To use a clich, you can do this the easy way or the hard way, Tattletale said, a light smile on her face.

Fuck you, Othala snarled.

Tattletale hadnt told me. I could understand if Regent didnt inform me that they were hoping to enslave someone else, but I counted Tattletale among my few real friends. I had something of a sore spot when it came to being betrayed by friends.

Theyd planned to do this at some point today, and I hadnt been filled in. Was that accidental? Wed exchanged so many calls, I could almost believe that Id been forgotten, or that everyone had assumed someone else would be the one to fill me in.

But I couldnt shake the other possibility. They could have left me in the dark because they knew Id object. And now that I was filled in on this plan, I couldnt object without making the group look weak. Tattletale would know that. She would know I wouldnt screw us over, even with my objections, and this next part of the plan would go ahead whether or not I agreed or not.

Biting my tongue, I walked around until I stood at the very back of the scene, where I could see Night as well as everyone else that was present.

Victor, Tattletale said. Youre the tax payment, so to speak. Your call.

Victors eyes narrowed.

Consider it an opportunity. Youre bound to pick up something you can use, talent-wise.

I wont betray my team.

Regent chuckled, not raising his eyes from Night. Not really getting a choice.

The PRT trains its squads in resisting and reacting to master-category attacks. Ive picked up some things, Victors chin raised a fraction.

Victor had a kind of easy arrogance to him. It wasnt just the arrogance of someone who thought they were better than everyone around them. It was the arrogance of someone whod been born and raised thinking they were better, only to have that confidence reinforced and enhanced over the course of their lives.

Even bound by the spider silk, he managed to carry the demeanor of a prince from one of the monarchies of old, transported to the modern era. He had the look, too: a cleft chin, close-cropped hair that had been bleached to a platinum blond and a stare that managed to look simultaneously condescending and angry. He would be angry, obviously, but Id seen him in situations where he wasnt trussed up and lying on the ground, and hed looked the same then. His costume reinforced the image of someone between eras, with a simple black-painted breastplate with a sharp stylized v around the neck, a blood-red shirt and black slacks.

The color scheme extended to Othala, who wore something decidedly more traditional as superhero costumes went. Her bodysuit was skintight and tomato red, with a single icon in the center. Like the swastika, it featured a circle with a black border and white center, and a rune in black. It wasnt a swastika, though, but a diamond with two legs extending from the bottom point, each turning up at the bottom. Shed taken to wearing an eyepatch with the same icon on it in white. Her hair covered enough of that side of her face that it wasnt obvious.

She couldnt heal herself, of course. She granted powers to others. There would be no other reason for her to be kneeling in the water, bleeding from a hundred papercut-thin lacerations.

Rune, for her part, wasnt much older than Imp. Her long blond hair streamed out of a pointed hood, and runes lined the edges of a long, dark blue cloak.

Im kind of hoping youre right, Regent shrugged, Nobodys ever resisted before. I could learn a lot.

Tattletale asked, Seriously, are you going to cooperate?

No, Victor replied. He rolled onto his back and set his head down so he was staring up at the sky.

Fine. Imp?

I turned and saw Tattletale pointing toward Othala.

Imp was there, behind the villainess. Imp planted one foot between Othalas shoulders and kicked the girl face first into the street

Hey! Victor shouted. Dont touch her!

Anything we do to you or Rune, youll always know in the back of your mind that Othala could heal it, Tattletale said. But anything we do to her

Imp took that as a cue, kicking Othala in the gut.

Your issue is with me!

Tattletale was as calm as he was angry. Youre surprisingly upset. Youd think youd be used to seeing your teammate taking some lumps in the course of your supervillain careers. You two are involved, arent you? Makes sense, given how closely youve worked together.

You dont know the littlest thing about where we come from, Victor snarled.

Im figuring it out. Give me a second. Judging by what youre saying, theres a loss in there somewhere. Group like yours, bound to be pretty insular. Making friends with similar beliefs, dating people with similar beliefs. Did your daddy give you some strong encouragement to date this little lady?

Victor looked away, his lips twisting into an expression I couldnt interpret. He shook his head.

Not quite, huh? It wasnt your dad. You were on your own, a lost soul recruited by a big, proud family. Proved yourself, and you were told youd earn a proper place in Kaisers Empire if you married in, so to speak. Not an arranged marriage in the strictest sense, but the idea was that youd date one of the lieutenants girls and marry eventually. Except it wasnt her you were supposed to date. Her sister?

Cousin, Victor spat the word, Im getting tired of hearing you fumble your way to answers. It was her cousin.

There we go. Something happened to the cousin. So you two got paired together instead. And you two work so well together, its a kind of kismet. Only theres a little heartbreak on both sides.

This is your plan? Victor sneered. Hate to break it to you, but weve talked this shit out. Its called communication. You wont be revealing any big secrets to break us up.

No. You two are totally honest with each other. Kudos. Thing is, youre just not very honest with yourselves. You know why youre getting so angry at Othala getting hurt? Youre really quite insecure in your attachment to her.

Oh god, this is lame. The water rippled as Victor let his head drop down to rest on the flooded street.

Youre playing up your own anger because youre afraid that if you dont make yourself care, you wont care at all.

Okay, sure.

You tell yourself youre growing to love her, but youre a very good liar, Victor, and youre very good at lying to yourself. You know that, so youve found yourself wondering if maybe the feelings you have for Othala are just the head games youve been playing with yourself.

Easily possible. But theres two other possibilities. It could be that Im not lying to myself. Lets not forget that. Another possibility is that it really is just me lying to myself, but that lie will become truth over time. People all over this city feign confidence, and that becomes something concrete. You can become the mask you wear on a day-to-day basis.

Something about that bothered me. I spoke for the first time since Tattletale had declared her intentions. Seems kind of hollow.

Because its not a fairytale romance? Its not. But Ill tell you I enjoy her company, I trust her, I respect her, and Im even attracted to her. Weve got a foundation, bug girl. Theres nothing forcing us to stay together anymore. Empire Eighty-Eight is gone. Were a pair because we want to be. Right, O?

Right, Othalas voice was quiet. Shed pulled herself up onto her hands and knees. She glared up at Imp, then looked down.

Tattletale stepped forward, Or because your names and faces are known to the public, and instead of being part of your group by choice, youre part of the group because nobody else will have you?

Victor laughed a little. Somehow I expected better from you, Tattletale. This is pretty feeble. Attacking our relationship? Were strong enough, and no matter what you try to pull, you wont change the fact that we have what it takes.

Sure. But I dont have to. Your relationship is doomed. You dont have that same lovesick, infatuated feeling for Othala that you had for her cousin. The chance for that moment has passed. And itll eat away at you. Youll crave that kind of feeling, and feel like you missed out on something by throwing yourself into a relationship out of duty rather than love. Youll cheat because youre searching for that and because its easy for you to get women. Youre good-looking, and you have access to all the little tricks, how to approach them, how to win them over. And Othala over there, shes still head over heels for you. Itll kill her when you betray her.

The smile slipped from Victors face. Youre not saying all this to fuck with me. Youre fucking with her.

I glanced at Othala, who was staring down at the ground.

Why? he asked. Why do this?

What other options do we have, if we want to pressure you? Youre invincible for at least a little while longer, but even without that, if we beat and tortured you, I think wed come out behind, just by virtue of how far wed have to go before we got past whatever interrogation resistance techniques youve stolen. Wouldnt be much different if we beat and tortured Othala. Wed piss you off, but I dont think wed break you. So at the very least, this is a more civilized route of attack.

You dont need my agreement, and Im not about to give it. Not betraying my teammates.

Your agreement would make all of this a lot easier. Dont play dumb and say we dont need it. You and I both know youre a master of martial arts that you could use if we cut your legs free. Capoeira, I imagine. Theres certainly others you could draw on, and Id bet youve blended all those styles together. Youd kick our faces in, maybe distract us long enough for Night to bounce back.

Victor smirked.

Regent and Skitter would stop you without a problem, but thats a lose-lose situation. You and your buddies end up dead or seriously injured, and we dont get to borrow your talents. But youd do it, to deny us what we want and because you hate it when someone else comes out on top.

And what makes you think youre going to change my mind?

The fact that that was just a sampler. Im just getting started. Were not in any particular rush, so we can sit here until Ive completely fucked up your group. Ill find every little chink and weak link there is and leverage them until you break, Tattletale shrugged. You think on that while we go take our pick of your stuff. Theres bound to be some juicy clues in your living space. Imp, come on.

Tattletale and Imp headed off to collect the spoils. I settled down, silently fuming, keeping one eye on Night.

Silence lingered for a good minute.

You can cheat, Othala said.

Not now, O.

We open up the relationship. You do what you need to, just promise that if you dont find what youre looking for, you come back.

I spoke up, Not sure if its really true, given who youre associating with, but dont you deserve better than that?

Shut your mouth-hole, heeb, Othala snarled. Butt out.

I felt my heart skip a beat at the heeb. She knew my last name?

No. Heeb was short for Hebrew, not Hebert.

Im not Jewish, I thought. How had she come to that conclusion? I could believe someone would make an assumption like that if theyd seen my skin tone and hair, but my costume covered my skin. Id spent some time wearing a mask that did show some skin, after Bonesaw had cut up my good mask, but Othala hadnt been there for any of those incidents.

I had ideas about what that could mean, but I kept my mouth shut.

Dont stress about it, Victor said. Shes trying to get to you.

No shit, Regent muttered.

Im just thinking if we can find a solution to this, then I can be more confident well find solutions to the other stuff.

Victor shook his head. Just relax. Theres no rush. Any problem Tattletale brings up, every issue, its something we can work through. If you get panicked, if she starts making you think that whatever shes talking about is suddenly a crisis and it has to be addressed right now, youre playing into her hands. Shell use that to make you say or do something youll regret. So take-

Regent, keep an eye on Night? I spoke, interrupting.

Sure.

Victor stared at me as I approached. I held out one hand and let a spider drop from each fingertip, dangling from threads.

The hell? He squirmed in an attempt to get away, but his arms and legs didnt afford him much room to move. I slowed their descent enough that he could see the spiders clearly. Black, orblike abdomens, stamped with a red hourglass marking. If it wasnt for my wanting to do this to make it clear what spiders they were, I would have just used the spiders Id employed to wrap him in silk. I wanted the drama and to make it absolutely clear what I was doing.

I moved my hand and let the spiders swing a little to the left to make sure they were in place and let them settle on his face.

Hush, I told him. Now close your eyes. You dont want to startle them or theyll bite.

One of his eyes fluttered in a reflexive action as the spider touched his eyelash. He growled You psycho, scowling, before shutting his eyes.

I moved more spiders into positions on his lips.

Careful, I said. Im focusing on watching Night, so Im not really bothering to suppress their instincts. Dont move.

I looked at Rune and Othala, You two be quiet, too. I can handle you the same way.

Othala only stared, while Rune offered a slow nod.

It took five more minutes for Imp and Tattletale to come back, each loaded down with bags. Given the variety of labels, I guessed the bags contained things looted from stores downtown. Imp put down a spray can, and set to spraying the glass cube Shatterbird had imprisoned Fog in. Filling in the gaps, cementing it together.

Id step back, Skitter, Tattletale said. His power works by proximity, among other things. Physical contact, eye contact and active use of a skill lets him leech them off you. The stronger the contact with each transfer point, the more transfer points hes maintaining, the faster the drain. He could suck away something essential, or make you just a little bit worse at everything you do.

I stepped away, silent.

So, have you made a decision? Tattletale asked Victor. Because Im all geared up to carry on with the discussion here.

Victor didnt respond. Couldnt.

Tattletale turned to look my way, and I met her eyes. I left the bugs in place.

Could you please move the spiders? She asked.

Of course. I dismissed them, but I didnt break eye contact.

She was the first to look away, turning her attention to Victor. Well, Victor?

He looked over at Othala, then stared up at Tattletale. He managed to look confident despite being bound and lying in the floodwater. After a long moment, he said, Im undecided.

Thats a step forward, she said.

Maybe you could provide me some incentive?

He needs to win on some level if hes going to make a concession, I thought.

Regent shrugged. I could keep you for seventy-two hours, if you dont cooperate, or thirty-six if you do.

Victor turned to look at Regent. Thatll do.

Can you cut him free?

I had my spiders start severing the threads.

You leave the others alone, Victor said.

Skitter will keep an eye on them until were a safe distance away, and then shell give them the signal that its okay to move, Tattletale said.

I nodded. I didnt agree, but I would play along for the sake of the groups image, and because I wasnt willing to sabotage a plan in progress, even if I didnt agree with it.

I brought Atlas to me and was in the air a few seconds later.

Between Imp and I, there was a pretty slim chance that wed both blink at the same time and leave Night free to use her power.

When Tattletale and Regent were out of my range, I turned to leave. Night didnt turn into a monster, but I took that to be a result of her being unconscious. Or maybe the tasers effects. Either way, I wasnt complaining. It gave me more of a head start. When the Chosen were at the limits of my powers range, I drew words in the air to let them know it was safe to move.

I caught up with the others a short distance away from Regents headquarters. Victor was being loaded into a van, hooded and heavily shackled. Another truck was parked a short distance away.

The moment the door was shut, I stabbed one finger in Tattletales direction, What the fuck was that?

Woah, Regent said, Relax.

Im not going to relax. You two deliberately left me in the dark, there. Or it was an exceedingly stupid oversight to forget to mention it, and I know Tattletale isnt stupid.

It was only sort of deliberate. Regent didnt have any part in that.

Explain, I told her.

I didnt realize you had such an issue with Regent using his power until you brought it up before. I could have mentioned our secondary goal then, but I was worried that would start something. Or that it would discombobulate you before we got into a thing with the Chosen.

As opposed to finding it out right after.

Im sorry. Again, I really underestimated how much youd care.

I was okay with Shadow Stalker because shes a legit psychopath, and sure, there was some personal bias in there. Whatever. Im also cool with Shatterbird because I dont think theres a shred of humanity in there. This is different.

See, thats what throws me, Tattletale said. I dont see that big a difference between Victor and Shadow Stalker.

Ive spent more than enough time around Shadow Stalker to feel confident in making the call. I havent spent any time around Victor. I didnt know if hes a psychopath, if hes just deluded, or if hes being forced into what hes doing.

I could have filled you in.

Youre right, I said, You could have. Thats all I wanted. I just wanted you to ask.

She frowned.

And, of course, now were locked into this thing, and I cant help but wonder if I can trust you in the future.

Thats rich, Regent said, Coming from you.

I shook my head. Ive played along.

Bullshit. Youve demanded concessions and compromises from us every step along the way.

And Ive made concessions and compromises. I accepted it when you revealed your real power, I agreed we should capture Shadow Stalker for the one job.

Lets call a duck a duck. You agreed to capturing Shadow Stalker because you wanted revenge.

I shook my head. No. Remember when I first brought up the bullying? I was pretty clear about how I didnt want any of that.

You said it, but thats a long ways away from meaning it.

I say what I mean.

Says the most dishonest members of the group, he retorted. Before I could reply, he raised both hands, as if to ward me off. Not really intending to get on your case, not accusing or insulting you. Just saying: the whole undercover operative thing, I dont think you have much ground to stand on.

I looked away. Im not proud of that.

Sure. Thats fine. But lets be honest about all this. You spent a whole lot of time saying one thing while doing another. I think we all rolled with that pretty damn well. Even went the extra mile on some occasions. Well, Rachel excepted, but yeah. Are you saying you cant return the favor?

If were talking mind control-

No, Tattletale cut in. Were not. Weve already established a precedent when it comes to using Regents powers on the legitimately fucked up. And I already knew Victor fit that label. Your issue is with my neglecting to fill you in. Im willing to admit I was wrong. It was a bad call on my part, to leave you in the dark. Its your call if you want to accept that apology and move on.

And how often can this happen before I can say were taking it too far? Regents power is going to get us in trouble, one way or another. If our enemies decide that the threat of being mind-controlled is too big, and band together against us, it might be creating more of a disadvantage than an advantage.

Its body-control, not mind-control, Regent said. I dont touch the grey matter.

Semantics. My point stands.

Then let me raise my own point, he said. What am I supposed to do, if Im not using my power? The whole bit with tripping people up, knocking them down, making them drop shit? Its not exactly grade A material as superpowers go.

Im saying we discuss it as a group before enslaving someone.

And if theres a window of opportunity? he asked. A chance to capture someone on the fly? Do we just let it slip by because you want to host a debate?

No, I sighed. You could capture the person in question, we hold them for long enough to talk it over, then we let them go if it isnt appropriate.

He shrugged. Which doesnt do a damn thing to ease peoples suspicions if everyones watching their friends, seeing if anyones dropped off the map long enough to have been captured and converted. Ive been there. Maybe not on this scale, but Ive seen it happen, the paranoia.

Right. And your little plan here has started that ball rolling. Whatever we do from here on out, people are going to be spooked enough that theyll see the mind controlled where they dont exist.

Fear is good, Tattletale said.

Paranoia isnt. If our enemies are backed into a corner, they might do something stupid. You yourself said how Victor was willing to attack us if we cut him free, even if it put himself and his teammates in grave danger. And hes not dumb.

Hes not brilliant either, Regent said. Just saying, but having a power that gives you brains doesnt necessarily mean youre smart.

Tattletale gave him an annoyed look, then turned to me. I can understand your frustration. You feel like we just set ourselves back on a city-wide scale for a relatively minor gain.

I shrugged, Pretty much.

Except our enemies are already banding together to attack us. Having Regent as a target doesnt change anything except taking the focus off of more important members of the team, she said.

I see what you did there. A little quid pro quo, Regent muttered.

Tattletale stuck out her tongue at him, then turned back to me, And people are going to be scared to take him out if it means releasing Shatterbird. Picture yourself in their shoes. Its not a comfortable position to be in if youre itching to retaliate.

Its not a comfortable position to be in anyways, even with him on the team, I said, glancing over at Shatterbird. Not that we hadnt taken countermeasures, but yeah.

Tattletale looked as well. But the main thing I was getting at is that were working towards something here. We got Victor. Bully for us. But youre probably wondering why.

Just a little.

Remember our attack on the PRT headquarters? We walked away with data. Data Coil and his best people couldnt crack.

I nodded.

I think Victor could pull it off.

Okay. Still not convinced.

Hear me out. I told Coil that, and that got his attention. I had something of an idea that Victor, Rune and Othala were looking to leave the Chosen, so I floated the idea to Coil that he could make them an offer.

Im not so sure Im a big fan of that idea.

I dont think theyll accept. But if they do, I think itll work out for us anyways. But Im getting off topic. The important thing isnt recruiting them, but letting them know in a roundabout way that were involved with Coil and Coils involved with us.

I nodded. Outing Coil and his relationship to our takeover, maybe possibly. There were advantages to that. It would divert attention from us and maybe distract him.

Point three. Just a theory, but what if Grue could borrow Victors power and get some permanent boosts?

Just as an idea? Its interesting. You brought this up with him?

No. Imp said he was resting when I called to ask. I figure it cant hurt.

I nodded.

So were getting the data, were possibly outing Coil, and were putting a skill vampire in a situation where hes surrounded with some very skilled people. Like a kid in a candy shop, I doubt hell be able to keep from drooling. Coil wont let Victor get in situation where he can pick up anything special unless he agrees to join, thats obvious enough. Except Ive talked to Minor, Senegal, Pritt and Jaw, and theyre willing to give him a little something in the way of exclusive skills he wouldnt otherwise have access to, in exchange for a few small favors.

Like?

Like getting a read on Coils talents and skills, perhaps. I cant say for sure, but Im thinking Victor could tell us what Coils day job used to be. Enough of a starting point that I can dig up more details. Know your enemy. And with a guy that versatile, I can think of several ways he could be useful.

Okay, I said.

Okay? She asked.

Okay. Yeah. I wish we could have talked about this before, but Im willing to accept that weve been through a hell of a lot, and youve put up with a lot of demands from me. If you think this is a good idea, if youre certain about this, I can accept that.

She nodded once, Thank you.

And me? Regent asked. No I have faith in your judgement?

I really dont, I admitted.

Pshh. After everything Ive done for you.

Hm?

Nevermind, he said, chuckling. Im going to catch a ride to Coils and handle this next bit. Wonder how long hell hold out.

Ill come too, Tattletale said. I want to see how this plays out.

If you dont need me, Im thinking Im going to head back, I said. Take care of my people.

Tattletale nodded and gave me a short wave as she climbed into the back of the second truck.

I wasnt thrilled, but I could deal. I felt relieved to have a window of time to do what I needed to do. It wouldnt be relaxation, but more moving on to the next point on my priority list, handling the stuff that absolutely positively needed to be handled. Making sure my dad was protected from Coil was a big one, making sure my people were both protected and equipped to protect themselves from the Chosen was another. I needed to get my equipment in order, and the costumes finished, make sure I touched base with Bitch so our recent good relationship didnt fall apart, and maintain the lines of communication with Tattletale and Coil so I was up to date on upcoming events.

Do me a favor? Someone asked from behind me.

I spun around, drawing my knife. It was just Imp. Damn it.

What? I asked. Whered you come from?

I stayed behind to keep an eye on Night. Winking instead of blinking so I didnt lose sight of her. And you dont even remember that I was doing it. Fuck. Ungrateful bastards. I had to run the last block so I could be sure you didnt fly off before I could ask.

You could have phoned.

She shook her head. You heard what Tattletale said. Coil might be listening in over the phones. We dont mention anything we wouldnt want him to overhear.

And you dont want him to overhear this favor? I asked, hating myself even as I opened my mouth.

How was I supposed to get a handle on everything if I was posed with two more crises every time I got something done?