“God these versions are weird,” Amy said, crossing her arms.

  “Better than home's.” She only grunted at that.

  With the rest of the day off, and the threat of my new boss (far, far worse than the old boss) hanging over my head, I went over to Amy's. She seemed taken aback when I asked, but just shook her head and said she figured I wanted to rest. And I did really, it was just hanging out here was a million times more relaxing than being cooped up in my little cell of a room.

  We'd agreed on the Aleph versions of Star Wars, since I wanted ones I might be slightly more familiar with. Amy apparently hadn't seen them, so here we were, late in the evening watching Revenge of the Sith. At some point during Attack of the Clones, she leaned against me and had stayed there. It was nice, though had me almost nodding off during the slower parts.

  Amy's biggest complaint was she was taking the movies too seriously. It wasn't the cast I remembered when I tried to think about it, but they were pretty good. The lines didn't feel quite as overwrought as the one I'd watched...god had it only been a month ago?

  “Time's so fucking fake,” I complained as Anakin began choking Padme. Amy looked at me, then the screen, then back at me.

  “What?”

  “Oh, sorry, unrelated.” I met her eyes, then glanced down to the cushions. “Just, it's only been a month since everything...got worse.”

  “It's what?” Amy looked at her watch, sounding half panicked. “How is it only the nineteenth?!”

  “What's that old saying about decades happening in weeks?” I sighed and rubbed my eyes with the backs of my hands. “Made it though, both of us.”

  “I don't know that I did,” she said glumly.

  “I'm looking at one Amy Dallon who's been healing me and other heroes,” I countered. “Amy Dallon who fixed her mistake, who came back.” There was a beat of silence.

  “That's not my name,” she said with a sigh. “Lavere, Amelia Clair Lavere.”

  “Was that--”

  “My dad's,” Amy said, staring at the floor. “A villain named Marquis. He...New Wave adopted me. So now you know.”

  “I think you already told me your dad was a bad guy.” I tried to recall, I was fairly sure we'd had this talk before. Whether in this life or another though... “Sorry, not to be shitty or anything, but it doesn't really change things, knowing who he was. Amelia...I'm going to keep calling you 'Amy'

  “Because calling me 'Lia' would get confusing,” she finished with a quiet giggle.

  “Exactly.” I smiled. “Thanks for telling me though, for...trusting me.” I felt her tense, but she leaned a little more on me.

  “I'm...trying,” Amy offered after a moment. “Trying to think that...maybe you're right. I'm fucked up, don't think I can't be but...but maybe I can avoid being a monster. You know Marquis was bad enough for the Birdcage?”

  “I'd argue, if my mom had been a parahuman, she'd have had a kill order,” I replied simply. “But I think I get it. You don't wanna be like him, I don't wanna be like her. Good to have a negative example sometimes.”

  “I think...” She swallowed hard. “I don't want you to tell me everything right now but, if I'd...gone further would--”

  “You'd have met him, probably,” I said, taking her hand as she started to pull away. “But you didn't, and you won't.”

  “I didn't,” she repeated, taking a deep breath. “And I won't.” She exhaled slowly and squeezed my hand.

  “Thanks again for healing me yesterday,” I said, flexing my left hand. “Would really have sucked to be waiting with a burn that bad.”

  “It's fine, you...deserved it, honestly.” Amy looked back at the TV. We'd missed the end of the movie. “Wish I could do more.”

  “I'm pretty healthy, really.” I drummed my shorter fingertips against the back of her hand. “Could maybe go for some longer fingers, but I don't think I have the body mass to spare, right?” She just shook her head. “So yeah, I dunno, keep watching stupid movies with me I guess? And try to be a good guy.”

  “You're such a weirdo,” she commented after a minute. “Sorry.”

  “You're not wrong,” I agreed, cocking my head. “I'm sorry, really. I didn't ask to be like...this.”

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  “It's not bad it's just, like, I don't know.” Amy sighed and took her hand back. “I don't exactly have a lot of friends, mostly I hung around with Vicky's. You're nothing like them, I don't know what to do.”

  “Do you have to do anything?” I asked.

  “I feel like I should.”

  “Then...what?” I rolled my eyes. “Should we talk about the boys neither of us are into? I can complain about how I have no boobs compared to you, or we can be catty about Vista or something.” I shrugged. “I'm cool with how we've spent our time, Amy; isn't that enough?”

  “I'm sorry,” she said, drawing her knees up to her chest. “I wish it was.”

  “Well.” I slapped my knees and stood, wobbling slightly as the blood rushed from my head. “Then I guess when this shitshow is finally over, really over Amy, we'll have to find something else to do.”

  “What do you mean?” I shrugged.

  “Like...go throw rocks through Tattletale's window or something?” She let out a snort of laughter. “I don't know, but we can figure that out when the city isn't in danger of being wiped.” That made her flinch.

  “What's--” I clicked my tongue and cut her off.

  “Later, okay?” I glanced up at the corners of the room. “Not safe yet.” Amy stood and nodded, then followed me as I headed to the door.

  “I don't think I've seen you out of costume since...god, before Siberian?” She shook her head.

  “Well, I can't really not be around here,” I replied, turning and leaning against the door. “Especially with the last few days? I'm...not too keen on being a maskless hero, no offense.”

  “None taken,” she said. “Wasn't exactly my choice.”

  “That sucks.” I wasn't sure what else I could say. “I'm gonna go. Try and get some rest, okay Amy?” She smiled down at me.

  “You too, I know you haven't been.” I winced, but gave her a quick hug. “See you around.”

  The hallways were dark, darker than normal between Shatterbird being part of the Undersiders' attack and the moonless night outside. It made the concrete walls, stretching up to windows high above, an eerie sight. It was like a dark cathedral, or a tomb; great comparisons Lia you melodramatic wet cat. Well whatever, my life was a god damn melodrama ever since I'd been unlucky enough to get this fucking safety bubble. Rotten bitch of a passenger. And then there was everything else going on in my hea--

  No, not the time. I got in the elevator and headed straight down to my quarters. The common room was dark, no surprise. With reinforcements due in the early morning, everyone with a home to go to had been allowed the night off. My stomach squirmed, knowing they wouldn't get to enjoy it. At least they'd get some warning before things kicked off. Well, unless Calvert was still alive. I headed into my quarters and checked the clock.

  Midnight...I sighed; either it was safe and I needed to talk or... I pulled out the business card Miss Militia had given me...god, so many lifetimes ago now. It had been sitting in my desk since I moved in here, my dresser drawer before that. This was only the second time I was using it, and I could only hope it would go as well as the last. I grabbed my phone and quickly dialed her number, then sat on my bed, staring into the darkness.

  “Miss Militia,” she answered on the second ring.

  “It's Amaranth,” I replied. “Is Commander Calvert around? I can't get in touch.”

  “What do you need the commander for?”

  “It's urgent.” There was a beat of silence.

  “Please wait a moment.”

  The line 'beep-beeped' as she put me on hold. I tried to ignore my alarm, humming tunelessly to try and drown it out. There were a few ways it could go, at least that I could think of. Worst case scenario was he answered and I had to think of something quick. I could probably go with the truth, at least of what I knew; Noelle would break out and wreak havoc on the city. Dangerous yes, since it put me in his crosshairs as a valuable precog, but there was a good chance it just wouldn't happen with him still alive.

  If he answered, but was...'occupied', then I could assume he was actively fighting Skitter and was going to lose. In that case, my choice was the same as the last option of him never answering at all. We could maybe coordinate a better defence that the story, with some extra warning. Like, surely it wasn't right after Coil bit it that Noelle did her thing, there had to be time for word to travel.

  In a perfect world, I could call Tattletale and warn her so she could handle things but...well, she hadn't done that in the story. The Undersiders would have been the ones to find Noelle missing, them or the Travelers, so that was probably a bust. And of course, I'd been a little busy to warn her about that potential disaster last week so...fuck me.

  “I'm unable to get in contact with Calvert,” Miss Militia came back suddenly, sounding tense. “What's going on, Amaranth?” I couldn't hold back the sigh of relief.

  “Calvert was Coil and he's dead,” I explained, bowling on as she shouted in surprise. “Couldn't say a word in case he pulled some shit. I'm sorry, but right now we have a bigger problem. He had a...someone, a Case 53 you could say, in his basement. She's loose and pissed and a fucking problem.”

  “How can you be certain?” I rolled my eyes.

  “I'll make a sworn statement if I have to, ma'am.” I could actually offer that now without the promise of a basement full of bad trips. “Run it up with whoever, but we need to start assembling people now.”

  “Today's Maste—”

  “We don't have time!” I shouted. “Fuck, I...christ it's fucking midnight so it's not Comanche two-whatever it's like Dene three-nine? God fucking put me in isolation just please listen.” I knew I was panicking, knew that tightness in my chest. It didn't matter, I could finally do something with what little knowledge I had left.

  “Meet in Debrief Two,” she snapped, then hung up.

  The only thing I bothered to grab was my knife, hurriedly stuffing it in the pouch usually reserved for my phone. Taser, pepper spray? What a joke, I was going into a fight that realistically needed to be fought with an atom bomb. Since I was lacking anything more lethal, it would have to do. If Skitter could fight with bugs...

  I sprinted up the stairs, almost eating shit as I tried to take them two at a time. I slowed down, but only so I didn't trip and die or something equally stupid. I ran out into the hallway, almost bowling over an exhausted looking Deputy Director Renick. I didn't bother apologizing, continuing my headlong spring and nearly hitting Miss Militia as I came around the last corner a bit too fast.

  “Inside.” She pointed to a door and we went in. The moment it shut, she whirled on me. “Talk.”

  For once, I was happy to oblige.