To those not in the know, the job I got may not seem all that bad. The Politician is a villain, one that is well known and monitored regularly by the BCCSI. They exist - and honestly should’ve been my first clue as to some of the stuff I’ve learned recently - and are assigned rotating watches of heroes to make sure nothing happens, which is the exact duty I’ve been assigned. Simple enough, right?

  See, therein lies the problem: it’s too simple. The Politician in particular is a fucking joke. He spends all day preaching on street corners trying to get people to buy into his ‘superhumans are the master race’ bullshit but nobody pays any attention because, you know, most people aren’t SAUs. Which means I’ve just been forcibly signed up for a few hours of listening to a man rant at strangers - and that’s only for today.

  The worst part is, I’m not even doing this alone. Jobs like these are used to give rookie heroes some new experience, so I’ll be working with two total newbies. That means the responsibility of having to deal with them without any of the normal benefits of having backup, like taking shifts, since I can’t exactly leave amateurs to their own devices.

  So I’m naturally in a sour mood as I make my way down to the agreed-upon meeting spot I’d hastily arranged yesterday. Waiting for me are the two rookies I’ll be carrying - sorry, ‘working alongside’ - the nominal heroes Dappled Princess and Force Knight. Telling the two apart is easy enough. Dappled Princess, sticking with the motif of leaves related to her power, is dressed in a suit which evokes images of a tree in fall. Force Knight is in civilian clothing, like I requested; since his power is useless outside of combat, I’d been hoping he could at least blend in.

  “Took you long enough,” Force Knight complains as he spots me approaching, “We’re supposed to start our shift in ten minutes.” I don’t respond, at least verbally, instead tossing a pair of small objects their way, which Dappled Princess reacts fast enough to catch. I watch her open her palm and study the small, contoured objects. Force Knight leans over her shoulder to examine them as well.

  “Earpieces,” I explain, “Put them in, they’ll be our primary method of communication.” They both obey, each taking an earpiece and slotting it into their left ear. I give them a little time to do so before continuing.

  “Here’s how this is going to go: Dappled Princess, you’ll patrol the area around the person of interest. I’ve been informed that your constructs give you some information gathering capabilities?” She nods. “Good, then your job will mostly consist of staying out of sight and monitoring him using your ability. Force Knight, you’ll stay in civilian clothing to blend in and watch from across the street. I scouted the area out - there’s a cafe where you can stay put while remaining inconspicuous. The key here is to notice without being noticed. Understand?”

  “What will you be doing?” Dappled Princess asks, sounding rather sheepish.

  “There’s a building across from the POI’s location that has no regular roof access, so I’ll be hiding up there. It should be a good enough vantage point to watch him,” I respond. My plan is really not that complicated, just several avenues of attack - so to speak, there’s unlikely to be any actual combat. Rather unfortunate, given I would actually appreciate the distraction.

  “Why can’t I take that job, instead of being in these stupid civies all day?” Force Knight, clearly the more troublesome of the two, whines.

  “Because, unless your Armor can somehow make you a better climber, I’m the only one who can actually get up to the rooftop. I remind you that I did just say it had no standard access. Plus, I have enhanced vision, and you don’t,” I explain, visibly annoyed at having to babysit. I was a rookie too once, but I have trouble believing I was this much of an idiot. I certainly made more of an effort to be helpful, rather than difficult. I could also just be generally in a bad mood right now, given my circumstances, but I’m currently not inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

  “We could just use another building…” Force Knight mutters under his breath, though clearly he can sense he’s getting nowhere. Judging that everything that needed to be said has been, I motion for us to go our separate ways. Our meeting location isn't far from where we need to be, and, as I use the earpieces to inform the previous watch of our presence, we set up pretty quickly. I scale the four-story building I had scouted before in seconds, and look down below at the scene.

  The Politician certainly doesn’t look like a classic villain, which would arguably make him all the more dangerous if it wasn’t for his radical ideals putting people off. He’s dressed business formal, although I spot several stains on his suit that indicate he hasn’t washed it in a while. He stands on a wooden crate, visibly orating to the passersby, but despite that I can't make out what he’s saying from my current distance and I never learned to read lips.

  Knowing what to look for, I catch Force Knight settling into position at the cafe. Despite my worries, he’s actually not too bad at blending in, though he could use a little work on watching discreetly - anyone with eyes can tell who he’s looking at. Dappled Princess is out of sight, as planned, but I narrowly catch a shape hovering close to the ground that I think is likely one of her ‘leaf’ constructs. I have to commend whatever desk jockey picked her out of a pile: her ability is actually incredibly useful here. Too bad the same can’t be said for the other one.

  For the next hour we keep to our positions, and absolutely nothing goes wrong. The Politician is not taken very seriously for a reason. Rumor has it his ability has some sort of activation condition - one related to how much of a following he has. It’s not like he’s just going to tell us how it works, and powers like that can get pretty abstract, but considering how terrible he is at actually getting people to listen, he really isn’t much of a threat. I could easily see how someone with actual skill in oration could be dangerous with such an ability, and yet it ended up in this guy's hands. Sometimes it’s good to remember not every SAU is an absolute menace.

  Of course, nothing happening means I have way too much time on my hands, which in turn means that my mind starts wandering. Staring at a guy for hours will do that to a person, especially considering I have way too much to think about. Rowan and her history, my sudden power boost, and most importantly the giant conspiracy hiding below my feet. One it seems everyone from the most powerful hero on earth to my own mother was privy to.

  Fortunately, I’m saved from having to think about that too much by the conspicuous pink blur that starts approaching me about two hours in. Given recent events, there’s only one likely candidate for what something that obvious could be, and a moment later my suspicions are confirmed when Rowan - in full Hot Pink garb - lands on the rooftop beside me.

  “Already cheating on me?” She quips as I acknowledge her with a wave. Luckily, the spot I've chosen is intentionally hidden from the city’s daily traffic, so I don't have to worry about being spotted fraternizing with a villain or anything.

  “Not by choice,” I inform her, “Jonathan got me stuck in the most boring duty imaginable. Clear punishment undertones, though I suppose it could be worse. I’d honestly love a good fight right now, but I think it might actually be worse to mess up something this easy. Certainly would be embarrassing."

  “That’s fine,” Rowan responds, "I wasn't looking for a fight anyways. I actually just wanted to get your contact, since I realized I kinda forgot that the other night.” She waves her phone at me as if to demonstrate.

  I tell her the number quickly. I had been thinking about that myself, a second ago. It kinda got wrapped up in all the other madness, but I did want to stay in contact with Rowan, if at least to handle the logistics of whatever we’ll be doing.

  “Huh,” Rowan types the number in and stares at it for a moment, “I’m pretty new to this, but doesn’t the first three numbers mean where you’re from? I haven't heard those before.”

  “Yeah, my actual residence is in New Jersey, so my area code is different,” I explained. It really drives home the reality of Rowan's old life that she is so unfamiliar with even such basic knowledge. Area codes are nothing new, and haven't changed at all over the years. It’s amazing what kinda stuff survives the literal apocalypse, but I digress.

  “Well, I'll file that information away for later,” Rowan flashes me her winning smile, “Need some company, princess?”

  “Nah,” I say. Then, realizing that sounded more dismissive than I intended, I elaborate, “The longer you stay here the more we risk somebody noticing, and I should try to stay focused besides. Feel free to text me though, I’ll answer when I can.”

  “Sure, sure, not like I felt lonely or anything,” Rowan’s expression betrays her insincerity, smiling at the joke, “See you around, princess.” I wave goodbye and she’s off, propelling herself from rooftop to rooftop in long jumps boosted by her flames. I take a second to watch her fade into the distance before turning my attention back to The Politician who, predictably, hasn’t moved. The short distraction was nice, but I’m sure I’ll only make things worse if I somehow manage to mess up this simple of a job.

  A decision that is almost immediately validated by something mildly interesting finally happening. A shifty-looking person who’s almost entirely covered in a hat and trenchcoat begins to make his way down the street and passes The Politician, stopping and listening for a moment before going on his way. Considering the circumstances, that alone is disconcerting, so I activate my comms to send a message to the others.

  “Suspicious looking man just stopped for a quick listen, anybody else catch that?” I ask my rookie allies. I receive only static for a moment before I get my response.

  “Does it matter?” Force Knight grumbles, causing a flash of irritation in me.

  “I did, ma’am,” Dappled Princess helpfully steps in before I start chewing out Force Knight, “I’ll send a leaf over, see if I can learn more." I hear muffled grumbling over the line from the annoying one as I wait for a follow up. A few seconds go by, then I hear Dappled Princess audibly gasp through the channel.

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  “What is it?” I prompt.

  “He’s armed, ma’am, heavily so,” She explains, “Two blades under the coat, both in a Japanese style, one short one long. The long one is… strange somehow. It gives off the same feeling that an active ability does. I don’t know how to describe it.”

  Dappled Princess’ description immediately sets off alarm bells in my head. The simplest conclusion here is that the man is actively using some sort of ability on his weapon, which immediately makes him far more dangerous than The Politician. There’s a massive difference between a SAU with a conditional, passive ability and one who has clear control of theirs - and is related to their weapon, no less, a feature which heavily implies a more martial bent.

  This puts me into a conundrum. Obviously, as a hero, I have to do something, but the problem lies in what to do. If I just report him and stay put, it’s highly unlikely this guy will ever be caught. He’s already almost out of sight, and without being able to see his face I can’t provide a clear enough description to properly track him.

  On the other hand, going myself would cause problems for my current mission, while sending one of the rookies after him might do little more than condemn them to death. If this man's a damned, which is a strong possibility, they wouldn't stand a chance. I might not either, but at least I have slightly better odds.

  In the split second I have to decide, I choose to follow him myself. It may be rash - heck, it definitely is - but some instinct drives me to do it. Maybe I’m just bored here, maybe I want to learn for myself more about what goes on behind the scenes, maybe I’m just not thinking straight. Regardless, I’ve made my choice.

  “Stand by, you two, I’m going after him. Dappled Princess, you’re in charge,” I order via the comms.

  “What?!” The response comes in unison from both the rookies, though with varying tones. I ignore them, switching off my comms and leaping across to the next building over with ease. The suspicious man just left my sight, but I know what direction he went in, and, with my vantage point, I catch back up to him. He’s heading southwest, towards the dockyard, and moving at a hurried yet very much human pace - no immediate signs of what his ability might be.

  I stay above on the rooftops as long as I can, but eventually the buildings just keep getting further apart and eventually I have to jump down rather than risk leaping too far and making too much noise. I’m not the best at stealth - as a hero, it feels wrong to hide - but I generally have physical advantages that aid in this type of work, such as my enhanced senses. At some point though, the man ducks between a few buildings and, despite me waiting a few seconds to let him move on, I turn the corner to find him staring right at me.

  I react rather than act, ducking out of the way to avoid his gaze, but I know in my heart I’m too late. A moment later my eyes barely manage to track the point of a sword blade flashing towards me, moving so fast I didn’t even see him draw it. Less than a second later, the blade is pointed at my throat.

  The man shed his coat and hat with the motion, revealing much more about him in an instant. He looks Japanese, with long, flowing black hair tied back. Hard to tell how old he is, but I’d guess pretty young, all things considered. Built thin and wiry like a runner, he wears a tight black jumpsuit that appears to be designed for mobility and stealth above all. He points the shorter sword at me, both sheaths at his left side, while his left hand sits cautiously on the hilt of the longer sword. His stern eyes glare at me as the point of his blade presses against my throat.

  “I recommend you quit now, while you’re behind,” He tells me, perhaps referencing my attempt to follow him. He has no clear accent - likely grew up in the USC - but his voice is stern, and a little cheeky as well.

  “Joke’s on you, I’ve been told on multiple occasions I don’t know when to quit,” I say, far surpassing him in cheekiness. It’s reckless, I know, but a good hero banters. It’s how you know we’ll always save the day - when we’re so confident that we make quips even in seemingly perilous situations.

  “A hero then, I suppose?” He presses his sword a little more into my skin, pinching me a little but failing to draw blood, “What I’m doing is none of your business, so you can leave me alone now.”

  “That is the single most suspicious thing you could possibly have said without directly admitting to a crime, good sir,” I tell him, completely straight-faced, “A reaper then, I guess.” That remark startles him, and, during the moment of hesitation from my adversary, I place a single finger on the sword at my throat and slowly push it down and away from him. He relaxes and drops the blade down to his side, then scowls at me again as he recovers his wits.

  “How do you know about that?” He questions me, visibly thrown for a loop.

  “I could be mean and explain how, judging from your nonlethal default response and lack of hostility towards a hero, I figured out what you were, but I know that’s not what you meant,” I back a few steps away, “To tell you the truth, I just learned about reapers a few days ago. I’m a little new to this all.” I’m relieved that he isn’t a threat - at least, in the short term - but I’m now starting to grow more curious about what he’s up to. So far, the only reaper I’ve met has been Jonathan, and he comes off as an outlier in general.

  “Just my luck,” He sheathes his sword and sighs loudly, “An L2. Nothing but a distraction I don't need. Do you mind? If you know what’s going on here, you should have the sense to go away and let me do my job.”

  “What’s an L2?” I ask, completely ignoring the rest of what he just said.

  “Level Two clearance,” He rolls his eyes, “It means you only know about reapers in general, and don’t need to know anything more than that. Which is precisely why you shouldn’t be here, I have a mission and I don’t need you slowing me down.” Acting as though the matter is settled, he starts to walk away, but I just follow him after a second. He notices immediately and turns back to me, scowling.

  “What are you doing?” He asks with annoyance.

  “Following you,” I respond, “I thought that was pretty clear.” I’ve had a bit of a week so far, so even though I know I’m acting immaturely, it does feel good.

  “I could stop you,” He tells me, "Should, honestly. It wouldn’t be the first time a reaper’s killed a hero, former or otherwise." He falls into a passive stance, left hand sitting on the hilt of the long blade, right hanging low, but loose, and prepared to move at a moment’s notice. I get the sense he’s practiced this many times.

  “Then you’d waste time, and probably alert the entire area to your presence,” I say, “You’re pretty new to this too, aren’t you?” I swear, if this man’s scowl managed to deepen any further, it would permanently set itself onto his face. I was definitely spot on though; I could tell the entire time that he wasn’t nearly as used to throwing around threats as Jonathan was. The difference is practically night and day. At this point, I’m pretty damned sure he’s not going to touch me, and it’s starting to get a little too amusing to continue needling him.

  “Okay, then,” He seethes, fist clutching his blade yet remaining still, “Here’s a grand idea: if you’re so desperate to get yourself into more trouble than you can handle, why don’t we split up and search? That way neither of us has to deal with the other.” He doesn’t even bother to hide how desperately he wants me to leave, but I sense an opportunity. If he really is inexperienced, maybe I can get him to spill some secrets here.

  “Sure, as long as you tell me what we’re even looking for,” I lay my little trap, trying as hard as I can to subtly twist my words in a way that I hope will make him give me more information. After a moment of visible hesitation, he falls for it.

  “Hecatoncheires,” He says. Then, seeing my confusion, he continues, “A former villain - I didn’t come up with the name. Big guy, summons these extra limbs to attack people, got a little too feisty so he ended up on the damned list. I’m supposed to eliminate him.” I nod like I understand and he relaxes just a little, looking at me expectantly. Hoping we’ll part ways, no doubt.

  “Understood,” I say, sticking out my hand for him to shake, “Nice meeting you…” I trail off leadingly. I doubt he’ll give me his name, but I figure I might as well try.

  “Operative Gale Force,” He informs me, “You aren’t getting any more than that.” He doesn’t shake my hand, which is a little rude, yet also kinda fair.

  “Well I’m Frontrunner, the hero,” I pull my hand back, taking it in stride.

  “Didn’t ask,” He says, turning on his heel and beginning to walk away, ignoring me. This time I don’t follow. In fact, I start heading in the other direction, planning on leaving. I already got a lot out of this, and the longer I leave the rookies alone the more I risk trouble. I never actually intended to help out with reaper work - I don’t want to kill anybody - and besides, I doubt Gale Force really needs the help. He already proved how much faster he was than me when he drew his sword earlier; I don’t want to mess with that.

  So I make my way back in the direction I came, hoping nobody’s noticed yet that I left my post. My little escapade may have been fruitful, but I won’t know yet if it was worth it or not until I truly know how much of a price I paid in the process. Without needing to follow Gale Force, and knowing where I’m going, I’m able to move much quicker, making it back to where I was in a quarter of the time I was gone.

  As I near the street corner where The Politician is, I switch back on my comms, hearing a crackle as the network registers my presence. I’m rescaling the building I was on before and considering how to explain this when I’m confronted by the rookies.

  “What the hell?!” Force Knight complains, “You aren’t supposed to just leave!”

  “Is everything okay? Was that man a villain?” Dappled Princess’ comes through with more kindness, but still laced with anxiety.

  “The situation is dealt with,” I tell them, intentionally leaving out as much information as possible. I didn’t lie, I dealt with things as much as they needed me to deal with them. It’s not like I can just explain myself though, so I try to keep things quiet.

  “That’s not an answer!” Force Knight presses.

  “Please don’t do that again,” Dappled Princess asks me over the line.

  “I won’t,” I agree, completely ignoring Force Knight’s being entirely reasonable for once. He grumbles a bit more, but I can tell neither of them is willing to push the matter with their senior. Sometimes it pays to be the oldest.

  “Anything to report?” I prompt, changing the subject a little.

  “No,” Force Knight says.

  “Nothing,” Dappled princess responds at the same time. Settling into my position at the top of the building, I confirm for myself that, in fact, The Politician has not moved. As usual, nobody is listening to him. All is as it should be. I let out a sigh of relief and resign myself to the next few hours of watching.

  —

  At the end of the day, I’m back at the locker room in the Bowl, putting away my supersuit and preparing to head on home. I pull out my phone from my locker, where I left it during the day so I wouldn't get distracted or end up damaging it. It’s off, but when I turn it on I find I have several new messages.

  Most of my friends know I won’t respond at work, but a quick check shows it’s an unknown number, so that explains that. I pull open my messages app to find what was always the most likely possibility.

  “Hey Charlie! It’s me, Rowan.” The sender, whose identity is now obvious, has typed. Another message follows below, sent a few minutes after the first.

  “We should consider staging a fight sometime, whenever you have the chance. Make this nemesis thing official and all.” Rowan writes. I had been wondering about that. As I save the number to a new contact for Rowan, I consider how to respond. A moment later, I start typing.

  “No new job yet for tomorrow, come find me.” I type, then hit send.

  Looks like I’ll be getting a nice distraction after all.