The next few weeks were a blur as Mark and Rylie did simple missions, meet ups for drinks, and training. Mark also managed to visit Natalie at least once every few days to check on his mental well-being, and became a thorn in the side of the agency's ritualists by regularly asking them about the sever ritual. In the five years he was gone, there had been no progress on it, and restraining dangerous monsters and sticking them in anti-patron cells was still the best course of action.

Mark walked into the agency, dropping off Guardian to Hugh, who enjoyed having the pup by his side throughout the day. He rubbed his dog's head and went toward his desk, where Hanna was waiting for him.

"Alright, then," he said. "Surprised it took so long. Let's talk."

Her lips turned in a smirk, not unlike his own, and stood up from his chair, allowing him to take a seat. "Now that the newness and the sad, angsty Mark is falling away, I figured I could finally step in to see how my brother is doing."

He looked up slightly at her. She was barely taller standing than he was sitting and he chuckled, "Fair enough. I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to talking to you. What do you want to know?"

She swallowed and looked off to the side, trying to hold back. "I just want to know that you're alright, Mark. We all but lived on the streets when we were kids, then we get powers and end up here, then you bail. You're all I had for forever, then suddenly you're gone for five years. And the only reason you came back is because you died. You died, Mark. Even with all the magic, that's not normal."

He nodded, "I'm alright, Hanna. And you're right. We were all we had. And I wouldn't have left if I didn't know that you would be okay here with Traitor. But where I was after all of that shit with Jay and Lily, I wasn't me. I needed out."

"I know."

"And I was lucky he let me. I can't think of another person like us who has ever been granted a reprieve from their patron without it resulting in their death."

"I mean, technically . . ."

"Yeah, yeah. I kept tabs on you. Just you. I didn't need or want to hear about the others. But you're my sister. I never knew much, but I always knew that you were alive and well. And I would've knocked myself off even quicker if something had happened to you. I promise you that."

Hanna smiled, "I appreciate that. And I'm glad you're back." She wiped at the corner of her eyes, then cleared her throat, "So, Shaw. How's she doing?"

"She had a good understanding of the different patrons and their people. Her battling abilities are still difficult with the limits of her power, but she's finding more effective ways to utilize them. And she's not afraid to follow a plan." He rattled off what he needed to. He didn't need his partner's finesse ability to know what Hanna needed to hear.

"Good," she said. "We have a multi-team mission. There's someone leaving bodies behind all around Chicago. Pretty clear who their affiliation is with. Every single body has their jaws and upper teeth pulled from their head."

"Fuck, Modify."

"Got it in one, brother. You and Rylie will check in with someone who witnessed it. Jack and Ryan will be looking at the site of the most recent body for any clues, and Lily and Jay will be using magic to see if they can pick up on the one doing this. If your new sense picks up anybody, let the other teams know immediately. Can you discern Modify yet?"

"Not specifically. But I have a few I do know, and can rule those out."

"Perfect. Wait for Shaw to get here, let her know the score, and get to it." She wrote out an address on a small notepad, ripped it out, and handed it to him. "And be careful. I want all three teams on whoever is doing this, so don't go alone."

He nodded and leaned back. Modify wasn't a group to mess with. There were always the simple ones, like the guys at Louie's who eyed his jacket. But when the thing they wanted was more . . . fleshy than that, it could get gruesome quick. There was no telling how long they would be happy with their new part either. Mark had worked a case where someone was scalping people wanting their hair, who would be happy for about a week before seeing another he liked better. They you had some who could go years without the need to change.

Rylie came in, trying to look casual while maintaining her perfect posture, and he almost laughed. The past few weeks working with his new partner had taken him back to when he had first joined the agency, and it was becoming the highlight of his day. She handed him a coffee she had picked up, and he explained to her what was going on as they sipped their drinks and made their way to the door.

Before they left, Natalie ran out of her office and stopped them. She reminded Mark of their appointment that day, and he said he might have to delay it based on how long the mission would take. She seemed a little disappointed in this, but nodded politely, letting them carry on to their destination.

They abandoned walking, taking a ride share across the city until they ended up in a small suburban neighborhood. It took awhile to find the address even with the driver's GPS, but they finally found it amongst the cookie cutter houses. Mark knocked on the door, then stepped aside to allow Rylie to work her magic.

The door cracked open, stopping on a small chain screwed into the wall. A man around fifty peeked through the crack, eyes darting between the pair, his voice shaking. "Wh-wh-wo are you? What do you w-want?"

Rylie tried to speak softly, "Hi, Mr. Henry. I'm Rylie Shaw. This is my partner, Marcus James. We're from the Guardian Agency. You reported something, and we want to make sure you're okay and see what we can do."

The door slammed quickly, the chain rattling, before swinging open. He all but pulled them inside and slammed it again behind them, putting the chain back into place. He looked at the two of them again, the waves of fear crashing down on Mark. He would be slim picking for an Albright vampire if they were around.

"You guys don't look like much."

"Mark, show him. Words won't work here."

The man looked at her curiously, but Mark turned his body armor visible, looking like a metal statue, before summoning a hammer into existence. The relief that came from the man took over the fear for a split second, and he made it invisible again.

"Very well, then," Mr. Henry said. "You want to know what I saw, right? I was leaving work, walking to the bus stop, and like I always do, I looked into the window of Jenna's Flowers. I've always loved Jenna and anytime I manage to see her when I walk by, she greets me with a beautiful smile and waves. It's often the best part of my day.

"Yesterday, when I looked in, I saw a woman who wasn't Jenna. She turned and looked at me, blood dripping from her mouth. She looked at me shyly, nervous, like she was flirting. She even tucked some hair behind her ear. The she looked at me again full on and smiled. It was Jenna's smile, but it wasn't Jenna. I freaked out and ran to the bus stop. The whole ride home, I thought I had imagined it, like some messed up nightmare. Like a daydream, but worse. And then I saw the news. They said Jenna was the recent victim in a string of slayings. They were worried there was a new serial killer. They were ripping out the jaw and teeth of people."

He sobbed, "They didn't believe me when I told them, so I looked it up online, and found you guys. She's not just ripping the teeth out; she's stealing people's smiles. She had Jenna's beautiful smile. And she was so happy about it. Through all that blood, she smiled at me exactly how Jenna did."

He grew quiet, and the two of them matched the silence. Mark could feel the sorrow come off of him, slight and wispy. Rylie went to the man and rubbed his back, whispering something Mark didn't care to listen in on as he thought about the situation.

It was definitely Modify, that was certain. A go-to power for that collective was the ability to take the body part they stole and immediately fuse it to their own body. He got on his smartphone and looked up the conspiracies of the serial killer. In his experience, they tended to lend more accuracy than the news in these situations.

Jenna McArthur was the latest in six victims. The fifth victim was found by her husband six days prior to that. That meant that the Modify who was doing this wasn't the most confident, and would be talking another one as soon as she saw one that she liked. He shot off texts to Jay and Jack about the information, and quickly received one back from Jay.

"Got info from scene. Left behind old jaw. Tracking now. Get here."

Mr. Henry was in a calmer state after whatever Rylie had said to him, and Mark cleared his throat. "Looks like our other teams have some leads, so we need to help them track her down, Mr. Henry. Do you still have contact with our office?" The man nodded, "Good. We will reach out to you when this is all said and done."

"Please, be careful," Mr. Henry said.

Mark nodded, "Absolutely, sir. Rylie, are you ready?"

His partner nodded and the two walked out as Lily appeared on the front lawn through a portal. They followed her through it, and they found themselves surrounded by the other two teams and a wide array of flowers. Even with the floral scent, the smell of decay reeked the air. The police had taped off the scene and had yet to move the body. Jenna McArthur was about fifty herself, and he could imagine her flirting with Mr. Henry every day after he left worked. His heart panged for the two.

"What do you guys got?"

"Jay's still honing in, but as far as we can tell, she didn't get too far." Jack said. His partner, Ryan, stood behind him looking ill. Mark made eye contact with him and arched an eyebrow.

Jack laughed, "He doesn't like Modify missions."

A sudden gasp from Jay filled the room as his trance was broken. Lily went to his side, whispering something that he nodded at. Mark was briefly filled with anger, but let his breath out slowly, lining himself back out.

"What is it, Jay?" he said.

Jay turned his head to him, his gray eyes looking pained and tired, the circles around them dark. He shook his head, "It's not a good one. She's already killed two other people. This poor lady's smile didn't last a day. but she has more than just teeth on her mind."

Rylie's head snapped up.

"Ah, finesse," Jay said. "Don't see that one too often. Do you know what I'm planning on saying next, Ms. Shaw?"

She nodded, "She keeps coming back here. She's either suddenly into flowers, or there's something else about this place that she's become attached to and wants."

"Is she on her way back here then?" Ryan said, trying to hold the contents of his stomach together.

The fear from Rylie hit Mark purposefully to get his attention and he looked back to his partner. Her eyes were wide and determined. He thought on the conversations for just a moment before realization hit him.

"Oh, shit. Mr. Henry."