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“You’re right,” Legend sighed, “It would be a heavy burden for a good heroine. So it’s up to you. You decide if Madcap joins the Protectorate or not. I won’t judge you if you say no.”
“In that case, I say no.” I clenched my jaw, trying not to smirk as Madcap frowned. I mean, what did he expect? I’d spent months tracking, researching, and fighting this asshole, and knew how horrible he really was. “He’s like a fox, begging some farmers to let him guard the henhouse, with blood and feathers still on his fur. This is just a game to him, and I’m not playing.”
“It’s not a game, Puppy.” He widened his eyes, voice filled with faked horror as he tried to pretend he had an ounce of kindness or regret in him. I wasn’t buying it, not the least of which because the effort was completely ruined by that stupid pet name he’d given me. “I really do want to change. I want to be a better person, and only you can teach me right from wrong!”
“You had six years and a hundred felonies to learn that. Because of you, dozens of criminals escaped justice to hurt thousands of people. Do you even care how many families suffered because of your actions?” I stood and leaned towards him over the interrogation room table, glad he was foamed up to his shoulders and unable to get away. “I do, and I promised them that you’d pay. I’ve spent months studying your methods, tracking your every move, and today we-”
“That’s the reason you would be best for this, Battery.” Legend interrupted me, and it took a herculean effort to keep myself from snapping at him. Legend’s optimism and kindness was...well, legendary. But this wasn’t the time for it, and it was throwing me off my game. “You know him better than anyone. You could make sure he keeps to the terms of this probation, and if it doesn’t work out then you’d be right there to take him down.”
“Why wait? I can tell you right now that this isn’t going to work.” I moved away from the table, grimacing as I saw the one-way mirror. Not just because Madcap was making faces at me behind Legend’s back, but because I remembered this was being recorded. “Did you miss the part where he said that this was all to channel his sadistic impulses and irritate the piss out of me? Or when he literally asked you to offer me up like some kind of sacrifice? He’s playing us!”
“I understand that this would be a huge undertaking, but you wouldn’t be alone.” Legend stood, moving to block Madcap from my view, and held out a hand as if offering me a lifeline. “You’d be promoted to the Protectorate early, get a sizable raise, and we’d support you every step of the way. Please, take a moment. Give it more thought before just turning it down, okay?”
Was he joking? What the fu…wait. What did Dad always say about reading between the lines?
I mean, this is Legend, no way he’d just throw me to the wolves. What was I missing?
Maybe this was all some kind of test, to see if I was really ready to graduate from the Wards a few months early? Director Wilkins had called me into her office yesterday to set this whole thing up, and Legend had been there. They’d both talked about how dedicated I was, and had offered me Legend and a full squad of PRT agents to go after Madcap. Sure seemed like a test.
On the other hand, the way he kept asking me to take my time and think things through made me wonder if we were supposed to be stalling for time. Looking at us from the outside, we kind of had a Good Cop, Bad Cop dynamic going on. But why would Legend want to buy time? We had Madcap dead to rights, his power was handy but not worth all this trouble.
Hmm, Dad had once told me about a marathon interrogation he’d done with his old partner, where they kept stringing a suspected serial killer along for hours. The guy loved to talk about himself, and they’d played him like a fiddle. All of it was to give the rest of their squad time to track down the man’s murder shack, and to get his ex-wife to flip on him.
Director Wilkins had mentioned just before we came in here that she was sending some agents to look into Madcap’s background. He’d refused to give a name, even with the Birdcage hanging over his head, so we’d nabbed his fingerprints and DNA while he was out cold. He’d spent years working for all kinds of crooks, and had even said a few minutes ago that he had enemies and paranoid ex-customers in his shady past. They’d find something...we just needed to buy time.
“Oh, okay. I think I understand what you’re trying to say.” I shared a smile with Legend, and could see Madcap’s face twist in confusion through the mirror. He obviously knew I was up to something, so I laid it on even thicker. “There are just so many details to consider, I got a little overwhelmed. New city, all the rebranding for Madcap, having to make up some story about where this guy came from...there’s a lot going on and it all just hit me at once.”
“Oh, I’ve got the perfect name already, don’t worry about that part.” Madcap piped up, and Legend stepped aside so I could see him. “Assault! Get it? Like Assault and Battery, haha!”
“Wow, that’s a heck of a name.” I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to yell at him for perverting the meaning of my name. The persona I’d built for myself, utterly ruined because of a villain’s joke. Maybe it was time for a strategic retreat, since they were both waiting on my answer to move forward. “Legend, I’m going to step outside for a moment.”
“I’m thinking that we can get matching costumes as well. That circuitry thing is cute and all, but once you’re an adult hero you should have something a bit less kiddy.” Madcap kept talking, as if I wasn’t even part of the conversation. I had to stop myself from ripping the door off its hinges in my rush to get away, but still heard him add, “I’m thinking lots of leather and cleav-”
Finally free to express myself, I ran down the hall and kicked the wall as hard as I could.
Really glad I let Clay talk me into getting reinforced boots, barely felt that.
Shame about that wall, but it had metal reinforcement.
I was still pissed, so I kept kicking it.
***
Soon I was leaning against the remains of the wall, both hands pressed to it as I stared down at the floor. It was covered in big chunks of drywall, and I was trying not to think about how much it would cost to fix the damage I’d done. Instead, my mind was on how much of a coward I was being.
I couldn’t bring myself to go back inside, and felt like I was letting Legend down by hiding out here. How the hell had Dad put up with a serial killer for hours? I’d barely lasted five minutes and was ready to beat one of the reinforced practice dummies in the gym into dust!
If this was a test, then I was failing miserably. Worse, if this wasn’t a test, then...no, don’t think about that. This had to be a test, no way Legend would be crazy enough to-
“Tough day?” I was so focused on my own problems that I nearly took a swing at the PRT analyst who had appeared beside me. It was a good thing I was so tired from beating the wall into submission, or I might have taken his head off. As it was, he held a folder out like it was a shield, cringing back from my glare. “Here’s everything we found on Madcap. Um...good luck!”
I barely caught the folder as he handed it off, then opened it up and started reading. Damn, I’d have to bring in donuts for the analyst team, this was amazing work. I mean, I had guessed some of it, but this was still more than I expected them to find in an hour...
“Hey. Is that the preliminary report? Mind if I take a look?” Damn, I must have really been off my game, now Legend was sneaking up on me as well. Embarrassed, I wordlessly handed him the folder. I had reordered it to put the juicy stuff first, and saw his eyes bug out a little. “Wait, he had how much cocaine in his apartment?”
“Sixteen kilos. Some of his clients were paying him with drugs, guns, and contraband.” I left out the collection of mint-condition pornography that had been in the safe, as well as a few other things that made me feel dirty just knowing about them. The creep had clothes sized for children hidden in a closet...I shuddered just thinking about it. “They’re still checking them for DNA, but hopefully we can track down his clients more easily this way. Or his victims, with the clothes.”
“Disgusting.” The hero pursed his lips, flipping through the pictures of a run-down apartment that looked ransacked. I had wondered if it was always like that, or if his partners had just run when they heard he’d been nabbed. “Guess his pals got worried when their jailbreak specialist friend didn’t burst out of prison like a jack in the box. We’ll get them eventually, I’m sure.”
“Gotta admit, I’m kind of let down to find out that he was just another thug. With his whole ‘fight the justice system’ thing I expected a lot more history.” I snagged a page from the folder, quietly reading off what little info they’d managed to find on Madcap himself. “Ethan Jones, 21 years old, with a string of vandalism charges, solicitation, and petty thefts up until 2001, when he fell off the grid.”
“Probably when he triggered, judging by the date Madcap made his first appearance.” Legend nodded, leafing through the rest of the folder, then sighed and closed it. He looked tired, and I felt like he was getting ready to hand down judgement. “Look, Battery. About Madcap-”
If this really was a test, this would be the point where he told me how badly I failed. If it wasn’t, if he really was serious about forcing me to work with that monster despite all the evidence in front of us, then this would be the moment I lost all respect for him.
Either way, I needed to tell him something, and make one last attempt to salvage this.
“No, wait. Before you say anything, I need to get this off my chest.” I stepped back and tried to look anywhere but his face. The damaged wall came to my rescue, and I focused on it instead of the embarrassing words pouring from my heart. “When you and Director Wilkins pulled me aside to talk yesterday, I was so sure that you were going to chew me out. I mean, I’m dedicated as hell, but also kinda obsessed with catching Madcap. But instead of stopping me, you helped.”
I crossed my arms and hunched my shoulders as I felt his eyes follow me. I should have just stopped there, but what he was about to say may very well have changed my life forever. If he was about to potentially tear my heart out, I wanted him to see it first. To know what was in it.
“It was like a God was smiling on me, or all my good karma had finally come to fruition...or maybe an angel had come down from heaven and offered me his sword.” My beliefs were a mish-mash of ideas built over the years. Dad and his friends, my martial arts instructors, and even a few books. Feeling embarrassed, I blurted out, “Madcap is...he’s why I have powers. He’s why I became a hero...for my family and all the people that he hurt. You made my dream come true, and if you really think that I should do this...then...I…I’m sorry...If you think...”
I choked, cursing myself for losing it right at the end. I hated the idea of working with Madcap, and the folder I’d read just now only reinforced what I was thinking. I knew that this was a mistake, but wasn’t that just me being selfish? Hadn’t I suffered through pain, failure, and defeat for months to get here? Was my pride and safety really more important than-
“No, Battery.” I felt Legend’s arms around me, and then I was crying into the chest of one of the most powerful men on the planet. His lasers could crush buildings, ignore physics, and freeze tidal waves, but all I could think was how strong and solid he felt. “I’m the one who’s sorry.”
I tried to tell him that it was okay, but only managed to dribble snot and hot tears on his (formerly) pristine white chest. I started to try and wipe it away, but he waved me off and pulled a handkerchief from somewhere. It had his logo on it, and let me hide my face from him.
“I guess I’ve always been too optimistic for my own good, trying to see the best in people no matter how bad they may be. All the Endbringer fights and S-class threats, when we all put our differences aside, to fight a common foe...it’s hard to leave that behind.” Legend paused, and his whisper got even quieter as he admitted something as much to me as to himself. “I had hoped that this could be Madcap’s chance to redeem himself...but...”
“But that’s not how redemption works.” My voice was a little raspy, but I picked up where Legend had left off. “You have to regret your actions, acknowledge your mistakes, learn to be better, grow as a person, and know that every day your old habits and mistakes will haunt you. Madcap though, he doesn’t want any of that. He doesn’t care. He just wants a Get Out of Jail Free card.”
One of Dad’s friends was a probation officer, and he always lamented the fact that our justice system didn't put more effort into helping people after they got out. We had talked about this sort of thing before, him making sure I understood the people I was going to be encountering and the troubles they faced. It had led to some interesting discussions with my fellow Wards, but I never imagined that I’d be debating it with the leader of the Protectorate!
“Do you know why I came to you for this mission, instead of just handling it myself?” Legend’s voice was gentle, but I still felt a bit of panic even though the hallway had been clear for a while. It felt like the whole world’s eyes were on me, and I shook my head. “Because every report in the PRT database on Madcap has more than doubled in size since you became a Ward. Extra details, psych evaluations from people connected to your father, pictures, maps, and more.”
“Well, like I said, I’m a little obsessed.” I blushed and stepped back, even as I felt the warm glow of pride. I glanced at the folder in his hands. “Half the stuff in there was more confirmation than anything else. It feels great to know that I was right, that he really was as bad as I thought.”
“I know, I saw that. I’m so proud of you, but at the same time...I feel a little ashamed.” He handed me the folder, smiling sadly. “You’d know better than anyone what’s going on in his head, and I came this close to pressuring you into throwing that all aside for my ideals. I’m sorry, Battery. You deserve to be treated better than that, and I hope you can forgive me.”
He sounded so heartfelt, and all I could think about was the vast gulf of power between us. Not just his reputation, lasers, or clout, but the fact that he could have forced me to work with Madcap. That wasn’t happening, though. Instead, he was putting my needs first, and it just…
It just broke me, all over again. Pretty soon the handkerchief was a snotty, damp mess, and the second one he pulled out (seriously, did he have a Handkerchief-creating Laser?) soon followed. The third one went in my pocket, barely damp.
After getting another hug from the awesome hero, I felt better than ever. Suddenly all the suffering and anxiety was like a distant memory, and together we talked about the future.
Then we re-entered the interrogation room, ready to deal out some long overdue justice.
Minutes ago I’d thought today was going to be the worst day of my life…
But instead, we were going to make sure it was Madcap’s.
***
“So, you got some paperwork for me to sign, or are we…” Madcap trailed off, taking in my red eyes, and grinning even wider. I ignored his reaction as best I could, moving around the table to his side. "Oh ho! I see Daddy Legend had to remind you who's in charge, eh? Gave you a little spanking, Puppy? Don’t worry, I forgive you. Now, how about we kiss and make-”
“Madcap.” With a single word, Legend shut the villain up, a trick I hoped that he’d teach me someday. “After further consideration, I have decided to retract my offer to allow you to join the Protectorate. You're going to the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center. Director Wilkins has already filled out the paperwork, and you’ll be leaving as soon as your ride gets here.”
“Wh-buh...no! No, you can't do that!” Madcap looked back and forth between us, squirming in his foam prison. “Please, Puppy! I mean, Battery! I was only joking around, I wasn't really going to do all that stuff. I just wanted to mess with you, it's who I am!”
“Well, I'm sure the other Birdcage residents will love your sense of humor." I looked down at one of the handkerchiefs, purposefully ignoring him as he tried to catch my eye. “Many of them ended up there because they thought hurting people was funny. I'm sure you'll get along great.”
“Come on! I have enemies in there, people who will kill me in a hot second if you do this. Stop being such a little bit-” I jammed the handkerchief in his mouth, then turned and started to leave the room. Behind me, I heard him spit it out, and scream. “Please! I’m begging you! I’ve got a-”
Suddenly he went silent, and I turned to see that his lips were still moving. He looked around in confusion, mouth wide as he silently screamed, and then turned his gaze on the other hero in the room. Legend, I noticed, had one hand raised and a slight rippling in the air around it.
“You have a Silence Laser?” I gasped, waving at Legend’s hand, then scoffing as he nodded once. His other hand came up and he fired a laser at the villain’s face, a purple beam that left the villain unconscious a few seconds later. “Knockout Laser? Why didn’t you use that before?”
“It has to hit someone in both eyes to work, and his mask made that a pretty tough shot.” He explained, standing aside as a trio of PRT agents rushed into the room. They loaded Madcap onto a cart, as if he was nothing more than cargo, and rushed off with him. “Wanna go upstairs and watch his send-off? I think we could both use a bit of fresh air, anyway.”
“Sure! Hey, how many lasers do you have, anyway?” I waited as he signed some papers and handed the folder back to one of the analysts. Together we made for the elevator, and I started nervously babbling. “I mean, I know about a dozen of them, but those two were new.”
“How about we make a game of it?” He grinned at me, and I wondered just what he was getting at. “Starting now, you can ask once a week about a laser type that you think I don’t have. If you get one, then I’ll try to make it work and let you come up with the name I use.”
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped out to see the most beautiful sight. Not just New York’s skyline and an amazing sunset, but someone I hadn’t expected to see today.
“See, I was originally going to call a helicopter, but based on your notes I was pretty sure Madcap knew at least two fliers who would try to bust him out.” Legend explained, stepping forward and holding out a hand. He turned after his handshake, and waved for me to join them. “Luckily, Alexandria had some free time, and is one transport nobody’s going to stop.”
I barely said a word, afraid that I’d embarrass myself, and just accepted a handshake from the strongest woman in the world. She praised me for my hard work, said she was looking forward to working with me, and...I didn’t really catch the rest over my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest. Before I knew it, she was flying off wearing a cargo harness with Madcap in it.
Then we were in the elevator, and I was mumbling about how I wanted to just sleep for a week. Of course, my teammates had heard about our victory over evil, and threw one hell of a surprise party. The moment the elevator doors opened on the Wards level, they were all over me.
I managed to tell the story a couple times, accept hugs and handshakes from every Ward in New York, and even snuck away to tell Dad the good news. He started crying, talking about maybe retiring, and that set me off as well. I felt closer to him than ever, and so happy.
I fell asleep watching a video file that Dragon had sent me of Madcap being loaded into an elevator, Alexandria nearby with a small smile on her face. The villain was still screaming silently, foam cracking as he panicked...and then the doors shut on him.
He was gone. It was finally over. I slept like a baby, for the first time in years.
In the months that followed, I worked with a newfound resolve alongside my fellow heroes. The network of informants and experts I had built grew, and together we tried to track down the villains and criminals Madcap had freed. Most had left New York, especially once they heard that their jailbreak specialist buddy was gone for good. But by then, I had bigger fish to fry.
Soon I was in the Protectorate, working with Legend so much that people joked about me being after his job. They weren't entirely wrong, but I was in no rush to get there. I had new heroes to train, places in need of help, and so many villains to fight. Every day was a new adventure!
One day, I found myself being summoned to the familiar hallways of the interrogation rooms. I’d been happy to get the call, since it meant I could escape Prism’s endless attempts to get me to make a dating profile. She meant well, but I felt kind of bad turning her down all the time.
I was always so busy with my work, training, and teaching; I never had time for things like hobbies and romance. I had left her apartment, promising that when the universe was ready for me to settle down it would send me a message of some kind. We’d both laughed at that...
I really should have known better than to tempt fate.
***
“So, what are we looking at here, Keith?” I crossed my arms, glaring through the observation window at the little hellion that had caused all this trouble. I wasn’t great with kids, and this one in particular rubbed me the wrong way...because he looked like him . “Clone? Time-traveler? Maybe some sort of deal with the devil, but they only paid half the cost and got half a demon?”
“Not a clone, the tinkers already checked and didn’t find any exotic particles, and...that last one was oddly specific.” Keith smirked, probably having heard the gossip about my recent activities. “Sounds like something from that movie the Wards were all talking about last week. Actually, I heard a rumor that they got you to watch a marathon with them, don’t tell me you’re a fan now?”
“I’d already seen the first movie and told them I hated it, but they said I had to see the sequels to truly understand the director’s ‘deep philosophy’ and vision.” I made quotes with my hands, leaving out the fact that I’d only joined them because it had been our newest Ward who had been leading the charge. He’d come a long way since we’d picked him up, and the fact that he was willing to stand up to me and calmly ask me to watch the other two...well, a bit of positive reinforcement couldn’t hurt. “Turns out they were made on a shoestring budget, and everyone kept telling the director he was a failure. Dumb trilogy, but props to Ed Wood for not giving up.”
“Well, I think we can cross demons off the list, unless you want me to call Myrddin in here to try an exorcism. Honestly, your closest guess was the clone thing, and only because of genetics.” Keith gestured at the boy we had foamed up to his shoulders, giving me an uncomfortable sense of deja vu. “We just got the report back, and DNA puts him as either being Madcap’s son or his little brother. Given their respective ages, I'm leaning towards the latter.”
“No kidding. Besides, the idea of someone having a kid with that guy is just...” Sure, Ethan had been a little bit attractive, but his personality was so toxic someone would've needed Stockholm syndrome to last more than a few dates with him. “Speaking of laughter, my guess for this week is a Tickle Laser. Got one?”
Without a word, Legend pointed his finger at me and a wavy green beam zapped me in the ribs. I burst into laughter, nearly collapsing against the glass as a feeling of intense mirth flooded my brain. It only lasted a few seconds, but I glared at him as I wiped my eyes.
“Damn, really thought I had you with that one. Why haven’t you ever used it in battle?”
“The PRT said that since it affects the mind, it might make people uncomfortable. I tried to argue that killing people with kindness is sort of my brand, but they vetoed it.” He grinned, lowering his voice. “One time, I zapped Alexandria with it in training. She told me that she’d rip my arm off if I ever used it on her again. Hero loved it though...always said it was better than a cup of coffee.”
I snorted, shaking my head as he handed me a thin folder, one of nearly a dozen he’d brought in here with him. They were all different colors for some reason, but this one was stamped with the NYPD’s logo as well as the PRT’s. “Here’s what we have on him. It’s not much, unfortunately.”
Let’s see...he was about 14 years old, reddish brown hair, brown eyes, no birth certificate, and claimed his name was...Ethan. Of course. Always managed to escape from any orphanage he was placed in. Vandalism, petty theft, and...wait, what?
“Hold on, how’d a basketball game end with him foamed and in an interrogation room?”
“According to witnesses, Ethan was challenging people to beat him at PIG for twenty bucks and trash talking a lot. One guy punched him, then got launched across the street and through a window for his trouble. The kid started bouncing away, but must have only had his powers for a little while because he kept tripping and falling. Helper and Standstill were on a date nearby, and she stopped him long enough for the PRT to catch up and apply some foam.”
“So he’s got powers already.” I felt an icy pit open up in my stomach, and suddenly all the humor left the room. All I could think about was the last thing Madcap had said…
Please! I’m begging you! I’ve got a-
If we’d waited a few more seconds, would that have been I’ve got a kid depending on me? Was his apartment ransacked and empty because a kid had clumsily had to run away from home after seeing his big brother get arrested? Were those his clothes that we found, and not a child that Ethan had victimized? Could we have prevented a trigger, probably from his hard life on the streets of New York, if we’d been there to take care of him?
“You can’t blame yourself. I’m sure you’re asking the same questions I did, but we can’t dwell on the past.” Legend seemed to have already run through this line of thought, and rested a hand on my shoulder. I sighed, but didn’t stop him as he continued. “The best thing we can do is focus on right now, and look to the future. Ethan’s willing to join the Wards, but there’s a catch.”
“Of course there is.” I sighed, wondering if Madcap was laughing at us in Hell. The idiot had died less than a week into his stay in the Birdcage. Dragon had said that he was talking to Glaistig Uaine about something, putting his arm around her shoulders as they rounded a corner. Next time she saw him, he was see-through. “Let me guess, he has some concessions?”
“Yeah, he said that he wants to talk to the woman who caught his big brother. Said he wants you to adopt him, but given your age and that reaction just now, I'm guessing you’re not a fan of that option?”
I hadn’t been able to hide the sudden shudder that ran through me, and Keith was kind enough not to comment further on it. It was kind of a running joke that I was universally bad with kids, even after all my practice training Wards. It wasn’t that I hated them, but just that I’d been so focused growing up...I’d never really developed anything like a social life or hobbies. I couldn’t make small talk to save my life, and barely used my apartment for anything other than sleeping.
“Now, this time I know better than to try and talk you into it, so instead I’m just going to go have a chat with him.” Legend’s voice cut into my self-recrimination, and I shook myself out of it. He pointed a thumb at the door. “Why don’t you get some air, and I’ll see if I can change his mind? He’s barely a teenager, and according to online polls I’m pretty hip with the kids.”
“Thanks.” I hugged the older hero, flashing back for a moment to the first time I’d done it. Blubbering like a child, crying and oozing snot on his chest, how embarrassing! I’d come a long way since those days, and idly tried to remember the last time I’d even cried. “I just need some time to consider things, think about the future. It’s a lot to take in, you know?”
“Take your time.” He waved the multicolored folders at me, smiling like a game show host. “We’ve got a dozen places he can go that either have room for a Ward or would be a good environment for someone with his powers. Plenty of good foster parents in them, as well.”
I barely paid attention to Keith’s parting comment, and soon I was shouldering open the door to the roof.
Someone screamed and nearly fell over, the door missing them by inches.
So much for some time to myself...
***
It took me a few seconds to recognize Oliver catching his breath, adjusting the visor he wore since most masks fell off when his face changed. He recovered faster than I expected, and soon we were chatting like it was just another evening. Like we were old friends catching up on each others’ lives, instead of a Protectorate hero and a former villain who she used to barely tolerate.
How long ago had Oliver been a nervous wreck, scared and feeling alone after his friends had abandoned him while escaping New York? We’d only found them because one of my homeless informants had told me about a monster that was eating their friends. Forty people had vanished overnight, and we brought the full might of the New York PRT down on the so-called Travelers.
Those villains didn’t stand a chance, and even when they tried to escape we didn’t let up.
Oliver and his friend Francis had been injured, their teammates forced to leave them behind as they fled west. Francis kept claiming that his friends were coming back for him, and we’d had Strider move him to the Parahuman Asylum after we realized just how disturbed he was. Even months later he was still pretty messed up, but Doctor Yamada claimed he was getting better.
Oliver was a different story. At first I’d just written him off as another villain who wanted to avoid the Birdcage, but in the weeks that followed I began to see a different side of him. The boy was honest to a fault, it made me wonder how he’d fallen in with such a murderous crowd. We gave him a chance...letting him join the Wards as a probationary member, and he’d come so far.
I felt a little bad seeing him now, so calmly listening to my woes and worries, a far cry from the person I’d once thought him to be. His power had let him absorb such knowledge and skill in the fields of psychology and therapy, all because he wanted to help his friend Francis. It was no wonder he called himself Helper, given that he was practically the living embodiment of charity.
Our conversation was interrupted by Standstill, carrying popcorn, sodas, and a blanket...as well as blushing when she realized I was on the roof as well. More than any of the others, she had put herself out there to help Oliver settle in, and now the two were more than just friends. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but they seemed happy, so I left them to enjoy the sunset.
Oliver called out an apology that he hadn’t been able to help me, but I waved it off because he was wrong. Talking to him, seeing what he’d become with our help, had told me all I needed to know. I didn’t need to be some kind of expert on child psychology or anything, I just had to be prepared to help. With that in mind, I headed back downstairs to right a wrong.
A few minutes later, I was standing in the observation room again, having signaled Keith via my phone on the way. He entered, looking tired and concerned, slumping into a chair.
“He’s fine with all the locations, but refuses to give up on having you be a part of his life. Says he wants that in his contract...that wherever you go, he follows. I think he's really lonely and scared, trying to hide it behind bravado and jokes like...well, you know who. I'm sorry, but this was the best I could do.”
“It’s fine, Keith. I’ve thought about it, and I think he needs someone to guide him. I want to make sure that he has a chance to be better than Madcap, and hopefully someday he'll thank us for it. Even if not, it's an opportunity kids like Oliver and so many other Wards have appreciated, and some never even get to experience.”
I didn’t entirely believe the words coming out of my mouth, but they felt right. In a way, this was my chance to finally tackle a problem that I’d never had to solve before. My failures would make me stronger, and my success would lead to greater heights. Plus, the thought of Madcap angrily howling at us from Hell as I raised his little brother to be a hero was the sweetest kind of revenge.
“Oh. Oh! Well, in that case, pick your new home.” He handed me the folders, and I turned to spread them out on the table behind us. One by one, I flipped them open, feeling like a kid in a candy shop with so many options. “Since we’re already making him a birth certificate and ID, we can go ahead and make one for you as well. On the off chance that this is some kind of trick on his part, it’ll make sure he can’t spread your real identity as vengeance or something.”
“Sure, I guess I’ll go with...Jamie.” I held back a smirk, not wanting to explain that it was a fake name I’d used before. Halfway through filling out my new information, my phone buzzed and I glanced down at it. There was a text message, one with a font that was oddly familiar…
For your third favor: Take the blue folder, housing location three. Good luck, Jamie.
A few moments later, the text deleted itself. Their first favor had gotten me into the Wards, and the second favor had resulted in my contact in the same homeless community that helped us recruit Oliver. I decided to give the people who had sold me powers the benefit of the doubt.
Blue folder...oh. Well, it certainly wasn’t my first choice, but I guess if I was going to learn how to be a mother there was no better place to start. At least I’d be surrounded by other people in my situation, so if I screwed up they could pick up my slack...nah, I was worrying over nothing. This would be no different than any other challenge I’d faced, how hard could raising a teenager be?
Not long after, we headed into the interrogation room. By now Ethan had been freed from foam, changed into a PRT sweatsuit, and was rubbing his face with a towel as we shut the door.
When he saw me there was a brief flash of annoyance, and then a hauntingly familiar grin.
He laughed, and it was his laugh, but I just smiled right back.
I'd make this kid into a hero yet, just watch!
End...for now.
*****************
EDIT: I actually came back to this 2+ years after the fact and edited the ending to make the kid Madcap's little brother, as well as setting up the concept of Battery mentoring him. It somehow slipped my mind that she was only about 20, had no experience as a parent, and was a terrible option as far as parents went considering Madcap was her nemesis. Anyway, previous notes follow, now that I have a few new ideas on how I'd write this...someday.
AN: This idea was inspired by wondering how things would have gone if Battery and Madcap’s ages had been flipped in canon. If she (adult) was being made to work with him (teenager), and the whole romance angle had been removed entirely, how would have changed their development? Maybe she could have changed him into a better person, rather than being slowly worn down by his advances. In the end, I went with a plot where she was encountering his younger brother after Madcap was in the Birdcage, and wanted to give the boy a chance to be better than his "hundred felonies in six years" older brother.
Battery’s powers are already well-defined and the kid's could go several ways, but I think I'm leaning more towards something akin to Speedball from Marvel's New Warriors (before all that edgy Penance nonsense). But more than that, I liked the idea of having a kid who was used to being selfish, conniving, and putting lessons from Ethan ahead of anything the law tells him. Meanwhile, Battery wants to find a way to balance her life and new goals with a kid she suddenly feels responsible for, and try to “fix” him.
The stuff with Oliver and Standstill came from three places. First, because the Travelers were in New York at one point and Noelle ate 40 people in one night, so I can see Battery taking part in trying to hunt them down. Second, because it’s an interesting thought to me of how the group of Travelers would be without Trickster leading them, and Oliver deserves a chance to be happy. Finally, I wanted a character that could inspire Battery to step up, and Oliver was in the right place around the right time...and is a pretty decent guy when you get him away from Trickster and the others.
...but despite that, if this were a full story I feel like I might end up removing the Oliver and Standstill parts, since the inspiration to be a better "parent" should come from an actual parent, not some kid she just met. A lot of this oneshot feels more tell than show to me, and I rather like the idea of her calling up her father (and mother, maybe) to ask for advice as she deals with teenager problems that she mostly skipped over. Of course, that also depends where they end up...which leads me to wonder: when and where?
My first thought it to set this story in the Summer of 2010, San Diego, because I LOVE the Wards Training Camp. Battery could be a teacher there, and she'd get support from the others. I already wrote the start of a story set there (called Whetstone, specifically), and could definitely see making this a side-story to that. Another option would be to send them to Brockton, and still another would be to just stay in New York, in one of the smaller Wards locations. Plenty of options.
Anyway, I’m just going to leave it here for now, and we’ll see what the future holds. I'll admit, the main reason I posted it like this was because I have another story I'm working on, and kept finding myself coming back to this one instead. So now it can hang out here for a bit, until I'm ready to work on it.