The Infected: Proxy

War Day

P. S. Power

Orange Cat Publishing

2014

Chapter one

Brian felt the impact of the block. It shook his entire being, almost worse than if he'd hit a wall. He'd been trying to hit the strange armored man in the eye, but was going to miss anyway. The man, if the black and slightly shining form was male. That wasn't really the issue at the moment, since the being, whatever, whoever, he or she was, had been trying to rip a building down just before he'd gotten there. It wasn't a tiny building either.

The thing was, when the blow that he'd been putting forth, splayed fingers toward what would hopefully turn out to be unshielded eyes, the thing dodged him easily, and threw an arm up in a block that showed skill in the movement. Along with superhuman strength, and even if the plating was only bone, enough armor to keep Brian from making too much of a difference if he hit it instead of the soft eyeball that had been his target.

Even through his own nano armor, the move rocked him back, making his whole body go stiff under both the force of the move and the speed. Whoever this person was, he, or she, was wicked fast too.

It took a lot of scrambling for Proxy, which was Brian's code name, to keep his feet. Honestly, he nearly fell down twice after that. Once from the initial impact, then again when his running shoes caught the ground enough to keep him from sliding. His whole body had been pushed so hard that it was shocking he hadn't gone airborne. Incredible to tell the truth. Pulling his knife, the carbon-nanotube thing his old friend Jeremy had made for him, he tried to move back in instantly. Sometimes even super fast people had a problem adjusting to the fact that someone was trying to kill them that hard. It wasn't a normal thing after all. What kind of jerk really tried to kill you like that, day to day?

This creature, whatever it was, didn't seem too impressed. That was a bit strange, because the person just turned, his, or her, green eyes shielded by the slightly shiny back of their head. Luckily this person wasn't huge, too. That would make the whole thing even harder. Slashing as fast as he could, Brian tried to find a gap in the armor near the shoulder joint. It seemed to have a line there, but however it was constructed he couldn't get inside of it. Not even with a blade that was two hundred times sharper than a modern shaving razor. The only response was a tiny shrug, which made the knife slip out of his hand, and hit the ground, as the person he was fighting simply ignored him. Like he wasn't really there, or didn't matter.

That wasn't a good sign. Most people at least gave him the time of day when he was trying to kill them. Okay, for some of them it was mainly just being polite, but they still did it. For some reason it just felt rude that this guy wasn't. Or gal. He didn't want to be the kind of person that would jump to conclusions based on armor. One of his best friends was a darling woman that looked like a walking tank practically. Most people assumed she was a man, because of that.

For some reason, and he really didn't get why he'd do something so silly or suicidal, he walked around the black form, even as a large haymaker style blow was coming out, meant to rip apart the concrete of the building. The last few had worked pretty well, ripping lines in the side of the thing.

For some reason it actually stopped.

Then the thing spoke to him.

"Excuse me. I need to take this building down. Please." The voice was male at least, so his first guess might be right. It was also very polite, really. Not harsh, or angry. Calm, to tell the truth.

"Um... I can't let you do that. There are people inside, and they'll all die if you do that. I don't suppose that means much to you?" It normally didn't.

After all, when Brian traded out with someone, they were about to die. The older lady that he'd taken the place of hadn't been being directly attacked, but the shrapnel, or whatever you called rock and concrete bits flying at bullet speeds, was about to kill her.

There was a stillness from the thing for a second.

"Really? I was told this building would be empty. It's supposed to be a lab. One that makes biological weapons for Braid. Have you heard of that? The alien woman that's trying to destroy us all? We really shouldn't let her win, if we can stop her."

Brian... Blinked.

"I... have heard about that. But my power is pretty good at finding innocent people that are about to die. If you take this place down, about ten people that shouldn't, will. How about I go in and look around first? That way, if I'm wrong we can still handle things your way?" That probably wasn't going to work. The man had seemed pretty reasonable so far, but that almost had to be a short term thing. No one as powerful as he was would be out doing a thing like this alone, not with a first mode that was as gentle and polite as this guy seemed to have. Someone else had to be in charge, or working with him.

"I... Need to call that in? I work for the IPB. Is that all right with you? It won't take too long. I have a direct line." There was a tap on the side of his flat and featureless head. Only the green eyes showed at all, and they were right up to the front, so that there would be good peripheral vision. The problem there was that it meant there was no room for a nose underneath the thing.

"Sure. That sounds good. Tell whoever is there that Brian wants to try something different? Who are you getting in touch with? Marcia? Director Turner, I mean?"

That would make sense, if the man was actually one of the new people. There weren't a lot of them, but Bridget had managed to get fifteen or twenty new faces on her rebuilt team, after the rest of them had gone into hiding. It was a bit awkward at the moment, since the man would probably figure out that Proxy wasn't dead, but hopefully he'd be all right with that kind of thing. Enough to keep it out of the press. Just because he was new, that didn't mean he couldn't understand that someone had been planning to kill the IPB wholesale, not too long before.

Not that avoiding the media was working so far. When someone was about to die, Brian had to go and take their place. He'd already tried doing that with a mask on, but the thing had refused to go with him when he teleported out. Even face make-up did the same thing. It was nearly like his power wanted him to be seen. That or just really didn't care what other plans he had. It wasn't the first time that he'd wondered if his power wasn't exactly his, somehow. Like it had a mind of its own.

The armored form, who was only about his own size, five-ten or so, if a bit bulkier, shook his head.

"No. I'm on with Wren right now. She runs the public face of things. The front desk? Let me see what she says?"

That really seemed like a good plan, but Brian had no clue who that was. One of the new operatives, clearly. Not one that he'd ever met, however. That the front desk was fielding people on actual attack missions was new too. No one had mentioned it to him, at least.

Suddenly, almost as if the man was speaking in a different voice, a young woman spoke to him. Her voice was lovely, almost as if she'd be a very fine singer.

"Hello? Is there something I can do to help you?" There was a bit more of a nervous tone this time.

He rasped out his answer, hoping she'd be able to hear him. It wasn't like he could see a microphone on the armored man in front of him.

"Wren? You don't know me. I'm... Are you alone?" He really didn't want to tell the whole world that he was alive yet, but that was probably the fastest way to get this woman to help him. If she believed that it was true. He wouldn't have, if it were him. Everyone had been told he was dead.

"Yes. Why?"

"I need to speak to Marcia Turner. Her, or Bridget Chambers. Unless Doug Tibs is around?" That wouldn't do much, most likely, since you didn't just call up without saying who you were and ask to talk to one of the top three people in any large organization. Not over masked, armored destruction machine at any rate. Not that he'd ever heard about.

There was a hesitation, then a soft sigh that he heard as clearly as if she'd been standing right there with him.

"I think I saw Mr. Tibs around here somewhere. Can you hold for a moment? I mean is it safe? Dev'an is supposed to be on a mission, and that area might be dangerous." She sounded scared, which was nice, considering it seemed to be about her concern for his safety. That was one of two times it had ever happened when he'd taken someone's place so far. In over six hundred fights. Most of them to the death. Not that he was beating this man, if this portion where he used his words didn't work out for him. The only thing left was to run, in that case. Get the woman he was changing places with to safety. That was his real mission. The rest of it was simply what felt right.

Except, if this really was a bio-lab, one working for Braid, their enemy, then they might have to sacrifice the innocent people inside anyway. Just to stop them from doing whatever they had planned. It probably wouldn't be something as simple as giving everyone Smallpox or Ebola. No, he was willing to bet it would be more violent and bloody than that.

In fact, thinking about it, the idea suddenly became almost certain. A thing that meant it was really a lot worse than he would have guessed before. He wasn't the world's greatest psychic, but he could get a real sense for certain things, from time to time. This was one of them, it seemed.

"So far we're fine, but I doubt that will last much longer. So, can I speak to someone? Those are the people there that I know."

"Yes... Let me... Um, sorry about this." Then the girl, Wren yelled.

"Tibs! Chambers! Turner! Emergency!" It was yelled, and not screamed, but her projection was great. Really impressive. Enough to make him take a step back and probably alert anyone in the building that had missed the explosive sounding punches against the side of the thing. Given that part was probably a lot like being in a really loud earthquake, Brian had to doubt many had missed it.

The black form, Dev'an, didn't move, even when three security men came out the door, each of them armed with something that appeared to be large shotguns. The barrels were far too thick though. Oversized in a nearly comical way. Nearly the size of his wrist around, and they looked like the tubes were about four times at wide as what he was used to seeing pointed at him. That he honestly was used to that kind of thing was less than perfect, since it wasn't the way he wanted to live his life. Oh, he still wanted to help people, but for some reason that just didn't seem like enough anymore.

Without waiting to find out what they were going to do, he dove to the side, into a roll, and picked his knife up. The blasts that came, two of them, were deafening. One of the men was knocked from his feet by the recoil, his slick bottomed shoes not up to the task. The other man rocked back too, but was either ready for the effect, or had better footwear.

The first one yelled, and grabbed his shoulder in pain, as he sat on the concrete sidewalk in front of the building. It was clean looking and well cared for, but still couldn't be that comfortable to land on butt first. Concrete was hard, after all. He knew that one first hand.

"Brian?" This sounded like Marcia now, which was handy, after a fashion.

He called out, or tried to, the other man not bothering to even shift, though both of whatever had been fired had hit him dead on. The last of the uniformed men, who were wearing green and brown, wisely tried to point his weapon at Brian. Just before he rolled over and slashed the femoral artery in the standing man's right leg open. After that, since the others needed to reload, or grab a different weapon, Brian was able to kill them too. It took about ten seconds.

Less than that, he knew. Closer to five.

"Brian?"

"Sorry Marcia. There was a bit of activity here. I think I have one of your new hires here? Destroying a bio-facility? Dev'an? He seems nice, but there are innocent people inside. Maybe hostages. I should go get them first, if I can?" He wanted to. Even if he had to die to do it.

That was just how he felt all the time though, or at least how he was supposed to be feeling. Lately it just seemed like he was going through the motions, so he tried not to grimace when the voice of his friend spoke. Even though he knew what had to come.

Also that she was right.

That was a new thing for him. He could feel what was coming, part of the time. Even outside of fights now. It wasn't all the time and it wasn't perfect knowledge at each step, but he knew what the future held, a bit. And could tell when it was the direction he, or the people around him, had to go. Even if is sucked donkey chunks.

"Brian? We know that. The people in there, they're either working for Braid, or infected with a disease that will cause regular people to go into a sudden and psychotic rage. Until they die. I don't like it, but we need to take that place out, and fast. You... shouldn't go in. I know that your first mode-"

She knew. He did too. It ached, not being able to go in and save them. Even knowing that they weren't going to be saved that day now. It was so clear, but he hated it with every fiber of his being. He knew it was the correct path though. Even more strongly now, than a moment before.

It nearly shook him, it was so powerful a feeling. No one there could be allowed to leave.

"Right. I understand. I should get out of here then. I have a woman to protect. Um, your operative here isn't moving, is that right?"

"How the fuck would I know? He's one of the new guys... Team Four. I'll go over that later when we bring him in. He should be with you, where you are." She didn't speak the words she really wanted him to understand out loud, so that meant she thought they might be overheard.

Then, she was suspicious of nearly everything. That was her first mode, like his was self-sacrifice.

"Got it. Um, I should hang up then, and let this guy get back to work. Out." That sounded official enough to him. Mission like, and everything.

Also pretty bad assed, since he rasped everything in a gravely and dark voice. Like Nocturne did, in the movies. Except that he did it almost all the time now. For a while it had been due to all the damage, but then it had become habit, even after he'd been healed. Really, it was probably just him trying to act tough, at this point. All hard and scary sounding.

Like that mattered in the slightest? No one in the world cared if he was intimidating, did they?

He started to tingle as he heard words come from the flat face in front of him. Then he started to turn as the front door opened again, and a giant cat thing came out. He ran, hoping that the new guy from Team Four would be able to handle it. Brian knew he couldn't, having dealt with that kind of thing before. Sparing time to glance behind him, he saw that it wasn't just one of them, but a whole stream of the giant things coming out. Tan and tawny creatures, each nearly four feet high at the shoulder, pushing through what used to be a revolving door, not ten seconds before. Now there was just a hole.

Brian just ran then, knowing that there was no way the poor guy could face that kind of thing. Even as strong and clearly dangerous as he was. Once he got about three blocks away, Brian glanced back again, to find that there were six of the things. Each facing a different person.

Each of the creatures already losing. Two died in the moment, as Brian felt a strong tingle come over his entire body. He'd been running, nearly panicked, with the black carbon nanotube knife in his right hand, so slapped it to his chest. There was no rational way to explain it, but he knew that if it was too far away from the larger mass of his body it might just be left behind. The thing was probably worth about fifty thousand dollars though, so he didn't want to risk that. Plus, it was the only weapon they'd found that could travel with him, so far. Losing it would probably end up with him being dead.

He found himself in the hallway of the new complex. It was actually a good bit bigger on each floor than the old place had been, though it only had four levels. The whole thing had a rustic log constructed look, even though it was a modern facility. One of the floors was a vast gymnasium though, which was where he'd been just before he'd run into the polished wood hallway. Something like five minutes before.

Not being a government agent anymore, he really didn't have to answer to anyone, and hadn't been hurt, so he headed back in, putting his knife away. He was in sweat pants and a t-shirt, rather than his old all black uniform, or IPB sweats and shirt. It was red on top and black on bottom. There was absolutely no reason for it, that had just been what he'd picked out that morning. Because he'd wanted to. Like a normal person going to work out for four hours. Which reminded him that he was only about halfway through that. Today it was a long, slow, three hour run, with an hour of weight lifting at the end.

It was important to keep in shape. For a long time he'd been kind of lazy and fat, but that didn't fit in with his new lifestyle of constantly running off to fight people, did it?

The track, which was just through the doors was ridiculous really. It was exactly one mile around. Indoors, and that large. More, they had two of them, side by side. One for the fast people, and one for the rest of them, who couldn't consistently hold a speed of over forty miles per hour. He was only going about six though, that day. It was a slow run, after all. His fast runs were about two miles an hour faster than that.

As he started back around, Mark, from his old team, back when they'd been on a thing like that, moved in along side of him.

"Brian. I noticed that you ran out. Everything okay?" The voice was mellow, and the man, who was about as slim as Proxy was, meaning pretty skinny, smiled a bit.

It was the first time that Brian had seen the man exercise. Not that he hadn't done it before, but it had mainly been in the form of travel. Right now they were all supposed to be staying in. Except that he hadn't had a choice in the matter. It probably meant that he'd be the one to end up getting them all caught, didn't it? Sooner or later someone was going to see his face and report on him still being alive and well.

"Yeah, saved an old woman. It seems like one of the new IPB people was taking out a building. On purpose. It's a bio-lab. One that Braid owns. There were giant cat creatures, and some kind of plague inside, as far as Marcia told me. I... well, I spoke to her over the operative they sent. It was kind of interesting, but not very efficient. She mentioned bringing him here later? He's on Team Four, I guess? Really polite. The man is at least a class five. Maybe higher than that. I tried to cut him, and he just turned around and went back to work on the building. I hope he's all right. More people came, somehow. Teleported in, I think? It was impressive." He wasn't breathing hard yet, so forced himself to relax, using some of the tricks he'd learned from Mark.

Then he tried to speak without sounding like he was playing a movie hero. Using his real voice, and not rasping things out like a douche-bag.

"I mean, to tell the truth, I don't think we, the rest of us, could have pulled that off. They had a team of six people taking on class four creatures in less time than it took me to run a few blocks. If they can do that all the time, they won't need me anymore. Which is a good thing. Now I just need to learn not to rush into trouble all the time." He grinned then, and winked at the man next to him. "So I'd better do something else to be useful. Need help in the kitchen?"

Mark and Warren had taken to cooking for the entire group, almost from the first day. They had enough food stored there, and ways to get more, even from hiding, but there was a manpower shortage as far as actual kitchen help went. Not that Brian knew how to cook. Denis did though, and so did Kerry, his half sister. Prime had been doing his share too, but that meant those five were working every meal, and people were having to fend for themselves during the evening hours. About half the people there needed to eat more than a regular man or woman did. A few of them a lot more.

"We really can use the help. I need about five more people that know what they're doing. So... you. Can you find me four more?" He was being nice about it, but Brian shook his head.

"I don't really know how to do that kind of thing yet. I'll help where I can, but you should really get Argos. Jason can cook pretty well, as it turns out. Just don't let him fool you into thinking he isn't very good. That's his first mode talking. I bet we can get Tobin, too. I don't know what he can do, but he's solid. Even if we're just doing pots and pans for the rest of you, or chopping veggies up. Do you want me to see who else might be willing to help? I can do that as soon as I finish up here. That will only be about two hours. I can go now, if you need?"

Mark kept his pleasant expression. That was pretty much a constant thing, since getting more than a little tense would have him freezing time for the rest of the world. He startled easily, and his power was all about protecting him if he got scared.

"That would be great. I haven't wanted to complain, since it isn't so bad for me, personally. I have all the time I need. Warren has been working eighteen hour days for two weeks straight though, and needs a break. He's getting a bit snappish. I swear that Kerry nearly decked him this morning when he told her that her eggs were too dry. They were, a bit, but he could have been a bit nicer about it. She's going through a hard time, too."

Brian knew about that one, since Svetlana, the new base preparedness expert had told him all about the issue. Kerry had been, and probably still was, addicted to depressants. It hadn't shown too much, because the girl had been using them to take the edge off her normally volatile temper. Really, it had been working pretty well, because Brian had always thought of her as being a sweetheart. She still was, but now things tended to explode around her when she got tense.

Literally.

As in a rain of stones could come out of the air without warning, or big gouts of water come out of the walls. Things would teleport around too. Often dropping on whoever she was mad at. She didn't have control over it all, but it seemed like she was actually a lot more powerful than anyone had ever hinted at her being before. To Brian at any rate. So she'd made a point of trying to kill that off with drugs. Where she'd grown up, in an abusive commune, being aggressive wasn't allowed. It was her nature, but had literally been suppressed with torture. So she couldn't let it show now. It came out in other ways, while she showed a meek and calm exterior to the whole world.

That she nearly punched Warren was actually a good thing. It meant she was learning to deal with her problems more directly. It would be hard to tell anyone else that, but he mentioned it to Mark anyway, who just kept running.

"I know. It would be even better if she just wrote him a strongly worded letter. Everyone is going a bit crazy right now. We can't leave, even to go outside, or we could be seen. Speaking of which, were you?"

That was a real question, wasn't it? Had he been?

Well, Dev'an had, which he knew for certain. The guards, but they were all dead.

"I have no clue. Maybe on a camera? I don't get a choice, but... It isn't good either. It will shorten the time we can stay in hiding... unless I go back to the IPB and claim I lived somehow? It isn't likely, but I can teleport. It's on the record as having taken place before. Then, after the blast at the old base... Well, no one would suspect that I'd go back, would they? If that had really happened and I lived, I probably would have gone into hiding for real anyway. I'd pretty much have to, if I could."

It had to be pretty common knowledge that he wasn't, hadn't been, in love with being a government agent. He wouldn't let his friends be caught though. People in the military, and possibly other agencies, had plotted to really kill them all. So they'd faked the death of over a hundred and fifty people, before those others could pull anything like that off for real.

So far it was working too.

Bridget and Doug had kept the agency, the Infected Protection Bureau, going. Out of a donut shop. Then Marcia had gone back, since her power of being pretty much indestructible would have let her live through even a nuke sized blast. He could do that too, if it became needed. For a moment he considered doing it that day, but the man next to him shrugged.

"That's a plan. We should wait though. I need you to learn to cook too badly for anything like that. Our food quality is starting to suffer. That can't be allowed."

If Brian hadn't known for a fact that Mark's first mode was fear, which was a near terror of everything, he would have thought his obsession with food quality was it. Even knowing otherwise, it was easy to forget that from time to time. He nodded, since doing anything but agreeing with the man was foolish, if the topic was food. He was all pro there.

"Got it. I'll keep that one on the back burner, in case people start to figure out that I'm still around."

They ran in silence then, for nearly an hour. Both of them were used to that kind of thing, it seemed. That he was personally made sense. For nearly a year Brian had worked each day like this, often with no one to talk to.

Mark... He'd had it worse.

From time to time, he'd been sent to far away locations, on his own. That meant traveling in stasis time, for the most part. The man had walked, and biked, back and forth across the country more times than even he could remember now. Which was probably why he was in such killer shape endurance wise. Nothing mechanical would work when he froze time for everything except himself. Not unless he could wrap a field around it to let it move. Even then, things like engines wouldn't turn over at all. So he had to make do with simpler things. That meant bicycles, hand pulled wagons, and so on.

It also meant that for months, sometimes years, on end, the man was completely alone. He could see other people, but no one could speak to him. Not unless he came out of the state he was in. On a mission, that couldn't happen until he got to where he was going and fixed the problem though.

To everyone else it seemed like he just instantly did things, but Brian had a feeling that it was actually pretty hellish. That got something to occur to him. Finally. It really should have before.

"Mark, you need to eat in stasis time, right? But you can't cook anything?"

There was a head jerk, and then the man, who was still running, skittered in place, and ended up about five feet away, standing still, but looking calm. That meant his power had kicked in. It did that when he got scared. Then, almost anything could do that to him. Startled was probably closer to the real issue though. The man simply wasn't a coward. No one that did the things he did could be.

"That's right, why?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Brian waved the other man back into motion, trying to do it casually.

"It's just that I know how much you hate poorly prepared or pre-packaged foods, but really, you pretty much have to live on the stuff for months, don't you? That has to be less than fun for you."

For once the man gave a rather energetic nod.

"Darned straight! I'd burn Little Debbie to the ground, if it wasn't for the fact that she's kept me alive so often. Worse, I have to steal it all too. I can't exactly afford to carry that kind of cash around. It would take a lot."

That was something that Brian really hadn't thought about before. Penny stealing things kind of made sense to him, but Mark? The man was so nice and calm that it just didn't seem likely, even after he was being told about it.

Then, really, did he care? It was theft, but done to keep the man alive, while he went off to save other lives. It was still bad, technically, but Brian decided not to cast stones. His power forced him to kill people, after all. He'd also stolen things to get that done, too. Borrowed them for a while. Things like cars, trucks, and more than once a bicycle. It had been needed at the time. Come to think of it, a few times he'd taken food too.

From Mark once, actually.

"I hear you. I used to love those things though. Especially the strawberry shortcake rolls. Those things are horrible, and I know it, but even thinking about it is making me hungry. I should run faster. I'll be by later, with whatever people I can get together for the kitchen?"

Mark nodded, but turned that into a head shake.

"I can make real strawberry shortcake that will change your mind about those things. Not tonight, but bring me that help, and I bet we can work something out..." It sounded almost like a bribe.

He ran then, before he started thinking too much about how hungry he was. He used to be kind of fat, and had managed to lose weight over the last year. Nearly sixteen months now, he knew. Fifteen months and twenty-seven days... and, depending on when he counted from, about six hours. The numbers flowed into his brain without him asking for them to.

Like they used to.

When he was a child, and being turned into a math machine for his parents' amusement. It came back to him every now and then, but wasn't all that helpful to him most of the time now. No one needed to live like that. Picking up speed, faster than he was supposed to go that day, he kept his thinking nearly at bay. Right up until he had to go and lift weights. That part was harder, since he started to think about foods he shouldn't eat again. There were a lot of things on that list too.

Not that he couldn't eat now. It just felt like anything he put in his mouth was going to make him too heavy to do his job. Saving people that needed his help. So he didn't eat most of the time, even when other people were watching him. Not really. He found ways to avoid it. Not consciously all the time, but enough so that when he thought about it, Brian realized he was probably only getting about half the calories he was supposed to each day. Which explained why he kept losing weight.

As he finished his assigned routine he winced, and started toward the front door of the place. They didn't have elevators, just two sets of stairs, so there would always be a way out. Oddly enough, so many people had been trapped at different times in the old building that a lot of them kind of liked the idea of not being too deep. Having more than one good way out too.

The men's shower room was on the end he normally used. The one he thought of as the main stairwell. The lady's space was on the other side, a long way away, since the whole place was huge. He needed to take his clothing with him when he worked out, but no one would steal from the lockers in there. Not on purpose. At the old base there had been laundry done for them daily. Here they had to do their own. He knew how, so it wasn't too big of a deal, but some of the others still needed help, even after the weeks they'd been in the new place. Like it was hard to figure out how to separate colors from whites?

Two months, six days. He stopped himself before he got to the hours and minutes. Even forcing himself not to think about it consciously, the stream of figures filtered through his subconscious mind. It was a never ending thing, even now. Most of the time he tried to ignore it, but that didn't mean it wasn't there all the time.

Penny, his friend, sat on one of the benches, completely nude. Invisible too, though he could see her like always. She was a bit transparent to him, but no one else would be able to see her that way. This was on the men's side of things, but she was obviously watching the others shower. That was, no doubt, because she was busily perving out at the moment.

It was an interesting group of people doing showering at the moment, too. Tobin, Denis, and Lobo, who looked like a lavender colored lobster. With claws. Also, as it seemed Penny had noticed, he was hung a bit like a horse. That part was lavender too, but seemed to be made of skin, not chitin.

That bit seemed to have her full attention, since she was sitting there on the wooden bench, diddling herself merrily, and staring at Lobo directly. There was no eye contact either, which was probably more than a bit impolite.

Brian stood there in shock for a moment, then shrugged. He didn't know if it was true or not, but the idea that Penny wasn't exactly who he thought she was didn't startle him like it should. To him she'd always seemed pretty innocent and shy, but was that really who she was when no one was watching? It didn't seem so, because after a few seconds she started gasping, then called out.

"Fuuuuck! Get over here and do me. Now. All three of you. One in each hole. Lobo, you get the pussy!" So, not that shy at all. She kept on in that vein too, her fingers working away at herself pretty well, until she finally screamed, at nearly the top of her lungs. "God! Oh, God!"

Then, without even bothering to turn around and see him, she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. The others couldn't, but to him she was as clear as she always was. Solid looking even, which had been the case ever since she'd started dyeing her skin all the time. Her first mode made it so she didn't like to be noticed. He'd thought she was shy, but it wasn't the same thing really. If it was then maybe a lot of shy people were a lot more wild inside than he thought?

Tobin came out first, but the others weren't too far behind, so Brian started taking his own clothes off and setting them on the bench near the locker he was using that day. Number seventeen. Penny didn't even turn until he opened it, to get his clean and dry towel.

"Brian? Oh... God." She tried to vanish then, in panic, which was normally enough to have most people forgetting she was even there, but he just shrugged. They were friends, but she was also being a pervert on a level that couldn't be allowed for the mental health of everyone else in the place.

"Hi Penny." He spoke out loud, his voice dry, almost bored sounding, and Tobin looked at him sharply, his towel suddenly in front of his green man parts. He was stick thin, but still about seventy times stronger than Brian was. Currently he was a brilliant shade of green, because he was actually shy and it was clear, being spied on.

"Brian... Is Penny in here with us?"

He nodded.

"Yep. Naked, and doing herself while watching you in the shower. By the way Lobo? I think she wants to have a date with you. At least from what she was just screaming while doing herself. I'd definitely ask her about it. Later, after she calms down enough to become visible again."

She stood up, embarrassed seeming, but suddenly mad, too. He got that one. There were only so many ways to respond to a thing like that, and begging for him not to tell anyone was right out, wasn't it?

"What the fuck, Brian! I have to live here you know! You can't tell them that! Everyone will make fun of me!" Her right hand was in a fist, which he ignored as he took his armor off. It was gray in places now, from constant wear. Soon it wasn't going to be any good, most likely. Worn too much for it to repair itself anymore. When that happened, he was probably going to be back on borrowed time. Then, he always had been, so it wasn't different, just a bit more apparent.

"Why not? If you're going to do things like that, you should really make yourself visible, so at least everyone else can be in on it too. Honestly Pen, if you were a guy doing the same thing, we'd probably kick you out. Now, you should apologize to everyone here. Especially me. I mean... This is... incredibly embarrassing for me." His words sounded dead, and harsh again, but he managed to relax, even as he got naked. His body wasn't perfect now, but it was scar free, and flat over the middle, finally. More than that, actually. He had abs, he noticed, looking down at them. A bit of leftover loose skin too, but it was nowhere close to the pudge that had been there before.

Denis hadn't said anything, or bothered to cover himself either. After he finished drying though, which he did while Brian spoke, he waved a bit and mouthed... "Where is she?"

Brian pointed casually. What happened next was interesting enough though.

Denis stared into space, and after a few seconds, Penny was standing there, fist still clenched, but sagging a bit, relaxing totally. Completely visible to everyone. After all, she had to keep a certain level of muscle tension to stay invisible, and it was clear to Brain that Denis had just used his power to make her relax, almost totally.

The man, who had short curly hair, pumped his fist in the air.

"Hah! Got it! Even without being able to see you."

The other two men covered themselves, but it was Lobo who spoke first.

"You really want to date me?" The words were almost sweetly innocent sounding. Also a bit too ready to be betrayed.

Penny gasped, but then let out a long sigh.

"I... Really, I just want to have sex with you. The rest of you, too. It's hard to find someone, and ever since Lancaster broke up with me, I haven't had much luck that way."

Brian hadn't known that she'd been sleeping with anyone at all, much less Lancaster, but, he let that part go. There was a time when that would have really bothered him, but she'd made it clear she only liked him as a friend. Besides, he had Mary now, who was great.

Penny kept talking, almost as if she couldn't help herself.

"Brian first though? If he wants? I'm so embarrassed right now. What are you doing to me Denis? Making me relax... and tell the truth? I'd rather you didn't."

The man nodded, smiling in a slightly assholish manner. It was a thing he was good at, having a long history of that kind of thing.

"I worked the trick up just for you. Hobbs has been working with me on how to do it for months. I'm missing my Star Wars collection. Fess up, did you take it?"

"No. Why would I do that? It's kind of a stupid movie. Everyone always goes on about it like it's perfect, but really, it's kind of so-so, at best. The one with the teddy bears is the best of them. Well, except Jar-Jar. He was cute. I liked the little kid, too. He couldn't act his way out of a paper bag, but he whined less than the other guys did."

The man let his mouth drop open as Brian moved toward the shower. As long as they weren't hurting Penny, it wasn't really his business. Honestly, even if they were just going to slap her around a little, it was probably fair. Not that they would. He wouldn't let them either, and knew it.

The girl snickered a bit.

"Brian doesn't even know that we've done it. A lot."

That got him to stop.

"Waah?" He let his voice go back to its normal pitch for it, which got everyone to stop and stare. It sounded funny now, and he was loud enough that it was heard over the falling warm water.

Penny nodded, slowly. Her face almost flat, and without expression. She was staring at him now, her eyes going lower than was strictly comfortable.

"I used to slip into your room, when you were new. Before you could see me? After they drugged you so that you'd sleep? We must have done it ten or twenty times. It was funny, because you kept telling everyone that you weren't getting any, but you were. I even gave you a handjob at dinner once. Mark almost caught me, but I covered well enough that he thought I'd just dropped my napkin."

He looked at the others, but then shrugged. It was bad, but he needed a shower. The one thing couldn't actually be allowed to stop the other.

Now he felt suddenly dirty, anyway, since Penny had just admitted to basically raping him over and over again. In public too, it sounded like.

It was Tobin that took charge then though. His voice actually upset sounding. Angry, not just shy.

"Get out. Denis, make her go now. We'll deal with this later. I can't... Who knows what she's done to everyone else? I... Get out. Now. We will talk about this later. I need clothes. Possibly a stick."

The tiny man sounded halfway to freaked out about it, too. Brian... honestly, he didn't really care. That was a hard thing to admit, but it was true. Once the idea probably would have been a welcome one to him, since he would have let her do anything she wanted, even if she didn't tell him about it. If she needed to use him, in order to feel good about herself or whole... Except that wasn't right, was it? If it had been her being raped, he wouldn't have cut whoever had done it any slack, would he?

Still, she was their friend, even if she'd been a bit bad in the past. Before she even got to the door, he took a deep breath, and then blew it out.

"I think this is part of her first mode, in a way. Not that we won't have to do something about it now. Not that I know what to do. Worse, I bet Christian knows all about this, too. She nearly has to, doesn't she? She's a telepath."

Then he went to wash up, not even bothering to think about it, except that he had to, since now he was worried about his friend, Penny. She was that, wasn't she? Even if he did kind of hate her sometimes?

She wasn't bad, just... Flawed. Like they all were. He could see it, but didn't know if anyone else really would. The girl was sick, not evil.

Even if she did seem to have no problem killing people. Then, from the outside he doubted he looked like he did either. Given everything, he mostly didn't, anymore.

He'd slaughtered, and even tortured to death, psycho-killers who hadn't killed even one percent of what he had himself. The only real difference was that he did it to protect others. The innocent. The victim. Those people did it for their own reasons. That made him right, and them wrong.

Didn't it?

It was a thing he didn't really like to think about, but he didn't really know that every person he fought was a killer, or even that people were going to die each time he traded out, did he? It had seemed like it, and he certainly felt like it was true, but what if he were just delusional? There was no proof that he wasn't just showing up to kill people most of the time. Not outside of what his own power told him to do.

After he got himself clean, studiously refusing to look for an invisible girl as he did it since he couldn't be bothered to care anymore about stupid shit like that, he got dressed in his armor, complete with knife. Just in case he had to fight. Then Brian walked back to his room, carrying his soiled clothing with him, as well as the now damp towel.

It was a nice beige thing. Soft and absorbent. All of them at the new place were exactly the same, and were washed communally. He tried to do a load of the things every time he washed anything else. Brian knew he used enough of them that it was only fair.

His life pretty much required that of him. He sweated most of the time, anymore.

He started thinking about other things, after he arranged his tiny room, a single, and put his clothing in the hamper. It was a lot less space than he was used to having now, but he'd had smaller digs, when he lived with Doug. He'd made a point of giving his pal the larger space at the house they'd shared. That wasn't what he was thinking about now though.

No, that was different.

Even when he got to the upper level, with its open plan and large lounging spaces, he managed to distract himself, going over the things that had caught his attention. It wasn't about Penny either. He already knew what had to happen there, didn't he? He felt it, inside. They were going to shame the girl a bit, and then her power would make everyone there forget that anything had happened. It was part of her power to make people forget her, and it was clear that the second Denis released her, that part of Penny would strike out with a vengeance. He could feel it coming off of her in waves already.

No, it was the other thing he brooded on that bothered him. It felt selfish, but was it? If he got sick and died, or even grew weaker, then others would suffer, when he failed to save them. Worse, a part of him didn't care about those other people really. It just wanted him to not look bad.

There was a crowd around Penny in the front space, the living room area, more or less. They didn't seem all that hostile, even as she stood there, completely visible, going on about what she'd done to each of them, one by one. It was a lot. Most of it was no worse than what she'd done to him, physically, but some of the people objected to it a lot more.

Especially Warren.

Carl, who'd also been one of her targets seemed to roughly shrug the whole thing off, and barely seemed concerned by the news, but his boyfriend looked about ready to punch the subdued girl right in the head. Mark had mentioned him being a bit quick tempered lately, hadn't he?

Denis was standing directly behind the visible Penny, as everyone else glared at her. She couldn't even shrink away, being too relaxed for that at the moment. Near the front, looking almost angry, was the Director. The old one, Kevin Moore. It was so natural for him to take control that everyone just sort of let him do it, even if he wasn't any more in charge of them now than anyone else. Except that habit was powerful, wasn't it?

"Calm now, everyone. I'm sure we can work this out, without violence." He was staring directly at Warren. The thing was, Brian wasn't certain of that at all. The man wasn't Infected, but he'd fight if he thought someone was being wronged. Even if it was a bad idea. Like "jumping a super soldier" kind of poor plan. Penny had pretty much raped him, and as she spoke about it, the news went from pretty much to being about as bad as it could get without a gang being involved.

"Then I took Georgia's big vibrator, and lubed it up really well and shoved it up your butt. You didn't know it was there, but you came anyway. Gobs and gobs of it. That was kind of gross. Don't worry, I washed it before I put it back." That last bit was addressed to Georgia, who oddly enough seemed to be one of the only people that wasn't too worked up over what Penny had been up to. Not even the theft portions. Everyone already knew that part though, didn't they?

Warren apparently wasn't a fan of being anally sodomized, even by a decently cute girl. That probably made it worse for him, even. Sure enough he jumped forward, his fist lashing out with pretty good speed. Not so much that no one else in the room could react however. It wasn't Brian that stopped him though, since he really was too far away, unless he switched with the girl, who wasn't going to be hurt that night. Except her pride. That was in for a beating. She deserved it, but it would be hard on her for a long time after that. Even if everyone else forgot what she was saying, he wouldn't. Just when she'd started to make real friends too.

No, it was of all people, Prime that moved in front of the man, taking the punch meant to smash open Penny's head on his armored chest. He didn't look smug about it though. In fact, he moved in very carefully, and gave Warren a hug.

"I know, this is bad. Horrible. We have to do something about it, but hurting her won't fix what she's done." Then he kept holding the man, who started crying.

"That bitch... I... It's like before. People get to do whatever they want to me, and I can't..." There was real sobbing then, and Chris, their friendly super-telepath, ran from the room.

That was too bad, since Brian had some tough questions for her, too. It was possible that she knew that as well and was trying to dodge out on the idea. Not that she couldn't just lie to him. If she claimed that she didn't know about what Penny had been getting up to, there wasn't a lot he could say about it. It wasn't really likely though, if he understood things correctly. She seemed to pick up things from people all the time without meaning to.

Instead he moved in and patted Warren on the back, until he was pushed out of the way, fairly gently, by Carl. The intense man, their former lead trainer, held his love tight, and rocked him gently.

Then he glared a bit at Scott, speaking with a bit more venom than the large gold colored man was used to.

"Do something about this."

Like he could?

None of them really had the power to punish Penny, unless they just killed her. Oh, they might lock her up, but they lacked a prison. Beating her would end up with bodies all over the place. Even Denis trapping her for a few moments was pretty much a trick. He'd found her once, and caught her, but if he let her go, she wouldn't be trapped as easily again.

Worse, Brian wasn't really certain that his friend, someone he was nearly close to even, had a conscience anymore. It didn't work to punish a person who was like that. You either killed them, or let them go. They couldn't afford to end her life right then, so it meant she was basically going to get away with everything she'd done.

She was one of the only people on the planet that their arch enemy, Braid, couldn't see in the time stream. Brian was the other. Along with Becky, who was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Probably since she was spending most of her time slapping Braid in the head as hard as she could, day and night.

That wasn't too hard, unfortunately, and while she could move some objects, the best she could throw so far weighed a few ounces. If she ever learned to do more, then Braid would be dead. He'd always kind of thought that it would be him making the kill there, but honestly, that didn't matter, as long as she was dead. Her ability to see all the possible futures was too hard to beat. Worse, the woman seemed to think that he, Proxy, would be the one to take her out as well. Even being unable to see him, if it was really true, she'd managed to keep escaping, because she knew that he was a problem.

Penny however, was barely even a thing to her.

So, for the time being, they needed her, and the girl, the woman, had to stay alive and able to work. Willing to as well. Otherwise things might just end up with millions, or more, dead.

Still, it wasn't time for him to tell everyone else what was going to happen. Soon enough they'd all forget about it anyway. Denis kept the girl confessing, and by the end of it, near three in the afternoon, almost everyone there had been gotten to be the target of her words at least once.

He clapped his hands then, softly.

"All right. Penny, you're on kitchen duty from now on. With me. You don't leave my sight, and if I can't be there, Mark will watch you. Twenty-four-seven. You understand that? Jason, Tobin, we need you for that, too. One other person as well. Maybe more than that." After all, they couldn't make Penny do a good job, could they?

Brian looked at the distortion in space before anyone else did, to see that Mary, his lovely and loving alien girlfriend was there. She was great. Sweet and just feisty enough to keep things interesting without being a pain all the time. In the main she was pretty easy going, and looked almost his age. With her was Marcia, who stared at the assemblage of bodies with suspicion, and a teddy bear.

Except, it moved on its own, and looked around the space, curiously.

He, and it was pretty clear that it was a male, had on a white T-shirt, dark blue jeans and dark blue deck shoes. The kind with big white laces. His face was cute though. He had rounded cheeks, and deep brown fur all over, at least the exposed flesh, and looked decently muscular underneath it all if rounded a bit. Like a fairly idealized computer animation of what a human like bear might look like. If it wasn't made creepy.

Crossing her arms, Marcia looked at everyone. Her hair was a bit of brown fuzz on the top, having been melted off not too long before. That was done by Lancaster, who was well across the room, glaring at Penny. They'd gone out, so that seemed like a good idea to Brian. He sort of felt like doing that himself.

That didn't happen though. Instead he waved a bit, and pointed at the subdued Penny.

"She got caught in the men's shower. Denis managed to hit her with a truth compulsion, and forced her to relax so she can't get away. It seems that she's... Pretty much she's been molesting everyone in the place. For years. Some of it was flat out rape. Stealing too, of course. Since we don't have lockup here, she's going to be guarded all the time. Right now that means being in the kitchen. We need more people for it. Is anyone going to volunteer? It would especially help if you know how to cook. I don't know how really, and we're only going to need so many pots washed."

No one said anything for a while, which got the teddy bear to take a step forward. He was holding a military style duffle in his right hand. That was a good thing, at least. He had fingers. They looked a bit stubby, and like they ended in slightly flat claws, but he could hold things. Life was hard enough, without being unable to open a door.

"I can do that. I was a cook in the army, about forever ago. I'll need to stay by the food anyway." The voice was deep, considering he was maybe five feet tall. Everyone stared at him now, including Penny. She was still being controlled though, so let her face turn into a grin.

"You can sleep with me. I promise not to do anything to you... Except that I totally would. I haven't had a teddy bear in a long time."

Rather than take offense, the bear shook his head, and let out a low chuckle that didn't show on his face. Or, it did, but he looked a bit like he was grinning constantly. The inside of his mouth was wet though, and his teeth looked pretty normal. Like anyone else's. Flat, not long fangs.

"Normally I'd consider it, but if you're in trouble right now, we should avoid that, and let one of the other women here that crave my soft furry hide have a crack at me. Now, let's get to that? Oh, I guess I should introduce myself?" He glanced back at Marcia, and winked at Mary, who smiled at him. "I think I have the order of things down well enough. I'm Edward Rigsby. Call me Rigs. Former Army, martial arts instructor after that, and later, comic book writer. I popped three months ago. As you might imagine, that put me out of a job." He tilted his head and looked around the room, seeming decently charming. Then he held up his stubby fingers, to show what he meant about being out of work. "I can't type worth crud now. My ability is to create and manifest energy beings. Very powerful and complex ones."

He stopped there, but Marcia cleared her throat.

"Not to be a bitch, Rigs, but first mode? They'll need to know. It's kind of important."

"Right. Well, you can't help but be yourself, can you?" That was playful, and he batted at her arm, lightly enough that it didn't make a sound when he connected. "So... first mode."

Then he went totally silent for a bit, and shook his head.

"Homicidal rage. Constant, and never ending."

There was no softness to the words, but it was hard to credit. It was only that Chris came back and started nodding while looking at him that got everyone else to get the idea.

The man in front of them, who looked like a children's toy, and seemed pretty cheerful considering he'd only been Infected for three months, wanted to end them all. More than that, he wasn't doing it, for some reason. Not even trying or coming off like a murderous a-hole. That spoke of something that Brian understood immediately. For some reason, this being was able to defeat the feeling that tried to overwhelm him constantly. True he wasn't being attacked or anything, or pushed at the moment, but that was probably why Marcia had insisted he let them know.

The creation of energy beings was his power...

Brian nodded.

"This is Team Four?"

The bear let his head come up, "the one and only. Pleased to meet you."

That was enough for Brian at the moment. Everyone else actually too, since they wanted to get back to punishing Penny. Before Brian, or even Kevin, could say anything, Rigs shushed them all. Gently.

"We already have a plan. This guy here told us what to do. We're watching the girl, and making sure she gets help. Now, who else is going to help out in the kitchen? How about you, toots?"

He could have picked anyone in the room, but his paw was held out toward Cardy. She was fast, and her face looked a bit like she didn't eat enough, but Brian could see him being attracted to her. In a room full of angry people, she was the one just sitting there, looking at a little silver colored figurine. It was a unicorn. If that didn't say "happy and well adjusted" then what did?

She stood, fast, and stuffed the little statue into the front of her jeans pocket on the right.

"I guess. What do I have to do?"

Brian smiled at her, since she'd always been nice enough to him. Not that they were close or anything.

"Listen to Mark and Warren. Also, Warren, please try to not kill Penny yet. We'll let you beat her up later. In the gym. Maybe Rigs can help you with that? Penny turns profoundly invisible. Telepaths can hear her though, and you have to have someone like that in your set up, right? There might be other ways of doing that too. Warren is regular." Not Infected.

The bear got the idea though.

"And still standing here with the rest of us, in hiding from the world to keep you all alive. That takes balls. Violence isn't the way though. I might be able to come up with something though, if that's all you got." As they headed toward the stairs, the fuzzy man glanced around at the ones that came with him. "So, names and all that? I have Warren, who's one of the bosses. Mark, Denis, Kerry and Scott. The rest of you are... Well, Argos, but that can't be your real name, can it? Peterson?" He looked at Tobin, who was half a foot shorter than he was. "And Proxy. Again, not exactly the real deal, name wise."

Everyone looked a bit surprised, except Cardy, who held out her hand and gave her name.

"Speed. I have a fascination with small figurines. Argos is the cutie next to Prime. Jason. Tobin Peterson, and Brian Yi, playing the part of Proxy today. Our villain is Penny Cooper. Cellophane." She didn't growl the last words, but it was close enough that Brian smiled.

After all, that was pretty close to what was going on here, wasn't it?

Penny had been partially released it seemed, and while she was still visible, and Denis was looking at the back of her head, she didn't seem to be half as stupefied any longer.

"It wasn't like that though. I was alone, for years. No one saw me, or spoke to me. Not really. I did things and took stuff, but it was just to survive. Do any of you have any idea what it's like to be that isolated? It got to me, so I... Found ways to make it better. That's all. No one knew about it, so it didn't really matter, did it?"

Warren punched her.

It wasn't too hard, and no one stopped him, even though Mark could have. Cardy too, if it came to that kind of thing. She was fast enough that she could have probably taken half the people in the IPB in a fight.

The blow was only on the arm too, which got her to wince, but not vanish. Denis was holding her too close to perfectly relaxed for that. If she managed to tense up enough it would happen, but letting someone feel relaxed was well within his abilities.

"Hey! I've never hit you, so watch it."

"Noooo, you just shoved a giant rubber cock up my ass. Without my permission. Guess what, that pretty much means I hate you now. Why shouldn't I do whatever I can to get what little power I can back? Raping a person using super powers... That would get you the death penalty in most places. This isn't France, witch." He was gearing up for another punch, when Rigs cleared his throat.

"Dude, you're embarrassing us with this in front of the new guy. Though seriously... Penny is it?"

She answered looking down at the new man.

"Yes?" There was no meekness to her words. Just a bit of clearly growing anger.

"You can't treat people like that. I don't know what things were like for you before, but that doesn't seem to be holding now. You aren't locked in solitary anymore. That can be hard to beat, isolation like that, but now you have to change. If you don't, then... Well, like Marcia told me. If you slip too much, for too long, the rest of the peeps here will have to try and kill you. That's about all they have with someone like you or me."

No one spoke for a minute, but when Penny did she sounded defiant. Not shy and retiring at all. Nearly wicked.

"Do you think they can really stop me? I'm a class six. Maybe a seven." That got some of the people to look at her, but Brian knew it was true, unlike Cardy or Jason.

It was the tweeky woman that spoke first, in shock.

"What? That can't be right... Can it?"

Brian walked down to the third level where the dining facility was, and finally nodded. It was time for everyone to know... everything. All they could share. Keeping things a secret wouldn't help them anymore.

"Yeah. We had to hide a lot from the government. Our own people. Mark is at least the same in class that way. Me too. Rigs, you're what, a class nine?" He was guessing, but the bear let out a single sound, a huff.

"Probably an eight. I make class six and seven constructs, and can keep five going at once. So far they can pretty much do anything I can dream up for them, too. Telepathy, teleportation, healing. Even energy based crud. So you get the picture. I'm the freaking bomb. That's why they put me here. All my people, my team, they can functionally teleport themselves, and go wherever they need to. I don't even have to know what they're doing. I set up Coordinator for that. Right now that bird girl at the hole in the ground has him. I just power them, and dream them up. It's a huge pain in the..." Looking down he pounded a cute looking paw into his gut. "Middle. I need to eat a lot when they're all deployed, and doing their thing. They'll be around, no doubt. Sooner or later."

Cardy touched his soft looking furry arm. Brian didn't, but it seemed silky soft. Unreal, but not exactly in the uncanny valley either.

The woman spoke gently, with a little smile on her face.

"Why are you here though? I don't get it? Shouldn't you be there, out in the real world, so that you can see what's going on? I don't get it."

Jason touched her, in much the same way she was doing to the new guy.

"Don't you though? He's here, so that if he gets out of control, or just loses it, Proxy can kill him, before he destroys the world."

That got them all to be totally silent for a bit.

Finally the bear looked at him, seeming to smile still. It was a fixed thing, but to tell the truth, he didn't get any sense of menace from the guy in particular. He felt normal, horrible first mode or not. In control, and relaxed.

"Well, it could be one of you others. That's the deal though. Boss lady said it pretty plainly, even though I was nothing but sweet to her. I either keep my stuff together like I have been, or I end up dead. And here you thought the inviso-girl was going to be the hot topic of the day, didn't ya?"

Brian nodded, that was, actually, pretty close to true.

Chapter two

They were two hours into the work for the evening meal when Brian realized that he was a giant prick. Not that he didn't know that, in general, but it was suddenly acute. A sense that he was, without a doubt, the very worst boyfriend ever. Mary, his girlfriend, had been there, and he hadn't even said hello to her.

What kind of tool did that?

Clearly the kind he was.

Sure there was a magic teddy bear to distract him, and the fact that he was a rape victim, but even given that crap, he needed to do better. It was what he was thinking when he traded out. The sense of it came fast and hard, but with no real information about who he was trading out with came with it. For a moment he didn't get anything from the scene in the slightest, but realized that the smiling man in front of him, who held a small, very strange looking pistol, was familiar to him.

A person that he'd seen not three hours before, in fact.

"Mickey?"

Rather than try to attack him, the obvious doppelganger of Sure Shot nodded, and put the weapon away, in the knapsack he was carrying.

"I was told that there was another me here. I'm Jake. My real name is Mickey Robson. Um, I'm kind of from a different reality. I come in peace?"

It was ridiculous, except Brian did know several people from a different reality, didn't he? The one that Mary, Hobbs and Liz came from. For that matter, he'd been there himself. It kind of made silly claims like that seem a bit more realistic. That, or someone was faking being his buddy from the base. Some kind of shape shifter or projective telepath.

The man looked harmless though. Even more so than his Mickey did, which was saying something. The man was always smiling and happy. They were identical nearly, but paying attention he could see the difference. This one was a few pounds heavier, and his nose had been broken at some point. It added character to the face, and was minor, but real enough. Like a twin brother, but not so perfect they couldn't be told apart if you paid attention.

"Ah. Well, if I came for you then you were just about to kill someone, no matter how nice you seem. Can you explain that?"

The man shook his head a little, then stopped, clearly thinking. Not worried about Proxy being there in the slightest.

"That might have happened. I was in the Zombie war, about a hundred years ago, now. Time doesn't really run the same way, in all the worlds. Anyway, I had to be good at head shots back then, and while the rapid stun is supposed to be non-lethal, a few shots to the eye could take a person down. It's been a while since I had to do anything like this. Things have been pretty peaceful for me, for a long time." He shrugged, almost in a relaxed fashion, and smiled a little larger.

Brian could feel peace and love coming off of him. It was a bit like Lady Glory's power, but not as strong. He didn't let it influence him, but also didn't go for his knife.

"Okay then. Who was coming for you? What was he like?" Brian could feel that the man was Infected, and had been upset, but not why.

"Big. Muscular. Like a body-builder from back before? No one really does that kind of thing now. In my world. Um, dark? I'd noticed that he seemed upset, and asked if he needed help, but that seemed to offend him. He was going to hit me, so I armed myself, then you were there. That's very useful, by the way. You're being much more easy going about the whole thing. Is there anything I can do to help you in your tasks?" The words were so genuine that Brian kind of wanted to simply think the man was just a telepathic shape shifter sent by Braid. Otherwise he'd have to admit to himself that he was generally a pain in the ass. The contrast between him and this other man was huge, and didn't leave him in a very good light, by comparison.

That wasn't the case though. The longer he stood with the man, the more it became clear that he was really who he said. Some shmoe from another reality. Visiting.

Why that was Brian didn't know. This wasn't where he'd have picked to go on vacation, if given a choice.

"Well, I think that if one of us runs away far enough that will fix things for now. Can I ask why you're here? You don't really seem the type to be conquering places... Also, Zombie wars? That's a thing? For real?"

The nice seeming fellow who looked like another kind and gentle man, nodded.

"Yeah. A long time ago. A group that called themselves the Technologists tried to wipe out humanity. The other races, the hidden ones, they managed to pull together in time to stop that from happening. It was nearly too late for us regular people, but we pulled it out, at the end. The Technologists were trying to stop Global Climate change. They'd run out of options, so decided on genocide. It was really their own people that stopped them in the end. I ended up being the world's religious leader. The Very Good Man. It's a thing there. Kind of like Jesus, if he had to shoot people in the head and tell everyone to play nice for a hundred years? Anyway, we already have another one. Hope. She's a hundred now, and people keep acting like they need me to hold their hands through every single issue." The man grinned and shrugged. It was kind of familiar. From Mickey.

Brian didn't doubt the story at all, though he knew that he should. Nothing inside of him screamed that he was being compelled to do it though. It just felt honest. Like the story was correct, no matter how insane it might seem. Then, really, did it? The Zombies were a bit out there, but some crazy group of a-holes trying to kill everyone else? That wasn't so farfetched, really.

"Okay. I can buy that. Why come here though? Just so people couldn't lean on you anymore?"

"Pretty much. I'm kind of built to help people, so my friend Skolu sent me here. She's the head of the Outer Worlds Exploration Corps. We have a lot of tech from the Technologists. Hence me being alive after so long. Really, I'm on my way to meet up with the other me. Do you know where he is? You called me by name."

Nodding, he grinned, since the man was being darned infectious that way.

"I do. I can't tell you how to get to him though. We're kind of in hiding. So it won't help you much."

The other man, Jake he'd said, didn't even seem sad to hear it.

"Oh? Well, I can go and help someplace else. If I can. Really, all I can do is pretty much just tell you all to work together and try to get along. If you can manage that, I'm probably not really needed here. I heard a war just started though? That's pretty much the opposite of my shtick, that whole working together idea?"

No doubt. Not that Brian could see how the man could really help. Still, there had to be a way to do something for him.

"Okay... I think... After you run away, find someplace where you can make a call, you know what a phone is?"

That got a happy nod, so Brian kept going.

"Then call the IPB, and ask to speak to Marcia Turner. She won't believe you, when you tell her your story, since her first mode is suspicion, but tell her to call me and I'll see about getting you someplace safe. She's not a bad person, just kind of driven right now. I have the number. Nothing to write it down on though, naturally."

That had the man pulling out something that looked a bit like a pack of playing cards from his pack. It was all silver, but when he pulled on the edges it turned into a screen. Stretching out like putty, only ending up a rectangle. When he tapped in the surface the thing chirped.

"Here we go, what's the number?"

Brian gave it quickly, trying not to let his voice go harsh. It was odd that this man didn't seem like a threat, but Brian hadn't traded places again yet. That probably meant that if he left, as gentle as this Jake seemed, someone was going to die anyway. It wouldn't be him either, or Brian would feel a need to kill him, in order to protect the angry infected man.

A voice, coming from the pad spoke, almost instantly.

"IPB, Director Turner's Office, this is Bridget Chambers. How may I help you today?"

He blinked. The man from another world had a magic phone... that worked with their system? How cool was that?

"Bridget? This is... Um, well you know. Damn, this line isn't encrypted, is it?" He looked away, but the not-Mickey nodded.

"Yes. I doubt anything from this time can really trace you, even if their phone is monitored on the other end. Let me go to level two though. We don't have a lot of spying or anything where I'm from, but it's different tech, so it should work pretty well for that right now. No one here even knows to try to crack it, much less how."

For some reason Brian just trusted the man.

"That's actually pretty helpful, if it works. Well, Bridgie, it's me. I need to arrange a pick-up for a man. He's... Sure Shot, except not. He's called Jake and is from a different reality. That, or he's mind screwing me pretty well. Can you set that up? We're... I don't really know the location."

There was a city nearby, but no visible sign on the road, Brian didn't recognize it, but Jake, being clearly more clever than he was at the moment, made a few taps on the surface the pad and spoke.

"Location, given the current grid?"

The thing spoke then, the voice sounding like a woman. Not Bridget though. Her voice was higher in pitch and sounded a bit like a munchkin from that old movie. This one was kind of sexy.

"Current location, Bowington Colorado. Approximately fifteen miles south-west of designated target location." The man waved at it a little his eyes pretty happy seeming.

"Seriously?" There must have been an annoyed tone to his voice then for some unknown reason.

Because the pad answered him, sounding a bit like that itself.

"Why, yes. You doubt me for some reason? I'm almost always right, you know. It's what I'm designed for." She didn't seem too happy with him. Well, he had that effect on some women. Really, most days it was all of them.

"Sorry. Well, Bridgie, I guess we don't need a pick-up, we can do it from here. Talk to you later?"

"Got it. I miss you."

"I miss you too. Later."

The line cut then, almost instantly.

"Fine then. Well, Jake, I guess if you run, um, that way," He pointed, a direction that was away from the road they were on at nearly a ninety degree angle. "And follow the old highway to the left when you hit it, you'll wind up almost at our doorstep. I guess I can send someone to meet you?"

That was going to be Mickey, he decided. No one else would believe this guy and his strange tale. Zombies. That couldn't be real.

They'd be too easy to take out.

Finally, Brian started to buzz a bit, so turned to run the other way, trying to get out of sight of Jake, since it felt like the right thing to do.

"Go! I'll see you later? In a few hours?"

The other man turned and started jogging away, not fast, but persistently. He called out though.

"Thank you! You've been very helpful!"

Then he was back in the kitchen, where he'd been thinking about what a giant tool he was. Definitely the worst boyfriend ever. Mark and Denis came at him, making him have to freeze, before he tried to kill either one of them. Denis checked him for wounds, but there were none. So far it hadn't been that kind of day at all.

"I'm good, it wasn't a fight. I... Actually I saw Mickey from team one, except he's a hundred year old man from a Zombie universe. Also, he's Jesus, I think. Coming here, too. In order to tell everyone to work together." Then he smiled, because it kind of sounded like he'd been dropping acid, now that he said it all out loud. For a moment he wondered if it was real or not.

Except that, inside, he knew it really was. Important, too.

Penny snorted at him, sounding angry, as if he were the one responsible for the trouble she was in? True, he could have covered for her, but she really needed help.

That didn't keep her from speaking though. He was the only person there that heard her, since Denis had lost track of her, and she was making herself really invisible. Probably by reflex.

"Somebody did a number on your head. We should get you to medical." That was what they were calling the one doctor that had come with them. The rest had been off at a conference when the building went up. All the nurses had been away too, for different reasons. It was suspicious, but the head Doc had "died" with the rest of them, and a lot of people knew that the IPB had been spreading their resources out for a while before that. So far no one had even hinted at thinking they were alive, as a group.

"I don't need to see Kiko, we just need to send a car. Mickey can do it. It's not like he'll mistake the man for anyone else. Just..." He walked away, because it was clear that no one was going to believe him.

Sure Shot was on the main level, smiling happily. His first mode was joy, but his power allowed him to hit anything he aimed for with a projectile. He didn't just shoot guns either. He could throw knives, or even rocks, and leave a person crippled, or dead, even if they tried to dodge. It made him a class three on paper, and in practice, since he really was too nice and kind to be a fighter. If he'd been more normal that way he'd have been a class four. The power rated it, but the man just didn't have it in him to kill like that. It was a good thing, Brian decided. The world needed fewer people like Proxy. Not more.

He was playing a video game with Dave, the blue man. He was nice, but too distinctive to send out into public. Mickey looked like he could be almost anyone really. Average, in an unmemorable way.

"Hi! Mickey, I need you to go and get someone. He's walking this way on the old Highway North of here? You'll need a car. You'll recognize him. Try not to crash when you get it. He's pretty nice by the way."

The man stopped playing the game, which looked to be a shooter, rather than something more in depth, like Final Fantasy. He kind of liked both kinds of games, for all that he hadn't touched a game controller in over a year. It was funny though, since it was clear that Dave was kicking his ass at it. If it had been real life, it wouldn't have been going that way in the slightest.

"Sure thing." Mickey stood up instantly, and since he was going alone, didn't think that it seemed dangerous. It wasn't, but it was strange that the man didn't ask more questions, he just started to walk away. Like Brian had prepared him for what was coming?

He hadn't, so he rolled his eyes as the man turned to head toward the front door. It was a nice and very sturdy thing that looked like wood, but was actually perfectly balanced two inch steel inside. No one would just kick it open on a whim. Not unless they were already inside, at least. Meaning one of the Infected living there.

"Wait... You're going to meet a man called Jake. He looks almost exactly like you, and claims to be from a different reality. I'd send one of these other people with you, but you're all too trigger happy and high strung right now." He managed to sound like his old self on that one, which was playful and almost relaxed. Mickey grinned, getting it, but Dave stared.

"You're saying that we're all too dangerous to go?"

"Yup. Well, I could send Karen, I guess, but she's too high profile. Way too much so. Me too, for all I keep going out. How I haven't been outted in the press yet I don't know. That will come soon, I think. Probably in the next few days. Honestly... I think I have to go back to the IPB soon. Tonight." He knew it then, the idea hitting him way too hard to mistake for anything else. It nearly stole his breath.

Crud. So much for his getting a vacation, and using the time to kill Braid, then. In fact, he didn't have that much time left. He needed to come back before the footage ran. Publicly.

Grand.

"Fuck. Well, go and get him, Mick? Tell him I said hi? Also, what are you two doing in here playing games? Mark needs help watching Penny. I think I have to leave. Now. Damn-it. No one else can really keep an eye on our little trouble maker either." For half a second he didn't know what he was going to do at all, but looking around he noticed the hallway where the offices were. Not everyone bothered getting one, since they weren't really working, but Christian had. She was the one in charge of the communications network, too. Telepathy. It wasn't impossible to crack, but it would be pretty hard, and Braid couldn't see what they, or anyone, was thinking.

Just the results of it, but if they were careful they could plan in secret from her.

He left the boys to handle the incoming man, and stalked down the hallway, his thoughts a bit agitated. Until he calmed them, like Mark had taught him to. That had really been for pain control, but it was useful for a lot of things. Like sneaking up on telepaths.

Chris was good, but she actually blinked at him when he opened the door. Standing there without a thought in the world.

"Brian? I didn't notice you. Is something wrong?" She actually seemed concerned for him. That hadn't always come across too clearly, in the past. He knew, inside that it was really just because he'd almost always been in pain, which hurt her nearly as much as it did him, but it had been hard for him to separate that from personal rejection at the time.

It was probably related to the fact that he was a whining little bitch man, in his heart at least. A big part of him really wanted to go into the other room and play video games. Not eat Funyuns though. No, his new eating disorder was enough to make the very thought leaving him feeling slightly ill.

"Yeah. I need to go back to the IPB. Officially. I was seen earlier, and it's going to hit the news in a few hours. If I come back first it will be a lot less likely to be traced back to here. Can you get in touch with Mary and set that up for me? Please? Sooner is better. I think I'll have to take Penny too. It's going to concentrate our Braid fighting ability, which sounds good, but really isn't. I'd rather we were spread out, but I can't leave her here." He still sounded relaxed, at least. His voice nearly mellow.

He was going to blame Jake for that one. The man clearly had a real effect on people. Or at least him. Brian was kind of sad about not getting to hear the rest of his story, no matter how farfetched it was in the end. That could be a mind power though, or a trick.

"We also have a second Mickey coming in. He's called Jake. I need you and Martin Joabs to test him when he gets here. Make sure he's on the up and up."

The woman didn't even ask him to explain, even though he was trying to be mentally quiet. He knew things though, even if he wasn't thinking the words, and he didn't doubt that Chris could pick that up without much effort.

She nodded, "true, but it's such a relief, not being bombarded like most people do all the time. Denis is doing better that way, too. Now if I can just get the rest of the people here to take lessons. I do appreciate the effort, don't think for a moment it's going unnoticed. Now..." She fell silent, but not for too long, perhaps forty seconds. "Ah. Mary said that she can be here in fifteen minutes? Is that enough time?"

He didn't know. If Penny refused to go, then, well, that wouldn't matter. She had too, and would, even if he had to knock her out and carry her away.

"Should be. I'll set things up here. It shouldn't be..." He wondered how big of a fight Penny was going to give him.

Chris did something very strange then, and stuck her tongue out at him, while crossing her eyes. It was goofy, and while the cool blonde was many things, including kind of hot for a slightly older woman, she'd never managed that one around him before.

"I've just asked her to meet you in the front room, now. That will save time. I'm almost certain she's willing to leave. Funny, but being exposed as a rapist and thief has left her feeling more than a bit raw, for some reason." The words were a tiny bit hostile, he realized, and that was suddenly aimed in his direction.

"I didn't make it up. You know that though, don't you? Really, there's no way you could miss something like that going on, not over a span of years. Not even if she blanks your memory of it half the time." Blank mind and sounding calm or not, she got the idea. He was blaming her, at least a bit.

The woman just shrugged.

"You'll all get over it. There are so many things that happen around here. Not just here, either. Half of the things people do each day are close to criminal, Brian. I don't just mean the people you kill to protect others, either. Common things that they barely feel guilt over most of the time. If you think that Penny is the only one here that does things like that... Well, you'd be wrong. She's not even the only one that's abused you." She tried not to smile, but shook her head. "Of course you were there for what Marcia did to you in practice. That isn't normal though. Stripping you a half dozen times? No one else has that level of clothing damage. She enjoyed doing those things too. Don't let her tell you otherwise." She held up a hand, to stop him from speaking, but he wasn't planning to.

It really wasn't the first time he'd heard the idea. Both Becky, the ghost that used to live in his head, and Penny had mentioned it before.

She went on.

"I know that it's different, but my point is that even though I knew about it, there's almost no way I could have made it stop without doing things nearly as bad to her, myself."

She meant mind control. Brian had suspected it was a talent of hers for a while, but hadn't confirmed it with her. If she really could do that sort of thing, she was probably close to being a class seven as well. Not that it mattered, except that having Braid just happen to jump from a very high place might be handy, if the woman ever happened by one while she was paying attention? Oh, not if she had to feel it happen, but if she could pull out in time? That might be useful.

"You should get going. Stay safe." The words seemed to be meant, which was kind of her. They didn't really get along that well, he knew. He tried, and she probably did too, in her own way. They were both just too different to really mesh well.

"You too. Tell everyone else I said that too? And that it was me that stole Penny away before they could get their well deserved revenge. Warren is probably going to need to talk to someone. I mean for real. There's... He's hurting, in a bad way. Worse than most of us seem to be. Can you find someone for him? Even if he can't remember this later, he should have help."

"I'll see to it. Thank you, Brian." Then she waved him away. She did that when things got too hard for her. Her first mode made other people unpleasant for her. As far as he could tell, they just really got on her nerves, if she was near them too long. She could take them for about five minutes, then it became a real chore for her. He was at about the end of that, so he waved and walked out, not speaking again.

They weren't close, and she didn't need him to pat her on the back and tell her to buck up. They did need to keep working together though. Like that guy had said. If they could all manage that one simple thing, most of the world's problems would be gone in a few months time.

It was easier said than done though. Even Jake had been about to kill that man who'd gone for him, hadn't he? That was kind of the antithesis of working as a single team.

The front room had a lot of people in it when he got there, including a rather invisible Penny, who was standing behind Dave, watching him play his video game alone. When she noticed Brian coming, she shook her head.

"No one will ever play with me. I'm pretty good at this one, too. So, what's the plan? Am I being kicked out? Or are you going to just kill me?"

He didn't bother to pretend he wasn't talking to her, even if no one else could see him do it, they could hear him. It wasn't a thing he was going to hide from them.

"Neither. I have to go back. I was caught on video, and it's going to run in a couple of hours. I need to report in before that, and let everyone know I'm alive. No one else here can really watch you, so you're coming with me. Officially. The story is that I teleported out, and you were off base when it happened. No one knew about it, because, invisible girl. Just so you know, if you ever touch another person without their permission, in a sexual fashion, I'll kill you. I mean it too, Penny. Anyone. I'll take their place, and slit your throat where you stand. Do you understand that? If you don't tell me you do, I'll..." He shook his head. Short of killing her right then, there was no point in going on with what he was saying. He was angry at her, for what she'd done to the others. He didn't really matter that much, but some of them, like Warren... That was plain old rape.

If she were a man and had stuffed a sex toy up Dave's ass, Brian would have killed her on the spot.

He mentioned that, out loud. The all blue man, who was wearing jeans and a gray t-shirt, spun in place, understanding who was being spoken to.

"You would? For me?"

As if that was some kind of shock? Even Penny got the idea. He could tell by the way she shook her head.

"I'm so embarrassed now. They can all see me. They saw. Now they hate me, because of you. I wish you were never born!" She actually stomped her foot, like a spoiled little girl. That got him to smile at her, his eyes lighting up enough that she froze.

Realizing what she'd just said, to a person that was practically one of her best friends in the whole world. Even if she didn't like it all the time, he was the one that could always be there for her. So what she was saying was basically that she truly wanted to be alone.

Except that probably wasn't really true.

In the end, she just didn't want her crimes to be known. Not that anyone there would be able to keep things in mind about her soon. Not with the field she was putting off. He understood that a bit better now. It reminded him of something that Tara Strong, the actress had said to her once, right in front of him.

That Christian had told her that Penny was a pirate too. He'd figured it was about illegally downloaded music and movies at the time, but now he got it. It was about plunder and rape. That reminded him not to trust that Tara woman, if their paths ever crossed again. She'd seemed all right, but if Chris thought that she was mentally like Penny...

Well, they'd probably never meet again, and if they did, he'd try to stay ready.

The girl in front of him shied away physically for a bit, so he stared at her, which he knew wasn't going to help. Her first mode would make her see that as hostile, or whatever it was that made her shy.

"Penny, relax. Mary will be here in a few minutes, and she'll want to see you. You can't hide from this forever."

"Can too. It's what I do."

That got him to grin a bit, and then relax himself.

"Cool. I get it. But still, Penny, if you're going to be a pirate, you can't act like this every time people get ready to keelhaul you. Toughen up a bit and stop being a-" He nearly said pussy, as rude and sexist as that would have been, but Mary appeared, the space to his left, behind him, warping before she moved into place.

A warm feeling came over him, covering the cold, dark place, where he kept his heart most days anymore.

"Love! I let myself be distracted by things earlier, and then had to go feel bad for an hour because I didn't get to kiss you! What kind of a boyfriend does that?" He moved in and did it then. She was a good kisser. Warm and willing, all the time. At least she'd never told him no, or pulled away from him when he'd moved in to try.

Behind him Penny sighed, but it wasn't some kind of conflicted girl crap, thankfully, which might have just gotten her kidney punched in the moment, if it was. She was just trying to relax, using a trick that Mark had taught her. Brian had learned the same one, since at times it was useful to let your body go limp, even in a tense situation. Tension burned energy, sometimes it was a very bad thing. After a bit she appeared. Her skin was a dark tan, and her hair a deep brown now, though she was normally a pale blonde. It was all makeup, though he didn't know why she'd picked those colors. Even her contacts were wrong. Brown instead of blue.

"Hi, Mary." She looked sheepish. Then she looked unconscious, as Mary stepped in, and hit her right on the chin. Hard. It took her all the way to the ground, and made her go invisible again. To everyone else, except him, of course. He didn't really know why he could always see her, but whatever the reason, he truly did.

"Well done, my love! We have apprehended the villain, and may now remove her from the lands of your people, to end her days. Come."

That required him picking the unconscious girl up, and carrying her over his shoulders, as Mary looked triumphant and made the world turn a solid blue color that faded slowly in to a very different, and rather open, space.

He recognized it, since it was the old IPB base. The current one too, since it had been blown up. Rigs, the new guy, hadn't been wrong when he'd described it as a hole. It was pretty much exactly that. Surrounded by army style surplus tents, and a mobile trailer that was off to the right. Next to the armory building. The slag pile of melted rock that sat in a lump, which used to be that, he thought.

His girlfriend turned to him, and then pushed Penny off his shoulders, even though she couldn't see what she was really doing. It meant a hand to the face for the girl who was just recovering from the punch she'd taken, right before the nearly five foot drop onto her side.

"Whoof. Ahhh." It was a bit uncomfortable sounding, but she'd live.

Unless Mary wanted to finish the job? He probably shouldn't let her, because the other woman might still prove to be useful. Rather than fight about it, she just kissed him again. It was a lot nicer than bickering, and no matter what else was going on, Mary understood the need to compromise from time to time. Her entire world required it, of almost everyone. You either went along with what the most powerful wanted, or you died. They didn't have any trouble with overpopulation there, Brian had noticed.

"I'm in town, at my shop? Come visit, when you can? Things are most hectic here of late. Perhaps you can stay with me?" Then, with a third kiss, a gentle one that lingered for nearly a minute, she stepped back and removed herself in a ripple of twisted space that he was nearly certain most people wouldn't have seen.

No one had ever mentioned it. Then, most people didn't talk to him a lot.

Probably because he kept to himself most of the time anymore. Working out, trying to be helpful and keep things going, that kind of thing. Even here, on a government base, where he was pretty clearly not supposed to be, given that everyone else was in military style uniforms now, he went largely unnoticed. That... Well, he could see it. Looking around he saw about twenty people, most of them being fit looking men and women with short haircuts. His hair was too, and while out of uniform, a fit Chinese man in sweats could just be a guy that had night duty, and who'd been off sleeping moments before.

Still, he tried to get himself oriented, and was planning to walk toward the white sided mobile unit, figuring it was the command center, since the whole place looked a bit rough and tent city like otherwise, only to find himself actually confronted by someone about a hundred feet into his trip.

The girl looked young. About seventeen, or maybe a few years older than that, and while she was in tan fatigues, they said IPB over the breast pocket, not Army. Under the dust colored top she had on a slightly darker tan shirt. Her hair was a nice light blonde, and was at least collar length. He noticed it as she smiled at him and walked over.

"Hi! Are you new here? I'm Sinclair. I can help you find things? If you want, I meant. It can be a bit confusing for the first day or two. The latrine is way over there." She pointed helpfully, and Brian turned, to mark the position, since it probably would be helpful. "Those tents on the other side? Those are where the food is. It's mainly packaged crap, but we can have as much as we want. We don't have cooks here, yet. I heard a rumor that some Marines were going to come in and do that for us soon. Reserves, I think." She pointed again, toward what Brian had always thought of as being the back of the place. There was a row of tents set up. Large ones that probably had room for ten to fifteen people at a time. All old looking, and green.

They actually looked like they were made of real canvas, of all things.

"Those are the tents. Where the new people sleep? Well, everyone. Are you, um, Infected? Or one of the government projects?"

Right. He'd gotten a report on that, from Marcia. Bridget and her had gotten super soldiers in. They were all spies of course, probably there to kill them if they screwed up. Except that so far the men and even a few women, had been working hard to actually do a good job. None of them were really above class four though, and most were just barely threes, with a lot of that being down to training. They all worked their butts off though, which could, he knew, make up for a lot. Especially outside a fight.

He relaxed, and glanced down at Penny, who was starting to try and get up. She was going to have a headache. Still, instead of sounding like he wanted to eat the young lady's soul, he managed to sound... Nearly like he used to. Before he'd become a killer maniac. A bit wry, maybe, but nearly pleasant. Not raspy at all.

"Infected. I'm Brian Yi. Nice to meet you, Sinclair. First mode self-sacrifice. Code name Proxy." Normally you were supposed to give your power too, but a lot of people knew his, so he'd gotten lazy that way. That was always a poor plan. "When people are about to die, I take their place. How about you?"

She lacked the hard core military air to be with the government all that formally, so he was betting she'd be Infected.

Rather than tell him, she nodded, then gave him a harder look.

"Wait... Really? Aren't you dead? Or, is this a joke?"

That kind of thing being the reason he was there, Brian kept to his new story.

"I was hiding. I'd pretty much teleported away when this... Thing happened, but I can't control my power, and was seen earlier today by a camera. I think Braid released it to a news outlet, so I figured it was time to come back. You're up on the Braid situation? It's been being talked about in stores, when I snuck in for supplies."

The girl nodded, then, strangely, hugged him.

"I'm so sorry! This whole thing must have been horrible for you! Is there anything I can do?"

"Well, I could talk to whoever is in charge here right now? I should report in, and maybe admit to my cowardly hiding scheme. Also, there's a girl with us. Penny Cooper. She's invisible. Come out now Penny, I don't think Sinclair is going to kick your butt, too."

The nice seeming young woman smiled at him, and didn't bother acting like she didn't believe him. That either meant she knew that Penny was real, or she was just getting used to the idea that strange things could happen at almost any time. That happened, eventually, if you lived the IPB lifestyle. At least he'd always found that to be true for himself. It took a bit, but Cellophane eventually managed to become visible, relaxing enough to be seen.

Sinclair jumped, but smiled at the same time. She'd been warned, and didn't scream or anything silly like that. Penny was cute, and had a heart shaped face, but Sinclair was actually a bit prettier, he realized. Her face was hard to place, but she was one of those women that was close to being actress level, without having had any plastic surgery. Not perfect, thanks to a deeply dimpled chin. That saved her from being totally unmemorable, without making her seem too odd.

"Hey." Penny had the good grace to sound shy and like herself at least.

"Penny Cooper, like I said. Invisible. Her first mode is... Well, I'd always thought it was shyness, but now I'm starting to think it's an extreme desire not to be seen. She's actually my prisoner. I found out about a laundry list of crimes she's committed recently. For now she's required to stay visible, except on missions. If she steals anything, or tries to rape anyone, we may have to kill her."

The blonde girl nodded, as if that all simply made sense.

"Got it. The headquarters is over here. Oh! I didn't mention. I teleport. I guess I'm not too bad at it. I have about a fifty mile range, if I'm alone, and can do about five or six, carrying someone. My first mode is pretty mild. I pretty much just try to get along with people? We don't have anyone to check that here, but that's what I'm telling everyone right now. My code name is Proxy Junior." She grinned and looked away, as if she were embarrassed by it. "Impulse gave it to me. I think she misses you."

"Bridget? Is she all right? I've seen her on television, once or twice. I've mainly been camping out."

They chatted about that while they walked, the girl feeling comfortable enough to simply go right into the command structure without knocking or anything. There was a tiny area in the front, manned, or perhaps girled, by a different young lady. Her name plate said Wendy on it. She had a bright yellow bird like beak, and huge, nearly black, eyes. Her hair was distinctive too, clearly having feathers mixed in with her human looking brown hair. They were blue and stood out.

On her wrist she had a silver thing that seemed to be from a science-fiction movie. It moved, and a pair of spider like eyes took him in. Otherwise it just held on to her wrist, like a bracelet.

She looked at them, and while there was no smile, her voice was lovely. The one that he'd heard earlier, when he'd been talking through Dev'an.

"Hey Sinclair. Out and about?"

There was a nod, and the tall girl waved at him.

"Yeppers. I found these two milling around, looking lost and lonely, so figured I'd collect them as pets. This is Proxy, and Cellophane. As in the real ones? They're alive. We need to get with Director Turner and collect our reward for locating them. I think it's up to a box of Pop-Tarts?" She was joking, so Brian grinned.

It wasn't great humor, but given the constant fighting lately, some of it pretty dire, and all the death, it showed a willingness to try. So he snorted and shook his head.

"They can do better than that. At least hold out for a pack of jumbo sausage links. We can have a camp fire and roast them later. Well, if we can find sticks. That might be some work out here."

Sinclair nodded, then reached out and touched him on the arm.

"Oohhh, now that sounds fun. I can get some wood. I found a nice little forest inside my range. Pine, but I can collect wood and all that. We can do that tonight? As long as everyone isn't going to run off and abandon us to fight whatever is coming next. That's calmed down a bit, thanks to Team Four."

It probably would be fun, he realized.

"We can try for it."

Wren was actually good at her job, it seemed, so moved back to the door behind her, which was closed, and pounded on it with the side of her fist.

Her voice was very sweet and gentle when she spoke though.

"Ms. Turner? We have visitors."

It took a moment for Quartz to get to the door, and she froze when she saw him standing there. It looked just shocked enough that a person could claim she was surprised. She'd just seen him a few hours earlier, of course, it wasn't that big of a deal for her. Her acting ability kicked in though, and she stopped talking to whoever was on the cell phone that was pressed against the side of her face for a bit.

"Brian? I..." Then one hand still raised to the side of her head, she brushed past Wren, nearly sending the girl flying into the wall of the place, and came around the counter. "You're alive? How? I saw you die. The blast..." Now her voice was a bit less than believable, so he covered for her, practically throwing himself into her arms, hugging her to him bodily. That was always fun, and despite what everyone had been telling him about her, innocent enough that he didn't feel too bad about the contact.

She was firm and melted a bit as he pressed against her. Tight nipples misshaping against his chest, as he kept her from talking with a kiss. Nothing too romantic, since they'd never had that kind of relationship, but close enough that she did it back, before going wide eyed and noticing Penny.

He waved a hand at the other girl, hearing a voice from over the phone. It was a person saying hello, several times.

"You should get to that. We're not going anyplace."

She smiled and nodded, her eyes actually seeming a bit damp. Like she might cry. Her attention went to the cell in her hand though, and she started talking again.

"Jim? I... Proxy is here. He's alive. I..." There was excited murmuring and she started to turn away, to speak in confidence to whoever it was, but then didn't, since a normal person wouldn't, if someone had just come back from the dead as far as they knew. Still, she needed to treat him and Penny doubtfully for a bit, or else everyone would get she was acting. Her first mode was suspicion. If she didn't do that constantly, it would be like hanging a sign on the whole thing that read fake.

Instead she started to try and get off the phone, telling the man, who was clearly trying to get an interview with her, that she needed to go. A reporter of some kind then. Brian shrugged.

"Might as well have him come in. I was caught on camera earlier, and can't hide anymore. I have some choice things to say about Devorah Timberland built up, too. If he wants an exclusive? Especially if we can beat that footage going up. I think the hate channel has it, so it would be nice to beat them to the punch for once." Hopefully this Jim didn't work for them.

Not that it was called that by anyone who wasn't Infected, but half of their daily content was devoted to calling him and people like him evil. Or, to be more fair, the others mainly. They'd always been decently kind to him, personally. Mainly because he pretty much just went around killing Infected people, and murderers. That played well in conservative demographics, even if he was one of the filthy Infected himself. Kind of how they put up with gay people, as long as they were presented in small doses and didn't act too flamboyant, while making hate speeches at the same time. Log Cabin Republicans.

Now that he thought about it, it sounded a bit dirty.

That was enough to get the man headed his way, which wouldn't take more than an hour, he was assured, since the news van was just sitting in town, at one of the motels. That way they'd be ready to try and get Marcia's daily briefing. When she hung up, the little black phone went into a blouse pocket, since she was in tan fatigues too. She hugged him again, excitedly, then Penny.

He shared the cover story, which she pretended to buy, and he told her all about the criminal that was her former personal assistant. Real anger showed in his eyes, and Wendy looked scared for a moment. For a second he thought it might be due to not wanting to be raped or sodomized herself, which it still could have been, but when she spoke, her lovely voice trembling softly, she hit a different topic.

"So... Am I out of a job?"

Brian looked at the room. She was out front, and had her own desk, but seemed to be in charge of the office itself, not just fielding calls for Marcia. So he shook his head, as if he had a right to do that.

"No. You're Penny's boss. Sinclair here and I will be keeping an eye on her. Got that Penny? If you do anything..." He glared, but the girl rolled her eyes, and snorted at him, seeming upset, rather than just shy.

Pirate like, now that he got the idea.

"Fuck Brian, I'm not going to run off and start ass raping everyone I see. Chill on that, will you?"

He nodded, but didn't spare her, since Marcia needed to know.

"Not everyone... Just Warren? You're on the shit list now. If you ever want off it, you better turn yourself around. I can and will get a Death Warrant for you. For that matter..." He was mad, but didn't really think he could kill her, not unless she were really hurting someone else. Then he'd straight up murdered rapists before, just because he could tell that they'd do it again. The thing with Penny was that he couldn't get a sense of that. It might mean she wouldn't do it, or it could be her powers making it seem like that.

Sinclair clapped her on the arm. Not hard, but Penny looked down, ashamed, and started to try and fade out. The new girl spoke anyway. That was a rare thing, since even while touching Penny it was possible for people to forget she was there when she felt tense.

"She'll fix it. Don't worry. Wren and I will see to that. Right Wendy?" She needed to say something like, nudge-nudge, because her tone certainly did, but the bird girl nodded.

Seeming glad she was still employed? In charge too, if she noticed that. She had staff now. Minions. Well, one, but she had super powers, so it was a good start.

Brian smiled at her.

"So, as long as Director Turner agrees, you're in charge of her during business hours. Got that Pen? Do what she says, as if it's the word of God. Now... Can I get one of the fancy new uniforms? I stole these, and would rather not have them show up on television." It wasn't true, but he had to account for them somehow. Saying that he just picked them out of a pile of things that had been delivered to the new base wouldn't go over to well, he was willing to bet.

Marcia glanced at Wendy. "Set that up, Hun? Get some for Penny, too. I need to debrief Brian here, in my office. I... Sinclair, can you take notes?"

The girl nodded, and didn't even crack a smile over Brian being de-briefed. No, she just followed along with them. It was a bit strange, or might have been, if he didn't know the new IPB head as well as he did. This girl was the witness. The person put into place to tell everyone else at the base how Proxy was back, and spread the cover story. It didn't take long to go over, but Wendy managed to run and grab clothing for them and kept Penny with her the entire time, to watch her. Brian decided to like her. Sinclair too, since no matter what else, they were both trying really hard to be useful.

Not everyone at the old IPB did that. Not most of the time.

The rundown didn't take long, since he described what had happened a few weeks before, two months now, and how Penny had been off base. Probably stealing or molesting innocent people. Then he'd found her committing some crimes a few days before... and it wasn't just about stealing for food or clothing, which would have been given a pass by him. In dire situations, you did what you had to. Even killing was allowable, at times. Cellophane had been hurting people though, even if there would never be a witness to it.

The whole time he pretended it was just real, and that he'd been out living in the woods to survive, trading out like always, but managing not to get too hurt, somehow. That part was actually pretty close to true. In the last month or so, he'd been blessed, as far as being damaged went.

"Luck, mainly. Say, what's the medical situation like here? If I get hurt, I'd love to have someone with a band-aid standing by. Maybe a lollypop, too." He made a point of looking at Sinclair, who nodded, and then answered, thinking he was speaking directly to her.

"We have a healer. Phoebe. She's a friend of mine. She's pretty strong that way. We'll need to work on the candy part of things though. I'll introduce you later. Just don't get mad if she calls you names. She can't really help it, but she's sweet, other than that."

That got a nod from Marcia, who was smiling at him. Suddenly she stood up, came around her desk, and hugged him again.

"I can't believe this, Brian. We need you. With everyone gone... I've been trying to hold this mess together for weeks. Wendy is a dear, and doing great work, but she's so raw it's not even funny. Bridget tries, but we have her out in the field most of the time, doing the heavy lifting with Doug, and now the new team. Have you met any of them?" The words were leading.

Them. Not constructs, but a new team of separate people. Definitely not the power of one man. A single being so powerful that he might well be able to destroy the whole planet if he needed to. Got too mad. Just had a bad day sometime... What have you. Good reasons like that. Brian could see the point. Attacking him would be insane, but the only thing that would ensure Rigs could never slip up too much would be taking him out preemptively. Which would fail, most likely.

"Dev'an? I ran into him this morning. He was attacked by cat creatures? The class four ones that Braid was having made? How did that go? I take it that he lived, since people aren't wearing black and crying?"

The new Director shook her head a bit.

"He's fine. Tough as steel, that guy. Lariat, the new teleporter, took a team in, so they were able to put a stop to them and take out the enemy facility. No casualties on our side. We've lost some people though. Have you been catching the news lately?" It was a weird question, but he really hadn't. Not living off in the woods like he had been.

Except that he'd really been glued to the screen most evenings, keeping tabs on everyone, so he knew what his friend really meant. Things weren't just bad, they were horrible.

"No squirrels would lend me their TVs. What's up? I've heard a little, but..." His hands came out, and the old folding chair made a bit of a noise under him. Sinclair shifted too, and looked away.

His oldest Infected buddy made a hard face.

"Death. Every few days there's a major event happening. Buildings are being blown up by different groups. Infected are being attacked and killed. Getting higher level people that have been hiding to come out. They've taken to going and stopping the mobs that form, which just turns into a bloodbath half the time. We can't field an anti-riot squad from here, so everything is getting out of hand. In most places the police won't even try anymore. They just let people go and kill until we show up. I can't blame them in some cases, but we can't be everywhere. Last week we were hit on four different fronts at once. We're losing people. Not a lot of IPB, but Americans. Our people, all of them. Even if they are dumb-fucks sometimes." She looked grim and shook her head. It was a slow thing, but seemed tired.

Exhausted on a level that Marcia wasn't physically capable of being. She went on though, because there was no room for stopping.

"Thousands of people are dying every week. Sometimes each day. People aren't willing to leave their homes in a lot of places, and the Infected have stopped caring about being known. We've openly told the hate groups that Braid is behind all their operations, and trying to force a war, but the more idiotic members can't see that as valid. It's a real war already, and at every turn, we're losing."

He could see that. It was the problem with any civil war scenario, wasn't it? Eventually all the dead were your own people, no matter who won in the end. The numbers were already piling up, and it would keep getting worse, until it hit a level where people would be motivated to keep fighting, until one side or the other was victorious. The point at which people were afraid that they would simply die if they didn't fight. It had to be close already. When that happened...

Well, then Braid would get her way, and millions would die. The conflict would spread and the whole world would change to meet her vision of what the future should be. The problem there was that it ended with the Earth dying.

It would take a few thousand years, true, but her version of things wasn't good in the end. It would lead to a hard world, ruled by the fist. Much like her own was. She thought of it as being strong, most likely, but he'd seen those people. They were dying too. Hobb's world was slowly tearing itself apart, and would eventually end, if they couldn't find a better way to live. Yes, they were all strong, and hard, but that didn't make it a good place to live. The lowest caste of people, who made up the majority of them, all suffered, from what he'd seen.

Devorah had tried to make this reality like that, except that too many people were too powerful for that to last. Sure, there were only a few thousand really powerful Infected on the planet, but they were so strong that they pretty much had to try to get along, or the thing wasn't going to work. Not in the long run.

He nodded, and glanced at Sinclair, then into the brown eyes of Marcia.

"So... We're losing. I kind of feared that would happen. We just need to work together and stop being morons, you know that? How hard is it to see that the strength of humanity has always been in forming groups, and being inclusive? Too hard, I guess. Well, maybe I can change that?" There was a reporter coming, after all.

There were worse messages to spread than that they should calm the hell down and stop killing too.

It got a nod from the new boss, and then she stood and stretched, her hands going over her head, as she flexed backwards. It was a nice enough show, but he didn't stare too hard. That would be rude.

"Good. You can go and fix that part then. Our budget can't take a lot more of this anyway. Especially since half the government is busily trying to shank the other half like a prison stoolie right now. Congress is practically getting into fistfights daily any more. The conservatives want an all out war budget, but the troops they send in keep being slaughtered until we show up to bail them out. Worse, when that happens, everyone, on all sides, keeps pretending that Bridget is walking around like a little Hitler, just killing anyone she meets. It isn't true, but no one is reporting on what she's been doing to save lives."

Sinclair kept writing, but set her pen down on the page and stood up herself, getting that Marcia was about to be on the move. Probably so that Brian could grab his clothing and change before Jim got there.

The pretty blonde girl, who probably should have been a cheerleader, rather than living on a government base, gave him a hand up. He didn't need it, but took it anyway. She meant well, and refusing any help just then was probably a poor plan.

Work together was the word of the day, after all.

She spoke when he got to his feet.

"Yeah, Impulse is doing a lot. Doug too. We need to help them more. I just don't know how."

Brian didn't either, really, but he started to get an idea, finally, as the women left him standing there.

It was different than what he'd been thinking, but it might just work. There seemed to be very little left to lose.

Chapter three

The area they had set up for the interview, their new press room, Brian guessed, was a lot different than the old one. Instead of lights built into the ceiling, they had stands of them, and a generator sitting out back, to provide power for everything. It was in a regulation green tent, one that smelled a little bit of mildew, and had what seemed like a wooden platform made out of untreated or painted plywood and four by fours. The podium was nicer, but they weren't going to be using that, since it was a one on one interview. Live though, which was either nice because they all trusted him not to shout obscenities, or the scariest thing Brian had ever heard of that didn't involve a knife or fire.

Trying to force a smile, he kind of thought it might be that second one. There was a subtle trembling in his hands already. Excitement, he thought, rather than fear. That felt different.

He wanted to beat the footage of him from earlier however, and that meant taking shortcuts. Big ones that defied rationality, or else there was no way for him to make it happen in time at all. He had to run not just through someone's yard, but their living room and kitchen as well. That meant taking risks with pretty much everything. If he didn't, then who knew what Braid might have set up for him. More to the point, who knew that anyway? Devorah Timberland, and perhaps Brie?

That the girl he'd wanted to ask out from his favorite book store back in the day had turned out to be a super villain... Well, she wasn't really, being an IPB spy, but still, she'd been there, for years, before he even had a super power. Sent in by Braid to watch him? Maybe even just to seduce him, though if that was the case, she kind of failed. All Trivia would have needed to do was suggest they go out for a coffee and then tell him she wanted his body in bed after that. It wasn't like he was all that hard to woo, was it?

Honestly, she could have skipped the coffee, and it still would have worked, because he'd already liked her. He still did, which was less than fair, but possibly the real point of the whole exercise. If so, how had Devorah managed it, without knowing about him using her powers? She'd claimed once, where he could hear it, that she didn't see him in space and time, and he was working on that idea being true, but it was, he knew, at best a fifty-fifty split as to how likely it was.

They just didn't have anything else to go on.

As he settled into the hard wooden chair, dressed in a tan uniform that had IPB above the left breast pocket in black embroidered letters, a young guy, who was only a year or two younger than he was, came over with a makeup kit. The idea that everyone even a bit less aged than he was had to be a kid now made him smile. It was funny, because it was ridiculous. This guy may not have to go and fight every ten minutes, but if he was working for the IPB he was not child either.

The man gave him a nod and hefted that paint box like he was slightly embarrassed by the idea still. That or he figured Brian might be.

"Hey. Um, I'm Ken. I do PR for the IPB. We need to get some paint on your face here. I'm not that great at it. You are fine with looking like a clown, aren't you? I can do little hearts on your cheeks..." He was deadpanning the whole thing, but Brian nodded. It was good to see that they were getting some people in that had a sense of humor. That was rare on the ground now.

"I prefer roses, but we can't be too picky these days. Actually, I think the basic idea is to blend in a foundation, then add a bit of color to the lips. There can be more if you're good at it, but I've never really done much that way. I only know that because our old makeup lady muttered while she worked." Clari had more than muttered, turning the whole thing into a lesson for him every time.

The man nodded.

"That's about the level of skill I have in this. I wish Bridget was here. She's better at this than I am. She's out in Vegas right now, trying to keep people from murdering school kids for smelling like oysters. Literally, if I heard right. Things are getting so insane. You'd think that people would have heard about DMSO, you know? Well, here we go. Wish me luck?"

He didn't nod, and muttered without moving his face too much.

"Good luck. Make sure to tuck some tissues into my collar first, so things won't get on the clothes."

It didn't take too long, though Brian had to remind Ken to tuck tissues into his collar so that nothing would get on it. Twice. Then he worked fast, and if it wasn't perfect, it added enough smoothness and color that he wouldn't look like a ghost on camera, which was the point. He also didn't look like a clown, which was good, because a lot of people thought those things were scary.

When the news man got inside he was wearing a suit jacket and tie, but had his own crew with him, to get things set up. That was good, because it would have taken too long if he and Ken had to pitch in. Brian really didn't have a clue as to what to do that way. Ken might, but it was always best to have the pros involved when possible.

"Mr. Yi? I'm Jim Morse. I was told that you were willing to speak to me? This is going out live, so I figured that we could do a normal interview. I'll ask about where you've been, why you were in hiding, and what your plans are. Softball questions." There was a tone to the words that Brian didn't trust, so he smiled.

Because he'd met reporters before, and knew them for the diabolical fiends they really were.

"Right before you accuse me of eating babies or whatever you have planned? What is it? Give me at least half a second to think of something clever to say, will you? I promise to stammer enough to make it not seem too rehearsed."

That got the man to sigh, and shake his head.

"I have some footage of you from earlier. Where you ran away from an attack. It looks a bit, well, not exactly brave. I figured I could needle you on that."

Brian made a considering face and nodded.

"Good plan. I know for a fact that I don't have any sex tapes. So you have to use what you can get. Shall we get ready? I've never done things live before. I bet I look like a complete tool."

The man gave him a look that made it seem like he was a moron. "Um, yes you have. Ten times or so. In those daily briefings? Didn't you know that all the feeds were live?"

He hadn't, but the news actually made him relax. After all, America already knew he was a giant goof then. Brian didn't have to worry about holding to their high expectations of him. It was actually comforting, really. The man touched his ear then, and looked into the camera. They were both sitting and had lapel mics, so he just spoke.

"This is Jim Morse, I'm currently with Brian Yi. Proxy." He glanced at Brian, who was no doubt in the shot, he realized. "Mr. Yi. Can you tell us where you've been for the last weeks? Were you in hiding?"

"Yes. When the base was destroyed here I teleported away. Not a switch like normal. I've done that a few times now. When I was able to function, because doing that really hurts, I hid. Anyone able to take this place out is way out of my power class." It was true, as far as it went.

The people that had done it, Doug and Lancaster were probably both capable of killing him, if they wanted to.

The man nodded, and then asked about the conditions he'd been living in, and if he was feeling healthy.

"It... You know, I hid. Trying not to call attention to myself. Thankfully I've managed to not get too injured. It was close a few times. Without medical backup..." He shrugged. Most people had to be smart enough to get that kind of thing. Didn't they? Fighting was dangerous, every time you did it. He'd been nearly killed as many times by angry regular people as he had super powered ones.

Jim lobbed a few more set up questions, like he'd promised, then had the station they were going out on run the feed from earlier. "We have footage of you fleeing from an attack earlier. Leaving an IPB agent to fight several deadly looking feline creatures by himself. It doesn't make you look good. Do you have anything to say about that, Mr. Yi?"

His voice actually went dark and slightly sinister sounding, as if being a coward would make Brian look bad? Didn't these people get that about him already? He did what was needed, not what was brave.

"Yeah. Dev'an. He's one of the new people on Team Four. Thankfully the new people were able to get backup to him in a few seconds after that happened. Those cat things are biological weapons commissioned by Devorah Timberland. Roughly class four in killing ability. Out of my league by far. Really, if Dev'an and those others hadn't been there, I would have died, I think. Even running away wouldn't have worked. It may not have been brave, but I'd taken the place of an older woman, and if I didn't make it, she would have been left there to face them. I couldn't allow that." It was part of who he was. It was strange though, because it felt hollow now, rather than like it used to. Remote and a bit thin as an excuse. Still, it was his mode, and everyone knew that, so he went with it.

The man tried to press him on the running in fear thing, his voice a little smarmy about it suddenly. Snotty. Still it was a good enough point.

"Do you often run away in the heat of battle, Mr. Yi?"

Smiling, he nodded. "I sure do. Half the time, at least if I get the chance. It works better than fighting most of the time, and is something for people at home to keep in mind. If attacked, don't be too proud to get out of there, if it's at all possible. Things are getting crazy, and while we all need to cut that stuff out, and work together instead of letting Braid control everything, protect yourself too. Most Infected won't chase a person trying to run away, and I'd like to ask any mobs or crowds that might form to hold to the same rule. If a person is running away from you, just let them go. It isn't perfect, but we need to start letting things calm down now. Pass that around too. All over the internet. At work and school. Let people get away from you, if they can. Even if it's hard at the time. Emotions are running high, but we can afford to take a step back and not worry about looking a bit bad on the news for it."

He nearly wanted to shout at the man, crying out; coward that, but he just smiled, and let his voice stay polite and calm.

"That, and working together. Everything right now has been forced on us. Everything going on is part of a trap. The way to win is kindness. Be good to other people, and work together. It isn't hard to understand."

Except that most wouldn't do it, would they?

Jim looked troubled by the idea, for instance.

"But, you're Proxy. The killer. The bogeyman that makes all the bad guys wonder if they'll live through whatever they have planned. You're calling for peace now? Explain to me how that works."

"Easy enough, Jim. I protect people. I'll keep doing it, too. That's my gift, and curse all rolled into one. It doesn't mean that I endorse violence though. We might have to fight in some cases, but we don't need to make those up. Yes, if someone is being hurt, try to help them, even if it means losing your life to do it, but don't look for reasons to hurt others, and if it's just you on the line, and it will work at all, run the heck away! I don't care if you look bad in the minds of people that weren't there, later. I know that you're all brave people, so protect yourselves, and the people around you, but with kindness, when you can."

The man looked constipated for a moment, then touched his right ear. He seemed to be listening for a bit.

"Right Barbara, I'll ask that... Mr.Yi, are you saying that you think the current troubles are being orchestrated by one person? This Devorah Timberland?"

He nearly blinked. Didn't they all know that already? It had been in a Presidential address to the nation, along with a call for peace. More than one, to be honest.

"Exactly. She's been working on this for a long time, and has very high level precognitive skills. So much so that it's hard to explain how they work. Chances are, if a person has even read an anti-Infected pamphlet in the last twenty years, she orchestrated the printing of it herself. She's insane at this point, driven to it by her power."

"Not her first modality? That emotional disorder that all Infected seem to have?"

He almost hid the truth, but then shook his head a bit. It was time for everyone to know what was going on. Plus, he was live. It wasn't like anyone could really stop him. No one would believe it though, would they?

"Not at all. This is all part of her power, which seems to be genetic, not an Infected ability. She's from a different reality, which she escaped from about fifty years ago. So, really, she's an alien, after a sideways fashion. Before anyone panics, no, they aren't planning to invade. Actually, they've offered to help us with this problem, by sending in some of Devorah's family members to help fight her. The problem there is that most of them don't really want to come. Still, it was a kind offer. Some of their people are going to be coming here soon to give us advice on how to handle the situation, I believe. We should set up an interview or two for that. Hold classes for everyone at home. For right now, though, the big thing is to calm the heck down and work together. This is all about one woman and a small group of people trying to kill regular individuals, so that the Infected can take over. We need to prevent that, for the good of all."

The reporter made a face at him, and nearly yelled the single follow up question, "what?"

Brian hesitated then, "um, I need more than that. Which part is shocking information? The alien part, that the rest of them are friendly, or that this whole thing that is going on has been about slaughtering regular people at the whim of a madwoman so that the Infected will end up in control of the world?"

"That last bit. Isn't it about killing the Infected? Most of the attacks and riots have been protesting them..."

He nodded. It really was confusing, which was the point, no doubt. Keeping regular people off guard and baffled enough that they'd make stupid choices.

"Okay, Braid has been leading the hate crowd for the last... who knows how long, honestly. Not just the ones that dislike the Infected either. Most of them. If you hate anyone and have a club for it, she's very likely behind setting it up. Over time she's been working to bring people into conflict. It's in order to try and bring about one singular path into the future, to quiet down what she sees all the time. Obviously that can't work, since the future is always subject to change, and has to be, unless something is holding it all in place, but her insanity won't let her see that. So she keeps plugging away, trying to make things easier for her to wrap her brain around. In her mind we need a lot of people to die, and for the Infected to end up on top. The problem there is that the Infected aren't always the best ones to be in charge." He raised his hand, trying to be a bit more energetic, since people were watching him, even though he'd kind of forgotten about that for a moment. Jim had really let him go on for a bit.

Now the reporter finally spoke, "I think we can all see that. The Infected are dangerous and unstable."

Brian laughed a bit, his voice starting to go dismal and dark. It took some will power, but he pushed that aside. No reason for him to sound like Nocturne as he tried to convince people how sane and in control he was.

"Right. Except that a lot of them really aren't that at all. It's easy to think that, but remember, most of you don't even know who the Infected people around you even are. Some of them are our leaders, and they do a good job of it. First modes can be all over the place. So the rules really should be that Infected that can deal emotionally should be given training and help. If they can't, we stop them. The same rules should apply to everyone though. If you go around acting out and hurting people, I don't care who you are, and no one should. Now that we're working together more, I'd like to see some programs starting to that end. Also, we should make a point of integrating Infected people into society. Making us all second or third class citizens doesn't help anything. In fact, that alone causes more problems than anything else. Most of the problems that I deal with would have never taken place if people could get a good job, and weren't being forced to fight." He laughed again and waved his hand. "I know, I'll get off the soapbox now. Still, the take away here is to calm down, not let Braid have her way, and to work together. Do that and we win. Don't, and... Well, you don't really want to see the future she has in store for us all. Too many of you watching this will die, if that happens. Maybe most of you."

The man went silent again, then nodded.

"I see. Well that's interesting information. I'm sure that a lot of people will want to chime in with their own opinions. Over to you, Barbara."

The red light on the camera went off then and Jim shifted, removing his microphone. He scowled a bit for a few seconds.

"Aliens?"

"From a different reality. We just don't have a better word for it. I can maybe set up a meeting with some for you? It could take a few weeks, but they're pretty much just people. Weird ones, but who isn't these days?"

"Seriously? That would work for me. Especially if I get another exclusive. I need to find something to make you look bad though. Any scandals in your past that I can use? My viewers don't really want to work together with the Infected, you know?"

Brian had kind of figured that out. This guy was clearly from the hate channel. So much so that Brian wondered why he hadn't recognized him. Probably because the news had mainly been turned to CNN over the last weeks. They had solid coverage, and a lot less name calling.

"Not about me, in particular. Well, there are some things, but they should wait. If I work out anything, I'll let you know? For now, can you get your people to push the inclusiveness thing? Working together to fight a common enemy? It's real, and if you do it, then things may actually calm down. Look at the death toll so far. Is it mainly innocent people dying, or people trying to attack others?"

The real answer was both, since a lot of the death came from people who were actually out starting things with the Infected, only to have others rush in to help their own which started making some real damage happen. That lasted until Bridget or some of the others got there. Then the Infected died too. Well, some were being shot by the crowds, but so were hobos and anyone that held different religious viewpoints than others. At least in places. Anything the group didn't like was being taken as a sign of Infection now.

Because of course, being Kosher was the same as having deadly eye beams.

Jim was a bit prickly after that, but Brian didn't let him off the hook, suggesting that he really try to get things together. It might not work, Brian knew. The man made his living by fomenting hate.

Finally he sighed.

"After all, in the end, your network is probably either owned or at least run, by Braid. Trying to say this on the air probably won't be allowed. If they try to silence you, let us know, and we can see if some of the other networks will give you a chance."

The cameraman shook his head, but the people on his team left then, after unhooking him. They took off fast enough that it seemed like they were afraid Brian was going to ask them to come to a church meeting with him.

Kenny moved up beside him to watch him go, the young, pointy faced short guy grinned though.

"Fuck. Well, that went better than I thought it would. I wonder if any of it will be replayed? We should get with anyone else that will listen and see if they want an interview, too. Probably not. I imagine that we're all going to be in trouble for mentioning aliens anyway."

"Almost certainly. Well, I should probably go and get with the President. I've been hiding, and he probably thinks I'm dead. Really, I should have called him first. We're friends."

"Oh? He hasn't mentioned you." The guy was being a wise ass, but Brian got it. Who just called up President Lawrence? He had a direct number though, if he could find a secured line.

The man was one of his people. The ones that he'd protect and even considered as being personal friends. It had been interesting to find that taking place, but for some reason it really had.

He jogged back to the front office, the trailer looking thing they had for that. It looked like something you'd find on a construction site really. Except that no one was doing any work around the place to put in anything that seemed like a longer term structure. Not even real bathrooms. They were all either too busy, or things were too insecure for that.

Or, of course, no one cared. After all, real people were dying. It might not be fair, but Brian had a tendency to think that most un-Infected tended to view his kind as not being people, somehow. Like the way they looked at psychos. They were clearly human, but not like them. So it didn't count.

Inside the little white building the phones kept ringing, constantly, and it looked like all the lines were busy for some reason. Wren had Penny working right beside her, in the very front, and both were talking already. Through the open door to the back he could see that Marcia was doing the same on her cell. Her desk phone rang too, so he moved in, and picked it up.

"IPB, Brian Yi here." That sounded almost official, didn't it?"

"Brian? It's Bob Roberts, I didn't... I'm glad you're alive. Is that stuff going out on all the news stations true?"

They didn't have bathrooms, and he was willing to bet the showers involved a propane water heater and a garden hose, but Marcia did have CNN going on a little flat screen in the corner. It wasn't a huge thing, but he got the idea. Information was king, and always had been.

His face was on television. It was hard to look at himself, but he actually seemed all right for once. Not movie ready, but he was lean, and smooth looking. Under his face was something about aliens.

"I don't know, it looks about right." He covered things quickly for the man, who actually groaned when he was done.

"Damn... There's no way to spin that. I don't suppose you've gone off your meds or something that we can report to cover this up? People will freak if they find out we aren't alone in the universe. We've done studies. It never turns out well. Conservatives have a distinct fear and loathing of anything not like themselves. It's one of the major problems that we have as a species. Don't tell them I said so, but it's biological, too. They honestly can't help it. It's why we have to introduce everything so slowly. This is too much to drop on them all at once."

Brian could see that, he guessed. Still it was done, and needed.

"They aren't a threat to us. We can show that they're just other people and it will work, as long as we don't let people get too much traction about freaking out. Anyway, it's the right move. Hiding things isn't working. Braid has to work in secret, but not us. We're the good guys, and she's the one behind the mask." Good guys didn't need to hide who they were. That was the saying.

"Easy to say, until people are holed up tonight in their barns, ready to kill their kids because the aliens are invading." The Senator really seemed to think that would be happening, too.

It was stupid though.

"I... really don't think so. For one thing, we recently saved that particular world, from an energy crisis, so they're on our side, not Devorah's. Let people know that, and I bet it helps a lot. She isn't even a criminal really, just sick. Unbalanced, but clever."

"Yeah, that will play well... God Brian. Next time ask me first? I could have saved us all a lot of trouble."

The man hung up, which was a little abrupt for him. As the phone went down, Marcia glared at him, and kept talking to whoever she was one with.

"I don't know? I can confirm that it's all true, but no, I don't know what the hell he was thinking. You want to talk to him yourself? Sure, we can set up a time. How about this evening? If he's still around. He's Proxy, that means..."

He nodded, getting a flash of what was about to happen. This time he actually saw the scene in his mind first. There were fifteen or twenty people, all hiding behind things, as a familiar presence got ready to kill them all.

Brian raised his hand.

"I'm going out now. Great call on that one, by the way. It's almost like you and my power are in cahoots, working behind my back." Then he dove to the floor, just as the tingling hit. He rolled as a beam of white went over his head. Then Proxy did it again, since it tried to follow him, ripping the pavement up as he moved. Hopping to his feet he spun, just in time to see Bridget get who was there.

She looked slightly unreal, lit as she was by the neon and flashing lights of the Vegas strip.

"Brian?" She moved in and gave him a hug, which was strange, given that she was clearly fighting about twenty Infected people at the moment. Well, they were hiding, but it amounted to the same thing. She'd been about to kill them.

"Hey girl! I had to come back to the IPB. So, the new rule is that we aren't killing anyone if they're willing to calm down, or even run away, as long as they aren't trying to hurt people. I made it up, but did that on live television, so it's real enough." He raised his voice. "Everyone got that? We're all being used. The fighting is over now. Come on out."

Honestly he figured that an instant attack would come then. After all, the whole idea had to seem insane if you'd just been in the middle of getting ready to die. What happened was different than that, since half the people had guns, and the other half looked like they expected to be destroyed in a few seconds anyway. They all raised their hands. Only a few put the weapons down, but he could see that too. What if he were tricking them? Having a gun would mean they could at least try to take him out while Bridget ended their lives.

"All right, if you'd all come over here, and sign in? We need to know your names, but then you can all just go home. The fighting is done here, and soon will be everywhere. You may be questioned, later, but no one should be arrested. Except if you have drugs, so you know, go home and hide those." No one laughed, but after a bit, they all came over, except for one very panicked woman.

"God! It's Proxy, he's going to kill me!" That statement got her to start producing blades from the back of her arms. It was a cool effect, that nearly looked like it was computer generated. The metal didn't look real, so it was probably some kind of mental projection. Energy, rather than something more tangible. The blades started halfway down her forearms on the back, and moved over her hands. The arcs on each looked pretty cool, he had to admit. Before the lady could even move, Bridget aimed a thin, pale, hand at her, which glowed.

White, like her mother's, but a lot brighter. More deadly too, Brian didn't doubt. The damage to the surrounding area was probably in the millions already. How they still had power, he didn't know. It was pretty certain that Bridget was going to be banned from most of the casinos, when she came of age to go inside. He didn't mention that though.

"Move, and I'll be forced to kill you."

That didn't really help the woman at all. She was a bit wrinkled and older seeming. A little dumpy and gray, but there were smile lines on her face too, and she didn't seem that out of control. Just normal person scared, no matter what her mode really was. Not that Brian knew how he could tell.

He put an empty hand out, trying to do it in a way that wouldn't spook anyone.

"Slow there, Impulse. I'm not here to hurt anyone, ma'am. I was just the one that was available to let you all know that things are calming down now, and we're all going to be working together from now on. I'm on your side. All of your side. Even if that does sounds like an awkward way to put it. We're all on the same side. We always were, we were just being tricked." Looking around it was pretty clear that no one was trusting that yet, even though he sounded pretty reasonable now. "We all are. The government, the police, even the Republicans are coming over. We've been set up to fight, by a crazy woman. That ends now. So, please, put the blades away, and let's be friends? No one will hurt you. Right Bridget?"

She stopped glowing, which got the others to seem happier, if not the scared woman. Well, they were all frightened, he didn't doubt, but she was having a worse time of it than the rest.

"I... Please don't kill me! I just want to go home."

"Okay. That's fine. It's the plan even. We can arrange for some rides if you need them? Does anyone have any paper? Just for those interviews. Give a mailing address, and e-mail, if you have that, so we can just send around a questionnaire first. We get that most of you are just caught up in something you don't want to be, and the fewer house to house visits we have to make, the happier everyone will be." Because that made sense, didn't it?

A man ran off, and Bridget started after him, but stopped when Brian touched her arm. It made a slapping sound and stung, but she responded after no more than two steps. The fellow was clearly a lot faster than normal. Nearly as much as the girl next to him.

"No big thing. He's just going to miss out on a chance to win a free toaster. We did say everyone could go home."

Shrugging, the girl put one arm around his back. It wasn't exactly cuddly, Brian realized. She was hot, from her exertions, but the move was more like what he'd have expected from a family member. That got him to smile, feeling almost happy about it. The fact was that this girl was his granddaughter. No matter how unlikely that seemed. He'd been a horrible grandparent so far, or at least not all that good, but most of that was down to him simply not having known that they were related. Now he had a chance to do better.

Clearly enough the tiny redhead was thinking something pretty similar.

"It's good to have you back. Alive and everything, I mean. I'd wondered if anyone had made it, but... Mom and dad died, I think. I heard that Lauren might have made it. I haven't seen her yet. Marcia told me."

Brian knew that something like that had been mentioned a few weeks before, but didn't acknowledge that, standing in the open. He wasn't supposed to have had television after all.

Just as he was about to say something sympathetic, the quick man, who was pretty stocky for a runner, and actually looked chubby, not ripped or muscular, moved back in, gasping for air. In his slightly damp hand he had a yellow legal pad and a blue Bic pen. He hadn't been fleeing, just helpful. Like a good citizen should.

"Hey! Great. Thanks. Let's form a line and get to this then?"

Before the second person was written down, he moved back to Marcia. It tingled when he traded out, but only in the normal way. She glared but also stopped talking and stared at him, looking for injury.

That was a constant in his life, and had been for so long now he could hardly remember a time when him suddenly showing up didn't earn an impromptu medical check by whoever was around. Brian decided to take it as a sign that everyone loved him. At least the ones that knew him. He was playing around, internally, but it occurred to him that they had to at least like him, or they wouldn't have bothered with it at all, would they? Even if it was a rule, people would have done a lot less than they did if they didn't really care.

"I'm good. There was no fight this time. I was just helping Impulse collect the names of people, and their addresses, before we sent them home. We're going to send an e-mail, or letter, for them to fill out. A survey, or something like that. Maybe a newsletter, with recipes and pictures of our office parties. You know, asking for information about what they were doing there and why? We can use it to figure out what Braid is doing. I bet she doesn't see it coming. It's too weird for anyone to make sense of."

Marcia snorted, but had a phone to her ear still. Listening, and actually doing her job. Brian was about to wander away when Sinclair came in, holding a muscular, if not overly tall, man's hand. Doug.

His old friend grinned at him, then came into the office and gave him a hug, pounding him on the back, so it wouldn't look gay. That was another thing they needed to work on, as a society. Fear of people that just enjoyed sex with people that were also consenting adults. As long as they were mentally competent and not children, it wasn't anybody else's business. No one should have to worry about being thought of as less about it though, should they?

"Brian! I heard you were alive. Sinclair told me. This is so great! We haven't even been able to have a funeral for anyone yet. Things have been...Yeah." The man managed to grin at him, but there was sadness in it. The fighting had been bad, after all.

Doug had been out in it too. He wasn't a coward, but Brian knew his friend was kind and gentle as a rule. Killing had to be hurting him inside. It did that to him, and he really should have gone numb to it long ago. For a long time he'd thought he had, but now...

"I know." Blinking he looked down at the hand that Sinclair was holding and shrugged. "I see you two know each other already? Excellent. I won't have to set you up then. That would have been the next move. After a late dinner, I mean. Playing matchmaker being one of my new super powers. Apparently along with peacemaking. I just had three transfers in a row today, without having to even hurt anyone. Three." He sounded a bit too happy about it, but screw it, that was how he felt. It might not last, but it was worth trying to keep the run going, for as long as he could.

Any day without death was a good one, now.

Sinclair moved in to his oldest friend a bit, both of them in tan. They all were now. War outfits, meant to make them look official. If Marcia was in charge that might just be the way things would be from then on.

She really did enjoy being official, after all. Squared away, and ship shape, or whatever the military people said about things like that. Thinking about it, it really did seem a bit more like they were a force to be reckoned with, rather than a group of people to be hidden away and feared.

That had to end. If they were going to get out of the bad things, if everyone was, then they needed to take the IPB public, and stop being a quasi shadow organization. Yes, they still had to do their job, but that didn't mean they had to do it from behind the scenes. Hiding things led to people not understanding who and what they really were. It always did.

Secrets bred conspiracy theories after all.

Blinking, Brian suddenly got that something was wrong with him. Or, more probably, right. He was being himself. Not Proxy. Thinking back, he understood that, at least in part. It had really started when he'd encountered Jake earlier.

"Some kind of emotional influence?" He sounded normal, and both Doug and Sinclair looked at him a bit funny, but it was the pretty girl that reached out and touched his arm. His friend didn't even bat an eyelash at that. He didn't have jealousy anymore, so couldn't.

It was a better way to be than not.

The girl seemed suddenly worried for him, "is... Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I think. I just realized that I met a man earlier that might have influenced my thinking. I'm not sure, but... Well, I feel nicer now. Kinder. I sound it too, don't you think? Less like Nocturne and more like good old Brian Yi." He managed a small grin then. "Which might just get me killed, if the wrong situation comes up. I'll have to be careful with that then."

Doug seemed slightly scared, for a moment, but then shook his head a bit.

"You don't need to be angry to do your job. Proxy... You have to protect people, so you will if it comes up. I know that. Be careful, but I don't think you need to worry about being too nice." There was a broad shouldered shrug. His buddy had been working out for months, and losing a lot of weight. It seemed that going to war hadn't gotten him off track either. It was good to see.

"That seems right. Well, I'll work it out. Now, I don't mean to be a whiner, but we should all go and collect some food, and then find a place to sleep. I tend to go to bed a bit early."

Sinclair removed her hand from his arm, and gestured for him to follow, turning toward the door.

"This way. I'll take you over. Doug has to talk to Director Turner. It's why I was sent to get him."

That sounded different than Brian had thought. They'd been walking hand in hand, after all. His friend nodded though, and clapped him on the shoulder before he could leave.

"Yeah. Meet me here when you get done?"

That seemed like a good enough plan to him. It wasn't like he had anything in particular to do otherwise, was it? Except... Honestly, he knew that things had changed a lot. Too much for him to just keep on being Proxy and letting everyone else do all the hard work for him. That had been happening for too long now.

Oh, it made sense, that wasn't the problem. He'd been forced to go and fight, daily, for so long that learning to fight and training constantly had become part of him. That didn't get to end now, just because he was feeling happy with the world, comparatively.

It was just that people had been doing a lot of work behind the scenes that he hadn't taken part of at all, to keep him working. Paperwork, propping him up psychologically, and even making sure he ate enough. Which he hadn't been doing. That was a thing he needed to just be honest about now. He had an eating disorder. It wasn't showing yet, because Mark had been handing him food all the time, but his weight had been constantly dropping for months.

Inside a flash of fear hit him, over the idea of eating more now. Like he'd go back to his old ways instantly, and get fat again. It wasn't logical, since he did a lot of physical work, but it was real, and there. It made him want to skip eating at all that night, just to make sure it didn't happen. People needed him to be slender, not the Stay-puff man.

Didn't they?

Except, when he thought about it, that wasn't really true. They needed him to be strong and fast. A stick figure wasn't any better than chubby Brian Yi. Not as far as saving lives.

He made a face, which got the girl that was leading him out into the dusty flat area that was their headquarters to seem thoughtful, rather than upset or scared. Of course, he'd been pretty nice and friendly toward her so far, hadn't he? It was amazing the effect that not coming across like a psycho-killer could have on a person that way.

She didn't speak, or ask about what he was thinking, but lying about it, or even hiding the idea seemed... Off. It could be that influence that Jake had on him. Or that the man had just been right? That idea hit him too.

Work together. That meant not keeping secrets now, didn't it?

"I just worked out that I have a pretty severe eating disorder. I used to be kind of fat, and had to lose weight in order to do my job, but... It's too much. I'm almost afraid to eat now. I know, hardly what I would have thought would be coming up today either, but there you have it." He did manage a smile, though it wasn't just pasted on or forced. Not happy either, so at least there was that.

Rather than judge him, the girl reached out and touched his arm again. It wasn't flirting, just her making contact.

"You need to talk to someone that can help you, then. I'll do whatever I can to help, but I'm not a professional, or a counselor. For now, we can get you enough food, and... I don't know, can you make yourself eat it? I don't know what else to do." She was concerned, but it lacked the heat that most of the people he'd been around tended to have when he admitted to any sort of problem.

"I need to, so I will. I agree though. I'll get some help. Keep on me about that? It would be too easy to get busy and use that as an excuse not to handle things correctly." He could feel his brain trying to come up with ways around it already. Not his power though. That part of him didn't really seem to care. It was almost like it was another person. Him, but with a totally different set of concerns.

Which was no doubt the sign of a healthy and well balanced mind. It didn't make sense though, did it? Shouldn't his ability just be part of him? Working toward the same end goal, at the very least?

The mess area was different than he would have figured on it being. It was a tent, and looked like all the others in the area. A dust covered green, made of canvas, with real wooden poles inside to hold it all up, and yellow rope tie downs on the outside. Surplus and old, but doing its job anyway. Nothing they had looked new or shiny, he realized. There could be a lot of reasons for that, of course. It was probably bigotry, but could be that whoever had set things up didn't need more, or that someone had simply volunteered the gear in a pinch, and it was what they'd had.

It was too easy to just assume they were being cheated all the time, wasn't it? Oh, that was a real thing, he could see that too, so whatever was going on with him hadn't made him stupid or so optimistic that real thought wasn't available, but... Yeah. The world wasn't just out to get him either. Or the Infected. Some people were, but that didn't mean no one saw him as a person, did it?

Inside the tent there was, as had been mentioned earlier, only pre-packaged foods. On the left side of the room there was a row of folding tables set up, with boxes of military rations, Meals Ready to Eat, and some boxes of packaged goodies. His stomach turned at the thought of eating it. Not because it didn't look good to him anymore. It did. That was the problem. A part of him wanted to grab all the food he could and just eat. He started to lock that down, to hide from it, but shook his head.

"Right then. I need to make up a nutritious meal from this stuff, and get enough calories, without going overboard." It wasn't as easy as all that, since he had no real clue what he needed. Other people had been doing the math for him, so he'd never really learned the numbers.

Plus, nothing there except the snack cakes had anything listed.

Shrugging, he took the first MRE he got to, not even looking at what was inside it, hoping that the military would have an idea what a person needed to eat at each meal. It turned out to be ham slices. There was a big container to the side, and some plastic glasses. It just held water, but that was a thing he needed too, so he got one of them, before settling at the white topped folding table where he was clearly supposed to eat. There was a man there already, in tan, but with short hair, which was all white, pure white eyes, and dark tan skin.

For a second he thought it was Crandall, but he was dead. Scott, his son, had killed the man. The difference here was apparent though, because when this man, whoever he was, looked up, he smiled. It was a normal thing, not some big production, but Brian decided to take it as an invitation to sit by him. Sinclair did the same, settling in beside him and smiling herself.

"Hey. I'm Brian." He didn't hold his hand out, because the man was eating. Really, he should have washed his hands first, but he'd live. There was no place around to do that, which was an oversight. Being clean was important, especially in high stress conditions.

"Simpson. Greg." The man took a bite of something that had some passing resemblance to noodles and thick sauce with a white plastic spork. "New here? I haven't seen you around. Part of one of the programs?"

Brian nearly didn't get it, but then it clicked. This man, clearly, was one of the super-soldiers. Like Crandall had been. The look was too distinctive to miss. So the programs would have to do with that. He hadn't known there was more than one, but it made sense. Why put all your eggs into one basket?

"Nope. Infected. Um, Proxy? I take people's places when they're about to die. Kind of like teleportation. I can do that too, but not on purpose yet. I keep meaning to learn how, but so far haven't gotten the chance. My first mode is self-sacrifice. So, you get the picture, I'm too nice for my job."

The man smiled again, but it was a little sardonic, he didn't comment but glanced at Sinclair, who he seemed to recognize.

"Sure... Proxy is well known for his sweetness and light attitude. Aren't you dead?"

Brian could see the doubt there, "No. I managed to get out. Teleportation is cool that way. I was hiding out, but got captured early on a security camera. Braid leaked it to the hate network, so I figured that I'd keep a manhunt from happening, and just come in out of the cold."

Sinclair smiled, and nodded, and sipped at a cup of water.

Simpson however gave him a hard look, then shook his head.

"Damn. That's fucked up. I mean what they did to your people here. All I can say is that to the best of my knowledge it wasn't us. Not that it means anything. We've been gearing up to take you people on for years. The fact is, the brass just figured that we'd lose, and didn't want to throw that many lives away trying. There were too many of you that could have taken us all out. Which I guess you being here shows. If you survived that, and Quartz did, then who else got out? That Stasis guy almost had to, and I heard directly that Level straight up soaked the blast. Injured, but healing." It was probing, but Brian decided not to lie about everything.

"Well, Penny Cooper, Cellophane? She's here. Working in the head office. She just wasn't around at the time. As for the rest... I hope that's true. They're all good people. Mostly. No group of people is perfect, but they aren't monsters."

He was ready to argue the point, but Simpson just took a bite of food, and nodded.

"Good to know. So, do you have any plans here? You don't have any powers, right? I mean that thing you do, but... That won't help a lot in a straight up fight." The man looked uneasy suddenly, as if he were being insulting, and knew it, which made Brian feel happy.

Crandall might have been similar to this man, on the outside, but they weren't the same kind of person at all.

"No doubt. I was thinking I'd get my butt over to the front office and hit the paperwork. Man the phones or whatever is needed. That and make sure I keep in training. Who's in charge of that here? Workouts and fighting practice?"

"No one, really. We should be doing that. Enough of us are sitting around each day. This isn't a military organization, but a lot of the people here are going to get lazy if no one steps up and get's them moving."

It was something to do, he realized.

"Great plan. Get everyone that wants to come with us outside the main trailer at seven tomorrow. We'll go on a run, do some exercises, then work on hand to hand and armed techniques for those that need them. If I'm not here, then you take over and make sure everyone does what they can." He was being bossy, but the man had suggested it, so it was clearly his job now, too.

"I'll set that up." He started to get up then, his food half finished.

Brian nearly told him to go ahead and eat first, but odds were the man was able to make that kind of decision for himself. Moving quickly the table in front of him was cleared off, and the remains of his meal dumped in the big black trashcan over to the side. All of it, including the things that were still good, and packaged up. It was a big waste.

Sinclair sipped her water, and was suddenly not looking directly at him. After a second, he cleared his throat, and glanced over.

"What? Do I have something on my face? Or God, coming out of my nose?" He crossed his eyes and made a goofy face, trying to look at it, but couldn't see anything, of course.

It got a giggle from the girl.

"No. I just... I know I should run and stuff, and learn to fight, but I can't keep up with you people. Impulse said I should get trained up. You know, like you? In case I had to take your place, but I can't do that. Not really."

Brian moved back in his seat and took a good look at the woman. She was tall, and not fat, but had that soft look that most people had. There were no calluses on her fingers or palms to indicate exercise, or any kind of martial skill. That didn't mean it couldn't be there, but was a sign that went with her words pretty well.

"Show up anyway? If Bridget said you should do it, then you probably should. She's what, the third in command of the IPB now?" He knew that one, and felt a surge of pride for the girl. She'd come a long way in a very short time. In fact, the only reason they had the IPB still was because of her. When things had gone down a few weeks before, it had been her that held it all together.

Then she'd held the country together. By herself, or very nearly. A lot of people had died to do it, Infected and not, but she'd pulled their butts out of the fire.

A thing that wasn't lost on the blonde girl next to him, he hoped.

She nodded, and finished her drink.

"I'll try. Should I get everyone else out too? I mean if they want to come? Misery loves company, I hear. Besides, if Gravity comes too, he can make me all light while I run. That's fun. I got to try that out about a week ago. He's really nice, isn't he?"

That one got a nod, even as he made himself eat the salty pork slice in front of him. When he finished it, a minute of silence later, he winked at her.

"Not just that. He's great. I wasn't joking earlier about the matchmaking, if you aren't already seeing him. He might not get the handholding thing as being a sign you like him though." Brian made a big gesture with his own plastic eating utensil. "Or the other way around. He wouldn't have been doing that if he didn't like you. I don't know how good you are at picking up subtle clues like that. Then, I tend to miss things like that myself, and may be projecting that on you two. I can tell you that he's one of the best people I know though. We've been friends for years."

The girl seemed interested enough, so he sold Doug pretty hard for a while until they both ended up laughing about it. Then, when he was done with the whole meal, which wasn't all that good, he grabbed another at random, to go.

"For Penny. I'm pissed at her right now, but she still needs to eat." That got him to stop and get a few more of the things, since as far as he knew no one in the front office had gotten to come out at all, after the political and social firestorm he'd created earlier.

Sinclair followed along with him, her face serene enough. She even helped carry things, clearly being useful that way. The brown and green packages weren't heavy, but they were too smooth and slid easily, so having the extra hands didn't hurt his feelings.

When they got into the front office, Penny was still behind the front desk, her arm touching Wendy's, since there wasn't a lot of space there. It was pretty clear that the other girl, who was busily talking on the phone, wasn't aware that she was doing that. Otherwise he didn't think that Cellophane would have been comfortable with it. She was still visible however, which meant she wasn't taking advantage of the situation using her powers. He... Could let that go. A lot of people were touchy-feely, and as long as it wasn't bothering the bird girl, it was fine.

So instead of being a prick and scolding her for being a human being, Brian just handed her one of the food packs. Then he gave Wendy one too.

"I didn't know if you'd had a chance to eat. I'll take over on the phones? Sinclair can help me with that, right?" He looked at the blonde, who nodded, but walked to Marcia's door and knocked.

"Come!" The boss did not sound happy. Stressed, and a bit upset, to tell the truth.

Probably over what he'd done earlier too. Telling the world the truth. If anyone would believe him. Since he wouldn't have, that probably meant no one else would either.

When the door opened, and Sinclair tentatively tried to go in, the woman pushed her aside. Not roughly, but well enough that the door cleared.

"Yi! Where the hell have you been?" She glared, but he just shrugged, and waved an MRE.

"Getting dinner. It looks like Sinclair and I are the relief crew for now. You three eat, we'll try to handle that, if we can. Oh, I'm also setting up a daily workout schedule. For everyone. If you want in, meet out front at seven. I'm thinking three hours. Running, calisthenics and fighting practice. It's less than I'm used to, but I'll be in here doing paperwork or whatever is needed most of the day." It was his plan, but he was surprised at what Marcia did, which was grin at him.

"About freaking time someone stepped up. Oh, I want you to stick close to Phoebe too. That way if you get hurt she can make out with you."

Because that made sense?

"Um, I have a girlfriend? Otherwise it sounds cool enough."

Marcia nodded, her face a bit more serious.

"I know. Don't let that stop you. Phoebe is our new healer. She does it by kissing people. I don't know if she has to do it that way or not, but if that's her thing, then let her do it. She's better than most at it, so..."

That was a relief. Elizabeth, the Carlie healer from Hobbs' world lived at the new base, with her boyfriend. Brian been a bit worried about how he was going to stay healthy. He could go for a while with just regular medical healthcare, but it was really nice to not feel beaten up all the time.

"I'll do that then. Can she work the phones too? I could use an assistant."

That got a head shake from the new Director.

"Nope. She's a good kid, but has a mouth like a sailor on speed and rum, and can't help it. Worse than that actually. It's her first mode, so she's not much good with the public. Not unless they need to be told off. Then she's actually not too bad."

"Ah. Well, we'll figure something out." Errands or something. He didn't really need to have the girl next to him all the time after all, as long as she wasn't in a different state half the time.

He tossed one of the brown plastic packages to Marcia, who took it, and actually managed not to glare at him over it. She did make a face about it, but then sighed, turned around and got a gallon jug of vegetable oil from a row of them along the back wall. Then, amazingly, she opened it and tilted the thing back, drinking it like water.

When the half gallon that had been in the partial container was gone, she set the thing back down and got moving, pointing at her desk as the phone rang.

"Take over. I'll eat this crap and get back to it. Sinclair, can you take the front?"

That got things going, and Brian discovered, about ten seconds later, that Marcia was actually a saint in disguise. She had to be, or else she wouldn't have just seemed stressed, she would have been screaming at the top of her lungs at the morons that were calling her.

Over the next hour, he kept at it, since that let Marcia get on her cell and start making connections she needed to get real things done. In that time he spoke to three politicians, eight news people, and one woman that informed him, quite frankly, that she didn't think aliens were real, and that he was a liar. Thank you very much. That one was almost fun, compared to the others, truth be told.

"I've met them, and gone to that alternate reality. It's real, and while I'm not perfect, I'm honestly not lying. I can't prove that to you over the phone, but it's real. I guess all I can ask for is that you give me the benefit of the doubt? I know that's going to be hard, but I don't know what else to do." His voice stayed normal for the whole thing, never dropping into his more subdued, dead inside sounding tone.

"Hmm." The sound was short and terse, but then the woman, who was totally nailing prim and proper sounding, snorted. "I guess I can try that. If you're lying to me though... Well, I'll send you a mean letter. Don't think I won't!"

"That sounds fair." He gave her the address, in case she felt the need for that. It was basically just to the base, because he didn't know if they had anyone to handle the mail coming in yet.

Most of the people wanted to speak to him though, even if they were calling the Director personally. After the sixth press person, he figured out that doing it all at once would work a lot better, so looked at Marcia, who was busily trying to get some kind of supply shipment in.

Grabbing a pen and blank bit of paper that didn't seem to be too important he wrote a note.

Press conference tomorrow? Three in the P.M.?

She didn't stop talking, but nodded, then pointed to both of them, with her going first. Then she mouthed a single word. Ken.

The PR kid. That made sense. Brian had no clue how to set that one up, and knew he wasn't going to get the chance, so stood up and walked toward the front. If the feeling he had was right, there was a real fight coming. From the feeling it was going to be a good one too.

He was already starting to tingle a bit, but had the layout of the coming fight in his head. There were six people where he was going, all of them angry and armed. Guns though, which either meant they weren't Infected, or that their powers weren't instantly that useful in a fight.

The entry would be tricky though, he thought. Hard to pull off, physically speaking. The sense was that it would be worth it though, if he could get it done.

He jogged past the front desk to find Penny was back to work already, sitting a much more respectful distance from Sinclair than she had been from Wendy. That girl was gone, for some reason. Probably because she'd been working all day. Hopefully people were remembering to take real breaks and all that.

"Pen, I'm trading out in about a minute. Out front?"

"Crap! We'll get medical or whatever they have here. Um..." Then she went silent, and stood up to follow him. Sinclair was on the phone, but didn't seem to get the problem, not knowing him that well.

There was a bit of time, so he started breathing hard, to build up extra oxygen in his system. It wouldn't hurt, and gave him something to do while the seconds ticked away. When there was five seconds left, trying to relax as well as he could considering what was about to happen, he started running full speed, building up what momentum he could get. Then at the last second, he jumped straight up, laying back so the he was nearly flat, and whipped his right hand out, to catch the gunman next to him by the head.

Several bullets passed under him as his momentum changed, taking the guy with the gun next to him down. They twisted in the air, or he did, landing on top of the guy. Brian used a bit of residual energy to elbow him in the head, not paying attention to who he was, then removing the gun from his hand so that he'd have a weapon too.

The firing kept up, and he finally got that the people around him, a ways away, hiding behind car doors in the main, all wore uniforms. They were police. A feeling or pure terror ran through him, as he geared up to kill them all. It was about to happen, when one of the men yelled something unexpected.

"Fuck. It's a government agent. Cease fire!"

Before Brian could even shoot one of them, the others actually did it. He kept the gun ready though, not trusting them. Even though they seemed to just be afraid, not like they were trying to be evil.

It was work to keep the sneer from his lips, and his voice came out low and angry sounding.

"What's the situation here? You were about to kill a man. Why?"

The officer that had called out to the others still looked freaked, but lowered his weapon. They didn't all do that, but as a gesture of good faith, or that least weapons safety, he pointed his own down and waited for an explanation.

"The guy was glowing, so we ordered him to stop and he didn't." As if that was enough of a reason to kill someone?

He sighed. "Right, was he doing anything, or just glowing? I mean, had he committed a crime or hurt anyone?"

There was silence for a bit, and the man finally shook his head.

"No. We got a report of Infected activity, so..."

Brian got that one. They'd come at the guy like Nazis, and were going to kill him. Probably for trying to get to the store and get some food. Closing his eyes, trying to not feel like he was going to die himself, Brian tried to get a sense of the person in his head. It was scared, but not to a level that would bring powers to the front lethally. After a bit, he got it.

"Ah... Okay. He just glows. It was green?"

"Yeah?" Officer Don't Shoot was doing all the talking it seemed.

"So, knowing that now, you can all back off a bit? He can't help it, but isn't a hostile person. Put the guns away and act like people. Plus, you know, get some ice for this guy's face? I kind of did a number on him. Sorry there." He didn't mean it, but the men, and they were all male, seemed to believe him and got their weapons put away. Brian felt himself start to tingle, and moved to the slightly injured man who'd acted as his pivot point, and ducked down to holster the weapon for him.

"Just a misunderstanding. Maybe, next time, you should try not to yell and shoot first? If you can. Don't be stupid about it either, but most Infected people are pretty harmless, power wise." He took a deep breath and tried not to sound like an insane killer again. "And now you know!"

No one laughed, but he went back to the base, to find three people standing there waiting for him. Sinclair, Doug and a rather nice looking girl that also had light colored hair and a good sized nose, as well as sharpish features.

She yelled at him.

"Cock smoking underwear eater!" Then she jumped back, startled by him suddenly being there, it seemed.

"Hi! Are you Phoebe? I'm Brian. Director Turner wants us to hang out. As in be partners, I think, not just play video games. Thanks for coming though. I didn't have to fight this time though, not really." He shrugged. "Cops, that were about to make a mistake and kill some guy for glowing too much. I hope he's all right. I didn't even get the department or city from them. I need to make a point of that, when I can. No deaths. That makes four today."

Only Doug seemed to get it, but he smiled big enough for all of them.

Four.

Chapter four

Then, ten minutes later he had to go and kill a nun that was trying to eat the face off her sisters in a convent. The language seemed to be Spanish, and they were all white, except for one, very old, darker woman near the back. That probably meant he was actually in Spain then, not Mexico. They were in black and white, so the classic penguin outfit that got shown on television.

He didn't try to talk to the rather aged woman that simply wanted the others dead. Her mouth had rows of sharp looking teeth and they were pushed to the front, making her jaw extend three or four inches further out than was normal. There was no sense of reason in her eyes, and she didn't even try to stop when he showed up, just lunging for his throat. It was a move he took to mean that she wasn't in control of herself, and probably wouldn't be that day.

Luckily she had no clue how to fight, even if she was wicked fast and strong. It took him about three seconds to knock her back, two more to get her to trip over her robe, or whatever it was called, and another few to grab his little knife and slit her thin neck. It nearly came off.

Then he was back again, frowning as Phoebe came over to him, not jumping away this time.

"Are you all right?" She seemed pretty normal now, which was interesting. Maybe she only cursed uncontrollably when startled or scared? He was wondering when she looked at him with a tilted head and went on, very conversationally. "Pig lips, and assholes?"

"I'm good. The blood isn't mine. A nun, I think. Infected. In Spain? It was hard to tell. I should... Get cleaned up, then learn to write my own incident reports, I guess. You can help me with that?"

She nodded, looking at his hand, then pointed off toward the back of the compound, on the other side of the blackened glass crater that used to be an underground complex.

"The showers are over there. I'll show you."

The girl really did spout off insults every second line or so, or even lines of random seeming profanities, but other than that she seemed pretty nice. She got him a towel and even ran to get a clean uniform for him from the tent that held their supplies. He'd need to do his own laundry, but they had a wash tub for that, and a clothes line.

It was pretty high tech, he understood instantly.

That took fifteen minutes or so, and Phoebe waited for him, since they were buddies now. It was getting late, but he walked to the trailer, because making Marcia do all the work didn't seem fair. She was still there, talking on the phone, but the number of calls seemed to be slowing down a lot. Real people slept at night, after all. The rude ones would still call you, but there were limits to that kind of thing.

Finally she yawned, and patted at her mouth.

"I need to get to bed soon. We need a night crew here, or at least a way to forward calls to my cell. We can't on the current system. The land lines are all secured, so, you know, that won't work, by definition. No one should call now, but..." She shrugged.

Brian thought for a second and did that himself.

"I'll sleep in here. If anyone calls, I can answer it. I need a bed roll or something. This floor doesn't look that soft. Are there any in the supply tent?"

"Fuck nozzle?" The healer looked at him then shook her head a little. "I don't know. I wasn't looking for that kind of thing earlier. We keep bedding in there though, so we should have blankets and pillows. Do you want me to go get you some?"

He shook his head, since being that lazy wasn't good for anyone.

"I'll collect it, thanks. Anyway, everyone needs to meet out front in the morning for exercise. Seven sharp. If I'm not here, get with Simpson."

This time Phoebe looked at him, and glared.

"Fuck. I hate exercise. I don't suppose you'd buy that I have cramps? Or will at least, by then."

Marcia shook her head, clearly getting something that Brian was missing.

"Screw that. This isn't high school gym class. Run through the pain. It won't hurt you. We all need to be sharp and ready for anything, so no trying to get out of it." There was a gentle look though, instead of a commanding stare. She didn't even seem like she was being all that suspicious of the girl.

Marcia was more than her first mode after all. Yes, it colored all she did, but that was pretty much any Infected person. It was harder for him to see it in himself, but... Well, he was going to get his own bedroll set up, instead of having Phoebe run do it, wasn't he? Sleeping on the floor, instead of finding a bed, so that his buddy could get to sleep and not worry all night. Sacrificing his own comfort for other people.

It wasn't a bad thing, but so natural to him that he normally wouldn't have even noticed it, he didn't think. On the good side that meant he was able to set up a nice bundle of things to lay on for the night and get more than one pillow. By the time Marcia left, he had a pretty sweet little pad made up.

Of course he'd be up six times with the phone, but as long as he could get a message, that wouldn't be too big of a deal.

Only, of course, it was hell.

Only three calls, and no emergencies, just people trying to do fact checking on his story, but waking up that many times ruined the quality of his sleep. Worse, it meant he remembered most of his nightmares. Lots of fights, and a couple where he was locked in a dark space, his hands and feet behind his back. That one was a classic, of course, but so were the others. Populated, when they had other people, with familiar faces. Most of them ones that he'd never had to fight with at all. The last dream he had involved fighting a sentient teddy bear, for instance. Killing him without warning or trying to help him calm himself down at all.

When he woke up, it was because someone else was in the room with him. Sitting on top of him. For a second he nearly panicked, but the girl was only on his chest, looking into his eyes. Bridget wasn't that heavy, and more importantly wasn't busy trying to get his pants down. Not that it would be that easy to rape him that day. He had his armor on. It made going to the bathroom a hassle, but would make it too hard to get at his goodies to be worth it.

"Morning. You just get back?"

The girl stood up, instead of bouncing on him.

"Yep! I came in to get some breakfast. We keep the oil in here to remind Marcia to get enough calories. I slept on the plane, so we can hang out all day. If I don't have to go and fight again. Oh, I have that list for you? Everyone just went away after I got their names. It beats killing them all. They were mainly just freaked out. People that had gotten too scared not to try and protect themselves. I missed you by the way." She moved in and hugged him, but didn't go for a kiss.

Showing more control than she used to have, by far.

She did give him a hand up though. A thing with enough power behind it that they both ended up in the air, if only a few feet. Then, moving fast enough that he got how hungry she had to be, she dove for an unopened jug of golden oil and drank it while making disgusted faces.

"Gah! I hate this stuff. It makes sense, doing it this way, but... Belcky. So, what's the plan for the day? Just hanging with our peeps?"

Brian shook his head, trying to remember if there was anything like toothpaste and a brush in the supply area.

"Nope. Training. Starting at seven, which is in... Time to get up." He had half an hour, but it would look bad if he didn't get to it on time, even if it was only him, Simpson and Sinclair. Bridget nodded, but didn't say anything, probably figuring that he didn't mean her. She had to practice fighting, like anyone else, but she couldn't get out of shape, and as far as he knew, exercise didn't make her physically stronger. It was all about technique for her.

He got up, still dressed, though with his shoes off, and headed out with a wave.

"See you then? Out front here, in half an hour. Eat something first." She needed more than some oil. Really, they should have some real food in for the big eaters, soon. Telling them that they had to just drink their calories like machines getting fueled up was rude. Like Bridget had said, it made sense, but that wasn't a good enough reason to suggest it to anyone if they had something better they could do. It was worth thinking about if he got the time.

He took the chance in the green tent full of stuff to get supplies, including soap and a little plastic carrying box for it, along with a green duffle bag for all his things. So that he could move when the time came for it. That left him with about five minutes to get back to the office, and pack things up before he was really going to be late.

When he got out the front door, he found that about fifty people had shown up, and that Simpson was standing in the front already, talking to them.

"We meet here, at seven sharp, every day that you aren't on leave or on a mission. Any questions?"

No one raised their hands, and everyone was standing in one of four lines, with the military people to the front, and left, and most of the others kind of tacked on to the end. Marcia was there though, and everyone was dressed just like he was. It was a bit funny, but Simpson turned to him, and saluted. He didn't do it back, not being military, but did nod.

"Thanks, Greg. If I'm not here, Simpson is in charge. Right now we'll start with a half hour run, around the outer perimeter. Fast people on the outside, so you don't hit the rest of us. Go at your own best speed for that amount of time, I'll call you in when it's time... Or better, does anyone have a watch?"

Doug raised his hand, and so did a couple of the military men.

"Good, Doug, you time us. Slow people stay inside the fence line. Not that we have one of those, but you can see where it was. Let's go." He started off, on the inside because he was, he knew, slow.

Bridget started making good time though, right off the bat, and Marcia wasn't doing too bad either. There were four of the twenty soldiers that had started on the fast side that moved in after the others made their first lap, realizing that anything under thirty miles an hour meant they couldn't safely hang with that crowd. The others mainly tried to keep up with him after that, as most of the people were further back, some barely managing a real jog.

Phoebe didn't even try jogging. It wasn't even a fast walk. Sauntering came to mind. When he started to pass her, he rolled his eyes and stopped.

"Seriously? Are you injured? Sick? Have a condition we need to know about? Don't say cramps..."

The girl gave him a sour look, called him names, and then begrudgingly started a slow jog that at least made it seem like she was trying to do something.

The whole morning was like that, with most of the military men and women doing a good job, sometimes a great one, the old IPB people hitting the same basic tenor, and the new ones either barely hanging on, or kind of not really trying. When it came to fighting practice he worked with Marcia first, and then some of the super soldiers for a while, as all the new people stood around, looking lost.

Because they didn't know how to fight at all. It was probably fair, but pointed out a real problem. They weren't a military organization, but that just meant that any of them might end up in the middle of a real fight, more often than if they'd been army and working on a base like they were.

Even Doug managed to take a few turns with some of the lower powered soldiers. They weren't all that great either, but when told to try, they did their best. Brian was about to let himself get frustrated, but then shrugged.

"Right. Two sections for this part tomorrow. If you don't know how to fight, you'll be with me. Everyone else with Marcia. This is good for today. Thanks for coming. We have some work to do, but as long as we all do our best, things will smooth out and get easier, over time."

Half the people nodded, and it was nicely scattered through the crowd of people. Simpson called them all to attention, which made some of them stiffen up, then he sighed and looked blank. It was the all white eyes that really sold that last part.

"Dismissed. Unless you have any orders for the day, sir?"

Brian didn't, but looked at Marcia, who came forward, the ranks filling in after she did.

"We have a press conference at three, I'd like you all to attend. Don't speak, and if asked any questions, please refer the person to me or Brian, at least until you get lessons on handling the press. If you get pinned down, remember that the food here is really great, and we hardly ever beat you at all. There should be a crew coming to set up the official mess at noon, so if you aren't busy, help with that. Any questions?"

Doug tucked his hand up in the air, looking a bit shy about it.

"Tibs? You have something for us?" She didn't seem all that happy about the idea. It wasn't fair, but to her mind it was clear that anyone saying anything would mean more work for her.

It didn't keep him from speaking though.

"We need a regular run into town, for personal time off and supplies. Can we get a vehicle for that? I can drive."

There was a moment of silence, and finally a slow smile.

"Yes. See to that. You have the authorization for it. For the time being if you're going off base, check with Tibs here. He's in charge of that part of things. We'll set up leave and liberty through him, too. That's vacation and days off, for the civilians. For now, if you have anything else you need, get with Yi. Dismissed."

Why they should get with him, he didn't know, but he had volunteered to help with the paperwork side of things. That reminded him that he needed to get to his write ups, if he could manage that before he had to go fight again. Waving Phoebe over, he jogged into the command trailer. Penny, who'd skipped out on the actual physical training, was behind the front desk, with Wendy, manning the phones.

He smiled, "You two and anyone else that missed morning exercise will get a chance in the afternoons. Penny, you can lead that part. Don't let anyone slack off too much." It would be hard for her, since it meant going against her first mode, but she didn't say anything about it. There wasn't even a glare. Wren seemed a bit baffled at the idea, but nodded too.

They took turns getting showers, since both he and his new partner were coated in sweat. That meant a change of clothing, and given the rate of things, that he'd need to do some laundry that night, if possible. It would be a pain to get to, he bet, but it had to be done. He had a feeling that laundry services weren't that high on the priority list.

After that, they actually ran through the day, with him having to trade out and kill three kids that were trying to murder a school teacher. They all had powers, but nothing all that dangerous, except for one girl that managed to throw out huge bolts of pure pain. It faded after about ten minutes, but it was severe enough that he nearly passed out first. It was bloody though, and required more washing and yet another clean uniform. Not pressed, which would have been nice for the cameras, but good enough.

At two he headed over to the press tent area, to find everyone setting up. It turned out to be a mistake though, since regardless of the time schedule, everyone wanted to have a word with him first. On camera.

"Hey... That's not fair, if you want an exclusive, call in and ask. Today you just get the one chance to pester us!" He made his voice soft and friendly at least. "Now, back. Back!" That got a chuckle, but they moved. For their kind of beast, these press people were being fairly well behaved.

That didn't last too long, once Marcia started speaking to them. She did a good, if slightly dry, job, hitting most of the salient points about what Brian had said.

Yes, she informed them, there were other realities, and yes, the one they knew about wasn't a threat to them.

That part didn't get many questions, because everyone was really interested in what he'd been up to. Like that mattered?

"Proxy! How do you feel about everything that's been happening?" This came from a young looking man with gray hair. They'd actually met before, and the man asked uncomfortable questions all the time.

Marcia looked at him, as if he were really supposed to go up and dignify that one though. How did he feel about things?

"Well..." He didn't know where to start, but took a deep breath and tried to be honest. "I guess I feel horrible about it. The death, the fighting... I really want it all to stop, and think that the new program that Impulse has is a great step in that direction. Instead of fighting, people can simply give us their names and let us know what their concerns are. We're going to have a newsletter, and actually try to help people when we can. Because that's the level of response we actually need right now. Talking things out and acting like human beings, instead of blind hate and fighting. Sure, that doesn't work for everything, but..." He shook his head. "But we've let Braid take too many of us already. It really hurts, each death does."

Then he stood back. He eventually had to take a turn answering questions, after Marcia finished, but kept up the line he was using. Bridget left halfway through, but came back before they were done, and smiled at him, walking to the front herself.

"I got a domain name. Infected.gov, so it's easy to remember. We should have a web-site up by tomorrow. Sign up for the newsletter!"

She had to repeat it all on camera, and then take questions, which had always been considered too risky before, since it was really hard for her to lie to anyone for too long. Marcia looked on nervously, but Brian just got out of the way, as the girl moved to stand beside the podium. She was too short to be behind it, but that was where the microphones were set up.

Finally Doug got the idea and waved her behind the thing, then slowly had her lift into the air. It wasn't perfect and she had to hold on to the lectern, but it did make her taller.

"Whee. Gravity is making me float. So, questions? Or I can get out of the way and let each of you take a turn doing this?"

A woman in the back called out, her voice a bit snotty sounding.

"You've killed nearly a thousand men and women in the last month, and now you're doing a newsletter? People are calling for your arrest, and you keep acting like no one can touch you." She stopped talking, but scowled, her face looking mean.

Like she was personally affronted by the evil Bridget in front of her.

Rather than get defensive, which would be anyone's normal response to the kind of thing, or even making a joke, which Brian might have if put on the spot like that, she just answered, her voice normal. High pitched, young, and sounding like she had to answer things like that every day. Which given her life lately might have been the case.

"That's true. All of it. I know that people are angry at me, and understand why. They should be. Killing is always the worst option. Most people understand that it was the only one that I had at the time, and that me not taking action would have led to more killing and destruction, not less. I'm happy to announce though, that both the Infected and the now mainly defunct hate groups, have decided to come together as one over the issue, showing that we really can all get along. I don't take any of this lightly however." She gestured with one hand and bobbled a bit in the air. "Next question?"

They kept after her like piranhas, trying to wear her down and get her resolve to crack, so they could get an angry reaction, but she stayed the same way the entire time. Like no one could hope to move her emotionally, while still being kind and showing concern, if not outright compassion.

She did keep mentioning that the hostilities were ending, and that the next thing to happen would be Braid, and her cronies, trying to start things back up.

"So, if that happens, try to help each other, and run away when you get the chance. I can't tell what's coming, but it seems big. This is a real war, but all of us are on the same side. We know that now."

Then, as if she were finished, she started to move away, which got Doug to slowly let her down, making it seem almost like she was in control of the move. It flowed, nearly as if planned.

That was it, and they got to send the press away then. Brian moved with Marcia and the others, as a group, to prevent ambush by the press, but no one even really tried it. At the trailer he waved to Simpson, who was the only military man he knew by name.

"We need guards on the perimeter, and for the trailer here. Also, if anyone knows how to set up a web-site? Ask around for me, please. We really don't have any good IT people here, so anything will probably help, a lot." He didn't have the right to set that kind of thing up, but the man saluted again and went off at a run that covered distance about fifty percent faster than his own best sprint.

Which given what he'd done that morning, meant he was just jogging, for him.

It turned out that they did have a person that was decent with online stuff. Phoebe. She called him a monkey sexer, whatever that was. Then offered to set things up for them. It was a hobby of hers, she explained, as she started working. Bridget had some ideas as to what they needed, and they had it coming together without too much waiting or trouble. The big thing was that they needed their own server for it, or at least one that would be able to hold out against the massive hacking that they were going to inevitably get.

Honestly he had to leave that to other people, because he didn't know how to set that kind of thing up, and didn't have time to learn yet. Instead he sat down at Marcia's desk, and wrote up the reports on the events he had the day before. It didn't take that long, but he didn't know some of the information he was supposed to have in the file.

Like the location, and names, of the police involved in the second to last event, or any information on the nuns. He did however, have a computer, and knew how to use Google, so put in Proxy, and the date of the day before, looking for anything that mentioned him. He had to steel himself first, knowing that not everyone loved him, but it had to be done.

It was only about half as hate filled as he thought. Mainly he was called a killer, which was correct, and a few people seemed to be confusing him with Bridget for some reason, but in the main no one seemed to be all that harsh, as far as just being mean. Oh, he was called gay a few times, but could take that. It wasn't about those people trying to say he wanted men, just them not knowing how to hold a conversation online. The big surprise came when he actually found the information he needed.

It was on a web page for the "Proxy Union".

At first he didn't understand what it was. He wrote down the needed information, which included the number for the police station in New Jersey, and some indication that the police really had just let the man go, after Proxy left, since he hadn't been doing anything wrong. That was good news, but had to be checked anyway. The story on the nuns had less info, but the online people said it was out of Barcelona, which gave him a place to start looking.

It was the rest of the site that he didn't understand. It seemed... favorable. Like these people didn't hate him personally, for some reason. It was, it seemed, a fan page.

He had a fan?

Looking, he saw that there was a message board, which was a lot more interesting than he would have expected. It was run by a man named Tobias, out of Canada. Most of the entries, and there were a lot, discussed fights. Things done to help save people. Not his, or not all of them, but things that the members there had done, trying to save people. Sometimes succeeding, too, it looked like. Not always, but enough to make it worth doing.

He nearly got sidetracked, but bookmarked the page to come back to later. It was work time, and he wasn't allowed to goof off during work hours. He didn't think so anyway.

The call to the police to fact check things was harder to do than just getting the number had been, since more than a few people were calling them to complain about their treatment of innocent Infected people. He got that from the man he talked to, who growled at him, in typical asshole cop fashion.

"We can't discuss ongoing cases with the public. If you have any questions, please submit them in writing. We can't answer all your questions, but we'll try to do what we can."

It was the tone really. Of course, he was a bit biased on the matter, wasn't he? Being locked up by police and nearly killed by them several times kind of made him assume the worst about them. Always. That wasn't fair though, because some of them had managed to do the right thing, eventually.

"Hey... This is Brian Yi, IPB. Proxy? Anyway, I was there for the event yesterday and just need to go over some things for my records. Paperwork, you know? Just the names of the officers involved, how it was handled, that kind of thing. Who do I get in touch with for that?" There was no arresting officer, so he was finally given to the watch commander, who called him back.

After checking the number to make certain he was actually calling from an IPB line. It made sense, but Brian had to doubt that a lot of people went around pretending to be him on the phone.

The man was professional sounding, and actually got out the reports on it, which they had because shots had been fired. Other than the fact that they made him sound like a patronizing jerk, they actually all seemed to be fairly correct. They'd gotten the number of the glowing man too, so when he finished that part, he called the fellow up, just to check in with him.

"Um, hello?" He sounded a bit nervous, but given everything, Brian could understand that.

"Hi! This is Brian Yi. I was at that little thing, yesterday, and wanted to make sure you were all right? The police didn't hurt you or anything?"

There was a moment where nothing happened, but then the man spoke, his voice a bit more relaxed.

"Oh, that. No, I'm fine. I was handcuffed, and it was frightening, but no one hurt me. They said that Proxy came and told them I was all right?"

"Yeah. Thankfully I got there at the right time. I don't have control over that kind of thing. Well, cool. Glad to hear it wasn't too bad. If you have any questions, or need anything, let me know? Let me... get you the number here. It's the IPB base, but you can ask for me or talk to anyone here, if you need something."

"Really? But that's the IPB..."

Brian tried to make his voice sound pleasant. It worked better than the other way, for most things.

"Right. The Infected Protection Bureau. People always seem to forget what that really means. Thanks for talking to me. Again, if there are any issues around this, or you just need help, be sure to let us know."

Then he hung up. For some reason, it felt like the right thing to do.

So did running. As fast as he could toward the door in the front. Just as he got to it, with it still closed, almost without warning, a massive shock of power ran through him. A twisting in space that ripped him into a purple and black world. He'd seen and felt that kind of thing enough to get the idea.

He was going somewhere, it was clear, but it wasn't his power making it happen. No, this was Tesseract. Again. Brian had been close enough to the feel of that sort of thing to be able to tell the difference now. Something was wrong though. Out of place, or possibly, time.

For one thing, the world itself went dark, and he couldn't see anything, even as he felt a rush of cold air against his skin. His bare flesh. Wherever he's landed, the place was cool inside, and damp. Like a cellar in winter. Reaching down he patted his own middle, to find what he already knew was there. Hard abs, and bare flesh.

"Well, crud." The jerk had stolen his clothing? That was a pervy thing to do.

Including his armor and knife. Even his shoes. Brian felt his feet begin to chill, but couldn't see anything. The dark was more than he was used to encountering. A deep thing that precluded all vision. For a moment he wondered if Tess had taken his eyes too, somehow, but when he patted at them they were still there, and there was no pain, which was a good sign.

"So now what?"

He didn't wait, since this time he wasn't shackled hand and foot, was he? Putting both hands out he slowly walked forward, taking one slow and controlled step at a time, even as fear cut through his soul.

It was a bit too close to what the cops in Vancouver had done to him. This time the vulnerability wasn't about him being tied up and beaten, true. Taking away his clothing was meant to do the same thing, he bet. Tesseract was insane and following a woman that wanted to kill more people than anyone ever had on their world, but that didn't mean he was a moron. This was being done on purpose.

Trying to make him lose control of himself. To feel weak, and afraid. It was working too. For a moment he wondered if it were actually a different reality, with no walls at all, but two steps away he found it. What seemed to be concrete, painted to make it smooth. There were some lines, ridges really, under his fingers when he ran his fingers down it. Then he tried to reach upward, examining the place he was in to the best of his ability. Even jumping as hard as he could, there was no ceiling in reach. Taking a step to the side, he tried it again, just in case there was a door. Even a window or hole would work for him. There was nothing.

Not even an air vent, as far as he could tell. If that was the case, then it was meant to be his coffin. Taking it one small step at a time, he ran into a wall after a moment. This wasn't some huge place, it seemed. Less than two minutes later he'd examined the whole thing all the way around. Then got on all fours and did the same with the floor, hoping there was something there. A trap door for instance, would have been nice, about then. It felt smooth though, and didn't even have a drain in it. Concrete again.

For over an hour he tried to find something that would give him an edge in this place, but it wasn't there. There was simply nothing but a solid box. He even tried to kick the walls, in case there was give to them. It didn't do anything but make his feet ache.

So, Brian mused to himself, this is how I die.

Alone, which had always been his presumption on the topic, even before he'd popped Infected, and naked. That part was novel to him. Who would have stripped him like that? Well, Tesseract, it seemed. Trying to leave him helpless, to perish without hope.

It made good sense, really.

Every time they'd met before, Brian had used the man's own powers to thwart him. His ability to bend space and time was a thing that Proxy's power could understand, and he was getting better at it over time. So the man had figured out a way to end their game, by picking him up and dropping him before there was time to react or figure anything out.

"Freaking clever. Well, let's see what I can do about this then?" Instead of just giving up. He might be scared, or even dead already, but his power was all about moving from one place to another. True, that normally had him trading places with another person, but he had teleported for real. Once. That meant he could do it again.

The big issue there was that he didn't have control over his power. It just kind of did what it wanted. Or, more to the point, he could kind of talk to himself, and get his subconscious mind to help him out, from time to time, or had a few times. That was the first thing he worked on, but nothing happened as he sat there, his butt getting cold on the stone floor.

"Seriously? No help at all? If we don't get out of here, we'll probably die soon. I don't know if there's any fresh air coming in... Think of all those people you can't help, if you die today. If we die. So, like you did before. Build up energy, and take us back to the base. Come on now... go!"

Nothing except a vague sense of pushing took place. The wrong kind too. It felt a bit like... Annoyance. Coming from inside himself.

Why would that be though? Was he missing something? His inner self seemed to think so, but he couldn't grasp the reason why. That got him to go over the box he was in again, as the feeling grew. It was the same, even when he tried climbing in the corners, and jumping up in the middle of the place. It was both taller than he could go, and empty. Not huge though. About ten by ten, if the map he made in his head was right. He could feel the walls, in his mind. After a bit he started to nearly see them, glowing a light, if imaginary, blue.

That wasn't real, just something he was doing, instead of hallucinating.

The annoyance from inside himself turned to frustration. It hammered at him for about an hour or so, as he tried to talk himself into going someplace else. Even if he had to fight, naked and unarmed, it would be better than dying there.

Finally he growled, his voice low and harsh.

"Okay, self, what the fuck? Why not get out of here? Is something stopping you or what? It's like I'm supposed to do something, but I don't know what it is. Is there something I'm missing? I don't control this power, you know that. You do!"

That... wasn't really true though, was it? At least his inner mind wasn't a different person than he was. Was it? His power wasn't divided between Brian, the conscious self, and Proxy, the unconscious. He was one single person. Proxy was just what others called him, as a nickname. There was nothing wrong with that, but it didn't change who he was.

So, what did that mean? He could sense that he was right, but his power had never really been something he had mastery over before, had it? How would he even do that?

Could he?

"Yeah. I can. Think Brian. When you've fought Tesseract, each time, you could see the parts of space that he moved in. Why?" That was a thing he'd asked before, and the answer was the same, each time. "Because Tess was influencing the environment, making the pattern stronger. Visible to you. Not warping you..."

So, what did that mean? Tesseract wasn't helpfully doing anything at the moment except, possibly, using cameras to check Brian for shrinkage. That idea was a bit annoying too, but he couldn't prove it wasn't happening. Did it help though? Could knowing what Tess had done get him out of there?

He sat again, and looked at the walls in his mind. They weren't real, but that just meant he could fold and shape them, right? Push them into the same configuration that he'd noticed the Master of Space and Time using, when they'd fought before. It was hard to remember, since his brain didn't want to work that way at first, but after a while he thought he could kind of see it happening.

At every ninety degree angle from whatever perspective he took, there was a bend in space. It was warped, and moved as he did. Standing up, he turned, watching the thing in his mind reshape as he slowly spun.

Touching the wall...

It was totally flat and normal. Of course. That caused him to lose track of the vision in his head. He nearly gave up then, but remembered what his buddy Becky had once said to him. Words of wisdom and power.

"Don't be a little bitch-man." That got him to smile, and start over.

He wasn't a regular person, and had teleported before. He knew what part of it was like, didn't he? What happened each time he went someplace?

Focusing, he made himself see the bends in space again, but this time tried to imagine a sense of power building inside him. The tingling and buzzing that let him bend space around himself. It took a while for it to start, but after a bit he thought he had it. That, or the hallucinations were becoming really good, standing there, alone in the pitch black.

It took a bit for him to get the courage to reach out again, his right hand reaching into the bend next to him. Fearing that he'd hit the wall again. Except it wasn't there. Smiling, he started to step into the rift, but stopped, his subconscious mind screaming at him not to do it.

Why though?

"Duh, you don't have any place to go yet. There's nothing next to you." It was so obvious he nearly wanted to kick himself. What he had to do then was find a place to be, other than here. Or pick one. Bend space enough that when he moved into it, he ended up in a place, rather than just a bendy spot.

He nearly chose to go to the base, back to where he started, but for some reason didn't. There were a lot of people there, and he was naked. That was kind of embarrassing. Plus, Tesseract had his armor. That was enough to induce a bit of panic, which made him lose the mindset he needed.

Talk about annoying.

"Again, young padowan." So the Star Wars reference was from the bad set of movies, but it did get him to focus enough that he felt the bends and warps come back, and the energy he needed to travel through them. Seeing them, if only inside.

So, instead of going where he'd been, he went to his room in Colorado. A place with a door, that hopefully still had his clothing in it. He could feel the place, but not see it, even as he stepped into the right spot.

Of course, as he expected, nearly crippling pain shook him when he got there, making him nearly go to his knees.

"Fuck..." This came out in a gasp, but at least there was light here, and after he caught his breath, about ten seconds later, he could see that it was real. He touched things for a bit, making sure he wasn't just having a vision. That could happen in the dark. It wasn't bright, since there was no window in the place, but there was the glow from the digital clock on the nightstand. A blue glow. It let him get to the wall and find the switch, which...

Was a mistake. He had to stifle a scream, as his eyes started to water from the brilliance. He'd been in the dark for too long, it seemed.

Smiling he didn't stop, going to the little four drawer dresser, and digging out some underwear, socks, blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Dressing while he waited for his eyes to become normal again. There was no closet, but he did have a pair of running shoes in a little box next to the dresser, which he slipped on and tied, before heading out into the hallway. There was no one around, which could mean a lot of different things. People didn't always hang out in their rooms during the day, and fewer stood in the hallway. There was very little reason to, even if it was a nice looking space. Made to look like a hunting lodge, with a lot of polished wood on the walls, hardwood floors, and a soft scent of pine through the whole place.

It wasn't until he got to the first floor that he saw anyone. The first person that noticed him walked over, looking a bit baffled to see him.

Lancaster. The large ex-agent lifted a hand to him, waving.

"Brian. I wasn't expecting to see you this soon. What's the situation?"

Because of course there was a problem. He was involved in it, wasn't he? It wasn't a fun thing to realize, but Brian knew it was pretty much the truth. So he grinned and waved back.

"Tesseract kidnapped me from the base, and left me in a concrete cell. The fucktard also stole my armor and knife. I understand the idea, but really, that doesn't mean it wasn't a douche move, if a good one."

The big man looked hard for a second, and then shook his head a little.

"I can see how that would work. Just let you grind yourself down or get unlucky enough to die. Did he let you go, or did you trade with someone from here?"

"Neither. I had to work out how to control my power and teleport on purpose. On the good side, I think I can do it again now. I need to practice that. On the bad, it hurts like hell. I came here... Well, because I was naked, and going back to the base that way is just a bit too embarrassing."

Still he needed to get back, when he could. He could feel that it would take a bit for him to recharge, just like it had the first time he'd done it, to save a baby in Florida. That had taken about a full day for him to get back to something like normal, he thought.

Except that... After that, the next thing he'd done involved time travel. That had wiped him out for months, but it was pretty clear that him not going anywhere instantly hadn't been about the energy to do it alone.

The truth was, he had no real clue how long it would take for him to recover enough to try it again. It was possible he could go and do it right then. He wouldn't know without trying.

Lancaster shook his head a little, then waved down the hallway.

"We should report this." Turning he marched away, as if it made any kind of sense whatsoever to go and officially report.

"You aren't the boss of me." He grinned, and kept his voice playful, which got Lancaster to give him a grin that held something that was rare for the man. Real humor. Not that it had been that funny.

"True, but you should at least let us know what's going on. It's not like we get daily phone calls from home."

That was a point. A good one too. Everyone would want to know what was going on and the news only told them so much.

They hurried to the front room on the first floor, to find that about half the people at the base were there, talking or watching television. It was the news, but seemed to be handling the story of a young girl that had been kidnapped.

She was about fourteen, blonde and pretty, so of course that was the case. They seldom covered the Infected girls that vanished, did they? Then again, they didn't go on about the homely ones either, or the boys that went missing in the main. Not with any kind of wall to wall coverage like this looked like.

The picture still called to him. This was a little girl. A person who needed his help. Maybe not one that was about to die at the moment, but she was in real trouble. He couldn't be certain, but he thought she might well be raped again soon. That part was troubling, since the again portion was very strong. Blinking, he felt her strongly enough that he almost heard the crying physically.

Because that was normal?

Only, it really might be. Brian didn't know what it was like, being in control of his abilities, did he? Now that he'd done it on purpose, maybe he was integrating his personality a little more? If that was the case, then he should do something to help the kid on the screen.

Cindy. Cindy Gibson.

That was what he was thinking when someone huge picked him up from behind.

"Brian!" The arms were hard and muscular, but he was being held against a woman's chest. Instead of struggling, or fighting instantly, he made himself smile and look at the rather rough face behind him. Olga.

"Hey you!" She set him down, but seemed surprised when he turned and gave her a hug. "How are you doing?"

"I fine. Good. Not much to do here. I train. Team train." Her English was getting better, he realized. The giant dark haired woman looked a little like a Neanderthal, but she was always sweet. He wasn't certain, but he thought her first mode was embarrassment of some kind. Not about holding him in public however, since she was acting like he was her returning boyfriend. It was better than being ignored at least, so he didn't make her let him go.

Karen did that, by trying to join their embrace. That got him released by one woman, as the other took over, but reached out to include Olga too.

"Why are you here? Is everything all right?"

He shrugged.

"Kind of. Tesseract stole my armor and knife, I learned to teleport... So you know, ordinary day. I just hope that Jeremy and his lab buddies are willing to hook me up with another set of things. Where's Becky? I might have to sell her cute little ghost butt to them for a while to get them to make the trade." He was joking, but the girl herself appeared, then pushed him on the shoulder.

Not hard, but it was a real enough contact that he winked at her.

"See? Just like that, only with those guys, and you know, in the right places. You were the one that told me that they'd all crave your hot ghost-girl flesh... er... Ectoplasm?"

She laughed, rather than taking a turn slapping him for being a sexist a-hole. That was the kind of relationship they had though. Except for the part where it was him making the joke this time.

"Fine, be that way. Sell me for your own gain. I see how you are." She hugged him too, then demanded an update. It took a bit, and others gathered around, but after about six minutes, he pointed to the television screen.

"Right now... I don't know if I can do it, but I think, maybe, I can go and get that girl. She isn't about to die right now, but... It isn't good where she is."

That seemed like a good plan to him, armor or not. Karen was worried, about his safety, but Lancaster just shrugged.

"Hit hard and take the freaks out fast. You know the drill. Use your environment to your advantage and don't hesitate. You worked for months without armor before. You can do it again."

There was no indication he shouldn't do it, just warnings to be careful. Because the man knew him too well. Brian kind of had to go, didn't he? Leaving a person in trouble simply wasn't his way. Not that he was certain he could do it on purpose. Except, even if it wasn't possible, he already knew he would.

"Right. I need to get on that then."

There was no way he was going to try and take her place, even if it was easier on him pain and energy wise. It was too uncertain that he'd get it right, so he wanted to practice that on people he didn't like first. That way if he messed up and left them in a void or whatever, or pocket universe, it wouldn't matter that much to him.

That meant doing it the hard way. He closed his eyes, but just as he was about to make the connection, Lancaster did something strange, and put a nine millimeter in his right hand.

"If you're doing it on purpose, then take a weapon with you. You can do that." There was confidence in his voice, but Brian knew that might not work. Except... Why not? He just had to surround the weapon with energy, right? It wasn't easy to do, but when he had it, he stepped sideways, using the movement to carry him into place, into his second dark cell of the day.

Right beside the man that was about to rape the blonde girl in front of him as she screamed. He ached, and his skin burned, but he also held a weapon. A good one, not just a tiny knife, so managed to aim and get the trigger pulled before doing anything else. Like falling to his knees in agony.

Luckily the bullet distracted the man as the little girl screamed in terror.

Crawling over to the fallen man, Brian hit him, with the back of the gun, six times. He was about to kill him, when he realized something.

He didn't have to.

This time Brian Yi, Proxy the killer, was physically with the person that he'd just taken down, and would stay that way. What he needed, he realized, was to get the girl out of there and... Well, first aid for the man he'd shot?

"Cindy? I'm going to untie you. I'm Brian Yi. I work-" He nearly said for the IPB, but realized that they had kind of a bad reputation with some people. "For the government. We need to save this guy, in case he's done this to any other girls. So when I let you go, try not to kill him."

That made sense to him, anyway. Still, he really was a government agent, and taking revenge wasn't his job. Stopping monsters was.

For a moment, as he freed her from the tight ropes, the slightly bloody girl sobbed, but she managed to control herself after less time than Brian would have if he'd been the one being repeatedly raped.

Her voice was soft, and still scared, but she didn't scream at him, or call him a dirty Infected.

"You're here to help me?"

"Yes. A lot of people are looking for you. I just got here first. Here... " He got her free and then moved to the man who was on the floor. Bleeding and moaning, but the wound was far enough to the side that he'd live. Most likely.

"Oh, just shut up, you little baby. It's just a bullet wound. You're lucky Cindy and I don't take turns beating you. Actually, Cindy, do you want to hit him a few times? It might make you feel better, later?" He didn't know that, but if it were him, he'd have wanted the option.

"No..." This came from the man on the floor, as Brian tore the man's own shirt off and stuffed it into the wound.

Cindy looked scared, but still moved in and kicked the man, in the side. The other side, which made him groan a bit.

"Try the head. Not too hard, since we want him alive for trial, but there's no reason he shouldn't remember you later." Her feet were bare, but she did it anyway, and managed to knock the man out, eventually. When that happened, Brian stopped her with a wave. There was a partially open door, which gave them some light. He pointed at it, with the gun. "Hey, I need to go and check the house, to make sure we're actually alone. We also need to keep pressure on this wound and get an ambulance in... Police too." He was dreading that part, since they might just try to kill him for saving the girl, but she had to come first. Her safety was the point, after all.

Not until after they tied the man up though.

"Okay, let's use those ropes, then you can push on the wound here while I do that. I know that saving his life isn't going to be your favorite thing, but I'm sure we can arrange for him to get a large cellmate that will make his life less than fun, if we try." He didn't suggest they have the man raped, but the girl nodded. It was clearly what was on her mind.

Then she got the ropes, and when he started to stir, panicked and kicked him again.

"Exactly like that. Good job." The house wasn't empty, there being a woman in the front room.

She was terrified seeming, but laid on the floor when he told her to, with her hands out. She was about the same age as the man bleeding in the room toward the back of the house. About forty. He had a bit of a gut on him, but this woman was nearly skinny. Not all that good looking, but not so bad that she deserved to live with the kind of scum that kidnapped and raped little girls either. No one was. Still, the woman probably had helped with that, hadn't she? If not directly, then at least with her silence.

Brian took a deep breath, and went to the phone, shaking now. Fighting monsters was no problem, but calling the cops for help? That terrified him. This wasn't about him though. Not yet.

He was tempted to call Marcia first, but the situation wasn't controlled yet. He needed backup. That or to kill the two people there before running off himself. Leaving the girl was a bit rough though, if he didn't have to. It was still tempting.

He dialed the number, his hands shaking.

"Nine-one-one, please state the nature of your emergency." The woman sounded professional, and a bit detached.

"This is Brian Yi, I'm an IPB Operative. I've located Cindy Gibson, she's a kidnap victim. I need backup, at this location. Can you locate the address?" He hoped so, or else they were going to have to walk out. There was a bit of a scream from the other room, but he didn't worry about it, since it was the man.

"Sir, that isn't funny. Calling in a hoax report like this is a crime."

That was a new one, but then he'd never called for help before, so maybe it was what they normally said? At least if he was the one doing it?

"Um... This is really Brian Yi... I need the police, to come and take the kidnapper into custody, there's also a woman here. She's cooperating so far. The little girl is guarding the kidnapper right now, so... What do you want me to do here? It makes sense to send the cops, doesn't it? Can you find us?"

"Yes... Officers are being dispatched to your location. Please stay on the line, sir."

He left the line open, but jogged back to make sure Cindy was doing all right. The man was unconscious, but her hand was bloody, and so was his face. She'd gone back to keeping pressure on the wound though. Even while she cried. That was freaking tough.

Looking around Brian noticed that her clothing was still there, in a pile. Some of it had been torn off, but the jeans and shirt were good. He traded places with her so she could get dressed, as he realized that he should have done that sooner. Well, at least it was dark enough in there.

Hopefully he hadn't added to her trauma.

After that he had to go back and forth, making sure that neither prisoner escaped. When he saw the flashing lights, through the window, he opened the door, and set the gun down on the floor. Most of the time when he was around with cops, the police came at him, and he fully expected it this time too. The one running up to him had his gun drawn at least, even as Brian held his hands up at about shoulder height, waiting for the man to start screaming and trying to beat him.

That was what the cops did, most of the time.

For once the man was reasonable though, and when his partner got there, he paused.

"Is the scene secured?" He sounded scared, rather than anything else.

Brian nodded. Then waved them in, picking up Lancaster's weapon, slowly.

"Back this way. Two prisoners. This woman, and the kidnapper."

To his amazement, they followed him, letting him lead the way.

Chapter five

The man lived, though the FBI did ask if he'd had to beat him quite as much as he had. It was a bit accusing, actually. That got the medium sized blonde girl to get up from the back of her ambulance, limp over, and stand in front of him. Protecting him.

"I did it. I kicked him in the head, and punched him, when Brian was out of the room, getting help." She showed her bruised knuckles as proof, which got the agent speaking to look away for a few seconds. When he looked back, he didn't call her a liar though.

Brian smiled, not caring if it looked sane or not.

"She had a right to keep him subdued. It was a minimal use of force considering what had been going on." The thin man had a little gray at the temple, and a blue windbreaker with his company logo on it. FBI.

Looking around he started to nod.

"Fine. Let's go over the whole thing?" It took a while and every single agency that came asked him questions. The FBI was in charge though, it appeared. No one whined about him calling the wrong people first however. It wasn't until about an hour later that he was allowed to make a report to Marcia, or rather Sinclair and Phoebe, since they were sleeping in the front office, waiting for him to come back.

"Thanks for that. I'm fine. This is different. I'll report in later? Right now, I kind of need to let Marcia know what's going on. We need a press conference put together, first thing in the morning. Can you find Ken too, and set that up? Help him with it?"

Marcia was on the phone, ten minutes later, and promised to get him a plane ticket back, after he explained where he was and that he'd teleported there. After a bit, trying to check his internal energy reserve, he grinned, if only to himself.

"Nope. I've got this one. Maybe. Hold on?" He hung up and handed the phone back to the FBI Agent that had lent it to him.

Then, taking a few minutes to get it set up, he stepped into the front office, grunting loudly enough that Marcia ran out to see what was going on. It still sucked, pain wise, and didn't seem to be getting any better with practice so far. Looking up at her, he managed a wave, from his knees, but still, better than nothing.

"That really isn't fun. I've done it three times now. Oh, uh, Tesseract kidnapped me before that, but I learned to teleport on purpose. Kind of. Then I found that girl, Cindy Gibson. I saw her on television and went to get her." Neither of the other girls were there, but there were beds laid out for sleeping on, just to his left.

"What the hell, Brian? Tesseract kidnapped you?"

He explained the whole thing, going over it all until he escaped. He didn't know if the place was bugged or not, but she didn't press him on that part, understanding without the words being needed. It was about four in the morning by that time, and it didn't seem like he was going to be allowed to sleep, since there was a press conference at nine. He wouldn't have to speak, but would need to be there anyway. It was a thing, he knew.

That way they could prove he was still alive.

It made for a long morning, but before seven he changed, and went out to lead people in running. An hour of exercise was better than none, and he milked that, going until eight-thirty, then hurrying to get a shower and change. He was tired and hadn't eaten in a long time, he realized. Too long, most likely.

He'd been busy, but a part of him wondered if it was about him being afraid that he'd get fat again. Avoiding the idea wasn't going to help him, not if in doing so he kept managing not to eat. It was really strange though. Honestly if anyone had asked him two years before what kind of eating problem he was likely to develop, he would have figured on massive weight gain.

The press still tried to ask him questions, even after Marcia telling them not to, but he managed to dodge most of them. Mainly by stating that it was pretty much all in what Marcia had told them. She'd left out how brave Cindy Gibson had been though, when given just little help.

That he filled them in on. It was important.

"Understand this, she helped subdue her captor, and held him for the police, herself. She's a very brave woman. I'm glad I was able to lend a hand." After all, he wasn't the important one in that case. If people wanted to imagine he needed little girls to help him out... Well, that's what had happened, in the end. Marcia gave him a funny look, but the press didn't.

They just seemed quietly impressed, and then tried to ask him about people from other realities. That phrase seemed to be going over better than aliens. He could work with that too. It wasn't like he had some kind of stake in the matter.

He went to find food, as badly as he wanted to sleep, only to find the dining area had changed. There were two more green tents, and people actually making food. Hot stuff that held some kind of passing resemblance to eggs and waffles. They even got trays and real silverware now. Taking that and some skim milk, Brian dug in, making himself finish it all, even though it felt like too much. It wasn't really. Especially since he ate it without anything like syrup. Or butter.

It was fine, and better than the MREs from the day before. Seeing the set up he got the idea, he was supposed to scrape off his tray, then sanitize it in a sink of hot water, that had bleach in it, then scrub it up and put it on a drying rack. It was a good plan.

Efficient.

They even had written instructions explaining it all, put up right next to each station, making it harder to screw up.

After that... Well, he needed a place to sleep for a bit. It was tempting just to find a tent to lay down in for a while, but he mustered up his willpower, and forced himself to go to Mary's. Into the store, but in the back, so no customers would see him. She got there just in time to see him kneeling on the floor, in agony.

"My love! Are you well? You're warping of space was different." She was a bit hesitant, but moved to him, and helped him up. He turned that into a hug.

"Yeah. New trick. I was wondering if I could sleep here? We can go over things later, but I've been up for a while." He had the energy to kiss her though, which she did back. It was nice, how she always did that. Like they were a real couple and everything. The idea made him smile, even if he was still recovering from the pain.

"Certainly! I can close the shop and minister to you. Let me-" She turned, to do just that, but he took her arm gently. She was a bit smaller than he was, being about five-six, and while not hard, she managed to remain on the thin side. Her eyes were a soft brown, and her curly hair looked wonderful. Well kept and just the right length to be both attractive and practical.

"No need. I'll be up in a few hours? Wake me if I'm not. Four?"

She looked at him, worried, but nodded.

"At that time I shall wake you, my heart. You can use my bed?"

He knew where it was and got himself into it, falling asleep a lot more easily than he would have thought possible. He dreamed, of course, but it was just about dark places and beatings, like always. Even in the dream he barely felt any panic now. He'd just seen too much of that kind of thing for it to really influence him now.

When Mary came for him, several hours later, he woke up instantly, and stood at the first word. Being slow and lingering had never helped make his life better that way.

He looked at her though, and smiled. She really was wonderful. Then, quickly, he explained what had happened. To his surprise she simply nodded, and instead of lamenting the loss of his armor, scolded him.

"It is natural for you to feel such pain, since you're doing it wrong. Even in the first year of schooling children learn to do better than that! You don't shove yourself through space. You're lucky to be alive after all that. Foolish man, you need to bend the location you wish to be in around yourself, slowly. Here, do it now. Don't exit this room however. Just pick a distant location, and reverse the bend in space until it is certain around you." There was no pity in her gaze, but he tried it anyway.

"No! Don't grasp it like a wench to take by force! Ease it over you, like a lover. Be gentle, and move slowly. You manage that in other tasks, so I know you can do it in this one as well." She kept after him, making him try it over and over, until finally, she smiled, nodding. "Aye, that is the way of it. Go there now, and then come back here. You must needs do it many times, until you have the basic skill." It was just going back to the base, but it didn't take too long for him to realize that doing it Mary's way really was better. It didn't hurt, for one thing, and there was almost no tingling at all when it happened. That probably meant he was using a lot less power to get it done. No one noticed him, so he reversed things, and went back to her.

"Better, my love. Now, practice thusly, until I come to tell you otherwise. I shall watch my store and prepare the mid-day meal for you, as is proper. Go! Come back as well. I did not think you would be able to do such, afore now, but that is the way of it! This is most exciting."

It was the right idea, he could tell by the way his mind wanted to not do the extra work, so he made a point of doing what she'd said, going to several different places, over and again.

Finally Marcia saw him in the head office, and furrowed her brow, so he explained.

"My girlfriend is teaching me how to do it right. It's harder mentally, but easier in other ways. I should get back to the training, I guess? I don't want to be that soft and lazy teleporting wimp that I was before, do I?"

That got her to nod, and look at him, suspicious, of something. Then she almost always was. He left anyway, and picked a different location for the next trip. About an hour later, Mary came to find him, appearing in her bedroom again.

"Very good! Come, let us eat, afore the food grows over cold." She smiled at him, and clapped twice. "We should plot the way of finding you armor, since that villain has stolen your rightful property. If things were different, I would thrash the man. I fear that is not to be, for he is most strong, and in love with our granddaughter. I hear that is a true enough thing? Bridget reported such to me, so that I would consider it in the future, ere it comes to battle. I cannot see, but that we must end his days however, if we may, regardless."

Brian felt slow for a second, and wondered if they had a second granddaughter that he didn't know about. If so, why would they both be named the same thing?

"Um, what? I'm not sure I follow you."

She walked, nodding as she spoke, taking him to the little table in the back of her store, then ran to get him a plate of food, while she handled some customers. He waited for her to come back, so they could eat together. It wasn't the world's busiest place, but the little coffee and donut shop did decent business now. It was popular, since the food there was high quality, and they had other things too. Sandwiches, and a little store that carried useful odds and ends.

When she returned Mary gave him a very serious look, and didn't make him ask about it again. She was used to conversations not always being done all at one time.

"It is true. The villain Tesseract is in love with our Bridget, and has been, since before she was born. It is for that reason he follows the Timberland witch, Devorah. She has promised him that on her path, he shall find the true love of his heart, the granddaughter of Rachel Chambers. There is only one child that meets that description in this world. So he seeks to win her hand, and heart."

Brian thought he understood. Oh, he didn't believe it, but if the man had a first mode that worked in the right way, he might have been manipulated that way.

"I see. Maybe. He's a bit old for her, don't you think?"

That got his girlfriend to look away, her youthful face moving into a frown.

"That is as it might be. What is age though, but a number? I..." She looked at him then, her eyes a bit dark and gloomy. "Brian, my heart, I am at least thrice his age. Those that bend space and time rarely age past the point we learn to walk in time. It is part and parcel to that skill. I cannot even know how long I have been in this realm, much less my true age. If any were to cast stone for being with one too young for them, I am not a being to do so. You are but a child compared to mine own years. Worse than the difference between Bridget and this villain."

He'd sort of known that, but hadn't thought of her as being that well aged, really. About seventy, but Tesseract was at least sixty-something. Maybe older than that. Director Moore and Rachel were both in their seventies after all, even if the latter really didn't look it.

Brian shrugged then.

"Ah, but you see, this world has a great tradition of double standards. So I can love you without feeling bad about it, and still think that Bridget needs someone closer to her own age. It doesn't have to make sense. It's mainly about me feeling protective of her. Plus, as you keep pointing out, he's a villain. We have a long standing tradition of forbidding young girls from running off with that kind of person." It was true, after all.

Mary nodded slowly, and started to smile, getting that he wasn't really concerned about her age. He was an adult after all. Plus, double standard. It only made sense. His granddaughter, who was a lot closer to his age than he was Mary's, needed some nice guy no more than ten years older than she was.

"Of course, we also have a tradition of those girls running off with those very same bad boys, in order to prove their love and independence. I think we need to just trust in her good judgment on this one and not push her into it. I really don't like Tess that much. I'd hate for him to become family. It would make the holiday dinners too stressful, for one thing."

Different worlds of origin or not, she got the joke and covered her laugh delicately. It was adorable, really. When she got her own food and sat, he started eating. It was rice, with vegetables and a thin brown sauce that was a bit spicy. The meal wasn't bad, and it was a full plate, so pretty filling.

Just as she was finishing, having jumped up four times to help people during the quick meal, she smiled at him.

"So, since you have the beginner's skill, you can live with me now? There is no reason for you to be trapped at that hole, suffering indignities to your person, in order to serve. I know that your duty is such that you must go to aid those in need, but... Can you not do that from here? I can perhaps help teach you other things that may aid? Skills that I'd not thought you had the ken or ability for, that it seems now you may? I'd thought you less that way than those of my family, but this... It is perhaps that you are truly more?"

He cleared his throat, and nodded.

"You are asking me to move in with you, right? I'm not misunderstanding that?"

She laughed but touched his hand, from across the table.

"Tis the way of it! What word do you have on the topic? Must you ask your other lady for permission? I can go and negotiate for you, if that is the way of it."

Other lady? He didn't get that for a bit.

"Wait, you mean Marcia? I suppose she is the boss now. I'm pretty certain she isn't my 'lady' though, in any meaning of the term." That was just silly.

Mary smiled at him and shook her head.

"No? Are you true to certain on that? I've seen how she looks at you, when I come to visit. There is jealousy in her eyes. I'd simply imagined that she was yours, and would not seek to estrange you from her arms. Nor is she the only one that seeks your heart. That you might come to stay with me for a time gladdens my soul, but... I do not imagine that will last forever. Eventually one or the other will be called away to other work. That is the way of things. But for a time, would you not consider my place as your own? You aren't hard to be around, after all."

He nodded, "sure. That sounds fun. Of course I'm pretty sure that you're wrong about the rest of that, but I can probably stay with you at least part of the time. I... think I need to get a cell phone though. I can carry things now! I took a gun with me earlier. It really sped things up."

She nodded, and finished her food, smiling. Then took his plate and put it in the sink.

"Good. You should go to your work then, so you may come again later. I'll wait for you. Always."

Except that she'd just told him she didn't expect anything to last that long, didn't she? It hurt a bit to hear, but he knew that in her mind that might be thirty or forty years, not next Tuesday. It was a long time, in potential. The idea that he might lose her... Well, that was real enough. He'd never been with any woman that long. Not even close. The best he'd done before that was about three months, with Karen.

Thinking about that left him feeling a bit sad though. Kare was great, but things just hadn't worked out. Which might have been for the best really. It was hard to see, but in a lot of ways they were actually both too nice to be with each other. Relationships needed people that would contrast enough to keep the unit from becoming warped. Between Karen and himself, they could easily end up living for other people, giving away all they owned, and things like that. Compassion, and even self-sacrifice, were both good traits, but together they...

Worked too well.

Not that it had been a problem so far, but over time he could see that happening.

If they'd stayed together. It had been nice, but also frustrating, since he'd had her little sister kind of living in his head back then. Now that she was gone, well, the fact was that he'd been too desperate, and he really should have never been more than a friend to Karen anyway. They had too much negative history to bother trying to work things out. He'd liked her, and maybe it was even love, after a fashion, but a lot of it had been about him not wanting to die alone.

In the end though, that was just what pretty much had to happen, didn't it? The odds of him passing away in his sleep, as an old man, surrounded by family and friends... It made him smile. That should be his goal, after all.

That wouldn't happen, but... Well, he did have a family now. Gotten in a strange way, but it was real enough. Scott and Bridget were actually related to him, and Charlot was his friend, as unlikely as that seemed. Rachel was his buddy too, he thought. Plus, he had Mary, for as long as she wanted him around.

At some point he probably needed to get with his parents too, if only to let them know that the world didn't need him as a mathematical prodigy. It wasn't a fun idea, but soon enough it might be time to think about setting something like that up.

They managed a hug and a long kiss before he left, making a point of getting to the front office as directly as possible. Wendy was back on the phones, and Penny stared at him when he came in, her face going blank. It was suspicious, but she wasn't doing anything wrong that he could see.

After a moment he smiled, trying not to alienate her more than she could actually handle. The woman smiled then, and shook her head.

"All hail the hero. Have you seen the news today? Even the hate station has said you aren't so bad today. I'm sure that will change, but that was good PR, getting that Gibson girl back. Not that you did it for that, but it's working anyway. Marsh told me about the whole thing with your armor and knife. What are you going to do?"

It was a real point, and a thing he needed to take care of as soon as possible.

"Well, first, I'm getting some regular body armor, and a few guns and regular knives. I think I can carry them with me, part of the time. Maybe not when I trade out, but the rest of the time? Then... Well, I think I need to call my old college roommate and ask him if he has any way to get more of it? I should have been keeping in touch with him. I was busy, but that's not a good excuse." Just the one he had.

He was in front of the desk, which meant that Bridget came in right behind him, along with Doug and Sinclair. That was fine, but his granddaughter had her hand on the man's lower back. Not his behind, which showed restraint for her. That was the worrying part though. She was only sixteen and Doug was almost twenty-four, and she was clearly making an effort not to come on too strong.

The other girl who was only a few years older, noticed it too, and shrugged at him.

"Hey Brian. Saw you on the news earlier." Sinclair glanced at Bridget's hand again, but then looked him in the eyes directly. "We came to see what you all needed done here? Trying to pull our own weight and all that?"

He wanted to tell Bridget to get her sticky little girl hands off of his best friend, but the fact was she was legal in that state, and he wasn't her father. Besides, while telling her to leave Doug alone might have gotten her to try for him even harder, his buddy would have made her stop.

He was so much of a better catch for her than Tesseract that he really didn't want to mess that up. For his part, Doug had probably made up some kind of mental story about how she was just friendly. It wouldn't be hard to do, being the truth.

On the good side, if he wasn't going to try and play the grandpa card, which he was nearly certain he couldn't pull off, then it wasn't his business really. Not unless he could steer her toward Tobin Peterson? He was currently seeing someone though, so that might be less than kind to Kerry.

Rather than stick his whole foot in his mouth, or goad Bridget into helping him do that for real, he smiled at Sinclair, who was being helpful and seemed like a hard worker.

"I need to get a secured cell phone. I'm moving in with Mary, but I can get to and from here now, when needed. So that will give me a way to be in touch all the time." He waited for Marcia to come out and yell about it, but all she did was hand him a large folder.

"Mail call. This is yours. Mainly hate mail, of course. Now, where are you planning to be? At the donut shop?" He nodded, which got her to grin. It looked slightly sinister. "Perfect. I can't stand the things, but we have some big eaters here, and the Marine cooks can't get them enough to eat yet. Get with Mary and set up a daily order of ten dozen? You can bring them in, right?"

That wasn't something he was sure of at all, but he could probably drive in most days. That might mean buying a car, but normal people did that, didn't they? It wasn't like he didn't have the money.

"Sure. I'll get that going. You have to buy them though, and not try to get her to give them to us for free."

She squinted at him, but didn't seem upset really. Just a bit silly.

"That's a plan. We actually have our old budget. That's going to be strained, since we need a new facility, but we can get some grub in for the starving children. Oh, just a heads-up, President Lawrence called for you earlier and wants you to get in touch as soon as you can. He sounded ready to hand you your behind. Probably over the whole Braid thing. I didn't ask, since you know how it is, I'm not his poker buddy, or whatever you two have going on."

He winced, having forgotten to call him. Then he had been kidnapped, so that was a pretty good excuse, as long as he didn't dawdle now.

"Cool. I should get to that. Land line in your office?"

She nodded, "secured, for now. Still, don't say anything you don't want heard."

Brian looked at Sinclair and then Wren, who was watching them all very closely. She looked really young. Innocent too. So he explained.

"That's just the way of things. From now on, no matter where you are, just assume that people are listening. It isn't always true, but even for office people here, it can happen. The best way to protect us all is to assume that it is, and not say anything that can hurt us. Oh... Also, we don't give a care if you want to have kinky sex or anything like that, so whatever you're into, just be open about it. Don't get too into drugs though, since we're on war footing."

Marcia nodded, "damn straight. We need to get someone to be in charge of that. Probably one of the military officers, so that we don't have issues on that side of things. Chambers, you pick someone, and back them up in it?"

There was a nod then, from the tiny red-headed girl, her pale skin perfectly smooth.

"Got it. I'll get Johansen. He's one of the telepath/precogs. They aren't very good really, but they get some decent hunches from time to time. Between that and my sniffer, we can find almost anything here. So far I haven't noticed much. Some booze, but that's about it." Her hand was still on Doug's back, but held steady.

Brian nodded.

"Sounds good then. I guess I need to go and make that call while I check this mail out. I hope there's a seed catalog in it. We need some plants around here." If they'd grow.

No one laughed, but he was kind of serious. Walking to the back he sighed, then set down the bundle, and dialed the correct number from memory.

It rang three times, and a youthful sounding woman answered.

"White House, this is Maggie, how may I help you today?"

"Maggie? Brian Yi here. I got a call from the President earlier? I missed him. Is he available?"

There was an excited intake of breath, and what he thought might be a sob. If so it wasn't that upset.

"Mr. Yi! I'm so happy you're alive. Dad was... Well, it was pretty hard for a while. All those people. I know some of them, too. He isn't in right now. I... Don't think he will be until late. Can I take a message, or do anything for you?" She sounded youthful, and was, being sixteen now. They weren't that close, but she was a friend of Bridget's, he thought. Maybe Penny's too. They'd both been on her security detail for a while.

"Um, not really. I'm just checking in to make sure things are all right, and so he can yell at me for telling everyone about the people from the alternate realities. You know, all that kind of thing. Do you need anything? I don't have my new phone yet, or I'd leave my number. Do you have the one for here?"

"Well, my dad does, I'm sure. Or his secretary..."

"I mean you, in case you need to get in touch with us about anything. It's never come up before, but you should memorize it, just in case." He had a feeling, and was about to try and con her into doing it, when he stopped, and simply let himself speak. "Part of my power is to kind of know the future. It can be vague at times, but this one could be really important. So make sure you have a phone with you, and memorize the number, in case you lose it. Here, do you have something to write with?"

"Go." It sounded official, but kind of cute in her young voice, like she was pretending to be one of the secret service agents.

When he was sure she had it down, he made a point of suggesting she call whenever she liked.

"Even if it's just to chat. Or take part of the load off of your dad. No one here will mind, not even the new Director. She's pretty awesome. Don't tell her I said that though, or she'll think I like her or something." Not that he didn't, but it was just a joke, anyway.

"I can keep a secret. I have a lot of them. I can't tell you what they are, because, like I said..."

"Heh. Good. Talk to you soon. Keep in touch." They both hung up then, and he made a note that Maggie Lawrence might be calling in at times for Marcia, who'd left the building to actually go do something for once.

That meant he was on the phone when the next call came in for her.

Before he could speak, a rather panicked voice came across the line. It was male and sounded both hard and scared, at the same time.

"Turner! We need back up, Des Moines, Iowa. Five... Cat like things. They're taking the locals apart here! They aren't even going down under gun fire, they just soak it. We'll take anything you got." There was the sound of a war in the background. One that seemed likely people were going to lose.

"I'm familiar with the creatures. They're biological constructs, roughly class four level. We'll send a team ASAP. Hold on..." He tried to remember what to do, and his brain shifted gears... Who he needed at the moment, was... Team Four.

"Wren! Come here. Emergency!" It was real one and there was a clatter as a desk chair slid back. When she got to the door he just started explaining, hoping she knew who to call. Rather than turn, she held her wrist up to her lips, and spoke to the silver spider that pretended to be her watch most of the time.

"You heard him. We need the whole team. Now." Her voice was less scared than his was, Brian realized.

Then the man on the phone made a shocked sound and the gunfire petered out.

"They're here. Thanks. Who is this? I was trying to call Marcia Turner..."

Brian could see that.

"Brian Yi. I was just using her phone. She's out for the moment. Say, when you get a chance, call back and fill us in? I probably have to do all the paperwork on this thing." That would be fun. Possibly useful though, if it could lead him to Braid, or even her top people. Honestly, it was the kind of thing he should have been doing for a while.

"Will do." The phone went to dial tone.

Brian didn't really know what to do then, but got the basic idea of paperwork, if not the exact forms or protocols for it. He'd need to log the information he had, so that Marcia wouldn't be left scrambling when she got back. That got filled out on the computer. He couldn't get into everything, of course, since it was Marcia's computer. It had password protection on each file, except for the internet browser, and a word processing program.

Honestly, he was a bit shocked that she let it be connected to the internet. She seemed more like the type of person that would have done the important work off line, even if it was a hassle. He'd have to recommend that too, in the future. If anyone was going to break into their computers they should have to come into the office to do it, like anyone else.

Just as he finished the write up, trying to be as clear as possible the phone rang again. This time the voice sounded different. If the agent had been a bit scared, this woman was freaked out to the highest level possible.

"IPB, Brian Yi. What's the situation?"

The woman was hyperventilating, and hard to understand.

"Crap! We have... I don't know, four hostiles here... Like giant house cats... Except... Fuck, they're killing people left and right. I can't even get out of the building!"

Brian winced, since he really didn't know what to do at the moment. Four more of the things? That... Team Four was already fully deployed, he thought. They had a member that could teleport other people though, right? Lariat? He screamed then, for Wren again. She started talking, which got a voice to come back from her wrist.

"Lariat here. I need a location. I can't find people without one." It seemed reasonable, to Brian at least.

"Ma'am? Can you tell us where you are? We can send some help in, but-"

"I'm... This is the NYPD office, in New York? I- they're coming this way."

Wren stood there, wide eyed, as the voice, which sounded a bit southern, cleared his throat.

"I don't know where that is. We need to go with another option. It will take too long to find her." That meant he could hear the woman on the phone.

Probably a cop. That wasn't good news, but she was asking for his help, wasn't she? Their help.

She got more panicked, and Brian, finally, felt himself start to tingle a bit. This time though, the space around him warping already, he felt more of what was going on. Understanding the process a bit. He was grabbing the right woman, and was going to stuff her away safely, in a space that was almost exactly where he was going. A pocket universe, after a fashion. At least a pocket of some sort. That it was going to form inside himself was interesting. He'd never really known where the people went before.

The only problem there was that he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if he tried to fight the cat creatures that Braid had sent in, he'd die. The one time he'd faced one before that had been the case too, and he'd had to run for his life. It nearly hadn't worked. Against four of them...

There was nothing he could do.

Except that he had to protect this woman, didn't he? It was important, or he wouldn't be going to her now. Rather than simply hesitate, Brian got up and started running, moving toward the front of the building, screaming. It was more of a deep bellowing, he hoped.

"Bridget! Get over here, now!"

She was small enough, he thought, that he could wrap a field around her and go in. Maybe. He'd done it once before, with Tobin, and she was no larger than Goblin was. About the same size really. Plus, if he had a bit of time, maybe it would work to take her in without punching a hole into the space? It was too much to think about, but Impulse came at him fast enough that he didn't think she'd be able to stop in time. Followed by Quartz, and oddly, Doug, who was flying in faster than Marcia could run.

It was tricky, but Brian focused, starting to try and wrap the woman on the other end up inside himself, while making a strong enough warping around himself to take the tiny girl with him when he went. Hopefully it wouldn't get them both killed, but there was no time to ask if it was a good idea.

Speaking softly, he held out his arms. The space the girl had to be inside of was big enough for her. For more than one person, but there wasn't a lot of time. He yelled, trying to make himself heard by everyone around.

"Creatures, four of them. Class four, but nothing I can beat. Designed to take me out, personally, I think. In ten... nine..." The girl stopped, and hugged him as he moved to pull the nine that Lancaster had given him out. Except of course that he foolishly had left it on Marcia's desk. Not that a gun would do anything for him, but it was better than nothing. Well, he could find something. Maybe.

They were in the right place a moment later. Painlessly. That nearly shocked him into not moving, but Impulse was a good bit faster than that. He could feel the woman he carried inside his personal space though. She was frightened, but still at the same time. There was no time in there really. Not much. Probably a good thing, since there was no heat or air either.

Brian was pushed back, as the tiny, but incredibly powerful girl used his body weight to shift directions and hit one of the creatures in the eye with a spinning back fist. He didn't wait to see what she did though, since another of the things was coming for him. In fact, as he fled, running as well as he could, he noticed that two of the things, totally ignored everyone else and made a b-line for him personally. It did kind of show that they were designed to take him down, personally.

Yay. He was popular.

Jumping over a desk, he rolled, and nearly hit a brown desk chair on wheels. The occupant was in a suit, and had a douchey little mustache that reminded Brian a bit of the cop that had tried to beat him to death that one time. Short hair, and about the same age, so in his thirties somewhere. This man was terrified, rather than homicidal however.

Not the same person either. Just a man that was about to die.

Brian didn't speak, feeling what was about to happen so clearly that his body just reacted. A large and deadly paw swiped at his back, aiming to rip his spine open. To avoid it, he had to lay flat in the air, and spin at the right time, then push off the thing's chest. It would clip his left leg, but that couldn't be helped. Then, if he could bear the pain... He had to bash into the detective, take his gun, then finish the spin and come up firing at the thing.

That would buy them about four seconds. It wasn't enough, of course, but it was all he could do, the thing in front of him being too well armored for something as small as regular bullets to handle.

He just did it, and tried not to react as his left leg was nearly removed at the knee by the claws of the thing. Getting the gun was harder than it should have been, the officer not getting that Brian had to use it for a while, but as it fired, taking the thing directly in the face, it did move back a tiny bit.

Then, when the weapon was empty, he threw it. It did about as much as he expected, but bought them an extra half a second, as the thing looked at him. It didn't have a real expression, but really, if it wasn't thinking he was a moron for doing that, then it didn't have a brain at all. Then, for some reason, he ducked, covering the man on the floor with his body, just in time for the things head to explode in a flash of white.

Pain washed over his back and side, as bits of bone stuck into him.

He really missed his armor suddenly.

Impulse was there about three seconds later, her voice excited. "We got them. There are only four? I got four." She looked at him, and then nodded, not seeming too shocked. "Medic! Help, over here!"

That got the man Brian was on to push him off, and take his own belt off. It went around Brian's leg, as a tourniquet. It worked, but he wasn't able to sit up, since there was too much blood loss already. Luckily he didn't need to.

"Come... Here..." The trade out was about to happen anyway, so it didn't take too much more for him to wrap Bridgie up and take her back with him. That landed them in front of the trailer, to find that Marcia and Doug where still there.

Thankfully, so was Phoebe.

"Fucking dog farts!" She was pretty loud, and her exclamation oddly on point for once, but ran to him and started making out instantly. Kissing him, using enough tongue that it would have made him feel guilty in most situations. It made his mouth tingle, especially as she found his tongue with hers and pressed deeper inside him. Almost like they were friends or something.

He got the idea though, even as it happened. The healing factors she was passing were being secreted by her mouth. It wasn't some kind of psychic healing, but an advanced and rapid drug therapy. Probably one tailored to the individual. At least he noticed that the taste of her mouth on his became different after a moment. Slightly more bitter. Then his leg stopped hurting, and she backed off, working on the belt that he'd stolen from the other man. It was leather, and had a long black stapler twisted through it. As soon as the pressure was let go, he started to heal though. It wasn't instant, but he could feel his leg knitting back together.

"Thanks. That really helps." The method was a bit strange, but nothing he couldn't live with. Now that he wasn't bleeding to death. The bits of cat creature even started to fall out of his body, rather than grow into place. That was good, since they were probably poisoned or had trackers embedded. Braid would have thought of that, he didn't doubt.

Marcia was by his side, her cool white hand on his arm. Her brown eyes shone a bit, but she forced a smile. "They were only class fours and nearly killed you? How did that work? You kicked Tesseract's butt more than once and he's a class eight."

Bridget made a little sound that seemed annoyed.

"Class nine. He can get more than one of himself to meet up at a given point in time and each one has his full powers."

Brian hadn't heard that one before.

"Seriously? Crud. Anyway, these things... I think they were designed to beat me, personally. Bridget just killed them, but there was nothing I could do to them at all. That, or they're meant to be too much for anyone but a class five or above to take out. Either way." He'd nearly died, and would have, if it hadn't been for the others backing him up. Bridget and Phoebe had saved him. In different ways, but both girls had done very well.

"Good job, everyone. Hey, Doug, give me a hand? We need to get this all down on the computer and be near the phone in case we need to send in more people. Next time I'm taking you too, Marcia. You can stand in front of me while I run away like a scared little girl." He grinned about it, his voice a bit dark sounding. Scared, but hiding it. He relaxed though, and patted her hand as she helped him up, trying to take most of his weight.

His leg wasn't healed yet, but from what he could see it was still working away at it, and not bleeding anymore. They all followed him in, as if he were in charge. That, or they thought he was going to fall down. No one stopped, just crowding into the office space, letting him have the chair in front of the computer. Marcia grabbed a regular chair from along the wall, and Bridget scowled, then got two gallons of oil out, handing one to Quartz as she sat.

"Meal time. I need to stay fueled up, and you do too, Marsh." They drank the things as he and Doug looked on.

Phoebe shuddered a bit, "gross. Do you want me to go and get some real food for you?"

Brian blinked, because now she sounded sweet, actually concerned for them. "Cunts."

That part ruined the effect a bit, but Marcia looked at the girl, and shook her head.

"Not yet. We'll drink this for now, since it's faster. Tibs, you're on phones. Wren, what's up with Team Four?"

The beaked young lady with her pretty blue feathered hair and big eyes was in the room with them about ten seconds later, holding her hand out. The spider spoke to them, but the voice wasn't one he recognized.

It was female, for one thing.

"We've secured the location here. All the hostiles are dead. We don't know if there will be further attacks. Should we come in or..."

Brian felt a bit slow, but thought he got the idea. This woman talking to them over the spider, wasn't real. She was an energy projection, pretending to be a person. She wanted to know if they were needed for the time being or if they should go away, so Rigs wouldn't be burning massive amounts of energy to keep them going all the time.

He spoke, trying not to be pushy, but getting that if they weren't needed it would be worth it to save them for later. If only in saved food costs.

"Go back to base. We can hold things here." It was a bit obscure, but after a bit of hesitation, the voice answered.

"Understood. We're going back to our sub-station then. Out."

It was all very official sounding.

Then the phone rang. This time the attack was just a group of anti-Infected bigots that had decided a young mother who looked a bit like a lizard shouldn't be allowed to shop with the normal people. They had guns, but it was being called in by the store manager, and Brian noticed that he wasn't going himself. After a moment, he nodded.

"I think this one is about PR, not death. So..." He nearly asked Bridget to come along again, since that had worked pretty well a moment before, and then looked at Wendy, who was sweet and gentle... but also funny looking. That just felt wrong, this time. Like it would set things off in a very bad way.

Finally he waved at Doug.

"Let's go and have a chat about manners?" Brian stood on his own, and then had to focus for a while, trying to find the right situation. There were a lot more than one, he realized. Things going on that called to him, all the time. None of them were going to end in death at the moment, so he made himself ignore them. Not that it wasn't important. Each one was, and called to him. The thing there, he realized, was that this had to be happening all the time. He'd never noticed it before, but it wasn't special or different, just like an itch that he'd stopped paying attention to.

There, and irritating, but ignored.

It wasn't that hard to find the right place though, being a tense standoff in a grocery store. If a woman holding a gallon of milk to her chest and looking scared while ten people threatened her with weapons could be called a stand-off.

Brian put a hand out toward Doug, but didn't need to touch him. They just needed to be close enough together that they were both in the warped area when it thinned to let them through. He hadn't noticed it happening, but when they got there, under the cheap florescent lights, on the white tile of the place, he found Bridget right next to him.

Doug too, on the other side.

Glancing down, he was covered in blood, with a scabbed over area on his leg that was still mending. That made him limp a bit, even though it didn't really hurt.

He spoke, making his voice light. Friendly even.

"Seriously folks, what part of work together aren't you getting? Put the guns away and help this women get food for herself and family. Don't be jerks."

That got most of the weapons to be pointed at him, but no one was going to shoot. He could sense that. Just like he knew, if for a different reason, that none of these people would just put their guns down because he'd suggested they were being assholes.

Bridget nodded, really fast, her face serious.

"Yeah. This lady isn't going to hurt you. Really look at her. You're all acting like monsters, and she's scared, but just trying to get some grub." It was true, but she had a weapon pointed at her too. The woman holding the shotgun seemed pretty terrified too, suddenly.

"God. It's Impulse!" Everyone there looked at her. Because she'd been the one to kill thousands of people in the last weeks. It used to be that they would have stared at him, but no one even seemed to care he was there.

That was an improvement. For him at least.

Doug nodded, moving forward himself. He wasn't bullet proof, and didn't know that no one was going to shoot, but he did it anyway, moving in front of the lizard woman. The only thing that showed were scales being her face and arms and otherwise she wasn't all that strange seeming. A pretty turquoise color, too. Actually, Brian realized, taking a good look, for all that she was funny looking, she was also kind of hot. Like a model, almost.

Not that he was checking her out, but that kind of thing was pretty rare. Most of the Infected that looked different were kind of homely, because of what made them special. This woman had something going on that really worked for her.

"So, again, stop acting like morons, and let's take care of things here. Someone get a cart." He gestured at a man that looked upset, but not homicidal. "Will you do that please?"

It took a bit, but the man put his little pistol away and actually did it, which got Brian to ignore the others with their weapons, as he started to fill the thing.

"Ma'am, what do you need today?"

The woman, who hadn't spoken at all, sounded shaky, nice too though. Almost a bit sexy.

"Some milk, and I was going to get some rice? I don't have a lot of money. I haven't worked in a while."

That could be hard, Brian knew. Most Infected didn't have jobs at all, and either had to be on state assistance, or if they couldn't get that, and it was pretty difficult to do, they had to be involved in some kind of crime in order to stay alive. He didn't ask how this woman was making it. From the state of her clothing, the answer was just barely.

"No problem. I'll cover that today. Or, better yet, everyone pony up. The idea now is to defeat our real enemy by working together. Does anyone here have a job they need filled?" It was a long shot, but he was just being conversational. Oddly enough, the man that had gotten the cart made a face and looked away.

"I... Can you answer phones? I could use someone at the lumber yard. Filling orders." He glanced at Brian, and then Bridget, but finally shrugged. "Sorry about... All this. We're just scared. All the killing lately, and... I know it's wrong, but we... Have to protect ourselves. Not by going after people that just need a job though. Or some food. This is crazy. Proxy is right, we need to work together. What we've been doing isn't working anymore. I don't think it ever was." He brushed his hand over his short graying brown hair, and glanced at the others that had come with him. They didn't seem as convinced, but one of the women, the one scared of Bridget, seemed to get that she wasn't about to die, so pointed the shotgun at the floor.

"I... guess. Well, what do we do now?"

It was Bridget that answered, pulling a ten dollar bill from her left hand pocket. "Pony up? Then make sure that this lady... Sorry, what's your name?" She spoke to the Lizard woman, her voice friendly and high pitched.

"Marie. Marie Samos." She sounded sexy again, Brian noticed. It was a bit off, considering she was also shaking a little, but he didn't think it was psychic manipulation or pheromones. That probably meant he had a thing for exotic blue women.

Which he could kind of see, actually. Karen fit both of those categories, too.

He didn't have anything on him that way. Not even his IPB debit card, which had been destroyed in the blast, but Doug had twenty on him, and one by one most of the others managed to liberate a bit of cash for the woman, who seemed a bit embarrassed. The lumber yard guy nodded though.

"That will get you through to next week, when you get paid. I can give you a ride home?"

They all stayed there, until Marie and her new boss left. That part would work out, Brian hoped.

The rest of the people expected to be arrested, he realized. Not that they wanted to be, but...

He shrugged.

"Go on home now, and get online. Tell people about this. We have to change, and fast, and we can't do that if people aren't willing to try. You all got off to a rocky start today, but you pulled it out in the end. Next time you see someone funny looking, try to treat them like anyone else? Infected people aren't all safe, but don't assume they're going to be bad either, if you can. Like you saw here today, a lot of them just need a bit of help."

It was clear that they didn't all believe him on that one, but when he took Doug and Bridget away, he didn't have a sense that any of these people needed to die for the future to work out, either. That was good, because killing them now would just seem insane.

It wasn't the last thing like that they had to do that day either. In fact, at about seven in the evening, Marcia came to find him, and patted him on the back, then put an arm around him and leaned in. She smelled nice, he realized. Warm and a bit like some kind of perfume. It reminded him of flowers.

"Hey, you should take off. I set this up for you." It turned out to be a small black cell phone. "Try not to lose it. Keep it with you, too. If we need you in the middle of the night for something, I expect you to be here. You get tonight off, but tomorrow you have phone duty, so be ready to sleep in here."

He took the phone, and smiled at her, not standing up yet. It was nice to have someone hold him. That job belonged to Mary though, but it was a hug, not a blowjob. Finally he started to move, getting her to let go.

"I'll keep it on. Does it come with a charge thing? I've never had one of these before." Making him one of the ten people in America that was true for over the age of ten, he was willing to bet.

That got him hooked up, and about ten minutes later he was at Mary's. She was still running the store, but after he changed, into a set of tan fatigues that he had to get from the supply tent on the base, he went into the store and started cleaning the place up. A few minutes later, after helping a man that needed some donuts, and who was a bit too heavy for that to be healthy for him, she came over, nearly bouncing.

"Brian! I wasn't certain you'd come back. For a bit I'd thought perhaps I'd scared you away, being too forward. I can have your dinner ready for you in about an hour. I should have done it already, but I wasn't certain when you'd be here, and the shop..." She actually sounded concerned, as if he'd be upset by her having a day job? It was cute, but a bit different than what was needed.

"That's fine. Really, I should be the one making dinner, since you did lunch, but I can't cook. I can run the store though, while you do that? Oh, I also have an order for donuts, from the base? Marcia would like ten dozen a day, if that can be done? I can take them with me when I go. I have to be there before seven, but I can help with that, if you show me what to do."

The woman smiled, but nodded.

"That will be done. Assorted?"

They chattered about it for a while, and he made things up, so that he wouldn't have to call in and force Marsh to do the same thing. She was busy enough anyway, without things like food being dumped on her. Then he took a turn as a store clerk for a while. That got some funny looks from the people coming in, but he'd done the work before, if about thirty years prior. Things were different now, mainly in that the till was much more modern, but he was able to figure it out well enough.

Finally, at just before nine, Mary came back, and shut the place down. They were going to eat in the house, apparently. That made sense to him, given that the store was straightened and tidy already. Really she needed to hire someone to help her out there. For a long time she'd had Liz, Ed and Deidre for that, but now... Well, the Elecampane kids were back in their own world, making sure it didn't die, and Elizabeth was with Hobbs and the others in hiding. She could come back, not being known by the government at all, but it seemed a bit mean to make Hobbs lose his girlfriend like that. Especially since he'd been exiled from his entire world already.

For stealing the kids.

That it had saved their lives and led to their entire world being protected didn't seem to matter to anyone from there. He'd broken the rules, and those in power wanted him punished. It had been suggested at the time that he be allowed the right to contest that judgment in combat, but in a very unusual vote, even that had been denied him. Hobbs was too good a fighter to be allowed that kind of thing, it seemed. What it really meant was that they were afraid what might happen if he won, and stayed.

As the man that had saved the world, people might rally behind him, and usurp those that had nearly gotten them all killed by being foolish. It was too good a plan for someone not to give it a good try.

No one had explained that to Brian, but it was so clear that they all knew it. The leaders of an entire world, had, for one moment, been so terrified of a single person that they couldn't even risk killing him.

It was sad, but Brian just took Mary's hand, and followed her into the house.

It was dinner time, and he needed to make a point of eating more often. If he could.

Chapter six

It was dark when he woke up.

He had an erection, which wasn't that odd for him in the morning, even though he and Mary had sex before going to bed. It was a bit strange that she was stroking him, but they'd gone to sleep together, so he didn't wake up hitting her or anything. It felt nice, but after a few seconds, he realized that he could feel her body off to his right. Still sleeping.

Opening his eyes he found Becky there, her hand under the quilt, pushing the whole thing to the side. Making the blanket move up and down as she worked on him.

"What the fuck?" He sounded sleepy, not mad, but she winked at him.

"Hey, I have permission. I just figured that it would be nicer to wake you up this way than by slapping you in the head. Anyway, get up. We have a meeting. Unless you want me to finish first? I can, if you want?" She sped up then, as if trying to make it seem like a good idea.

He nearly growled at her, since he wasn't the kind of guy to have sex with a ghost with his girlfriend in bed with them, but just shook his head, not really wanting to fight with the girl about it. After all, they'd teased about that kind of thing for months, back when he had no one, and couldn't feel her. Now he could, because she was being projected into his mind by Christian. Plus, she also could kind of move small objects now, so the hand on him felt really good. Real.

Still, he waved her away. It wasn't fair to her, but he had to at least try not to be that guy. The A-hole that simply used women whenever he could get away with it. She didn't seem offended, but did stare at him when he got up, checking him out. He'd slept in his clothing, since he might have to go and fight at any time, but without his shoes on. Getting up he looked at the clock, which said it was three in the morning. Because that was a normal time to hold a meeting?

Walking with his shoes to the front room, he didn't speak, since at least one of them should get a good night's rest. On the front porch he slipped his running shoes on, then remembered that he needed to take a weapon with him all the time now. That meant sneaking back in, but Mary didn't wake up.

Finally, about five minutes later, he whispered to the ghost girl.

"So, molest people in their sleep much? You know that I would have said no."

"Like that matters? I own you after all. You're my bitch, and you know it. Honestly Brian, it's like you live in a little fantasy world where you don't get what's really going on." She pretended to go for him again, so he looked at her and shook his head.

"Stop with that stuff. I mean, seriously, it's like all the women around here can't tell the difference between consensual sex and just doing whatever they want. I can see you and Penny doing that, but I know that Chris had to help you just now, and you'd think she'd know better. I guess that means she's in on the meeting too?"

That got the girl to shake her head.

"Nope. She's fast asleep. I think you just see me because you love me. I was just going to jerk you off for fun, then slap you until you figured things out, but you caught me. Does it really bother you? I heard about the crap with Penny, but it's not like you don't want me." Her face was made up, or looked like it, but she seemed fresh faced and cute, not pierced and with heavy black eye-shadow and lipstick.

It made her seem a lot more relatable.

"You do want me, don't you?" That came out sounding a little worried.

Brian rolled his eyes. "Hey, that isn't a fair thing to ask. If I say yes, it makes it okay for you to do whatever you want to me, and if I say no, it's offensive. The truth is that yes, I do, but I'm with Mary, and that means you need to keep your hands off. It may not be fair, but that's kind of how relationships work."

She pretended to pout for a moment, then shrugged.

"Yeah, well, no promises, but I won't stuff a dildo up your behind. Pen-pen kind of went a little overboard there. Not that I don't get it at all. It's harder to walk around without being acknowledged than you might think. I do it every night, and it's hard for me to take. She had years of isolation like that. I think it broke her mind a little. You should forgive her. You all should. Especially Warren. He's being a little bitch about it all. It isn't like he doesn't want things up his ass, right? He's gay after all."

Brian walked away from the house, so that when he started yelling at the girl he wouldn't wake Mary up. He kept his cool, but shook his head hard enough she got the idea.

"That, is fucked up, Becky. If a women likes having sex, that doesn't make it okay for some guy to just throw her down on the street randomly and do her, does it? No, of course not. It's the same thing. Yeah, maybe some of the guys aren't as bothered by that as Warren is, but he's the one that's right. She violated him, and claiming that it's okay because he enjoys that kind of thing... Well, for one thing, we don't know he really does, do we? I've never asked, and wouldn't. Even if it's what he wants in bed from Carl, that doesn't make it all right for her to do that to him. For that matter, you coming at me like you just did is pretty sketchy."

She made a little handjob gesture in the air, mocking him. That was the kind of thing she liked to do, he knew. Make fun of people instead of hold an actual conversation. After all, if she just used her words, she might actually have to try and defend her position. So he was ready for the next bit, even before she did it.

"Poor little Bri-bri, did the bad ghost haunt you too much? Are your widdle feelings hurt?"

"Fuck you. You know what I mean, and also that I'm right. It isn't about my feelings being hurt, not even in the slightest. It's not even about me being okay with this after the fact or not. You have to ask first. Those are the rules, and rules only work if they apply to everyone, equally. Especially if you think the other person is going to say no." It was clear to him, and he didn't really see any good way around them. After all, it was what men were supposed to do all the time.

Becky clearly didn't think that was the case though. At least she just gave him a look that told him he was being stupid, and waved her hand a bit.

"Whatever. Anyway, Lancaster needs to see you about something. He should be in the front room. How you're getting there I don't know." She grinned. "I could have passed the messages for you, but now I think I'll just let you do yourself." She grinned at her witty line.

Brian didn't.

"Oh... yeah, that's pretty clever there. Like a masturbation joke? Because it's all right to abuse people, as long as they're men? I know you don't really believe that. You can have a mouth on you, but I've never seen you actually be stupid about anything before. Hopefully it's not going to be a habit with you. This isn't some little thing that people are blowing out of proportion. What Penny was doing to people, a lot of them, wouldn't be allowed if say, Clark Clarkson had been going around and doing the same thing, would they? Or even if Scott had." Prime was good looking enough that a lot of people might have looked the other way if he were breaking the rules like that. Not everyone would though.

Rather than answer, she waved it away, but Brian smiled. He really was right, and it was clear that she got that. Even if she had been trying to molest him in his sleep.

The thing there was that he also got what most of the men had been thinking too. Why they didn't care about what Penny had done to them. She was attractive and they liked sex. It was hard for them to say that, and then also go with the idea that it was morally wrong. Brian had been half tempted, or more, to let Becky finish up, hadn't he? That it was wrong for other reasons didn't mean he was going to be traumatized by it.

Still, that didn't make it right. Bridget had been fine with Clark having sex with her, but also twelve back then. Everyone else had agreed it was wrong anyway. She hadn't seen that, at least later when she'd been caught doing it, but still...

As a group they'd made rules, and had to live by them.

It was hard for him, because really, he'd already forgiven Becky, and really had done the same with Penny. He couldn't actually help it, he didn't think. Warren couldn't do that though. Brian could see why too.

It was clear that something bad had happened to him at some point, and now Penny had woken that up in his memory. Even if he forgot about it later, which was pretty likely, the man was in for a hard time, thanks to what she'd done to him.

Becky vanished, but he located her again in about two minutes, when he went to find Lancaster, who was sitting with Olga and the new guy, Jake. They were all on the main sofa watching television.

Brian could tell the difference after a second, since Jake had a different energy about him than Mickey did. Mickey was always happy, and seemed like it. Jake radiated peace, joy and love. He made you want to be a better person, without even speaking.

Brian waved, as Becky popped into place, after he did. She jumped, but the others hadn't. Her voice was baffled though.

"Brian! How did you get here?"

He waved that away, knowing that the others wouldn't be able to hear her.

"Hi everyone. Becky said that you wanted to see me?" This was said to Lancaster, but he just shook his head, slowly.

"Not really. I could use an update, since you're here? I didn't ask for a meet. What did Becky say?"

He nearly hid the truth, but sighed.

"I... woke up with her giving me a handjob, and she claimed it was just about getting me to come and have a meeting with you. I really need the sleep though, so... Well, I guess I can take a minute or two." It took longer than that, but the other listened, and when he finished up the whole thing, the ex-agent nodded.

"You need to stay armed, which I bet you got already. Keep that for now." That, of course was the nine in his hand. Lancaster pointed a large finger at it. "Also, we need to go over some things with people. That kind of bullshit will eat at unit cohesion faster than a fist fight would. I don't know what we can do about it though. A stern talking to may be about it, but right now about half the guys here have to be wondering what would happen to them if they tried to get with a woman without her permission. We can't really do anything to them, other than kill them. So, any ideas about how to handle it?"

Brian thought for a few seconds, and then looked over at Becky. No one else got that he was doing it, because Christian wasn't pushing her into their minds at the moment, being sensibly asleep. That did give him an idea though, at least for her.

"Right. Well, with Becky, we can do two things. First, if she does anything like that again, we'll get Chris to not help her out anymore. That won't protect me, but I'll live. As for everyone else... Well, most of them aren't going to have an issue that way. Most people simply aren't rapists. It doesn't matter if they can get any sex or not, they won't do things like that. If they do, well, it's like you said, we don't have a lot of other options. We can just have Jake tell them that in the morning, and I'm sure it will be fine." Because dumping that on the new guy who was some kind of Pope or Dalai Lama in his own world made perfect sense to Brian.

Oddly, he simply nodded.

"I'll make sure that happens. I know that they don't want to harm anyone. If we can help them see that it would be damaging to others, they won't do the wrong thing. Good people just need to be reminded every now and then, who they really are."

That didn't say anything about the bad ones, but it was good enough for now, he decided.

Then, without mentioning anything about how he was doing it to Becky, he left, not even saying goodbye to her. Worse, when he got back, Mary was getting up for the day, meaning he had to as well. He was tired, and felt a bit grumpy, but couldn't let it show. He did however mention being assaulted by the ghost the night before, and how he'd handled it.

Mary narrowed her eyes, but nodded at him.

"It can be a hardship, with that sort. The spirits of the dead that walk with the living. At times the best we can do is endure and placate them. I..." She shook her head slowly then. "We owe her too much, for helping bring our Scott back from the land of the dead. Perhaps you should lay with her, as she wishes? It is not what I want for you, but a small price, if it is her will?"

Brian sighed, "It isn't that I don't like her, it's that I'm with you, and she didn't ask. That's a big thing here. You aren't allowed to have sex with people without their consent. You know that." He wasn't actually certain of it, but she nodded.

That was nice to see.

"Truly. It is different in my home world. There you must be powerful enough to hold to your own will as that goes. I did not have issue in such ways too often, nor do I hazard one such as Hobbs would have, but many do not have such freedom. I can see that your ways are different, but it is one of those things that is difficult to really follow. Even the most common of girl or man is to be held sacred to the whims of those with power?"

They chatted about it for a while, making the donuts, which was more interesting than he would have thought. They were able to get them raised, cut out and cooled, as well as decorated and iced on time, though it was closer to seven than he really liked.

Most of the military men were there, in formation, when he put the pink boxes in the dining area. Running over to them from the dining tent, he thought he might be late, but it was fifteen minutes early. That meant he was able to go and put the nine inside the trailer, because dangerous or not, he couldn't work out and hold it at the same time.

Simpson, nodded to him when he came out, as everyone else slowly came over. Even Marcia wasn't there until five till.

That part of the day went pretty well, thankfully. The beginning class of fighters was horrible, but they all got a good work out in, and just before they left, he managed to get one of the military women, Robertson, to set up shooting and weapons lessons for everyone. He needed to practice as much as possible too, but so did everyone else that could be spared.

He'd never thought of it before, but it was clear that most of the real work was done in the office, not the field. That day even went pretty smoothly as far as that went. There were no new creature attacks, and while the phone rang a lot, only one of them was something that needed operatives to come in. It was a call from a police department in Arkansas, that was having trouble with a man who was Infected. He really just seemed to think that they'd been picking on him, because he was different.

Brian went still, understanding what was happening. The man had a bad first mode, and felt angry at the cops, because they really had been going after him more than was needed. So he was about to kill them all, if he could. It was probably fair even, just based on what the man on the phone told him. Some of the officers had been pushing the man around, and threatening to shoot him if he didn't do exactly what they said, half knowing that he both didn't have a real power, and couldn't help but fight them if they kept at it long enough.

Except that, when it came down to it, the man had surprised them. He may not have had a great power as far as fighting went, on the surface, but he could tell what they were thinking, at least well enough to make it hard for them to do anything to him. They were about to shoot, and end it, when Brian got there, along with Wren, the front desk girl.

"IPB, stand the fuck down!" He glared at the ten cops, and then rolled his eyes, as they looked around uneasily, as if expecting the man they'd been harassing to give up. Rather than accepting they were the problem. "I mean you, assholes. You've been being pricks, and now are looking for an excuse to kill this guy for no reason. We aren't doing that today. Go home, and leave him alone from now on, unless he commits a real crime. If I hear about you hassling him for no reason, there will be a problem. Now, go." He didn't make waving motions at them, but felt like it.

It would be hard enough to manage the guy, without them acting like it was a good time to measure their penises. It was enough that Brian nearly just started killing them all. That was counter to working together, but then, so was what they were doing.

"Go!"

One of the officers didn't move, but looked angry himself.

"We have to take him in. He resisted arrest."

Brian tilted his head, and let it shake a bit. "That is the most retarded thing I've ever heard. You were trying to falsely arrest him, so he resisted, but now you have to arrest him for resisting arrest? Get the fuck out of here. Really, if those are the rules, then quit your jobs, because that means you're the bad guys. We don't have time for things like that." He was being a bit meaner than he needed to be, but it was an effort not to kill them all. Even the angry man they'd been abusing seemed to be doing better than he was, merely not letting them grab him.

After another minute or two of discussion, the boys in blue left. That meant he and Wendy could do something useful.

He watched them leave though, to make sure it wasn't a trick.

"There we go. Sorry about that. Can you get a handle on your first mode now? I notice that you just didn't let them take you. Even if you're pissed off. That's a good sign."

The man nodded, but then closed his eyes.

"I'm so... I want to kill them all. I can't, but... I don't care right now. I..." There was frustration in his voice too.

Wren looked scared, but didn't back away. After all the man had said he wanted to kill the police, not go after her.

Brian took a deep breath.

"Okay, let's go through some breathing exercises, and try to get that under control. We can go sit on the curb there?" It wasn't too high, about six inches or so, but it was a decent day, the really cool weather having not started yet, and still not too hot. It was dry too, so the man did it, and even listened as Brian ran him through some basic exercises.

"I know, it sounds like new age BS, but it works, if you use it. Slow your breathing, make yourself relax and get away from people before they make trouble. I'll talk to the police here, and make sure they know not to do this again. They'll still go after you if you start to lose it, or if you commit crimes, but not just to make you fight them." He hoped, but the thing there was that he had enough pull to make them toe the line, at least a bit.

The man believed him, even if he could read minds, and tried to get things under control. It took about an hour, but after that he was able to drive himself home, which wasn't too far away. Before they left, Wren looked around at the buildings in the not very large city, and seemed a bit upset.

"Why did you bring me? I didn't even do anything."

Honestly, he didn't have a clue, himself. It had just seemed important at the time. This girl had been needed there, even if he couldn't tell her exactly why that was. His power did things like that. Making him do strange things, from time to time. If others could be believed it made them do things like that too. Most of the people at the old base had mentioned things happening that they were sure felt like he was making them do it. Not that Brian was, exactly. His power though, seemed to be able to do that kind of thing. At times.

"Because I wanted you to see that people can manage their first modes, and I wanted the police to see me with someone that was clearly Infected who wasn't a threat. I think that we need to have real programs to help people with their first modes. Soon." He'd never really thought about it before, but the girl nodded, happily.

"Like what Bridget has been talking about? A federal program to get people help before real problems start?"

"I hadn't heard that one from her yet. I'll ask about it. Can you work on that with her? You seem to be doing all right that way." It was rude to ask what a person's first mode was. If yours was bad, you were supposed to tell them, if you could, to prevent problems. There was no rule saying you had to if it wasn't going to make a lot of trouble though.

Wendy just nodded.

"Okay. That's really important though, isn't it? I'm only sixteen... I don't think anyone will listen to me about it."

He looked at her, then nodded, not letting her see that he hadn't understood that about her before. She was really just a kid. So was Bridget, but this girl should have been living with her parents still, not working for the federal government. Then, she should also be thinking about boys, the prom and her grades. None of those things would likely be happening for her now. Well, except that she should be getting some kind of schooling. Even if it was just on the computer.

"If no one will listen to you, then get with Marcia or me. I'll run it by the President if you can come up with something that will work. I'd do it, but I'm too busy dealing with the whole Braid thing right now. This is nearly as important, and if we don't end up losing... Well, in the end, it might be more so."

Then he got them back to the very humble, and rather slapped together, base.

No more missions came up that day, so he was able to eat a late lunch with Bridget, Phoebe and Doug. It was just in the mess tent, but the food was hot, being hamburgers that day, and filling enough. He made himself eat two, having skipped out on breakfast. They had fries though, and salad, so he got plenty. Bridget ate about six times what he did, and looked at the food line longingly. She didn't go back for more, grabbing a box of donuts instead.

She explained it, so they'd all understand.

"The Marines don't really make enough yet. If I have much more than this, someone else will go hungry. So, I kind of need to make do." Picking up a jelly filled, she stuck half of it in her mouth at once, then finished the rest of it faster than Brian could have figured out that it had lemon in the middle. "Not that I'm complaining about the donuts. That's not too bad. I'm still getting half my calories from oil each day. Not my favorite. I know, I'm a little wimp, but I could do with a bit more solid food."

Doug looked at the donuts with envy, but didn't go to get his own. In fact he hadn't even eaten a burger or fries, sticking to a large salad. He did have dressing with it, but not too much, since it was ranch.

"Yeah. Eating all of that must be hard."

Phoebe got the idea, setting down half the burger she had and pushing the brown tray away, as if to deny any temptation. Not that she was heavy really. Normal enough, but just that.

"Yeah, Bridget gets the short end of the stick there. Not that I couldn't do with a few more calories per day, but... Drinking oil has to be sickening." She looked away, and was clearly trying to fight off a name calling session. She did it too.

That got him to snap his fingers. It was hard to do, being that they were a little greasy at the moment. Thinking about what he'd just eaten left him feeling more than a little guilty though. Like he should make up for it by running for a few hours.

"Right, Bridget, you have a plan for getting people trained to handle their first modes?"

That wasn't really what he'd gotten from Wren on the topic, but the tiny girl finished a cake donut with coconut on top of white icing and locked eyes with him.

"Yeppers. I was thinking that we could do it in two parts. One for kids, in school, and the other for adults at clinics, or libraries. Whatever is around. Teach meditation, bio-feedback, and troubleshoot when possible, to help people. Work out strategies to help people cope if they can't do anything about it, all that. We get that kind of training, or used to, here. Most just get told to handle it or they'll be shot. Half the problems that we've had in the last month are due to Infected people acting in self-defense, but then not being able to stop, because they know that the cops, or even the IPB will kill them. It's generally what happens, no matter what the law says, so... Why shouldn't they try to fight? If they don't have as many problems to start with, we can maybe get the police to not be thugs all the time, and save some lives. The cops' lives too, so it's worth doing. It shouldn't even be all that expensive. There just aren't that many Infected in the U.S." She started in on another donut, which caused a gap in her speech.

Brian nodded, thoughtfully.

"That's pretty good. We'll need to get some cost estimates. It could be hard to get through Congress right now, but I can present it to Bill, the next time we talk. Really, I should probably call him again today. Oh, I talked to Maggie yesterday. Have you been keeping in touch?"

"Not really. I should, but I've gotten too busy to do anything. I haven't even been calling Jeremy lately. I used to do that about once a week. Just to keep a line on things. We should both do that stuff though. I'll get with Mags and you can do her dad and Jeremy." Phoebe looked at them both funny, and bit her lips, but Doug didn't.

"Brian's going to be doing two dudes? Himself? Wow, I didn't even know you liked them that way." There was a snicker to it, but Phoebe looked like she was about to have a stroke. Finally she spoke, the words just flowing out.

"Gay anal Brian. Stick it in your ear, butter sex! Butter sex! Hot, hot, hot! Blow monkey. Blow!" Then she covered her face, and was either laughing or crying. It was hard to tell.

He sighed.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that. But, you know guys, really mature... You do both get that we're talking about the President and the guy who got me my armor? Neither of whom are gay, but if they were, I wouldn't have a problem with it." This was mainly for Doug, since he was the one that should be able to control what he said.

Phoebe blushed though, "I did say it was hot, didn't I?"

Brian made a considering face, and nodded.

"I do seem to recall something like that."

That got Bridget to go off, but at least she wasn't talking about him, just suggesting that she'd rather see Doug doing that kind of thing. Between them, the girls both laid out a rather compelling arguments for Gravity to at least do some porn for the internet. He finally looked at both of them sadly, but didn't say anything about their teasing.

Instead he glanced over at Brian.

"Wait, is that Jeremy the one you told me about, from when you were at MIT?"

That at least got the conversation changed, and let them get back to work, as soon as Bridget finished her dessert. That was, very clearly, the important part, Brian understood. The girl was the sort that needed other people around. She thrived on attention, and while it was clear she hurried to get finished quickly, it was equally certain that she really didn't want to be alone.

It was no go on talking to the President, though Brian got voicemail this time, instead of Maggie Lawrence. Jeremy, however, was in. Just not available to come to the phone at the moment. His assistant spoke to Brian instead, since the Professor was, he was informed, taking valuable work time away from their project to actually teach his own classes, rather than having someone else do it for him, like a lot of the other professors did.

"Oh, that makes sense, he always hated that in college. When some goofy kid walked in and pretended to know what the day's lesson plan would be, instead of someone that actually understood the material? Which is probably insulting to you, if that would have been your job. Still, this way you can do some work yourself on the project, proving that it was a good plan all along. Well, could you tell him that Brian Yi called? I should be at the base here for another few hours. I have a cell number too... Let me give that to you?"

He was using the land line, but that was just habit. Marcia wasn't even at her desk, so it wasn't just him being in the way. If he were going to call people like the President, it paid to be on a secured line, didn't it? Nodding to himself, he gave the number and then his name again, spelling it for the man, who sounded not much younger than he was. Given he was likely a doctoral candidate, the man might have been older than he was, come to think of it.

After a bit there was speaking from the other end of the phone.

"Oh? Hey, Brian... Steve here wants to know if you're saying that you're the Brian Yi. I don't know what that means... What college are you from?"

The word Proxy was said in hushed tones, but loud enough for him to hear.

"That's me. I'm an old friend of Jer's. So if you could pass the message? I'm going to try and get another set of armor from him. Mine was stolen, by Tesseract. My knife too, but it's the armor that I really miss." He could take a regular blade with him now, if he planned ahead, and just get new ones if they broke. That nano-mesh suit had saved his life hundreds of times though.

"Sure? I'll do that." It was still pretty clear that he had no idea who Brian was at all. Which was a good sign as far as he was concerned. The fewer people that knew he was a killer, the better he liked it. Not that he'd been doing that poorly for the last few days. Compared to the rest of the last year, he was practically not killing anyone lately. It was nice.

They hung up after that.

Then he buried his head in paperwork, trying to fight off a constant series of yawns for the rest of the day. Stupid Becky, and her late night molestation and lies that had made him get out of bed like that... He understood the idea though. She'd gotten caught being naughty, so had made up a reason to be there with him. That didn't really make a lot of sense. Why would she have bothered doing that? Especially since it wouldn't be that hard to find a guy looking for some hot, no strings attached, ghost action. If he'd been single he would have taken her up on it.

Except that it kind of might be understandable. It was just hard for him to credit the idea as real. If she loved him maybe just getting some attention from any random guy might not be the same for her... Well, they had spent a lot of time together, and while he thought of Doug as his best friend, he was closer to Becky than he'd ever been to anyone in the world. For months they'd been literally attached to one another. She'd lived inside his mind. Then, before she had the ability to even make a real move, he'd found Mary.

It would have been rough, if the whole thing had been reversed, wouldn't it? Talk about being friendzoned. Of course, he did think of Becky as being a real person, and as both a friend and sexual being, not just some kind of placeholder or eunuch. It might not make her days any brighter, but it was true enough. He just had someone else, and wasn't going to mess that up, if he could help it. Even if Mary suggesting that he entertain her was kind of intriguing. Besides, Becky was on his list for the moment. Laws had to be for everyone, or they couldn't work, long term.

Thinking about it, he kind of wondered what Mary suggesting that to him really meant. Was it, like she'd said, just about placating the dead? Or was it about her being bored with him in bed? That thought wasn't the nicest he'd ever had, and was probably about his own low self-esteem. Maybe she just honestly expected someone like him, who she viewed as powerful, to have all the women he wanted? If that was the case, well, he'd tried having an open relationship with Karen and that hadn't ended up working too well, had it?

That night he got home a bit earlier, and felt a thrill when he thought of it that way. A place that wasn't just a room the government allotted him. It had been a long time since he'd been to a home, much less really had one. It was Mary's, but she seemed pleased to see him when he got there. Her pretty blue eyes lit up, and she gave him a soft smile that showed how white her teeth were. Not perfectly even, but clean and well cared for, showing no wear in particular.

Because she'd stopped aging a long time before. He wasn't going to be doing that, was he?

Rather than hold that in, he mentioned it after closing the shop down. That night they were having bulgur wheat and veggies, with a tart and sour vinegar sauce. It was all right, but a little stranger than what she'd fed him before. Definitely from a different culture. He was adaptable though, and it really wasn't bad. Just different.

"So, you aren't aging? Braid said something to me once, the first time we met. About a year ago." He stopped and counted, shaking his head a bit. "Longer than that by a lot, I guess. That I wasn't really immortal. That seemed silly to me at the time, since, you know, I was measuring my life span in minutes, not weeks, but she knew that I'd traveled in time before, though I hadn't at the time."

There was a soft gaze, over the food, and then a little smile from his girlfriend. Even thinking of her as such got him to smile back.

"Oh, and aye. That makes sense. Though you must learn to harness time and warp its flow on your own, before you will be given such. That is the way of it. That you can do so is clearly given. It must needs be what she meant to imply. Trying to alter what you would think and do, mayhap without the proper balance that one of her kind might bring to such, in normal converse." The words were a bit more heavily accented than normal, which was odd.

Mary could sound like she was from the mid-west without too much effort, and did that in the store most of the time. Also when she was speaking to him. Her being even a bit more formal was a sign that she was seeing something that she didn't want to mention to him, but thought she should.

The trick there was that he had no clue what to even ask about. He locked eyes with her and let his face light up a bit, trying not to seem half dead inside. He still felt that way, off and on, but with a bit of effort it was possible for him to not act that way.

"Well, hopefully I can get to that someday. It may not make my life longer, but having extra skill never hurts."

That, instead of making her frown or seem worried, got a large grin.

"Good then! I was worried that you might seek to put that off, fearing what having a longer life might bring. Some do, even among my own family. Only one in four is willing to try to earn the skill, you know. Past that, only one in three manages it. You, however, have already shown the first sign, so will do well. We can see to that after the meal? Before we retire to the bedroom?" That last bit was clearly meant to be sexy. She kind of managed it too. It was a bit off, feeling like she meant it as a reward for good behavior, rather than just something fun they might do, if they had time.

"That sounds... Well, I like the last part." Because, who wouldn't like that? She was incredible after all. Willing to sleep with him and everything, as well as being really nice.

Most of the time. It turned out that learning to travel in time was shunned by most of her people for a reason. The training method was insane. She explained it at least, as she showed him what to do several times.

"You must feel the flow of time. You do this always. All beings do. As time passes, we measure it inside ourselves. Note that, and then pluck at it gently, to create a flow around you. Like this..."

She did it, and he could see it happening, he thought. Or really it was more of a feeling, like a sheet of spider webs being pulled over them. He tried it himself, as she watched, her face going hard suddenly.

"I see. Well, if that is the way of it, love, then prepare yourself! It is time for you to face the first challenge!"

Without warning he felt a wall of time collapse on him. Everything went a painful white, though it didn't hurt or tingle this time. The last time had been so intense that way that he feared the light for a moment, but made himself relax, even as nothing else happened. He wasn't in the room anymore, as far as he could tell, and nothing shifted as he stood there, waiting for the rest of it.

After what felt like forever, or was possibly five or six minutes, he understood the idea. She'd trapped him in time, somehow. Now he had to free himself. That however, was a lot easier to think about than do. He could pluck at time, but nothing of note happened really.

It felt like forever, but he finally realized that he wasn't adding any power to the attempt. Creating a tingle while trying to bend time back into a normal flow got better results. The light around him dimmed, and turned red, at least.

Finally he dropped to the floor of the living room where they'd been working.

Mary wasn't standing there however. In fact, it was pretty clear that something was horribly wrong.

Her house had been torn in half, and he could see bright daylight from the front of the place. Walking forward, he got that he was in the future at least. So, he'd managed to time travel. How far, he didn't know, but the damage didn't seem new. On the good side, the road out front was fresh and well paved, and oddly the donut shop was still there.

Only now the sign in front said "Clark's Coffee and Donuts". It seemed to shift and glow, moving in a strange weaving pattern. Brian went in, his face set. He was still dressed in his work fatigues, and the three cars out front were smaller and more aerodynamic looking than he was used to. Another pulled in, as he stood there, making almost no sound. Electric, most probably. It was a nice color too, being a rather iridescent white. From what he could see there was no steering wheel, and the driver wasn't actually in control.

He half expected Clark Clarkson to be inside when he went in, but found himself faced with someone else altogether.

It was Bridget behind the counter. She looked older though, like she was pushing the ripe old age of nineteen, instead of the twelve she'd looked to him the entire time they'd known each other.

Her face had changed a bit, and was more round, but still slender. Filled out into a shape that looked pretty good, actually. No one would think to call her Rat-Girl now, he didn't suppose. She glanced up at him, and smiled.

"Brian! Going to a costume party? I haven't seen one of those in nearly... Well, I can't remember, so that's telling, isn't it?" She waved at the uniform, her own clothing being a light blue shirt, a pullover, with long sleeves, which looked comfortable, but a bit different than he was used to. As he watched her, the fabric flared, then became a regular piece of clothing again.

He shook his head, deciding not to bother lying about it. Lies just got you in trouble, as far as he could tell.

"Nope. Time travel. I actually managed this one on purpose. Sort of. Quick, tell me the lotto numbers for December first, twenty-fifteen..." He smiled about it, and her face fell.

Then she rallied a bit, at least.

"Right. I remember you telling me about that. Well... You're about a hundred years in the future then. You'll want to know that. Also... You need to hang on. When you go back. Things get bad back then, for a long time. You... I'm sorry. You'll make it, but... Not everyone will."

There was a darkness in her eyes, but she rallied and smiled again, then came around the counter. It was clear that she was taller now. Almost five-one or two. Brian felt himself being hugged, before it happened, almost as if he felt that taking place a moment before it did.

"It's good to see you. You hardly ever visit anymore. That's my fault, living here like this. I kept Mary's house, the way it... Well. I can't talk about that. There are some things you shouldn't know yet."

Brian wasn't stupid though, which the girl in front of him had to know. The old woman, if it was a hundred years or more later. That idea was hard to wrap his mind around.

"She... Doesn't make it?" He felt scared, but Bridget actually smiled.

"What? No, she's fine. She just had to move back to her world, after... Well, you two aren't together, and haven't been for a very long time. It wasn't really your fault, or hers, but remember not to be a cunt about it, when it happens. It's for the best, in the end, even if it won't feel like it at the time."

That was less than good to hear, but he nodded.

"I'll try. So, is this what has to happen, or what should? Or... I don't know, just what takes place at the moment I left? I notice that we're still all here? So Braid doesn't win?"

She shook her head, but didn't seem all that happy suddenly.

"That... It's different than you can know yet. It took me a long time to figure out. It really isn't about her. Not alone. The thing there is that... I can't tell you. You need to make the decisions you did. It... I can't tell you. I really hate time travel. Anyway, you should go soon. It's neat, seeing you like this again. Just, promise me that you'll hang in there? I know that things won't be easy, not for a long time, but they will be again."

He made a face, then nodded at her.

"Well, that sounds like a good time to be had by all. So anyway, Clark's? Please tell me you don't get married to Clark Clarkson? Pretty please? I'd almost rather it be Tesseract, to tell the truth."

That actually got her to laugh.

"Nooo. This is a different Clark. My adopted daughter's boy. I haven't thought about him in... oh, fifty years or more now. If I recall correctly he was already dead when you'd left. I just hadn't told you yet. Braid and her people had taken him and tried to use him to control me. I told them to kill him instead. They did. One thing there with Devorah Timberland, she kept her word." She started back around the counter, where there was no till, but there was a scanner it looked like, that people waved a hand over when they were done collecting what they wanted. She looked at him watching and laughed.

"Go! Quick, before we end up tainting the time stream more than we already have. No fair taking any technology back. We need to let things play out naturally. It never works any other way. Not here."

She did dart back around the counter, and gave him another big hug. Again, he felt her arms first, about five seconds before she touched him. It was a weird effect. She leaned in and whispered to him however, keeping her voice quiet.

"You have to kill her. That's the only way it works, in the end. Don't let her win. Not again. Even if this world never comes about..."

Then she stood back, and spoke a bit more loudly.

"Well, you probably need to get back. Things will be busy for you."

The words shook him a little bit, but he didn't let himself think about them. He tried not to at least. Don't let her win... again? What did that mean? Rather, he got what Bridget had been saying, but...

"All right. I understand. This isn't where I'm supposed to be. I'll do the right thing."

Why the heck wouldn't he kill Braid? Unless some other woman was meant? There were a few that would be very hard for him to kill, but he knew that his granddaughter had meant Devorah. No one else. The sense of it was incredibly strong.

He walked back to the place he'd come in, the house charred in places, and the floor starting to fall in, due to the weathering that had taken place over the years. Trying not to think, he sighed, and focused. Then, adding a bit of energy, he slowly plucked at time again, and made the world go red.

Which was, he knew, wrong. He wanted white, didn't he? That didn't come though, so he tried to just fix his mind on the idea of the right place and time. The whole trip was still red, but when he dropped the energy from it, Mary was standing there again.

"There you are! I'd worried for a moment, when you didn't appear instantly. Most die on their first attempt, or more correctly, are stuck forever in time. I'd thought that would not be your path." She grinned at him, relief in her eyes.

He stuck out his tongue, trying not to worry about how he was going to lose her.

"I was here, about a hundred years from now. Bridget was running the shop? She renamed it, and the house was falling down. Some kind of damage. She mentioned that we'd broken up, but were still friendly? Something about you having to go back to your own world. She didn't say why."

Mary looked away, but sighed.

"Did she say how soon it was that I was called on to return?" The words were pretty certain sounding, as if that were a thing that simply would end up happening, eventually.

"Nope. She just told me not to be a cunt about it, when it happened. I love you, and don't want you to leave... I'll try though, if it's something you have to do. I hope it isn't too soon."

That got a nod, but it was a bit subdued.

"Well, the path to the future is not writ in stone. What you see one time may well be changed the next. If such comes, and I must needs answer, well, what we do here may not influence it over much. Until it happens there is no need to worry however. It may be but a day or two, until that takes place, or on to ninety years, if you went so far ahead and young Bridget said nothing more. Sooner though, rather than later, I would hazard. If she warned you from being too emotional about it. After too long, such things are always easier. People are not truly meant to be together all that long."

Then she kissed him, clearly trying to distract him from what that all meant. She was, he remembered, a lot older than he was. She'd probably loved, and lost, more people than he ever would. Trying not to be a cunt, as Bridget had warned him, he just kissed her back.

They made love, and he managed to focus on that well enough, and sleep without too many dreams that night. When he woke in the morning, the whole thing from the day before felt unreal to him, but it wasn't as bad really. After all, the future was still to come, and time travel aside, he'd have time to live his life. Maybe he could change it anyway?

Mary and he worked side by side to prepare the morning donuts, and he got them into place more easily that day than the one before, landing them on an empty mess hall table without ever touching the boxes himself. Then he helped get everyone through their paces, increasing the running time for the day. They needed a real gym soon, however. A place to lift weights and practice fighting out of the weather. That wasn't going to happen for a while though, he didn't think.

After catching a shower, and finding that Marcia had added a tiny table to her office, with its own computer and phone for him to use, she turned to him, and shook her head.

"Brian, we need to talk..."

He blinked, and patted the desk. "No. You can't break up with me. You just got me this cool set up."

That got her to chuckle a bit, and it was nearly sultry, he thought.

"Not that kind of talk. About Penny. We need to get her some help, it's in my notes, but... I'm not sure what to do. We should lock her butt up for what she's done, but... I can't remember her having done it. Besides, she's valuable here."

They might need her to kill Braid. That didn't need to be said, but it seemed like he was supposed to be the one to do it, if it was going to happen. At least that might have been the message. Now he kind of wished he could have pinned Bridget down on that one a little more. It had seemed a bit like she wasn't allowed to talk at the time though. He hadn't thought about it, since they always lived like they were being watched and listened to, but she'd seemed to be a store owner, not in the IPB, as far as he could tell.

It was frustrating, but he set that aside for the time being, because no matter what else, he had to live in the moment. Everyone did, no matter where, or when, they were.

"I think we should get some counselors in. People for her to talk to, and see if that will help? This all seemed to be related to her first mode. You know the rules there as well as I do. Not that we can let her just keep on doing that kind of thing. Really, I should go and talk to her about it more. I've kind of been avoiding that, since it really makes me mad. I mean, she could have asked to do things with me at almost any time, and I would have found a way. Instead she just... You know."

"Raped you? Most of the other men too, at some point. Some of the women. Do... you need counseling for that?" She wasn't trying to be cute about it, just asking him.

He started to say no, because he was too strong to be really hurt by things like that, but Brian looked at her finally, and nodded. "I think that might be a good idea. Not just about that, but a lot of things. I've killed so many people, and a lot of other things... I can still barely look at a cop without trying to kill them. I'm just so angry sometimes. This stuff with Penny doesn't help."

She nodded, not seeming to judge him at all, so at least there was that. It felt like she might, for a moment, but instead she looked away, her face flat and expressionless.

"Yeah. It's a totally fucked up thing. I'll get some people in for it. Can you talk to Penny, or... Really, I should. Making one of her victims do it..."

He shrugged. "Maybe it's what has to happen? I'll handle it. No one else can really remember anything about it. Still, don't forget to get some help for Warren. Now I need to get to that, in fact, unless we get a call for something?" He glanced at the phone, but it didn't ring, so he smiled. "So much for being saved by the bell."

It got the woman in front of him to smile, but she looked sad. Her curly hair was pulled back that day, and she looked young, he realized. She was pretty, too. Not as great that way as some, perhaps, since she didn't have any make-up on that day, but she wasn't doing too bad, for all that.

He gave her a little wave, and moved out to where Penny sat next to Wren, at the front desk. They were chatting, but not about anything too important. At least he didn't think it was.

"Penny, we should take a walk. Past the old fence line." Tension made his voice hard and harsh, like it had been for over a year, and she gave him a look that was more than a little scared. He could kind of get that one, since as invisible as she could be, Brian was the one person that could always see her.

If he wanted her dead, it would just happen. Except, as mad at her, and feeling as betrayed, as he was, he couldn't do that. They were friends. That had to mean something, even when things were hard.

"Okay." That was all she said, and she got up to walk with him, trying to vanish as hard as she could. It made her seem a bit pale and translucent to him, but he could still make out her form clearly enough. Even with the skin dyes she wore starting to fade away. He did notice that she was armed, though the holster on her side stayed clasped. It was a good sign, he hoped. They walked for a long way, silently, until they got to where the old stand of trees had been. Where they'd talked several times before. Now it was blown down, all the trees pointed away from where the base had been.

Knocked over by the force of the blast that had ended their old world. Finding a good sized tree, he straddled it, and waited for her to get comfortable. She just sat, and didn't look at him.

When she spoke her voice was a bit raw. Not filled with tears, but nearly as harsh as his own.

"I know that you don't get it. For a long time I was so alone. The world didn't have any room for me, so I tried to make connections where I could. It really didn't hurt people. I just... Well, I needed them. I needed you. I just can't stand it when they know I'm there. What am I supposed to do? I tried... With Daryl? It just... In the end I can't take being noticed, but I have to be. I need people, I just can't... What do I do? Now everyone hates me. They think I'm some kind of monster..."

"That would be down to you really messing up. Worse, if you're around us all long enough, at least the others, they'll probably all kind of forget about it eventually. If they haven't already. Not Daryl or Marcia, but I think they leave themselves notes, so they won't forget. The others though. It's the way your power works. Still, wrong is wrong. If you want to be a better person, then you have to make it happen. If you don't... Well, I won't let you keep hurting people."

He didn't want to threaten her. Honestly, he just felt tired, suddenly. Like it was all too much already. How was he supposed to deal with her? For that matter, why should he have to? They were friends, but not any closer than that. Except that she'd been with him, more than once, from what she'd said, back when Denis hadn't given her a choice in the matter, except to tell them all the truth.

She didn't speak, because her having an idea would probably have been too much to ask, wouldn't it? It finally occurred to him that she thought he was just going to kill her. It was probably the best plan, but really, he couldn't. They might still need her.

He needed her.

"So, it's like this. Marcia is going to get some counselors in. You need to go and talk to them, and not do anything with anyone against their will, ever again. Can you do that?"

She nodded, her face looking sad.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really. This isn't what should happen to you. You get that right? You should be parked in prison for the next fifty years, for what you've done. It's a pain, but so far none of the women that I've talked to seem to think that you raping men counts for some reason. Except Marcia. We don't have a cell for you though. Plus, you may be needed to help out soon. That you're getting special treatment doesn't mean you should be. You get that right?"

She looked away, but her voice was a bit louder when she looked back. Not angry, but holding more energy.

"I know. Still, you can't seem to see that I didn't have any choice in it. I had to make contact with people, and I have needs... Why can't you see that?"

He rolled his eyes, finally feeling more than a bit exasperated on the issue.

"Really? I'm pretty sure that every ugly rapist ever has thought the same thing. The fact is you didn't do it because you had needs, you did it because no one could stop you, and you thought you'd never get caught. It nearly worked too. That doesn't make it right. Look, I don't give a flying fuck what you did to me. That isn't the point. It's that you can't see it as being wrong for some reason. You did things that are going to hurt people for a long time, and don't seem to care about that at all. That isn't what a good person does, Penny! You have to be willing to..."

The truth was, it didn't matter. He knew that. Honestly, he didn't even know if anyone back at the base would remember it as having happened at all. Lancaster, maybe Christian. Would anyone else get it? Or would Penny have erased all memory of the events from their minds already? It was part of her power, and not a thing she directly controlled, so he couldn't blame her for that.

He could hold her responsible for her actions from then on, however.

Without saying anything more, he got up and walked back to work.

After a while, she followed him.

Chapter seven

The next day was clearly trying to make up for the fact that he had two fairly quiet ones in a row. There were six trade outs, one of which had him fighting a crowed of angry bigots. That was the last one of the day at least, since for some reason they'd decided to meet for a rally at midnight. Normally he would have just run off, but the little girl they were trying to kill had managed to get herself stuck in a basement.

The building wasn't abandoned, since it had electricity, but it was still cold inside when he got there. A fist flying directly at his middle, he blocked and started punching frantically. A few low kicks were added as he was pressed by the sheer weight of bodies toward the brick wall behind him. That trapped his arms, which he freed. It made for a desperate fight though, since for every person he put down, screaming in pain for most of them, two more tried to take their place.

It went on too, with the bigots in the back chanting something about killing the freak. That would be the scared little girl, he guessed. No one tried to explain why, not that it would have mattered.

Finally he remembered the gun at his side, when one of the men trying to kill him went for it.

The shooting that followed got the fifty or so people right in front of him to back off. He didn't have any more bullets, but did have a knife. It was just a hunting blade, but once he was armed the dynamics of the situation became a lot different. The haters fell, as he slowly moved in on them, one step at a time. He was still hit and had to face some garden tools that were being used to try and kill the girl he was protecting.

About half of them managed to work their way back up the staircase eventually. A few were even smart enough to realize they had to run. It was getting hard to see, since outside the building it was dark, and his eyes were starting to swell shut, thanks to the beating he'd gotten already. They were just regular people though, so he kept after all the ones that weren't fleeing fast enough. They died, the bodies littering the floor.

When there was no one else left, he started to jog away. It was just possible that the ones that ran might come back for the child. She was little too. Maybe seven or so. Young. It was clear that she was large. Easily six-eight or so. Probably scary looking as well, but her first mode... Seemed to be a kind of low level depression. That, or her life just sucked so much that nothing else was coming through except a generalized fear of dying.

It was messed up, but there was very little he could do for her. He'd come to save her, but now he'd leave, and...

Blinking, he looked around. There was no reason he couldn't come back with help, was there? Call in outside resources and make sure that she got some real help, not just a chance to hide a little better.

That took hours, and he didn't even get to go home that night. In fact, Mary had to come and find him, when the donuts were ready. Sara, the little girl, was a foster child, but one of her keepers had decided that beating the gentle giant of a girl was fair game, since no one would care. She was rough looking, and a bit like a fantasy orc in appearance.

The worst part was that it turned out that the foster dad was actually close to being right. No one really did care about what happened to the girl. Except for him. Well, him and some of the people at the base, who got the girl a cot in a tent, when the state refused to do more than lock her up in the local jail for the night, not having anyone willing to do much for her at all. It pissed Brian off, but Wendy agreed to help watch out for her.

Still, what were they supposed to do with a seven year old? She needed to be in school, and playing with dolls. Not living at the site of a giant explosion. Mary found them, with him trying to get the little girl to eat some eggs and bread.

The donuts went over better, Sara polishing off a full box of them before Bridget could come in to get a snack.

Mary nodded at the large green girl, who had tusks and looked to be a lot older than she really was. Her hair was long and dark green too. Her eyes were a deep black. After finishing the pink goody filled box, she looked at Mary, her face serious.

"Sthank yous." Her long teeth got in the way, making it hard to speak clearly, but she seemed pretty smart.

"You're very welcome, dear."

The thing was, even with Wendy helping out, he really didn't know what to do with the girl. She needed parents, and it was pretty clear that it just wasn't going to be happening. No one wanted a little girl that could push a grown man through a wall. That was what had happened to the a-hole foster dad, after half an hour of beating her with a belt. There were no marks on her skin, those having healed already. Given everything, she was probably a class three or four, or would be later, when she grew up a bit more.

It was nearly enough to steal his breath away. What could he do to help her? He didn't have the time for that kind of thing, or the aptitude. The closest he'd ever come to being a real parent was slapping Scott on the back and telling him he was sorry about being a total failure at the job. So, it was clear that he couldn't just step up and do it all himself. Any of it, if he were going to be honest.

She was so gentle and nice too. Sad, as well, but who wouldn't be? Every person she'd ever met hated her on sight. They had at least.

Brian stood up, and took a deep breath.

"All right. We need to go and do our morning exercises. Do you want to lay down, Sara? I know you were up all night." It made sense to him, but she shook her head.

"Nos, Sthanks yous."

He nodded, not asking her why that was.

"Okay, then come with us? Bridget, will you be her buddy for the day?"

She was busily eating her own box of donuts and probably didn't want to be burdened with a little kid either, but nodded immediately.

"Yeah, you stick with me, Sara. I'll make sure you're all right."

Then as they left the tent, pushing the flap aside, Mary leaned in and kissed him gently, on the lips.

"Bridget has the makings of a good parent, I believe. I don't have that kind of skill."

"Me either. Not yet. I wish I did. That poor little girl. What do we do?" The answer didn't come, since the explosion from out front was too distracting. Brian ran toward it, going full speed, only to find that it was handled by the time he got there.

It had been a car, at one point. A large American one that was gold in color, he thought. Now it was a smoldering ruin. No one was panicking though, since it was Marcia that had blown it up.

"This, is a rocket propelled grenade. I want everyone to take a turn with this sometime today. Robertson, you'll set that up for us? Then I want the remains of this car taken care of. We can't leave trash lying around. People will think we're sloppy."

Marcia grinned at him, but handed the weapon off to Bridget, who already knew how to use the thing. Then Sara got a chance, being right there. It was both cute and a bit scary, seeing a giant green girl clap happily after taking the front half of the car off from a hundred meters out.

Then he and Simpson got them to actually run, which was what they were there for. It turned out that Sara was a good runner, and could easily keep up with the exercises, but was a bit sloppy in the fighting portion. She didn't have any skills, but had to work with the tough people, because she was too strong for the newbies to handle. She healed fast, but was only a little tougher than a regular person. On the good side, she didn't cry when Marcia hit her.

Though she was tackled to the ground when that happened, Bridget throwing her down hard enough that the Earth shook below them. Everyone turned to look as a much greater battle started then. It was pretty impressive, but didn't let the rest of them practice much, so after a minute he started cycling people through on the RPG set up with Roberts.

"Okay, you two cut that out. We have real work to get to!"

Neither of them were hurt, but Bridget did glare at Marcia as she backed away.

"Sara's only seven. Take it easy on her." It was nearly growled, but Brian could see Marcia not having known that. Rather than take them to task for having a little kid there, she just looked at the girl and nodded.

"I see. Okay, Bridget, I want you to set up schooling for her. Anyone under seventeen needs to at least have a GED. See to that. Sara, can you keep working with me? I'll show you some tricks and not hit you that hard again. For now. At least until you know what to do."

That got a second growl from Bridget, but Sara was game, seeming to enjoy the attention, even if it hurt a little. Marcia was a lot nicer to her then, but still made her work hard enough to sweat the whole time.

It wasn't fair, but he got the point. A girl that looked like she did would have to fight, sooner or later. The better able to handle herself she was, the more likely she'd survive whatever was coming. Not that he knew what that was going to be.

Brian skipped eating himself, and drank a lot of black coffee that morning. It meant dragging through the day, and taking lunch at his little table desk, but he started to get caught up on his reports. Just his though. He was also responsible for Team Four, and that meant handling them all individually. As if they were real people.

Finally, at about two in the afternoon, he got Wren to just have them all come in, one by one. Hopefully it wouldn't be too great a hassle for Rigs, energy wise. That was a major concern, at least for him. Marcia clearly knew about that part too, and so did Wren. She was the one that kept the silver spider on her wrist all the time. That was called Coordinator. It wasn't all that pleased that Brian didn't get it could speak for itself.

"Hey, buddy, that's my job, not Wendy's. If you want the others to get their butts in here, you need to deal with me. Jerk." The voice was a bit sarcastic, and sounded like he might just be from Chicago.

"I'm sorry. I should have realized that. Would it be possible for the members of your team to come in, if they've been out on missions? It's just for reports, but that would be easiest for me. They can call in too, if needed. I know they live at their sub-station." Which was in Rigs' head, but he didn't know what they were off doing, he'd said. It seemed unlikely, but every Infected power was a bit different than any other. That was almost a rule.

Even though they could all teleport themselves, appearing where needed, the first of the new team didn't come in for nearly three hours. They weren't off working or anything, so what the holdup was, Brian didn't know. He also didn't ask, since really, it wasn't that big of a deal. Maybe they were off having a party, or going to the beach?

At first he didn't know that anyone was even there for him, until a small man with pointed ears and collar length blond hair cleared his throat. The man was right next to him, too.

"Hello! Can I help you?" The man had cat slit eyes too, and made Bridget look tall. If he was four feet high, it would have shocked Brian at the moment.

"Yes. I've come to report? We have seen much of battle in the last weeks. I shall regale you with it, in the form of a ballad!"

The thing there was that he wasn't kidding.

T'ket, the name of the man, who insisted he was a forest elf, did the whole thing in a kind of spoken word singing. Brian took notes and didn't interrupt him, since it would be mean to force the man to lose his place. Also, he seemed really happy to be there, so it wouldn't do to spoil that for him. When he finished, Wren came from the front, along with Sara, and clapped.

"That was great!"

Brian had to agree. It was a bit hard to take all of the meaning from it, but he got the basics down, which was good enough, most likely.

The tiny man bowed, and moved off toward the far side of the room, vanishing, only to be replaced some minutes later with a rather cute woman who could have been Marcia's sister. Her hair was straighter, and long, but there was a lot of resemblance otherwise.

He started again, but this time got a very clear, almost military, report. The woman, June, went back over several points, reading what he had down, and making corrections if he misunderstood anything.

"No, I change shape. Not Lissa. I was the gargoyle. Lissa was the girl on fire."

He learned that one after Dev'an came in, since she nearly lit the whole thing up. That girl though, and she was a kid, at least in form, was sweet, and very patient with him. In fact, they all were, more or less. Considering that Rigs had rage as a first mode, it was good to see. His avatars were all good people, as far as he could tell.

There were a lot of them though. Eight that he talked to, and that didn't count Coordinator. From the reports it was also clear that Rigs was lying when he claimed he could only hold five of them at once. Oh, maybe that was true for long periods of time, but there were at least two occasions when all the ones Brian had met were out at once, fighting, or trying to save lives.

They seemed so real too. Except the spider creature on Wren's wrist. The rest of them could have passed for people, perfectly. Even in an interview with the press. Most of them were good looking too. Dev'an was a bit funny looking, but the rest of them were easily television ready.

That kept him going until seven, when he realized he needed to take a turn sleeping in the office on phone duty. That was going to suck, but someone had to do it and Marcia had been stuck with it the night before, after he left. It was only fair.

Still, he was going home first, because there was no point in having one if he was going to be at work all the time. When he got there, the store was closed down however, and the lights were off. He walked into the house, only to find Mary hugging a strange man.

That... Well, she could have friends, couldn't she? Trying to smile and not be a jerk, just in case this was what Bridget had tried to warn him about, Mary broke the embrace and turned to him.

"Brian! We have a guest. This is my son, Zevros. He's sworn to Lady Bridget and the IPB, and has come to make certain his duties are being fulfilled."

Because that made any kind of sense at all.

"Oh? Well, nice to meet you. Zevros?"

"Aye. You may not remember me, but I witnessed you in mine own world, standing down six that would seek to ruin us all, taking offense at the words of Edward Elcampayn. You thrashed them soundly, and put rout to those willing to throw away lives. I recently found myself at loose endings, so came to seek the lady of this world, Bridget, my niece. I fear the Wyrdcraft family is not over familiar with familial duties, but we do understand the taking of an oath, even one from a strange custom. I said that I was a deputy, and that is enough, is it not?" The man didn't look questioning, so Brian nodded.

"That would do it. I can get you to the base. I think she's around. Say, I don't suppose you'd want to talk to the public, would you? I mean, if you work with the IPB, and are from that other world? People would love to hear from you."

The man smiled, and gave a small bow. It matched the suit he was wearing which was made of shiny material, and seem to have big black buttons, as well as lace around the neck and cuffs. He also wore boots that had high heels and seemed to be made of leather. It made him a bit taller than Brian was, so about five-ten or eleven without them, at a guess. He was thin, but closer to normal than he was himself.

"If that is the will of my lady, then I will do so, without question. I have no splendid gift for such, but I am willing, ere it be my duty."

"Great. Now, I should..." Honestly he didn't know. Making a bit of a face, he nearly offered to make dinner, or take them all out, when Mary spoke, her voice firm.

"Perhaps if you went and retrieved our Bridget? Lady Marcia as well? I would speak to Zevros, if that is allowed?"

He nodded, "I'll get to that. It might take a few minutes?"

She just looked at him, as if there was meaning to it. So he dawdled a bit, first finding Bridget, then collecting Marcia, and trying to explain why she needed to come with him. They were probably being listened to, so he wasn't very clear. That set her off a bit, because it really was suspicious, wasn't it? In the end he had to roll his eyes and just clear his throat until she stopped speaking.

"It isn't anything bad, Marcia. I just don't know what you want known about it yet. So, come on?"

On the good side that all took long enough that Mary had dinner ready for all of them by the time they got back, an hour and a half later. That left Doug manning the front office, but he was the second in command of the IPB, so he could manage it. If not, he could call.

One thing was certain, this teleporting thing was awesome. Brian just needed to learn where some nice beaches were, and maybe find a few good stores and he'd be set.

As much of a pain as Marcia had been to get into place, she was more than happy to talk to Zevros and Mary. The funny thing there was that the man wouldn't speak to her directly. Instead he addressed everything to Bridget first. Even though they were all in the same room. Luckily Brian had seen that one before.

Looking at his boss, he explained.

"He swore his oath to Bridget, and through her to the IPB. That means he's below you in that organization, and Bridget is required to protect him from you, or your wrath, if you get upset by anything he says. Basically, even though you can hear him, if he messes anything up, Bridget can change it and tell you what he should have said. It's a polite thing, in their world." Then, that kind of thing was what made aliens cool, wasn't it?

That part understood, they were able to work out that Zevros should go and get some of the Doyle family members, and anyone else that was willing to speak to the public, and bring them in the next day.

"After all, Brian said he'd try to get some of you in for that. People are curious about it." Marcia glanced at each of them, then looked at Brian directly. "Not that they all believe you. It's kind of a big thing. Having some people show up can't hurt. I just wish we could get in some of those Timberlands. They could collect up Braid and take her back with them." Marcia didn't seem to really mean it, not expecting the words to be noticed, but Brian saw Zevros and Mary nod along with them.

Bridget too, after a bit.

"Yeah. We should at least ask if they'd be willing. If we could get a few of them to come, they should be able to mess up her plans a lot. Didn't you say that once?" She looked at her uncle, who nodded.

"Yes. That is the traditional method of controlling them. No one but another of their own kind can do much to stop them. Save perhaps a Wester. Though I do hear that you've managed to do some good work toward that end?" This was addressed to Bridget, which had Mary nodding again.

It was news to Brian, but he'd been out of the loop for a while.

She grinned a bit.

"I don't really know. I did manage to break both of her legs. I can't tell if she let me do it or not, just to throw me off. Can we get anyone like that to come here? More than one, I don't want to help them beat Devorah, just to have a new member of her family take over. What do you think, Brian?"

For a while he just sat, trying to feel what could happen in the future. It was hard to get a sense of anyone actually coming, since, he was willing to bet, they didn't actually exist in the world he was in at the moment. Logically speaking, it was both a good idea, and a giant risk. If anyone was willing to come in the first place.

"Well... If they want to try things out here, and are willing to swear loyalty to the IPB, then that could work. Swear on a limited basis though, since we could be under a totally different President in a few years. We will be, actually. We just don't know who, or if they'll be supportive of the Infected. Probably not, if Braid gets her way." Though it was pretty hard to actually tell if that was a real problem or not.

Which was why they'd been so stuck the whole time.

It was impossible to know what she was going to be getting up to, or how many steps ahead of them she was. If they had a way to match her, or even just mess with her for a while...

Well, that might make a difference, in the end. Most likely they were actually planning to bring in a bunch of wolves to help solve their pesky sheep problem. Still, he got the basic idea, and though it was clear that Marcia could see the same potential for disaster, they were really doing that poorly. So far his best try to stop Braid had been to tattle on her to the public. It had actually slowed down the violence a bit, which was good, but they were thrashing around in the dark, working against a person that could not only see them, but was an expert at fighting.

"I... We should ask. I don't know if anyone there will be willing to aid us here, but if they don't know we need help, then we won't get it."

It was all he could do toward that end, but honestly, he was starting to figure that they were just going to lose in the end. Devorah was just too good. She'd planned and worked for too long, and he just couldn't match her.

"So far the best we've managed has been having molesto the wonder ghost slap her in the head for a while. Daily. It hasn't kept her from doing anything though."

Everyone looked at him funny, except Mary, who explained about the shade that used to live in his head. Marcia raised an eyebrow at the story, and Bridget crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes.

"What the fuck? First she sleeps with my dad, and now my grandpa? I'm so screwing her sister. Mary, can you take me to the other location? We need to see about this one right now. I can't believe that Becky would do that! I'm..." She vanished then, along with Mary, leaving the three of them to sit and watch each other for a moment.

Brian had felt them leave, but it had happened way faster than he could have done it.

Finally, with his protector gone, Zevros spoke to Brian.

"I must needs then go and see if I may find such aid. I shall return as soon as I may, before the sun sets tomorrow, even if I must come alone. Can you pass such words to Lady Bridget? I... Fear for this shade, and her kin. I have seen my niece battle against hundreds of powerful sports at once, defeating them all. Can this sister stand against her? Will such action cause a war, do you think?"

Brian didn't really think it would.

"Not likely. Karen is very kind. Bridget wouldn't force her to do anything anyway. I'm not certain that she won't sleep with Bridget to get back at Becky though. There have been some issues there."

Looking at them both, Marcia finally chuckled a bit. "Not likely. Bridget doesn't like women that way really, and Kare had known her for years. It would be like doing her own little sister. No, I bet that she just threatens and that Karen will pretend to go along with it, just to yank Becky's chain."

That really did sound pretty close to correct, so Brian stood and gestured for Zevros to do the same.

"I'll pass that along to Bridget. Thanks for coming, by the way. Let me know if you need anything that I can do, or get, for you."

It would probably end up being him fighting in a court case in a different world, but this man, already fully grown, was practically family, being Mary's son.

"Thank you. I hope you will consider the same, if the positions are reversed? I shall not rest until I put the question to all that will listen. Even if I must live the same day more than once. Know that I seek immediately to remedy the problem the Timberland witch has wrought on this unsuspecting land."

Then the man vanished. It felt different than what Mary had just done. That would be due to the travel being to another world?

Brian put a hand out to Marcia, and she stood, taking it.

"Want to go with me to see everyone else? Lancaster will want to be updated. I should take Penny along, but I'm already kind of worried that she'll have made everyone forget about what she did."

"Right..." Then the woman squeezed his hand a little bit. "What did she do? I... It's like it's right there, but I can remember."

Brian could see that. Penny had been working in the same office with them, and he was pretty sure that her power would have made sure Quartz would be good with her, one way or the other. Penny was scared of her, if only a little. She was one of the few people in the world that might just accidentally kill her, on purpose. She'd just need to lock them both in a small room and start flailing around in all the places a person could be faster than Penny could duck out of the way.

"Yep, just like that. She's been going around and having sex with people, without consent. A few of them have a real problem with it. It was pretty bad, not just her feeling them up."

"Oh. Yeah, we can't have shit like that. What are we going to do about it? You have a plan?"

"You do. Counseling. Did you get anyone in for that?"

There was a pause, but she nodded, which was better than Brian had been expecting, to tell the truth.

"Yeah. It was on my checklist for the day. That's why I was doing that? Good to know. Well, crud on a cracker. I can trust you to make sure that gets handled? I didn't know she could really do that to me. Make me forget like that. I was hoping that I was immune." She did not seem happy to find out otherwise, either.

Not at all.

"Got it. You should have notes about it all, too as long as she doesn't steal them. I don't know if this will have gotten to anyone else yet. We can check. Here, this will take me a bit. I'm not Mary or Zevros, I guess. It seems like practice might well pay off." That was just true, but three minutes later he had them into place.

Just in time to see Karen and Bridget making out, as Becky stood with her arms crossed, a bit of an angry look on her face. It took Brian a second for his brain to understand what was happening. The two weren't actually kissing, just pretending to. Thankfully. That had to be hard for Bridget, since her impulsive nature made anything that might seem like a good idea at the time very hard for her to resist, even for a few moments.

Karen, on the other hand, was filled with compassion, most of the time. It could be hard to see, if you ended up on the wrong side of the equation with her. Like Becky was doing at the moment.

The ghost girl was not amused by their antics, it seemed.

"Oh, hey, funny. Just notice Bridgie, I don't go around telling everyone all about all your bad choices and behavior, do I? No, I don't. You either Karen. If you two really want to start playing that game, I think..." She was glaring at them, but the two did break off, stepping back from one another.

Then she looked over at Brian, focusing on him. It was pretty clear that Christian was projecting her into everyone's mind, but at the moment, he couldn't really see why that was happening. The foot tapping girl was acting like she was the one in the right and everyone else was just being mean to her. Because that was the way of things, he finally understood.

She really didn't get that her behavior had been misplaced, because her emotions had been guiding her to think of Brian as hers. Not just her boyfriend, but that he was, in some real way, her bitch. At least inside her warped and clearly deranged mind. Shaking his head, he knew he had to be wrong on that score though.

It had taken a long time for him to get even a little attention from women... that he'd known about. The idea that Becky had some kind of crush on him had to be a joke. Most likely he was just becoming full of himself on a level that few would have ever imagined.

There wasn't some large audience either, even though he and Marcia had come into the front room, near the television. Lauren was there, watching something that looked like a comedy, and Dave was beside her. So a giant suit of armor took up half the soft looking sofa, and a patch of total blue perched on the other side. They'd turned to watch the scene next to them, off to the left, but went back to their program almost instantly.

Even with people teleporting into the room. It went to show how freaking jaded they all were, didn't it? Even Lady Glory making out with Impulse didn't cause a stir anymore.

"Hey everyone. Um, quick question. Does anyone here remember the thing with Penny the other day?" He just asked, knowing the answer already.

Dave gave him a blank look and shook his head.

"I haven't seen her in... Since we got here, actually. Oh my god, is she all right? We didn't... She wasn't left at the... The explosion?" He stood up then, a good bit more than half panicked.

Lauren started up too, so he waved them back as Karen looked ready to cry suddenly.

"Penny!"

He shook his head, feeling a bit sad himself.

"No, she just got in trouble and had to leave. She's just back at the base now. Not lost or anything."

Marcia looked at him sidelong, but understood what was happening, he was nearly certain. She might have been hit by Penny too, but she wasn't stupid.

"So, she did a number on all of us?"

He nodded, his face a bit sad, he figured.

"She probably couldn't help it if she tried. It's just part of her ability. Still, I can't let her just get away with it. I don't really know what to do. I'll work it out though." Somehow.

He took off to find everyone else, and noticed that the only person in the whole place that remembered that Penny was a hardcore rapist was Lancaster. Like Brian had figured, he'd taken notes, and put them in a place he knew to check more than once a day. The only thing there was that he shouldn't have been affected by her, once she was that far away.

They all were though.

Cellophane was erasing herself, or at least that one event, from all of their minds, from nearly a thousand miles away. Because that wasn't freaky. Her outer range should have been no more than a few hundred feet. That was his best guess. It seemed that he'd underestimated what she could do that way.

Then, because he wasn't a complete jerk, he took time to hug people, pat them on the back and go over things with anyone that wanted him to chat with them. The entire time he held Mary's hand too, which was nice. They didn't talk a lot, but she didn't ask him to not be himself, or spend time with his friends. She just wasn't like that.

She had him take Marcia and Bridget back to the base, correcting him gently when he made the warping of space a bit too small to contain them all.

"No, Brian. Out here..." She waved her hands about three feet further away than he'd been trying for. "Smaller warping is simpler, aye, but you must account for movement, or else you can take damage and have to punch into the new location. A moment of extra work is almost always worth the doing, for the sake of safety and comfort."

"Got it." It did take more effort, and time, but she seemed satisfied enough with what he did, as she followed along with him perfectly.

Thankfully it wasn't too late by the time they both got back to her place, and while lovemaking was probably out, given the schedule for the next day, he did get to spend a few minutes just holding her. It was enough. Not perfect, perhaps, but it was something. A real connection to another person that actually wanted him to be there with her.

After he got himself to the base, making sure he left plenty of room for movement, he wondered how much longer she'd be around. She hadn't said anything and wasn't acting any different, but it felt like she was going to vanish at any moment. Like one day he'd go to visit her and just find that she was gone.

Except, when he thought about it, his brain seemed to be telling him something else. While it wasn't an exact future, or crystal clear prediction, it felt like she was going to be around for a decently long time. Just not with him. The line in his head that represented her moved out into the future. The thing there was that he did too.

It was a bit strange, so he tried to focus on that. That sense of himself. It felt like a thin line, a gray thing, that reminded him of pencil lead. There was a texture to it that was smooth, like graphite, and not permanent, but it also had a thousand branches. Those were he realized, different roads that he could take into the future. It was vague though, and he had no real way to tell which one was the right thing to do. Worse, he didn't know what would change things for him.

That was probably because he just wasn't as good as Braid was that way. Not nearly as strong when it came to predicting the future or knowing what to do.

"Which is fine. She's so loony, cartoons envy her." He spoke this to himself, after he started to set up his bedroll, behind Marcia's office desk. He didn't know for certain, but kind of thought the old IPB hadn't worked that way. At least he'd never heard about Quartz living in her office, and knew for a fact that Kevin Moore had his own room.

They'd also had time to have multiple phone lines and things like that. It was still decently early, but he was exhausted, having not slept the night before. That didn't stop him from being plagued by thoughts of Penny escaping justice and going around doing whatever she pleased, because no one in the world could really stop her.

As if the ability to do things was the same as the right to?

It troubled him, but he finally managed to quiet his mind enough to rest, and didn't wake up until the phone rang in the dark. It took him two shrill bell soundings to orient himself, and another to get the nine put back away. He'd come to with it in his hand. Just before the fourth ring came, he grabbed the pale cream colored hand piece, the curly and very old fashioned cord trying to tangle as he put the thing to the side of his head.

"IPB, Brian Yi." He was going to go on, but nothing came out. It was too hard to think still. Being half asleep always did that to him, but the last year had taught him the virtue of waking up fast.

"What did you do?" The woman on the other end of the thing sounded upset. Not just a tiny bit either. "Tell me. I know it has to be you. No one else has ever... You don't understand, I know that, but you have no right to get in the way of my plans! If I don't do this, then we won't be strong enough, when the darkness comes. You have to help me. I know you can't see it yet, but if you don't..."

He blinked in the dark space, the lights from the computers, all glowing blue and yellow, being all that let him see the space he was in. It wasn't a great place, really. It looked run down already, not having been new to start with. The floor wasn't totally flat, and the thing had clearly been used. Before they'd gotten it.

Brian started nodding, his subconscious mind picking up on what was happening before his fog filled daytime self did.

"Hello, Mrs. Moore." There was no answer for a moment, just the sound of a shuddering inhalation. "I see you're picking up on the current plan to stop you? That, or you're trying to trick me, again. I'm not really worried this time however. As for getting in the way of your plans... What darkness? The last time we spoke you didn't have a good reason to do what you were saying. Are you changing that up now? I have it on pretty good authority, from the land of the dead, that if you get your way, then in a few thousand years humanity will be extinct, at least on this world."

"A few thousand years? If you don't stop this, now, and do what I say, then your people won't last even ten! I don't know what you did, but I had it right, until ten minutes ago. Then... The entire world is in danger, Brian! What did you do?" She didn't sound reasonable, but his head was clearing enough that he could make a guess or two.

"Well, I asked Zevros Wyrdcraft to get some of your people, including some relatives of yours to come here, so that you won't win. I don't know if they're coming or not, but..."

That got a hiss.

"Don't be stupid! Even if they got in my way, that wouldn't do this! Something has stolen the future from me! I can see a day or two ahead, but nothing more! What did you do! Tell me or so help me, I'll..."

He waited, actually interested in what she thought he could be threatened with. Killing Mary, or some of his friends came to mind, but he really didn't think even Braid could survive that. He'd just find her and kill her. He could do that now, he realized.

The future might not be certain, but he could use his powers to locate her, if he had a picture or anything like that to go on. She probably wouldn't be where he thought she should be though, except that she couldn't see him in time, from what he'd heard. Not that he was really willing to trust the fate of the world to that.

"Oh. I think I get it. I can kill you at any time now. No matter where you go. At least in this world, so... Would that do it do you think? It might take me a few days to get it done, but my power lets me find people, and you, Mrs. Moore, are very important to me. You should feel flattered really. I'd say you're right up there in my top ten, actually."

There was a bit of silence, and then a tired sounding chuckle.

"No, that isn't it either. Some factor in this world has changed. I won't let that happen, Brian. I can't. You think that you're right, but I know, beyond all doubt, that you're wrong. I can see now that I should have told you the whole thing before. If we meet, can I count on you to listen to me first? I know that even that might not be enough, but you need to know what's coming. If I can explain it. I'm not certain... Well. It's up to you. What do we do next?"

Brian yawned, but knew that he wasn't going to get any more sleep that night either.

"Fine. In daylight though. At seven in the morning here? Just outside the gate? That way I can have a small army of fighters ready for whatever trick you have in store."

She paused, then counter offered.

"In two hours, in Washington D.C. near the Lincoln Memorial? I need to talk, not worry about eighteen others coming to kill me at once. Come alone." She sounded a bit more certain of herself, suddenly.

Less like she was about to go full on mental.

"Like you won't have Tesseract with you? No deal. Oh, and by the way, I want my armor back. Tell him that, will you? My knife too."

That got a laugh, but no promise for it being returned. He got that one. Him without those things would be an easier target.

"Two hours, Lincoln Memorial. I'll come alone, if you will?"

"Like I can trust you?"

She laughed, going into a more manic state this time.

"Have I ever lied to you, Brian? Or broken my word? True, I didn't tell you all of my plan, but that was simply prudent. You have my word, that if you come, and listen to me, I'll be honest and not bring anyone else. Not that I won't have an escape plan, in case you aren't as trustworthy as I think."

That would just have to be the case, since he was planning to kill her, if he could.

"Deal then. Just so you know, I will have other people there. Ones you don't know. Just as backup, but I'll hold them back. I expect you to do the same?"

"Fine." She gasped a bit, then spoke clearly enough. "You know, Mr. Yi... You could afford to be a bit more trusting of others. We aren't on different sides here. Not the way you think."

Then she hung up.

Brian rolled his eyes, and forced a smile. Then called Marcia, who promptly growled at him over her cell phone.

"What the hell are you calling me for this late?" She was clearly pissed off, having lost out on her beauty sleep. "I swear, I'll find you and kill you, if this isn't good."

Brian smiled.

"It's pretty good. Possibly better than that. Braid just called and wants to meet with me. Alone. I told her that I'd have people with me, but hold them back. Would you like in on that, or should I just get Wren and Sinclair to handle that part?" Not that he wasn't getting Penny and Becky in on it too. Braid couldn't see them in space or time either, as far as anyone could tell.

That, or she was faking it with a will that very few sane people possessed. Which was, he thought, possible. She might even have been faking that with him. If that was the case then who knows what else she had going on behind the scenes? Plans within tricks, hiding her real goals behind mirrors and smoke, no doubt. It was complex and confusing to a level that he couldn't match, mentally.

For his part, he was just going to try and shoot her. Even if she had a sniper ready to put a bullet in his head, that should short circuit her plan well enough. Whatever it was.

Penny didn't have a phone, and when he found where she was sleeping, he was tackled by Phoebe, who kissed him soundly. He hadn't even been thinking about the swelling and discomfort from the beating the day before. When he'd taken Sara's place. The girl was there with the others, and woke up, seeming scared.

"Hey all. I have to go on a trip. Penny, I need you for that. Becky, too." That was enough to have the girl standing up and going invisible to everyone else.

Brian could still feel the touch of lips against his, and knew he was healing. It tingled, so he smiled at the girl, who laid back down, seeming sleepy.

"Thanks Phoebe. The rest of you should go back to sleep. Sorry about waking you." The tent they were in smelled a bit musty. A lot of them did, he noticed. Like they'd been put away damp at some point in their long lives, and the green things had held the mildew like an old friend. One too deep and solid, to ever get the stink of it all the way out.

It occurred to Brian that he really should have sought the girl out before then. Her, or Liz. What was the point of having healers around if you weren't going to let them do their thing? The truth was though that even beaten up and battered, he'd felt so much better than he used to that he'd simply forgotten to care about it. That wasn't perfect though, was it? Brian had people willing to keep him healthy, ones that didn't think of it as a huge bother even, and he needed to make use of them. Especially since his armor was gone.

It took about half an hour to get everyone ready to go.

Of course, each of them thought it was a trick. Since Brian did too, that information just got a nod. It pretty much had to be, didn't it? The thing there was that, with Braid, there was no way to know what was a trap that had been set up for decades, and what might be just her floundering a bit. So far they'd never seen her do that, but it could happen.

Brian got them all into place, taking in a team that was a bit different than he would have thought. Marcia was going because short of using a nuke on the country's capital, there was pretty much no way she was going to be taken out. Devorah could see her coming, but not really kill her, Brian didn't think. As super powers went, hers was a pretty good one.

Penny and Becky were the a-team on this one, since he was almost certain that there was no way for even their arch nemesis to see either of them in the future. Unless that was a trick? It really could be, he knew. It was a guess at any rate, and not one that he felt too certain of, suddenly.

The wildcard was actually Mark.

Stasis was going to come in from outside of D.C. on a bicycle, and make three passes of the area, checking for ambush points. Before they went in, once, and then two times while they spoke. Braid was getting ten minutes to say her thing, or try to kill them. Then Brian was out of there, along with all of his people. The woman was too dangerous to play around with.

For far too long she'd controlled a big portion of the game. The scary part there was that Brian had a strong suspicion that it was even more than any of the people on his side really thought it could be. They were blaming her for massive attacks, and even some smaller personal ones. What if it went even deeper than that? The woman had known to get Christian to let Tobin go for adoption, almost two decades before. What else could she have had her sticky precog fingers into?

First he took Mark, Penny and Marcia in. They were supposed to stay on the perimeter. Well away from the danger zone. Of course, if the city was nuked, then Penny was dead. Marcia might make it though, and Mark simply would. As long as he was safe when he came out of stasis time, he would be pretty much impossible to touch. That took awareness on his part, but would be safe enough. His first mode made it nearly impossible for him to even get out of that frozen place unless he was very certain all was well.

Brian set up at the white building itself, about fifteen minutes early.

To his shock, Devorah Timberland pulled up in a cab, three minutes before they were supposed to meet. She didn't seem surprised to see him. The place was empty, and closed to the public thanks to the attacks on the city the year before, so they where both actually standing out in the open. Not by the statue itself. Just on the sidewalk, with an iron barricade in front of the monument.

If they'd been framing a movie scene, they'd have to get special passes, so they could go inside. This really seemed a bit boring. Visually speaking.

The woman, who was pushing seventy, but seemed fit and almost hard, smiled at him. For all she'd sounded worked up on the phone, she didn't seem wild eyed or unkempt now. In fact, she looked pretty good. Her hair was a mix of black and gray, and she wore make-up, but it was well enough done that she seemed no older than fifty, and still vital. Strong and collected. Not like a person that was dealing with the one threat she feared most.

Her dark eyes looked black in the streetlight. His own probably weren't much different. Brian was dressed in tan fatigues, ones that said IPB. He noticed her glancing at his right breast pocket, and understood something instantly. It was a thing that suddenly clicked, inside his mind. A powerful and palpable sense that he knew was correct.

He didn't know how she was doing it, but it was clear she was using her power to influence him, somehow. Looking at his lapel for instance was meant to get him thinking about duty, and what he was there for. Trying to kill her.

Braid's body language was too specific and contrived for it to be otherwise. Even the slightly odd way she stood, off his center line, to his left about two feet, was meant to control him. Somehow. If that was really the case, then she could see the future with him in it, and the whole thing really was a trap. Not that it wasn't always going to be one, but he'd sort of been hoping that what she'd claimed to Mary in the past about not being able to see him was the truth. If it wasn't, then she'd seen everything he'd done for... Probably longer than he'd known she was alive.

The question then, was why hadn't she just killed him? Back when he was a kid, or even useless Brian the factory worker. It wasn't like he'd been expecting a person to just walk up and shoot him back then. It wouldn't have been hard, would it?

Part of him wanted to change what he was going to do, but he didn't, knowing that he might have one chance to take the woman out, but it would have to be done just right. Apparently with a lot of luck too, and some pre-planning. No matter what, if she could see him in time, he had to let the current portion of things play out. There wasn't enough time to really make up something that would work in the moment, he didn't think.

"So, Mr. Yi... I suppose we can cut out the charade now? You've worked out that I can see you, and always have been able to. The truth of the matter is that I needed you to do what you have been, in order for my plan to work. It's always been about you. Brian and Devorah, sitting in a tree... I can't do anything here without you. Your power is the key, and always has been. Even bringing in my family won't help you change anything now. There was a time that could have worked, but I'm too entrenched here now. We're both too closely linked. Everything about you and I is aligned, and it will stay that way, forever more. So, you're wondering why I've brought you here this evening?" She smiled, her face looking bland otherwise. It was a good trick really. She was just using her mouth, trying not to goad him by being smarmy about the whole thing?

Still influencing how the future was going to come out, with every little move and gesture.

So he made himself smile, not knowing what was really going on. Either she could see him in time, and the whole thing had always been a trick, meant to control him into helping her, or she couldn't, and this was, now. Or both. Or, neither? If it was meant to be confusing, it seemed to be working on him, he realized.

There were a few things that he could count on however. First, she wouldn't have shown up if she knew that she were going to die. He didn't think so, at least. So for some reason she thought that she was safe enough.

Then, she'd let Bridget break both her legs once, from what he'd heard. Possibly just to set up something else, later. Either to make him hesitate now, or to warp Bridgie around, at some later time. Making her think she had a chance when she didn't?

Still, there was one thing to try, just in case Braid was faking being able to see him. He started out conversationally however, not wanting to give anything away with body language. This couldn't be his real shot at her, but it had to seem real enough that it would work if she were just playing with his head and lying to him.

Well, no matter how it came out, it was clear she was doing that.

"Well, Braid, you already know what I'm going to say, so why don't you just short hand it for me? Let me in on the secret here?"

She laughed.

"I do love your directness, Brian. Fine then. I came to let you know that I'll no longer be needing your services. At least not without your knowledge. My plan can't be stopped now. I've won. No matter what you do now, you can't undo my work. In fact, all you can do now, all your power will ever be able to do again, is my work. Holding the entire universe, or at least this part of it, in check, at every turn. That, controlling and influencing the world, is your true power, Brian. I did mention to you once that you weren't a class two, didn't I? Not just because you can take the place of another, or even teleport. I managed to stifle that ability long enough, thank goodness. No, this is all about the other part of yourself that you have very little ability to control, thanks to the training I've arranged for you."

He shrugged.

"That isn't really true though, is it? Even if your war takes place, which I admit, seems pretty likely, others can change things. It's the flaw that you've lived with your entire life. Short of destroying the world, there's no way to stop the future from being changed. I've been there, so I know that it will happen. At least out to a hundred years. So, that means there's hope. I know that I live too, so if you have something planned right now, you may as well call it off." Then, he knew that for some reason he hadn't killed her, didn't he? At least that he needed to kill her this time.

Bridget had mentioned that he should to do that, if he could. Why? He didn't know. Maybe to ensure that she wouldn't be around forever to make her plan come true?

He was laughed at then. It seemed like a real thing, too, not just her manipulating him. Again.

"Oh, Brian... Sweetie... Time doesn't work like that at all! You went to a future. If this one didn't exist, you'd just go to another. I suppose the field was all red when you traveled? Ask Mary or Zevros what they see when traveling in time. What you think you saw existed, and will, but... It wasn't here. I haven't just been working in this time and place, you know. I've been managing the next thousand years of this world's history. There is only the one line now! I've finished my great work. Our great project, Brian. You and I together hold the world in balance now. I..." She shrugged. Then walked a few paces away.

"Really, I just wanted to let you know that you can relax now. You've done what I needed, perfectly. Even producing a child with Mary was what had to happen. She's truly done a superior job with you, don't you think? All of it has been to my plan, including having my niece, Miranda, brought in tomorrow. All that was needed, all that remained to lock the true future into being, was this speech now. Past this point, everything you do, say, or even think, will be exactly what was needed. You can't escape it. Everything you are, belongs to me now. We are one, in a very real way, Brian Yi. Linked on a level that you can never break free from. Nor should you wish to. I've made certain that you and your friends will, for the most part, have the best life possible. Call it my gift to you all? There was no reason for that not to happen, and you'll have less stress that way, later."

She smiled, then moved easily to the left, as he tried to shoot her, dodging not just the five bullets, but also the stomping kick he aimed for her middle. The attack kept up for a while, the old woman just moving slowly to where she needed to be for him to miss, every single time. Things came close, but nothing touched her.

Finally he stopped, understanding that she'd simply been telling the truth.

He'd lost.

Worse, if she could be trusted, he'd never really been a player in the game at all. Just her pawn the entire freaking time.

"Well. Fuck." Shaking his head, he wondered how long it would take for the police to come. It wouldn't help anything, but shots were fired. If they got there to see an armed man trying to beat up a skinny older woman, he knew whose side they'd jump in on, didn't he? In most cases that would be the right one too, so he couldn't really blame them, as much as he might want to.

That got him to consider some things. Like having been locked up in a cell, and nearly killed. Not simply executed, which could have been managed easily enough, but truly tortured. So much that it affected every thought that he'd had since that time.

"So everything is to your plan?" He spoke the words, and she said them with him, at exactly the same time. It was really annoying.

Smiling, she winked at him.

"Yes. Even when you kill me, and you will do that, it changes nothing. I've done it! We've won, Brian. There's only one path now. One future! Think about it, you can feel it inside you now, can't you? Everything is lined up perfectly, and it practically screams to us that we've done it. And here you stand, holding it all in place, exactly like I planned for you."

He was a bit less thrilled about it than she seemed to be. She dodged again, as Penny tried to stick a knife through the back of her head. Brian had been careful not to look at her, too. It wouldn't help anything to give her away, even if he really did kind of know what was about to happen. Braid was right after all. The future really was being so loud that he couldn't help but miss it. It had gone from a quiet and muddled thing into something so strong that, even standing there watching a fight, he could trace everything that was about to happen, not missing even a single breath either of them took.

Devorah spun, the move seeming very controlled, and threw a few punches and a single kick, landing each of them on Penny perfectly, knocking the blade from her hand, and making her left knee crunch.

"Do you really think being unseen is enough? I can see all the possible results, and know what worked to make certain I survive each time. I'm a Timberland. It's what we do. Now, thanks to Brian, there's only one path, too. Nothing you do can stop me now."

For all she'd once been a pampered white girl, Cellophane didn't so much as whimper, just trying for the handgun she was carrying. Before she got it out, Devorah stepped backwards, not even bothering to look back, and kicked her in the face, hard. That caused a wet smacking sound when her head hit the pavement.

The woman kept staring at him the whole time.

"So, right now you should wonder what you've missed. If there is some way for you to still steal this back from me. There is, of course. The thing there is that you can't see it. I've closed off that reality to you. Even me pointing this out to you will just cause you to choose the wrong path, and do exactly what I need you to. This is so much fun, by the way. Everything is so quiet now. Peaceful, inside my mind."

That was probably just true. She hadn't even gotten mad when he'd tried to kill her. Even that was part of her plan? How insane was that?

"Well, I've wasted a lot of time and effort then, didn't I? I could have just stuck a gun in my mouth and ended it all, a long time ago." He had several bullets left, and was tempted to try it then, but she just smiled at him, looking happy.

"Do whatever you think you need to. It will be the right thing. I'm certain of it, in fact. I'm not even saying this to make you doubt yourself. Just gloating a bit. Which is beneath me, so I apologize for it. It's simply that there are so few I can share this kind of thing with, who can understand me. This is the perfect day, Mr. Yi. The day that I won the war. The day that we won. Both of us, together. The mastermind and the perfect weapon."

"I can see how that would make you happy. I don't suppose you'd care to consider that killing off all of humanity in a few thousand years isn't worth it, just for you to have what you want now? Then, if you could do that sort of thing..."

She turned and walked away, calling over her shoulder to him.

"Then I would have. Yes. I'm not insane you know. Just seeking peace, as best I can. Oh, by the way, you can have your friends come out of hiding now. They'll be needed for the events in the next few days anyway. The government can't hurt them now. Not that they won't be hurt. Most of them will die, eventually. Then, everyone does. I promise you though, it truly is the best future for most of them. Thank you, for all the help you've given me, Brian. I honestly couldn't have done this without you."

Then she stepped out into the street as a taxi came into view, climbed in and left, never even bothering to look back.

Then, it seemed pretty certain that she just didn't need to.

Chapter eight

The one good thing to come out of it all was that they discovered the Phoebe could heal Penny.

Even though she was too tense to relax enough to be seen, Brian had gotten Cellophane to kiss the other girl, and that seemed to work just as well. Apparently Phoebe didn't need to know about it for her own power to work. That was potentially useful, and beat trying to walk on a broken knee for six months.

Brian had to struggle to keep his brain from running away though. It wouldn't help to have a panic attack, and honestly, he couldn't think of anything else to do that was any better as far as what he could do just then. After they got back to the base, at about four in the morning, they all just sat there in the trailer, trying to figure out ways in which Braid might have been lying to him.

It was possible of course. Likely even. There was a very real possibility that she hadn't won at all, and this was just a further part of her setting things up. The thing there was that if it were true, there was every chance that whatever they did to try and fix the problem would be precisely what cemented her victory. Doing nothing did exactly the same thing.

Finally he chuckled, a bit darkly.

"Fuck it. I don't know what to do. Anyone? I'm open to suggestions? From the sound of it, my power is actually what's letting her win now. Working for her, for some reason. Controlled on a level that... Honestly I can't understand."

No one had anything though. Even the idea of killing her was one that wouldn't do any good, if she'd been being honest. They went over that one several times. It kept coming back to the same thing each time. Odds were whatever they did, no matter how many times they second guessed themselves, or how convoluted they tried to be, it would end up being exactly that Devorah Timberland needed them to.

Marcia looked at him wisely, and then winked at him.

"I have an idea. How about you go and get some sleep? I'll handle the phones here, and we can deal with this in the morning. Not being able to do anything won't be made easier because we're tired. Let's meet up at about two in the afternoon? The rest of you... Pass the word that there's no PT today. We need a break anyway."

He could see that one as being valid. It was probably what Braid wanted them to do, but he needed sleep anyway. Regardless. That was going to be a less than fun trick, wasn't it? Some of the things he needed to do, no matter what, would also have to be what she needed done.

For that, sleep, he went back to Mary's, to find her busily making the morning donuts. It was tempting to hide what had happened, but she deserved to know why he was about to go into a major depression, didn't she? His cute and sweet girlfriend smiled, after he got done explaining it all.

"Oh? That sounds likely then doesn't it? It can be very hard to fight a Timberland as you've been working to do. There is little shame in such a loss. Well, it makes little difference to our lives, even if that's the case. We must but live them. That is always the way. The best plan is to do what we can, for the good of those we serve, and protect. Past that, there is little we can do. Now, I think your Lady Marcia is correct to send you to find your rest. I shall finish these and make the delivery, then go and seek those from my world. Devorah is our difficulty to handle. Indeed, the mistake of bringing her here was mine own. It was done for selfish reasons, and I allowed myself to be used by her. It is only right that I seek to remedy what I may. Not that it will work, but even if it is doomed to fail, I must play my part. There is no real choice." She kept busy the whole time. Her fingers and hands never slowing as she glanced at him, still seeming happy while she carried on.

It seemed strained though, like she was putting on a good face, rather than actually believing what she was telling him.

"Right. Yeah. I guess I should go sleep. We can talk about this later? Probably more than will be useful. That's how things like this always go, isn't it? You try to figure them out and keep talking them into the ground, never really making a difference in the slightest?" He stared into her pretty eyes, noting how cute she looked in the jeans, and button up shirt she was wearing to work in.

That reminded him to give her a hug. Even if that was part of Braid's plan for the future. Mary deserved it. No matter what. Bits of what was coming as far as that went tried to hit him, since there was only the one single line. Brian cleverly ignored them, focusing on how tired he felt instead. Nothing he did was going to change that part of things now, was it?

He drifted off in their shared bed, which was a queen size, he thought. Big enough, especially since she was off working all day. At about noon he got up, still feeling tired, and got cleaned up for the day. Into a new set of fatigues, or at least clean ones. Mary had run them through her machine, which was far faster than doing it by hand.

She made lunch for him, which was just plain rice, since that was what she was having that day. Things had been busy all morning, so he couldn't blame her for it. It was good though, and he had enough of it that he felt a bit bad for letting himself feel full. That could slow him down, and Brian didn't know what he was going to be facing from that point on. Except, of course, he truly did. It was pretty clear, at least to him, that it would be whatever Braid thought he should. More to the point, whatever the path she'd set them all on was.

After he ate the bits of white, Mary grabbing hers over the course of about fifteen minutes, since people kept coming, like always, he retired to the living room and settled on the old, but well cared for sofa. It had heavy fabric with a floral pattern on it. For a long time he just sat there, not knowing what to do.

Then, closing his eyes, Brian felt it. The entirety of what would be taking place. It took searching, but there was a line in front of him, unbroken, and perfect. His entire future stretching out, in a vast line that didn't end, as far as he could tell. He sensed it all, rather than saw, but with focus, he could tell that it was all right there. There was no break, or allowance for something different either.

Every coin toss was known. Each breath planned out.

Even the idea of killing himself to mess things up, making that one last sacrifice, wouldn't be allowed. His own power would stop him, if he tried. It would occur to him, he noted, but each time it did, something would stop him from being able to do it. For instance, just then he needed to go and make sure a certain spy that he'd put in place wouldn't die, rather than sticking a gun in his mouth and ending his part in things. Devorah was playing her part, and she was going to kill Brie, if he didn't find her and save the woman. Even that was scripted, planned out ahead of time, and complete.

There was only one way to do it, and even though he searched for something else, he knew that it just wasn't going to be enough. He didn't have time to find a way around it, or the power to make it happen. He could, and would, try that eventually, but Devorah Timberland had already won.

"There's no use starting by letting Trivia die though, is there?"

It didn't take long to find her, since his own power was about to force a switch to take place if he didn't go anyway. He moved around that, his mind focused precisely on the task at hand. Pulling the nine he had, the one that Lancaster had given him, he noticed that it was held exactly like it was supposed to be without even trying. Almost as if he were just a puppet, unable to control what would take place.

Moving through space wasn't hard that time, and he was faster about it than he had been, but it was a locked and certain thing. No variation was allowed him. That sent a wave of frustration over him, which turned to anger. Exactly as he knew it would.

Then he went and started shooting at Braid, each bullet flying along the path that had been pre-set by the woman herself. Each one avoided perfectly. The only good thing there was that when she did the same, shooting back, his body moved correctly at the same time. Shifting out of the way like hers was. It didn't even take a lot of skill on his part. So while that was going on, as he moved and shifted, rolled and finally closed in to strike at the older woman with his fists and feet, which she simple moved back from to the correct spot to thwart him, Brian bent space and took Brie with him back to the new location.

Where everyone else had been hiding. It was pretty clear that it didn't matter anymore. Braid would know where it was, and had things set up to force them from hiding if he didn't do it first, which he would. It was the only way to control the story that came out about what had happened.

She'd clearly taken some damage in the fight that had been going on before he'd gotten there. Given that she was probably the best fighter in the world at any given time, knowing all the tricks and tactics that the best had developed over the years, but without any delusions involved, that was impressive. Then, Braid was that, wasn't she?

The woman had locked him, and perhaps an entire world, into a set pattern that was going to be very hard to break. Really, even trying felt impossible to him in the moment. Everything, every single moment, was playing out exactly as the woman had set up. She claimed not to be crazy, but that kind of thing was well and truly annoying. To him at least. Especially if she was being honest about how it was happening. Some part of himself, one that he'd barely been aware of, was actually holding the path that had been set? Brian still didn't understand how that one would work. If it was his power, then why wasn't it trying to change things? To sacrifice itself, in order to protect people later?

They landed, so to speak, in the living room area of the Colorado base. He hadn't been touching her when they shifted, just including her in the movement carefully. Wrapping Brie up in space, lovingly. She looked the way that he'd known her for years, too. Like the slightly curvy girl at the book store he used to go to. The one that he'd badly wanted to date for nearly two years before he even became infected.

That wasn't chance, of course.

Everything in his life had been orchestrated by Devorah Timberland, Brian was willing to bet. Each date he had, or didn't. Every morsel of snack cake, or mile run... All of it had been worked carefully, so that he'd be there at the right time to help make sure her plan came together in the fashion she needed it too. Not knowing any better, he'd fallen right into lock step, only to be trapped now.

Her little puppet, without any strings needed.

Brie, the woman that had spied on, and for, their enemy for nearly three decades, looked at him and nodded.

"She's won. It's all in here. It isn't a lie either. It's what is really happening. I'd know the difference." She tapped the side of her own head, and looked at him. Scared. Her face was a bit battered, but she looked young. Cute, too. Which considering she had to be nearly sixty, at least, that was saying something.

Brian made a face, but then smiled, since other people were starting to gather around. Braid really had won, of course. Each moment was locked into place...

"Yeah. It seems so. Well, for right now we aren't going to help anything by brooding, or not playing our parts. We need to break her pattern, and it won't be easy, since there are no alternate possibilities left to us. Nothing any of us do will stop this. Not in any way I can see at the moment. It will have to be done anyway, but..." It was impossible to really describe to anyone else there, except Trivia, who already could feel it, knowing everything he and Devorah did.

They were captured in a net, one that didn't allow them to even struggle except in a way that would lock them all in tighter over time.

In short, they were well and truly screwed.

"On the good side," he went on, making his voice light, as Jake and Mickey came over. The new man from a totally different reality, gave him a look that seemed a bit troubled. Then he said exactly what he was supposed to.

"We can just do something different, can't we? Find a place where she needs us to jump left, and roll right? Or... That might not be enough, but that kind of thing? Make a sacrifice that will destabilize her plans?"

Brian nodded, his face harder than he wanted it to be, nearly a grimace.

"Except that it's going to be really hard to do. No matter how many times we change our minds, or who's doing it now, the future only has one outcome. Hers. What you just said is what we have to do, but... As odd as it seems, we can't really get out of it that easily. She has us all playing out parts totally. I can't even force myself to not speak, even though that might be enough to stop things. There's no allowance for us to get around her plan." He wanted to explain more, but the words stopped coming. They just wouldn't flow at all.

Trivia, who was loosely a friend of his, shook her head. It was a negative thing, but she wasn't looking at Brian, but rather over Jake's shoulder, at Mickey.

"He's right. The only way to fix this is to break it. So far though, I can't find a way to allow that to happen. It was always hard with Devorah that way. Worse, she knew that I was there to watch her the whole time. I can get it from her thoughts now. I know what she does, and there isn't any room for us to alter anything at all. Even trying is... Argh! I hate this. It's a lot better for the rest of you, who don't really have to know about it. Everything, for the rest of our lives, is planned and controlled. Everything!" She started to hyperventilate, but then stopped herself, closing her eyes. Exactly like she was supposed to do.

Brian nodded.

"That's about the size of it. For the time being..." He shrugged, realizing that Mary had been right, more or less. "Well, we still have to live our lives. It seems like we're all going to be going to try and stop a large battle in a few hours, so there's no reason to not see about that. We win, but... Yeah. So many are going to die."

That got him to sigh, and shake his head.

Jake tilted his.

"So... what if we lose? Just throw the whole thing? Harsh, but if it stops a greater war, or gives us the chance to do that..."

Brian smiled. It wasn't the wrong idea, really. "We can't. Not this time. Somehow we need to try though. I have to agree with Brie though. Argh. This is so freaking frustrating. For now, let's set things up and play our parts. I need to arrange for us to travel, and Director Moore will need to have a speech ready. This revolution is going to be televised." That was a big part of it.

On the good side, for once, everyone would be happy to see them, and even mainly forgive the trick they'd pulled, making sure they survived. That was going to be down to a lot of lying on their part, but it would work.

Brian had to do some things, which included getting Mary to help him, since it was clear that she was just so much better at moving people around than he was. She made a point of standing close to him, and touching him a lot, to reassure either herself or him. Maybe both. It was funny, but when he went to get the rest of the new people, since the whole IPB would have to be involved, more than one person did that with him. It brought up the thing that he was going to have to go through with Mary, so he ignored it all. Again, even being able to know that kind of thing, his power was keeping him from thinking about it, so that he'd do the right thing, at the correct time.

They didn't bother to hide what was happening, just showing up where the other forces would be meeting when the time came. There were cameras, since it was in New York City, but no news people were there yet. The police came, eventually, and of course, tried to pull their side arms.

Because that would have ever made any difference? Almost every single person he'd brought with them could have taken out their entire force, with a little planning. Some of them could have done it on the fly. Not that it would be happening that way, but it was still silly of them to even bother drawing down on them.

"Freeze! You can't assemble here!" This came from a man who was sporting a mustache. One that made him look a little like a school teacher trying to look more manly. Not like a Nazi. That thought reminded Brian of Jeffery Shaw. The police officer that had tried to kill him. Twice, really, if he was going to count each beating separately. That would be handled, eventually. Brian really didn't get a choice in the matter, since the man was going to force him to fight, and in doing so would die.

This cop was full of himself and trying to act tough in front of a hundred and sixty IPB Operatives though. Rather than make a big deal of it, Brian waved, holding both of his hands out as he walked over. Stopping ten feet away.

"IPB. Sorry about this, but if you and your men could get this area cleared? We're about to be attacked. You... I don't think most of you police want to be here for this. A few will stay, but this is about to be the biggest battle of its kind ever." So far at any rate. The damage would be incredible, but if they didn't hold the city there, the creatures and super soldiers coming in would kill over half a million innocent people that day.

If they stayed and fought, out in the open, then that death toll would be about a thousand people over all. Part of that due to him. Most of those being the enemy.

Even knowing what would be happening, Brian was shocked when the police actually just trusted his word, and started getting people out. Not that they got a choice either, but they all did it, which still felt wrong to him.

Then they all waited. It was the hardest part of any battle for him. That point where it was certain that something was coming, but knowing that taking action wouldn't do much of anything to help.

Becky and Bridget came to the front of the battle line, making a point of being right next to him. His granddaughter put her hand in the middle of his back, and didn't move it. She wasn't really nervous though, being pretty much invulnerable.

Then, Brian wasn't either, if for a different reason.

Bridgie tried to look adult, and kind of failed. Her face was serious and her eye contact direct. Even her body language was less twitchy than normal.

"So, what's the plan? We wait for these goons to get here, and just ambush them?"

He wrinkled his nose, since it was a stupid idea. One that would work, but...

"Pretty much. No matter what Braid has going on, we have to win here today. Too many die otherwise. If we could... It's really hard to explain. Not everyone can see it, but..." As he knew would happen, a woman spoke from behind them. At first she looked a lot like Devorah Timberland. It wasn't that particular lady though. She was a bit heavier, and not in as good of shape, at first glance.

Her voice was pretty close though.

"My aunt has managed to lock this reality into place rather well. It won't be impossible to remove that factor, but it's not a simple task. I can see why she's done it however. Things are so silent here! Not the line I might have chosen, but probably the only one that she could manage this with. Yes... It's the one that her key can hold." She looked at each of them, and then bowed, which got Zevros Wyrdcraft to move forward, along with several men that were dressed in very nice clothing. A lot of what seemed like shining silk or satin, cut in strange styles that reminded Brian of an old sci-fi program that he and Doug used to like.

It was ridiculous, but gave him a reason to send them all away. They hadn't come dressed for it, and there was no reason to ruin their pretty outfits.

"Hello! I'm Brian. You're Miranda? We're about to have a battle here. I bet you can see that. Can I get with you later? Devorah seems to think that we can't shake her hold on things here at all. Not even if you help us with it."

The woman, who had very high cheekbones, but looked prettier than Devorah did, thanks to the few extra pounds she carried, winked at him.

"We'll meet at the shop owned by Mary Wyrdcraft? That is what the line tells us to do anyway, even if she is a bit suspect in all of this. I think that Zevros can get us all there. Devorah may be correct, but I can sense some small areas that I think she has not accounted for. No being, not even one of my family, can account for the totality of something as large as a world. Plus, this is one that is foreign to her. She's made mistakes. One of which was involving you in this, Advocate Yi. It is her plan, and her strength, but I think perhaps she has underestimated what a being such as you might do in order to be free. We shall talk on this later. Now, I think it would best for us outsiders to go." Her being there, along with the others had gotten Hobbs to come. Elizabeth with her. To his surprise, the healer was standing her ground, dressed in jeans and a heavy shirt, rather than a skirt or dress.

Ready to fight, or at least not leave the field of battle.

"Mary, get Liz back to your place? We can take people there for this. The rest of you... Thank you very much for coming to aid us. It means a lot, and will be important, I think." Then he bowed, the words and actions being the only thing he could do. That let them leave ten minutes before the fighting would start.

Nine minutes and seventeen seconds. The numbers flowed across his mind perfectly, coming unbidden. It was a thing that he had very little control over, he knew. He'd spent too long with only numbers being in his head, when he was young. It was just a part of him now.

"Get ready. When I yell go, the attack will come in about five seconds. They don't know we're waiting for them. That will be coming in a few minutes."

The fighting line was eclectic on their side, since the people from the old IPB were dressed up like police, more or less, without markings on their blue body armor. Team Four had seven people standing there, ready for battle. They all looked different, but he got the idea. Rigs was a lot more powerful than he'd let anyone know. Possibly the most powerful person on the planet.

Filled with rage, but also managing to keep it in check. He wasn't there though, staying in hiding, at a good distance away. It made him almost untouchable.

The new IPB was uniform, and looked like an Army unit, more or less. Some of them had firearms, because low level telepathy or precognition wasn't going to help them a lot in what was coming. Some of them would die too. No one he knew that well. It...

Brian froze, locked into place, unable to do anything at all except what Devorah allowed. Except...

Smiling, almost not able to try and speak, he forced himself to call out. Pain shot through him, for some unknown reason, but he was no stranger to that kind of thing. It felt bad though, like it was killing him. Except that if he died, that would alter the plan too, wouldn't it?

Not that this would really be enough, but if he could do anything...

"Robertson, get off the field. Take those people with you!" He pointed at the six he wanted gone. Sinclair, three others that had come with the military, one of the Marine cooks that had loaded up with them, and one of the six police officers that were helping to hold the line. "You'll die if you stay. The rest of us... Well, we may die now. That... I don't know if it changes anything or not." Not as far as the battle went.

Then he raised his hand, "run! Everyone else, get ready. This is the one minute warning!"

Nothing happened for a long time, naturally. Fifty-five seconds, in fact.

"Go! Go in five, four..." He aimed his nine at the correct point in space, and got ready for what was coming.

The entire world flashed, blue and purple. Space bent and warped around them all, and he fired instantly, before anyone was truly in place. Perfectly, since he didn't have a choice. That bullet hit a black elongated form, before he could do anything really. It was only in the left thigh, but there was groaning and screaming from the others that were coming with him. All of them, several hundred people, were connected to Tesseract, after all. The being ran as soon as everyone else was in place, but they were all a little distracted.

That gave his side a bit of a leg up.

The battle was as bad as he feared, doing massive damage to the buildings and streets. Smoke rose, as he ducked, shot, dodged and killed. He probably looked ridiculous, but every action he took was correct. His power not having any other outlet, just getting everything done exactly right at the moment. If he'd managed to pry the universe open at all by sending those others away, it didn't seem to show in the moment. The rest of the battle unfolded exactly how he thought it would.

The whole thing should have been confusing, except that it really wasn't. It all made perfect sense to him. The catlike creatures had to be handled by the strongest of them, and not him, but he went to where he was needed, going against people that had been genetically shifted, and altered. They looked military, but it was pretty clear that they were there illegally. They had some Infected on their side too. Hundreds of them, but they were mainly low powered individuals, except one or two of them. Recruits that Braid was sacrificing on purpose.

Set up to die, one by one. As a show.

He knew the reason behind it, as soon as he witnessed it in person. Knowing what would be going on worked pretty well, but he didn't have the kind of range that a Timberland did, it was clear. The scene was designed to make them, the IPB, look really good, while undermining the military. The Infected that fought against them weren't a real match, being untrained, and not working as a unit. Plus, while a lot of them looked really tough, being huge and muscular, or shooting what looked like death beams...

Most of them were barely above class three, if that.

The whole thing was a trick, designed to start a much larger war.

This then, was the day that everyone else would think it started. The war day.

In the next days and weeks, things would shift, the battles spread out, and a lot more of the innocent people would die. That was the plan. The one that he had to stop. Somehow.

The only thing he knew for certain was that it would hurt. A lot. He felt a nearly crippling flash of pain every time one of the people that was supposed to die didn't. Not being there to catch the claw, or bullet fired from an enemy combatant. It hurt, and was distracting, but his body kept up with what was needed, pushing him to a point he wasn't certain was physically possible. That didn't seem to matter however. He did it, and kept going, killing without hesitation or mercy.

It went on for over an hour, but even as buildings came down under the forces being arrayed, he knew that they'd won. That had never been in doubt though. There were dead strewn about, but all of them were from the other side.

When it was over, he saw the last of the super-soldiers from the other side about to be killed. By a combination of blasts from Impulse and Prime. They'd worked together really well, as it had turned out.

He made himself raise his right hand, the universe punishing him for doing it. Pain, white hot, tried to force him back, so he gasped, rather than sounding good and like he was all hard or tough.

"Hold up! Take... prisoner. You, there, don't fight. Explain later." He managed to look at the man on the ground, who'd done pretty well at fighting, but wasn't going to live much longer if he didn't give up.

Through the agony, Brian moved over, and kicked the man in the elbow. It was angled just right to cause him to go down.

"No... Alive. You need to... Live."

That got Marcia over to him, her face looking hard.

"Are you all right?" The words were slow to come and seemed almost like she was drunk, but she said them.

Even though it wasn't what was supposed to take place. He managed a grin, even as he fell to his knees.

"Perfect! Save that man. We're... Winning. Kind of?" Breaking the pattern didn't mean millions wouldn't just die, but it was, he was, able to mess things up a bit.

It hurt massively, and none of the things he'd done would actually be enough. He could feel the rest of the world sliding back into place, except for the tiny amount of shifting that he'd pulled off.

Then something very strange happened.

Two things, actually. The first was that his phone rang. He blinked, and didn't get it until Bridget ran over and patted his side pocket.

"Cool, your phone didn't break! I think mine did. Anyway, do you want me to answer it?"

Shaking his head he got to it on the fourth ring.

"Brian Yi." He almost added a stern sounding, go, but skipped it, even if it did make his body and brain hate stab him with agony.

"Um... Mr. Yi? This is Maggie? I... My dad wants to talk to you, but didn't have a number that was working? I got this from Bridget the other day. I told her you said it would be all right?"

"Oh? That's good. Thanks Maggie. Is he there?"

It was clear that was the case, but he knew what he was going to say, just before he did it. The phone was passed over, and the voice on the other end sounded tense.

"Brian? We have some reports, and I saw the news coverage, but no one knows what that was. I... Are those people on our side the ones that died?"

It should have been really awkward, but Brian just cleared his throat, and lied. This call would be monitored, after all. Around him most of the people were milling about or checking the dead and injured. He was standing there like an idiot, about to be shot by a sniper as he spoke to the President of the United States. Instead, he dodged and pointed with his other hand as the pavement sparked behind him.

"Prime, can you go get that man? Try to take him alive." There was no pain on that one, since it was clearly what he was supposed to be saying.

Then he turned back to the call.

"Sorry about that, sir. Someone just tried to shoot me. To answer your question, yes, everyone from the base is alive. Stasis took them all out when it blew up, and hid them. This attack is..." Then he dropped to his knees, since he was supposed to say that it was the military, along with Braid. Instead he forced the words into a different shape. One that was true, but far more exacting. Not what he was supposed to do at all.

The strain of it showed in his voice, but when the President asked about it, the other man had no particular problem doing so, even if that wasn't what he should have been saying. That was good to know. It wouldn't be everyone in the world that got hit like he was then, when they finally broke the hold that Braid had on them. They probably wouldn't even know it had taken place.

Brian, he knew, would.

That was fine. If he had to suffer, so that the rest of the world could survive in the long run, then so be it. He could live in agony, if that was needed, or even die. Not that it seemed all that easy. In fact, the moment he stood back up and the President spoke again, the world slipped back into place, and all the pain left.

Almost as if it had never been there. Except for his memory of it taking place.

That was fresh and real enough for him.

"This is... Well, good news of course. That the entire IPB wasn't destroyed in a single act of terrorism, is huge. I can see why they were in hiding. I would have been too. I don't know how this will play in the bible belt, but..."

Brian didn't fight it this time, letting the words just come like they were supposed to. The way the universe required him to do, thanks to Devorah and her decades long effort.

"Not that poorly. This attack should have destroyed the city here. People watched it at home, and know enough to see what was prevented here now. The important part is that we need to manage the response." Then, tensing up for what was coming, he spoke.

It came out as a gasp. Horrible pain could do that to a fellow.

"We... Have to make them understand... that... we all have to... work together, and stop the hate."

It wasn't some complex message, but he was supposed to tell the man that he'd handle it. Himself. That Proxy would go on television and fix it all.

It wouldn't really work, since he tended to scare people for some reason. President Lawrence wasn't scary though. He was, at worst, seen as being a bit ineffectual. The man was a good speaker though, and after something as dangerous as what the world had just seen that day... It might be enough to start things down a different path.

Or not.

It was so hard to know what would happen. If anything.

The clean up on the ground took hours, and when the news crews came, they were supposed to have the Director speak to everyone and explain what had happened. Then he'd do a turn himself. Except that when things got to that point, he leaned over, in pain, and managed to get Bridget to go out for him. Not that he knew she'd be the one to change things, but the girl did fine.

As tears came to his eyes, he listened to her spin a story that was very nearly the truth, without actually being too much for the public.

In her high, almost piping, voice, she went into what had happened that day, and then, even if it wasn't what he would have said, managed to spill the beans about what Braid had done to them.

"So, right now, it seems that she's won. The mad woman, Devorah Timberland has tied up the future, so that no one can change anything on purpose. We're working to change this, and one of the things we have to do, is not fall for what she wants, and expects, us to do. Don't fight with each other, or hate others for things they can't control. It won't be easy, but it may be the only thing that can save millions of lives." Then, even though it was generating agony for Brian, she managed to get off the stage without answering any questions.

For a moment, nearly ten minutes, he could feel pockets of pain across the United States. People actually managing to change reality, making the right decisions, based on what they'd just heard. Then things slowly went back to normal. Back to the way their enemy wanted them to be.

"Damn." He didn't explain, just making several trips back to the base, the new one, taking everyone with him. They were going to have to answer some questions after all. He knew that.

Funnily enough, when Kevin Moore got into the small trailer that was their new HQ, and Marcia started to defer to him, moving to Brian's little table, the man waved for her to sit down. At the big desk.

"No, you're doing a fine job, Director Turner. It's not healthy for an organization to remain under the control of one vision for too long. I'll just move over here, by Brian, and second guess everything he does for a while, shall I?" He smirked about it, but it really was fair.

The man, who was old, but seemed less stressed than he had for the entire time that Brian had known him, boldly settled into the wheeled blue cushioned office chair that was Brian's. On purpose, as if it were just a joke. His heavy and bulky middle didn't flex much, and he didn't wear a suit for once, just a button up shirt and dark slacks. His gray hair was combed, and neat enough, but something in his posture was more balanced than before.

It got Brian to smile, which he made an effort to do well.

"Fair enough. We need to get with some people anyway. I... I'm not sure what to change, and it's agonizing for me to do, but I can push things, I think. Make it so that things aren't going the way they're supposed to, a bit. I..." Well, it was clear that there was one thing he needed to do, which was to find Devorah and kill her.

Somehow. There was an attempt to do that in the future, but he'd fail if he did it her way. Neither of them would be hurt. They'd simply fight until Tesseract removed the woman from the scene.

How could he counter that though? So far the man had held out against him in every fight they'd had.

For a long time he just stood there, thinking of plans, and discarding them, over and again. His mind raced through things, as the old director of the IPB and the new both watched him closely. Finally he had to shrug.

"There's almost nothing I can do here. Worse, I'm pretty sure that when we do manage to derail all of this, I'm going to die. She's managed to tie me into her future somehow. I think that a part of my own power is actually what's making it all happen."

It was Marcia, who was suspicious of everything, that looked up at the door, noticing that Brie was there, along with Rachel Chambers. That put over half of the original IPB Alpha Squad in one place for the first time in over thirty years. At least as far as the good half went.

Needless to say, there was some hugging to go around for a bit.

Brie looked good, of course. It was her normal state of being, due to her ability to do almost everything. Healed up from the wounds she'd gotten earlier from Braid, probably by going to the closest friendly healer and smiling at them. She had a nice smile, he knew, even though it wasn't on her face at the moment.

As Braid had once told him, there were very few people in the world that could understand him really. Herself, and Brie, maybe a few others that he didn't really know about for certain. Like Christian from his old team. She at least could know what he was thinking and going through, which was a thing. A real point that he very nearly had missed, given how they didn't really like each other that much.

Trivia looked at him, and included him in the hugs she was passing out. They'd only met a few times in the last six months. Well, for him that was the truth, but for her it had only been twice. The other two times had been in the eighties, when he'd traveled in time back to then.

Probably because Braid had set things up to make that happen in ways he couldn't even understand.

That got him to look at the woman he still associated with mainly working in a book store and having a cute behind, and wince.

"How much of what's happened in my life did she influence, do you think?" The two of them meeting, almost certainly.

The woman, his oldest friend there, after a fashion, since they'd chatted off and on for years, looked at him, and winced back. That got everyone else in the space with them to pay attention. It was only the five of them though, so far.

Brie shook her head a little, and glanced at the others, including them.

"Almost everything, Brian. She was there in your life, hundreds of times, just outside of you being able to notice her. She was your math tutor when you were five, the one that put your parents onto the path of pushing you to be a child prodigy. She set things in motion for you and Doug to meet up, and for him to meet Carla in a way that caused both of you to eventually become Infected. She even had a hand in making sure the specific movie that had scared Carla Morris into using her power on you two was made in the first place, just to create that one event. She sent me to distract you from meeting other women, too. She even owned the factory that you worked at and made certain you got enough work to keep you from doing anything except exactly what she wanted you to. Nothing in your world was ever free of her influence. She played us all, perfectly." Trivia looked at the others and then shook her head. "Brian is... I guess the pin that's holding her plan in place right now? She's using his power to make the universe hold to the path she's picked."

That... Brian wanted to act like he was shocked, but couldn't. It would hurt too much, and besides, once he knew more about what had taken place, it all sort of made sense. How it worked, he didn't know though. That part was escaping him. Possibly because his own ability wasn't allowing him access to that kind of information?

"Great, so my entire life I've been a pawn. Played by this woman that I don't even know. Well..." He gasped, and dropped all the way to his knees in pain, fighting what he should be doing, even as it ripped into his soul. That's what it felt like at least. "Then... You should kill me. Get with Miranda Timberland, and some of the others, and make sure that will work, then take me out." Brian gasped through the entire thing, his voice harsh and rough.

It made sense, though speaking the words were completely horrible for him. It wasn't a thing that he could do, for himself. It would be too painful for him to act through. These people could do it for him, however, if he convinced them it was the right course to take.

For some reason all of them shook their heads.

Marsh rolled her eyes, sitting behind her big desk.

"There has to be another way. If we're wrong about this, and you aren't that tied into things, then we'll have lost an asset. One that might be needed in order to take on the current problem. What if that's part of her plan?" She glanced at Kevin then.

The man hated Brian though, so he figured that he might well be willing to make sure he didn't survive the day, if it was needed. The man smiled a bit, clearly liking the thought. Except that wasn't true. He didn't hate Brian at all. He just thought of him as a pain in the ass. One that was right often enough to be worth putting up with. That had pretty much always been the case too, the entire time they'd known each other.

"I have to agree with Ms. Turner here. That kind of complicated plan within plan is exactly what Devorah would do. Knowie, you said that she fooled you the entire time? How? I wouldn't think that anyone on the planet could do that."

Brie shook her head a bit, seeming genuinely baffled.

"I don't know? It's clear to me now that she knew about me being a spy the whole time, and how she used me for her own ends, but somehow she didn't let herself know that until earlier today. I don't think it was anything she did on purpose either. Her power managed it all for her. That's just a guess however." Looking at Brian, she seemed more than a bit sad then.

"It's really clear that she needs you to stay here and play your part in this. I don't know if we can remove you from the stream of time though. We don't have enough power available to do that." She smiled then, and glanced at the older man in the room. "Less, your power won't work on him now. He's too integrated into the world. No one we have can touch him, if he doesn't allow it, and in order to let that take place, he'd have to suffer pain on a level that even he would eventually have to give in to it and start fighting."

Would he though? It made sense, being about as bad as any pain he'd ever felt, but it was, in the end, only that. Just discomfort. Agony. If he had to suffer, in order to save everyone else, then he would. If Braid thought otherwise, then she wasn't aware of what she'd created by messing with his life like she had. Even without his first mode, just as regular Brian, the guy from Vancouver Washington, he would have done that.

"I don't suppose that Jeffery Shaw was influenced by her to do what he did too? Trying to kill me all those times?"

That got Trivia to shake her head a tiny bit.

"That one was pretty much all him. He's just not a good human being and never was. Sexually abused by his mother and a babysitter when he was little. It makes it hard for him to be comfortable with other people. That's become his first mode now. His power is the ability to project people's greatest fears into their minds. It's a class two ability though. He can only do one unique image at a time." It wasn't a surprise that she knew things like that, but it was kind of useful.

"Ah. Well, in a few days I'm supposed to go, alone, and kill him. I was..." He didn't let himself react to the pain he was feeling outwardly. Hopefully Christian wasn't too close to them at the moment. The poor woman would have to feel what he did too, if she connected with him mentally. They might not be friends, but he wouldn't force that on anyone he didn't have to.

Plus, they weren't enemies either.

It was a good thing to keep in mind.

Without gasping, he nodded at the others.

"I was thinking that I'd take a team of people in, and capture him instead. Alive. Then torture him to death over the next few months, since I really hate his evil behind. I can be fluid on that last part however. The trick is that I'll want to have good people to back me up." Because he was clearly going to be crippled by the universe trying to force him to be a good boy at the time.

It was Marcia who nodded, her face actually a bit prettier, carrying a smile.

"We do have a death warrant for him. Oh, hey, Trivia... Are you behind Brian always getting all the death warrants he's asked for? The DOJ never turns him down. I've wondered for a while how that was happening. At first I figured it would be Stillness, but then he died..."

Brie looked at the woman in her tan fatigues, which were a bit torn in places, since Quartz hadn't changed yet from the battle, and shook her head.

"No. That one is because of Barbara Dorn. Her great uncle works in the Department of Justice, and has set things up so that any time Brian needs something, he gets it. Automatically, day or night."

It was clear that Rachel and Moore didn't get the meaning of that. The name just didn't register for them.

Brian did though.

"I... didn't save her. Why would he help me?"

Marcia looked away, understanding the idea then, but Brie moved over to where he stood and hugged him, not letting him go while she spoke.

"Because he understands that you couldn't have won that first time, against the Jackal and his murder buddy. No one could have, really, starting from where you were. You were the one that found him though, and when you killed him, you told the whole world that it was about that one woman. It made an impact. So, since then, he's done what he could for you. That isn't the only person like that, either. Tobias, the guy from Canada? You let him get away from the Mounties up there, but also told him that he, personally, needed to make sure he protected the rest of society. It wasn't needed at the time, the zombie-wolves not following you that closely, but it was why he started the Proxy Union. Hundreds of people have been saved because of that. Just because you let him drive away with a few thousand pounds of weed."

Everyone else looked at him then, as if he wouldn't know what that was. Clearly they'd been hiding it from him. Probably because they didn't want the idea to go to his head. That was a good idea, probably. He just nodded.

"Ah. Well, I haven't killed anyone that tried to hurt me yet, so at least I have that."

Only ones that were trying to harm other people. Arranging the world in a way that Braid wanted him to.

Locking them into place, his power making certain, for some reason, that no one would be able to escape while he lived.

That still told him what would be needed though, didn't it? After he made sure it was the right plan, and that Jeff Shaw wouldn't be allowed to harm anyone else ever again, Brian Yi needed to die.

Trivia smiled at him.

"Or at least be gone from this world? I don't know if it will work, but if you go to a different reality scheme, that might be enough to break her hold on us. I really don't think Devorah can do this without your ability organizing everything."

"Huh?"

Everyone else in the room looked at him like he was stupid, but Marcia cleared her throat.

"Yeah. That one. Look, it's pretty clear that part of your ability involves pushing other people to do specific things. Arranges reality for some reason. That's the part of this that she's using against us now, I bet." Crossing her arms across her chest, Marcia nearly seemed scared for a moment.

For him, he understood suddenly. Not for herself, but because her pal might just have to die in order to save them all. As if that weren't the only end point of his life possible? Plus, he'd basically just told them all that he needed to die, so his power wouldn't control them all. It was just what had to happen. It probably always had been.

Well, not that he'd always been slated to die for everyone. No, he'd always figured that he'd just step the wrong way eventually, trying to save some little girl or boy from traffic. Trip and hit his head while running away from a band of rabid squirrels or something equally heroic and noble.

Though, he noticed, there didn't seem to be any transfers coming up to save anyone in the near future. If at all. There were only the things that he knew about. The ones that were there in his head, clear and linear. It wasn't that no one was going to die who needed help, but like his power thought they were done needing to do anything at all.

Not that he loved the idea of going and fighting to the death, but for that part of him to suddenly stop, without warning, well, it had been the most important thing in his life for too long, hadn't it? It was why he'd stayed alive in the first place, after what had happened to him with the police. With Jeff Shaw in particular. If he would have picked doing anything else, other than what he had, back when he'd had the chance... Then the world wouldn't be trapped just then, would it?

It was pretty clear that Brie knew what he was thinking, and she was gently shaking her head over it, but no one else seemed to notice that in the slightest, did they? It was true though. If he'd made other choices, then they'd all be safe now. Not that a lot of them weren't safe anyway, but the future would have kept on going. Now, eventually, it was going to simply stop for the humans of his reality.

So he needed to die.

Maybe he could just go away though? Go to some different world, where his power wouldn't simply grab hold of things again, forcing the entire thing to his will, now that it knew that was possible? Brian hated feeling like a pawn, but also didn't want to risk going off to a different reality, just to do the same thing again. If it was a part of him that would doom any world he was in, then he had to be stopped, didn't he?

That meant he had to die, didn't it? It was the only sure thing he could count on working. Well, Braid would need to go first, but if that didn't work, then he'd have to die as well. Not that Brian couldn't hang on for a bit and test things out, at that point. Really make sure he needed to die first, before doing something that final. It wasn't a thought that made him happy, but he could live with it, he decided.

That got him to smile.

"Devorah made a mistake, didn't she? To get what she wanted, she created me. But self-sacrifice is hard to beat. She did too good of a job that way. I can't help but fight against the death of the world, no matter what it might cost me. I can't even see how anyone would ever do anything different than that. So, in that way, I guess she created her own foil. I may have been, or might still be, her tool, but I won't let that stand."

It was tempting to just pull his nine and put the business end in his mouth, but he was out of bullets, and hadn't rearmed yet. That would be helpful to do soon, wouldn't it? Not that he was going to go and fight, or manage to kill himself. No, he was going to need help doing that.

"Let's get with the people from Hobb's world. They might be able to help us organize things. I think they're all over at Mary's, except for Hobbs." He'd be there, with the others from the IPB, since Brian had brought him back in the group that had Bridget and Tobin in it. Denis too, come to think of it. That was an unlikely group, but they all seemed to be friends.

Without waiting for anyone to ask him what he wanted to do, Brian got up and left. No one tried to follow him, even though he'd meant to invite them all to the meeting. They would need to be in on the whole thing.

Wren and Coordinator were manning the phones at the front desk. Her beaked face and blue feather and hair mix was really working for her that day, so Brian waved to her as he moved past. She was busily talking to someone, who sounded more than a little agitated.

Still she didn't try to stop him, so he kept going. If she needed him to help her out, there would be a sign of that. He hoped.

Hobbs was with most of the others, in the dinning tent. The place was packed, so the selfless man sat on the ground, listening to the others with a smile on his lips. His red beard and hair had grown back from the last time he'd cut them, but now he was dressed in clean and new looking clothing. Not the old things that had been his habit before.

Seeing him, the man stood.

"Advocate Yi."

"Advocate Hobbs"

The other man shook his head, his smile fading. "Nay. I've been removed from such posting, and calling. I am but Hobbs now. A man with no purpose."

Brian smiled then and shook his head. Then he snorted, making it slightly mocking.

"Not exactly true. The world you saved may have kicked you out, and your old order may have been forced to let you go, but that doesn't remove you from being important here. You saved lives today, and are needed now to go and help me work out how we're going to defeat Devorah Timberland. We seem to have some people from your world in on this. Including her niece. I'll explain when we get to Mary's, if you're willing to go?" It wasn't like he'd force the man. Still, he was freaking Hobbs. The man would no sooner back down from an uncomfortable task than Brian would have.

"Aye then. I will do what I may to protect this world. My new home. Even if these others seek to shun my aid." There was no doubt about that, from the sound of his voice.

It was probably correct, too. The people from that world were as close to hidebound as any he'd ever met. They all had a single idea about what they should be doing and any variation from the norm was frowned upon. Harshly.

Brian collected some others first, since there were people that should be there, even if no one else knew it yet. Bridget and Mark, along with all the people in the office. Marcia, Kevin, Rachel and Brie.

That Brie wasn't her real name seemed likely, but he didn't push her on it. The woman had lied to him the entire time they'd known each other, after all. Not on purpose, perhaps, but it had still happened. They'd known each other for years, but that didn't mean he really knew her in the slightest, did it?

When they got to the coffee and donut place, Mary's, it was closed, and all the people from the other reality were in the living room of the house out back, sitting in near silence. They were all dressed up like they were ready to go to a sci-fi ren fair, except for Mary and Liz, who were in jeans and t-shirts.

The rest of the room looked away from Hobbs however, as if required to shun him. For the crime of saving the two children that had eventually led to them helping return full power to their dying land.

Which made some sense, after all. It had been the political choice of the ruling families and no one from there wanted to challenge them on the idea. Not directly. In that place when someone said you had to do something, you either went along with them, or beat them in a fight over it. They weren't beyond bringing in armies for that purpose either, so just being a powerful individual didn't mean you could ignore what you were told to do. With Hobbs it had been the entire ruling body of their world making the decision. So being seen to back Hobbs was probably a bit like spitting into the face of every powerful being from their entire reality.

That was sad, for his friend, but a thing that Brian could understand, in abstract.

Brian quickly went over what he knew, hitting the fact that it was him, his power that was locking things in place. Managing and maintaining the flow of the world, even down to the smallest of things that could be changed.

"Which means a few things. First, I need to make sure that Braid is taken out, somehow. I can do it, I think, but I don't know if that's really possible. Most of the times she's fought any of us, we've played right into her hands. Bridget here broke her legs, but even that seems like it was all about influencing the future to her own ends. The only other thing that makes sense, is killing me. That will stop my power from being used to influence things, and allow the rest of you to stop her."

It was funny, but half the people in the room nodded, agreeing that it was sensible, and the other half looked... amused by the idea. The ones that thought it was the right plan then glared at the others. Bridget was part of that group, and the ones that thought it funny were all on the other side of things.

Miranda Timberland chuckled though.

"I think not! Mary Wyrdcraft, will you take this man away for a time? A week or two will be enough. Seek a world that is not our own, but where you may both thrive. First though, I fear you must suffer great pain for a time, Advocate Yi. I cannot see why, but that is the only way for a true split to happen. Can you explain this?"

It was mainly guess work, but he could, and did.

"When I force a change to the plan, I experience great discomfort. I was planning on finding someone, and taking him prisoner. He's a bad guy, and would die next week if I did things on Braid's schedule, so it should mess with the plan a bit. I think the pain is my own power trying to fix things again, even as I try to change it. Is that what you mean?" He looked at the woman, who seemed almost Native American in appearance. Like her aunt, he realized.

That got a slow nod, after a few moments.

"It's hazy, since the one path is very clear here, but the closer we get to doing things differently, the more likely it will be that I can sense and guide us accurately. Or perhaps you'll be able to do such? We should start there however, since it will be important to the future of this land. Do we have a proper cell to place this evil villain in? Without such, he will need to be killed. That is clear."

Brian was slapped with pain over those words merely being spoken, but Marcia informed them she could have something built in the next day or so. That was the sort of thing she was good at, Brian knew. Getting things done, that most people would have thought of as difficult, if not impossible. Then, having a cage constructed to hold what was essentially a normal man wasn't that big of a deal, was it? It would mean that Brian was going to be in pain the whole time, but he'd live.

Or not.

It felt pretty bad already, and there were limits to what a person could functionally take and survive. Plus, he didn't know that it was just discomfort, did he? It was very possible that he was hurting because his body itself was being torn apart.

Either way, he was willing to give it a try, because he had literally nothing else.

That his entire life had been a trap, designed to control the entire world, and kill more people than he would have ever imagined being responsible for, was simply just that horrible. It was bad enough that he sort of wanted to die, just to make certain Devorah couldn't keep using him.

As it was, Brian wasn't totally certain that she wasn't still calling all the shots, managing them all from a distance, making escape from her clutches impossible. So far she had been, his entire life, it seemed. Even from the time he was a little child. Really, from before he was ever even born.

There was nothing he could do about that, either. It simply was. Every bad thing that had ever happened to him had a cause. Braid.

Worse, she hadn't even done it because she hated him, or felt he deserved to be punished like that. No, it had all just been about getting her way. Making the world smoother, cleaner, to her internal vision.

Talk about selfish things to do.

Blinking, and knowing he had a little time left before he had to do anything, since they really did need a cell to hold Shaw in, he stood up. It hurt. Everything inside of him was aching the entire time, since there was a real plan to change reality in the works. It was enough that he wasn't going to be able to do much of anything for a while, he didn't think. No, all he could do was hope that the others would follow along with what he told them to do, no matter what it did to him.

Rather than try to act brave or strong, he merely stood for a while, until Bridget came and took his hand. Her palm was smooth and warm in his. He had calluses, but she didn't. That was thanks to the rate she healed at, he knew. That, and how tough her skin was anyway.

"What now?" Her voice was tiny sounding, and not as bold as it normally was. Scared, he thought. Of all of them she understood that he might not make it out of the situation alive. Why that was, Brian didn't really understand. Maybe the rest of them actually did, but were pretending not to? Bridget was perhaps the only person he knew that wouldn't lie to herself like that. Not for long.

"Now? If I can manage it, I think I need to go and visit with my parents. That... won't be fun, since we haven't spoken in years, but if this all started when I was a kid, then they might have information I need. If not, I should still deal with things there."

To his surprise, Mary stood up, to go with him, and so did Brie.

Trivia was the only one smiling though.

It was a sad thing, but she got the idea. He had to go and make his peace now, since there might not ever be another chance. Before... Well, he'd always thought that he'd either have more time, or that the end would come suddenly for him. Now... He was watching it close in on him slowly. Like a cancer eating his flesh away, one day at a time. Stealing his dignity. His control over himself.

Worse, no one else around him was really going to be able to understand that, until it was too late, were they? Except Trivia, and maybe Christian Pours, if she ever bothered to come around. He kind of hoped she wouldn't. They might not be friends, but things were painful enough inside him now that he didn't want her to have to feel it too. Not that he was letting it show.

Brie knew what he did, but didn't have to feel it, he didn't think. She spoke, using that tone that people did when they spoke to the dying.

"I can get that idea. Let's do that. You need practice finding people at a distance, anyway."

Which was true. Because in the end, that part of his power was what just might save them all. If he could make it work correctly.

It was a part of him though, and the one bit of his power that no one else seemed to have accounted for yet.

Unless Braid had, and was just pretending not to have noticed it, of course. So far she hadn't left him anything else, had she? Just one trap after another.

Without any end in sight.

Chapter nine

There were four of them there when he got to the old house.

It was the place that he'd grown up in, so wasn't that hard for him to find. He'd located his mother directly, since she was going to be the hard one for him to face. His father had always been cold and distant, so it was easier to think about confronting him. Mom...

There had been a time when he'd thought she was wonderful.

After all, she'd spent all that time with him, making sure he learned what he needed to. Except that wasn't the truth, was it? In the end he'd been a project for them both, and nothing more. At least as far as he could tell. A trophy that did calculations, and math tricks to amuse their friends, mainly. When he'd gotten sick enough of it, and left college eventually, they'd stopped talking to him altogether. Neither of them had so much as picked up a phone in all the years since then. Six and a half now.

It felt like longer, at least to him.

The door of the house was the same.

Clean and white, being well cared for, like it always had been. That was a thing that they'd always been good about. No matter how busy they got, they worked in the garden, and kept things clean inside. It was tempting to just turn around and leave, but there was no time left for that kind of thing. The pain in his soul increased, because this was another thing he wasn't supposed to be doing, wasn't it?

Brian could feel that one. It wasn't exactly some subtle or easily missed thing. Before he could let himself suggest a phone call first instead, he went up to the door and knocked. It was dark out already, night coming early this time of year. There were sounds from inside, and he recognized the voice of his mother, if not what she was saying, exactly. When the door opened, he had to keep himself from stiffening up.

Her face came into focus first. She looked fine, really. Like his mother, except with a smile on her face. That fell off as she saw who was standing there. Sure, he'd changed, but it wasn't exactly like she wouldn't get who he was. No matter what else, she was his mother.

They locked eyes, and he didn't bother smiling. He was past being angry with them, he knew. If she was mad at him, well, she could eat that for a time, since he didn't feel like putting up with that kind of garbage any more. He needed some information, that was all.

So he nearly threw her to the side, aiming a blow for the nerve line under her jaw when she jumped in to hug him. She didn't notice it, since Bridget took his left hand as it moved in, getting what was going on before he really did. Her body moved, because she wasn't very big, but she could stabilize herself in space, using her flying ability, so Brian was just wrapped up by his mother, rather than starting out the evening with an assault.

That was a better way to begin a family reunion though, so he let it go on for a moment.

"Brian! I thought you weren't talking to me? You didn't call."

Because of course his mother would start out with an accusation that made him look guilty. He, of course, had to be the one responsible for everything, didn't he?

"Nope, that was always the other way around. I believe the exact phrasing was 'you're no son of ours'? Anyway, this is a bit more official than me just coming to visit. What do you know about a woman named Devorah Timberland? She was my tutor, when I was little?"

His mother, who was an intelligent woman, looked at the quasi military uniform he had on, and realized that the tiny red headed girl had one on too, and frowned. It wasn't a good look for her. She was a young woman still, he realized. It wasn't a thing that he'd ever thought of before, being that she was his mom, but her face held only a fine trace of lines, and she was in her early forties still.

He'd been dating a woman older than her, by over a century. Compared to that, she was practically a kid. So was he, which made him wonder how Mary put up with him. Glancing at her, he noticed that her eyes were hard, and not all that happy to be meeting his mother.

The man that came into view was slightly older looking. He was dressed in a soft blue sweater, and slacks. There was a polite smile on his face, but he wasn't Brian's dad. This was some white guy. He was bald, too. Which probably made him seem older than he actually was.

His mother, Lyn, turned to look at the man and held her hand out automatically. Probably meaning that he wasn't just there to tune the piano.

"Brian... This is my husband, Ronald. I..."

The man looked baffled at least, making two of them. Still, Brian had an edge there, since Proxy was used to living with strange things taking place all the time. It wasn't that hard for him to put it all together. If this was her husband, that meant she'd divorced his father, sometime in the last six years. Or the other way around. That was enough time for lives to move on. That no one had bothered to tell him about it, well, that wasn't too shocking, was it? They'd been estranged. The big thing was that the man looked shocked to see him there.

Because it was clear that he understood exactly who Brian was. Proxy. The killer. It played over his face, but left him seeming a bit baffled, not scared. That meant this man didn't think he could be there for either of them, didn't it?

His mother looked ready to cry.

"Ron... This is my son, Brian. I never mentioned him."

Rather than get upset, Brian smiled and stuck his hand out. It hurt, since he was supposed to act all moody and argue the point. Make accusations, and leave abruptly. That was his power trying to fix things, back to the one quiet line that was possible. Except that bad things would happen to everyone on that line, eventually. Good too, but it wasn't enough to outweigh the end of everything that would eventually come. Nothing ever could. Not for him.

"Brian Yi. Estranged child. Pleased to meet you? I came to get some information about my childhood tutor. It turns out that she's an insane super villain that's been controlling my entire life. So... Mom, anything on that?" It hurt too much for him not to stay on topic. There had to be a payoff, didn't there?

The new man, Ronald, blinked a lot, but shook hands professionally, and looked at the other people standing there slowly. They all looked young, but only one of the women actually was. That would be confusing when he explained no doubt.

Lyn seemed to remember her manners, and went a little wide eyed.

"Would you all like to come in? I think I have some pictures. I'll have to dig the album out. Would you like some coffee? Tea?" she backed away from the door, her hand still touching her husband's arm, as if afraid that he was going to be angry over the intrusion. If that was the case, the man was hiding it really well in the moment.

He looked relaxed as he stepped back. The motion was fluid, too. Almost too smooth. Something was a little off about it, which Bridget and Brie both understood about the same time he did. Well, Trivia probably had already known. The man was Infected. Probably in a way that was very minor, with a good first mode. Something very calm.

More, when Brian looked at his own mother, he could feel the soft distortion of space around her, coming off of her in gentle waves. It was distorting time, he thought. Making it seem like she was moving just a bit faster than she really was.

It was a surprise, to say the least.

It had never occurred to him that his mother would have been Infected. Until he'd popped, Brian had hardly even thought about that kind of thing. It hadn't been an issue growing up. No, everything had been all about math. Drills, and practice, with very little else involved, until he'd gotten old enough to escape what his parents wanted.

Mainly pushed by his mother. He'd figured that she was just a run of the mill tiger mom, wanting him to excel in life, but now, thinking back, he could see that she'd been a bit over the top even for that. Like she'd been obsessed with him being intelligent, or...

Brie smiled at him. Explaining, a bit too warmly.

"An obsession with borrowed success. After a fashion."

That... made sense. She'd pushed at his father too, hadn't she? Relentlessly. That meant poor Ron here was probably getting hit with that now. Hopefully it wasn't too bad for him.

Bridget looked at her great grandmother, and nodded.

"Some coffee would be nice."

The others agreed, though Brian didn't really need anything except some pain meds. Not that they'd help, he didn't think.

The inside of the place was different than he'd thought it would be. They'd put in new furniture, and it was all nice enough. It showed that money had been spent on it, and that it was kept up well. Almost as if planning an escape, Lyn tried to run from the room without saying anything else, heading toward the kitchen, Brian knew. That left Ron standing there awkwardly. The poor guy. Abandoned like that, when he didn't even understand the situation yet.

"I'm afraid this is a bit of a surprise. Please, sit. I... Well, I guess it isn't that big of a deal. People have children, and I knew that she'd been married before. I've met Lue, he's a nice person. Neither of them ever mentioned you though. I wonder why?"

The balding man reminded Brian a bit of Alan Brown, from the Food Network. Soft spoken, but filled with energy. Also more than a bit polite. The wire rimmed glasses didn't hurt either, as well as the thin face. It wasn't exact, but it reminded him that he needed to get in touch with the man, so that he'd know to tell the network to run the holiday special. No one had mentioned it to him, but since they'd thought that bunches of the people in it had died, he was willing to bet that they'd planned to shelve the thing. It would be a shame though, since they'd all worked so hard on it.

Well, not him, but everyone else.

Brian smiled then, even through the agony that the whole situation was causing.

"They disowned me when I quit college. I'd been pushed too hard for too long, and had a bit of a mental breakdown. It was too much for either of them to understand, I guess. I hope it didn't lead to them divorcing. I guess it probably did, in the end. I'd say it was selfish of me, but I didn't get a lot of choice in the matter at the time. So, I quit MIT, and got a job. Since then neither of them have spoken with me. I also joined the IPB, which has kept me kind of busy for a while. Proxy, from the news?" He watched the man carefully, and saw him nod, confirming that part of the whole thing. It meant his mother would be aware of that too, no doubt. "So, on the good side, you're a shock too. How did you meet?" That was a nice and normal thing to say, wasn't it? He sat, feeling tense, thanks to the disruption all of this was causing.

The others did too, each of them seeming a bit different than the others.

Trivia was relaxed, and a bit detached, her body seeming upright as she settled on the sofa, but calm. Bridget was fidgeting, enough that Ron noticed. More than was normal for her too. Then, she was meeting her great grandmother and step-great grandfather, wasn't she? It kind of had to make a girl nervous. What if they didn't like her? Or whipped out math drills that she wasn't ready for? She'd heard Brian's stories after all.

Mary however looked ready to harm someone. Why that was, Brian didn't know, but he waved to her, and got Bridget to scoot over a bit, so that she could cuddle in alongside of him. Lyn clearly noted that when she came back in with a loaded tray of things. Coffee cups, cream and sugar.

Her eyes lit a bit, looking at the situation.

"So, Brian, who are your friends? Is this your wife?" She locked eyes with Mary, who scowled back a little.

He smiled though, holding her hand.

"She's my girlfriend. Also, we have a child. That's going to be interesting to explain. There was time travel involved. It's... one of my powers. One that didn't make the news."

His mother might not have seen him for years, but she nodded then, getting the general idea.

"You're Infected too? I'd hoped it would skip you." She tensed, looking at the others, but relaxed a bit as she settled in next to Ron. They held hands too.

Smiling, he waved at the others.

"Everyone here but Mary is. Oh..." He gestured at Brie, who was the furthest away. "Brie is a friend of mine, you've probably met? She used to work for Devorah, the super villain? She was a spy for our side. My guess is that she was put on you at least a few times." He didn't know that, but Trivia nodded.

"Oh, sure. I did the photography for your wedding?" She was looking at Ron when she said it and the man smiled.

"Ah! I thought you looked familiar. It's a small world, isn't it?"

Because that was why it had happened. It was just a coincidence, and Trivia had needed a job at the time. Rather than comment, he nodded, and gestured at the tiny red-head. "This is Bridget Chambers. Impulse, of the IPB. You've seen her in the news?"

That got a slow nod from both of them, as if they could have missed the connection? Both he and Bridget were wearing IPB uniforms, and she was distinctive looking.

Lyn let her face go a bit tight.

"We... have. Things have been a bit frightening for a while. All the fighting. We've been considering a move to someplace away from people. So far Vancouver hasn't been hit with too much, but I've heard that Proxy has been in town. Hunting the police? A coworker of mine told me about that. You know him?" This was addressed to Bridget.

The girl snorted, and rolled her eyes. She at least got that Lyn was trying to pretend not to know that Brian was Proxy. Probably so that Ron wouldn't be scared. In a way it was nice of her, but the man was clearly made of sterner stuff than that. He'd gotten who Brian was without batting an eyelash.

"Yep! I don't suppose that your coworker mentioned that those same cops had tried to kill him a few years ago? Or that Proxy spared their lives, even though he didn't have to? That was all over the news. Marcia told me that everyone thought he'd kill the entire force, but he didn't. He's too nice that way." There was a bit of an edge to her voice, but Lyn smiled.

"Mary is your girlfriend you say? I have a grandchild? Time travel, so... Bridget? It would explain why you're all here." Except that it didn't.

Brian glanced at the girl, and shrugged. Then he smiled.

"Bridget is your great granddaughter. Her father, Scott, is my son. Um... Prime? The superhero? Just to make sure things are clear, Mary is from a different reality, but can travel in time and space. We met back in the eighties, and Scott is older than I am now. Bridget is sixteen. My entire life has been warped, screwed with, thanks to Devorah Timberland, who is also from a different reality, and has what works out to be super-precognition. That all makes sense, right? So, you mentioned some pictures? Any paperwork or anything you can remember about her would be good too."

The woman, his mom, stood up suddenly, moving in a flickering fashion that probably meant she was incredibly stressed. Her power was kicking in enough that it was hard to miss. It was the first time he remembered noticing it. Then, he'd never paid much attention to anything but the numbers she'd driven him to study as a child, had he?

On the good side, even though she left the room, she was back about twenty second later, holding a thick album. When she opened it and handed it over to him, he saw pictures of himself, as a chubby little kid. She pointed, as if they were all there to reminisce. There was a ribbon next to the first picture.

"That was the first contest that he'd won. He was very smart, even back then. I think... You want the next page?"

He turned it, to find a slightly more youthful Braid, looking much like she did now, but with darker hair and fewer lines on her face. Blinking, he had to nod, since it was all coming back.

She'd been nice to him, and told him how smart he was, but had also pushed him into working constantly. That had been where things had started for him. The constant drills and sets of numbers that had been his entire world for years. She'd been there with him, according to the pictures, until he was nine, or so. Then his mother had taken over, with a vengeance. How he'd forgotten that, he didn't know.

"I..." She sounded a bit sad, and held onto Ron as if afraid he'd get away. "I just wanted the best for you. That was all I was trying to do. I know, now, that it was too much. I should have let you have a real childhood. It took me a long time to realize what I'd done to you. I'd thought that I was making you better. More able to be a success in the world. Then you dropped out and stopped talking to me. I couldn't understand why, for the longest time. It seemed so ungrateful."

Mary scowled at her, but he let himself chuckle a bit, and kept looking at the pictures. There were a lot of them, and most of them had to do with math. A few had him playing the oboe.

That had been blown up with the base. Jeremy had kept it for him. That reminded Brian that he needed to call him again too, since he hadn't heard back. Even if it was just to say goodbye. They'd been friends, after all.

Bridget crawled half on top of Mary to see the pictures, and finally made a small sound, tapping on one of them. At first he didn't get it, but then noticed who she was pointing to. A man that looked familiar, in the background of one of his contest pictures. His face was half turned away. Lyn leaned in and smiled.

"Mr. Yamoto? Glen, I think it was. He was a bit strange. I don't know why, but he always came to see you, when you did anything in public. I tried to keep him away from you. I'm not certain, but I think he might be a pedophile." She shuddered a bit, and Brie covered her mouth, laughing.

Bridget didn't, just crossing her arms.

He glanced at the other pictures and shook his head.

"Super villain. Tesseract, the master of space and time. As far as I know he isn't that twisted though. Oh, he's helped to destroy the human race, but..."

Trivia nodded, "he isn't into children. Obsessed with Bridget here, but that has to do with his first mode and the fact that Devorah linked the idea of her being his soul mate to his mind decades ago. It let her control him totally. She had a hold on each of the others that way. Never me... But I was spying on her, which she knew... So stupid."

If anyone else in the room was following along, Brian didn't know. He stood up then, since it was clear that he had all the information on the topic he was going to get. For some reason that got Mary to stand too, and Bridget to make a face at him.

"Seriously Brian? You aren't going to tell her the rest of it?"

"Rest of what?" Nothing came to mind really. He glanced at the girl, and then Brie, to see that both of them were shaking their heads.

Bridget was the one that sighed at him, fidgeting rapidly enough that a warm breeze came off of her.

"Oh... I don't know, that you're Proxy? That you have to go and leave this entire reality soon in order to try and save it from eventual destruction? Any of that stuff? Or even that you're a bit pissed that you didn't get a real childhood? I had more of one, and I lived my entire life on a government compound. People made sure I got to play and watch television anyway."

She glared a bit, at Lyn, but Brian shrugged.

"She knows all that. Well, the part where I'm Proxy, and that I didn't get much of a childhood. They have T.V. here and watch the news. It would be kind of hard for her to miss that part. She was physically with me as a child, so that isn't some great mystery to her. The rest of it... Well, that doesn't matter. I have to do what I can, and this might well be goodbye. There's no need for me to drag that out. I should find dad too. Is he doing well?"

Lyn actually smiled then, because she really did like to see people being successful.

"His business is doing very well, and he remarried too. She doesn't think much of me, but she's a darling woman otherwise. We get together about once a year and talk. After you left school, well, Lue is clever enough to work out that it was my fault, in the end. I don't know why he didn't talk to you though. I would have thought he would, but I guess he got busy? First with the divorce and then starting over again. Things can get in the way." The words were a bit lame as such things went. As an excuse, well, being busy was a thing, he knew. It wasn't like he'd reached out to either of them, was it?

It was good to know they were both doing well, and strange to find out his mother was Infected like that. Except, given that it was some kind of time dilation power, it made sense, didn't it? No one really knew how that kind of thing worked, but it was possible that Braid had picked him for a reason. He was probably the one person in the world that would end up with the specific abilities she could use to control everything.

Even all the math when he was a kid had probably been about shaping his mind into the form it had been. A calculating machine that could change all the variables into the one reality that she needed.

After a moment, he really wanted to kill Devorah. Bridget had mentioned that, hadn't she? That he should kill her this time. Future Bridget. That, or alternate reality future Bridget. That... didn't make sense though, did it? Braid had claimed that he couldn't have gone to the future, and spoke of the world going into a red shift, but he'd just accepted that information and hadn't asked about it with anyone that might really know. Frowning, he turned to Mary.

"Time travel, what color is it?" That probably wasn't enough for her to go on, but Mary smiled at him, as if he were being cute.

"Well, that depends on who's doing it, doesn't it? I tend to see it as green. Zevros mentioned that he sees yellow. Why?"

"Ah, I went to the future and it was red. Devorah told me that it meant I'd gone to an alternate reality, not the future. That doesn't make sense though, since there's only one future available from here..."

Or maybe it did make sense, his girlfriend shook her head though, and looked at him closely.

"Why would you take her word for anything? She'll say whatever she needs to in order to control you. The Timberland line is not noted for being honest, even back home."

He was still standing, so handed his mother the photo album back.

"I need to be going. If I don't get to talk to dad... Tell him that I came by? That I love him? You too." Neither of those things was true, but his mother smiled, happy to hear it anyway.

"I will. Brian... Be careful? I don't know what's going on really, but this feels like a goodbye, not someone planning to win."

She was a smart person, after all. Still, he managed a smile through the agony that was constantly running through him now.

"Oh, don't worry. If I lose, then I'll live a decent and fairly comfortable life for a very long time. Millions will die though, and the world will come to an end when I do die. The real question is what happens if I win. Maybe nothing, but this whole thing hurts enough that it doesn't seem likely."

She looked baffled and so did Ron, but he gave her a brief hug, shook the man's hand and got them all out of there before they had to stay and explain the whole thing several more times. It wasn't going to make sense to anyone else, he didn't suppose, and trying would just make things worse for them later. Telling them that he might win, and still live, well, he hoped so. It just didn't feel very likely.

It wasn't like he could see that future. Only the one where he lost. It was incredibly clear to him, being only the one thing.

Outside he held on to Mary's hand, and noticed when Brie moved in on the other side. She took his hand too, which had Bridget glaring at her a bit, for some reason. It wasn't like the woman was hitting on him, was it? Mary didn't seem to even notice the move. Then, a bit of hand holding wasn't all that large of an issue in his world. People did that kind of thing just to try and make sure he didn't have a meltdown.

Mary did the work for them, taking them all back to the base, instead of making him do it. Not that he didn't need the practice, he knew. Honestly, he needed it more now than before, since the constant pain was distracting him. That kind of thing always did, but this just wasn't going to give up. It hadn't been getting a lot worse, but it wasn't going away either.

It was a bit strange, but the second they got in front of the trailer, the white and cream thing looking a bit dusty, Phoebe ran up and kissed him. It didn't help at all, so she kept doing it, until about three minutes later when Sinclair pulled her away. It was embarrassing, but at least Bridget explained to Mary what was going on, and how the girl's power worked.

Again though, Mary hadn't even batted an eyelash. He would have if some guy he didn't know had run up and started kissing her, wouldn't he? Really, he'd felt a bit jealous when Zevros had hugged her, before learning that the man was her son. Rather than comment on it, he turned to her and shook his head.

"I can't believe my mother had never even mentioned me to her new husband. Do you think she just thought I'd never visit? I could have been over for dinner at any time. We lived in the same city, after all." The words got Mary to wince, since she hadn't told him about her son either. Or any other children she might have had. Then, the odds of Zevros ever having just popped in really were pretty minor, what with her living in a different world and all that.

Trivia patted his shoulder. She let her hand linger long enough that Bridget stared at her again, shaking her head.

"Don't take it personally. I'm pretty certain that Braid had Stillness make both of your parents kind of forget about you. So, on the good side they aren't nearly the jerks you thought. On the bad... Well, she's had her hooks in you deeper than you thought. Almost nothing in your entire life has been absent her influence."

"Oh." It wasn't good to hear, was it? His life hadn't been that great, and to find that someone had done that to him on purpose, the whole time... "On the good side I guess I'm only half as lame as I always thought? I get to blame Devorah for the rest of it."

Brian smiled, even as he felt like he was going to die. If it kept on like that too much longer he was going to want to. He didn't let it show, because it was just what had to happen, as far as he knew.

Mary didn't want to leave, but she still had a store to run, and Brian didn't think he was going to be very good company for anyone, for a long time. Kissing her gently he faked a smile, trying not to let anything show on the outside.

"I'll catch up to you later? For dinner?"

"Oh! I should go and see to that. Will anyone else be joining us?" She seemed hopeful, rather than put out about it.

No one else even made eye contact with her. Not because they wanted to avoid her, either, Brian knew. No, it was about the fact that he'd pretty much told them all he was going to die.

Wimps, bailing on him like that. It wasn't like they were the ones that would have to sacrifice themselves to protect innocent people that weren't even born yet. Not to mention the millions that would die that year, starting in a few weeks, if they didn't manage to stop it from happening.

"Nope. Just me. I won't be too long. I'll come and work the store for you? Starting at seven?" That was their pattern. She looked strained though, instead of relieved to have the help.

Bridget looked away, then walked off, her body language stiff. She had to be starving, Brian figured, since he hadn't seen her eat in hours.

She was another one that he needed to have a talk with, before the end. He didn't want to. Just... it would hurt her more, in the long run, if he just vanished one day. She needed to know that he thought she was a good person, and that he'd be watching her, after he died. That was a thing, he knew. People didn't just go away when they died. They became ghosts. That's what the ghost he knew had told him, at any rate.

There were people to talk to about things, weren't there? Somewhere, over the course of fighting for his, and other people's, lives and living amongst all these weirdoes, Brian had actually managed to make friends. Not that he'd say that part about them being strange to their faces. They'd go on about being Infected, rather than taking responsibility for what they were like even separate than that. He was no better, but that was why they were friends, he guessed.

Not that he was going to be silly about it all. He didn't know what would happen. Or, he did, actually. If he let himself relax, the pain would go away as his power fixed reality again, and he'd have a good life. Most of the people around him would too. Idealized things, for a lot of them. Kevin Moore would live about ten more years, then die of natural causes, and Lobo would die in the fighting to come. He was tough, but not able to take fifty caliber rounds to the face.

The rest of his friends would be fine, if he just let the path that Braid made go on. What would happen to them if he did nothing? Brian didn't know. Probably some things that no one would like, in the end. Death and pain, then some of them wouldn't have volunteered for if they knew it was going to happen.

Closing his eyes, he wondered if he should just let Braid win? It... Was what his power was trying to force him to do. That sense of things ripped through him, even though he wasn't resisting the idea yet.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that Mary was gone, and so were Brie and Bridget.

Someday he was going to have to learn Trivia's real name. Standing there alone, he decided not to bother. He'd known her as the book girl, and for a while there she'd represented hope to him. Oh, she'd been the girl that would have never gone out with him, if he'd worked up the nerve to ask, but he'd had hope that he could connect with someone, and eventually be loved. That time was darker than Brian had wanted to admit.

He'd had a dead end job, played videogames, and the closest thing he'd had to a love life was some poor girl that worked in a store, and couldn't avoid him when he came in.

Worse, she'd actually been there to spy on him. Or something. Really, now that he knew what kind of things had been going on in his life, he had to wonder if Braid had sent her there to give him that bit of hope, so that he wouldn't kill himself, or move away from where he was needed to be for her plan to work. In hindsight, things would have been better if he had. Really, if he'd done anything other than what he'd done. Staying in college would have saved the world.

Now he felt lazy, didn't he?

Smiling he got ready to go inside, and see if he could help with any of the work, but didn't get a chance, since Penny was standing behind him when he turned around. She was watching him, and not looking around or pretending she was there for some other reason. She also didn't have a weapon in her hand.

"Brian? Can we talk?" She was nervous about something. That was almost never a good thing. The girl could be shy, retiring, silent, or even a bit harsh, but she wasn't the kind of person to be nervous.

Plus, they had nothing to talk about in particular, did they? Nothing that should leave her feeling all that edgy. After all, she'd been with everyone all day, so it wouldn't be lost on her that they'd all had their memories wiped about what kind of things she'd been doing to them all. A bit of clever theft, taking people's notes about her away, and the only person that would be left that knew about her would be him.

Which, he supposed could make a person nervous, if they didn't know that he thought of them as a friend. If he was going down anyway, there was no real reason for him not to protect the rest of his people by taking her out first. It wasn't that he trusted her not to be a freak either. Just that she... Well, right or wrong, she was one of his people, too.

"Sure. Walk with me? I don't know that anyone is listening that hard here, but just in case?" It was hard not to limp away, but he didn't let himself. There was no real injury, and everything hurt inside of him, in a way that was too hard to define. Letting that show wouldn't be useful to anyone.

Normally he would have made a crack about how she couldn't break up with him, because they weren't going out, but at the moment that kind of thing just felt too unfunny.

She followed him, dressed up in tan, like he was, and wearing tennis shoes with it, which made all the military people they passed frown. Brian thought it was funny though. They looked like little kids playing at being soldiers, but it looked cute on her. On him it probably seemed like he was giving the regulations the middle finger, but that wasn't the case. There was no official dress code at the IPB. Even when team two had all basically worn the same outfit, it had just been what they'd been given, not something that they had to do. Some of them hadn't at all, like Lauren, who was just so large and armored that trying to make her wear matching boots and a jacket would have been insane.

It was really the same thing there now, except that Marcia had been the one making sure they'd all had such slim pickings to choose from.

They didn't talk for a long time, just moving away from the ruins of their old base, the tents gradually growing smaller in the distance. He waited, expecting her to be angry with him for giving her a hard time. That or worried about Lancaster or having to go into therapy for her problems. Like anyone would be able to remember them? Finally she stopped, and actually managed to shock him.

"Brian... I love you." Her voice was soft. A bit shy sounding, but also subdued.

"Um..." He nearly asked her to repeat herself, but he'd heard the words. "Well, I love you too. I mean, I'm dating Mary, and not going to have sex with you, but I do." It was true, but hopefully she wasn't going to push him on the idea. They were friends, and he really did feel that way about her.

Still, her saying that now was probably a trick, meant to distract him. He looked around then, ready for some kind of attack.

Penny took a deep breath.

"I... Marcia told me what you said, that... One of us might have to kill you? I... Don't think I can. I know that I'm supposed to be the one to do it. That's why she told me. I get that, but I can't. I know she can't either. I'm constantly surprised that you two aren't an item. I get the thing with Mary, but now..."

That last bit sounded weird.

"Sorry, what about Mary?"

Penny gave him a baffled look.

"Well, I mean, it's pretty clear that Braid set that up, too, isn't it? The whole thing. Even how badly you felt and probably the thing with Becky being stuck in your head, keeping you from getting too close to Karen? Or, am I assuming too much? I mean, things would have always been the same between us. My first mode pretty much means I can't be more than a booty call, and I get that you won't do that, but Marcia and you should have been doing it for years... Except that you're dating a woman from a different reality who waited for you, for three decades? Does that really make sense?"

It didn't, actually. He didn't like what it might mean, but he understood what she was saying. The odds of everything else being Devorah's handiwork, and Mary just happening to be there like she'd been, was so small as to be nearly impossible.

The idea didn't sit well with him, but he also didn't think that she'd just been faking her emotions about him the whole time either. He might not be the greatest catch in the world, but he wasn't that bad, was he? Mary...

Well, the longer he considered the idea, the more he really had to figure it was part of Braid's long term plan. Probably to hold him in place. Like a lot of things in his life had been.

Rather than speak about the subject, since he didn't really know enough yet, he looked at her, then gave her a little hug.

"If I wasn't dating anyone I'd totally be up for the occasional booty-call. Then I'd ignore you the next day, until you begged for attention. It's the way I roll." Not in general, but her mode meant she couldn't handle much more direct attention that that. As it was he noticed himself not really looking at her much. She said it made things easier for her, so he did it automatically.

"Yeah? I guess I should have told you earlier then. So, you know, don't make me kill you. Not if there's any other way. I don't think I could live with myself, if I did that."

He turned and looked into her brown eyes. That meant she had contacts in, since her real eyes were blue. Just invisible to everyone else.

"Pen... If it comes down to it, you may have to. I'll do my very best to make sure you don't, but if nothing else is going to work, do it. Take out Braid, too. I don't know how to get that done, so it isn't much of a point right now, and I'm still kind of hoping to survive the whole thing, but if you get the chance, and think it might work, to take out either of us... Do it and don't miss."

After saying that, he turned away, pain flaring through him, but after a minute she didn't even shift. Missing a perfectly good chance to shoot him in the back of the head. He was willing to bet she'd been thinking about it though. She loved him.

That was hard to hear, really. Nice, too.

She loved him, which was one more person feeling that way than he'd ever thought would happen. Even if she just meant it as a friend, which he kind of thought was her real point, it was a pleasant thing to know. Also a thing that might cause them all to die, in the end.

"I... can't do it. Not even if you hate me now."

He had to turn to her then, because it was a weird thing to say, wasn't it?'

"Because you failed to kill me just then, even though I presented a big ol' Brian skull to you and wouldn't have dodged? I can see that, but I have a general rule of not actually despising people for trying to keep me alive. I'm all cute and darling that way." His voice managed to sound it too, which got her to smile, for about five seconds, before looking away.

"No. I mean, because... I guess I kind of raped you? I didn't mean it like that. I swear. Not with anyone! I know I should have asked. Especially with you. I couldn't. It... You know, my mode? I didn't think I could back then. I guess I should have anyway, but what if you'd said no? So, I just did what I always have, and made do with whoever caught my eye at the moment. Except, I really like you. So, yeah. I mean, how can you not hate me?"

Those were good points. Honestly, he should have. Everyone she'd violated should have. The rest of them didn't remember anything about it though, and even when they'd been told, better than half of them had just kind of shrugged. As if it didn't matter. That wasn't even the strange part. She was attractive, after all, and a woman. Men weren't really allowed to talk about that kind of thing, so they pretended it was all cool. Heck, most of them probably thought it was.

Brian sighed then, not feeling any relief from the action.

"That's mainly due to my first mode. You need a friend, so I have to be one to you. No matter what you do. The thing there is that you still have to stop. I mean, really... You're a good looking woman, and can talk to people now. Just walk up to the men you like and ask if they're busy later. It wouldn't actually be that hard for you. Even if you feel shy. If it's too bad, get with Georgia and have her set things up for you. Most of the people here don't remember anything, anyway. That part makes me a bit miffed, but you can't help that your powers naturally ruffie the fuck out of almost everyone. I'm surprised that I remember it at all, frankly." He could normally beat that part of her power, but it didn't happen every time.

Given how scared and angry she'd been at the time, it was odd that he managed to keep track of it, to be honest with himself.

"I... how many times has this happened? That you were caught and made me forget?"

She bit her lips, sucking them into her mouth. Her eyes went so wide he was concerned for a moment her contacts were about to slip out.

"Ahhh... Like what happened? Never. You did walk into my room once, when I was using a vibrator? That was awkward. I'd just thought that you were being polite and not mentioning it, later. That doesn't count though, since you were the one that hadn't knocked." It didn't sound like the only thing either, but he didn't push it.

They were both alive, and so was almost everyone else they knew, so it probably hadn't been anything too bad.

He faked a wince, and wrinkled an eye at her, leaving it mainly closed, on the left.

"Sorry. That was rude. I don't recall it though, and you're right, that one was all me." He hugged her, not bothering to be casual about it. He wasn't going to sleep with her, and they'd already said they loved each other, so there was very little use in being coy about it now.

"So, you really don't hate me? I know that... Well, some people would, if I had different powers."

He had to nod at that one.

"Yeah. You get a pass, but that doesn't mean it's right. Really, that you can get away with it so easily makes it worse. You aren't just some girl feeling up a guy in his sleep, where he could wake up and just say no." He waved at the air in front of them. Knowing that had to sound funny. "Or the other way around. Not that it would be cool in my book that way either, but it doesn't make getting consent impossible. If you were the invisible man, this whole thing would have ended up being much different, and not just a little." Of course, in that case Brian probably never would have seen her doing herself while watching guys in the shower.

She'd have been in the lady's changing area, and he'd have never noticed it. After all, Brian had never even been over to that side of things, not being a pervert. That wasn't the point. Not really. The fact that Penny couldn't get consent was perhaps enough of a reason to cut her a little bit of slack.

Then again, the old team two guys couldn't get consent a lot of the time either, being too ugly for women to bother with. They didn't get to rape people because of it and get a free pass, did they? If he was going to just let Penny be on the issue, then what about all those men that he'd killed over the last years? The ones that had simply been pushed so far that they were trying to get what they could from the world, even if it was wrong at the time?

Things started to hurt inside him again, but in a different, totally emotionally way this time.

That was, he knew, because he wasn't a complete idiot. No, just a partial one. This state of being must have shown on his face, because Penny took a step back. Fear flashing in over her face.

"What? I..." She took another step back. "What's wrong?"

Not bothering to fix his own expression, he tried to explain.

"Braid. If she's been using me this whole time, since before I was even born, then how many of those people that I've killed... How many were actually needed? I always trusted that my power took me to take the place of people that were about to die all the time. Not all of them, but those I could save. There were a few that I couldn't save though, weren't there? Melany Miller, and Barbara Dorn. It's pretty clear now that those events shaped huge portions of what I became. After the thing in Canada, when I lost Melany... I kind of went nuts. I mean, after that, all I did practically was kill people. Executing them. Sometimes for doing pretty much what you have been. Taking on faith that I wouldn't have been there if someone weren't about to die." It was hard to articulate. The words came, but Brian wasn't certain at all that they were going to be clear enough for Penny to get. It might have been elitist of him, but the fact was, he was simply smarter than the girl next to him.

Still, that didn't mean she was incapable of understanding things when they were presented to her. Or even seeing things that he'd missed. Like what pretty much had to be going on with Mary. Not that he'd really missed it. No, he'd just been in denial of the whole thing, which was a bit different.

"Fuck... Brian..." She didn't try to make sense of it, but it was clear she could see what he did too.

"Yeah. I might have just been going around making up reasons to kill people that didn't need it. Not all the time. I mean that wouldn't have worked. I'm not that delusional. I don't think so, I mean. Still, there are a lot of things that I've been doing, that I haven't even thought about. Like with rapists. All of the rapists that I've ever gone to stop have been men. Why is that? Outside of prison men are sexually abused at nearly the same rate as women, and a lot of the abusers are women. But not even once did I show up to throw some girl off of a sleeping guy. Or show up to tell a woman that threatening to tell everyone that the man raped her in order to make him sleep with her was wrong."

It hit hard, but there was a lot more than that, wasn't there?

"Then, I didn't show up for men doing that either. Just in situations where I could justify killing someone." They hadn't always been men, at least. So he was an equal opportunity monster.

No tears came, but Penny did move back in, and put an arm over his shoulder. She was warm, but not that soft. The girl kept herself in shape, after all.

"You did what you had to. What seemed like the best thing at the time. Even now, knowing what you do about Braid, it still seems right, doesn't it? Yeah, you killed people. They would have hurt others though, if you didn't. Some of them would have killed you, if you hadn't acted instantly. You didn't have a choice."

"Didn't I? All of it, every single thing I did, was part of Devorah Timberland's master plan to take over the world, for the rest of time. For all I know, if I would have let even one of those rapists go that I didn't, or... I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't have made any real difference in the end? The thing is, I brought us to this point. Me. I didn't have a choice that I can see either. I did what I thought was the right thing the whole time, and now... I have to wonder."

She didn't let go of him, or come up with some great words of wisdom. After a bit though she did kiss him on the cheek, laughing a bit when she pulled back.

"There I go again. I didn't ask permission."

He nodded, getting the idea.

"I know. I'm probably one of the only people in the world that you can really do that with too. Or I was. If I can tell you not to do it, then the rest has to be my responsibility, doesn't it. If I fail to say the words, then it's my problem. It's so complicated. Maybe that's the real point though? I've been thinking of things as being black and white the whole time. I show up, make a judgment about what needs to be done, and simply killed most of the time. Sure, I saved lives too, but there was no way that I could have known if they were the right ones all the time. How many people did I execute that I could have talked into not having a problem?" Shaking his head, he sat down on the bare and slightly scorched ground. It would get his tan clothing a bit dirty, but at the moment he didn't really care.

Penny sat next to him, her arm still around him.

"What can I say to make it better? You've told me about Braid, and I have to admit she's tough, and probably has been messing with us all for a long time. I really thought that I'd be the one to take her out, in the end. That I could just walk up to her and end it all. Shoot her in the back of the head, and save the world by defeating her power. Then when I got the chance, it did exactly nothing to help us. I mean, it's pretty clear that she hasn't been screwing with me like she has you, but that's only because I'm not as important to her. The thing is, Brian, I can't even really see that anything is going on here, otherwise. I don't think any of us can?" It was a question, but still rocked him a bit.

After all, that had to be part of it. Only a very few people in the world could see what had happened. No one else really thought of him as being the center of it, either. His friends were willing to go along with the idea that he had some secret insight into the whole thing, but how many of them got how central he was to everything? Even after being told, a lot of them would write it off to being his first mode, wouldn't they? His desire to save them all turning the whole thing into a thing that only he could fix. By sacrificing himself.

For all he knew that was simply the real truth. In that case, doing anything was silly of him. The only thing there was that he could sense the future too perfectly now. Everything was laid out so smoothly for him that he knew, for a fact, then it couldn't be his mode making him see things that weren't there.

What was it Mary had said to him? That Braid's plan really didn't matter, for them? That what would, or might, happen in hundreds or thousands of years wasn't really their responsibility and didn't impact them personally? To him that kind of thing sounded insane. Did it really seem all right to normal people though? If he asked them, what would anyone else think about it all?

"Say, Penny... Can I ask you something?"

The girl nodded, her face finally seeming a bit happier.

"Sure. Blowjob, right? I can do that." As if she weren't kidding she started to sink down to her knees. Brian laughed though and shook his head. It was tempting, but no. He wouldn't do that to Mary, no matter what else was going on, or how confused he felt at the moment.

"If... Okay. I can undo what Devorah did. Maybe. If I do that, I don't know what your life will become. A lot of people will die in the next months if I do nothing. Millions of people, but, for us, for the Infected in general, things will get better. All I have to do is let all those innocent people be killed, and so many things will be fixed. For thousands of years. You, personally will get to have a pretty good life, too. If I make that stop, and interfere with it, then... I don't know what will happen to you. It could be pretty bad. You might die earlier than you should, or never be loved, or... Who knows what else? If I do that though, it's pretty clear that life will go on, humanity will, for a lot longer than what it will right now. What should I do?"

The girl, her eyes going a bit wide, finally shook her head, and finished kneeling.

"That's too much for me to figure out. I'm not like you, Brian. Inside I'm kinda evil. A pirate. Taking what I need from the world and not really caring what it does to anyone else. Is that really who you want making that sort of decision? You were just second guessing those people you killed, but to me it seems like they all deserved to die. I never doubt the ones that I've killed. I don't even think about it. Even the people that I've had sex with, without their knowing it... I honestly don't care. I mean, it was fun at the time, and they don't remember it now. That isn't good, and I do hear you. I have to change. That doesn't mean that I think anyone else is really that important, you know?"

He got the idea, though it was different than he would have thought. Penny, his shy seeming friend, who was reaching for the front of his trousers at the moment, was a psychopath. Brian smiled and stepped back.

"So, you'd vote for you getting the best life you can?"

"Of course. That's why people like me shouldn't get a vote though, isn't it? I'm not like you. In the end, most people aren't worth the lead to put a bullet through their brain, but a few people are. So, we have you to make that choice for us. Is it better for me to have a good life for sure, or to have to risk being miserable forever, so that a bunch of people I don't know can live? I know my answer, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't the good one."

She shuffled forward a bit on her knees.

"Now, if you're going to go off and die, I should at least get to send you off in style, no?"

Brian took her under the arms, and helped her up. It hurt, since it wasn't what he was supposed to be doing. That shocked him a bit, since it meant his power was saying he should be doing something a lot less than noble, wasn't it? If that was the case, then was he actually one of the good guys at all?

"Don't worry. There will be time for that kind of thing later." He didn't really see how, but the words just came out anyway.

Hopefully, he was right.

Chapter ten

Later, after sitting and thinking alone in the wasteland, Penny having realized that he actually wasn't rejecting her, and still wasn't going to have sex, Brian went home. Or at least to Mary's. He was hurting, and in a lot of ways now. The talk he'd had with Penny had opened up every wound he had, inside his mind.

He, as it turned out, might not be a good guy at all.

Oh, it was clear that he really meant well. People may, or may not, get that about him, but that was his motivation for everything that he'd ever done. The most selfish thing he'd managed was actually leaving college. That had hurt his parents, and led to them breaking up. Not that it had been his fault. Even that, he could see now, had been influenced to a specific end. To get him to end up in Vancouver, Washington, working at a toilet paper factory, filling boxes for eight hours a day.

That was where he'd met Doug. His best friend, but also the one that had introduced him to Carla. Who'd infected them both, as unlikely as it was to have happened at all. Almost everything that had happened in his entire life, including each woman he didn't ask out, had been a part of shaping him into what he'd finally become.

A tool to control the entire world.

Meaning well or not, it was what he'd become, wasn't it?

So, summoning a bit of focus, even though there was a new flash of pain over doing it at all, Brian went and took over the store from Mary. She scurried off to fix something for dinner, as if it were her duty. Really, he should have been the one doing that, but he didn't really know how to cook, did he? The idea kept coming up, but he still hadn't learned. It would mean sacrificing his time and a bit of effort, but for some reason he kept putting that off. So he swept and ran the till, until nine o'clock, when it was time to eat.

The table in the house was set nicely, considering it was just them. The good china had been put out, and there were real napkins, instead of the paper ones that got used most of the time. Mary had changed from the jeans and t-shirt that she'd been wearing earlier, into a lovely blue skirt, with a soft sweater on top in a different shade of blue. Her face was made up, softening her features a bit.

He was just himself, dressed in tan military gear and looking like he always did. Lean and hard, but so far from pretty that it wasn't even a thought in anyone's head, most days.

Brian didn't speak, since he had a feeling, a sense really, that when he did, a part of his life was going to end. It wasn't fair. He knew that. Mary had been the only woman that he'd loved who'd even pretended to love him back.

Well, Karen had, but her first mode had sort of forced her into it. With Mary it had been real. He'd thought. Rather than ruin these last moments, he smiled, and ate the rice and vegetables. There was a thin brown sauce with it, and braised beef. Not a lot, but it meant something, didn't it? Mary didn't eat that kind of thing often, so it was for him. Something special, to show that she was thinking about what he'd like, or need.

They got through the entire meal with no more than a few pleasantries. The thing there was that she actually seemed happy enough. Contented, just to be there with him. After the meal was finished, and he helped wash the dishes, so she wouldn't be stuck with them later, he turned, ready to confront her.

She kissed him, instead.

"Let's go to the bedroom?"

It wasn't what he'd had in mind, but he went, making love to her as well as he could. Knowing inside that it was probably for the last time. It hurt, in a way. Like he was tricking her, or using her body, knowing that it wasn't real. Then, he wasn't there to break up with her, just ask her a question. That he kind of knew what that would bring about, well, it had to be said, didn't it?

When they lay there, after it was all over, or almost over, with her breathing a little heavily, he finally said the words. Regretting them before they even came out, but knowing it had to be said.

"Mary... Are you with me because... Devorah set it up?" He was ready to explain his reasoning. His thoughts on the matter. It wasn't that hard to see, after all. There really were too many things that didn't make sense otherwise. Even her taking him in when they first met was odd, wasn't it?

That wasn't the sort of thing that single women did. Hiring some strange man that had just walked in for room and board? He was about to set up the whole picture for her, when she pulled away a bit, sitting up so that she could look at him. Her face troubled.

"Oh. Aye." Then she stopped, as if waiting for him to say something about it. Like he knew what to do next? He'd kind of expected her to deny it, or explain how it had been a bit of a trick. Braid was good at things like that. Maybe she'd put them both together, knowing what would happen, but not telling Mary first?

Her face went hard then, and she looked away. Not getting up, and still touching him with her side.

"Devorah came to me... Some sixty years ago now. In our own world. She told me of this place, and how I could bring her and some others here, and live a better life. Even how it would lead to us saving our own home, eventually. All I had to do was trap an innocent and good man into loving me. It was how she put it. An innocent and good man." She didn't so much as glance at him, the expression he could see in the slightly dark room being more than a bit gloomy. "All I had to do was wait for you, giving you the appearance of affection, and then do so again, later, when you returned to find me. I even got to have a life, outside that task. I married, and ran my store, and then when you came the second time, I just needed to keep you in place, with my body. Say gentle words and let you feel that life isn't a horrible thing that isn't worth living. It was... Always part of the plan. I was even given a drawing of you, before we met, so that I'd know who to be watchful for, as well as your name."

He didn't care for the sound of that at all, but nodded. It made sense, didn't it? Devorah had used her, in order to gain access to the world they were in.

"So, for your own freedom and to save a world..."

There was a dark chuckle then, and a head shake. She still didn't look at him.

"Nay, Brian Yi. You make me out to be too noble and far thinking. Twas but a lark, at first. A chance to live a life uncontrolled by others, except the Timberland witch. I cared not about the world ending. It wasn't until you mentioned the Elcampayn children, all those decades ago, and Advocate Hobbs having stolen them away to life here, that I recalled what I'd been told at all. Then, well, we were tied together, were we not? By the child that we have in common. Scott Chambers. Our Bridget as well. So I played my part, and tried my best to let you feel loved. It was what I'd been sent here for."

There was a bit of coldness then, but he understood, he thought. Brian knew better than to ask about it, since he didn't really want an answer, did he? No, he wanted her to tell him that she'd loved him anyway. That he'd managed to win her heart, even if it had started out as a job for her.

For some reason, Mary kept talking.

"You aren't a bad man, Brian Yi. In many ways you are perhaps the best of men. I don't regret our time together, or the child we had, but... I do not love you. It is no failure of your own, please don't think that! I'm simply too old for such things. It happens with enough age. I fooled you perhaps, into thinking I was able to be loving and kind, but it was an act. Set in motion, as you said, by the Timberland witch. I can see, I always knew, that it was unfair to you. That I'd allowed you to love unwisely, and should not have. Now..." She sighed, and then smiled, a bit sadly. "Now I shall die. I see no other way for you to save face in this. It is my fate. True, that was not a thing mentioned when first I was approached with the idea." She didn't move, waiting for him to kill her.

Instead he sat up himself.

"Right, because I'm a killer? I wonder if that was what Devorah thought that I'd do when this point came? Lash out like an angry child, at you, because you didn't love me well enough? No, that isn't my way. This world isn't like yours. We're better, in that single way, really. I'll just go, and try to remember the good times, and..." He felt like crying, since he was about to walk away from the only love that he'd ever really had. Brian didn't though. Like it or not, he knew that she was finally being honest with him. "Well, I hope that you have some good thoughts about me as well? Even if you couldn't love me, I hope that not all the time we spent together was horrible for you."

That got him a smile and a hug.

"No. Never that. You are kind and gentle, and sweet. That was a thing I didn't expect, you know. I'd thought that each time we laid together it would be like being used by an animal, but you made sure that I was treated tenderly, and well. We must part now, but... I do, I will, always remember you fondly, Brian." She touched his face, holding the bed sheet up, over her breasts. Standing, he dressed, then, without planning to pause, he started to leave, from the bedroom that they'd shared so many times.

"Wait!" Her voice was a bit panicked sounding, so he froze, looking for the threat.

After a second, she stood, still naked.

"You still need to learn to use your full power. I cannot teach you, not after my lies and wickedness have been uncovered thusly, but I can give you some hints. One of them is that you can go to any world you can imagine. That one took me the better part of a century to understand. All things exist. If you can think of it, you can also find it and travel to that place. It is only that those of my world lack that kind of thing. We do not dream as you do here. I know that isn't much of a parting gift, but I hope it helps you? Also, let me say this, Brian Yi..." She stopped talking then, and looked away, her cute face troubled.

He ached, looking at her, knowing that their love was half a lie, the entire time, but he didn't finish leaving, holding space bent over himself.

When she spoke, it sounded funny though, like she actually believed her words.

"I never loved you, which was my failing, true. Regardless, you are loved. That is so clear to me that it's weighed on my soul for some time now. I was keeping you from that. When this is over, if you still live, don't ignore it. You can have a better life, if you will but reach out and take what is offered."

If she had more to say, he didn't know, since he finished the move back to the base. He had some things there, at her place, but nothing he wanted any longer. As he stood in the middle of the base, in front of the command trailer, he fought to keep himself from crying. It would look weak, and besides, no one else in the world would really care about it, would they?

He went in, trying to smile and not act like a moron. People did break up, and while most of them didn't just find out that their worst enemy in the whole world had set them up in the first place, there were worse ways for things to have gone. What was it future Bridget had told him about Mary leaving? Not to be a cunt about it? Crude, but not a poor plan. Since he felt like lashing out at the world, he could see it as valuable advice now, couldn't he? As much as things hurt, he'd try to manage that, and be strong about it, without acting like only he mattered.

So, when he got inside, he smiled at Wren, and then Penny. She'd said she loved him, hadn't she? Not that they could be together, but it was something, and she probably even meant it. Enough so that she didn't want to kill him. It was more than he'd ever expected from her, he realized.

"Hey Brian!" She seemed happy enough to see him, at any rate. He felt like crap, in more ways than one, but smiled back.

"Hey Pen. Um... Well. I asked Mary about things, like we talked about? It turns out that she was sent by Braid. The whole thing was a lie. So, you know, we broke up."

Marcia had been back in her office, and came out having heard him, making a face. A sympathetic one, he thought.

"Crap. Are you all right?"

Was he? That was the kind of thing he didn't know wasn't it? He nearly shrugged and told them all he was, but instead he shook his head, fighting tears again. The only person that he'd thought had ever really loved him was gone. She'd never felt that way at all. Even if she didn't hate him, it was hard to handle.

"Nope. I don't think I really am. I guess I'll take phone duty tonight? I doubt that I'll be sleeping anyway."

That got Quartz, the Director of the IPB, to walk around the front desk, and hug him. It was a tight thing, and she didn't let go for a long time.

"Screw that. You need to take some time, for yourself. This... I can't believe it. Or, well, I can, but that's just because I always suspect the worst of people. You should go and get drunk or something. Go and pick up some chicks and screw their brains out. Whatever it is you need to feel better."

Now he shrugged.

"It doesn't matter how I feel. I have things to do, and they're too important to let this kind of thing stop me. Maybe it's better this way anyway? I can act now, without distraction. I don't have to worry about what she's going to do." For a second he kind of hoped that had been her real point. That she actually loved him, but that she knew that he needed to be clear and free of concern in order to act.

Except they knew that wasn't the case.

Little things fell into place. Bits and pieces that he'd thought nothing of before, that showed how she'd always felt about him. Like her almost throwing him at other women. Now it was clear that she had done that to get a bit of relief from having to have sex with him herself. There were other things too, and had been the whole time. He'd thought she'd been being a bit shy with him, in bed. Maybe because she was from another world. Now it seemed like it was just because she'd never been all that into it.

Not attracted to him at all.

The best she could say was that he'd been gentle and kind? That wasn't damning, but it also wasn't good, was it?

Shaking his head, he forced a smile, since that was going to be his go to move for a while.

"I've got this here. Don't worry about it. Phones and all that. What's the report on the cell for Shaw?" That was something that needed to be done, wasn't it?

Thinking of it, speaking the words, ached, but even that was better than thinking about Mary.

It turned out that it would be ready by morning. It wasn't that hard to build, but the men making it actually expected to be allowed sleep at night, for some strange reason. That was the way Marcia put it, which got him to smile for real. People did like their sleep, didn't they?

"No problem. It's just practice for other things, anyway. Keeping him alive will take planning though. Get ready for that part. He'll try to force us to kill him. He really isn't wild about being Infected. On the good side, I'm pretty certain he really always was a giant asshole, so we don't have to feel bad about what we do to him. I'm thinking we should give him over to Doctor Burrows. She's been wanting to do some human experimentation for a while. A gene therapy for stripping people of their first modes? I don't know if that would fix him, but we may as well try. Otherwise he'll have to die, eventually, which plays into her plans." He didn't correct that, and say Braid out loud. They all seemed to get he didn't mean Kiko Burrows.

Even the new girl did.

It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but she stood up, her voice a bit thick.

"Right. I'll get some ice cream, and a box of tissues. Then we can sit up all night and cry about things? Or is that too girly for you?" She was really asking him, which he knew was sweet of her.

"Yeah, a bit girly. Besides, that doesn't fit with my current eating disorder." He hadn't really mentioned that one to anyone yet. A few people, Sinclair, but only Penny really seemed to understand. "I'll be fine here, alone. This is just another thing to get through. That's the kind of thing life has made me good at." Which was true, he realized.

Brian was, in the end, prepared to be alone. It was a strength, after a fashion. A thing that he'd never thought of before as being one. He was alone, but that was fine. He wouldn't break because of it.

That thought made him feel a bit better, for a few seconds.

It was creeping up on eleven-thirty, so he sent Marcia and Wendy away. Penny stayed, and when he made up a bedroll behind the large office desk the director used, she laid down next to him.

"Do you want me to kill her? I can get a ride into town..."

She meant Mary, so he rolled his eyes.

"That would be a bit much, don't you think? Me having a bit of a broken heart isn't worth anyone dying over. She was with me, and tried to do her best, even if she didn't really feel anything. There are worse things in the world. No, I'll get over it. People do, I hear. Thanks though. Now, get out of here, before I take advantage of you." He meant it, even though he didn't really feel like having sex. He hadn't cleaned up from being with Mary yet even.

That suddenly felt like a very good thing to do. He explained it though, which got her to make a silly face at him, rather than seem grossed out.

"Good. I'd rather not taste her on you if I get a choice. You go get a shower and I'll hold the fort here."

That hadn't been his reasoning, but he was pretty sure she was goofing with him, to take his mind off of things.

At least she left when he suggested it, after he cleaned up and got back into place. By midnight he was asleep, and didn't wake up until early the next morning, when the phone rang.

"IPB, Brian Yi, what's-" He yawned, and then laughed a bit, hoping it wasn't important. Actually he knew it wasn't really, feeling the path the whole thing was going to take. "Sorry, I'm just waking up. What's the situation?"

"Brian? This is Alan Brown, from the Food Network? We worked together a few months back on the Christmas Special?"

"Holiday Special. Hey, Alan. I was actually planning to get in touch with you later today. To make sure you knew to run the special. Everyone is alive and all that. It's already done too, so it would be a waste not to."

"Perfect! That actually covers about fifteen percent of what I need to get to with people there for. I sort of need to get with the cast of Steinberg and friends, too. If they're still doing the show? I have an idea for a contest program that I'd love to get their help with. I know you aren't a secretary... Is there someone I can talk to about leaving a message for them?"

Brian laughed, actually meaning it. He hadn't thought he'd be able to do that kind of thing yet. The thing with Mary still hurt, and he was sad, but that couldn't let him stop being a good person, could it? If he was one. That thought got him to go silent for a moment, but he used the time to grab a pen and paper.

"Go ahead. I'm pretty certain the IPB secretary outranks me, anyway. I can get with them in about an hour, if they show up for morning exercises. That should end about noon. Can I have them get in touch about then? Or a little earlier?"

"Eleven? I have a meeting at twelve-thirty, your time. No rest for the wicked, and all that."

He nodded, thinking about Jeffery Shaw and legal tortures that could be used, like sleep deprivation. "Good point. I should get your numbers. I need to make some calls today, too. Sorry, just thinking out loud. That isn't the way my normal day goes. Calling people about anything is a treat, I guess." Not his favorite thing, but that went without saying.

He got the message carefully, and repeated it all back, to make certain he had it right. Then let the man thank him a bit too profusely, considering it was just taking down what he'd said.

Still, he had it ready and was cleaned up enough by the time Wendy came in that he could get out front for the morning line up without feeling bad about anything.

That part had suddenly changed a bit, he realized, since Simpson had three other people out in front with him that day. Carl, Jason Montrose, and to his amusement, Hobbs. Brian walked over too, which got the military man to call the others to attention.

That worked, for about half the people, the rest didn't seem to get it at all. It was funny, actually.

Brian didn't let it bug him.

"Good morning. We're meeting here each day for exercise. Simpson here is in charge. These other men, Montrose, Carl and Hobbs, will be seeing to individual training sections. Do what they say. This represents one of the best training teams in the world. Perhaps the history of the world, so don't screw up by not trying." He leaned over and pretended to be looking at Phoebe, who grinned.

"Fuck you, fucking ham fucker!" She sounded happy that morning, so he smiled.

"Good. As long as everyone is on board!" People chuckled, rather than seeming scandalized.

Then they ran.

Brian was already in pain, but didn't let that stop him from spending most of his morning on that single task. He pushed himself hard enough that no one asked him to do anything else, until it was time for hand to hand training. Then he worked with Hobbs, Denis and Bridget. In the end both he and Denis needed to make out with Phoebe, but the girl didn't seem to mind. Den was kind of famous after all, being on television.

That reminded him, so he waved to the others that were needed. Mark, Kerry, Warren, Denis, and of course, Scott. His son. Mary's child, as well.

That got him to take a deep breath.

How was he supposed to explain the whole thing with Mary to him? Was that even a thing that he needed to go into? How could he not? He worried about it, right until the slightly metallic gold colored man walked over, wearing a pair of IPB sweats, rather than a sweat stained and darkened military outfit, like he was.

"Brian. Mom mentioned that Trivia told her that you and Mary broke up? Is there anything I can do for you?" He seemed sympathetic, at least. Genuinely so.

It was better than the slightly narcissistic way he used to be.

"Not at the moment. Thanks though. You should go see her, later. She's still your mother, and the things between us, her and I, they don't have to affect that."

That got a slow nod, but the man just patted him on the shoulder, instead of speaking.

Mark however, looked at him closely, having heard what was said.

Brian didn't let him ask about it. It wouldn't help, after all.

"You five have a conference call with Alan Brown in a few minutes. Then, after that, I could use some help? I need to capture a man, without letting him be hurt. If I can find him, that is. We have an active death warrant for him, but killing isn't the plan for the day." That meant explaining what was, but they all volunteered for the job. Even Kerry did, which he wouldn't have expected at all. The woman might be a bundle of rage inside, but she was sweet to him, and almost everyone else. On the outside, where it counted.

Warren volunteered too, which was cute, and meant as a joke, but wasn't unexpected. Not to Brian. The man always stood up for what was right. Sometimes it was a pain in the ass, but he did it anyway.

That reminded Brian of what Penny had done to the poor guy. He didn't mention it, since Warren had forgotten all about it. That was for the best, most likely. Knowing had caused him too much pain.

"Good, we'll all go in then. Warren can make sure I don't start torturing the assfuck. It's going to be hard, so, be ready. You may have to hit me. If so I promise not to hit you back."

To his credit, Warren just nodded. He'd heard the whole story before, after all. They all had. Hell, Brian realized, most of the world had, if they cared to pay attention. It had been on the news, and everything.

The conference call, which turned out to be a decently happy reunion, meant taking over the front office, while Marcia tried to do real work. It was funny, after a fashion. Several politicians called in, only to be greeted by conversations about cakes, and pastries. That kind of talk was making him hungry, he realized. Then, he hadn't eaten anything that day. Not since the night before. It was tempting to just skip out on it and not bother, but his sucky day of pain and discomfort wasn't really going to be made better by withholding energy from himself, too. On the good side, he doubted having a single sandwich would make him fat.

It turned out that Mary had brought in the donuts that morning, like she had been. Clearly, breaking his heart wasn't enough to get her to pass up fifty bucks in easy IPB cash each day. Not that she shouldn't make a living. He wasn't going to be eating her food though. It was a bit petty of him, but that was kind of the best he could manage for the moment. She'd done what she could, and tried, he thought. In the end though, he was just a job to her. A thing she had to do in order to make Braid happy.

Instead he had a hamburger for lunch, with some soggy fries. Mark sat across from him, looking at the food, and shaking his head slowly.

"This isn't good."

It wasn't really, compared to the kind of thing that Mark would have made. Brian nodded, not really caring that much, anymore. It was important not to be a cunt, as his darling granddaughter had mentioned. Or a little bitch man, which he expected to hear from Becky as soon as she thought to mention it. She'd been avoiding him, he realized, ever since she'd gotten caught molesting him in his sleep. Now who was being a little girl about things?

Still, she saw him in the dining tent and came over, dressed to impress in a rather sexy schoolgirl outfit. It had a little plaid skirt and knee high blue socks. The shirt was tied up around her middle, but the belly piercings were gone. None of it was real, so she could pretty much make herself seem like whatever she wanted.

"Hey, Bri-Bri. So, I heard about Mary." She didn't add more, probably understanding that it would be a bit hard for him still. She wouldn't let him whine or complain, but she wasn't some kind of inhumane monster that didn't think he felt pain. No, she knew that he did, having lived at least part of that with him for a long time.

"Yeah. Well, Braid is behind it. She always was. So, I have a plan. Want to help us take in ex-officer Shaw? After that..." Well, that part of things he needed to do alone, most likely. Not that having his friends around for it wouldn't help, but he had some ideas about what would be needed. If Mary hadn't been lying to him, there at the end.

If anyplace he could imagine was possible to reach... Well, he had a decent imagination, or at least used to. That meant he might have a chance to fix things. There had to be places that would fit his needs, if he found the right spot.

It was going to hurt though, and might just destroy him. His own power would try to stop him, and in resisting it that hard... well, enough pain could kill you, he thought.

So he didn't mention that part out loud to anyone.

Yes, he was surrounded by people he knew. Ones that would, he understood, do whatever it was he needed. Even if they didn't understand exactly what he was going on about now. Most of them probably thought he was still trying to stop their enemies from starting a war.

That was close enough.

That there was more to it than that, at least for him, didn't really matter. That influenced what he had to do, but not what anyone else needed to think about in regards to him. Penny had told him enough about what she was thinking to let him see it was really his problem to solve.

So he'd suck it all up and not be a little whining Brian about it all.

The rest of the day actually went about the way he thought it would. He spent about an hour trying to find Jeff Shaw, and located him in upper Washington State, in a small and isolated cabin in the woods. Then Brian took the cooking show people in to capture him, which took all of ten seconds. Mark had brought duct tape, with festive Christmas patterns on it even if that was a bit early, and the instant they were on the ground simply captured the man and left him wrapped up in the whole roll of shining red, glitter and sticky. There wasn't even a real struggle then, and Brian was able to tuck the jerk into the all metal cell on the base less than a minute later.

He did make sure that Warren was there the whole time to ensure the other man's safety and comfort. It wasn't really needed though. Yes, Brian hated him, and sort of wanted him dead. That went without saying. The man had tried to kill him, just because he was Infected. No one would really have expected Brian to love the idiot. He was a vile piece of trash who had helped to destroy what faith Brian had held for anyone in authority.

That their meeting had been set up by Devorah Timberland was nearly certain. Everything in his life, nearly, was like that, wasn't it? When he looked hard enough, there was some tiny nudge, or influence, meant to control what he did, and where he'd end up. Locking him, eventually, into a world of his own devising that was exactly what Braid wanted.

It was hard for him to face, but in the short term, that was really what had happened, wasn't it? Brian was making the world into what he wanted. A thing where the Infected could be free, and the majority would have to bow down to his will. Not as slaves, but as reasonable people that wanted to live. If it wasn't for the long term part of things, which couldn't survive past him, he didn't think, if it all went on too long, it really would have been about perfect. Except that right now he'd have to take full responsibility for all the dead people that would be coming if it wasn't fixed.

It didn't matter now though, did it? The trick had been in finding the man. It hadn't taken all that long either. An hour, or just a bit more.

That meant, he thought, that he could do the same thing with Devorah. Find her and handle things. On his own. Oh, Mark could do it too, but in the end, the woman really did need to die. It was the only real way for the cycle to be broken. Then again, it was just possible that he needed to do the same. His power was what was controlling the world now. Yes, set in place by someone else, but if anyone was ever going to really be free, ever again, that had to be stopped.

So, he had a plan.

First though, he went around and tried to say goodbye to everyone, without giving away that he was really doing that. It was harder than it sounded, since he wasn't really known for being a back slapping kind of guy. More than a few of the others got that something was up. That he was acting funny. Warren even set up a chair outside of Shaw's cell, which meant that Brian got hit with his power as soon as he walked up. Seeing what he feared most.

At first he didn't get it, since it was just Jeffery Shaw standing there, dressed like a cop. Smiling, he realized that no one would have given him a uniform, and especially not a side arm with which to attack him.

"Hey, Warren. So, noticing anything strange?"

"Yep. I keep seeing my old camp counselor. Inside the bars though, so I'm not that worried. You?"

He shrugged.

"I just see him. Armed, but I get the idea. Anyway, I'm about to take off and do something. I just wanted to let you know, so you can tell everyone else why I'm not here." That was vague enough, wasn't it?

Apparently not, since Warren made a face at him, the thin man shaking his head a bit.

"Something big?"

"Yeah. Big enough. I'm going to take down Braid. Once and for all. I... May not be able to come back. I have a plan, which will probably get both of us stuck in a different universe. One that I'm going to build inside of myself. It sounds more impressive than it is, really. If it works, then the world will go back to how it's supposed to be. People won't really notice much, I don't think. Then it will be up to the rest of you to stop the war from happening. Get that Jake guy to tell everyone to play nice and work together, maybe? They might listen to him. He's kind of awesome."

"Yeah, he is. You are too, you know that? In a different way, but it's there. Are you sure there's no other way?"

Brian blinked, then shrugged.

"Oh, lots of them. I'm not even sure any of this is really needed. I just can't afford to be wrong. This is about as far away from what Devorah Timberland would want as I can figure out, so I'm running with it. I can't claim there's honestly more to it than that. I mean, right now, it's my power that's in control of the world, not hers. The important part is probably getting me out of the way. After that... Well, I'm really just making sure she doesn't get away with it."

That was probably just him being a douche, but there it was. The Bitch wasn't going to take over his entire world, using him as her pawn.

So, it was time for the two of them to finally have that war. The one that he should have managed to start a long time before, but hadn't been good enough for.

He waved to the skinny chef, then just to be ironic, did the same with Shaw. That got him flipped off and called names, but Brian smiled. Things were really starting to hurt now, as he got ready to change the future for the final time.

He sat on the ground, outside the headquarters trailer, and then closed his eyes. It made it easier to focus and seemed a bit more official and real that way. Going inside his head he felt around for her, his greatest enemy, kind of expecting the woman to be illusive and hard to find. As if she could avoid him by some mental trick, or changing location? As far as he could tell, she didn't even try.

Then, tingling a bit, he opened a universe inside himself. A very tiny one, like where he'd always kept people when he took their places. Then carefully, he grabbed Devorah Timberland, his greatest enemy in all of creation, and placed her right in the middle of it. Still alive. That wasn't going to be enough though, he realized. He could sense the line already, through the pain that wracked his body in the moment, how in a few days, Tesseract would work out where she was, and free her.

This then was the point that future Bridget had been speaking about. If Brian didn't kill her now, there, in that instant, then she'd escape, and the world would never be free again. Not until he died. The world going with him. True, in over a thousand years, nearly twice that, which was kind of cool, but when that happened, they all died. Everyone that could have come after that point. Tens of billions of people, or more.

So, sitting in the dirt, very near to where they held morning formation, Brian did a thing that wasn't strictly possible. He punched a hole into the space inside of himself, and wrapped his body into it.

That hurt. He had already been in pain, but it was so much worse than what could be felt that he was nearly certain he'd killed himself, in that moment. Only things kept hurting, so he had time to get his job done, didn't he? Either he was just going to live, and was being a baby, or it didn't matter where they were. Actually, though he couldn't prove it yet, he kind of thought it was that first one.

"Hello, Devorah." He wasn't really speaking, of course.

She was the only other thing there. A body, hanging in space, not needing to breathe, unable to really move. There was some shifting anyway, because he was there now, giving her a thing to measure by. Before that point, he really doubted that the woman could have managed much. It tugged at his mind, and he was the one that had figured out that this place could exist. It was similar to a thing he knew, but an alternate version of it.

"Brian." She looked around, and then shook her head. "I wasn't expecting this."

"No, you really weren't, were you? It wasn't a thing inside the stream of time you had me make. You didn't think that you were actually going to win, did you? That you could control almost my entire life, from the start, and not have to pay for it?" He grinned. It got her full attention.

The whole world around them was blank.

Not dark, blank. He could see her perfectly well, even though there was no light. How that worked he didn't know, but it did. So he saw her grin back, her long gray and black braid swaying behind her.

"I really did. You can't have won. I've seen the future, Brian. All of them. This never happens. What is it, anyway? Some kind of mental trick?"

He glanced down at his own body, which looked pretty normal to him, and then into her brown eyes. They were a little bloodshot, he noticed.

"Nope. I created a universe and put us both in it. I have three days in which to kill you. If I fail, then Tesseract will come for you. If I manage it, then my world is free of you. Also the ripples of your passing will cause him to take a good bit longer to make the connection to you here. I have no clue how that works. My guess is some kind of psychic thing?"

That got a laugh, and a head shake again. This time a bit more of one.

"Ah, Brian. Do you really think you can beat me? I already know everything you're going to do, and don't seem to need air, food, or water here. If I never tire, then I can easily avoid you until Glen comes to retrieve me. Even if I fail, then you'd be stuck here, forever."

He shrugged. Actually, that part wasn't true at all. He could leave whenever he wanted. The truth was though, that unless he could assure that the world wouldn't be controlled by him anymore, he wouldn't be going back to it.

That wasn't what he said however.

"You created a being that would sacrifice himself for others. Then warped my power until it could only see your chosen path as being the right one. You also made me a killer, Devorah. For nearly two years now I've done very little else but train, and work at learning to destroy other people. You are very good, but do you think you can really avoid me for three days? There's nowhere to hide here, and nothing to stand on. I don't think it will really go the way you think. I set this up on purpose. This is the one place I could find where you just can't beat me, in a fight."

She blocked, and tried it again as he grabbed her arm, and wrapped a leg around her thigh. She managed to knee him in the groin pretty well, but he'd already been in so much pain he couldn't feel it.

After that, things went pretty quickly. She was, as he'd mentioned, very good. Her abilities allowed her to almost get away from him a hundred times. There was simply no place for her to go, and in the end, he was stronger and faster than she was.

Brian didn't play with her, nor was he cruel. No more than her struggling forced him to be. He just killed her, first crushing her throat, then breaking her neck, a moment later. Watching closely he saw the light go out from her eyes. Then he hung there with her corpse, just waiting.

Not moving, or, eventually, even bothering to think. It was peaceful. He didn't need anything, and nothing changed. Not until a purple and black tear came across the universe he was in. It grew, and eventually he drifted toward it, Devorah's body floating along with him.

It wasn't his plan to go back, but there it was. Tesseract had decided to pull him into the world along with the woman that had misled them both for so long.

Her body hit the dirt. The area was familiar, being right in front of the trailer that was the IPB main headquarters building now. They really needed to fix that, if they could. It just looked so low rent. He got ready to fight Tesseract, not caring if he died this time. That didn't happen though. The man just glanced at the body of Braid and nodded. He looked like his normal human self.

"So, that part of time has passed? This is different than I remember. It seems that my old friend should have known better than to underestimate you." He gave a little bow toward Brian, then turned to look at the others that had come out to see what was going on. No one was fighting yet, not even Impulse.

To his surprise, Bridget walked over. Not to him, or to see the body, but to Tesseract. She held out her hand, to take the older man's.

"Like I told you, if you got him back, and made sure everything was fixed, I'd be yours. I'm ready." She sounded very certain of everything, as if some bargain made with a villain counted. Then, to her, maybe it did? She was pretty honest, and didn't say a lot she didn't mean most of the time. Besides, could anyone really afford to try and cheat a being like Tesseract? Even her?

Before Brian could move to kill Tesseract, which was about to happen, the man smiled at her. It seemed both incredibly creepy and loving, at the same time. Real, too.

"Yes. Not yet though, my heart. I will love you always, and we will be one, together, but not like this. Not as a debt to be paid. Especially since Proxy has already set the world to right, and could have walked from that place he made at any time. If I took what you offered for that, then it would come between us later. No, for now, simply take my love, and know that I will wait for you. Always."

Then, rather dramatically, the world flashed purple, and he walked backwards, seeming to grow smaller the whole time, without moving.

Brian looked at her and screwed his face up, just a little.

"I'm touched of course, but... Don't you think you can find someone a little closer to your own age?" He could say that now without being hypocritical, he thought. Mary was gone from his life. Or at least they weren't dating any longer.

He glanced down at Braid and shook his head.

"We need to see to this. Have a funeral, or whatever she would have wanted. I bet she didn't make any plans for that kind of thing." It was a bit sad, but Kevin Moore came forward, and while he looked sad, he didn't cry over the body of his wife. They hadn't been together for decades after all.

Not that it still wouldn't be sad for him.

Brian just felt a bit relieved, to tell the truth. Then, he'd been with her for a while after her death. He didn't know how long, actually.

He glanced at Bridget, who gave him a funny look. Probably because she'd tried to rescue him, and even the guy she'd gotten for that could tell he hadn't needed help that way.

"How long was I gone?" He'd intended to stay gone forever, but as far as he could tell, with Devorah dead, the future was all nice and chaotic again. With millions of possible paths. Enough so that he had very little clue what was coming, as far as that kind of thing went.

His granddaughter, his friend, shrugged, her shoulders not going very high for her. She sounded a bit annoyed, when she got around to speaking to him.

"Three weeks. Everyone else had written you off, so I got Glen to come and look for you. He actually thought that you were both dead, but came anyway. I guess he isn't nearly as creepy as I'd been thinking. Which is probably part of his clever plan to get with me. Not a bad one though, really. I have to admit, I think better of him now, and I'd already been willing to stay with him just at a shot to have you back. So, I guess..."

She tackled him, hard enough that he wasn't certain it wasn't an attack for about half a second. It was just a hug though. One that left him breathless and in pain, but that was still all it was. He half expected to be hit a few times, but no one did, even as several others moved in to hug him too.

It was a different group of people than he would have figured on, if he'd thought about it.

First of all, Brie moved in. She looked good, and smelled nice. Like pumpkin pie. The spices for it anyway. It reminded him to be hungry again. She pressed against him warmly, and kissed his cheek.

"There you are. I didn't think we'd get rid of you that easily. Did it take the whole time you were gone to finish her?" She knew the answer, of course, since he did. That was her power. So the question wasn't for her, but rather everyone else.

"No. That took a few minutes, she was good, thanks to her power, but with nowhere else to go, she couldn't really hang in there very long. I just didn't come back. In case my power was going to keep holding the world static, like it was. I guess things are nicely enough messed up now? Hopefully that holds. If not, then..." Well, he'd done what Mary had planned to do with him and left the reality he stood in for long enough, it seemed. He could do it again, if it came up.

Before she could even nod, several other people crowded around him. Some of them old friends, and a few new faces. He was pounded on the back by Rigs, who was dressed like he was in the military now. It was adorable, being that he also looked like a teddy bear. One that moved and spoke, but managed not to be too creepy about it at the same time. Then Scott and Charlot came over, with his daughter in-law holding him a bit too closely considering everything.

He lost a few people as he was welcomed back, but noticed that some of the military guys and gals made their way past, and managed to pound him on the back too. Wendy, Phoebe and Sinclair came by with Doug, as if they were all part of the same group now. Maybe they were? He'd have to ask if they were all dating or what, but later, when he had Doug alone.

No one said anything serious until Marcia caught up to him, about fifteen minutes later.

"If you're done getting your cuddle groove on, we actually have some work to do? Things have not been quiet since you left. Team Four has been out almost constantly, and we've been using Lariat to get the rest of our operatives into position. We've stopped most of the major conflicts, but it hasn't been easy. Do you think that you'll be trading out soon? If not, we could use the help in the office. Press stuff. Meet and greet in an hour. People will be glad to see you. Also to hear that Braid is dead. I hate to be a ghoul, but we need to get the word out on that one. Maybe sell it as an epic battle. Do you think this will end things now?"

He didn't know.

"Probably not. A lot of things will be calming down soon. Braid was behind so much that's happened to all of us over the last years. She had people though, and some of them might well keep on trying to make trouble. The hate groups aren't going to just vanish, for instance. We need to actually make those illegal, if we can. Without her guiding things though, I bet we get some breathing room now. Life will go on, and sooner or later we'll have to deal with whatever comes, but I for one am looking forward to a break."

Marcia looked around, a bit skeptically, then moved in to hold him for a bit.

"But you, do you think you have to go out again? The best guess from the lab boys is that a lot of that was down to Braid having manipulated you. How do you feel though?"

It was a bit of a strange question. He was a bit sad, about the whole thing with Mary. That she'd never loved him was a bit hard to take. It had been a trick and a lie, but in the end, she just didn't love him. Acting like she had though, well, was it the same as her deciding she didn't like him, in the end? As for the rest of it, well, he was a bit too glad that Devorah wasn't in control of his life anymore. He didn't know if he could do the job any better, but he certainly wouldn't be too hard pressed to not do worse. Physically he was well enough. Healthy and in shape, though he really had to start eating more.

"I'm fine, really. I don't think I'll be transferring out like I was very often. Not on accident. Honestly, I think that doing it was a symptom, not my real power at all. The better I've gotten at using it, the less I've needed to, have you noticed that?" He had, but he wasn't too certain that he'd told anyone about it.

It was a weak point for him, not communicating well enough.

That reminded him to make some calls.

He had friends to see to, and family to keep in touch with. Jeremy, President Lawrence, maybe even Alan Brown. It wasn't the kind of thing he was good at.

His mom and dad too. Scott still needed to meet them both. Snapping his fingers, he got Marcia to blink at him.

"Shaw. What's up with him? Is he being fed? Given clean water? Decent treatment?" It was important to him that it happen. The man was a monster and probably had been from well before he became Infected, but Brian didn't want to see him mistreated. Not if it wasn't needed.

Even if he did still kind of want the man to "accidentally" die in his sleep.

The new director waved over at where he'd been being held.

"He's a pain in the ass. Even Warren has had to be held back a few times to protect him. We have to keep rotating the agents watching him. Kiko swears that his first mode is gone now, and that the treatment worked, but it's hard to tell that from the outside. She is doing Tobin next though, so if it works it's a good enough reason to keep him around. What plans do you have for him? We can kill him now. The thing with Braid is over, right? He doesn't know anything, and short of cutting him loose, we don't have a lot of other options. His power is class two, but his law enforcement background makes him a three, given that. I don't really want him in the IPB though." She shrugged, as if saying their hands were tied. He really could get the feeling too, himself. There was no love lost there.

"Eh... Fuck it. If we don't have anything on him, we can let him go. If he breaks any other laws, then we'll kill him. Though, I kind of want to talk to you about that whole thing where we can't leave the IPB? That isn't an actual law is it? Just some agreement that Moore put in place back in the day that kind of stuck?" He didn't know that for a fact, but it made sense to him. It was hard to actually get laws written that called for the death of people without due process. Rules and handshake backroom deals were easier that way.

"Yes... Why? Thinking of taking off? No one would blame you. Truth is, we could use the help around here though, if you aren't going to go and have to fight every six hours anymore. Restructure here a bit. Maybe get an actual building in place. Hire the old admin team back, so we won't have to stay up all night on the phones. That kind of thing."

He shook his head, slowly. It was kind of tempting to jump ship, but they really would need him, for a while. A long one, he thought. It was hard to be certain, but a lot of the possible futures headed that direction. For him.

"No, but everyone should have a choice. Plus, we should make sure that people can have a good life. Some of the way things were being done... I'm not sure it was really for the best. The team structure wasn't really working too well at the end anyway. So, maybe we should, change some things?"

"Oh? You don't think that a lot of people will jump ship if they can?" She seemed to think otherwise, but he shook his head.

"Marsh, we already have two kinds of people here. The ones that we couldn't stop from leaving if we tried, and those with no place better to go. If they have some place like that, then we should let them be there. Honestly, we should probably insist on it. Plus, we should get a new base. One that isn't hidden out in the middle of a wasteland. Let people live in real houses, things like that. Have pets, if they want. That good kind of stuff that no one here was allowed."

She didn't seem impressed with all of his ideas, but she was willing to listen, which was better than he'd really thought would happen. Not that he was suggesting they do everything by voting or anything, but getting some feedback from everyone probably wouldn't hurt too much.

That was a thing that he suddenly noticed.

For the first time in a long while, nothing hurt. Oh, his heart ached a little, but it wasn't crippling pain. He also didn't really feel a need to run off and save everyone. Which of course, was wrong, wasn't it? He always thought of everyone else first. It was his thing.

That got him to raise a single finger, "I need to talk to Doctor Burrows. Now, I think."

That got him rushed over as if he were sick, or going to be. Instead, he kissed the doctor, who was a cute Japanese woman, on the cheek, which got Marcia to snicker.

"If you just wanted to make out, you could have just asked me..." She didn't blush, but did look away after a second.

He nodded though.

"Okay. Later? That sounds fun actually. I just realized that my first mode is gone. All those shots you gave me and said I shouldn't mention?"

Burrows clapped, like a little girl.

"Ah! Very good. I was worried about that. So far it's only seemed to work on the very negative modes. Can I get a tissue and blood sample from you?" She didn't wait, taking what she wanted with enough force that he nearly hit her, several times.

He might not have a mode anymore, but he still had PTSD to share, if anyone was interested. When that was done, after getting a few band aids, they got back to work.

With no making out with the hot boss at all, though he had suggested they do that later.

Smiling, he decided to remind her of that, as soon as they were done for the day. It might not be perfect, but for once in his life, he felt like he actually had a chance to succeed or fail, all on his own.

Not that it hadn't felt that way before, but for the first time, it was actually going to be true.

Brian Yi, Proxy, was finally the master of his own life.

Not Braid. Not his power. Him.

Taking Marcia by the hand, he led her back to the trailer. Then he got to work. There was a lot to do, but that was fine. There would be, for a good long time.

He just didn't know what all of it was, which, in the end, was a good thing.

Table of Contents

Chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Chapter four

Chapter five

Chapter six

Chapter seven

Chapter eight

Chapter nine

Chapter ten