“You sure about this, boss?” Jeep asked, eyeing the alley we’d stopped outside.

  “As sure as I can be,” I replied, checking my pistol before slipping it out of sight. I scratched at the scar on my neck, skin tingling. “If I don’t contact you in an hour, assume the worst and add RFB to our kill list. Who knows, maybe you’ll even manage to recover me.”

  “C’mon man,” he groaned. “Making me wanna come and watch your back.”

  “Don’t sweat it,” I said, shaking my head. “I can handle myself, even if they get frisky.”

  “And no mask?”

  “They won’t have theirs either,” I said. “And besides, people don’t know me. It’s easier to move around the city with a face.”

  “Alright then,” Jeep said, sighing. “Good luck boss.”

  I gave him a smile and got out of the car, waiting until it drove off to head into the alley. It was a chilly day, but I was bundled up in my jacket and a thick scarf. My eyes roamed the bricks, fixing on a giant figure deeper in the alley. I strode towards him, then paused a few feet away, clutching my pistol.

  “Amaranth, a pleasure,” the tremendous man rumbled in thickly accented English, rubbing a tightly-cut beard as he stared down at me from the firmament. He sounded European, though I couldn’t place him. “You’re smaller than I expected.”

  “And you’re apparently a Philistine,” I said dryly. “Don’t tell me your code name is Goliath.” His laughter could have shaken the ground.

  “No, nothing so grandiose,” he replied, sticking out a hand larger than my skull. “Richard, I’m the head of the Red Front Fighters, RFB you’ve heard us called. Fine work the other night, I’m happy we could help.” Could have helped more if he hadn’t burned down the precinct…

  “Charmed,” I said with a shrug. “So, you’re looking to join us?”

  “We’re looking to cooperate,” Richard countered, taking back his hand and crossing his arms. God they were like tree trunks. “I know you’ve been working with ANTIFA lately. Fidel’s an old friend from Berlin.” I narrowed my eyes. A spook? “That’s a nasty look for a little thing like you.”

  “Who are you?” I racked my brain. “KSK? French intel?”

  “Mmm, smarter than you look too.” Richard smiled and leaned against the bricks of the alley we were meeting in. “The Abwehr, and don’t ask further.”

  “So what, the Europeans want in on this fight?” I cocked my head. “I need all the help I can get, so you won’t hear me whining.”

  “A pleasant change from others I work with,” he said, sighing. “The RFB will remain in Brockton Bay until the summer. We would be happy to work with you until then, stamping out these Werwolf barbarians.”

  “And in summer?”

  “We leave,” Richard said simply. “There are other cities with more Nazis to remove, many with fewer heroes than you have here.”

  “Berlin then?” He smiled. “Must be some useful, having a training ground for your recruits.”

  “We simply offer an exchange program,” he replied. “A summer abroad for young students wanting to explore the world.”

  “And shoot Nazis?” I asked.

  “Well, incidents have been known to happen.” He tutted. “But unless you were looking to join the program, I couldn’t get into details.”

  “I’ll pass for now.” Maybe as an escape plan, if things got too hot here. “But we should stick to the here and now.”

  “Very practical,” Richard said with a nod. “Yes, Brockton Bay is quite a mess. Many players on the field, and more on the way.”

  “Oh?”

  “Fidel has been very busy,” he explained. “Very vocal. It was always his strength. Of course that has disadvantages when you’re trying to organize a large force. Plenty of recruits, plenty of idealists.”

  “Ah.” That wasn’t ideal… “I’ll tell him to shut his yap. Who exactly is coming though? I’ll probably get the blame for whatever they do, so should snap them up before they cause trouble.”

  “A number of ANTIFA aligned groups,” he said. “Anarchists, by and large. You’ll have issues fitting them into your organization, they aren’t all as cooperative as Fidel’s cell. Some communist groups as well, like ours. Some white power organizations too, unfortunately. They’ve heard the call of their fellows and are running to them like rats.”

  “Fantastic,” I groaned, massaging my temples. “We’ll have to move quick then, make sure there’s no landing pad when they get here. Then once they arrive, we snap their little necks before they even think of causing problems.” Richard eyed me warily.

  “Vicious little terrier,” he commented. “That’s what Werwolf calls you, a—”

  “Rat terrier, I’m aware,” I growled, not unlike a dog. “Well they’re right, and I’m going to root them out. You want to work with me, then you’re going to be under my command. This is my city, and I intend to keep it that way. No more villains running this shit. They work with us or they get out.”

  “Between myself and Fidel, we have twice your experience,” he said coldly. “How about a command council? You, Fidel, and myself in overall command. We can fill in gaps in your own experience, and you have the local knowledge needed to operate here. As I said, my RFB will be withdrawing in the summer, we have no intention of taking over.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Well…” I considered it.

  It wasn’t a terrible idea. Frankly this was all getting to a scale that I had trouble visualizing. More than thirty people were working with me right now, many more than ever had before. There were going to be more and more logistical problems as time went on, issues I’d never dealt with before. This way, we could pool our resources better. I could send these guys off to deal with the shitty trap houses while my team handled capes.

  There was always the chance, delegating like this, that I’d get flak for some stupid stuff they pulled off. But at this point, that was clearly a foregone conclusion for the PRT; if a dog crapped on a Nazi’s lawn, I’d get the blame. So why bother worrying? I may as well go all in, get it over and done with. At least then this would be like ripping off a bandaid.

  “Okay,” I said, nodding slowly. “Never done this ‘council’ crap, but I guess I can learn as I go. We’ll divide duties and targets, make sure we’re all working together as one team.”

  “Of course,” Richard agreed easily. “As more groups enter, we can delegate further. It might be easier for them to approach a council than an individual, and easier for us to make sure they are under control.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense,” I said, scratching the scar on my neck.

  “A battle wound?” he asked.

  “Hm? Oh, no.” I shook my head. “All me. My power keeps me from getting hurt, most of the time.”

  “I see.” He pursed his lips. “Try not to leave us hanging.”

  “Don’t worry, it doesn’t stick,” I waved away his concern. “Right, I’ll get in touch with Fidel, set up a meeting. Give me a number would you? We’ll get together tomorrow sometime, organize another strike.”

  “So soon?” he asked. “Your troops need time to rest, surely.”

  “They’re tough,” I retorted. “And if it’s a problem, they’d say something. If it’s too much for you, we’ll go it alone.”

  “I’ll discuss with my team,” Richard said, standing up straight and extending his hand once more. “Fidel can contact me. I look forward to working with you, Amaranth.”

  “Same,” I said, shaking his hand quickly before pulling away. “Safe travels.”

  He headed one way and I turned around, heading back the way I’d come. I took out my phone and called Jeep, then leaned against the mouth of the alley, watching the road. It was a quiet afternoon, grey clouds overhead heavy with snow. Late this year, and more than usual. It was the snowiest winter I could remember here. Good for cover, bad for driving. Jeep pulled up slowly, and I got in, telling him to drive.

  “So...how’d it go?” he asked as we drove off.

  “It was...productive,” I hedged, a smile growing on my face. “So, how about another night out?”

  “You know I’m ready.”

  I let my smile be and settled back in my seat, spoiling for a fight.

  “We knock off these places here and here,” I said, pointing to the map. “My team goes here, right for the heart of the biggest issue we’re facing right now. Quick tempo, we’ll penetrate when you attack. If it all goes well, we’ll have a Tinker in the bag and Werwolf won’t be able to teleport all over the place.” Richard and Fidel shared a look.

  “Coordinating this won’t be easy,” Fidel said. “My cell is tired, we need time to recuperate.”

  “My people have said they’re ready,” Richard added. “But we don’t have the numbers to pull off this many raids.”

  “So cut two of the targets,” I said, waving my hand. “Realistically we only need some loud noises to distract them while we rip out the heart. If there are any capes, they’ll be guarding the Tinker, so you don’t have to worry there.”

  “And if they teleport in on us?” Richard asked.

  “You cope,” I replied. “You’re a big man with a big army. If you need more guns, we can get you them. But again, they’re going to be more worried about capes than grunts. Parahuman privilege and all that.”

  “She’s right about that,” Fidel muttered.

  “You’re quite nonchalant about this,” Richard said. “I’m surprised more of your men haven’t died before now.”

  “I take the bullets,” I snapped. “And keep your threats to yourself. If you can’t cut it, then we’ll do it without you.”

  “We’ll work,” he said firmly. “But we need to have a discussion about what a council is.”

  “Sure,” I agreed. As long as it got them working. “So let’s talk targets. There are two trap houses here, just at the border of the South End. They distribute drugs for the next three blocks, so expect a lot of junkies and a lot of weed. Drugs get left and burned, but you can take any guns or money you find. I’d rather that come back to me so I can keep paying for all this but...well, finders keepers.”

  “Just like that?” he asked, arching a brow.

  “Just like that,” I said, shrugging. “I’m worried about logistics, but I can handle most expenses pretty well. That’s why I’m calling the shots, because I’m paying the bills.”

  “We’ll make sure it’s distributed properly,” Fidel said. “Lots of people who need it.”

  “Sure,” I said. “Then we’re agreed? Tomorrow, ten. The RFB and Terriers will hit them with a one-two. Man, they’re going to be pissed, losing a Tinker.”

  “Try and take it alive,” Richard said coldly. “They’re quite valuable.”

  “No promises,” I snorted. “I have a big rifle and a light trigger finger, not to mention deserving targets. But I’ll see what I can do.” Teleporting around would be insanely useful after all. “Okay, well, thanks for coming guys. Seriously I...I’m glad there are people who will have my back.” Richard’s hand patted my shoulder, practically engulfing it.

  “We’ll be here til the job’s done,” he said. “Count on that.”

  “I will be.” I took a deep breath and forced a smile on my face. “Alright, now let’s talk timings.”

  “This is going to be pretty dangerous,” Nadir said, worried.

  “It will be, but we’ve got the numbers advantage for once,” I replied. “It’s going to be all of us together. You and me, plus the whole crew. Even if they have a second cape, they’re going to lose badly. Plus their regulars are going to be busy with RFB guys halfway across the block. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this might be the easiest raid we’ve done.”

  “Man don’t jinx it,” Jeep groaned, cuffing my shoulder. “We’re screwed now.”

  “Har har.” I elbowed his ribs. “I know we’ve been going hard, but right now we need to keep that pace up. Werwolf is on the back foot, and I intend to keep them there. Hit them hard and then keep hitting them until they’re unconscious.”

  “Sounds right,” Reese said with a nod. “And you leading the charge?”

  “As always.” I smacked a fist against my chest. “Best armour in the business. Nadir behind me, breaking their backs, and then you guys to make sure they stay down. We can do this, I know it.”

  “What kind of loot are we expecting?” Wick asked, leaning in.

  “Tinker-tech, mostly,” I said. “Probably weapons, maybe cash. If we’re lacking that, I’ll make it up, trust me.”

  “No sweat,” Nadir said with a shrug. “This is work worth doing, right guys?” That got nods all around at least. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I took it out, holding up a finger to my guys.

  “Amaranth,” I said shortly.

  “It’s Fidel.” Ah, perfect timing. “We’ve discussed it, and my cell is prepared to do a raid tomorrow night. One target, we’ll select from the ones you briefed us on.”

  “Great,” I breathed, shoulders relaxing fractionally. “Strike at ten, okay? Once you do, we’ll be moving in.”

  “Understood.” There was a brief pause, filled with the slight buzz of static. “Good hunting, Amaranth.”

  “You too.” I snapped my phone shut and grinned at my team. “ANTIFA’s joining us. It’s on.”

  “Hell yeah!” J-Dog exclaimed. “So, deets?”

  “Deets,” I said with a nod, leaning over the map.