=== Kari ===

Chuck had me drive most of the way back. We didn’t talk much. Things felt . . . Weird. Not bad. Just . . . Somehow things had changed. But I couldn’t really say how. We had spent the nights together and he was good at what he did. In some ways, our relationship was exactly the same as it had been before we had done anything at all. And maybe that’s the problem, I thought. Maybe I was expecting a huge, dramatic change. Every other part of my life is so much bigger than life and this is just . . . normal. Chuck’s voice cut through my inner monologue, “Technically, you’re supposed to have your hands at 10 and 2, Kari.”

“Oh, right,” I said, replacing my hands in the proper positions. “Does anyone actually drive like that, though?”

“No,” Chuck admitted. He reached over and rested his hand on my thigh. I smiled at him. “You should learn it anyway. If you take the test, it’ll be important.”

“Right,” I responded, unable to keep the incredulity out of my tone.

“What?” He asked.

“Chuck, why would I take the test? I can fly!”

“Some people find driving really relaxing,” Chuck countered.

“It’s kind of boring.”

“Is flying boring?”

“No, but I can go fast or slow and I just feel more . . . free.”

“I guess that makes sense,” he conceded.

“You’re really on this. Why is it important?”

“My father used to drive a lot. It’s how I know how to bond with people. I guess I wanted to share that with you. Long road trips. Not as concerned about the destination so much as the company.”

“Oh.” I pursed my lips and took his hand into mine, squeezing it reassuringly. “That’s cute. But also, we can do that flying. We have done that flying. But this is nice too.”

We eventually got back into town. Honestly, cars are just really slow. I could’ve gotten so much done. I stretched out and rose in the air a few inches. Flying even that much felt good. The weightlessness, the lack of pressure. I spun in the air and did a loop-de-loop before landing back down. I flew my bags back home really quick. Mom and dad were out. While I had a moment alone, I took out my phone and for the first time in a few days, opened Twitter. I had unplugged from all social media after Chuck had suggested it the first day and it was the best possible thing. I had been doom-scrolling for hours. As always when you do that, though, I had missed a ton of stuff.

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Esvanir - Topic [Follow]

John Jamison, CPA @johnjamisoncpa

The Acolytes of Esvanir are extreme. Does @CReese_Esvanir support them?

[Comments] 1472 [Retweets] 1863 [Likes] 40.7k

Buck Clarkson @buckclarkson

Smash Gal and Professor Mind are furthering their real agendas of destabilizing America by destroying the reputation of REAL American HEROES like Bion. In the exact way that they previously attacked our Men and Women in Blue!

[Video]

[Comments] 1293 [Retweets] 3541 [Likes] 1285

Avalare Police Department @AvalarePD

Andrew “Bion” Wan and several members of the WanEn board charged with several accounts of Depraved Indifference Murder.

[Comments] 258 [Retweets] 200 [Likes] 186

James at WanEn @WanEnJames

I stand with Bion and know that he protected us from the Grignau threat! We are better with him out of jail!

[Comments] 12 [Retweets] 13 [Likes] 17

SpongeCat @spongekittymau

Fake account. Created five days ago.

[screenshot]

[Comments] 8 [Retweets] 5 [Likes] 23

I stared down at my phone, frowning. I really need to follow less news and follow more cute animal accounts. This is just depressing. Even as I thought that I clicked on the Buck Clarkson video. The older white man, somewhere between thirty-five and fifty stared into the camera, frowning slightly.

“We’ve spoken before on this program about how Smash Gal and Professor Mind are trying to erode the values of our country and send us into a tailspin towards death, destruction, and communism and they’ve taken their latest step. Apparently, working with the terrorist Esvanir, she has lambasted the good name of America’s most popular hero, Andrew Wan. Bion has been saving Americans since she was still in middle school and no one has fought harder against the Grignau threat. The Grignau invasions were tragedies and while there is some evidence that WanEn and EnGin were involved in a mining operation, provided that the documents supplied by Curtis Reese, noted enemy of Mister Wan, are genuine, there is no evidence that WanEn intended for anyone to get hurt. WanEn employs thousands of people and has gone out of its way to supply the victims of the Grignau attacks with supplies and has funded several infrastructure projects to repair the damage that those monsters have done. Blaming Wan or anyone else for the actions of aliens is nothing short of character assassination, and I, for one, will not stand for it. We stand with you, Bion.”

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to take several deep breaths. I almost crushed the phone in my hand in my anger. I hate that man. I changed into my super suit and blasted out of my parents’ lab and back to Avalare. Patrol would do me some good. Just need to be around people for a while. There’s always crime to stop in a city like this. It was mostly small, petty stuff today. People looked at me weird when I was at street level. People were glaring and muttering. And I tried to tune them out but it’s not always as easy as all of that. Like Chuck always points out, it’s hard to not hear something.

“Who does she think she is?” One woman asked someone standing next to her. “Just strutting around after what she did to a real hero?”

“Think she can replace Bion?” A man asked his waiter as I landed next to a restaurant.

“She was almost taken down by that naked cat-burglar. She’s supposed to save us from the Grignau?” A woman asked as I knocked out two muggers. I frowned. Not all of the comments I heard were negative. But more of them than usual. And it hurt. I just want to help people. I didn’t want to turn Bion in . . . I didn’t. But what he’s doing is wrong. I cut my patrol short and just flew back home. Mom and dad were there this time.

“Hey, hon. How was your trip with Chuck?” Mom asked over her shoulder, as she worked on a model of . . . something.

“It was great,” I said. “Just a nice, quiet night. He taught me how to drive.”

“That’s a good thing,” dad cut in. “Everyone should know how to drive. Did he teach you how to change a tire?”

“Why would I need to know how to change a tire? I can fly,” I asked.

“Everyone should know how to change a tire,” my dad said defensively. Mom met my eyes, smiled, and shook her head.

“Hey . . . We, uh . . .” I trailed off.

“What is it, honey?” Mom asked.

“If it’s about the birds and the bees, we already had that conversation,” dad responded as he filled out some report.

“Yeah, we did,” I said, trying to suppress the memories of that conversation. There are some things that parents shouldn’t be allowed to teach. “And I’m also 28. I don’t need that talk. Again. But . . . About Bion . . . Do you . . . Did I do the right thing?”

Mom and dad looked at each other then back at me. My dad began. “Honestly, Kar. I don’t know . . . I . . . we used to work for Wan Enterprises. I think . . . It’s hard to believe that he would be so . . . reckless . . . Like, the first time, all those years ago, sure. But . . . doing it again.”

“But those files,” mom countered. “Those look like WanEn files.”

“They do, but you can forge just about anything these days,” dad responded. “I thought that those talking baby commercials were just that one EnGin project finally making a breakthrough.”

“Those’re real,” I said.

“The talking babies? Nah, those are years out.”

“No, Dad,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “The files. I was there when Cur- . . . When Esvanir stole them. I watched him do it. I was there. Off planet with him. You believe me, right?”

“I don’t want to,” dad responded, leaning on the counter.

“But we do, Kari. We know you wouldn’t lie about something like this. For one, you’re a terrible liar,” mom said, smiling. Then the smile faltered. “Also, the few times we interacted with Wan . . . He’s arrogant. Maybe he believed he could have everything under control. But the one thing we know about the Grignau is that they can’t be stopped. Not even by Bion.”

“I can, though.” I clenched my fist. My mom smiled at me, crossing the room. She hugged me.

“Yeah, you can.”

=== Curt ===

Our dinner did not go particularly well. I tried to stay cheery with Cindi, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that a group was using my name and my identity . . . My politics . . . to kill people. And not just in self-defense. Everything I had ever done was in self-defense. I had never killed someone actively. You tried to kill Kari. You tried to kill Bion. You tried to kill Marcelli. You’re a hypocrite. You are nothing more than a sanctimonious thief trying desperately to justify your own existence. These thoughts kept circling through my head. Cin must have sensed my mood because she got closer to me and pulled my arms around me. She didn’t say anything. She just laid there in the comfortable chair with me.

My thoughts weren’t improved the next morning. It was still the only thing I could think about. I never wanted to be a public figure. I never wanted any of this. What do I do? I was not good at navigating the public eye, but Cindi was. She had managed her own public persona and always seemed to come out on top. “Cindi . . . I need your help.”

“I know,” she said simply, continuing to read her book.

“Okay. Well?”

“What do you need my help with?” She asked.

“If you know I need help, don’t you know?”

“Curt, you are one of the most complicated, most neurotic people I know. And I know people who haven’t stayed in the same place for more than a night in ten years.”

“That’s entirely reasonable, depending on the circumstances,” I countered. She just looked up from her book at me, eyebrow raised. “I said it depends! Anyway, what do you think I should do about this cult?”

“Nothing. It’s not your problem,” she responded simply.

“What? But they’re killing people!”

“They’re not killing you.”

“But they’re using my name!”

“You didn’t seem this concerned about that thief that was co-opting your name in Avalare. Why is this different?”

“That guy didn’t kill anyone. He’s a dick, but he’s also created a good smokescreen so that people didn’t know where we were.”

“And these guys aren’t? Also, you keep saying ‘him’. How do you know the thief isn’t a woman? Or an enby?”

“Statistics,” I responded quickly. It must’ve been too quickly because she raised that same eyebrow at me again. “Fine, the Assistant District Attorney of Avalare is a man.”

“What? The Assistant D.A. is the copycat?”

“Yeah.”

“How do you know?”

“That’s not important right now.”

“But it’s more interesting than this. You were bound to get a cult eventually.”

“I was? Do you have a cult?”

“Four, actually,” she responded simply, flipping the page.

“Four? You have four cults and you don’t think that’s important?”

“It’s not. As long as their tributes keep coming. Though your tributes are a little more tasteless than mine.”

“Tributes? What kind of trib-” she met my gaze again, smiling. “Oh . . . ew.”

“Yes. But also, sometimes they send money.”

“So . . . Basically you accidentally have a fanatical cult OnlyFans?”

“Yep. So, how do you know it’s the Assistant D.A.?”

“Well,” I sighed. “It has to be someone high in the Avalare government to make sure the investigation with literally all evidence pointing anywhere but to me continues to focus on me. Can’t be the chief of police or the head detective because they already have their own rackets that they’re doing and can’t risk getting caught in something new. So they’re careful. The actual District Attorney genuinely believes in the system, as near as I can tell. So, that just leaves the assistant D.A.”

“Are you going to do anything about it?”

“Not immediately. I was planning on leaking it at some point, but I was a little distracted with the wedding, you being in a coma, me being on another planet, me being captured by Bion, leaking Bion’s files, and now a literal fucking terrorist organization committing acts of terror in my name.”

“Ah. Well, there is only so much time in the day,” she said, flipping another page.

“So, what should I do?”

“Is it your responsibility to do something?”

“Y-yeah. I mean. They’re using my name and my ideas to justify blowing up entire city blocks.”

“Mm,” she responded.

“Mm? Mmmmm? That’s it?”

“Well, the first thing you need to do is calm down. You’ve been more erratic than usual. You’re getting sloppy.”

“Sloppy?”

“Curt, my love,” she sat her book down and leaned forward, cupping my face. “You’ve been running yourself ragged for months, running from one disaster to another, getting hurt, getting captured, and god only knows what else. And it’s made you sloppy.”

“Sloppy? I . . .” I thought about it. I had been more slipshod than usual. Fighting Kari’s no excuse. Or Bion. I shouldn’t be fighting them at all. I should just be avoiding fights. And yet, it seems every few weeks, I forget that and decide to stick my dick into a beehive. I sighed. “You’re right. What should I do?”

Before she could answer, the phone rang. “You should answer that.”

It was Des. “Hey, Des. What’s up?”

“So, you know how you owe me a billion dollars?”

“A billion?”

“I’m adding a stupid tax. Every time you say something stupid, your bill goes up. Two billion.”

“Okay. I owe you two billion dollars and can’t skate on the bill. I take it you have something in mind to start working it down slightly.”

“I do,” they said, excitedly. “I’m going to hire you.”

“You’re going to what? Des, that’s not a good ide-”

“Four billion,” they interrupted me.

“Are you just doubling it every time I speak?”

“Yes. Eight.”

“I’m not getting out of this am I?”

“Ooh. He learns.” Cindi motioned for the phone. I handed it over, frowning. Whatever they have planned is not going to be good for me.

“As a finder’s fee, I’m demanding we implement what we had talked about.” There was a pause. I couldn’t hear what Des was saying. “Yes, that. Do try to return him in one piece now.”

Cindi handed the phone back to me. I immediately asked, “What are you two planning?”

“Nevermind that. Are you doing anything now? If not, come now.”

“I was kind of dealing wi-” Cindi shot me a look and I wilted and turned away from her. “Fine. I guess that can wait. People are only dying.”

“For me, too,” they responded. The humor had gone from their voice. Must be serious, I thought. “And my patients take priority.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

=== Chuck ===

After departing with Kari, I got to my office. It was nice being back in the office. I had several appointments throughout the day. I really wish Kari had a more . . . conventional day job. I think it would help ground her, I thought as I checked my list of clients today. It was a full day, which means I wouldn’t be able to patrol until late. I was a little impatient to get back out into the city, but they came first. My first client was a woman who was having a lot of trouble sleeping. After speaking with her for an hour, she revealed to me that her son was moving out and she was just anxious about that. I could’ve prescribed something for it, but talk therapy would be more effective. I convinced her to keep seeing me every other week. We’d probably talk about hobbies and her initiating contact with him. Little things. Definitely better than just medicating her, which is what she came in for. My next patient was a man who was having recurring highly graphic dreams about his neighbor in the neighbor’s new car. He’s gay or bisexual and wants excitement and the sports car is a great vehicle for that. Pun intended. It’d take a few sessions before I could approach that properly. He was Catholic and very afraid of these feelings. Rome wasn’t built in a day. The rest of my clients were less interesting than that. I know it’s callous, but Gods . . . I just want something more to do.

I texted Kari to see if she wanted to go on patrol. She said no. I didn’t really feel like going alone. But it would have been worse to just sit in my room alone and do nothing. So, I was going to go out. I donned my costume, smiling to myself. I couldn’t help but conjure the image of Sailor Mind that Kari had crafted. The skirt was incredibly short in her version. Hardly surprising, I suppose, I thought. I flew out. It was a busy night. Tension was high in the city, wafting off of the streets. A miasma of emotion. I frowned. I could open myself to it fully and figure out what was happening more completely. But I didn’t want to. It might be too much. And frankly, I didn’t want the stress right now. I was in a good place. As I flew forward, I sensed a spike of emotion. A familiar spike. I glided down and found Jenny, rage boiling off of her as two people from either side threw things at her. The garbage they were throwing bounced fecklessly off of her shield. I got close enough to hear what they were saying.

“Look!” She all-but-shouted. “We all need to calm down! It was an accident!”

“Oh, so you’re taking his side!” A man screamed back, tossing a cup of something at her. She rounded on him and the other guy threw something as well. She took a few deep breaths and I landed next to her.

“Hey, Jenny. What seems to be the problem?”

“These two were in a car accident and about to come to blows.” I glanced around and saw the smoke rising from the hood of one car and the smashed trunk of another. I grimaced and turned to them.

“Gentlemen, I’m sure we ca-”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Brain-Boy!” One of them shouted. He threw something but I psychically caught it and tossed it in a garbage can next to him, all while giving him my best bored, disapproving teacher look. A look I had mastered a long time ago when I was a teacher’s assistant. He wilted some but the other took the opportunity to throw something else. Jenny charged at him and he managed to jump into his car and out of the way. I sighed. Something had Jenny on edge. And these guys. I opened up to their emotions more fully. Irritation, anger, fear, and pain barraged me and I had to land. I concentrated on it and worked up some mental defenses. There was a lot, but it was just less . . . potent than the last few battles I had been through where this had been a threat. Jenny was mostly just irritated and afraid. And I wasn’t sure why. She rounded on the car and stared him down. She hadn’t been trying to hit him. I knew that. If she wanted to hit something, she hit it. Unless someone ridiculous like Esvanir was involved. I made my way over to the other one. He glared up at me and I just raised an eyebrow.

I had made sure that my domino mask was expressive and that my expressions would be easy to read. That way fewer people would be afraid of me. It’s easier to empathize and talk down someone when you can see their face. He blinked first, looking away. He sat down in his car and sighed. A crowd had gathered, as they usually do whenever any superheroes are on a scene for more than a few minutes. The cops pushed their way through to them and started interviewing the two men. With those two handled, I made my way over to Jenny. I could still feel the rage and irritation coming from her but she smiled at me when I got within a few feet. “Hey, Brain. How was your weekend?”

“Not too bad, Pinky. Better than your day, apparently.” She shrugged.

“Oh, well. It’s been hectic.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“I’d honestly rather just do anything else.”

“Let me rephrase. Do you need to talk about it?”

“You’re such a fucking shrink, you know?” She asked, a lopsided grin stretching her lips.

“I’m painfully aware,” I responded, grinning back at her. “Just got off work and already found more work.”

“It’s just the Bion stuff, you know. It’s big news and everyone wants a piece of Kari and you and then you just disappear for a few days, not that I blame you.”

“But you do, a little,” I countered. I motioned for us to move away and we started down the street. People were shouting and asking us questions, but, again, I wasn’t up to talking to people. And from what I could sense of Jenny, neither was she.

“I . . . Yeah, well. It did make my life harder. People trying to get interviews and soundbites and God only knows what else. Trying to trick us into saying something stupid. As always. The vultures.”

“Seems like tensions are pretty high.”

“Well, you did just help arrest the world’s most popular superhero.”

“What do you think of all of that?”

“Of you not telling me first? I’m fucking pissed, Chuck.”

“Understandable. I’m sorry. We should have contacted you, but we didn’t want to give Bion a chance to hide anything. He had the resources.”

“Yeah, I guess. Just . . . the next time you’re going to do some big news like that, shoot me a text. That way, at least I know my life is going to go to hell for a few days.”

“What about the rest of it?”

“The rest of it? Bion being responsible for the greatest threat to America . . . To the world since . . . ever? I’m fucking heartbroken, Chuck. He’s my friend. We weren’t super close, but I thought I could count on him. I thought at least the world could count on him. And . . . Chuck?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think she can replace him? Do you think Kari can stand up and be what we need? What the world will need if . . . ?”

“I . . . I don’t know,” I said honestly.

“What happens if the Grignau come back? Or something else, just as deadly. Just as terrifying.”

“Then I’ll be by her side. No matter what. I’m a hero.” I reached over and grabbed her shoulder. “And you’ll be there too. I know it.”

“And Kari calls me corny. Jesus.”

“Yeah, well, what can I say?”