Liam’s eyes traveled across the paper, the familiar aroma of newsprint bringing with it a calming sensation. It asked whoever held it to sit down and take a load off as they skim through the stories inside. On any other day Liam would have succumbed to the feeling, but today wasn’t like any other. His eyes moved from word to word while they all floated through his head. In and out faster than a blink, leaving nothing behind.

As Liam continued to ‘read’ the paper, something he’d been doing for close to an hour, he was jostled by someone passing by. Looking up, Liam found himself face to face with an older man, his peppered hair peeking out from under a baseball cap. In his loose fitting gray business clothes, the man gave off the impression of someone who worked for a living. And he spent very little of that work behind a desk. Embroidered on the left chest of his jacket and hat was a black outline of a tower on a hill.

Meeting the man’s eyes, the older person looked down. His face going bright red as he stuttered like a school kid. It was a decidedly weird situation to have someone twice your age nervous around you.

“Sorry about that, sir. Won’t happen again,” the man said.

Liam folded up the paper, its headline reading ‘Source, An Iowa Treasure’ in bold across the top. Looking the man over Liam noted his pit stained shirt, brow damp from work. It put Liam to shame. He should help this man, not being apologized to.

With the man still avoiding eye contact, Liam said, “Don’t worry about it. Thanks for all the work you’re doing here.”

The man froze when Liam started to talk. When Liam was done, he nodded his head once then scurried away. Towing a box full of cooking wear with him. Making it to the other side of the room the man passed a group of four masked individuals. The group was a peacock of gaudy colors. Liam had never been a fan of bright outfits. He’d always preferred darker or neutral colors for his armor, but who was he to judge people for their preferences.

Each one of the bright colored people was also studiously avoiding looking at him, at least when they knew he was watching. He’d caught a few of them in the act when they didn’t think he was paying attention. That attitude had been going on since Liam arrived two hours before. At first, Liam tried to get into their conversation, but that hadn’t been worth the effort. Being ignored to your face had a tendency to either annoy or frustrate you. For Liam it was both.

Turning away from the group Liam looked down one of the room’s three hallways. His old bedroom was down there. It’d been months since he’d last seen it. He could almost hear the room calling for him, begging him to come back. A nap right now would be nice, wouldn’t it? He’d wake up and everything would be better, or at least that’s what Liam thought it was saying. However he knew better, he’d already gone to his workshop and saw the mess waiting for him there. Seeing it had hit hard, he couldn’t go to his room and find the same thing. If he stayed out here, he could live under the delusion that nothing had happened to it. Yes, much better to do that and pretend everything from his past wasn’t ruined.

With a shudder Liam pulled up the paper again. Flipping through a few pages he looked for something new to read. On page 12 he found a likely candidate, ‘District Swim meet next week, How will the boys fair?’ Yep that sounded like a great read. Really rewarding for him.

Getting into the intricacies of high school swimming, there was much more to it than he’d ever thought, Liam didn’t notice the new arrival until the man was standing next to him. The man’s shadow falling over the page.

“Bringing back too many memories?” the new arrival asked.

Liam shrugged as he looked up. There was only one person who wanted to talk to him and Liam wasn’t surprised to find that exact person there. His green and brown mask losing some of its pop in the concrete basement they found themselves in.

“More than I thought it would,” Liam admitted.

Nudge nodded as if those words were born from some wise monk.

“True enough. We all have a past we’d like to leave behind.”

They sat there in silence for a moment. Liam wondered what it was that Nudge was trying to forget. Could it be something as bad as what he was going through? Together they watched as Liam’s old home was taken apart. One box at a time.

“You know what’s the strangest thing to me?” Liam asked.

“Hmm?” Nudge mumbled as he turned back to Liam.

“When I was on the team we weren’t allowed to bring paper down here, yet here I am, the rebel breaking all the rules,” Liam said as he held up the newspaper.

“Oddly specific rule. I’ve never heard of something like that on other teams. Why’d yours have it?”

“A local Cowl can control paper. Ullr was afraid he might spy through it.”

“Fair enough safe guard then.”

The two fell back into silence. On the far side of the room one of the workers was putting a cover over the old Hunt logo. Trying to hide the stain it carried. One of the carnival themed Heroes watched over the work.

“Why are they here?” Liam asked as he nodded his head at the Heroes.

Nudge followed the nod. Eyeing the other Heroes for a moment.

“They’ll be the temporary team in Des Moines until they get a new one.”

“That's good. The city will need them.”

“Someone has to hunt for Skip, might as well start in the city he used to live in.”

“So he got away?” Liam asked. Not surprised at the revelation.

“Only one to make it. The team out in Hawaii already brought in Gladius,” Nudge said. “But yes, Skip’s on the run. However that’s completely different than getting away.”

“If you say so.”

The two watched the base being torn apart. The workers meticulously moving through one room at a time until Liam saw one of the new Heroes look over again.

“So they’re not here to monitor me?”

Given the way the other Heroes were acting it was obvious they were at least partially here to watch over him. Now to see what Nudge had to say about it. Would he lie and try to hide it or come clean?

“I’m sure that’s part of it. Actually they might be here to watch over both of us,” Nudge said. His eyes still focused on the other Heroes. “How about we move somewhere a little more private?”

Liam frowned then nodded. That wasn’t what he expected, but Nudge made a good point. He was getting a little uncomfortable with all these people around him. Being on the run made you averse to this kind of thing. Liam got up and directed Nudge to the conference room. As they made their way Liam could see the other Heroes subtly following their movement from across the room. Yet, they didn’t follow. Trusting the two couldn’t get into too much trouble down here. Neither Nudge nor Liam spoke until the door to the conference room closed.

“I was surprised you left the note at the police station. To find proof you were innocent was one thing, to know who you can trust on the police force was something else entirely. I have to admit that impressed me.”

Liam made his way to a seat while his mind tried to decipher what the man was talking about. What proof was there of his innocence? If he had anything like that he’d have shown it long ago.

“With that kind of information you can’t be too careful,” Liam said. Trying to play along with what Nudge was talking about.

Nudge tilted his head as Liam spoke. Could the man tell he was lying, Liam wondered in horror? That can’t be, he could move plants, that’s his power, not reading people.

“That’s true,” Nudge said in a slow drawl.

Even if the man couldn’t read his mind it wouldn’t take long till he figured out Liam didn’t know what he was talking about. Liam would have to figure out what this mystery evidence was later and who sent it.

“What happens to me now?” Liam asked, a nice change in the conversation if he said so himself.

“You’re still an apprentice so you’ll need a new mentor. I was thinking I could take over that role.”

“What?” Liam asked. This man was on a roll with the surprises.

“Everyone already thinks I’m doing that so what’s there to lose?”

“You want me to stay on as a Hero?”

“What else would you do other than that?”

Coming out of the academy this would’ve been his dream. Becoming an apprentice with the most powerful team, the Watch. It was more than any apprentice could hope for, but now Liam didn’t know. With his face all over the world could he really continue as a Hero? What about his family, his sister, who he’d need to call Liam noted with a wince. That would not be a fun call. Maybe it was best to hold out on that until they sorted everything out. She’d understand he told himself.

“Everyone knows my face, and my family's identity. How could I be a Hero after that?”

“Your sister already has a protection detail. I set that up while you were waiting for me. There’s already a line of people volunteering to take on the role. You’ve become quite the celebrity in Hero circles.”

“Great more attention aimed at me. I’m sure that will make my family much safer,” Liam said. He stared up at the ceiling as he spoke.

Nudge nestled himself in his own seat as Liam spoke.

“Your family is getting the same security as a Senator. Trust me, they’ll be fine.”

“No protection is absolute, they teach us that at the academy.”

“Look at Congress, we keep them safe. When was the last time there was an assassination? Nothing will touch your sister.”

It was true that no politician had been killed in decades, but that didn’t mean there weren’t attacks. And those attacks often ended in injuries on both sides.

“I’m not sure I can put them through this.”

Nudge scratched his head, he must have expected this to be an easy sell and was trying to find his footing when proven wrong.

“You came back and defended the city because you’re a Hero. That proves you can’t leave this life behind. It’s a part of who you are and everything you do. Plus we’re already kind of a team, if you remember that’s what stopped everyone from shooting at you back in the parking lot. I think you’re stuck with me kid.”

“Can’t I at least sleep on it.”

“Unfortunately, I need to know now. I’m after something big and will be on the move in a few hours. If it makes you feel any better this next mission will put what we did today to shame.”

Nudge pulled out a file and set it on the table. Secret was scrawled across the cover in blood-red letters.

“What’s that?”

“You can find out after you join.”

All the reasons not to listen to Nudge flashed through Liam’s mind. There were hundreds of them. From the rational ones like never being able to live up to people’s expectations and his family's safety to the absurd, like having to move again.

Through all the reasons not to go forward with this, one thing remained clear. He’d become a Hero to save lives. If Nudge could be trusted the file held another chance to do what he joined for.

“Fine, I’m in,” Liam said. On the other side of the room Nudge relaxed back into his chair, a tension Liam hadn’t noticed faded away from him. “Now what are we after?”

With a smile Liam had only seen in B rated horror movies Nudge said, “We’re hunting a legend.”