesitation about her voice. “Um… are you sure Dad will be here?” she said once they found a place between stalls to stop and take a breather.

“You’re asking me?” Vic asked.

“I’m just saying…” Sophie mumbled, with the insecurity of being put into the spotlight. She shivered on the lonely bench. “What if my dad isn’t there and… and I made a mistake? What if this was a mistake? Mom will get mad at me if she finds out.”

Vic knelt nearby. “Well, listen. Sophie. I’m not going to deny that there was probably a better way to do this or that your mom might get angry at both of us after this…” He knew that he was being a little too blunt from the get-go, but those thoughts had been left brewing in the back of his head. That even got Sophie to look at him with wide eyes and tears just around the corner. “But, we’re already here, on this adventure. You have the gift you want to hand over and we’re just so close we might as well give it the extra push. Don’t you think?”

Sophie looked up at Vic, and then down at the small package in her coat’s pocket. Insecurity was reflected in her eyes.

“Now… if you want us to go back, we can do that.” Vic paused. “I don’t want to force the choice on you to carry on with something you don’t want anymore. But you have to decide as to whether we continue or not. I’ll be fine either way.”

She held her silence for a moment as she looked at the wrapped gift in her hand, crinkling the paper while stealing glances at Vic who awaited her decision. He tried not to rush her, but they both knew that the timer was still running. A part of Vic feared that by now they might already be in trouble, but he wasn’t about to worry about that. Hopefully, an excuse would work. “We should at least try. We try!” Sophie decided, regaining her resolve. “If Dad is here, then I will give him the present. If not, we go back.”

“Good! As for your Mom getting mad at you, maybe let me try talking to her, alright?” He didn’t really have a plan, but he was going to try. After all, he was now an accomplice in this mess. “So, do you know where your dad is?”

“Think the number 109 was written on the pamphlet.” Sophie recalled. “Yeah, it was 109.”

“Okay. We’re in the convention hall. We have to get into the hotel. Which should be…” Vic paused, spying the surroundings of the space. Even though they’d decorated it up, the convention center was still supposedly attached to the hotel, so he hoped that there would be a pathway there. Entering through the front door of the business would be much more secure and unforgiving, at least that much Vic imagined. Most of his knowledge about hotels and such came from TV and movies.

Guiding Sophie along, they made their way to the side, where the flow of the convention goers had eased up. In this corner of the space, people were just loitering about and resting, some in costume and others tending to their phones and checking out the memorabilia they’d nabbed. As Vic passed, he picked up some of the topics: fans looking forward to the next event, of what they bought, got autographed, or catching a glimpse of their favorite local hero. Some even bemoaned the fact that Portland had no official superhero team, just free agents.

The way ahead was already open, leading them into a short walkway that overlooked the outside, just a small walk away from the street. A standing sign pointed the way to the right. And from there, through the glass doors, Vic could see the way into the hotel’s hallway.

A simple closed door would be just about the perfect obstacle for Vic, who could crack locks like they were toys. And yet the obvious solution could never be as simple. There being VIP guests renting one of the rooms for an event, with just a glass door giving everyone a peek down the hallway, the hotel had posted security to guard the pass.

The guard was standing tall and upright, like a statue, dressed in a suit that did little to hide toned musculature. The stereotypical shades covered his eyes, and a communication cord wrapped around his ear, making it clear that he was connected and capable of reporting anything. The pin on his lapel bore the hotel’s logo. And, as was to be expected, he stood as stoic as could be, with his arms crossed as he ignored the noise that was going on just a couple of steps away. He only happened to move when he needed to grant access to one of the applicants, and then the door behind him was closed and locked once more..

And there was the other obstacle: the applicants. People were there to participate in the tryouts, contests of whatever, camping out just a couple of steps away from the door and awaiting their turn for the interview. They were a contrast to the security guard, loud and boisterous, letting their presence be known as they waved off their competition with claps and mocking insults before moving back to talking amongst themselves, mostly about their own powers and the people they managed to beat up. Although Vic had no doubt that they were embellishing their deeds.

Vic counted seven candidates in waiting, all of them hunkering down against the wall in a section of the hallway. Despite the conversations and chats going on, they always took a time to look towards the glass door, peering into the hallway awaiting to be called in. Five of them stood out, having donned colorful outfits that could be guessed were their superheroic suits. Although they were of varying qualities. One or two were clearly Halloween costumes repurposed for the occasion, matching with the simple holdouts. Others, though, appeared to have taken it a bit more seriously, using more proper materials and having put some effort in the design as though they had experience, or they had money and access to a costume maker.

They were entertained in their own conversation and bragging, passing a couple of bottles of booze around, sometimes showing off their holdouts and testing them just to add to the ruckus. By this point, some of them had noticed Vic and Sophie’s presence, looking as though the two kids were killing the vibe just by approaching them.

“Vic…” Sophie pulled herself closer to him. As she did, he felt her come in contact with his skin, prompting him to re-establish the link.

<It’s okay…> Vic whispered into her mind.

<I don’t like them. That one is wearing a funny costume… he has a scary face.> Sophie was probably referring to the one wearing a plain red jumpsuit, to which he had sewn pieces of ‘armor’ on the shoulders and joints. He had a scowling face, with a red nose from both the cold and the booze, and it was especially grumpy when looking the kid’s way. <And that one has an ugly mask,> she said, mentally pointing towards one of the more professionally dressed ones, sporting a ninja mask that resembled a fanged mouth. Vic guessed this one had plenty of money.

<I know. Don’t point at them. Heck don’t even look at them,> Vic told Sophie as he held her hand. With some trepidation, he guided her forward, moving towards the glass door, an action that quickly provoked the suspicions and even ire of some of the awaiting wannabes. The conversations died out as more eyes befell on them.

“Hey! Where are you going, kid?” one of them called out just as Vic and Sophie passed. “The convention center is the way you came. This is for the hero tryouts.”

“I’m not participating,” was all Vic told them as he turned towards the security guard, who looked down at them with an expression that was anyone’s guess with those shades on.

“How can I help you?” the gatekeeper asked, with the most neutral tone possible.

“Yeah,” Vic said, hesitating a bit as it was up to him to do the talking. “We were wondering if we could step in.”

“Hey!” one of the men exclaimed. “They’re trying to steal our turn in the line?”

Another man echoed, “Cutter! Cutter! Cutter!”

“Who do you think you are?!”

<Vic? I don’t like this…> Sophie whispered in his mind.

“Sorry,” the security guard. “But I was told to not allow anyone through here. This entrance is just for people who signed up for the event.”

“Really?” Vic thought for a moment before asking. “And can I sign up?” This would certainly look weird in his resume, if a normal job was still in the cards for him. That question got the men hollering and booing at him now.

“Sorry, but the sign up for the day is closed,” the guard said.

“Drat,” Vic muttered. “Is there a way we can go in? I mean…” He took a deep breath, relaying his thoughts to Sophie so she wouldn’t be scared when he took a step to the side, putting her in the forefront. “This here is Gigaton’s daughter. And she has a gift for her dad. One she wants to hand to him personally.”

To that point, Sophie produced the gift-wrapped present and held it up, trying to be as innocent as she could be.

It was hard to tell if the guard was considering the answer, but someone else decided to butt in. “Gigaton’s daughter? Get the fuck out of here!” Vic reflexively moved to cover the girl’s ears.

“No way it’s Gigaton’s daughter.” The man dressed as an armored ninja moved in closer than either kid was comfortable with, leaning in to get a good look at the girl’s face while also trying to step between them and the glass door. Sophie reacted by putting herself behind her protector for the evening.

“Wasn’t she dead?” Vic could hear someone say.

“She was in that accident, right?”

“That was years ago, she’s not with us anymore,” noted the ugly man dressed in the cheap halloween red costume, also moving close to the kids.Vic was already considering using his powers in the water to arm himself, even if he hadn’t perfected the quicker way to draw it out of the bottle. “That is so messed up, you rat. To bring this girl in and pretend she’s his daughter?”

“But she is,” Vic insisted. He stood his ground, knowing that Sophie was too intimidated to talk. He never thought that he would be glaring up at an unpleasant adult in a conversation the same way he did with Urresti back in Massachusetts. But that practice quelled the fear he might’ve felt.

“What? You going to claim that she came along with her mom? We know that Safety disappeared ever since,” a man scoffed.

“Shame, she was hot,” the man in red said.

“Yeah!” another of the wannabe vigilantes clucked while the others grunted in agreement or whistled mockingly. “You fucking monster.”

“Shut up! Why are you sticking your ugly nose where it’s not wanted!?” It was the bravado talking, and Vic regretted it pretty much instantly.

“What was that you said?”

“You heard me. This is none of your business!” Vic shouted. “Get back to your corner and keep on chugging.”

“Or what are you gonna do?” The man in the cheap red costume pulled a nightstick from his belt and held it out in a threatening manner. Standing so close, Vic tried not to gag from the stench of alcohol in his breath. “Somebody needs to teach you manners.”

Fortunately, the situation didn’t escalate any further as the security guard immediately stepped in between them, easily pushing the wannabe vigilante back and warning him, “There will be no fighting here! Sit down and wait your turn before I kick you from the hotel!”

The man might not have been thinking clearly, but even so, he knew that this was an ass-kicking he wasn’t ready for, so he and the other guys took a couple of steps back. Though he didn’t forget about Vic and Sophie.

“Sorry,” the guard said, addressing the two. “But I was told to not let anyone in, no matter what.”

“Yeah!” “Take that!” Some of the men, including the guy with the red costume, hollered as they cheered for another drink.

<What do we do?> Sophie thought-whispered.

<We find another way?> Vic muttered, thinking of other alternatives and paths they could take. Then, he remembered something he saw back in the convention center, just before they entered the hallway.

<I think I have an idea. There might still be a way. Do you still want to try and see your dad?>

Sophie thought for a moment, maybe too long of a moment as the security officer was already looking at them funny.

“Sorry, it’s alright. We’ll try again tomorrow or the day after,” Vic said as he pulled away, guiding Sophie back the way they came in.

“Go home!” the red wannabe scoffed as he took a swig from the contents of a flask.

“Tsk…” the guard growled at the candidates. “You guys are applying to be heroes. You’re not taking this seriously.”

“Relax, dude. We’re Gigaton’s fans!” The guy scoffed. “There’s no way he’s going to turn us down.”

“At least try to look the part.”

“Meh, don’t bother. This guy is just a muscle for hire, he wouldn’t understand,” said another.

“Yeah…” the rest of the crew agreed, much to the ire of security as he resumed his post with a frown on his brow.

By then, Vic and Sophie had slipped back into the convention hall, where the music drowned noise from the hallway. <Those people were mean.>

<Yeah, they were,> Vic agreed as he guided Sophie towards the side of the wall, where he spotted what he was looking for: a map. An evacuation map in the case of an emergency, to be precise, but still a map nonetheless.

Stopping before it, his finger traced down their current location over to the hotel and, as he’d come to hope, it revealed other paths into the hotel area, past the glass doors. The nearest one came around through a long supply closet. As long as there was a door and no security, it should be just as easy. <So… there is still a way if you want to do this. Do you?> Vic asked again.

<Yeah.> Sophie nodded, frowning as she looked back to the hallway. <I wanna make it in to prove to them that I’m my dad’s daughter.>

<Alright…> Vic noted. <Then let's get going. I’m already worried we might be cutting it close. So we better hurry.>

Saturday, December 31th - 7:24 pm
Blackbell Hotel

Getting where they wanted wasn’t particularly hard. According to the evacuation plan, it was just a couple of doors away from the backstage, which they crossed with great haste.

<Just stay with me, act like we’re supposed to be here.> Vic coached Sophie as he guided her by the hand through the space. Fortunately, everyone was too busy going from one place to another to bother noticing them, let alone try to stop them.

<Are we going to make it?> Sophie asked.

I want to think that we’re going to get in trouble either way… but if we’re doing this, there’s no point in coming back empty-handed, Vic thought on the other side of the mental lobby, the trick he used to shield his thoughts from the mental link. <It’ll be fine. Just give your dad the gift, and we’ll be on our way in ten minutes, tops, okay?>

<Okay.>

They made it into a quiet corridor that connected to the one where the group of wannabe heroes sat. Fortunately, neither they nor the security guard were within view, which meant the two kids were in the clear to slip in. <I can’t believe we made it… this part should be easy,> Vic thought to himself, hoping that just thinking wouldn’t be enough to jinx his luck.

Clank! The problems came from the door, as it could be expected.

<It’s locked?> Sophie whispered.

<That’s not a problem,> Vic said with a bit of smugness. After all, this was the easy part for him.

Dipping his finger into the bottle of water, he pulled out a modest-sized blob that quickly flowed into the lock, filling every corner within the mechanism.

“Wow!” Sophie gasped using her outside voice. <That’s your power?> Sophie asked, reaching over to poke what little water seeped out of the keyhole.

<Yep. Works perfectly for this,> Vic told her, just as the door’s lock clicked. He was able to fully turn the knob and push it open, revealing a small aisle littered with shelves, cleaning supplies and stored items with the outline of another door just five steps in. A supply closet had a low-light ambiance that allowed them to see the door at the other end, which should lead them into the hotel room’s corridor.

<Yes!> Vic muttered. But the celebration was short-lived.

“Hey!” called out a voice from the end of the corridor. It was the man in the cheap red costume standing in the threshold squirming to produce the nightstick from his belt, with two heads already peeking in to see what was going on and more joining in. “What the hell are you doing?!”

<Vic!> Sophie said in a panic.

<I know!> Vic said as he nudged Sophie into the storage room and closed the door behind him. The water tendril still filling the lock quickly undid its actions, clicking everything back into place.

<Vic!> Sophie mentally screamed.

“You’re that kid from before!” The red candidate called out as someone held up his phone to cast a light into the corridor. “What the fuck are you doing!?”

“He’s trying to enter the hotel again!” another one shouted as he stepped into the corridor

“No, he’s going to learn the hard way not to break the law!” the red candidate said, swinging the nightstick.

Oh crap! Vic thought behind the mental wall as he pulled the water out and began to back away.

“Oh! Look! He’s a mutant!” the wannabe ninja called out as he cracked his knuckles.

<Vic!> Sophie blurted out, slapping the door.

<Don’t open the door, Sophie!> Vic told her as he began to take steps back before breaking into a sprint as they gave chase. <I’m going to try to lure them away. I’m already running!> Vic explained as he made haste down the hallway. And, the men gave chase. There didn’t seem to be much reasoning with them.

<But…Someone is trying to open the door… it’s not opening. You locked it, right?> Sophie stammered.

<Yeah, I did. Keep going forward.>

<What if the other door doesn’t open?>

<It’s a closet, right? It should open from the inside.> Vic hoped he was right.

<Ah! It opened! I’m in the hallway, Vic.>

<Do you remember the way?>

<Yeah! I go right, then turn left into the corridor and find room 109!>

<Good!> Vic answered, pausing the conversation as he turned around the corner, barging into the hotel’s restaurant. At this time, the place was quite bare, with one or two guests sitting in the corner and one lone lady behind the counter who reeled back as the boy and the wannabe vigilantes burst into the room.

<I’ll be alright. Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you in ten minutes okay!?> Vic didn’t want the girl to worry about it, so he suppressed the link and focused on the obstacles between him and the exit at the back.

He wasn’t one for parkour, having only tried the school’s course with Tanya a couple of times, but he hoped that was enough to get him ahead of those chasing. He vaulted over the tables and used the chairs as stepping stools, helping himself put up distance.

His pursuers were four, just trying to catch up with him as they entered the space.

First was the off-shape candidate in the cheap red costume. His steps were slower but he was more than willing to shove chairs and tables to the side when they impeded his path. Brandishing his nightstick as though it were a commanding staff, he pointed at Vic, yelling orders as though he had appointed himself the leader of the hunting party. Although he wasn’t very good at it. Everything he said boiled down to “Get him!” and “Split up! Surround him,” and his ‘team’ was already doing that.

There was a man in street clothes that lingered a couple of steps behind the pack,though not because of a matter of fitness. In fact, he was the slimmest and possibly most athletic-looking one of the group. That one had produced a really expensive sort of slingshot from his jacket and was struggling to load it between strides. Hopefully, he wouldn't be able to use it.

Next up was a man dressed in what appeared to be a blue scuba suit wearing hard plastic gauntlets that gave away his preferred fighting style. Unmoored by any piece of gear, he slowly caught up to Vic, getting closer and closer, only to miss his chance as he tripped over a chair that was shoved in his way.

But it was the fourth man that represented the most threat. He dressed like a flashy ninja, all black with gold highlights in his armor. On his back were a couple of blunt weapons, ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice. But what concerned Vic the most was that he appeared to have taken this gig as seriously as could be. Just like his gear and appearance had effort put into it, so did his physical skill, and he was able to vault and slide around the obstacles as easily as Vic had.

He was about to catch Vic when, at the turn, his foot happened to land in a spill of water. Water that was thrown from the bubble the young man carried in his hand. It was a desperate gamble that fortunately got the ninja to trip, sending the man tumbling against the tables.

<Made it!> Vic exclaimed to himself as he made it to the door at the other end of the room. He ducked down as a couple of silver pellets flew past him, narrowly missing but shattering a vase and cracking the glass frame of a painting.

Fortunately, by then Vic had made it out of the diner and slammed the door behind him. Squeezing what water was left in his bottle, he poured it all into the lock, desperately trying to move the internal mechanisms until he felt the locking rod slip into place. Brute-forcing things this way could damage the mechanism, but he really didn’t have the time for finesse.

On the other side of the door, he could hear the four candidates run up to the door and try to push it open, only for the doors to hold. Despite being a double set, one of them fortunately had the latch embedded into its place in the ground.

“There…” Vic muttered as he took a couple of steps

“What is going on!?” asked someone, making Vic realize that he hadn’t just left one room, he had entered another. And this one happened to be the hotel’s lobby and waiting room. Because of that, there were more than a few guests taken aback by the kid using his powers to control water.

“That’s a mutant? I knew this city would have problems like this if they’re making hero tryouts,” muttered a woman to her husband or boyfriend.

“Booking the place with a convention… bad idea,” someone else said.

“Kid, you better run,” a more sympathetic older man said in low tones, pointing back towards the side of the room. he staffer behind the counter was looking his way and reaching for the phone. And a little bit further, the security guard posted at the entrance was being informed of his presence.

“Oh… um. Sorry. I’ll be on my way,” Vic said as he stepped away, moving towards the corridor deeper into the hotel. He really doubted that the security guard by the entrance would just let him walk out, so his better option was to run in the opposite direction. If his memory of the map was to be trusted, it would lead him either out or have him circle back to the convention. From there, all he needed was to change his clothes, keep a low profile and wait for Sophie to reach back out. During the Silent Mountain incident, he’d realized that whatever mental link he established would linger for quite some time, and all he needed to do was to try to figure out how to re-establish it. Then, they would be out and heading back–

“One!… Two!…” was heard. The voice of more than a couple men counting in unison, coming from the other side of the door to the dining hall. That got him to shudder as he realized what was about to happen.

“Three!” they all shouted as they slammed themselves against the door. A sordid crash put a harsh strain on the locks that threatened to break them apart… but they held. The wood, however, did not. It cracked and splintered before bursting out on the second shoulder bash. The doors flung open, with splinters exploding into the once unblemished reception. Startled guests screamed at the explosive entrance and the weirdly dressed men that stumbled in.

“Don’t worry. We’re here to help!” the one in the red suit said, without a hint of self-awareness.

“There he is!” the one in blue screamed, pointing at Vic. That was enough to get the boy to resume his exit, stage left. “He’s getting away!”

And with that, the chase resumed.

“Crap! I got too confident! I should’ve been running as soon as I locked the door!” Vic cursed as he kept on his path. His brain was frantically trying to come up with another solution.

Saturday, December 31th - 7:28 pm
Blackbell Hotel - Hallway

Sophie panted and struggled. Her breath rasped in her throat, her heart was beating fast in her chest, something that always got her wary. Even when she pushed her steps in P.E. class at school, the fear was always there in the back of her head. That it would be too much and she would end up ‘breaking’ like she had before. Be it because of the cold, the fear in her throat or the exhaustion of a long day, it felt closer than ever tonight.

Even though Mom told her she was stronger now, what came before was still stuck within her. And the fear of pushing herself was at the forefront. But she couldn’t stop, not when she was so close. She would find the room her Dad was in, she would have some time with him, hugs and kisses and she would give him his Christmas present. It all built up to this. She chose this!

“I hope Vic is okay…” She thought as her eyes fixated on the number plates on the doors. 115… 114…113….

She was close, so close, Sophie thought as she picked up the pace, feeling her lungs start to burn from the experiences so far. Just a couple more doors.

And yet.

“Halt!” called out a voice from behind. It was one of the costumed weirdos from before that happened to be chasing after her!

“No!” She was about to shout for help when she remembered that she was the one trespassing, so she would be in trouble.

As he ran after, she kicked up her speed into the best sprint her exhausted body could bear.

And yet it wasn’t enough. Casting her eyes back over her shoulder, she could see him easily gaining on her in just mere steps. She was about to be caught! In her haste and panic, she tripped on her own feet and stumbled onto the carpeted floor.

It’s over! Sophie thought, even if she could try to get up, she would definitely get caught, so she reacted, covering her eyes and bracing herself for what could happen. She heard the footsteps muffled in the carpet, and the wild rustling of clothing… but also the sound of thuds and grunts. And then, the chaos stopped, but she still heard someone slowly walking towards her.

“Sophie?” A voice said in a whisper tone. One that froze Sophie. It wasn’t the man that was chasing after her, but someone much more familiar that put her at ease.

As she took her arm off her eyes, a smile appeared on her face as she sat up. “Uncle Cole!” She exclaimed, although whispering.

Uncle Cole. A friend of her mother. Someone who worked with Mom in the clinic and who very often dropped by their place to play or take care of her when Mom was busy with work. One of the nicest and coolest people she knew, and a mutant, just like Mom. The sight of him in the middle of the room instead of the costumed weirdo was a relief.

“Wait… where did he go?” she asked. The man that chased after was suddenly gone.

“Where did who go?” Cole asked as he knelt down before her. His smile was reassuring to Sophie.

“The man, the one that was chasing me.” Sophie asked. Looking around, there was no sign of him.

“Sophie, remember what I told you?” Cole said as he held off a pinkie finger, which Sophie latched with her own. “That I’ll always try to be there to protect you.”

“Yes,” Sophie smiled, finding herself at ease as he got up and pulled her up as well. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh… I’m just, um, doing a favor to a friend. What are you doing here?” Cole asked.

“I wanted…” Sophie began once she was standing and dusting herself, but trailed off as she leaned to the side and her eyes noticed the scuff marks on the carpet. Following them led her to a nearby hallway she just passed in her run, wherein she caught a glimpse of a foot that rested just around the corner.

Cole picked up on that and shook his head dismissively. “Don’t worry, he’s just sleeping.”

Sophie looked up at him and nodded. “Okay.” Mom always said that Cole was the best self-defense coach she’d ever met and the person she could trust to win a fight. Now she believed it. And it was then that she remembered the predicament, immediately tugging his sleeve. “Vic! Can you go help Vic?”

“Vic is here?” Cole said, sounding surprised.

“Yes! He helped me get here but… but some other men were chasing him. I don’t know where he is,” she said, feeling tears welling up from the concern. After all, he asked her if she wanted to go through with it, and she said yes. Now that she was safer, she found herself worrying.

“Don’t worry, Sophie. I’ll try to find him,” Cole said. “But first, I need to know you’re safe.”

“I’m going to meet my dad. He’s close,” Sophie said, looking at the nearest door. It was number 112. “He’s in room 109.”

“Are you sure?” Cole asked, looking just a couple of doors further. Room 109 was within sight, the one with the door slightly ajar, with the faint echo of conversation going on.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Please help Vic,” Sophie pleaded.

Cole nodded, patting her head as he began to pick up the pace away. “I’ll go after him. You get to your dad and wait there, alright?”

“Okay…” Sophie said, waving uncle Cole as he walked away. Now she believed that Vic would be safe. She hoped. And with that bit of mental peace, she carried on towards the door to room 109.

Cole made his way down the corridor with all haste. It was one surprise after another that just kept him guessing what his evening would turn out like. He would’ve appreciated it more were it not for the two kids in trouble.

Stealing the list of candidates for the Heroes United program had been surprisingly easy, but tracking down two kids in a convention of zealous fanatics felt like the more difficult task. Fortunately, he’d had an idea of where they were going, and he stepped in at the right time to intercept Sophie’s pursuer.

“This is Cole,” he said to the concealed earpiece after re-enabling the operative's channel through his phone. “Lifeward, are you there?”

“I’m here…” Lifeward answered, the uneven breath said that she was on the move at redoubled pace.

“Everything okay?”

“There was a lot of traffic in the area, so I parked a couple of blocks away. I’m making my way to the hotel. Is everything alright?”

“I ran into Sophie in the hotel.”

“Is she alright?”

“She is… Maybe a bit winded. It seems like both she and Vic got themselves into problems with some of the attendees.”

“Is she with you?”

“No,” By the time Cole turned around, he saw Sophie opening the door and stepping into the hotel room. “I let her go on her way, she just entered the room where her father is conducting the interviews. She should be safe there.”

“Why did you leave her with him?” Caroline asked, sounding more than frustrated.

“Vic is supposedly still in danger from your ex’s fans and I can’t bring Sophie along with me for that. Leaving her in the hands of a well-known hero was the better choice.”

“I… suppose that’s right,” Caroline conceded.

“Now, I need to find Vic. Hopefully, Sophie exaggerated.”

“Hopefully. Anything else to worry about?” Caroline muttered. “We aren’t dealing with any enhanced individuals, aren’t we?”

“I have the list. None of them reach the first level of concern. Most of the remaining applicants are baselines. Those that had a power or claim to have one were given preferential treatment, either for early interviews or automatic passes. The rest are just lumped together for the neighborhood vigilante or sidekick program. The ‘don’t call us, we’ll call you’ answer.’”

“That’s a relief… still concerning–”

“Excuse me,” another voice popped into the conversation. This was a channel set up for operatives in the area. “I have an update.”

“Tell me, Lars, did your crows find something?”

“Yes. There’s some trouble brewing just outside of the hotel, east side across the street. I think I found your target. He’s making it into the alley.”

“I’m on my way,” Cole said as he began to pick up the pace, only to notice that Caroline had already gone.

“Dang it,” Cole said, picking up the pace, following the path he assumed Sophie took to find the supply closet that connected with the adjacent hallway. “Everyone. We already accomplished what we came here for, let’s prepare to take off and enjoy tomorrow’s holiday downtime. Lars, though. If it’s not too much an issue, can you keep your drone on duty for a little longer?”

“No problem, sir,” Lars conceded. “I’m recording the situation as it happens.”

“Good… Send the feed to my and Lifeward’s phone,” Cole reported. “Before I dismiss you, avoid making mention of this little extra sidequest. As far as the report is concerned, we investigated the event, gathered intel and left with the organization’s involvement concealed. Any other development, I’ll include it in the report later.”

“Understood,” the other three voices in the channel said.

Sophie stood before the door to room 109. Seconds of contemplation felt like minutes for her as she held the present within her coat. She was about to surprise her dad and couldn’t help but feel the butterflies flitting about in her stomach. She’d wanted this, to hug him as strong as she could more often since Mom separated them… but now that it was just her, she felt butterflies in her stomach.

But after all she went through, deciding to set off in this quest, running for her life twice, and deciding to continue on this track. Those butterflies weren’t stopping her feet as she put one before the other and pushed open the door.

“… And then, after I dealt with the miscreants, they begged for the police to arrive,” said a man sitting on a chair, punctuating it with smug laughter. It certainly didn’t help Sophie’s intention. “The building owner said I saved his property from taking a huge value drop before its sale.” Just a little bit further, she spotted a line of tables behind which three men listened to the explanation.

“And what’s your training?” Sophie heard the voice of her dad. which encouraged her just enough to abandon discretion and push the door open all the way to get a clearer view.

On the left end of the panel was the hero she’d been looking for: Gigaton, one of the strongest and most popular heroes of the Pacific Northwest. Beloved by people, the savior of lives and the smiter of monsters and criminals. All titles that Sophie had heard, but to her, he would always be ‘Dad’.

“Well,” began the wannabe hero in his costume.. “I am what might be considered a “green belt” but I know that my abilities are far beyond the conventional…”

He had to trail off as Gigaton raised a hand for him to stop. The other two members of the panel were of the same mind, their gazes directed past the candidate and unable to ignore the opening of the door to the room. And even more so when it was a young girl that entered a room populated by grown men.

“What are you doing here?” asked one of the assistants standing by the back. He grabbed Sophie’s arm before the girl could answer. “This is a private meeting.”

“Stop.” Gigaton’s voice carried a certain gravitas that was impossible to ignore. And it got the assistant to freeze on the spot. “Remove your hand from my daughter.”

The poor man’s face looked as though he had just committed sacrilege and he immediately released his grip on Sophie, letting the girl run up to the panel of judges.

“Hey, my little star, what are you doing here?” Dad asked. The stern tone and anger melted away to show the candid face she knew best. He got off his chair just in time to be met by the strongest hug she could give, something that always made him laugh.

“I’m sorry I’m interrupting. You’re not mad, right?” Sophie said.

“I’m just surprised.” Dad tussled her head before looking over at the other people in the room. “Let’s take a break.”

She vaguely recognized the other two men on the panel, though without their costumes it was hard to place them. They were looking at her in turn with a hint of recollection on their faces. The two exchanged a questioning look and then one gestured to the list and said, “We still have about seven candidates to interview.”.

“We’ll go through them fast. It’s not as though we haven’t already decided how it would go,” the other man said as he got up from his chair. He invited the other panel member and the assistant to play along. “We’re done for now.”

“Wait…” the candidate stammered as he saw other people were moving out of the room. “What about my interview?”

“I think we got everything we need,” Dad said as he picked Sophie up. “Don’t call us, we’ll call you for the sidekick program.”

“But I applied for the vigilante position.”

“Try another time, then” one of the other panel members said, as the assistant guided the candidate towards the door.

Once the man was out of the room, the rest of the panel members moved to the nearby snack table to chat about something else, then asking the assistant to run across the street for a cup of coffee. That gave her dad the space to talk.

“Sophie, what are you doing here?” he asked again.

“I wanted to see you,” Sophie chirped, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Did you? Well, I’m the happiest father…” he said with a small grin that she assumed was a mischievous one. Still, her heart was aflutter, happy of being in her dad’ arms, the person who saved her life. She’d decided what she was going to do, set off on this trip and managed to bring herself up into his arms. Cole would save Vic from those bad heroes. Then, they would make their way back home before Mom would even realize what happened. She thought everything was going to be perfect.

Dad looked over at the open door into the hallway. “And where’s your mother? Is she at the convention?”

Sophie flinched. “Um… she is somewhere,”

“Somewhere?” Her dad looked at her burrowed frown that compelled her to spill the beans.

“She said she was going off to run an errand.”

“Wait… wait. She left you to wonder about this place?” Dad asked, loud enough for the other men to overhear. “That isn’t good parenting, don’t you guys think?”

“That doesn’t sound like ‘Safety’,” one of the men agreed just to humor an answer.

“I know,” Dad said in an innocent tone, in between laughs. “I don’t know guys, it doesn’t seem like she’s able to balance her hobbies and her upbringing, wouldn’t you say?”

“No! No!” Sophie quickly chimed in. “Mom takes care of me just fine. She’s the best, really! I snuck out of home and made my way here just to see you. I followed the pamphlet you left at home!”

“I-I… I didn’t leave it so you would travel here on your own. That was dangerous, Sophie,” Dad admonished. “How did you make it here?”

“I… took the bus and then walked a couple of blocks.” Sophie said, quickly adding before her dad could ask. “Vic helped me, all the way here.”

“Vic? Who is he? Is he your babysitter? A boy babysitter?” he asked as though it was a joke.

“He…” Sophie started, thinking about it for a moment before saying. “He’s a friend.”

“I see, and where is he?” Dad said, looking at the hallway again. “I would give him an autograph if he wants one.”

“He… um,” Sophie muttered, wondering if she should tell her father that his fans aren’t very nice, or that Vic was in trouble. But the thought that Cole would save Vic gave her at least some solace. “He’s busy, but he’s going to let me know when it’s time to go back. Don’t tell mom, we hope to make it back before she does,” she whispered that last part, much to Dad’s amusement.

“Oh, of course,” Dad said, pulling Sophie closer to plant a kiss on her cheek. “Can’t wait for you to visit me. We’re going to have so much fun.”

“Heehee, Dad, your beard is scratching me.” Sophie giggled and pushed his chin away before searching into her coat to produce the present she’d been meaning to give him. Uncrinkling the Christmas tree wrapping, she offered it to her dad with a wide smile. “For you!”

“Really? Aw, thanks, Sophie,” he said, planting another kiss on her cheek before deftly opening the present with one hand, practically ripping the packaging to reveal its content.

“It’s… a tie,” Dad described, his voice alone got a couple of chuckles from the other heroes that happened to overhear it.

“Mom said you don’t have many.”

“Of course she would say that.” She recognized the sarcasm as he rolled it around his fingers and slipped it in his pocket. “Thank you for the gift, sweetie.”

“You didn’t like it, did you?”

“I… I just don’t know if your Mom knows my tastes.”

“I bought it with my allowance.”

“Oh…Then I love it,” Dad quickly corrected, pulling Sophie in for the warmest hug he could muster. “Tell me, how’s things at home? Did you have fun with your brother on Christmas?”

Saturday, December 31th - 7:36 pm
Blackbell Hotel - Outside

There really didn’t seem to be a stopping point for these guys. Vic had hoped that with how things were going, the wannabe heroes would just give up and leave, go back to their waiting line, but no such luck. Granted, less than fifteen minutes had passed since he parted ways with Sophie, but it just seemed to be so much more when on the move. They must’ve been at the end of the waiting list if they had the time to run after him.

And he hadn’t made it easy for them either, constantly slipping out of their grasp, seeking out and using whatever obstacle he could to keep the distance. But that just got them angrier and spurred them on with the chase. Either he would lose them or end up in a world of pain!

They would get close, with the ninja cosplayer being the most skilled of the bunch, but then Vic would resort to any tactic he could find to ensure that none of them would touch him. He threw water, slipped around bystanders as convenient obstacles, and at one point shoved a dining cart in the way. They still endured, with the red one yelling increasingly louder profanities at him.

Eventually, an inopportune turn was taken when Vic happened to see an older couple emerging from the next intersection. Rather than turning right, he swerved left, getting him out onto the hotel’s driveway instead of back into the convention.

<I’ll be okay,> Vic reassured himself as he crossed the street, just as the cars had been halted by a red light. He could see it, after all, the alleyway with plenty of stuff he could throw in their path. And once that happened, they would need to let him go. All he needed to do was to stay ahead and not trip–

Snap! Something struck his right leg, just as he had made it to the sidewalk! It struck in midstep, throwing off his footing. That, plus the snow that had piled up underfoot, resulted in him falling and sliding across the cold ground.

“Good shot!” the loud red wannabe told the man with the slingshot as they crossed the street to meet up with Vic.

“I shouldn’t have run in a straight line…” Vic grumbled as he pushed himself up. He heard the men trotting closer. In his fall he’d let go of his control of the water, leaving him defenseless. He really hated to try this but… “Listen, I’m sorry for all that but I can assure you it was for a very import-”

His words were cut short when the hard heel of a boot came crashing against his cheek. It sent him tumbling.

“You fucking pest!” shouted the man in the cheap red costume. “Like we give a fuck what your reason was! You broke the law. You tried to go into a restricted area and now we get to teach you the consequences of your stupidity.”

“Teach me? You don’t get to do that.” Vic tried to get up, only to feel another steel pellet smash onto his hand. With the cold about, it still hurt like hell and left him hissing, but didn’t knock him down. And that was the signal for the other guy, the fitter one in the blue scuba suit, to step in to drive a kick into his side.

Vic managed to react, crawling away just enough so that the kick would fly long and letting himself get carried by the momentum for an awkward fall. He would’ve found it funny if he hadn’t needed to get back up and assume a fighting stance. Another pellet from the guy with the military slingshot struck his stomach, dangerously close where he’d been stabbed the previous week.

The guy had a quick reload and was already pulling back another projectile only for the man in the red suit to put his hand in. “Hey! Leave something for us.”

The ninja cosplayer was cracking his knuckles in preparation. “I mean, we’ve all been wronged by this twerp equally. And we have to teach him a proper lesson for that disaster he left at the hotel.”

Still, Vic managed to reel back and get the words out. “Wronged?! What disaster? Most of the damage was because of you. I didn’t break those tables, vase, paintings, and doors, to name a few–”

“Shut up! You little criminal! You started it.”

“Look, he has scales on his cheek,” one with the slingshot said after pointing the high powered flashlight mounted on its base against him.

Vic winced, reflexively covering the side of his face, where the cut made by that power mimic last week had healed up to patch itself. With all the running, he forgot about that. No doubt many had seen it. Even though he tried covering it with his scarf, tumbling into the damp ground made it hard for it to cover him–not that this was the time to worry about it.

“Ah, we have a monster among us. No wonder. Cast aside and now you’re trying your hand at crime? That’s how the statistics go…” By now, the guy in the cheap red costume was really starting to piss Vic off. But judging by the way he was preparing his nightstick, he wasn’t going to give him a compassionate out.

“Fuck you,” Vic snarled back. It was a visceral reaction, one that came from the bile that had been building up since his changes began. This was the first gut reaction he’d received from a stranger. The way everyone would probably start seeing him, especially as things got worse. The way his plans and wants were falling apart as he could no longer be anything else than an outcast.

“You have a mouth on you. I’ll shut you up!” the man in the red suit snarled and charged in with the nightstick up to prepare a swing.

Vic had to thank Sensei Tolman for the martial arts lessons and the beatings he got during BMA. Compared to those, this was dirty, ugly child’s play. He could see the attack coming and was able to weave himself out of the swing and back from the backhanded slap, only to find the chance to counter by driving a fist into the man’s gut. He didn’t hold back or pull his punch, but the paunch had more fat than he expected. Red Suit was still standing, albeit hunched over and wheezing a curse.

To that, Blue Scuba Gear came in from the side to try and land another couple of swings. While he didn’t have a weapon, he was more of a challenge than the last one. Blue assumed a boxer’s stance, keeping his guard up as he threw punches. And yet, for this Vic used the only lesson Cole gave him: ‘position zero’. The idea that fighters could end up relying on a stance a little too much. The moment after Vic blocked the attack, while the blue candidate was resetting his stance, he managed to sneak in a kick with enough strength at the height of the kidney. It created an opening for a counterattack that left the other guy reeling.

When Red Suit came in to have another try at Vic, the young man was able to answer the same as before, narrowly sparing himself from a haymaker while driving a warding hook to push the drunkard away.

Vic was feeling pretty good about himself, about his chances, about making it out unscathed… relatively.

But that’s when he caught sight of another shadow darting around the alley to catch him in his attempt to escape. The ninja candidate had stepped into the fight, and did so with speed and fierceness that embarrassed the other two men. No sooner Vic noticed Ninja Dude’s presence and moved to act, his arm narrowly managed to catch a punch that would’ve struck his face. The burn of his muscles and the cry of his bone make it clear that this one would’ve hurt–but that wasn’t the end of it as the man followed with a second attack that almost connected as Vic backed away.

And when Vic took an opening to try to capitalize on, not only was the return punch blocked but Vic felt the vomit and drool rise up his throat as a hard punch met right below his stomach.

His heart stopped for a moment, a lump felt stuck in his lungs and his whole world and body shuddered. He could barely process anything, let alone defend himself when the ninja landed another punch on chest and a final one to the side that sent him reeling back and collapsing on the grimy floor of the alley.

The ninja cosplayer seemed more than happy about landing the knockdown punch. Vic could see him take a couple of steps back, to let Red and Blue have a shot at him. And they did so eagerly, raising nightstick and pulling back a fist to bring down on him.

The boot struck his stomach and chest and the padded jacket did little to mitigate the hit, while the nightstick would’ve struck Vic in the head if he hadn’t raised his hand to block it. They weren’t giving him an opening to do much else but just turtle up. He sacrificed his arm to block the smacks aimed for his head and raised his knee and other arm to defend the wound in his stomach from the kicks.

The two might’ve been exhausted from the running, but they still tried to pull out all the stops as they made hit after hit. Vic felt his head spin as he began to lose consciousness, only held up by his body’s need to keep himself alive.

“How do you like it?! This is for making this needlessly harder for us!”

“You little fucker, really made us look dumb before the other people in the hotel! And you dare to talk back at us!?” the man in red snarled in fury, even as the man with the slingshot appeared to be telling them something.

“Wait! What’s that?… There’s a drone.” He noted how the world appeared to grow lighter. A strong spotlight shone down on them from the heavens, bright enough to garner their attention.

“Wait! Who’s tha–” he said, interrupted by the sound of fists striking flesh.

They stopped their assault, giving Vic a moment to breathe… but that was it as his grasp on consciousness slipped and he felt himself passing out, though not missing the small whirring device that flew around moving the light in the vicinity and the appearance of a figure that had entered the fray, stepping away from the man with the sling as he fell down to the ground before engaging with the one dressed up as a ninja, blocking the next three hits of the combo before countering them with a knee to the stomach and a fist to the side of the head.

Someone was fighting the heroic failures, and that brought some solace to Vic as the world grew blurry and dark.

Saturday, December 31th - 7:52 pm
Blackbell Hotel

The convention had died down slowly in the past couple of hours, as only a handful of the attendants were interested in the remaining events of the day. And once a few of the vendors or stalls closed, that marked the time for the departing exodus.

It wasn’t helped exactly when the hotel redoubled their security after the rumors of destruction and rioting. Something about a group of wannabe vigilantes and a kid playing tag on the premises and thrashing every space they went through.

Back in the hallway that ran right next to the convention center, he three remaining candidates lingered, awaiting their turn at the Heroes United program. Although by now, they were starting to grow concerned. More than once they’d checked the times and considered leaving. This was long after the last candidate had left his interview trying to convince himself that they would be calling him. Which made them question whether they’d been forgotten.

It wasn’t until the guard that stood by the glass doors, usually standing like a statue, reacted that heads turned over to the other side of the hallway where a figure appeared. A woman was walking the path towards their door, dressed in a thick padded coat that did little to hide the stylized boots underneath from the crew of cape-watchers. She walked in with strong steps and an angered yet serious expression on her face. Also, she was dragging one of the corpulent candidates behind her, the one in the patchy red suit. The other, dressed in a blue scuba suit, was tied up and pulled along by a wire.

“Is that… Safety?!” One of the candidates waiting said.

“I think she is… It is Safety!” Another one said.

“Think she’s out of retirement?” But as much as they might’ve wanted, neither dared to step up to ask for autographs, especially when they recognized their fellow candidates being dragged after.

“Can I help you?” the guard asked.

“Step aside, I’m meeting up with the heroes of the event!” Caroline snapped, not even stopping in her steps.

The guard paused for a moment, staring at both Caroline and the men that she dragged behind her. The one in the blue suit was bleeding from the nose and didn't seem to have any energy to put up a fight. The wire tied around him was coiled around her arm, and she yanked him in the moment he looked about to slack off. The man in the red uniform appeared to be unconscious, and was dragged along the floor by the scruff of his suit.

“Is that… Safety’s enchantment of puissance? The one that boosts her strength? I think it is,” one of the candidates noted from in line, loud enough for the guard to hear.

Whether he believed that her status granted her some legitimacy, or just that he did not want to oppose the woman dragging two grown men in her wake, the guard relented. “Um… Of course, this way,” he said as he took a step aside, once the door was opened.

“Thank you.” Caroline could find it within her to be cordial, at least. A small break after all the things that were set in motion to sour her evening.

“Do you need help?” the guard offered.

“I can manage… Actually… Yes, can you hold this one here and bring him along?” She offered him the wire on the blue suited candidate before resuming her walk, leading the way.

“Um… sure. They’re in room 109. Just a couple of steps forward, turn left. Three doors down the corridor should lead you to it.”

“Please, let me go,” the man in blue begged as he followed the security officer, but the man didn’t even look at him as he pulled him along.

Caroline followed along the path, grunting a little from the effort. The enchantment of strength certainly made it easier to drag her ex-husband’s rotund fanatic around, but it was still a chore. Still, she wasn’t about to give the drunkard the satisfaction of carrying him on her shoulder.

Several steps in, the man in the red suit blurted out, “Whu… what?” as he regained consciousness. His immediate reaction was to try to get up, but with his body being pulled by Caroline’s strong grip, he could barely roll over. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked her.

“You attacked us?!” he added when Caroline didn’t give him an answer.

“Let us go, you bitch. We were dispensing justice!”

“Justice…” Caroline grumbled, a hiss stuck in her voice.

“Miss… I’m…” the man in blue managed.

“Save it!” Caroline growled.

Room 109 was within sight and, with the door open, she could hear her ex-husband’s charmingly practiced ‘ha ha ha’ laugh that she’d once loved, followed after her own daughter’s excited retelling of her adventure.

“And-And then, after we got off the bus, we walked the rest of the way here… I wanted to cut through an alley but there were some bad men hiding there.”

“Some bad men?” George said out loud. “Muggers? That can’t be right,”

“Yeah… Vic told me they looked like muggers, so we walked along. A-And then they chased us through the street, but we ended up losing them as we crossed the road!”

“I’m glad you made it here safely, my little star,” George said in a sweet tone. There was something about it that got Caroline to experience almost all the emotions of the rainbow, from anger, to sadness to relief. Even joy to hear the man she once loved acting as a father and the laugh of joy from her daughter.

But she couldn’t give them the time alone.

Her appearance in the hallway was hard to miss for those present, and the surprise of her presence didn’t ease up when she dragged the two men into the room.

Surprised, George put Sophie on the ground. On the side, the other two men reacted in both readiness to act but also curious as to what was going on, even as Caroline threw her detainee into the center of the room, knocking off the chair for the candidates.

“Ca… I mean, S. I understood that you weren’t going to partake in the event as a panelist, but you didn’t need to break in like this… What’s the meaning of this?” George asked, maybe with some bemusement as to the little spectacle.

“I… I can explain,” Sophie said meekly from behind the table.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Caroline told her daughter sternly before snatching the wire carried by the guard and pushing the other into the center of the room, right next to the man in red, who just happened to be recovering from the throw, getting his bearings on the surroundings.

“You bitch. What’s your evil plan–” that was until he saw the superhero Gigaton standing high just a couple of steps away from him. “Oh my god! Gigaton! Sir! Please help me! This crazy bitch jumped us! I…” he trailed off as he realized that something wasn’t right as his hero was frowning his way.

“I know I can sometimes call her crazy as a joke… but I still won’t allow you to disrespect my ex-wife,” George said in an amusing tone that got some chuckles from the others present.

“Your… ex… wife?” he blurted out as he turned around to look at Caroline. He must’ve been unable to get a clear look at her face as she dropped onto them because his eyes immediately widened in recognition and his mouth quivered, going from a lustful smile to the realization he vomited before a crush. Either way, that just got her to look down on him in further disgust. “Y-You’re Safety! I’m a fan of yours!”

“Charmed…” Caroline hissed. “But I’m not Safety anymore.”

“Then should I call you Lifeward?” George asked with a bit of a tease in his tone. Caroline hated her new codename being known and spilled out just like that, even if it would be preferable than uttering her actual name when dealing with this. “That’s a cool coat. Are you hiding an outfit?”

“And what if I am?” Caroline frowned. She was at least confident enough that there wasn’t anything damning in her new suit. Still, the less of her was exposed to the hero world, the better. “Fine. For old time’s sake, you can call me Safety. My new vigilante name and occasional city protection shall remain a secret. I don’t do it for the brand.”

“For the record, we’re happy to see you, Safety,” chimed in one of the heroes on the side.

“Happy to see you guys again. B, congratulations on your goddaughter’s graduation and P, I’m glad to hear you quit smoking,” Caroline cited, having read the social media private bios of her old friends and co-workers, briefly before setting her eyes on her ex and the two men on the ground. “Sadly, I have other matters in my mind right now.”

“So… what brings you here? Hope the childrearing isn’t too troublesome?” George asked

By this point, Caroline didn’t answer, instead looking his way with a face of disappointment and anger. He picked up on it, though, easing up on his smirk and the jokes that would follow. “What brought you here, S? What’s the meaning of this interruption?” George could at least sense her displeasure on the matter, just enough to tone down the jokes.

“Is this the example you’ve been setting since I left? Are these the kind of people you’ve been catering to?”

“I don’t understand.” George sounded as confused as Caroline had imagined.

“Let me show you,” she said, walking around the writhing man in red and the squirming man in blue as she reached into her pocket and produced a tablet. A couple of taps and she held it out for everyone to see. The screen’s quality of the video was perfect. It was Syndicate tech, after all–but she knew for a fact that neither her husband nor the two other heroes present would be able to tell the difference.

The video began to play, showing an aerial view of the street while the lights were red and the traffic was stopped. The camera view focused on a boy that was desperately running to cross the street while, shortly after, four men, three of which were dressed in costumes chased after, screaming profanities and threats to the boy. George clearly recognized the blue and red costumed ones, giving the two captured candidates a look before he continued watching.

He saw how they caught up with the kid in the alley. The light was poor, but the drone’s camera was top notch, letting them see the fight that happened in the narrow alleyway. How the boy put up a fight, fending off two of the men. However, that was as far as he got as eventually he was felled, leading to the riled men kicking him while he was down.

“This happened just a couple of minutes ago. I was lucky one of the attendees wanted to show off his prototype drone to some of the company, and gladly lent me a copy of a video.”

“You were always excellent at gathering intel.” George fortunately bought the excuse.

“These people here, people on your list of candidates, overzealously pursued a young man into the alleyway where they proceeded to beat him up. Four grown men against a boy that was around the same age as our son,” Caroline said as she offered the tablet to the other pair of heroes in the room. Inwardly, uneasy of them holding Syndicate tech; she trusted them enough to not snoop around the apps. “A kid. Not even pulling their punches.”

“Vic…?” Sophie trailed off from behind the desk, a quivering voice as she heard the story and happened to catch a glimpse. The girl tried to move over to see the video but, knowing better, Caroline pulled it away.

“She’s lying, Gigaton! You have to believe us.” The man in red pleaded, pushing himself up to his hands and knees, past the bruises that Caroline had left on him.

“They didn’t even have a good reason… or one that would possibly make sense,” Caroline pressed, getting the man to speak up.

“We had a good reason! The boy was a mutant breaking the law. We caught him in the act and then proceeded to attack and destroy the place.”

“If I can interject,” the guard that had lingered after bringing in the man in the blue costume, noted.

“This is none of your business!” the man in red snapped.

“Please do,” George said.

“The two men here were waiting in line for about half an hour to twenty minutes before the incident. They constantly bragged about how they were the type that would surely get the job and were raucous about it. The one on the ground actually brought in a bottle of alcohol in a paper bag and began to pass it about to the rest of the people waiting.” The guard said it all factually and tried to appear as neutral as possible, but Caroline had the feeling he’d been holding onto those details for this very moment. “Afterward, I got reports from other members of the hotel security that pointed fingers to this man and his allies for causing a mess. The girl manning the dining hall reported that these men broke a couple of chairs, an expensive vase and the frame of a painting and the reception told me that they broke a valuable carved door. Those were the biggest damages.”

“I… It was justified.” The man in red snapped.

“How about you,” Caroline pointed at the man in the blue costume. “You tell us what happened?”

“I…” The man’s courage appeared to have disappeared, only replaced with shame that made him want to slip through the cracks as he was put in the spotlight of the heroes he was trying to impress.

“I have an audio of what you told me on the way here. Either we hear from you right now, or the you from ten minutes ago…” Caroline warned.

“We… The boy was trying to pick a lock to get into this side of the hotel. We thought he was trying to do something bad to you. They’d already tried to get in before. And then, we just fell for it…” the man in blue said but was quickly cut by the one in red.

“We had to teach him a lesson. It’s what you would have us do, right? Teach people about the consequences of breaking the law, right?” The man in red was starting to spiral. “We knew he was up to no good when he showed up to try to cheat his way in. Bringing in some little girl to make up an excuse. Get this. Poor girl looked like such a twerp being used but I found it all the more insulting that she would try to play along, pretending to be your dead daughter. I mean, how lowly is that. If we’d only caught her…” It was at that moment that he spotted Sophie peeking from around the table.

“What… What happened to Vic?” she asked, sounding scared of the answer.

“That’s her! That’s the brat. We got your accomplice good. Hopefully he’ll never try-” The man in red couldn’t utter another word as George grabbed him by the lapel and lifted up into the air with just one hand.

“You will not ever talk to my daughter like that,” George snarled between gritted teeth. “You were even going to attack her? Attacking a fucking child? What is wrong with you?!”

Sophie sniffled, covering her eyes as she muttered something that sounded like. “I told him to carry on with this!” Caroline didn’t understand what was happening, certainly not expecting Sophie to be as distraught on the matter, but the moment she got close, the girl latched onto her leg just to seek comfort.

“I asked for heroes to join my ranks and you come here acting like a common thug? Ganging on children? Against the boy that managed to ferry my daughter safely to my arms to deliver me a present?!” George roared as the man in red tried to pry himself out of the hero’s steel grasp.

“Does that mean… I don’t get the job?” the man in red said, with a nervous smile. “Okay, okay. I know I could’ve done better… maybe… maybe…” he began but couldn’t really bring himself to admit his error.

“I ask you again, is this the kind of person you’re bringing into your ranks?” Caroline repeated. “The person who gave me the footage was going to post it online in a matter of hours. Word will get out that this man and the other three were being considered for your Heroes United project, whether interviewed or not. The question will be, is this the kind of people you need to consider? Because I dread to imagine the kind of Portland a team of vigilantes like these might create.”

“The kind that picks on children and cries for help when they get in trouble,” said B. He handed the tablet back to Caroline, having seen enough footage.

“This would be terrible PR,” agreed P.

“Then we’ll have to step ahead and condemn these candidates.” George said, throwing the man in the red costume down to the ground.

“I just got a message from the manager of the hotel,” the guard chimed in again, pressing the earpiece. “The police have been called here for the disturbance, and they should be on the way.”

“Good,” both Caroline and George said at the same time, with her adding, “The other two are unconscious and bound in the alley east of the hotel.”

“Thank you ma’am, and sorry for the trouble,” the guard apologized, seemingly for no particular reason.

“These are at the bottom of the barrel anyway.” George threw the man in red down to the ground. “Get them out of my sight.”

“Wait! You can’t do this to me just for that!” The former candidate quickly tried to get up, only for B to step in and subdue him, then slap handcuffs to his wrist.

“Shut up,” the fellow hero noted as the blue and red candidates were led out the hallway. “We’ll have to make a statement about this.”

“Yeah, I know,” George grumbled as everyone but his ‘family’ left the room. “We’ll have to pause the recruitment until we can come up with better standards.”

Once alone, the silence lingered between the three. Caroline wanted to ask Sophie if she was at least safe or had a good time, but the situation had been soured beyond salvation. George appeared frustrated, blindsided by the events and the repercussions this might have on his image, he just couldn’t bring himself to celebrate, knowing this wasn’t the right moment.

“Is Vic alive?” Sophie asked.

“He’s... very bruised, and unconscious but still breathing. I was able to get someone to look after him while I came to deliver these and pick you up, Sophie. There’ll be repercussions, though,” Caroline told George. In her mind, she was mostly thinking about Vic’s furthering changes, but he took it quite seriously.

“I can only thank you for bringing this up, Caroline. You always knew how to make us look good,” George said, somewhat subdued.

“Yeah,” Caroline answered dryly as she grabbed her daughter’s hand, already leading her away. “We’ll take our leave. We have to check on the boy. I wish you a happy new year, George.”

“You, too.” George adjusted his clothes, his hand fiddling with the tie. It was the one Sophie bought for him, now clumsily wrapped around his neck.

“You know…” Caroline noted. “Sometimes I forget that you can be a good parent. If the situation ever arises, I would accept an invitation out for lunch, someday.”

“But not to get back together?”

“It’s complicated. I don’t want to tie you down, but I don’t want to be your enemy.”

“This is hard, you know? After you left us,” George noted.

“I know,” Caroline said, not even denying the accusation. He wasn’t wrong. “Give Dereck a big hug for me when you see him.”

“Maybe we can arrange more visits,” George said.

“Yeah. Maybe…” Caroline sighed. “We’ll be heading off now.”

“Oh, goodbye,” George said as he knelt down, earning himself Sophie’s strongest hug before she moved back to hold her mother’s hand.

“Listen… Caroline,” George said as they were near the door. “I feel really sorry about what happened to this Vic boy. Feel myself partly responsible for this. Is it okay if I see him? Maybe offer a gift or something–” Caroline had already raised her hand, asking for him to stop.

“You’ve done enough. Just leave it at that,” she said as they exited the hallway.

“Mom… is Vic going to be alright?” she asked once they were several steps into the corridor.

“I’ll give him a healing treatment as soon as we get home. But he’s knocked out and will be bruised for a bit and… Well, this will leave a mark.” Caroline figured she should forewarn her daughter.

“Will he change more?” Sophie asked.

“Most likely.”

“And where’s he at now?”

“He should be in my car. Uncle Cole is looking after him.”

“I thought he would rescue Vic in time.”

“Sadly, things happen. Not all of them are good or according to plan. He tried to make it there. I was closer, but even then I didn’t make it in time.”

Caroline picked her daughter up for a hug. “Despite all of this, I hope you had a good time with your dad.”

“I love my dad,” Sophie said. She meant it, even though she couldn’t give a beaming smile right then and there. “He can be very fierce and scary.”

“I know. But he can be sweet inside, can’t he?”

“I think so,” Sophie nodded.

???
???

Vic opened his eyes with a jolt that ran through his body. He was greeted by a cloudy sky that obscured the sun just enough to allow the joyful blue hue behind it to still be seen through. His body sank comfortably onto the ground like it was a soft mattress, while the sound of rustling and crashing came in the most relaxing way that sound could make.

“Where…” Vic blurted out. He attempted to sit up, only to stop as the dulling ache surprised him. The pain appeared to linger through, though, generalized on his body but still present enough. What that meant, he wasn’t sure, but at least that made him feel as though he hadn’t kicked the can yet… at least that much he hoped.

The last thoughts and memories came crashing back to him. How he got separated from Sophie to let her into the hotel to find her father. How he stayed behind to run a distraction, getting the four men to chase after him. He thought he was going to make it, that he could slip out of trouble, get back to Sophie and then get back home… but they caught up to him and then proceeded to beat him up. Badly.

“Did I die?” he wondered as he pushed himself up. He came face to face with the ocean. Waves came in crashing, lapping the sand before pulling themselves back for a repeat of the cycle. The wind blew through him in a ghostly manner, providing him with a refreshing chill. And the faint lush and greenery he could see appeared still and distant despite being about ten steps away.

So, the question now was “Where was this?”

Vic had never been to a beach like this. So far off into the distance, with no land in sight. Even the land behind him was scarce. It could be easily swallowed by the rising tide in a bad storm. This wasn’t his memory… And that could only mean one thing.

“Are you there, spirit?” he called out, his voice carrying a faint echo that drowned the crash of the waves. A supernatural feeling now loaded the air.

“I was going to say…” a feminine voice rippled through the air, the same one that’d helped him when the world was dark and silent but also the one taking away his humanity. Needless to say, Vic had mixed feelings about her, warranting caution. “Surviving a stab wound just to get beaten to death by men dressed up in colorful costumes. It would’ve felt like a slap to the face to see you die like that after almost ceasing to exist.”

“I don’t really want you judging me.” Vic still felt bitterness and anger over the situation, and the mockery just made it flare. Everything was supposed to go down so smoothly. It all felt simple, and yet here he was, beaten up, kicked, punched and knocked into the spirit realm or whatever this was, dreading what would come next.

He pinched himself to see if he could wake up, but it was to no avail. He couldn’t wake himself up.

“Your heart is still beating. It appears as though you’ve been knocked out. We’ve been knocked out,” the spirit corrected.

“Even though we aren’t supposed to be a ‘we’.” Vic turned around and noticed the air shimmer on a spot on the sand… a large spot. At first, he thought it was signs that the space was about to break down, as had happened in every dream before it whenever he became aware, but since he wasn’t sleeping, it didn’t feel like that.

“Do you think about breaking away? To rip me away like that time, Victor Rivera?” The spirit’s tone grew stern. It now emanated from the shimmer in the world, as the outline of a figure appeared. Two arms… two legs and… a tail?

“I think about it. It wasn’t painless to me either,” Vic noted as the figure grew clearer. She stood larger than he’d imagined. “Wait, how do you know my name?”

“Learned quite a few things from watching you.” Now seeing things clearer, the figure was a little over two meters tall, with the barrier in the air disappearing to reveal for the first time the appearance of the spirit, or at least how she saw herself: as a large, amazonian figure that stood taller than a normal human, the body rippling with muscles that matched the physique of a brick. She took a step closer, lowering her body like a beast on the prowl just so Vic could get a look at the shark-like dorsal fin that stretched between the garments of her skintight cloth, and a long tail that stretched behind to end in a vertical fin.

“Are you willing to try? Knowing that you have a monster like me within you?” she asked, opening her mouth just so Vic could see the sharp teeth she sported and the powerful, wicked grin. “Knowing that you’ll turn into me, is this something you’re okay with?”

Vic couldn’t deny that it was an intimidating sight. Strong muscles, large size and bestial appearance at the ready for an attack. Her fingers dug into the sand, ending in claw-like tips, and the air of bloodthirst clung about her. He felt like he was staring at a shark. His hand reached for the space between his fingers where he’d found the webbing.

“Are you going to try to take me down? If you could kill me, then maybe it’ll all stop,” the spirit taunted. “Maybe I can take over your body if I defeat you… So what say you?” she asked, tensing her knees in preparation. “Do you feel like killing the monster before I do you?”

Vic assumed a fighting stance. Not sure what good it would do against that creature… against the spirit. Like facing a lion, he felt as though his chances were no more. But more importantly, was that this didn’t feel right… “I can’t call you a monster… Not after you saved me back then.”

“Even if you’re becoming something like me?”

“I don’t like it… I don’t want it,” Vic reasoned. “But I suppose there are worse things.”

“That just sounded insulting.” She growled. “Even if you’re made into a freak?”

And he couldn’t provide an answer. “I… I don’t have a choice! But I won’t be a freak. I’ll just be a different me.”

When the silence lingered between the two, the shark woman grinned as she got on the move, sprinting after Vic, raising up a cloud of sand into the air. Probably more so than it should be possible. It was as though all the sand around decided to raise up a storm around the two of them.

And as the shark woman was about to come crashing against him, raising herself off the ground for a wild leap and then–her body suddenly became one with the sand around, vanishing into nothingness just before collision.

“What was that?” Vic asked out loud.

The spirit chuckled, her voice ringing about in the air. “I just wanted an honest answer.”

“Answer to what?” Vic asked as the dust settled and the whirlwind stopped. He could tell how everything was in his mind. The sand felt like nothing went up against his skin, just disappearing into the air. And with it, another figure made itself present.

It was a woman that stood in the middle of the sand. Her garments were like nothing that Vic had seen before. They had a bit of seafaring, Caribbean style, but also both tribal and regal air about. A smooth silk-like fabric draped itself over her shoulder and waist, with wires weaved to grant a unique shape to the garment. Metal adorned her outfit, either in the form of plates attached in key places like armor, or as asymmetric bangles, vambraces and greaves that added a bit of flair. The most impressive part was how the steel seemed to shimmer and assume the colors of the rainbow under the imaginary sun.

But the most important part was the woman before Vic, the spirit, her presented appearance. He knew that she wasn’t human, but he was still surprised by it.

Her skin was of an odd coloration, with white appearing to be the more prevalent one with dark blue and black mottled markings that stretched themselves down her arms and back, matching the dress’ greenish hue.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen myself,” the woman said, looking down at her form before spinning on the sand. She had stretched toes that made her stand on the ball of her feet, like he recalled from Raffina’s form, with streaks to show off the rest of her color pattern. She reminded Vic of a koi fish. Appearancewise, she seemed to lean more towards the humanoid, which was fortunate in some way. “I now have enough spiritual fortitude to manifest like this.”

“Is this the real you? Or is this another prank?”

“Prank?” she said while approaching him. Knowing that the spirit wasn’t as angry as he thought took some concern out of him. “I’m sorry I scared you like that, but I needed to know if you were among the ones that would talk or persecute me for looking different.”

“Why would you think that?” Vic frowned. He couldn’t help but find offense in that. He never really considered GSD cases or conditions as off. At least, that’s what he wanted to think.

“I’ve been in the back of your mind for quite some time, watching things passively without being able to reach out, replaying some of your memories. The more recent ones have you worrying about what you’re becoming. So I have to wonder if you were the kind that would hate those different from you, or if you accepted them. Thought it would be important to set that up in our next conversation.”

“I guess… I’ve been a tad too worried about turning into something different.”

“In an advanced world of humans with powers. Of magic and technology, you would think that’s not the case.”

“Yeah… well, it’s different outside of Whateley. That place is more of an exception. Outside of that, in cities, finding someone that looks different from a normal human is just a cause of panic and concern. Stories about people being discriminated against and attacked.”

“I guess some things don’t change… I haven’t been current on the world in quite some time.” She trailed off as she looked in the distance. “I take it that you haven’t heard about my kind? No people from the sea in your history books? No advanced ancient creatures of multiple appearances?”

“No, I haven’t heard of your kind.” He took some time to actually try to think back. There were mutants that developed a sort of aquatic adaptation, although those appeared to be quite rare. Even in terms of power sets, water wasn’t that common. Maybe over earth, but not over fire. But he had no idea of anyone that looked like her, which begged the question. “Who are you?

The woman nodded as she took a step back, stretching her hand just so the sand would rise up molding itself into the form of an odd three pointed spear, a trident that was far more ornate and complex than anything he thought he’d seen before, made of the same shimmering metal she wore. Vic knew that everything here was unreal but even then, as she spun the spear, it all appeared just as real as the beach.

“Proper introductions are in order. I already know something of you, Vic. So it’s only fair that I respond. I may be still not fully recovered… but I have enough,” the spirit said, stabbing her weapon onto the ground. Her outfit changed, mending itself to resemble a dress. She clearly had a better understanding of this space. “A member of a race that managed to escape the cataclysm long ago. Creatures that have long since mastered the form. Keepers of technology intermingled with magic. I’m a neotriton, an old race reborn.”

“Neotritons?” Vic noted that. Definitely was going to try to do some research on the matter later.

And with a flourish and swing of her weapon, a gash was sliced in the air like a piece of cloth. The folds parted and revealed the vista of a large city submerged in the bottom of the ocean. It was something pulled out of a fantasy story, with towers and keeps that were decorated with runes that protected the surroundings, hovering structures that were tethered down by chains, shimmering domes that reflected the light like a huge air bubble and magical lines currents that traversed the city, dyeing it in unnamed colors.

This was the archaeological discovery of a lifetime, being revealed to just him. The sight made him want to peer more into it, wondering how many other details she would uncover… But, the spirit sighed as she moved onto the next part of her presentation, and as the focus ebbed away from the image, the rip and the vista faded off into the air. “I suppose that is all no more…” she said, mostly to herself. “My name is Nerealu Nih-Eidire.” She traced the sand with the butt of her weapon. “Stolen from the islands, beloved by the Abyss, sister to the champion of the ice, priestess of the tides and made steward-protectress. The rebellious ascended. I uncovered a plot that would have destroyed the world above and below. Yet… I guess I died…”

“A plot to destroy the world above? What was it?” Vic inquired.

Nerealu thought for a moment before shaking her head. “Some of my memories are still jumbled. I’m sorry I can’t recall it yet.” She sighed as she gazed at the horizon south, watching the waves that lapped the shore. “It doesn’t matter anymore, anyway.”

“Really?”

“If you haven’t heard anything of my kind, it means that whatever they were trying to accomplish failed and that something happened to my world and the connections that were forged in between… I fear to admit that all that I had and cared for might be no more, especially with how much time has passed.”

“Sounds harsh.” Vic actually meant to say sad, but he was unsure if those would be the words Nerealu would want.

She sighed. “I don’t want to hold out hope. None of your memories I’ve dived into has pointed me to any clue of the matter. Not that it might matter much since I’ve drawn my last breath.”

“I don’t know how you would be if you were so valiant, or cavalier about that…Wait, you’ve been in my mind?”

“Yes. I’ve been diving in and out of your memories. It’s about the only thing I can do. I’ve been using it to familiarize myself with this new world and understand the language well enough,” The spirit looked at Vic’s shocked expression and shook her head. “Don’t worry, I can only watch them. I can’t erase or alter them…”

“I hope you’re not leading me on.” Vic frowned.

“You’ll have to take my word. Isn’t that enough after I saved your life?”

“But we’re both sharing a body.”

“I don’t blame you for doubting me.” The spirit sighed. “But I really have no motive to harm you.”

Vic nodded. He had mixed feelings. So far she appeared to have had good intentions, but this being a very personal matter, as personal as it could be, he had to be at least somewhat skeptical. “I still don’t like to know that you’re there watching everything I do.”

“I know, everyone wants their own privacy. To be fair, I try to be… a-f-k most of the time. Did I use that expression right? I learned it not long ago.”

“Well, as long as I can’t count on you appearing in the most awkward of times.”

“I’ll try, and even if I do, I won’t say a thing,” she said, finding a bit of amusement.

Vic sighed. He had no idea how this worked, but he supposed this was as good as it would get. “At least it’s good to be able to speak to you, Ner.”

“Ner?” She shook her head while bearing a small smile.

“Is there a problem?”

“I was so used to everyone using my full name and a title. Very few called me Ner, mostly friends,” she looked at Vic again. “Which I suppose we might eventually end up being. I hope.”

“How important were you?”

“Quite…” was all Ner said as she took a seat down on the sandy beach. Such a disarming gesture that it invited Vic to do the same. It was certainly nice to sit back, feeling the imaginary wind on the unreal soft sand and imagining the waves crashing by with no sun to scorn them.

“This used to be my favorite sight… my favorite spot. One of the rare places where I could be alone with my thoughts. I would just sit down and watch the afternoon pass and sun sink below the horizon.”

“I can see why…” Vic said, admiring the view, seeing the sea on the horizon with the sun slowly moving in. Imagining what it would be like to actually be in the place, with the cold wind and touch of the sand.

“How long have you been here?” Vic wondered.

“The first time I helped you, the first thing I remembered was when your body had been knocked out and was starting to drown in the water. I borrowed your powers and got you to safety,” the spirit paced. “The strain back then dispersed my consciousness to the point I thought I’d attained my second death. I woke up in a void with no memory of myself, with the pieces scattered…”

“And then you grew strong enough to reach out like you did?”

“While lingering in the depths, I gathered my strength. Although I could barely consider myself an entity at the time. I only felt the pull of you tapping into my own hydrokinesis every now and then, falling into confusion whenever that happened, but there wasn’t really a consciousness then. I had no memory, no thought. Just an animal that felt a poke it couldn’t understand. I had to work to recover each of my pieces, slowly remembering. Once I regained my sense of self, my identity, it became easier.”

“Of course, that changed over time, as more bits of me came together. It must’ve been then, when my memories were starting to form that our dreams began to connect.”

“So those were really your memories.”

“As real as yours have been to me,” the spirit said. “I’ve seen your life through those memories for quite some time now.”

“So what happened? Last week you made it sound like you’d be out for some time after you used your magic to heal me.”

“I thought the same, but I happened to recover consciousness just yesterday. It filled me with relief to know that you were alive and safe. Even though I don’t understand everything that’s happening in this world,” she said.

“I can’t thank you enough for saving me… but you’re still changing me, you know. I won’t be able to blend in with the rest,” Vic said.

“I know…”

Vic sighed. “And–”

“How do we separate?” The woman completed the question with a sigh. She turned to look at the ocean imagery on the horizon, watching how the waves lapped the sandy shore. “I honestly don’t know.”

“You can’t leave?”

“Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to join the flow of souls to my next life, but I seem to be tethered to you…” Ner told him. “I don’t know enough of your so-called ‘avatar’ trait to presume that it’s not responsible, just as I don’t know if the details of my death had a role to play. Either way, here I am.” She placed her hand on her chest in a way that Vic could perceive it over his own heart, reminding him of the connection.

“So you’re stuck with me forever?”

“Well, that’s a possibility. Either I’ll be within you until you expire, the bond between us loosens to the point I can be let go… or I am subsumed and merged with your conscious thoughts. Not sure which is worse.” She shook her head. “But there is also appeal in all the options. Either way, this is a chance for me to see the world again.”

She took a pause, turning to look at Vic. “You’re the one that broke me free from my prison, after all.”

“And you saved my life, so we’re even.”

“Well, fate has brought us together in a strange way. And since you are the vessel to which I am bound, I can only pledge myself.”

“Pledge yourself?”

“Yes. For as long as we’re together and no means has been discovered to pull us apart, I’ll be there to help you whenever you need. I can be a quiet guide or a person to talk to, even teach you some of the magic I know.” She pointed her trident to the sea, willing rivers of it to break away from the surf and circle around them. “I don’t mind you using my power to boost your own, which you already do with such ease.” She paused for a moment, putting her hand down to the water, letting it slip up to her hand and even hover in the air. “I can’t help but wonder whether it's because you're an avatar or because we have a certain degree of compatibility.”

“Can’t believe our powers are so akin.” Vic noted.

“Maybe you’re a long-lost descendant. I haven’t gotten to the part where you are from?”

“My dad comes from North America… these lands.” Vic clarified when he spotted Ner’s cocking of the head. “And my mom comes from South America.”

“South, huh? The Neotritons had contact with many regions. The country to the west where people had slanted eyes, the islands where the suntanned people etched tattoos on their bodies and the large continent where a mountain range ran north to south like a spine of the world, hiding behind it a dangerous jungle few dared to travel through.”

“Hm… were you in the Pacific Ocean?”

“Probably,” Ner noted.

“That makes it a tough search,” Vic said as he saw the stream of controlled water circle him. Tentatively he reached over to touch the liquid, noticing that his sense of touch was muted here. It was just another reminder that it wasn’t real.

“And…” he said as he cupped the water. “Is there a way you can, at least, try to keep myself from changing further?” He knew the most likely answer, but he would lose nothing by trying. He had already changed quite a bit, but maybe it could be stopped and he wouldn’t end up needing a full coat of makeup to hide himself. Especially now that he saw Ner’s body was covered in mid to micro colored scales.

“I don’t know if I can,” Ner answered. “I mean, I know my kind heals about two to three times faster than humans, but what you seem to be going through is more than that… not to mention that you aren’t exactly my kind.” She made a pause where Vic expected her to add ‘yet’. But it never came, instead, her thoughts went elsewhere. “Hm. I have a theory. I do have a spell in my repertoire that bolsters my natural healing. Maybe it is working on you?”

“Sounds as good as any possible explanation. I think,” Vic said unsure. Granted, all this avatar and magical aspect felt like new territory for him. “If it’s a spell, can’t you stop it or stop feeding it essence or mana?”

She hesitated. “I’m not sure. I don’t feel any pull from it–but then again, I hardly felt it when it was working. Maybe it’ll fade away on its own, rather than when it’s not needed.”

“I hope so.” Vic noted. “Even though it’s kept me in good condition, it’s also the source of the troubles.”

“I know,” Ner noted, her eyes fixated on the horizon, as the sea appeared to grow stiller by the second. “It seems as though our time in this conversation will be coming to an end soon.”

Vic nodded. He could also feel himself growing detached from this space, like waking up from a dream, albeit slower than expected.

“Will I…” Vic mumbled, a thought that popped up in the forefront of his mind the moment he got a good look at what she was. “And will you end up like you? I mean, I’ve heard of many avatars that end up looking like the spirits that possess them.”

“Well, are you and I the same? As in, with what you’ve seen, think you’ll be the same as me?”

“I don’t think so,” Vic said, his hand caressing the back of his arm. Here, he looked human, with no markings and no scales. “The scales that I’ve been growing are green.”

“Then probably we won’t be the same. Maybe you’ll just change species and become a neotriton, or maybe something in between. Of course, if it is the former then a myriad more questions open up. But no, you’re probably not becoming a copy of me.”

That got Vic to breathe out a sigh of relief as the world around them began to fade away. The sea around began to rise off as a mist and the blue of the sky was replaced with a pale void as the world disappeared. It was a much gentler fade when compared to the usual collapse of reality that followed the realization that was in a dream.

“I’ll be there for you, Vic.” Ner’s words echoed as their forms faded off. “It might not be long before you’ll hear my voice in the waking hours…”

Sunday, January 1st - 9:51 am
Kythe Residence

Knowing one would wake, even after a rather impressive dream, was an odd affair. There was a weird transition between one state of consciousness to another, overlapping in so many ways that for a moment it was hard to tell what was real or not. His senses provided the tiebreaker, especially as the pain on his stomach and the bruise on his face and arms surged in.

“Ugh…” Vic mumbled as he opened his eyes, finding himself back in his room in the Kythe residence, laying on his bed. He wondered what time it was, as he could see faint daylight coming down on him from the skylight. “How bad did I mess up?”

“Oh… pretty badly,” a voice said from the side. Caroline’s voice!

“Ah-” Vic immediately tried to turn around only to feel a numbing pain flare out along his torso and arm.

“Easy there,” said Caroline. She was sitting by the side of the bed, with the nightstand moved so as to fit the medkit and other curative items. “You took quite a beating last night. Happy New Year by the way.”

He sighed as he laid back, letting himself sink into the mattress and pillow. “Is Sophie…”

“She’s okay. Downstairs, wanting to make breakfast for you. Hope you like some toast and chopped fruit.”

“I’m okay with it… Feeling quite hungry.”

“Getting healed will do that to you,” Caroline said. And before he could add, she noted, “It’s my healing, not your brand… although I can’t say that some things won’t pop up.”

“I’ll deal with it,” Vic muttered as he looked up at the room’s ceiling. “I’m sorry.” Knowing that he definitely got knocked out when fighting those men. If he wasn’t dead, that could only mean that Caroline, or someone else, rescued him.

“Sorry?” Caroline said.

“I’m sorry for not keeping an eye on Sophie.”

“Oh, I think you did a decent job. At least you tried.” Caroline sighed as she moved about by the night stand, producing some vials and pouring them into a bowl. “I’m just lamenting how things turned out in the end. If she’d been open about it, I would’ve gladly driven her to the hotel–and if you’d actually told me about it while you were on your way, I could’ve gotten someone to look after the two of you. I normally pride myself in my foresight and yet I was blindsided by my own daughter’s decision.”

“It’s not–”

“Her fault? She already told me last night. Said it while crying as I put you into a magically induced coma to help you heal faster,” Caroline noted.Vic realized that was probably why the dream was much more stable. “She said that it was all her fault. That she left the house and you caught up to her. And that she forced you to tag along.”

“She didn’t exactly force–”

“I had the feeling that was the case.” Caroline’s hand reached over to feel Vic’s arm, getting him to wince before applying a bit of her curative magic in there. Either to fix him or numb the pain. “She said you protected her all the way through and gave her a path to her father. Two things that, while I don’t exactly appreciate how it put my daughter in potential risk, I can respect.”

Vic didn’t say anything, so she carried on.

“Although I have to ask, why didn’t you tell me?”

“My phone ran out of charge shortly after we began. We… I thought we could do what she wanted and then be back before you arrived home.”

“And why did you go along with that plan?”

“I… I saw that she really wanted to see her dad and… well, I know what it’s like to miss a parent,” Vic noted, only to feel his arm relax a bit too much.

“Huh…” Was all Caroline said as she began to put away the magical and medical items. “I noticed you have webbing between your fingers.”

Vic winced as Caroline reached over to prod them, pinching them to measure the thickness. “Yeah. I found out yesterday.”

“Hm… And this recent incident won’t make things easier,” Caroline noted. There was no doubt in his mind that he got badly beaten, whatever healing magic the spirit used would certainly kick in and change him further.

“How bad was it?”

“Quite. Internal concussion, a broken rib, a fractured wrist. I worked through most of it.When I healed a cut you had on your ear, it twitched, were you always able to do that?”

“I…” Vic trailed off as he remembered Ner from her dreams, and the fact that her ears were finned, stretching themselves in prongs joined by webbing. He suspected that was what was coming but still had to put his finger up against his burning ear to feel it, noticing new muscle nerves there that twitched on command. “We really thought it would be easy.”

“And yet it never is,” Caroline noted as she eased off on the magic, letting Vic know that she was done with the treatment there. “Well, Sophie was going to see George in a couple of months if things worked out. But I can’t exactly fault her. I’m now going to treat the bruises on your belly. I’m using a painkilling spell so you won’t feel the discomfort. This should be the last, so remain still.”

“Okay,” Vic muttered as Caroline repeated her treatment on his torso. Feeling the cool feeling of her magic pierce through his flesh and sooth the pain receptors. Still, in the wait, Vic tried to keep the conversation going. “Is Sophie okay?”

“Of course she is.”

“Did she have a sister?”

“No,” Caroline said, letting out a confused chuckle. “Why do you ask?”

“Back, then one of the men, fans of Gigaton, mocked us when I said she was his daughter. They said that his daughter was dead.”

That got her fingers to twitch and for the piercing magic to feel like a cold stab that made him wince.

“Sorry about that. It took me by surprise,” Caroline apologized as she took her hands back to ease up on her spellwork.

After some time, she continued to elaborate. “It’s not something that is supposed to be a secret, it’s just… not something I like to talk about…” She paused to look at the closed door to his room. The only reason for that was that she was trying to be discreet in Sophie’s presence. “It’s… it’s a bit of a long story… Should we table it for another occasion? Especially since I need to focus here…”

“Okay,” Vic nodded as he felt Caroline get back at work. By now he didn’t feel the bruises anymore, which he hoped meant it was all soon to be over.

A couple of minutes later, Vic chimed in with another topic. “I saw the spirit in my dream. For real this time. We actually had our longest conversation. I found out even more details of her past and even got to see what she looked like.”

“So it really is a female spirit?” Caroline said pensively

“Something wrong?” Vic asked, remembering that she did ask about it as they got to her home. “I could try to describe her.”

“There’s nothing wrong. Just something I want to keep in mind next time I talk with the school.”

But then a light tap on the door rang followed by Sophie’s voice. “Mom? I need help. I can’t open the door with the tray.”

“We’ll talk later. I do want to hear everything you remember, for future reference,” Caroline said as she eased up on her touch, pulling back as the tendrils of magic from her palms and fingers followed, ebbing out of his skin. The bruised pain was gone.

With that, she got up and raised her voice for Sophie to hear. “I thought we agreed that Vic would go downstairs.”

“I wanted to help, when you said he was going to wake up,” Sophie insisted, smiling in relief as she saw Vic was now awake. When the door was opened, all she could do was offer a sheepish smile as she walked in carrying the tray with the homemade breakfast, buttered toast with a bowl of peeled sliced fruits on the side.

She didn’t make it far, though, as her mother gently relieved the tray from her hands.

“We’ll go downstairs, and have breakfast at the dining room table, alright?” Caroline said, turning to Vic. “Can you stand up? How are you feeling?”

“Yeah…” Vic complied as he got off the bed. Compared to when he woke up, he felt perfectly fine. Yet when his feet touched the ground, he felt a sore like cramp that stretched itself through as he put weight on them. Nothing but an odd cramping jolt that quickly faded. “I’m well enough.”

“Good,” Caroline smiled as she led them out. “Be careful, remember to use the stair handrails.”

“So is Vic alright?” Sophie asked.

“He is. He won’t be able to do any serious workout, but he’s in good condition.”

“Alright,” Sophie said with a small cheer.

Guided downstairs back to the dining table, the tray was set and Vic was invited to sit down and partake. After the workout he got yesterday and missing out on supper, he was famished so he didn’t have an objection but to start taking a couple of bites. Sophie and Caroline joined in, bringing their own toast and fruit.

“I do hope that there’s no further mischief planned,” Caroline said looking down at Sophie.

“None,” Vic and Sophie said.

“Good…” Caroline said as she took a sip of the freshly pressed juice before checking her phone, prompting a smile on her face. “Now, Sophie, your father sent me a message. He says he’s going to be busy revising the standards for his event, so he will be, unfortunately, busy.”

“Aw…” Sophie pouted. “I wanted to go to the aquarium with him.”

“I told him you might’ve wanted that. Says next time he drops by,” Caroline said, perking up her daughter. “If he wants, maybe your father, me, and you can go out for lunch.”

“I’d love it,” Sophie nodded. “Any chance he’ll pay us another surprise visit?”

Caroline shook her head. “I don’t think so. Still, he promised that he would make time for you when you visit him.”

Sophie nodded quietly, her fork poking a slice of fruit that was left on her plate. “And… are you free, Mom?”

“I’m free for a week or so while the company gets to work again,” Caroline noted. “You still have to do your homework though.”

“Oh… yeah,” Sophie muttered before raising her eyes. “Vic, can you help me?”

It was a question that got the two other people at the table to pause for a moment. It wasn’t but a couple of days ago that Sophie called Vic a ‘monster’ after giving him the expanded cold shoulder treatment. Now, there was nothing about it, no sort of grudge or distrust there, just a sincere question.

Yesterday, Sophie did tone down her attitude and trusted Vic just enough to comply with whatever he said, but he’d just assumed that it was a special occasion and things would be back to normal.

“Sure, I’d be happy to help you. Especially since I don’t think I’ll be leaving the house,” Vic half joked as he picked up the plates now that the breakfast was over.

“Oh, about that,” Caroline said, getting up and moving over to the other side of the room. By the time Vic returned from the kitchen, so did she, holding a small box. “Since you missed out on Christmas, so I thought it would be a nice gesture to give you this.”

Taken aback as the box was presented to him, Vic hesitated for a moment, not really believing it was meant for him. Took him about two seconds to finally accept it and put it on the table.

“What is it?” Sophie asked, leaning in.

Vic didn’t answer; he just opened it to find a necklace. At first glance, it looked quite unremarkable in not a good way. A simple plaque made of a silvery metal that bore no inscriptions that could be seen, practically blank, tethered by a simple yet stylish leather cord.

Curiously, the necklace was lifted off the velvety package and held up. And as it hung, Vic thought his eyes were tricking as he the metallic surface shimmered, with a strange mist slipping out of the surface. Magic?

With an encouraging nod from Caroline, he slipped it on. The moment he let go of the cord and the cold metal attached touched his skin, he felt a soft shudder course through around him at skin level. Giving him a quick jolt of goosebumps.

Outside of that, he didn’t feel much, but something definitely happened given how Sophie gasped and Caroline gave him an agreeing smile.

He looked down at his hands, finding them back to their normal color, no scales, no alterations. He just appeared as normal, without feeling any difference. Without saying anything, he moved over to the nearby bathroom at a redoubled pace to look at himself in the mirror. It was just him as normal, his face unblemished, there were now leftovers of the cut that had been patched by scales. And yet he still felt the tiny developing muscles on his ears twitch underneath the form. This was nothing but an illusion… but that was just enough of what he’d been needing.

“This is something I got from a friendly business associate,” Caroline explained.

“It’s magic, right? Is it from Cosgroves?” Sophie squeaked.

“Yeah,” Caroline smiled as Vic checked the extent of the glamour, inspecting under his clothes where the stab occurred, or running his hand across his forearm to see if the enchantment glitch, none whatsoever. All the while, he was unable to find the right face to put on, happiness with a smile or open-mouthed disbelief.

“The enchantment is optimized to work on you with little mana stored. Normally, it would feed off your own well, but since you still haven’t developed one yet, you can ask your friends or the faculty to help you recharge it.”

“This is the best!” Vic exclaimed as he finished his inspection.

“How the workshop works is that they usually claim that this is the prototype on which they can iterate. So it can be tweaked, fixed or given a new shape if you want something more discreet.”

“Thank you,” Vic said, moving awkwardly as though not sure if he should hug her, even though he wanted to. So she did it for him, wrapping an arm around him for a quick light hug.

“I do this to you so you can have a shot at the life you want,” Caroline said.

“Thank you…” he repeated again, making an effort to not tear up. Sophie joined in for the hug for a moment before it broke off.

“Does this mean you can go out? That we can go out around the city? We can go to the movies or the arcades! They have some really cool games there,” Sophie squeaked.

“You’re still grounded after sneaking out,” Caroline said, rousing a whimper from her daughter. “But you can start serving your sentence after a couple of weeks…”

“Oh…” Sophie pouted, looking up at her mom with pleading eyes.

“Provided you’re done with your schoolwork.”

“I’ll help you later,” Vic said, earning a smile from the eight year old girl as she quickly moved on to get to work.

“That’s the spirit… glad to see you two doing better. I suppose I can go back to planning some activities. Just try to stay out of trouble, please,” Caroline joked as she moved away to the kitchen, saying she was going to do the dishes.

A couple of crazy weeks… even considering the rather chaotic time he’d had. Where things seemed very often to get worse and worse for him before he could imagine… and yet, as things were starting to look up, he felt the happiest and most at ease he’d been in a while. It wasn’t what he expected, after all, he was still changing–but he had confirmation that it wouldn’t be a monster and that now he could look up to something. Even if it didn’t fix it, he tried to tell himself it would be good enough.

Regardless, he still didn’t like the changes that had and would be coming his way. But at least knowing the end result of the long process would ease his concerns just enough to make it manageable.

He also wasn’t looking forward to explaining it to his friends. Hopefully they would just look at him and nod before moving on to the next crazy thing. It was always like that, after all this time? Being one of the few boys in a group of girls with loud interpersonal problems and adventures did give him the chance to fly under the radar.

Hopefully, the rest of the school year would be more peaceful. Although with what he’d seen that felt just as unlikely.

Still, this holiday would be an interesting story, if he were allowed to tell any of it.

“Well, it’s not like they’ll notice the patched spot on the stomach and say it’s a stab wound,” Vic thought to himself.

Now, he was off to the best week. With nothing to disrupt the regular home life he’d been missing out on, he had a week to himself to explore the idea of normal peace and stability, even if he was to return back to Whateley.

 

The End