A week passed with little but the monotony of manual labour to comfort me. It turned out there was a calling for people who would stoop to doing menial work for little pay. With nothing to my name and the promise of less in the future, I was all too eager to accept. On the bright side, it had endeared me to the denizens of Cell Block E.

  “Hey, Terrier!” Bonus, a tall woman with braided black hair that reminded me of Joy’s, yelled from the top floor of the cells. I grimaced at the name that had leaked out from my introduction. “You got a minute?”

  “Sure,” I called back, setting my broom down over top of the pile of dust I’d been gathering; a task from the boss herself to make the place a little more presentable. “Give me a second to clean this up?”

  “I’m a generous woman, take thirty.”

  I grimaced and grabbed my broom and makeshift dustpan, a plate someone had broken two days ago. Bonus was...well it wouldn’t do to keep her waiting. I swept up the dust and jogged over to the empty MRE bag I was using for trash, dumping it and twisting the bag shut. All of that went under the stairs, then I ran up and down the balcony to the third cell, skidding to a halt outside. Bonus was staring at her watch as I tried not to pant.

  “Well done,” she praised me, offering a wide grin. “You saved four seconds of the time I gave you, good dog.” I grit my teeth and swallowed the sharp response that brewed up.

  “Thanks,” I managed after a second. “So, you needed something?”

  “I heard you broke Titania’s hand the other day.” I winced and shrank back slightly, hands tightening into fists. “Oh relax, stop cringing like a beaten mutt. Way I heard it, she literally asked for it.”

  “She...she did.”

  Titania was a Brute who had a chip on her shoulder like Crawler, dying to test her strength against others. When I’d told her I was invincible, trying to dumb down my power and dissuade people from challenging me at all, she smiled and demanded to test it. Of course I’d asked her to pay me, which she agreed to: a cigarette for every blow I survived. All I told her was not to hold back.

  Boy didn’t she. Titania’s power charged slowly, but when she hit with it it felt like my bones rattled. Of course I didn’t take any damage from it, and I only shut my eyes so I wouldn’t flinch when her fist raced towards me. A pack of smokes later, she demanded I test my own strength on her, with the promise of another pack if I could hurt her. I offered her a handshake, and ten seconds later I’d taken my second pack from her as she cradled her broken fingers.

  “Again, don’t worry, she’s not exactly a friend of mine,” Bonus said with a shrug. “But it seems you’ve got a hell of a grip. I want your help with something.”

  “Is it going to get me in trouble with Lustrum?” I asked.

  “Mm, thirty percent chance?”

  “Make it zero.”

  “Never a zero percent chance in here,” she said. “But really unless she’s in love with the railing at the end of the balcony, you should be fine.”

  “Ah, breaking infrastructure, not really sure I should,” I hedged.

  “It’ll be worth your while,” Bonus assured me. “I’ll get you a date.” I arched a brow.

  “No offense but you’re a little...old.” I winced at the look she gave me. “Sorry.”

  “You’ve got a hell of a mouth you little brat,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And I didn’t mean with me. People are too messy to bother with that way.”

  “Okay, how about sweeten the pot with something more...liquid,” I said, crossing my arms.

  “Half a pack,” she said. “Final offer. The only thing that makes you special is giving me the time of day.”

  “That and the ability to tear metal apart like paper.”

  “That too,” Bonus agreed. “So, how about it?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I sighed. The problem with cigarettes as currency was the temptation to literally set my money on fire. Better to get as many as I could before that became a problem. “I’ll have it done by the end of the day.”

  “Great,” she said, smiling widely. She took a white cylinder from her pocket and handed it to me. “Here, a little bonus up front kid.”

  “I’m barely a kid,” I said dryly, taking the cigarette and slipping it between my lips. I stuck my hand in the pocket of my prison slacks, then sighed. “Lighter?” Her smile widened, showing pearly white teeth, and she lit my cigarette for me. “Thanks.”

  “Thank me by getting it done by light’s out,” Bonus replied. “Now shoo, go on.”

  I rolled my eyes and puffed on the cigarette as I headed downstairs. The railing in question wasn’t terribly special, a plain piece of steel about an inch around. Maybe it was a little surprising how long it had lasted in here, but this block was in pretty good shape all things considered. Maybe that was why Bonus was hiring her vandalism out.

  Still, I wasn’t going to be stupid about this. I’d ask Lustrum first, and if she gave her blessing I’d go nuts. If not, I’d let Bonus know she could keep whatever prostitute she was setting me up with to herself. That might upset her a little, but I’d take her not liking me over Lustrum. Of the two, one was clearly more dangerous in here.

  Not that I actually knew what Lustrum’s power was, though I hadn’t been asking around. I figured being nosy would probably piss her off more than it was worth to find out. At least she seemed to be taking to me decently enough, treating me just like a kid instead of a servant of something. Guess my stature had the advantage of making people underestimate me, could be useful down here...or dangerous.

  “Lustrum,” I said, approaching her cell. She was sitting on her bed, reading a book so worn I couldn’t figure out the title. She looked up and gave me a curt nod. “Bonus asked me to do something for her. I thought I’d ask you before I did anything, it being your block and all.”

  “Smartest thing you’ve done this week, after the Titania incident,” she said dryly, making me wince. “Oh relax, she literally asked for it. So, what’s that quack up to?”

  “She wants the railing off the end of the balcony,” I explained. “Don’t know what for, but that’s it.”

  “Hmm,” Lustrum hummed. “If she can pay or replace it, I’ll give the okay.”

  “Cool, how much?” I asked, just wanting to get this job over with.

  “She can come down and negotiate her own price,” Lustrum replied. “Oh, and Terrier, Marquis has requested to meet with you this week.”

  “I’ll make sure he pays for any info I give him,” I promised, getting a smile and a nod.

  “Good.” She turned her attention back to her book, and I took that as my dismissal.

  I headed back upstairs and explained the situation to Bonus. She wasn’t happy about it, but at least didn’t tear a strip off me. Instead she took it in stride that I’d gone to the boss and left her cell to go talk to Lustrum. I sighed and sat on the balcony, dangling my feet over the edge and looking out over the common area.

  It was weird, being at the bottom of the pile. No one took me particularly seriously, even after the Titania incident. I guess everyone here was so strong that I didn’t really shift the needle. Of course I had another advantage over them, but one I wasn’t too interested in utilizing if I didn’t have to. At least I didn’t have to worry about making life and death decisions for a hundred people anymore.

  “Hey, what’re you lounging for?” Bonus asked, smacking the back of my head. “Come on, Lustrum gave the okay.”

  “Yeah? Alright,” I said, shrugging off the casual abuse. It didn’t exactly hurt after all. “Kind of surprised she said yes.”

  “I promised her a carton of cigarettes if I couldn’t replace it,” she replied with an impish grin. “Because I know I can.”

  “Great.” I didn’t know her power, but maybe I’d get to see it. I rose and followed her to the end of the balcony and wrapped a hand around the railing. “How much?”

  “The whole thing, or as much as you can manage,” Bonus replied. “And cut it as clean as you can, okay?”

  I nodded and considered how exactly I could do that. Well, maybe I didn’t actually need my whole hand. It wasn’t my actual grip strength that did the work, it was just my projection. I reduced my grip to just my thumb and index finger. I slid it to the join at the corner of the balcony, then pinched hard with my projection.

  The snap of the steel rang out like a gunshot as my fingers sheared through the metal. I grabbed it with one hand, then repeated the process at the other end. Like that, I had a dowel of metal several feet long. I turned and held it out to a beaming Bonus, who took it eagerly.

  “That’s clean kid,” she said, nodding approvingly. “Good shit. Come on, I’ll pay you.” I followed her back to her cell and she handed me a half-empty pack of cigarettes. I stuffed them in my pocket and crossed my arms.

  “So...a date.” I didn’t particularly want one, but I couldn’t deny I was curious. “How much am I going to have to pay?”

  “Ah come on, I wouldn’t set you up like that,” Bonus said, though I wasn’t sure I believed it. “Swing by the court after lights out, she’ll be waiting.”

  “Great,” I said, not bothering to hide the sarcastic edge. “I can hardly wait.”

  The court, really a single basketball hoop in the middle of a track for running, was foreboding at night. The Birdcage never got pitch black, but its lights dimmed to eerie levels that made it hard to see too far ahead. I scanned the court and frowned when I found it empty. Where was—

  “Hey.” I jumped and whirled around, reaching for my gu— I didn’t have a gun, but Paroxysm giggled at my reaction. “Jumpy huh? Relax, if I wanted you dead you’d be dead. But I don’t, so there’s no issue.” She smiled, all pearly whites.

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  “Sure, no issue,” I said, lowering my hands to my sides. “So you’re supposed to be my date?”

  “Owed one to Bonus,” she said flippantly. “If you don’t want it to be, that’s no skin off my back.”

  “We’ll see,” I said with a shrug, glancing around the empty court. “So...what do you do for dates in the Birdcage anyway?”

  “Whatever you want,” Paroxysm said. “Have a crappy dinner by candlelight, shoot some hoops, fuck like animals in a corner somewhere.” My cheeks flushed and she giggled as if she could see it. “Or just...talk. Can’t deny I’m interested in the new girl a little, and hearing about Jean-Paul. No cost, just conversation.”

  “Well, sure, we can talk,” I agreed. “Want to go somewhere or sit down?”

  “I know a place, c’mon.”

  Paroxysm led me away from the court and across the track, towards a dim spot of light along the wall. As we approached, I saw a small bench just to the side, half hidden in the shadows. It was quiet, private, and far away from the cells. My hair stood on end as she glanced back at me, an impish smile on her plump lips. It would be a pretty good place to kill me, but I had dealt with Heartbreaker’s kids before, and I could again.

  “You really don’t trust me huh?” Paroxysm said, taking a seat on the bench and smiling. “Anything I can do to make you feel safe? I don’t have any weapons on me, but I know what you did to Titania and I know they’d be useless.”

  “What’s your power?” I asked, cocking my head and looking down at her as she crossed her legs.

  “Mm, right to the intimate stuff huh?” she said, her smile shrinking. “I’ll tell you as long as you tell me. I’m not dumb enough to buy simple invincibility and super strength.”

  “Fine,” I sad, shrugging. I could deal with her knowing how my shit worked. “You first.”

  “If you insist.” Paroxysm took a deep breath. “I can make people feel a burst of intense emotions, anywhere from three to twenty seconds long depending on how thick-headed they are. Want to feel it?”

  “Nope,” I said quickly. “I dealt enough with your sister.”

  “Fair enough,” she said, shrugging. “Ah Cherie, not unhappy to hear she’s dead. Messed with me and Jean-Paul a lot at home. Anyway, enough nostalgia, it’s your turn.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I have a projection that wraps around my body. I can control it separately, but it mostly follows my movements subconsciously. I don’t actually have increased strength, it’s…” I pursed my lips. “My projection goes where it wants. If something’s in the way, then it gets out of the way or gets destroyed. That’s as near as I can guess it at least.”

  “Huh, so no throwing me around like a ragdoll?” I snorted and shook my head. “That’s a relief, and a disappointment.” She winked and I rolled my eyes. “What else?”

  “Hm?”

  “Come on, that’s not everything is it?” Paroxysm’s eyes sparkled as she smiled at me. “What else?”

  “That’s it,” I said flatly. “It’s nothing special.”

  “Seriously?” she groaned. “You’re just going to bullshit me?”

  “There’s no bullshit,” I snapped, hair on my neck rising. “I—” Why wasn’t I telling her? I knew I could trust her, I was such a fucking idiot. God, I promised I would, and not doing it made me feel sick. I couldn’t— “You fucking bitch.”

  “Worth a shot,” she shrugged. “I guess my sister did a number on you, if you came around that quick.”

  “Is there a reason I shouldn’t break your nose for that?” I growled.

  “It’s dainty and cute,” Paroxysm said, her smile seeming a bit nervous. “And if you don’t I’ll give you the best head of your life.” I snarled and clenched my fists, then turned on my heel.

  “If you try that again, I’ll kill you,” I swore as I strode away.

  “Sure thing,” she said, uncaring. “Have a good night, Amelia. Can I call you Amy?”

  “You can fuck yourself,” I yelled back.

  “Lia then,” she called. “See you around.”

  I really hoped I wouldn’t.

  “Remember, if he does anything, I’ll be right outside,” Titania said, her voice low as we approached Cell Block W, Marquis’ home. “All you need to do is shout.”

  “I should be okay,” I said. “But I appreciate it. Sorry again about the hand.”

  “I asked for it,” she said with a chuckle. She stood over two feet taller than me, with a brown buzz cut shorter than mine was, and steely eyes. “Be respectful, and don’t give anything away for free.”

  “Thanks,” I replied. “With any luck, this’ll go quick.” Our conversation came to an end as we entered the new block.

  Marquis’ block was about on par with Lustrum’s, in terms of how well taken care of it was. He ran a tight ship, and it showed. No wonder she hated him, besides all the assault. I drew myself up as we approached the cells, looking up at Marquis. He stood on the balcony, hands clasped behind his back, hair let loose in a wild cascade of curls. That was the only resemblance I could see to Amy though, everything else...it just didn’t fit.

  “Good morning,” Marquis boomed. “I’m glad to see you Amaranth. Please, come up, your escort can stay where she is.”

  “Terrier?” Titania asked.

  “It’s fine,” I said with a shrug. “Worst case I throw myself off the balcony and land on you, right?” She chuckled and nodded.

  We headed over to the stairs, and Titania stayed at the bottom while I headed up to join Marquis. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this...what could I call it but a tea party? He’d want to know about Amy, and even though I wasn’t looking forward to talking about her, I could make it through with the promise of some reward. Cigarettes didn’t go as far as I’d figured down here, so it was definitely a good idea to stock up.

  “Come in, come in,” Marquis said, gesturing to a cell at the center of the block. “Sit down, I took the liberty of pouring you a cup of tea.” He headed inside and sat on a chair. I joined him a moment later, then came to a sickening realization.

  It was bone.

  The chairs, the table, the teapot, the cups. All of it was off-white, dry bone. Steaming, red tea stewed inside the cup in front of me. Marquis smiled, noticing my discomfort. I took a deep breath and delicately picked up my cup, forcing myself to take a sip. Despite the morbid vessel, it wasn’t actually bad. I swallowed and bowed my head slightly.

  “Thank you,” I said politely, remembering my lessons. “I didn’t expect such...nice china down here.” His smile grew a fraction.

  “I’m something of an artist,” Marquis said, picking up his own tea and supping. “How have you been finding your stay? It’s been a week, hasn’t it?”

  “A little over,” I said. “It’s been fine, nothing particularly interesting, unless you want to hear about sweeping up.”

  “Ahh, menial work.” He nodded understandingly. “A sensible place to start, with no power.”

  “It doesn’t bother me, and it’s something to do,” I said simply.

  “You don’t seem particularly ambitious,” he said. “And yet you claimed to have been...involved with my daughter.” Ah, the meat of the conversation.

  “Before we talk about Amy,” I said, leaning forward. “Let’s talk about what I’m going to get out of this.”

  “My favour,” Marquis said smoothly, with a serpentine smile. “That’s worth much more than you think.”

  “I can’t eat it or smoke it,” I replied with a shrug. “How about a cigarette a question? That seems fair.”

  “And if I’m not satisfied with the answer?” he asked.

  “Risks of asking for information,” I said. “I have no reason to lie to you though, I don’t really know anything about you, besides that you’re Amy’s biological dad and control your bones.”

  “A crude way to describe my power, but that fits you.” He folded his hands and leaned on the table. “A half per answer, they may lead to more questions after all.” I shrugged and nodded. “Alright, then please describe my daughter for me.”

  “Describe her?” I cocked my head.

  “Amelia was just five when she was kidnapped by the heroes,” Marquis said. “I don’t have a reference for her as a young woman.”

  “Oh, sure.” I shut my eyes and thought about it. “She had shoulder-length auburn hair, curly like yours. Brown eyes with little bits of amber that glow in the sun. She had a lot of freckles, all over her face, her arms, yeah. She’s a few inches taller than me, with long legs that she doesn’t show off enough.” I flushed and looked aside. “Sorry.”

  “It sounds like she’s grown up into a beautiful woman,” he said, sounding proud. “And it sounds like you appreciated that beauty. How close were you?”

  “We dated for a few months,” I replied. “Knew each other a bit longer. Lived together for a little while before we...before I left.” The temperature in the room lowered by a few degrees. “In my defense, I paid for that. If I stayed with her, I’d never have gotten myself in here. Though by extension, you wouldn’t have heard about her.” I held his gaze as steadily as I could, and relaxed fractionally when he gave me a minute nod.

  “That is true, I suppose,” Marquis said, voice chilly. “Well, she shouldn’t be involved with people who would wind up in here anyway, so I suppose you did her a favour in a way. I never expected my daughter to be a lesbian though.”

  “If it helps, I’m not much of a girl,” I said dryly, getting a small grin.

  “Does she have powers?” he asked after a moment.

  “She does,” I confirmed. “A healer, the best in the world. She saved my life a few times, saved thousands of people besides me.”

  “That’s all?” He arched a brow. “Not much of a power. Are you sure that’s it?”

  “It’s all she does with it anyway,” I said as casually as I could. I wouldn’t let Marquis in on the whole story. He got out of here too after all, and I didn’t want to give him a reason to go after his daughter. “She’s fixed everything from a papercut, to a punctured lung, to cancer. Honestly she’s...she’s the only hero worth the title, I think.”

  “Well, that’s something I suppose,” Marquis sighed. “A shame she doesn’t use her power, whatever it actually is, for herself. Considering your age, I assume you two met as school, but how did you become close?”

  “Well…”

  I explained Leviathan’s attack, the nightmare of June and the Slaughterhouse Nine, getting a grim look of nostalgia from Marquis. I told him how we’d both been nominated and survived together, then that she’d been estranged from her family afterwards, living in the PRT building while I was. From there, it was just a matter of time.

  “For saving her, I’ll forgive you breaking her heart,” Marquis said after I’d finished. “Nominated...she must have quite the power, as must you.”

  “Not really,” I said, shrugging. “Freebie, since I know how yours work: I have a projection wrapped around my body that’s impervious to harm, but it can move off my body.” I tapped the scar on my neck.

  “I see, still there must be something,” he said. “Who nominated you?”

  “Jack Slash.” He let out a loud bark of laughter. “Yeah, believe me, it was hilarious. But that’s it really, I’ve told you the rest. Got together after that, moved in when I left the Wards—”

  “You were a Ward? Fascinating.” He smiled. “I suppose that explains you living with the PRT. I’m surprised they took down one of their own. What was it, murder?”

  “A few things,” I said. “You remember the Empire Eighty-Eight?” He nodded and I continued. “They broke apart after Leviathan attacked the city. One of their factions reorganized, and the Protectorate was content to sit on their hands and let them be, or at least treat them like regular gangsters again. I...disagreed with that tactic.

  “I went out without them,” I continued, staring into my tea, red like the blood I’d spilled. “On my own first, then with a team, then with an organization. The Nazis got the choice of leaving or being killed; the ones that didn’t try shooting me and my team anyway. I got charged with a hundred and two of them, but that’s probably lowballing it. I made sure that Brockton Bay’s Nazi problem is a thing of the past, permanently.”

  “That’s quite something,” Marquis said. “How large was your group?”

  “Over a hundred-fifty,” I replied. “As far as I know, I’m the only one imprisoned. If Nadir, my second in command, shows up then we’ll know otherwise. We dealt with it like the military would, kicking doors and annihilating their operations. Took money, guns, explosives, burned the rest.”

  “A waste.”

  “We weren’t trying to become drug traffickers,” I retorted. “The Terriers were made with one purpose: rooting out Nazi rats. That’s all we do.”

  “Mm, under your leadership.” He shrugged. “I wonder how they’ll fare without your zealotry.”

  “Nadir will keep then in line,” I said, ignoring the niggling pit of worry in my stomach. She would. “Anything else?”

  “Nothing in particular,” Marquis replied. “But what about you? I’ve been here a long time girl, there are a lot of thing I can offer besides cigarettes. Information, for one.”

  “Mm, and what’ll it cost me?”

  “I’ll give you two answers for free,” he said, holding up his index and middle fingers. “Since you learned your lesson from last time.”

  “I appreciate that.” I pursed my lips, considering what to ask. “What do you know about Crane the Harmonious and her methods?”

  “Ah, Crane, a frightening woman,” Marquis said, stroking his chin. “She leads Cell Block H and is a brilliant martial artist. Supposedly she can develop methods that suit each individual perfectly, and takes great...personal pleasure in training her students; and she’s highly selective. Why do you ask about out local sensei?”

  “She offered me training,” I replied. “Wondering if I should accept.”

  “I have heard it’s grueling,” he warned. “And I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. At your age, you’re her sort.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, suppressing a grimace. Yeah maybe not then… But I did have a projection, she couldn’t really touch me. “Mm, how about Paroxysm?”

  “Heartbreaker’s daughter? What about her?” He seemed confused I was asking about her.

  “I don’t know, is she dangerous?”

  “Everyone down here is dangerous, girl,” Marquis said dryly. “But I doubt she can harm you.”

  “Okay, cool.” Well, that was good at least. “Um, I don’t really have anything else. Thanks for the tea though.”

  “Certainly,” he said with a nod. He took out a pack of cigarettes and drew ten out, handing them to me.

  “I didn’t answer twenty questions, did I?” I arched a brow.

  “What can I say, I’m in a good mood,” he replied, smiling. “Do be careful, Amaranth. I would like to hear more about my daughter in the future.”

  “Sure,” I said, taking the cigarettes and slipping them into my pocket before rising from the table. “Not a lot to do around here but talk anyway. Thanks for answering my questions Marquis, sir.”

  “Not a problem at all girl, take care.” He raised a hand, dismissing me.

  I turned and left his cell, heading for home or...or whatever passed for it now.