Summer hadn’t realized where Ned had asked them to meet until they arrived there. In retrospect it was their fault for insisting on somewhere public they could speak in private that wasn’t the Golden Club. Somewhere the security would have a much harder time following them, or wouldn’t feel the need to. The place Ned had selected to fit all of these requirements was a large building with a somehow even larger sign. The Heroix Headquarters.

  Ned had agreed to a place he did not own or have control over, but he still had to have some amount of influence to invite two unaffiliated strangers. According to his instructions, all they had to do was ask for Ned and they would be let in to meet him. Ned was a fairly common name, wasn't it? How would they know which Ned Summer was asking to meet? Was he important enough that they would know no one could possibly be asking for any other Ned?

  The reaction at the front desk supported Summer’s theory. There was no doubt or hesitation when she asked about Ned, as if there was only one Ned worth asking about. Just how many connections did he have? Summer had always known Ned was powerful and intimidating, but she had never really grasped the scale of his influence before.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like she would be getting any more answers as they were led to a general meeting room that was only marked by a sign claiming it was reserved. Did Heroix just let anyone reserve meeting rooms? That was hard to imagine, but Ned having a close relation to Heroix was also strange. Perhaps he was setting them up to take the fall as he had with Jargon.

  All of these wild thoughts were blown away when Summer caught sight of Ned. He was wearing a suit. Not exactly properly, but he was wearing one. While these were the most formal clothes Summer had ever seen him wear, Ned also managed to wear them in the most casual way possible.

  “Looks like you made it in without your entourage,” Ned commented when the two of them entered.

  “Only because Heroix made them wait in the lobby. If this takes too long they are sure to come barging in regardless,” Kayla warned.

  “Heroix likes to think of themselves as the peak hero agency,” Ned acknowledged, “While they are more interesting than SI was, I wouldn’t really say they are better. Heroix will collapse on itself without me having to do anything.”

  Which meant he had planned to do something. Summer glanced at Kayla to see how she was handling the situation. Sure, she had agreed that this was the right move but she knew from experience how nerve wracking facing Ned could be.

  “How would you like to proceed? Should I just use my power on you right here?” Kayla asked. They had actually tried it out on Summer before coming, but Summer couldn’t tell if her power had been enhanced or if she had just gained another more similar power.

  “Before we begin with that, I believe Summer has a gift for me,” Ned brought up. He was never going to forget about that, was he?

  Summer begrudgingly took out the small gadget. She really didn’t want to let go of it, especially if it meant handing it over to someone like him. If she had been smarter she might have been able to use it to get something better out of Ned later down the line. Ned took the gadget, holding it like some precious treasure. It was strange to see such a childish look of adoration on the face of someone she viewed as a threatening enemy.

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  “Incredible,” he whispered, “This is better than I ever could have expected. I can’t just receive something of this level without giving anything back. We will have to negotiate once I am done helping Ms. Penn so I can give you a gift of appropriate worth in return.”

  He was going to reciprocate? Summer wasn’t sure how she felt about it. On the one hand, she knew whatever he would offer was probably something amazing she would never be able to find herself. On the other, she would never be able to see whatever it was without feeling guilty about where it came from. Luckily for her, all attention shifted to Kayla as they began their experiment.

  It was very difficult to figure out what was going on, but Ned seemed more and more confident during the silence. It seemed like whatever suspicions he had were confirmed. At least, that is what Summer assumed because neither of them were saying a word. Had Kayla used her power? Had he figured out how to use what she gave him already?

  “I think I’ve figured everything out now,” Ned announced, breaking the silence, “Just like a proper grimoire, the key to your power is information. Communication, focus on specific details, and an understanding between both parties. Right now you are using your power on instinct like some low stakes random gacha game that spits out strange freebies.”

  “If I want to use it properly, what do I need to do?” Kayla asked.

  “This is all just a theory,” Ned pointed out, though he didn’t seem to have the slightest doubt that his theory was wrong, “I believe your power works based on your connection with the individual you are empowering. First, both of you must be willing. Second, both of you must be on the same page about what power you will be granting. Third, the more specific the details you decide on the longer it will last and the more powerful it will be. There may be more to it, but I would have to try again.”

  “That’s more than enough,” Kayla turned down immediately, “I can test the rest with Summer’s help.”

  “I look forward to seeing what the two of you will become,” Ned said with a proud smirk, “Now onto the more important details. What should I tell your friends in the lobby? What truths should I reveal and what should I hide?”

  Kayla considered. “I think you should tell them that my power works better the closer I am to someone. You did say it works based on connection, so it won’t seem too suspicious if Summer suddenly becomes much better at using the powers I give her.”

  “And it would also make it harder for them to just lock you up again,” Ned agreed, “That works for me. I will tell them all about the importance of connection and leave out how much your ability relies on information. Should we reveal that we met here or meet at the Golden Club again for a proper show?”

  As much as they didn’t want to keep having meetings with Ned like this, it was better to put on the show from start to finish. Both of them had decided on this ahead of time, and Kayla told him that.

  “What are we going to say we came here for, then?” Summer asked.

  “That is where you come in,” Ned told her, “I still owe you a present. Tell them you were called by an old fan of Golden Reign who promised to keep your secret in exchange for meeting you in person. No true fan would meet their idol without giving them a gift.”

  “A gift for Golden Reign?” Summer questioned, “Do you have something like that on hand?”

  “I did bring something, just in case,” Ned confirmed, “I honestly wasn’t expecting your gift to be so impressive so this is just to get you out without suspicion. How about I just owe you an extra special favor for the rest?”

  As Ned spoke he withdrew a small golden lava lamp and held it out to her. A lava lamp definitely wasn’t enough to make up for losing the gadget from Shadow Phoenix’s costume, but if she played things right a favor might be. That was how Summer found herself saying words she never thought she would to someone who had done so many terrible things.

  “Thank you.”