I stared at the paper sitting on the coffee table in front of me. Four paragraphs of text. Four addresses with the details of what Tattletale and her cronies had observed and worked out. She hadn’t been kidding about it being info I needed. Werwolf was way better organized than either of the gangs I’d taken down so far, and if I took Tattletale at her word then they were far more dangerous too.

  A sigh escaped my lips and I shut my eyes, resting my face in my hands. Amy was going to kill me. Barely two days since my arrest and here I was, staring at this and wondering how I was going to raid all of these places. No wonder everyone hated me, I was fucking impossible.

  But I wasn’t wrong wondering either. Two drug grows, a distribution house, and an armoury; this was serious stuff, and it had to be taken care of. I could maybe give it to the PRT, but when they started prodding around for where I got it, what was I going to say? ‘Sorry Miss Militia, I know I just did some crimes but I did some more to get you this’. I’d be lucky if I escaped without new holes in my costume.

  And that was if they took me seriously, which was never a guarantee. Throw them an orgy of evidence and they’d somehow find a way to turn it into a procedure instead of a takedown. Maybe whatever I didn’t go for I’d send to them, and if they didn’t do anything...well that was just fair game.

  Of course, I still had to talk to Amy about this and boy was I not looking forward to that. I was really hoping my reset would only be a couple days or something, because no way was she holding back when I told her. Worse, she’d been able to bypass my projection for a while now, so I couldn’t really stop her.

  The click of the lock made me flinch hard. Well, time to face the music. If I was lucky, she’d understand that this was bigger than heroes and villains. Not quite Endbringer level, maybe, but in a way these guys were worse. The Nazis had been here before parahumans, an older evil than the literal monsters we had these days.

  “Hey,” Amy said, sitting beside me and kissing my cheek. “What’s the letter? Something wrong?”

  “Sort of,” I said, opening my eyes and staring at the ceiling. “Please don’t kill me.”

  “What?” Her voice shook. “What do you— What’s the letter?”

  “It’s information,” I said flatly. “From Tattletale. Not bought, given.”

  “When?” she demanded venomously.

  “About an hour ago,” I sighed, finally meeting her eyes. I wished I hadn’t seen that furious look. “She called me, I didn’t plan this.”

  “How did she have your number?” Amy snapped.

  “She’s Tattletale,” I replied with a shrug.

  “...Okay, fair,” she said. “Why did you listen, why did you meet? I’m assuming she didn’t text you a letter.”

  “Read it,” I said. “It...it speaks for itself.” She picked it up and her eyes flicked rapidly across the page. As she read, her eyes widened. She put it down and her head snapped towards me.

  “Is this real?” Amy asked.

  “I haven’t exactly had a chance to verify it,” I retorted. “And I would, for the record.”

  “You’re not seriously considering working with her, no way.”

  “I’m not,” I said instantly. “She...did say she’d be operating the same night, but I wouldn’t be with the Undersiders.”

  “Oh my god,” she groaned. “Lia you just got arrested!”

  “I know but...Amy look at this,” I said, grabbing the paper and brandishing it. “I can’t just sit here doing nothing, and yes I might hand this over to the PRT but god only know if they’ll actually do anything.”

  “Then give it to New Wave,” Amy said desperately.

  “I—” I shut my mouth. “Actually that’s not a bad idea.”

  “Lia you can’t— What?”

  “I said that’s not a bad idea, I don’t imagine they’d tolerate this sort of stuff.” A smile touched my lips. “Yeah, maybe a couple independent hero teams could try working together.” Maybe I could get along with Carol if I tried talking to her about work. I leaned over and pecked Amy on the cheek. “Thanks hon.”

  “You’re...welcome.” Amy shook her head. “Don’t think this gets you out of trouble for that meeting with Tattletale.”

  “Can it wait?” I said. “This is…kind of time sensitive.” She sighed.

  “Fine,” she said tensely.

  “Thanks Amy, seriously,” I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. “I’ve got to make a couple calls, but after that want some help with dinner?”

  “Go ahead and make them,” Amy said, shaking her head. “I’ll get started on it.”

  “Okay, love you.”

  I kissed her again and headed to retrieve my phone, a smile on my face. I finally had a solution that might work out in my favour.

  “God this feels weird,” Joy said, shuffling from foot to foot as we stood outside the Dallon house.

  “You mean coming without a mask?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she said with a sharp nod. “Feel...exposed.”

  “Hey, ditto,” I said, shrugging. “But don’t worry about it too much, these guys are real heroes.”

  “If you’re sure…”

  We walked up the path to the door, Joy trailing behind me. Amy hadn’t wanted to join us, not wanting to expose her identity to Joy. Fair enough, though I knew she could be trusted with it. I guess getting involved in my work was still a step too far for her. I took a deep breath and rapped my knuckles on the door, forcing a smile on my face.

  “Ah, Lia, welcome,” Carol greeted me.

  “Hey Mrs. Dallon,” I replied. “This is my friend Joy. Joy, Carol Dallon, also known as Brandish.”

  “Nice to meet you, miss,” Joy said, sticking out her hand.

  “Please, call me Carol,” she said, taking Joy’s hand and giving it a firm shake. “Come in won’t you? I’m interested to hear what you wanted to meet about on such short notice.”

  She led us inside and we kicked off our shoes. It was quieter than the last couple times I’d visited, though it wasn’t a family dinner so that made some sense at least. Mark and Sarah were both seated in the living room, and Carol brought us in to join them.

  “Nice to see you again Lia,” Mark said, offering a smile, then his hand to Joy. “Mark Dallon, pleasure to meet you.”

  “And I’m Sarah Pelham, Carol’s sister,” Sarah added.

  “Joy Rivers,” Joy said, quickly shaking Mark’s hand before sitting next to me on the couch. “I...well it’ll be pretty obvious why I’m here soon.”

  “We work as an independent hero team,” I explained, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Joy, do you want to explain your powers?”

  “I can change gravity,” she said sheepishly. “Just in a little circle, nothing crazy.”

  “Sounds handy for stopping a bad guy in their tracks,” Mark offered.

  “Like you wouldn’t believe,” I said.

  “Would that make you Nadir?” Sarah asked, her smile all business.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “Um, yeah,” Joy answered.

  “I’ve heard of you,” she said. “Quite the record already, working with Amaranth.”

  “We put in work,” I said with a grin. “Recently busted up two gangs that broke off from Wotan’s Wolves. Now, well, I got something that frankly I don’t think any of us can afford to ignore.”

  “Any reason you chose not to work with the Protectorate?” Carol asked, making me grimace.

  “Time sensitivity,” I said, only telling two-thirds of a lie. “Haven’t had a chance to verify any of this yet, only got it yesterday, but we’re moving in Friday.”

  “So soon?” Sarah frowned.

  “Like I said, time sensitive,” I said, shrugging.

  “You’re leaving something out,” Carol said coldly.

  “Yeah,” I sighed, scratching the back of my neck. “The source is Tattletale. Gave it to me and told me to pick one target.”

  “And why did she contact you?” she said.

  “Because unlike apparently every hero in this shithole of a city, I know she’s not as bad as the literal Nazis on here,” I said, brandishing the paper. “Here, read it and you’ll see why I’m listening.”

  She eyed me for a moment, then took the paper from my hand and scanned it. I’d taken my personal target off the list: the armoury. A grim look passed over her face, and she handed the list to Sarah, who passed it to Mark in turn.

  “See what I mean?” I said, taking it back. “They’re doing an attack on Friday, and I want to work on the same night. Not together, but using that as a distraction so we can weaken their forces. I guarantee the Protectorate wouldn’t want to move that fast, but I’d be willing to bet after Friday all this shit will move.”

  “Your reasoning has some flaws, but you’re not entirely incorrect,” Carol said. “I have some serious concerns about the source though.”

  “Hey me too,” I said, shrugging. “Tattletale’s a rank bitch, pardon my French, but she isn’t a Nazi. There’s a real possibility of taking them out of the game permanently, something the heroes should have done god damn twenty years ago. How many people’s lives have been ruined by them because we’re too concerned about being ‘good’ and ‘heroic’? Can’t think of anything more villainous than letting them become as powerful as they were before.” Sarah sighed heavily.

  “I...understand your feelings Amaranth,” Sarah said. “You have to understand, this isn’t just about your source being a villain. As heroes, we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We can’t engage in heroics just because we want revenge.”

  “This isn’t revenge, it’s protection,” I countered. “People won’t be safe if there’s even one of these rotten fuckers still on the streets.”

  “Lia, take it easy,” Mark said. “I think we all agree that Werwolf is a dangerous organization, but there is a right way to do things and a lot of wrong ways. Just because it takes some extra time doesn’t mean it’s not important.”

  “Meanwhile things get worse for everyone,” I said. “I’m trying to do this right, with heroes, but if we aren’t doing anything...well that’s not really heroic is it?” I looked between each of the adults, meeting each of their eyes in turn. “Joy, what do you think?”

  “I…” Joy bit her lip and looked at the floor. “Lia’s right. It wasn’t a hero doing things ‘right’ who saved me when I needed it, it was her; and she lost her job because of it. If she had followed the rules, I probably wouldn’t be here today. I know we’re not like, normal heroes, but if that’s what it takes to stop someone from going through what I did it’s worth it.” There was a long, heavy pause.

  “Have you ever heard of a hero named ‘Fleur’, Joy?” Carol asked, her voice hoarse.

  “Um, no, sorry,” Joy said, shaking her head.

  “She was our sister-in-law,” she explained. Oh shit. “When she was about your age, a boy looking to join Empire Eighty-Eight killed her, unmasked.”

  “Oh my god, I’m so sorry I didn’t—”

  “Please, let me finish,” Carol said, holding up a hand. Sarah and Mark looked miserable. “I won’t lie to you, I pushed hard at the time for an all-out war against them. I… No offense Sarah, but I’m still not sure we made the right choice.” She swallowed and shook her head. “But I stand by it, because it was right by the law.”

  “If that’s all that matters, we’re screwed,” I said flatly. “If we let them slide because we don’t like where we got a tip, we’re complicit in everything they do. On Friday, I’m going to be out there, putting a stop to their monstrous shit. I want to work with the heroes, I don’t want to be a villain, but who are the ones actually doing something? It’s not us.”

  “The Protectorate is stretched thin,” Carol countered.

  “All the more reason to get rid of the most dangerous gang in the city,” I bit back. “Tomorrow I’m going and checking these places out, making sure this isn’t some trick to make us look bad. I’m not saying jump in without looking, but I am saying to join us and show the city that real heroes will still stand up even if the Protectorate won’t.”

  “I think we can at least discuss this,” Sarah said. “I’d feel more comfortable if the information was verified, will you be willing to share your findings?”

  “If we’re working together, sure,” I said, nodding. “I get it, I wasn’t happy when Tattletale gave this to me. But I’ll look past any grudge when the cards are down. She’s a liar, a thief, and a rotten piece of work, I have no illusions about that. When this is over and the Nazis are gone, I’ll happily work with you to take the Undersiders out of the game for good.”

  “It’s good you understand she isn’t an ally,” Carol said.

  “Right, I hate to be the wet blanket but…” Mark sighed and scratched his chin. “Lia, you know how this looks, right? I can’t imagine Tattletale would trust you if this is the first time you worked together.”

  “Of course not,” I said. “Fighting the Nine, Echidna, Behemoth, hell even Hannibal. I don’t trust her, but I can trust she’ll see the bigger issues at play.”

  “A lot of confidence in a liar, a thief, and a rotten piece of work,” he replied.

  “Not a Nazi,” I said simply, rising from the couch. “Offer’s on the table, I’ll let you know if the info is legit or not as soon as I know.”

  “It was good to meet you,” Joy said as she joined me.

  “Won’t you stick around for a bit?” Sarah said. “It would be nice to get to know the hero working with Lia.”

  “First aid training,” I said, shaking my head. “Going over to a friend’s place, she’s going to teach us a little more than the basics. No time to waste, you know?”

  “Sensible. Perhaps after this operation, we can sit down and talk,” Carol said with a nod. “Lia, thank you for reaching out, it was the right choice. Joy, it was a pleasure.”

  “Be safe out there,” Mark said, clapping a hand on my shoulder.“

  “Thanks for listening,” I said. “Means a lot that you guys take me seriously.” We headed out and down the road to the bus stop. It was cold, but the sun was beating down and kept me warm.

  “That went better than I expected,” Joy said.

  “Yeah, me too,” I agreed, a smile growing on my face. “Look at us, going to working in the big leagues now.”

  “Familiar territory huh?” she said with a grin.

  “Hopefully it’ll go better than last time,” I said, then snapped my fingers. “We need to figure out how to protect you guys better. The other night, when we got shot at, I was in the back seat and couldn’t help.”

  “So what, like body armour?” Joy asked, arching a brow. “Where would I even get some?”

  “I don’t know, ask Zeke,” I said, shrugging. “He’s the criminal.”

  “Ex-criminal,” she said. “He’s clean now.”

  “Mm, I hope so,” I replied. “Anyway, I’ll see if I can find something, but just check okay?”

  “Sure,” She said, nodding.

  We got on the bus and headed off to Lafayette’s to figure out how to plug a bullet wound.

  “Ow,” Zeke shouted as Lafayette cinched the bandage tight around his bicep.

  “And that’s how you know a tourniquet is properly applied,” she said, grabbing a pair of medical scissors and snipping the bandage. Zeke rubbed his arm, frowning. “Hurts like hell, but it’s better than spilling all over the floor.”

  “Damn I guess,” he muttered.

  “Give tying one a try,” she said, passing a bandage each to Joy and Zeke. “Don’t pull them tight, I’ll come check if they’re proper once you’re done. Got to talk to Lia for a second.” She pulled me aside as they got to work, a frown on her face.

  “What’s up?” I asked when we got to the kitchen.

  “What are you doing Lia?” I blinked at that.

  “I’m...this is a trick question, isn’t it?” I ventured.

  “Teaming up with another parahuman is one thing,” Lafayette said, her voice low. “But when you start pulling unpowered people in, what do you think that looks like?”

  “We’re only fighting villains,” I hissed. “We’re not a gang, Hooks. And what am I supposed to tell the guy who wants to go out there and help? ‘Sorry buddy having you around is bad optics’, how fucked up is that?”

  “If he wants to help like that, tell him to join the PRT,” she said sharply.

  “That wouldn’t be the best option,” I hedged.

  “Lia, you’re smart enough to know if the PRT doesn’t want him then you definitely don’t.”

  “It’s under control,” I said firmly. “He follows orders and doesn’t screw around; and doesn’t do anything illegal either. Besides, I keep hearing you guys are stretched to your limits, that means we need everyone we can get.” The look on her face darkened.

  “I’ll keep teaching you all about T-triple-C,” Lafayette said flatly. “But you’re only getting one boxing lesson a week.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I started teaching Joy and Zeke because they needed to know how to defend themselves, extra when you two started working,” she said, leveling a finger at me. “Not so you can run around and play with running a PRT squad.”

  “So people have a right to defend themselves but not protect others?”

  “That’s legally correct,” she said. “Call it a state monopoly on violence, call it the rule of law, but going out there like this is going to draw the sort of attention you’ve been getting but don’t want.”

  “Then I’ll deal,” I snapped, cheeks burning. “This isn’t the ring. I’m going to bite, kick, and hit below the belt because that’s what it’s going to take to root these rats out. I’m still working with heroes too, but I’m not fighting with my hands behind my back.”

  “You never have,” Lafayette sighed, rubbing her temple. “I hope, for your sake and theirs, this doesn’t blow up in your face.” I stayed silent as we returned to the living room.

  I didn’t want to say that I was hoping so too.

  “So how many people you think actually live there?” I asked Amy as we watched the fifth car drive away from the house we were down the street from.

  “Single-level bungalow, not five different people probably,” Amy muttered.

  We’d been watching the house that Tattletale had called the armoury for a few hours now, sitting outside a small cafe. It would be nice, if not for the Thor’s hammer above the door marking it as an unwelcoming sort of place. I’d brought a notebook along so at least it looked like we were just a couple friends doing some homework.

  I was surprised by how active it was, in the middle of the day no less. Did they know something was coming or was this just normal for a big gang? Unfortunately I didn’t have an answer, at least not yet. Despite that, I felt good, vindicated.

  “Think we can move on,” I said, shutting my notebook. “Thanks for coming out and studying with me.”

  “Sure,” Amy said, rising and sticking her chair under the table. “Shall we?”

  “Let’s,” I said, grinning and taking her hand.

  We headed home, and I felt like maybe I had finally figured out what ‘doing things right’ was.