Her dad?

  She looked back down at Reagan, flush and panting underneath her. Lauren got to her feet and left the other girl behind, wiping her mouth. She looked back once on her way out of the weight room. Reagan had sat up and drawn her knees to her chest, watching Lauren go with a neutral expression.

  She could feel Billy’s silent surprise next to her as they walked out of the gym. However caught off guard he was catching the two of them kissing, it couldn’t possibly match Lauren’s own bafflement. Honestly, what had gotten into her? The accidental neck kiss was one thing, but once Reagan had truly kissed her she couldn’t stop it.

  Lauren found a trail of spit dangling from the corner of her mouth. She hooked it and sucked it off her thumb. Another wave of sweet ecstasy washed over her. Her legs nearly buckled. Reagan’s spit was like a drug.

  She shook her head. She was not finding Reagan attractive. The parasite was, for some reason. And the parasite was not in charge. Lauren liked Anika. She’d be very stubborn about it, if she had to be.

  She left her thoughts of Reagan behind as outside Billy pointed her to the parking lot.

  Lauren almost didn’t recognize the man waiting for her in the parking lot, standing in front of a nondescript sedan. It was the first time she had ever seen Hogan outside of his agent suit. Like Dodds, it seemed fundamentally wrong in some way. Only Lauren was a fair bit more glad to see him over her. He wore a short-sleeved, collared shirt and slacks that made him look like a bowler. Dark glasses covered his eyes. As Lauren walked to him he looked at her with a short, almost apologetic smile.

  Lauren stopped a few yards away from him. The last time they had talked, it was him urging her to rush to campus just before Pariah’s attack. And the last time they had talked in person, he had dropped her off after telling him Rachel wasn’t real. Here they faced each other again.

  She didn’t know what to say for a moment. Hogan seemed equally unsure. Conflicting feelings battled inside Lauren. She was glad to see he was alright. These past few days she had been afraid of asking after him, for some reason. Though she never consciously manifested the thought, she didn’t want to seem too attached to the agent. Didn’t want to feel too attached. She had been a rough ward, she knew that. Her interactions with Hogan involved her snapping at him more often than not. He kept things from her sometimes, but in hindsight she could see why. And he had been there for her since before Rosewell.

  “Are you telling people you’re my dad?” she asked, if only to break the silence.

  Hogan cocked his head. “Huh? No. I asked for you when I got here. I tried calling earlier, but you didn’t pick up.”

  “We were having a funeral,” Lauren said.

  “For who?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Lauren dismissed. “What are you doing here?”

  “I heard you were on your feet again. I thought I’d come check in on you.” Hogan rubbed the back of his neck. It seemed he was about as uncomfortable out of his suit as he looked. “And I have some things to get done today. I’m here for you to tag along.”

  Lauren crossed her arms, considering. “Like, errands?”

  “Not exactly,” Hogan said. “Agent business, even though it doesn’t look like that’s what I’m doing. Weiss thinks I should bring you in on it.”

  Director Weiss he meant, head of BASTION. She had heard Lauren out during the Dodds debacle. Lauren had a good impression of her. She seemed serious, smart, and straightforward. For a minute, Lauren had felt something like an assistant to her. Vivian had indicated she had survived the collapse of The Nest, which Lauren was glad to hear.

  “Weiss? She wants me to be a young agent or something?” Lauren asked.

  Hogan stepped back and opened the driver’s door of his vehicle. “C’mon. Let’s get caught up.”

  A moment later, Lauren was buckled in next to Hogan. He smoothly pulled out and away towards that school’s gate.

  “Not a young agent, exactly,” Hogan said. “She sees something in you, though. I guess she wants you to get some behind the scenes experience.” The gate pulled back, and they were off down the winding road that led off the mountainside. It was Lauren’s first time taking the route. “I think you really impress her.”

  Lauren couldn’t help but feel a bit proud of that. She remembered Weiss saying she had a feeling they were similar. She relaxed into her seat.

  “You were wrong. Rachel’s real,” Lauren said without preamble. The beginnings of doubt began to spread on Hogan’s face, but before he could speak Lauren continued. “I saw her. In the arena. She was with Dr. Smythe. They’re both here in the city.”

  “That’s… huh.”

  “You believe me, don’t you?” Lauren asked sharply.

  “I believe you,” Hogan said. “I don’t know what it means, but I believe you.”

  “It means we have to keep looking.”

  When Hogan spoke again, he sounded his age. “I wish you all the best. I really do. I’d help if I could, but unfortunately the world is upside down right now and I’ve been put on bigger things. I’m the most senior agent in Pacific City, and right now it’s my job to contain the whole clusterfuck, pardon my words. Finding them is going to have to remain your pet project. I’m sorry.”

  Lauren sunk into her seat, glowering. “Is that why you look like you’re going to meet your bowling team?”

  Hogan looked at himself critically in the mirror. “I know. I’m terrible at looking normal. This is supposed to be me blending in.”

  Lauren dropped her shoulders. She couldn’t keep getting upset at him over and over about the same things. His palpable discomfort was pitiable.

  “How is BASTION and everything?” Lauren asked, changing the subject to something else she was curious about.

  Hogan shrugged. “Doing about as well as you might expect with our main base knocked out of the sky. Still, we weren’t dumb enough to keep all our eggs in one basket. We’re still operational. Crime of all kinds has surged in the past month or so, especially super-crime in urban areas. We spread some of your classmates out across the country to get a bit less action and more attention while still being useful. Some of them might be back at some point.”

  Lauren grunted. That was good to know. She was missing some of them.

  “Pacific City is becoming the epicenter of something we’re concerned about,” Hogan continued. “The old professionals I told you about. Pariah didn’t attack here randomly. He destabilized things on purpose. Him, the New Lords, the crime wave, it’s all being directed by the same sources. We’re on the backfoot. We need to turn things around.”

  Lauren had come to the same conclusion, more or less, only she was more concerned about the fact it was all making it impossible to locate the doctor.

  “So what do we do about it?” Lauren asked.

  Hogan’s lip twitched. “Things I’d rather not have to do.”

  They entered into the city. On the way to wherever they were going, Hogan asked her a few questions, about her healing and how she was feeling. She gave him vaguely positive responses. She really didn’t want to talk about her shifting, morphing, blood and kisses-hungry body.

  Hogan took in a breath and stopped himself from speaking whatever he was going to say for a moment. He tried again.

  “Y’know… if you ever want to talk about things…”

  Lauren frowned at him, already not liking this.

  “I’m just saying, I had a daughter,” Hogan said. “And she was a growing girl, and she had powers… if you ever want to ask what’s normal or not…”

  “Oh my god, stop,” Lauren said.

  He raised his fingers on the steering wheel. “I’m just saying, if you want to talk to an adult outside of school…”

  “Stop!” Lauren begged. “I can’t get pregnant, I don’t get periods, I know to hit people who touch me weird. Please.”

  “Okay, okay,” Hogan relented.

  Although she was burning with embarrassment, a small part of Lauren was secretly flattered Hogan thought to offer. He seemed slightly more open mentioning his daughter. She thought about their brief talk they had about her, which was soon overshadowed by his revelations about Rachel. She wondered if he missed being a dad. Surely he did.

  They drove around downtown Pacific City to part of the waterfront. On the way, they passed blocked off streets. Lauren could briefly see trucks carrying heaps of debris and bright workers climbing over it all. The tower. Lauren forgot the name of it. Everything else going on, she had almost let the devastation slip her mind. She knew things like this happened, Invasion Day being the biggest in recent memory. Cities, unfortunately, probably got pretty used to loss and rebuilding. She wished she could help make it better. The scale of death was unfathomable to her.

  La Blanca, the area past downtown was called, to the northeast of the riverfront shopping area. She found the district name popping into her head quite easily from her lessons. Here, abutting a sandier stretch of riverfront were wide boulevards home to bars, clubs, restaurants, and lots of housing. The different streets varied wildly from looking shoddy to gentrified from one to the next. There were classy-looking establishments, to be sure, but also plenty of darker alleys and corners one could easily be mugged in. This was the place for nightlife, for better or worse. Lauren remembered Reagan mentioning the villains setting something up here, then frowned for remembering Reagan.

  Hogan found street parking and pulled in. They were beside one of the nicer and taller buildings in the district. A large fence with an electronic gate surrounded the property. So close to the water, the view from many of the windows must have been incredible. It looked like an expensive place to live.

  “What are we doing here?” Lauren asked, unbuckling.

  Hogan was already stepping out. “C’mon.”

  She followed him to the security gate, which he unlocked. He nodded to a guard inside. Lauren followed him down the shaded inner path to the building’s entrance. Inside was a pleasantly warm lobby with a desk attendant. They crossed to the elevator and stepped inside. Hogan pressed for the top floor. Only when the doors closed did Lauren speak up again.

  “What are we doing?”

  Hogan squeezed his fist. His demeanor became guarded.

  “I don’t think you should be here.” Hogan spoke quickly and directly as the elevator rose. “But Director Weiss does. I can’t realty say no to her. We’re here to meet with an evil man, Lauren. He’s my informant. He can find things out I can’t. He’ll probably take an interest in you. Don’t engage with him. Just stay behind me. You’re never, ever to come here without me, you understand?”

  “…Okay,” Lauren said. She didn’t have much time to take that in before the elevator opened again. Hogan led the way into a carpeted hall. Despite the size of the building, it looked like each floor contained only a few units. They walked to the further door at the end of the hall.

  An evil man? What was Hogan getting her into?

  Hogan unlocked the door with some kind of pass card and they entered.

  They stepped into the nicest apartment Lauren had ever seen. The entire place was sleek, modern, and gray. To the right of the entryway was a kitchen filled with chrome devices, marble countertops, and gleaming pans and knives hanging. To the left was an entire wall of wines and other alcohol. The den area past the kitchen bar was massive. Without even moving into it yet, Lauren could spot a fur rug, a gas fireplace, a grand piano in the corner, and a lowered seating area in front of an entertainment center. Dark, functional furniture that looked out of a design magazine suggested the owner prioritized aesthetics over comfort. Beyond all of that was a bank of windows and a glass door leading to a balcony that must have commanded a view of the entire district and the water. Stairs off to the side led to a second floor that partially overlooked the first from a railed walkway.

  Hogan walked past the kitchen into the main space. Lauren was close at his heels, heeding his quick and serious warnings.

  “Dominic!” Hogan called out. “You said you had something for me. Don’t keep me waiting.”

  Lauren sensed something. She looked up. A man had appeared on the second floor. He opened his arms in welcome.

  “Geoffrey!”

  Lauren swallowed down that odd bit of trivia about Hogan as the man descended the stairs. Hogan pivoted to keep himself in front of her.

  Dominic was dressed in a luxurious robe, despite it being midday. He was middle-aged, probably around the same as Hogan, but wore his age differently. His hair was jet-black in a way that looked artificial, and it tapered into a severe widow’s peak at the top of his broad face. Everything about him was broad, from his head to his neck to his shoulders and the rest of his body. Not tall, though. He was stout, sturdy. His eyes were dark, menacing, his nose too flat and his lips too fleshy as he gave a welcoming grin. Despite his girth, the skin of his face was tight. His teeth were too white in the same way his hair was too dark. Even without Hogan’s warnings, Lauren would not have liked the man.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Dominic’s eyes locked to Lauren as soon as he greeted them. They roved over her as they might over a juicy steak served at his dining table. Now on the same floor as them, he stuffed his meaty hands into the pockets of his robe and regarded them both with an easy smile.

  “Geoffrey, you’ve brought me a gift,” Dominic said. His voice told that he was once from some other place.

  “No. I haven’t.”

  Lauren could feel the hostility steaming off him. He really did not want her here. He didn’t even want this Dominic to look at her. He had said this man was his informant. She wondered how this usually went.

  “Additional company, I mean!” Dominic said. He clearly saw Hogan’s mood and chose to disregard it. He walked over to his bar and poured himself something. “Tell me what you’re both drinking while you introduce this lovely little creature to me.”

  “You don’t need to know her,” Hogan insisted. “She’s just here to observe. Tell me what you have.”

  Dominic pressed his lips together as he brought his drink over. “No, no, don’t be like that. You know well I’m a gregarious man. I can’t speak without knowing everyone in the room. You’re the one who chose to bring her, and what a good decision that was.” Dominic leered at Lauren, a look so intense it felt like he was caressing her despite being a dozen feet away. She shivered. “What’s your name?”

  “Lauren,” she said. She wasn’t afraid of this creep. If Director Weiss thought she could hold her own in this situation, she could. She had nothing to hide.

  Hogan bit his tongue, looking regretful that she had answered.

  Dominic’s smile broadened. “Lauren. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Dominic, as you’ve heard. I’m sure Agent Hogan here has given you warnings about me. Did he tell you what our relationship is?”

  “You’re his rat,” Lauren answered bluntly.

  Dominic chortled instead of taking offense. “Yes. I am.” He sat against his dining table, setting down his glass. He opened his hands, settling into a story.

  “Despite not having powers myself, I used to be a very scary man, in the old world,” Dominic explained. “I was meticulous, and thorough, and exacting. A problem solver. I took it upon myself to be the measuring stick for both heroes and villains alike. Either they would meet my standards, or…” His gaze flicked downwards. “I kept the ecosystem healthy by clearing the refuse. I also found diamonds in the rough. For that, they called me the Killer Crow.”

  “Scary,” Lauren said without a hint of fear or awe.

  Dominic set his arms on his knees, still regarding her.

  “Of course, times change. Even I’ve had to adapt. So now BASTION keeps this crow in a gilded cage, and occasionally lets me fly out to pick at something for them. My reputation still keeps many doors open. Now that I’ve nested in Pacific City, I know everything that happens on or under my streets.” He leaned in. “Everything.”

  She swallowed. That got to her.

  He knew.

  He knew about Lauren’s massacre, and he was telling her as much. She kept her face still as much as she could, trying not to twitch nervously. He hadn’t yet told Hogan. What would he do if he found out? He was the most senior agent here now. Probably send her away, at best. How many people knew? Everyone who was there, at minimum. Clearly more besides. It was an open secret. How valuable was Lilith’s blackmail, anyway? Someone on her side would find out the truth at some point. Still, Lilith’s video was likely the only evidence. Her stomach flipped.

  She could see in his eyes Dominic knew she had gotten the message.

  “That’s enough,” Hogan said, taking charge again. “You got to give your little spiel. What did you bring me here for?”

  Dominic sighed, as if he found Hogan and his insistence ever so tedious.

  “In two night’s time, there will be a transaction at the city’s main docks, in the wreckage of Seraph’s clash with Pariah. The Scarlet Brotherhood is bringing tithe to the lords of the city, in order to bring their flesh through. Treasures I hear, though I don’t know the contents exactly. Sounds like quite a haul. Something fit for a dragon.”

  Something was passed between the men with that, and now Lauren was the one not privy to the meaning.

  “Are they here?” Hogan asked.

  “Soon,” Dominic said. He was both warning and taunting. “Their shadows loom over the city. Are you ready, Geoffrey? Are your children ready?”

  Hogan grimaced. Lauren saw the veins in his neck. He was holding himself back from something he would regret. “What else should I know about this situation?”

  Dominic held his stare for a moment. “Give me five minutes unmonitored with Lauren. I will reveal more to you than I ever have before. I will not harm her, not that I suspect I’m capable.”

  Hogan’s answer was an immediate, hard “no.”

  Dominic shook his head regretfully.

  “If I find out you’re holding anything back from me about this situation, you’ll live to regret it,” Hogan promised. “I want you to think long and hard about where I pulled you from. That place still exists.”

  “You are holding spinning plates, and you cannot afford to drop any of them,” Dominic said. “Stretched so thin, you’re all so close to shattering. You should be rewarding me for the invaluable information I give you.”

  “This life is your reward. Every breath of fresh air you take on that balcony,” Hogan said. He grabbed Lauren’s hand and pulled her away. “We’re leaving.”

  “It was nice meeting you, Lauren,” Dominic called after her. “Do come by again sometime if you’d like to better understand yourself, and your place in the world.”

  Lauren sharply turned and looked back at him, momentarily stopping Hogan’s progress toward the door. Dominic held a self-pleased expression, knowing he had hooked her. They finished leaving.

  Back in the elevator, Hogan took steadying breaths. Lauren calmly watched her silver reflection in the doors. A man who knew everything in Pacific City? Was that too good to be true? Surely Hogan would have asked about the doctor. Only, Dominic probably didn’t tell him everything.

  “It goes without saying again, you’re never, ever to visit him without me,” Hogan said. His face was red. Something about Dominic set him off on a deep level. “I’m disgusted with myself every time I have to interact with him. He’s nothing. Just a hollow, self-serving man. He’s good at talking, but he doesn’t have anything of real value.” He glanced at her. “Do you understand, Lauren?”

  She broke out of her staring contest with herself. “Hm? Yeah.”

  Hogan smoothed out his shirt. “This place is locked down tight anyways. There’s no way to even scale the outside without us knowing. So don’t get one of your wild ideas.”

  “Me? Never.”

  “I’m going to have words with Evelyn about making me take you on this.”

  “Was he talking about the New Lords, and their bosses?” Lauren asked.

  The elevator opened. Hogan had her hold the thought until they were out of the building and back in his car.

  “Yes,” he said, starting the car again. “By their measure, Pacific City and the New Lords have passed from Cyrus Null to his daughter in the wake of Pariah. But the others are coming. I don’t really know who they all are or why they’re circling the city.”

  “But you have some guesses,” Lauren said.

  Hogan’s jaw worked as he took them through the district. “This shipment needs to be disrupted. It’s a good chance to hit the New Lords away from the public eye. They won’t know we’re coming.”

  Lauren saluted wearily. “Child soldier, reporting for duty.”

  “For the millionth time, I’m sorry Lauren. We are past the brink. National security is in freefall. I feel like I’ve become the system that’s exploiting you. I guess I have. But there is truly, genuinely no other choice but to use you and your classmates.”

  “I understand,” Lauren said. “As long as you all understand sometimes I need to go on my own missions.”

  “I don’t like it, but the more we use you the less right I have to stop it,” Hogan said. “It’ll be good for you all to find ways to stabilize the city on your own, like you did yesterday. Just be smart about it. Don’t overextend yourselves. Those other kids don’t have in them what you do.”

  Lauren put her head against the window. “Trust me. I know.”

  They drove back up into the mountains, but eventually Lauren recognized they were taking a different road than the one leading to Rosewell.

  “Where are we going?”

  “A BASTION auxiliary base. Weiss wants to speak with you, I think.”

  “Director Weiss is here?”

  “Sometimes,” Hogan answered. “She moves around since The Nest went down. Better for security.”

  They climbed upwards into pine-shrouded mountains.

  Eventually they reached a manned gate, were scanned through, then another, before reaching the base. Hogan parked near the entrance. Stepping out, Lauren saw the base was much like she imagined a military base to be like. Bulky vehicles, drab buildings, and people in uniform stomping around with importance.

  They walked to a building that looked like all the others. Inside, the front room was something like a breakroom. A few people milled about, typing away or reading documents. They looked up and nodded to Hogan, who nodded back.

  They had only just stepped in when Weiss appeared in a doorway at the back of the room. Lauren brightened seeing her. The head of BASTION was dressed down in sturdy pants and a plain tee instead of her usual gray bodysuit. She leaned in the doorway.

  “Hogan, you old hound, there you are.”

  “Director Weiss,” he said. If he was truly upset at her, he didn’t let it leak out in front of the others.

  She turned her head to Lauren. “And you brought my favorite student.”

  “Just like you requested.”

  Weiss waved Lauren forward. “C’mere. Let’s give Hogan a break.”

  Lauren followed Weiss into the back halls of the building. She led the way into a private room. It wasn’t very big, and compared to Dominic’s penthouse it was spartan. A bed that wasn’t much more than a bunk, a small kitchenette, a concrete closet, a chair, a desk and a few shelves. Not even a private bathroom. Still, for a military base privacy was probably a luxury. Lauren respected Weiss even more if this was her accommodations in times of crisis.

  Weiss sat on her bunk and patted the space next to her. Lauren sat. Even with Weiss dressed down and no one else around, Lauren was still very conscious being in the presence of one of the most important people in the country. She was glad Weiss liked her.

  “I’m happy to see you up and healthy,” Weiss said. She sat back against the wall and brought one of her legs up, sitting like a younger woman.

  Lauren half-turned to face her, not fully sure how to drop her guard despite wanting to. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re okay too. I’m sorry about your floating base.”

  Weiss waved it off. “Eh, we’ll build another one. The bigger tragedy is all the people who couldn’t evacuate in time. They were good people, all of them. Except for the ones in our prison.”

  Lauren nodded. “Right. Of course.”

  “And then there’s all the victims in the city,” Weiss lamented. “How about Rosewell? How are you all doing?”

  “The best we can. Spirits are down. I’m trying to get them back out there again.”

  Weiss smiled. “I bet you are. You’ve got that special quality about you. They were waiting for you to get up again to lead them.”

  “I don’t know about that…” Lauren was still so unsure about stepping up into leadership, but someone needed to.

  “Well, I do,” Weiss said. She gestured for Lauren to face the other way. Lauren turned around on the bed, not knowing what to expect. Weiss picked something up, then began working through Lauren’s hair with a brush. It startled Lauren slightly for a second, but she soon relaxed. She always found things running through her hair to be so soothing. It reminded her of better times.

  “You met the Killer Crow with Hogan?”

  “Mhm,” Lauren said with her eyes closed.

  “Nasty guy, isn’t he?”

  “I guess so,” Lauren said. “Hogan sure doesn’t like him. I don’t know much about him, but I got bad vibes.”

  “That’s good,” Weiss said. She continued expertly running the brush against Lauren’s scalp. “Trust your instincts. I can tell you, he’s absolute scum. A terrible manipulator. He once killed a hero without even meeting him.”

  “How?”

  “He ruined his life. Blackmailed his secret identity, staged evidence of him cheating on his wife, bankrupted him and stole his home. He left the hero with nothing, so he committed suicide.”

  Lauren suddenly felt disgusted by meeting the man just an hour earlier. She should have been even harsher in her responses, put up the same wall that Hogan had. When he warned her the man was evil, he really meant it. But did that evil man know her situation better than she did?

  Weiss must have sensed her tensing. She paused her brushing.

  “I know. Do you want to know why I wanted you to meet him?”

  “Why?” Lauren asked.

  She resumed. “So that you would understand. Sometimes we have to go to terrible depths to do what we do. We have to face the darkness, and let it stain us. We have to be inoculated against evil. Because sometimes evil is too useful to not use.”

  That last sentence rattled around Lauren’s brain. Was the parasite inside her evil? It was certainly a killer. She certainly used it. The images of the arena massacre flashed through her mind. Her heart raced. Somehow, she felt Weiss would sense the thoughts through touch. What would she think of it? Probably would put Lauren right into the category of evil, give her a cage of her own. She wasn’t going into a cage. She was on the side of good.

  “Why me?” Lauren asked.

  “Because, I think you understand practicality,” Weiss said.

  Lauren released a breath, glad the trip wasn’t meant to be a preview of her fate.

  Weiss put down the brush and sighed. Lauren faced her again, her scalp tingling.

  Weiss looked terribly tired. Lauren found herself wanting to help unburden her.

  “Can I tell you the truth, Lauren?” Lauren nodded immediately. Weiss looked her directly in the eyes as she sat forward. “The truth is, I hate my job. I really do. But someone needs to do it. Do you understand?”

  “I do,” Lauren said genuinely.

  Weiss came forwards slightly, their knees almost touching.

  “The truth is that society is unnatural. Civilization and civility are unnatural. Humanity is a child trying to stick a fork in the outlet, and every time you snatch it away they find another one. Humanity is an amorphous blob of chaos and destruction, and in order to give it direction and meaning it must constantly be beaten into a useful shape. Every great ruler in history has understood this.” Lauren considered that uneasily. Weiss pressed on. “They are stupid sheep out there, and they need a fence. We are the fence. People will scream until their faces are blue that they want true freedom. They don’t. They want their comforts, and they want groceries to be affordable, and they want to not die coming home from work to hug their families. None of that is freedom.”

  “…People in this country don’t have freedom?” Lauren hesitated to ask, but she wanted to understand.

  Weiss rolled her eyes with a smirk like she found the idea comical.

  “Do you know where we would be if I honestly let them pick their president?” Weiss asked. “We would be terrorized by some populist buffoon. Instead, we give them two safe, stable options which both do the exact same thing, which is whatever I want. If you give a child too many options for what to eat, they’ll never pick anything. So you present a choice of things that you know will at least feed them.”

  Lauren wanted to back away suddenly. The curtain was opening too quickly. She was being let on things she thought she’d rather not know. She didn’t want to be in on the secrets of whatever cabal Weiss was running. Too much knowledge, and she’d never leave this life behind.

  “Why are you telling me all of this?”

  “Like I said, I think you understand practicality,” Weiss said softly. “There are two layers of the fence that keep the sheep in. The heroes are the first layer. They wear the costumes and they fly through the sky, and they make people feel safe. I am the second layer. I am the one that keeps everyone safe, including the heroes. They’re trying to break our fences. I think eventually, you belong as part of my fence.”

  “…You want me to work for you?”

  Weiss reached out and stroked Lauren’s jaw, again appraising her. Lauren swallowed, resisting pulling away. “Eventually. I’ll let you finish your schooling. We’re going to break these villains in the shadows, you and I. You’ll take what you want from them, and then when you graduate you’ll come into my family. You don’t want fame, do you? You’re not vain enough to want the spotlight?”

  Lauren shook her head.

  “Good.” Weiss let her go. She set her hands down beside her. “We need strength now more than ever. The public can have their heroes. I need my professionals.”

  Lauren sat with her hands in her lap, not knowing what to say. Weiss stood and squeezed her shoulder. “Why don't you wait outside while I have a quick chat with Hogan.”

  The ride home was quiet. It seemed Lauren and Hogan both had a lot on their mind. For Lauren, her thoughts were on yet another mission, Hogan’s contact, her own deadline for finding Maudlin, and the consequences of that night in the arena. How would she run from it forever? She likely wouldn’t. There were hundreds there. It was only a matter of time. Maybe she should just confess to it. Then they’d see how her brain was slowly being eaten from the inside out, and back to tests. What kind of hero, or professional lost control and killed dozens? None, she figured. Only monsters did that. Nothing terrified her more than being the monster Dr. Smythe wanted to make her into.

  Why did this life of hers always have to be a cycle of acting too much, and then regretting it?

  “Did she make you an offer?” Hogan asked on the last leg of the journey.

  “Yes.”

  “I was afraid that’s what she after,” Hogan said. “She can’t make you, if that isn’t what you want.” He himself didn’t sound so convinced. Lauren understood Weiss was the kind of woman who had a way of getting what she wanted.

  Lauren was unbuckling as soon as the gate to the school opened for them.

  “Lauren, wait—”

  She opened the door. “I know how this goes. I’ll get them ready for the mission.”

  She slammed the door shut, not looking back at him as she mounted the curb to campus.

  Her slipping mind, her changing body, a world in chaos, a caged sadist she wanted to have further conversation with, and a hidden world leader wanting to recruit her.

  And still, the most fucked up part was that she wanted to go find Reagan to kiss.