We were sitting at breakfast when Paul broke the news.

“We’re going to a fundraiser for the Brahampton stadium.”

“... We?”

“Yes, as in you, Andrew, and me, Paul.”

“Can I come?” asked Anne.

“Adults only, I’m afraid. It’s mostly networking.”

“Sounds boring,” I commented.

“There will be drinks, dinner and dancing.”

“Dancing?”

“Yes. Do you have a Dancing skill?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Well, it might be useful to learn. Dancing is supposed to help enhance coordination - which might pay off in dexterity results?”

“Dad’s got a point,” added Anne. “Dancers are well coordinated.”

NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: MINORED IN MODERN DANCE.

LEARN TO DANCE AND PERFORM AT LEAST ONE DANCE AT A SOCIAL EVENT.

REWARD: +100 XP, +1 DEXTERITY, RELATIONSHIP INCREASE WITH YOUR DANCE PARTNER.

“Okay, I’m game.”

“Did you get a quest?”

“... yes, I got a quest.”

Paul sighed. “You should do some things because you enjoy them, not for the rewards.”

“The quest reward is a dexterity bonus, which means more AP.”

“I stand corrected. What exactly is the quest?”

“I have to dance at a social event. Shouldn’t be hard.”

Anne and Paul exchanged glances.

“When’s the fundraiser?”

“July 18th, at the Tanisport Hilton.”

“Cool.”

“Also, Andrew, I want you to do something for me during the fundraiser.”

“Sure.”

“Several major figures are attending, including the Mayor and Commissioner Matthis. I’d like you to Observe them, figure out what you can.”

“Anything in particular you’re looking for?”

“Not sure. Just tell me what you see.”

“Okay. I need to check out Aldiss anyway, after Anne saw him with the Grunters.”

“If you can figure out where his loyalties lie, it would be useful. I remember him as an upright, honest guy, but time may have changed things.”

“Dad,” Anne said, “why are you attending this thing?”

“Making connections, mostly.”

“I mean, it costs money to get the tickets to these things, right? Why spend….” Anne trailed off. “Dad. Are you going to run for the CWA presidency?”

Paul grinned. “Should’ve known better than to keep it from you two. Yes, I plan to challenge Gordy Peaks and his coterie of followers next year.”

“Dad, that’s awesome.”

“It’s going to be a lot of work, though. I’ve got to find backers, which is why the fundraiser is a great option.”

“How can we help?” I asked.

“Well, you can come with us.”

“... us?”

“Ahem. Well, I’ll be going along with an old friend.”

Anne’s eyes lit up. “Are you going on a date?”

“She’s just a friend, Anne.”

“But it’s definitely a she? Who is she? Can I meet her?”

“Her name’s Kieran Carter, we’re just friends, and maybe.”

“This is awesome, Dad. Andrew, you have to take a date along.”

“Er - why?”

“Because it’s expected, silly. Dad’s going with a date, you should too.”

“It will help if you have someone along,” Paul added. “Mostly to provide a plausible reason as to why an eighteen-year-old with no political connections would be at the fundraiser, as well as to give a reason to approach Aldiss.”

“That means I’m going to have to ask Agni, right?”

“Assuming she can stay calm at what we discover.”

“... meaning?”

“You told me that you saw Aldiss at Torrance Towers. Hobnobbing with the Grunters. Could be he was in the wrong place at the wrong time; could be more than that.”

“You want me to check out his faction status.”

“Exactly. If Aldiss’ faction shows as ‘Grunters’....”

“Then we have to figure out a way to remove him.”

“That’s one part. The other part is, will Agni be able to handle it?”

“You mean, will she set the place on fire?”

“Or the man on fire.”

“She’s not exactly known for her patience,” added Anne.

“I’ll talk to her….”

As the autocar pulled up to the Holiday Grove Hotel, I adjusted my suit nervously.

My first ‘date’ with Agni had been a bit of a disaster. The pub, letting the alcohol get to me… it was a miracle she hadn’t taken offence.

Instead, she’d opened up to me about her past. Spoken from the heart.

This time, I wanted to show her a good time. And also figure out whether Mayor Aldiss was a secret Grunter operative, as well as help Paul soft-launch his campaign, and maybe complete my Minored in Modern Dance quest along the way.

Maybe I was being an idiot. Agni and I were just - acquaintances, nothing more. Fellow ultrahumans with an enemy in common and an agreement to help each other in combat.

It would be easier if she didn’t keep calling me ‘cute’.

Agni was waiting in the lobby, in a sleek black dress that took my breath away.

“You look amazing,” I said.

She smirked. “You clean up pretty well yourself. Shall we?”

Ten minutes later, we pulled up in front of the Hilton. Paul was waiting for us, along with a redheaded lady in an evening gown.

“Evening, Nina,” Paul said. “Kieran, may I introduce my son Andrew and his friend Nina?”

“Andrew, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” the lady - Kieran - said. “I’ve known your father for a very long time. Probably before you were born. Nina, is it?”

“Nina Singh,” Agni introduced herself. “I’ve heard a great deal about Brahampton.”

“It’s a tragedy, isn’t it? When ultras fight amongst themselves, it’s us unfortunate citizens who have to pay for the collateral damage.”

Agni grinned. “Such is life, I’m afraid. We can but endure.”

Kieran nodded. “Well, it’s always good to see the younger generation taking an interest in civic issues. Let’s hope things go well today.”

After four speeches, I had begun to understand why the ‘younger generation’ didn’t spend much time at these affairs.

Put simply, Tanisport had some of the most boring speakers imaginable. One droning councilman after another spoke of the cultural and social significance of the stadium, with little difference except the words.

Yes, Councilman, I know that Brahampton was the only place in Tanisport with the space for shot put and javelin training, I’ve used the facilities myself….

I used Observe on each speaker as they took the podium. All had Charisma scores in the 7’s and 8’s, which made me wonder how they were in public speaking to start with.

Fortunately, the speeches didn’t go on for too long. After about an hour, the speaker announced that the bar was now open, leading to a rapid migration fit to rival Exodus.

“Let’s mingle,” Agni suggested, “before we hit the dance floor.”

“Sure. Any sign of the mayor?”

“Not yet. There’s Mr. Drake and Kieran, let’s check with them.”

Paul and Kieran had indeed been busy, as I discovered. While we’d been rooted to one spot throughout, they’d quietly been canvassing the room.

“Your dad’s quite the charmer,” Kieran informed me. “He almost had Mr. Banks convinced that unions were a good thing.”

Paul shrugged. “All I did was point out the cost-benefit side of a collective bargaining mechanism versus the employee disengagement from managers playing favourites. Properly structured unions protect not just the workers, but also the corporations they work with from rogue managers abusing their powers.”

“It still takes a lot to convince a CEO that unions are in his best interest.” Kieran grinned. “And you almost did.”

“Only almost, unfortunately.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, at this rate you’ll have a dozen backers by the end of the night.”

Agni looked fascinated. “That is a very different view of unions from what I’ve heard.”

“Modern unions - or workers’ associations, as we call them - aren’t about strikes and disruptions,” Paul explained. “We focus on education, training, helping workers laid off find new employment, combating discrimination… The old model of thousands of striking workers with placards doesn’t work in the modern economy.”

“Aren’t most unions political?”

“Most have moved to a bipartisan model; it’s about enabling the workforce, not disabling the factories.”

“I never had much understanding of unions back in India.”

Kieran’s eyebrows rose. “You’re from India? Where?”

“Mumbai. I’m here studying.”

“When’s the mayor coming?” I interjected.

“He’ll be here for dinner,” Paul said, smoothly picking up the topic change. “You wanted to meet him, right?”

“It’d be great for school.”

“Kieran?”

“He’s expected in half an hour,” Ms. Carter replied. “He’ll only be here for fifteen minutes, though, and you can expect quite a crowd. You may get lucky though.”

“Come on, Nina, let’s see if we can catch him on the way in.”

As we beat a hasty retreat, Agni gave me a grateful nod. “Thanks for the save. I haven’t made a slip like that in years.”

“It’s fine. There’s a lot of students from India here in Tanisport.”

“Do you actually know that or are you guessing?”

“Back when I was at Fry’s Electronics, there were a dozen regulars. University students from India.”

“Indian university students had computers breaking down?”

“Stereotype much?”

“Sorry, I just take pride in Indians being very tech savvy. Highest teledensity in the world and all that.”

“This group kept dropping food on their laptops. Tea, beer, lemon juice, pizza crumbs, melted ice cream….”

“Okay, that I believe.”

We strolled into the ballroom, where several couples had already hit the dance floor and were jiving away.

“Want to dance?” I asked Agni.

She gave me a doubtful look. “You dance?”

“Hey, I’m very nimble on my feet.”

“That’s true enough. Dancing is a different art, though.”

“Come on. I practiced this at home.”

“That does not reassure me.”

“We have half an hour to kill, so it’s either this or wander around drinking.”

“... Dancing sounds like the better option.”

Agni turned out to be an outstanding dancer. Which was more than I could say for myself, unfortunately.

After the fifth song, we retreated to the back of the room.

“I was terrible, wasn’t I?” I muttered.

“You weren’t too bad, actually. It takes time and practice to get good. I’m guessing you didn’t have an excess of those two. Plus, you avoided the most common rookie mistake.”

“Which one?”

“You didn’t tread on my feet.”

“That happens? I didn’t know that happened.”

Agni smiled. “More often than you think. Keep at it and you might actually be passable.”

QUEST COMPLETED: MINORED IN MODERN DANCE. +1 DEX, +100 XP. RELATIONSHIP WITH AGNI INCREASED TO CLOSE FRIEND (6).

SKILL UNLOCKED: DANCING LEVEL 1.

EXECUTE ALL STEPS OF A SIMPLE DANCE PERFECTLY. MOVE IN PERFECT RHYTHM WITH YOUR PARTNER FOR A FIXED DURATION OF TIME.

COST: 100 PP + 50 AP. DURATION: 3 MINUTES. DURATION INCREASES WITH LEVEL.

… Well, that was going to be so spectacularly useful, thank you power.

“And on that note, I think the Mayor’s here.”

I glanced towards the entrance. Sure enough, a crowd of people had gathered, all jockeying for position and shaking hands with a tall, lean man with greying hair.

Mayor Aldiss looked a little older than his magazine picture. Not surprising, considering the stress civic officials had been under for the last few months.

I invoked Observe.

TARGET TOO FAR AWAY FOR SKILL USE.

That was new. Still, getting closer wouldn’t hurt.

“Be careful about getting too close,” Agni whispered. “Whatever you’re using to scan him with could be picked up by his security detail.”

I shook my head. “It’s not detectable. Don’t worry.”

“Famous last words…”

“Come on.” I gently made my way towards the throng.

Sure enough, Paul was there, chatting amicably with a portly, bespectacled gentleman in a suit. He waved us over. “Andrew, Nina, I’d like you to meet Mr. Ellis. He works with the Mayor’s office and has been telling me about the housing program.”

“The CWA’s proposal, Mr. Drake, and we haven’t forgotten it,” said Ellis. “The situation over the past year has been very different, which is why it hasn’t been taken forward yet.”

“I hope the Mayor is still keen on the idea?”

“Certainly, though not this year. Maybe next year, when we have the budget for it.”

“True, true. Would it be possible for us to meet Mayor Aldiss, just for a few minutes?”

“Sure, just give me a few minutes.”

Agni and I took up positions behind Paul as Ellis walked up to the Mayor and whispered in his ear.

Aldiss smiled and walked over. “Paul Drake, is it? Of the CWA?”

“Yes, sir. I was treasurer with Franklin Pierce.”

“Yes, yes. I think you were supposed to join Franklin for his proposal on the housing program, the day of the attack.”

“We were indeed. I’m not sure if you recall, but we were waiting outside your office when the attack started.”

“Ah yes, I recall now. I was sad to hear of Franklin’s passing. Have you taken over from him?”

“Actually, I was under medical treatment for a while and needed to take some time off. It’s only recently that I’ve been able to get back on my feet.”

“I see, I see. Well, I look forward to hearing more from you about the program soon.”

“Thank you. Could I introduce my son, Andrew? He’s keen on understanding how local government works.”

“Good evening, young man. Always a pleasure to see the next generation taking active part in civic affairs.”

I smiled and shook the Mayor’s hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”

Observe.

MAYOR ALDISS

CLASS: POLITICIAN

FACTION: HIDDEN

LEVEL 24

RELATIONSHIP: DISLIKE (-1)

VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT MAYOR ALDISS.

… The hell?

What on earth does ‘Faction: Hidden’ mean? And Level 24, tougher than a Sarnak Sergeant?

“Planning for college, young man?”

“Perhaps, sir.” I kept my expression as neutral as possible.

“Well, go for it. A good education is very important.” With those parting words, Aldiss moved on to another constituent.

: Nanocloud, can you tag the Mayor with a few drones?

: Sure, why?

: I can’t see his faction. That’s never happened before.

: Your power is the gift that keeps giving.

: Someday, I’ll go a week without finding some new weirdness to it.

: Maybe it’s not your power that’s at fault. Maybe the world is just weird, and your power keeps picking up on it.

Apart from Aldiss, most of the other people belonged to easily recognizable factions. Tanisport City Administration for the civil servants, Federal Government for Kieran and her colleagues, a variety of different companies and unions, and a half-dozen whose primary faction was either Democrat or Republican.

I asked Paul about the latter. “Political operatives,” he whispered back. “Campaign managers, planners, the like.”

“Aldiss is a politician, right? Does ‘hidden’ mean we have to figure out which party he’s from?”

“Unless he’s planning to jump party lines, that’s not it.”

“Could he be?”

“Unlikely. This is a pretty solid red state, and he wouldn’t gain anything by it.”

“Another mystery that needs solving….”

“Maybe not. You don’t have to have answers to everything, you know.”

An hour later, Agni and I pulled up at her hotel in the Spinmaker.

“Shame you couldn’t figure out Aldiss,” she remarked. “At least your tech didn’t get caught by the Mayor’s detail.”

“It wasn’t tech,” I admitted. “I have an - ability, to read people’s affiliations.”

Agni cocked her eyebrow. “Is it foolproof?”

“I don’t know. I just get a message saying so-and-so belongs to such-and-such faction.”

“You know, I may just end up breaking my rule for you.”

“Your rule?”

“I never get too involved in the mechanics of someone else’s powers. Yours, though, are weirdly fascinating.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t be. Some people find kettles weirdly fascinating. It’s not something to aspire to.”

“What do you find weirdly fascinating?”

Agni smirked. “Flames.”

“I should’ve known.”

“You want to know what I found out?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Aldiss is a monk.”

“A what?”

“He works all day, attends meetings, visits constituents, never takes a break. Doesn’t watch movies, doesn’t do TV or gaming or music. Watches one college football game a week at the home of a randomly selected constituent, visits one live sporting event every weekend. No romantic relationships, female or male.”

“How did you find that much out?”

“You scanned Aldiss with your powers. I chatted up his secretary in the powder room.”

“Let’s hear it for mundane methods.”

“Aldiss doesn’t fit the profile of a Grunter - or a Grunter sympathiser. Not that he couldn’t be, of course, but if he’s corrupt it’ll be the old-fashioned way.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, money bribes instead of hidden vices.”

“So the Grunters might have been paying him off.”

“Might be, but you’d need a financial investigator to figure that out - and it’s not your problem anyway.”

“I’d want to know if my mayor is corrupt.”

“There’s only so much you can do, Andrew. If he’s just corrupt, I’d suggest you leave him to the normal cops to deal with.”

“Even if the Grunters bribed him to look the other way?”

“Even then. The Grunters wouldn’t be the only ones with money, so he’ll find another - hopefully less damaging - patron. Unless you have a reason to suspect more than just bribery?”

“I really don’t. I don’t even know he’s on the take.”

“Then leave it and focus on London. Speaking of which, we have six a.m. training tomorrow, so I’d best get going.” Agni smirked. “Unless you have something else planned.”

“No, nothing. Just - I hope you enjoyed tonight.”

The supervillainess nodded. “Surprisingly, yes. You’re not too bad a date, Andrew Drake. See you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Nina.”

I was halfway home before the impact of Agni’s words struck me.

…. did I just turn down an invitation?