“How are your guys doing?” I asked, joining Fidel and Richard the next day. Nadir and Whatchamacalit were with me, along with Rosa and Richard’s second in command who I didn’t know.

  “Recovering, thanks to Whatchamacalit,” Richard said evenly. “We recovered a total of thirty-eight firearms, mostly pistols but many new rifles from the enemy einsatzgruppe. Ammunition as well, though we’re running low.”

  “And money?” I said, looking to Nadir.

  “We found about two-hundred grand in cash,” she replied. “There was a safe too, but we couldn’t get in before the fire started; flammables got hit by a flashbang, I think. Literally tons of drugs though, so we definitely crippled their income from this.”

  “Between that, killing Bifrost and Victor, and taking out another portion of their strike teams, I think we can call this a success.” I looked around and got nods from everyone. “Good. Rosa, great shot. Forty-thousand dollar bounty on Bifrost’s head, and now that’s yours. Give me a few days and I’ll pay you, okay?” Had to get what little money I had left from my offshore…

  “Well, I’ve been thinking about that,” Rosa said slowly. “Not sure I really feel good, taking money for killing someone. But maybe we could put it to good use?”

  “Did you have something in mind?” I asked, arching a brow.

  “There’s an organization called ‘Food Not Brutes’,” she said. “They make meals for anyone who needs it, no questions asked. I did some volunteering with them a while ago, and frankly they can put the money to better use.” I shrugged.

  “Sure.” Seemed simple enough. “I’ll still give it to you to handle then, I don’t know a thing about any of that stuff. Take a couple days off to sort it out, we’ll draw from other teams to make up for it; you’ve definitely earned it.”

  “Cool,” she said, nodding. “Can I borrow Trin? Sh— He’s interested too.”

  “Yeah, it’s fine, we’ve got other drivers.” I looked at Fidel and Richard in turn. “Your teams can have tomorrow night off, I’ll go with Three Arrows and maybe some of the Red Banners. We're meeting with them later right?”

  “We are,” Fidel confirmed. “I’ll bring it up.”

  “Okay.” I took a deep breath. Time to broach the heavy stuff. “Now, I’ve been…‘invited’ to a meeting with the Protectorate tonight. I’m hoping it’ll go well, and we might get official backing; or at least have them take a hands-off approach. Nadir, Whatcha, I want you with me. No weapons, but we’ll bring a TT just in case.”

  “You know that’s a stupid idea,” Whatchamacalit said flatly. “I mean, walking into a meeting without a signed promise of no arrest? I thought you were smarter than that.”

  “It’s on safe, neutral ground,” I countered. “If they decided to break that, well, I can’t imagine anyone in the city would be too happy. Besides, if they really want to cause us trouble, they’d have brought more troops last night.”

  “That’s...fair,” Nadir murmured. “But they really just showed up to tell you they wanted to talk?”

  “Considering their gear, it was probably a bit of a warning too,” I offered. “Something like ‘we’ll play by your rules if we have to’. I’m not worried though, they said unarmed but you and I never really are. Whatcha...well, just stay behind us.”

  “Why not bring Doppler?” Whatchamacalit asked. “He’s more suited to this crap.”

  “Because he triggered last week.” God, poor guy. One of ANTIFA’s guys I didn’t know too well. A trigger event was the best I could offer, short of a bullet in the head. “Frankly he shouldn’t be doing anything for at least another one. Fidel, how’s he doing anyway?”

  “Lin is recovering well.” Right, that was his name. “He’s been learning to use his powers, he’s learning quick.”

  “Well, that’s good at least,” I said. “I’ll have to talk to him soon. If we can make you guys another Parahuman Killer team, that’d be huge.”

  “That can be arranged,” he said. “We’ve seen major successes recently, and we should keep the trend up. Perhaps we can take some time to train up a little more? Just a week.”

  “Can’t spare it,” I said, shaking my head. “We’ll see what the Red Banners can do, then maybe. Whatcha, how’s your workshop for supplies?”

  “Abundant, though I wish you’d managed to recover anything I asked for from the laboratory,” she said with a frown. “I mean come on, do you know how expensive that equipment is?”

  “We don’t need to make drugs,” Nadir said flatly.

  “Damn right,” Whatchamacalit agreed. “There are way more productive things I can do with that stuff. Whatever, try and keep that in mind would you? The better stuff I have, the better stuff you get.”

  “We’ll keep an eye out,” I said evenly, not wanting this to devolve into an argument. “Maybe if we ever get a big windfall from the loot, I’ll spare some for your workshop.”

  “Wanting to invest on the ground floor huh?” she asked, her frown flipping right around. “You know, you should really get me some EEG gear so I can take a look at your powers, or Nadir’s would be even better; imagine just tossing that inside and neutralizing your enemies, instead of having to poke your head around. Plus we could equip more teams and—”

  “It’s a good idea,” I cut her off. “We’ll see.”

  “Not exactly excited about it,” Nadir muttered.

  “We can hash this all out later,” I said, shaking my head. “Okay, Nadir, Whatcha, you can head home. I’ll go with Fidel to meet the Red Banners, then come get you guys before it’s time. Go have a nap, or whatever.”

  “You should come with us,” Nadir said. “Get some rest.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “It’s just a meeting, nothing strenuous. Besides, we need these guys, and they need to know the way we do things. I’ll lay down after okay?”

  “Fine,” she sighed. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.”

  I was really hoping I wouldn’t need it…

  “So you’re Amaranth,” a man in a black tracksuit with white stripes said in a lightly-accented voice, crossing his arms over a weedy chest. “Shorter than I expected.”

  “I get that a lot,” I said flatly.

  We’d joined the Red Banners at a small hostel on the north edge of town. The common area had been vacated after we arrived, and now it was just Fidel, Richard, and I along with three of their guys. They’d offered us some Russian drink that started with a k, which we’d refused. Now though, it was time for business.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “It’s good to put a face to the name, Misha,” Fidel said. “We appreciate you making your way up from New York.”

  “It’s not a problem,” he replied with a shrug. “When I heard about this fight, I could not say no. Most of my boys have one grandparent that fought in the Great Patriotic War, they don’t want to let dedushka down. We appreciate you extending the offer.”

  “We’re working as one united front,” I said, drawing his gaze. “Right now we have a command council composed of the three of us, we decide what targets are being hit and when. How you do it is up to you, the only thing that matters is taking the targets off the map. Any Nazis that survive get the same choice: leave the city or die. If you can’t deliver the latter, I’ll go with you.” A little more blood on my hands wouldn’t do me any harm.

  “You’re quite something,” Misha said after a moment. “I like you, remind me of my babushka. She lived in Leningrad the whole war. How many men do you have?”

  “There are about fifty of us all together,” I answered, no reason to hide it. “If you joined, it’d be a pretty substantial addition. Fidel, you said others have reached out too?”

  “A few more groups,” he confirmed. “If everyone comes and everyone agrees to cooperate, we’ll number approximately one-hundred fifty.”

  “An army,” Misha said appreciatively.

  “It’s barely a company,” I said flatly. “Werwolf still outnumbers us, I have no doubt, but not for long. The more forces we have, the more we can do. We’ve been fighting every single day with what we have now. With you, we can do that much more.”

  “I am content to work under your command,” he said. “Your record speaks well for you.”

  “Alright, great.” Things were so much easier when everyone was on the same page. “How are you for arms?” He let out a low chuckle.

  “Well supplied,” Misha replied with a grin. “Logistically we can work independent of your group, at least for some time.”

  “We can take care of any casualties,” I offered. “We have a Tinker on the team who can heal your guys, if they’re not dead.”

  “Now that I will take you up on,” he said, sounding a little eager. “Death is a natural part of combat, but I would rather lose as few as possible.”

  “So far, that number’s been zero,” I said, drawing myself up. “And I intend to keep it that way.”

  “I suppose all that’s left is how can we help?” Misha said.

  “I’m so glad you asked,” I said with a smile, leaning forward.

  “So this is the place huh,” Whatchamacalit remarked as we pulled up outside an unassuming bar. “Doesn’t look like much.”

  “That’s probably the point,” I replied, checking my mask was in place. I drew my pistol and put it in the glove box. “You guys ready? We’re just here to talk, not expecting a fight.”

  “And who are we expecting?” Nadir asked.

  “Miss Militia, probably another hero or two,” I said. “Maybe someone from the PRT, but I have a feeling this is her thing. Whatcha, TT?”

  “Right here,” Whatchamacalit said, holding the little pyramid up. “Not happy you said to leave everything else.”

  “Rather not get accused of truce-breaking,” I said flatly. “Okay, let’s go.”

  We got out of the car and headed into the bar without hesitating. It was a quiet night, but there was no need to draw more attention than we had to. The interior was a homey little place, all wood paneling and soft, warm light. A young woman with dull, grey eyes gestured for us to follow, leading us into the back. When we got there, my heart nearly stopped.

  “Is something the matter?” Victor asked from where he was sitting next to Krieg. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “Miss Militia,” I said sharply, glaring at her. She was seated across from the Nazis, alongside Triumph. “I see why you said to come unarmed.”

  “Please sit,” she said, voice cold. “We have much to discuss.”

  “We don’t have anything to talk about with Nazis,” Nadir said sharply.

  “Blind hatred is so unproductive,” Krieg drawled. “Isn’t ‘no hate’ part of a slogan you communists perpetrate?”

  “Enough bickering,” Miss Militia snapped. “We’ve brought you here to negotiate an end to the conflict you’ve been fueling. Over seventy people are dead, Amaranth, and far more seriously injured. You’ve driven people from their homes, destroyed their lives.”

  “It ends when they’re dead or gone,” I said flatly. “That’s always been the deal. If they want this over, they can pack their fucking bags.”

  “So unreasonable,” Krieg replied. “I am a man of business, I’m certain we can come to some arrangement. I understand you have strong feelings about the frankly detestable acts that some of our members have committed, but rest assured it’s something I am working to crack down on.”

  “No way you’re stupid enough to buy that, Miss Militia,” I said, eyeing her.

  “There have been significantly fewer hate crimes in the last two months,” she replied evenly. “Though I am willing to entertain that that’s been in part due to your actions.”

  “Damn right,” Nadir growled. “You know Amaranth said a lot of good things about you, Miss Militia. I’m starting to think you’ve changed since she knew you.”

  “My duty is to protect the people of this city,” Miss Militia snapped back. “That includes all of you, for better or worse. Now sit, we need to come up with a solution to end this conflict.”

  “I’m not a big fan of Nazi ‘solutions’,” I said. “And I’m not sitting at a table with these rats.”

  “Suit yourself,” she sighed. “Werwolf has proposed a two-week ceasefire while we negotiate, which will be monitored by the Protectorate and members of the Undersiders and Ambassadors.” I arched a brow.

  “You wrangled Tattletale in on this?” I asked, barely believing it. “I notice they don’t have a seat at the table.”

  “They aren’t fighting like you,” she said icily. “If you agree, we can put a stay on any forthcoming arrest warrant.” And there was the stick. Fuck that, this was all stick.

  “So you want to give them a break so they can rebuild and come back worse,” I said, shaking my head. “No deal. I know how many out-of-towners are coming. If we gave them two weeks, they’d have more men than they ever have.”

  “I think you severely overestimate how many people want to join us,” Krieg said dryly. “It’s true, there are some who are coming, but no more than a few dozen; far fewer than the number you’ve murdered in cold blood.”

  “That’s a load of shit and I know it,” I said. Of course I couldn’t say how, but Cauldron pegged the numbers as high as two-hundred. “You want a ceasefire? Cease all operations, absolutely everything. Tell your mooks to go home, and you hang up the cape.”

  “Those certainly aren’t acceptable terms,” he replied. “I have people depending on our business to feed their families.”

  “Drug dealers and pimps,” I said with a shrug. “I’m sure the Protectorate would see those terms as perfectly reasonable, right?”

  “Normally, I would agree with you,” Miss Militia said with a sigh. “But currently, peace is preferable to crime-free streets. The fighting is hurting far more people than the drug trade.”

  “Long-term, we’re better off with them wiped out,” I said. We stared at each other for a moment, then Miss Militia looked to my left.

  “And do you agree?” she asked Whatchamacalit. “You’ve been notably silent.”

  “Werwolf forced me to work for them by putting a gun to my niece’s head,” Whatcha replied, smiling as her goggles glistened coldly. “I’m fine with them being annihilated. Appreciate you guys giving me the chance to look over your powers, it was fascinating. I know Amaranth doesn’t like taking you alive, but if she ever does, I’ll be happy to examine you again.” Her manic grin almost made me want to try taking one or two of them alive, just to see what would happen.

  “We’re not the kind of people to let Nazis live in our city,” I said. “Normally I’d have to make any decision on what we do in council, but I know exactly what they’ll say. There will be no ceasefire, there will be no truce. The next time I see either Krieg or Victor, I’m going to kill them.”

  “There will be consequences,” Miss Militia warned me.

  “There were always going to be,” I replied, turning on my heel. “Don’t get in the way.”

  She called after me as I walked out, trailed by my teammates. I ignored it. We had nothing else to discuss. This was just a waste of time, like I fucking expected. Well, at least I knew we still had to kill Victor. How he survived I had no idea, but I was almost happy. After all, I never got to kill him with my bare hands, the way things went.

  God I was messed up, looking forward to killing someone. An awful person who no doubt deserved it, but still. I took a deep breath and settled into the passenger seat as Whatchamacalit pulled onto the street and drove off. This was just who I was. At least my victims weren’t good people, for what little that salved my withered conscience.

  “I guess that’s that,” Nadir said as we drove along. “We’re on our own.” I frowned.

  “Not exactly,” I countered. “We have plenty of people coming to help us.”

  “But now we know Werwolf isn’t our only enemy,” she said glumly.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much,” Whatchamacalit said. “The heroes are plenty busy trying to stop a couple new gangs squabbling over the outskirts, not to mention patrolling the new railroad.”

  “New railroad?” I asked, giving her a look.

  “Sure, there’s going to be a new hub in the city center,” she replied. “There are a bunch of companies vying for stakes on the other Earth. That’ll probably take off next winter, exploiting a new world’s resources. Lot’s of money to be made.” I frowned, thinking of Tattletale and her schemes...and of the new Earth after the oncoming armageddon.

  “Should talk to the guys about getting in on it,” I said, half to myself.

  “Wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Whatchamacalit said, grinning. “Might have to muscle in on some players, but I’m sure you’re comfortable pushing powerful people around.”

  “Let’s focus on Werwolf for now,” I said, shaking my head. “That can wait until we have a clean city.”

  “Amen,” Nadir said.

  We rolled on home, onto the next fight.