Jack grumbled as he took a sip of coffee. Make that a long sip. He felt the warm dribble of coffee running down the left side of his face and instinctively wiped it away with his hand. He raised his hand to block out the sun that had managed to poke its way out of the threatening gray clouds.

Jack's coffee jolted in his hands as an all too familiar slap on his back. " Mornin Jack." whistled DJ from just behind his ear.

Maybe that's why they called him DJ, this guy just does not run out of energy. Jack took a look at the lumbering suit of armor next to him. " So tell me again why we're at this convenience store first thing in the morning? What kind of magical creature would hold up a Quik n shop?" Jack and DJ shared a laugh.

" You'd be surprised." came the caw of Canary from behind the two. Jack instinctively stood up a little straighter.

" How'd you sleep, Boss Lady." DJ said with a coy nod.

" Same old same old, I've slept better for sure." Canary stretched her exo powered arm up in the air, her tattered short cloak flowing in the wind. Jack shivered. " Well anyways gentlemen time to get to work, there's magic in the air." Canary brushed past them into and around the police cars as she walked into the convenience store.

Jack looked at DJ, " Isn't she a bundle of sunshine today?" Jack could only see his reflection from DJ's visor. With a hearty laugh, he simply said, " You can thank me later." DJ formed in line behind the swaying cloak. Jack took one final swig of coffee before joining the duo inside the store. DING, the welcome greeting rang in his ears, Jack instinctively put his hand to his ears as he looked for a trash bin by the door to throw his coffee in. Then his eyes took in the scene. Looks like he wouldn't have to worry where he threw the thing because this place looked like a couple of dozen bulls had gotten loose in a china shop. Cans and bags were splayed across the floor, racks had emptied their guts all over the floor. The place looked like Jack's old college dorm.

" Looks like someone made themselves at home." Jack crouched down, his knees creaking.

Canary and DJ were muttering a few feet ahead of him.

" Jack, what's the first thing we do now?" Canary's tone sounded more like a command than a question. This was easy, he knew this one.

" Let's hit the lights and look for traces of magic."

" What did you read the handbook this morning?" fired back Canary. Ugh. It was too early to be clever, the fog hadn't lifted from Jack's brain yet. At least he had managed to ingrain that part in before it was too late. DJ's flashed a quick thumbs up while Canary was focused on Jack.

Well here comes the fun part. Jack reached down into his jacket pocket and dug out a small black case. He popped it open groggily and fished around the liquid inside. His index finger fished around for the lens inside and he tilted his head back and plopped it in his left eye. Jack's face grimace as his eye rapidly blinked of its own accord. Wiping the incidental tears from his eye he shook his head and slapped his cheeks.

" You get your 8 hours last night their champ?" Teased DJ. Great even his greatest ally was hitting him right in the gut. Wonder what the crow would have to say.

" Turn your filter and see if you can see any traces of Current energy." All business as usual. The shade of Jack's vision became marred in a monotone gray. Then bright blue. Lots of bright blue. Too much bright blue.

" Ah, just checking in, the magic is supposed to be blue right?" There was silence. A strange silence. They were never this quiet. Jack turned to look at his two partners only to see them muttering to each other once again. Jack overheard Canary," it's right... I just reset it...."

Dj muttered back." They didn't even try to erase their presence.... is this a threat...Maybe an idiot?" Canary muttered back. " A powerful idiot..."

The two stared at each other. And then at one spot on the floor that burned the brightest. It was halfway between the counter and the door.

Canary began walking away from the counter towards Jack. She breezed past him and stood in the middle of the brightest blue spot. Smack dab in the middle. The blue seemed to envelop her, take her over. She began turning from the spot, carefully scanning and analyzing the room. Her turn was slow and methodical, it seemed nothing would stop her slow revolution. Any common man would be proud. She halted, her finger outstretched.

" DJ see if that camera's real."

Dj lumbered towards the wall, he reached up and without any rigorous stretching beforehand or strain ripped the camera from the wall. " It's got some guts." Dj called back

" Well then, let's see if our friend suffers from stage fright." Canary approached the counter. Jack followed. " What about the guy that works here?" asked Jack. he paused for a second. " He's not dead is... he?"

Canary waved her arm. " There were two of them but they're both fine. They've both had their memories wiped clean, classic black hat procedure. They couldn't tell you what happened here if you blindfolded them. tied them to a bed spread eagle, and kept them in a soundproof room for a month."

Oddly specific and duly noted. Thought Jack. Jack peered over the counter and saw the smashed remains of the security system. DJ lumbered behind him.

" What is this a joke?" DJ laughed. Canary nodded in agreement. " This is amateur work at best. We must be dealing with someone impulsive, like a child. They thought this was gonna stop us, what is the Stone Age?" Canary held out her finger towards the burnt out security system. A thin silver like thread emerged from her finger, it swayed in the morning light that had penetrated through the clear windows. It stood frozen for a second, before diving ferociously towards the defenseless electronic. It wiggled inside the whole and branched out like a network of roots, all communicating with each other.

Jack could almost hear them calling out to each other, found something here, try here! IT was mesmerizing. The thread snapped back into one complete piece and rocketed back towards Canary's finger.

" Video should be on your displays now, try to hold your applause." Canary said. Her visor was focused on Jack. Jack only thought of the eyes behind that thing.

A grainy black and white video popped up in front of his eyeball. Jack jumped back a little bit. The stupid direct videos always got him. He saw the scene. A robber, a knight, some kind of small person in a hood, and there was the clerk. Jack strained, he couldn't see any faces. Well at least they weren't that, stupid they all wore masks.

" What's the deal here are they trying to stop a robbery?" Asked Jack.

" Looks... like it?" DJ seemed to be at a rare loss for words. He seemed stumped like he was trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with one a couple of missing pieces.

" Wait a second, wait a second, that shouldn't be possible." Canary voiced a loud objection. A part of the clip pushed its way to the front of Jack's eye, it was the hooded figure shrouded in something. It was hard to make out from the grays of the video but it looked like there was some sort of wave of energy around the hooded figure. Jack could see the hues resonating from the hooded figure, it was unsettling, to say the least.

" But isn't there a Dampener right around here?" Jack let out, looking at the two.

" I just checked there's one right down the block, hell they're everywhere once you get in the heart of the city. That's why most of the witches and wizards stick to the outskirts."

Canary seemed lost in thought. It was tough to figure out what was going on behind the visor. She spoke. " This young wizard or witch can make her own power without borrowing from the Current?"

Ah yes, Jack had read up on this, this morning actually. Touche Canary. Well anyways, time to prove why they made you an Investigator, right? Jack put his hand to his chin. Time to give the neurons a little wake-up call. First, the facts. All the magical creatures draw their power from the Current which flows and ebbs all over the world, it's everywhere and anywhere. Some wizards and creatures can draw more power than others, just like how some people can run fast or are blessed with the ability to deal with kids all day. But Canary was right this shouldn't be possible. We made sure of that. Humanity that is, with a little help we developed the Current Dampeners right around the end of the war. All they do is sap up all the Current energy before some witch or wizard can use it. So how is this person using that much Current energy? What was the answer Jack, time to prove yourself.

" The Defector was the one who helped make the Current Dampeners right?

" That's why his fellow wizards call him the Defector, Jack," responded Canary.

" So he would know how to reverse its effect then," said Jack

Alright I'm following you there." said DJ, " So he would know how to game the system, he could still use magic somewhere he isn't supposed to... places people wouldn't think to look."

" This person must know him, he must trust them pretty dearly, giving them the key to this... thing... like that."

" Or not." said Canary." The Defector is a calculating wizard who has avoided capture for two decades, while this person has given us enough clues in a few minutes then the Defector has in his entire life.

Silence embraced the room with a cold grip. DJ broke it, " Sounds like one of my friend's teenage daughters, she's going through the classic rebellious phase right now, he tries to keep her cooped up but it only makes it worse." DJ laughed nervously, he was just trying to defuse the tension.

Jack laughed, not from DJ, but for another reason. That had to be it. Who else would be trusted with such incredible power? Not a friend, not an ally, your own blood is the answer. He could see it all playing in front of his eyes now, Jack didn't even need the display. The fights from all the hiding, never being able to live a normal life, until she reaches her breaking point and bursts into the outside world. Only problem is, things are way easier to find once they're off your chest and out in the open. The Defector, the mightiest of wizards, the man hated by everyone, had a rebellious daughter.