I found myself heading toward Cassandra's without really meaning to. And, I asked myself why. I could go anywhere. I could have stuck around with Alfonse at Burke Manor. I could go bug the hell out of Isiah. Eldritch was probably sulking around somewhere. Or, I could be out alone, on some rooftop, staring at the sky and thinking. I should probably have been doing that last one.

But, instead, I was heading to her, a woman I had been on good terms with for only about a week, who before then would have counted as a villain.

My cell phone rang, and I scrambled to dig it out of my coat that I still held under my arm.

"Hello?"

"Where are you, Bush?" spat the voice on the other end, angry, harsh, crazy.

"I could ask the same of you, Simon," I said, pausing, looking around, making sure I wasn't being followed.

"What did you do to her, Bush?"

"Do to who?"

"Tracy!"

"Nothing that she didn't have coming," I said, starting to walk again, starting to jog toward Cassandra's.

A pang in my gut told me to move faster.

"Bullshit!" Simon Cooper shouted, and I could hear the spittle dancing off the receiver of the phone in his hands. "One last chance for honesty, Carter. What did you do to her?"

There was something about his tone, something about his questions that didn't sit well with me.

"What is she saying I did to her?"

I heard a gasp followed by a yelp in the background, female and familiar.

My jog became a sprint very quickly.

"Leave her alone, Simon!" I yelled into my phone.

"Come and fucking get her, Carter," said Simon. "And bring your mask."

And, he hung up.

Damn it.

I ran. But, being on the street wasn't fast enough, didn't feel that way, and too many eyes, too many questions, even this late at night. I turned down an alley, tossed my coat into a dumpster, and leapt onto the fire escape, scrambled up, and broke as soon as I hit the roof, leaping, landing, running again.

That was more like it.

Two blocks to go.

Run, jump, Christ, I'm not fast enough.

Faster.

I pulled my tie off, as I ran, let it go and stream away behind me. I tore at my shirt that clung to my arms, hindered my movement, got in the way, and I tossed it to the side and kept running.

Almost there.

Across the street. I hit the edge of the roof, jumped, knew I'd make the roof of Cassandra's but something stopped me.

Not a cloud in the sky and lightening tore through my body.

I hit the side of the building, bounced off and fell twenty stories into the pavement below.

"How graceful," I heard, as I got to my hands and knees.

Then, there was a quick kick to my face, sending me up and over, onto my back.

"Get up," someone barked at me, and I was more than happy to oblige.

I stood up to see Simon Cooper standing a few yards ahead of me, arms crossed, electricity dancing around his body. Tracy Pine stood a few feet back from him, a wicked grin on her face, while she seemed to be comforting Teapot, crying blood, not even looking at me.

I didn't see Frank Sign, but I knew he was around.

"Where's Cassandra?" I asked.

"You call yourself a hero," spat Simon, as he narrowed his eyes.

A quick punch came across my face, and I turned to see nothing next to me. Frank was running around somewhere, toying with me.

"I thought this wasn't about us anymore, Simon," I said, taking a couple steps back, trying to look around without losing sight of Simon.

"It isn't. Now, it's about what you've done."

I noticed a blur to my right, ten or so feet away, moving ahead of me, behind the small group and then behind a parked car, gone. Shit.

"I'm sorry if my not having sex with Tracy upsets you that much, Simon," I said.

My body suddenly clenched, electricity tearing through my muscles, pulling at them, tearing at my body. And then, it was over. I stumbled but stayed on my feet.

"Don't lie to me, Bush," Simon yelled, and I looked to Tracy, that grin.

"What did you tell him, Tracy?" I asked, my breathing hard, erratic. Not good. "Did you tell him how you sold..."

A punch to my gut followed quick but another across my chin. I reached out and grabbed air, as Frank was gone as quick as he was there.

"No more discussions," said Simon, as he started to walk towards me. "No more talking, no more banter, no more nothing."

"No more anything," I corrected with a smirk. "No more nothing is a double nega..."

Another jolt, another clench, short but effective in shutting me up.

"Where's Cassandra?!" I demanded quick, as soon as my body allowed me to.

I saw the blur, behind them, to the left, coming towards me, quick.

I lashed out, as it was close enough, my first connecting hard.

Frank suddenly appeared, my fist buried in his torso, and I felt his ribs break, his chest wrap around my hand slightly, as he didn't slow down fast enough, his own momentum doing more harm to him than my hit.

The momentum in his legs kept going, pulling him off my hand, under my arm, sending his body tumbling along the street behind me.

"You son of a..." started Simon, but I didn't let him finish, leaping for him, one hand grabbing for his face while the other reached for one of his arms.

Simon brought his free hand up and around my neck, as I tried to burry fingers into his eyes, tried to twist his other arm and turn him, move him.

We fell to the ground, as he sent a shock through me that I tried my damnedest to shrug off, putting all of the force of the fall into my hand on his face, slamming the back of his head hard into the asphalt. I picked his head up and did it again.

"Where's Cassandra!?!" I shouted, as his hand went limp and fell from my neck.

I grabbed Simon's collar and lifted his shoulders up, brought his face to mine.

"Where is she?!"

Simon wasn't talking. Simon couldn't talk. Not when he was unconscious.

I looked up to Tracy and Teapot and got to my feet, advancing toward them. Tracy put herself between me and Teapot, which was fine by me.

I grabbed Tracy Pine by her arms and brought my face close to her's.

"Where is she, goddamnit?"

"She's still upstairs," said Tracy. "Alive but unconscious."

"What did you all do to her?"

"Simon knocked her out," said Tracy.

"You better not be lying to me."

"I delivered Simon and Frank to you, Bush," Tracy said with a smile, as the sound of sirens grew louder, closer. "I've held up my end of the deal."

I hesitated, looked from her to Teapot over her shoulder, still avoiding looking at me, still crying. I looked back to Tracy, and she gave me a smirk.

"Get out of here," I said, letting Tracy go. "Get out of town. Tonight. Or, I can not guarantee you anything."

"There is the other part of the deal."

"Don't test me," I hissed at her through clenched teeth. "Now, get the hell out of here before I change my mind."

Tracy smiled and stepped to me, leaned in, and kissed my cheek but didn't pull away, stayed there, hovered by my ear.

"Go check on your girlfriend, Bush," she said and she pulled back, smiled, took Teapot by the arm, and walked away.

I turned and ran into Cassandra's apartment building.

***

"Cassandra!" I shouted, as I threw her apartment door open and froze.

"Good evening, Jeffery," said Professor William Richmond, as he was helped to his feet from a chair in the living room by his associate, Gallows. A little girl jumped up from the couch and turned to face me, as she stepped to the other side of Professor Richmond. Angela smirked but did not meet my eyes, looking down at her feet.

Richmond was probably older than he looked, which would have made him ancient. He certainly didn't look as well as he did in his days of youth as the villain The Mind. He coughed a bit, as he stood, propped himself on a cane, and turned to face me, all the while with Gallows holding one of his elbows and shoulders to support him.

She glared at me, as she straightened up and placed her hands behind her back, her dark hair held out of her face by berets, falling over the back of her shoulders. Her leather one piece glistened in the light of the room.

"Where's Cassandra?" I asked, clenching my fists.

"She is in her room resting," said Richmond. I started to move, but Richmond held up a hand, and I paused. "She is fine, Jeffery. She was made to sleep, so we could talk."

"Are you working with them?" I asked. "Simon and his gang?"

"What Mister Cooper and his associates do is independent of me, Jeffery," said Richmond.

"You're timing is awfully convenient then."

"My timing is purposeful, Jeffery," said Richmond. "I heard that this would be happening and figured it would be a very opportune time to approach you."

"Is this about The Seven?"

"This goes beyond The Seven, Jeffery. Though, it could impact that as well." He started to walk toward me, slowly, unevenly. Angela started to follow, but Gallows placed a hand on her shoulder and held her back. "Your course of action as of late has piqued my interest. Your moves to empower the people of Pacific City, specifically the police department behind the Mayor's back, are very encouraging."

He paused and coughed again, quick to hold up a hand to tell Gallows to hold off, as she had started to move to him. He cleared his throat and gave me a weak smile.

"Pardon me," he said. "The curse of age is a failing body."

He continued his walk toward me.

"Your moves are a surprise though, Jeffery. I have had my eye on you since you started your career in the heroics, and much of what you have done to this point has been quite predictable. As most of you science heroes are. But, your position in the Mayor's administration and what you have done with it... Well, let's just say life is full of surprises."

"Get to the point," I said, looking from Richmond to Gallows who just remained there, staring at me.

"The point, Jeffery, is that I wish to offer my assistance to you in your efforts to replace the Mayor."

"I'm sorry?"

"The steps you are taking have long term aims, do they not? And, they erode power from the Mayor, putting it back into the hands of the people who will be beholden to you. As time passes, this power will grow as the Mayor's falls, and, in due time, you will be able to remove him."

"That's not my goal."

"Not now, it isn't," said Richmond with a grin. "But, you will see, over time, that you will be able to do it. You're getting the police on your side, Jeffery; you're getting the people on your side. And, one by one, you're getting the city's heroes on your side."

"I'm afraid you're very mistaken, Professor," I said, shaking my head. "There are no sides."

"The sides exist whether or not you can see them, Jeffery. Whom you can trust and whom you can not. Who has your back and who does not. You're preparing the people, Jeffery; you're preparing an army."

"Not to stand against the Mayor."

"Over time, you will find that the Mayor is a major stumbling block to your army's ability to do what you want it to.

"Romanov is not strong enough to stand against the return of the Imperial Magistrate."

"What?"

"And, you will find that he is in the way of your ability to make this city strong enough to stand up to her. To make your army strong enough. To make yourself strong enough."

"You know an awful lot of nothing, Willie."

"I know that, if this city is to survive the Imperial Magistrate's return and vengeance, then you must be stronger than you are now. That you must continue to be tested to reach your full potential if she is to be stopped."

"Tested?"

"What Mister Cooper and his group do is beyond my control, Jeffery. But, the blame for their existence can be put at my feet."

I took a step toward him, but Gallows moved as well, and Richmond held a hand up again to stop her. I paused too. He was in no condition to put up much of a fight if I wanted one, but she was. And, that he called her off...

"What Mister Cooper and company did after their formation, their specific acts, was entirely outside of my control, and I did not anticipate the extent of what they might do."

"You empowered a bunch of science villains," I said. "What the hell did you expect?"

"I expected them to come for you, Jeffery. And for you to defeat them. As you have."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better about it?"

"No, it simply must be said, so you can understand what I am trying to do here. Do to you, Jeffery. For you.

"You are capable of great things, Jeffery. Behind the mask as well as outside of it. Physically as well as mentally. In order for you to reach this potential, you must be pushed and forced along."

I stepped forward and grabbed Richmond's collar, as he again held up a hand to keep Gallows back. I heard Angela gasp, as I lifted Richmond off the ground and pulled him close to my face.

"I will not be fucking toyed with," I hissed.

"Nor do I want to toy with you, Jeffery. My goal is to help you become what you need to be if the Imperial Magistrate is to be stopped."

"I don't need your help," I said, resisting the urge to drop him and just setting him back on his feet.

"You have no choice in the matter, Jeffery."

"Bullshit."

"Of the infinite number of possible outcomes along this current timeline, the most favorable to all involved requires further training," Richmond said.

"Training? Is that what you call the blowing up of a hundred and twenty people? Training?!"

"Like I've said, I had no control over..."

"Bullshit, Richmond. That's out and out bullshit. You said you made them, you had total control over them, but you chose not to stop them."

"I would appreciate it if you would watch your language around my granddaughter, Jeffery."

I clenched my teeth and looked from him to Angela briefly.

Damn it.

"But, if that is your belief, Jeffery, if you do believe that I had control over them, then what do you intend to do about it?"

I looked back to Richmond for a moment and then to Gallows who was tense, raring to go. She wanted a fight.

"I'm turning you in," I said, looking back to Richmond who just smiled.

"Then, you're going to need this," he said, as he turned to Gallows who reached into a pouch at her hip.

She pulled out a latex mask and threw it to me. I caught it and looked at it in my hands and my stomach dropped. George W. Bush's crumpled rubber reproduction looked back up to me with empty eyes.

"Put it on," Gallows said, a smile spreading across her face.