There was a moments pause as she reflected ohing in front of her. Her instinctive sense of uny began throwing up red fgs. She sidered drawing out Firestorm and just iing it. Kill it with fire. Yeah, that was a good idea. She straightened a little and her fiwitched, the power slipping out of her warehouse. She was feelier enough that she could torch this thing with impunity.

  It-he seemed to notice the shift in atmosphere. The man’s arms flopped a bit for a moment, like a puppet on a string, before it entered a more dramatic bow. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Charon. I’m starting a business and you are actually my first er, hopefully.”

  Sonya’s nose wri the disturbing way the body moved and how, now that she got a better look, the voice came out even if the man’s lips didn’t move. Was it a… corpse? “What kind of business?” She asked hesitantly.

  “A taxi service, for vilins, miss…?” The dead thing said, trailing off in hopes of getting her name.

  Sonya blinked, “...iing,” She said, a small smile ing to her face behind the mask. “That’s not a bad idea. I take it you aren’t actually here?”

  “he body said, “This is just a puppet, a very talented puppet. He’s an excellent driver, I promise. I offer anonymity, privacy, and a fortable trip in one of my taxis. Would you like a sample of my services?”

  The way he talked, he sounded like he was trying to sound more sophisticated thaually was. He kept slipping into a more casual tone before… Was this guy reading from a script? Her lip twitched a little. She’d seen the car drive just fine so it wasn’t like she didn’t believe that the puppet could haeering well enough. Still, she hesitated, “You’ll five me if I doly trust you, Charon.” She said.

  “No offense, dy,” The vilin behind the puppet said, “But with a creepy voice like that and your spooky outfit, you don’t strike me as the most trustworthy person in the world either. Just saying.”

  She pursed her lips, okay, that retty fair point and it wasn’t like she felt threatened by some zombie. She also really o get home. “Free sample huh? How far you take me?”

  “Anywhere iy, once, and I’ll give you my taformation afterwards if you’re a good er. I’ve had some bad experiences with vilins in the back seat,” Charon admitted. “So what do you say?”

  Sonya sighed, “Fine,” she rattled off an interse near her apartments, she wasn’t stupid enough to give him her exact address. She’d watch him after he dropped her off, so long as he didn’t try anything stupid, and figure out where he lived or at the very least monitor his activities until she was sure he didn’t reveal anything. If he passed that little test, she might sider him to be something of an asset in himself, though she’ll o pin him down for a tract for certain.

  The zombified driver gestured dramatically into the taxi and she slipped inside, holding on tightly to her duffle bag. There was no fuss, just the sound of the door shutting silently behihe seats were… remarkably fortable. She was a little surprised. She leaned bad let out a breath as the driver got ba and the vehicle began to move. After that, nothing happened. Not a word from the driver, not even a gnce ba her dire. She enjoyed some pead quiet until they arrived at the interse and the driver stepped out to open the door for her. In his hand was a bnk business card with a phone number written sloppily on it.

  She g it and took it, “That leasant. Thank you, Charon.”

  The zombified driver tilted his hat, “I aim to please, ma’am. Have a good evening.”

  With that, he just left. She watched him go with no small amount of curiosity on her face. Very iing. She thought and looked across the street, up at her apartment. There was a light still on. They’re waiting for me. She grumbled and slipped into an alley to ge. Ba clothes she pulled hands of the healer out and to her relief felt ance. A few moments ter, fully healed, she went home.

  It was nearly daybreak when she opehe door. Amos was sitting at the kit ter, eating breakfast. Marta was asleep on the couch, Sonya could see her hair hanging off the side. Amos looked up at her and then down again, examining her without a word. He sipped the milk from his cereal bowl a down. “Got ahat a dungeon closed a little over an ho,” He said simply.

  “Yeah,” Sonya responded, setting the duffle bag on the ter. He g it and up at her again, raising an eyebrow. “Took a few hits. Need my suit repaired. Helmet should be fi might want to give it a look over as well.”

  He stared at her, “You went alone?”

  She tilted her head, “Yeah?”

  He leaned back, bewildered, “Holy shit, I thought you couldn’t use your powers for very long.”

  “I ’t use them at maximum output for very long,” She corrected, “And I’m fih the bare minimum and a good knife,” She fished into her pocket and pulled out the dungeon reward, “Here’s the reward, figure out what it does for me?” She asked, setting it on the ter .

  He rubbed the side of his head, “Badass.”

  She smirked, “Yeah, a little.”

  “You feel better?” He asked, snatg up the item and turning it over in his hands. He didn’t even look up at this point.

  “Loads, could use a little shopping therapy but that wait. I’ll hahe press fereoo,” She said.

  “You haven’t slept.”

  “So?”

  “Marta will grumble,” He warned.

  “Let her,” Sonya said with a shrug, “I’m doing this.”

  He smiled, “Gd to see you’re feelier boss,” He said and hopped off the chair. “I’ll get on year first thing,” He paused and frowned a little, looking like he was going to ask something.

  She read his fad shook her head, “It’s not something I want to talk about, probably ever. Just let st night go, if you could, I would appreciate it.”

  He met her gaze and then nodded, “Right.”

  –

  Marta grumbled the whole way to the venue. Sonya ig, humming to herself as she stretched out in the back seat of the limo. She’d almost fotten to let Amos know about the mysterious taxi driver from the previous night and now he had his drones looking out for cars of a simir description. Sonya assumed that if the guy was using a puppet to trol ohere was no reason to think he couldn’t be trolling more. They had barely gotten out of the parking garage wheold her that there were at least two oreets.

  Good enough for her. She’d have to set up a meeting at some point once he proved that his promise of anonymity and privacy was kept.

  When they arrived they were escorted into the space behind the stage, there were a few members of the local political se but nobody important. The mayor had bigger fish to fry, or so he thought. Most of those present were members of the Pandora ittee and she was unsurprised to see Martin Fuller among those there to observe. Feeling a little cheeky, she walked over aended a hand iing.

  Martin turned her way and she was surprised to see that he wasn’t wearing his usual grumpy-lookiive coat. A suit and tie. He gnced down at her hand and frow it, “I thought I told you I don’t shake hands, Miss ovna.”

  She smirked, “ht!” She chuckled a her hand on her hip, “How are you, detective?”

  “Chief Iigator,” He corrected her, “We’ve been keeping my promotion on the down low retly,” He said.

  “Oh? Curious, I wonder why?” She asked, meeting his gaze. “Looking into something scary, Chief?”

  He met her gaze, “You could say that.”

  “Sonya!” A voice called out from behind her. She turned around and brandished her brightest smile as the Chairman approached.

  “Chairman! How are you dear?” She asked, giving him a brief hug before stepping back. She gnced around, “Is your son not here?” She asked and sensed Marta tense a little bit behi his mention. She was still uled by his aura, not surprising, the guy was a killing mae.

  “They’re in the audiehe Chairman expined quickly, waving off the detail, “They aren’t officials of the ittee or local Politics so their pce isn’t back here.”

  Sonya nodded, “Fair enough. I’m surprised they even came, to be ho.”

  “Hyunh said she had never seen an Ameri press feren person before and wahe experience, my son was only too happy to oblige her,” The Chairman said, looking a little proud of his boy.

  Sonya raised an eyebrow, I’m sure he was. “Good for her, then,” She said.

  The Chairman gnced past her and o Marta before looking around a bit fused, “Where is Doctor Carter?”

  “Amos? Oh he’s back at the b, not to worry, he’ll be able to help with the presentation from there,” She said with a pyful wave of her hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse me sir, I want to do a little bit of greeting and schmoozing before we shake the p up again.”

  He chuckled, “You do you, Miss ovna.”

  –

  Martin crossed his arms as he watched her walk up to the podium. He leaned against the wall, his eyes narrowed. She had tried to shake his hand again, he knew she wasn’t a stupid woman and that her memory was actually rather good. She could remember entire speeches without even prompt cards. Yet she’d fot about their iion at the Hero Day event? Sure, the event was a bit hectic, but he had a hard time believing it slipped her mind. He wasn’t sure if it aranoia or not, but she seemed very keen on shaking people’s hands as her form of greeting.

  Just another detail to remember.

  The press ferearted and she opened with her usual theatrid overdramatized smiles and greetings. He snorted out a breath and gnced away towards her bodyguard. Marta, also known as Handmaiden, stood off to the side as stoic as ever. She was another person that was more than a little suspicious and holy his best lead. Acc to what he’d dug up about her, she was way younger looking than she should be. There was no way to prove it was as a result of entering the same person who was going about handing out youth like dy, but it was still worthy of note.

  She gnced in his dire and gave him a curt nod before returnitention to her charge. More like a soldier than a housewife. Her head is on a swivel. Is she a natural or are these trained skills? When could she possibly have gotten that kind of training? He shifted his jaw left and right and turned his attention back to the press fere retty much a rehash of the information that the Chairman had shared with him the previous night, giving him a heads up so he could watch for any suspicious activity ing the dungeons.

  “...as I said, dungeons are formed around a particurly powerful entity at the end that our team has aptly described as the ‘boss’. Sying this creature causes the duo colpse and the excess mana to dissipate harmlessly. More iing, though, is what es immediately afterward,” Sonya said aured to one of the ss above her. Throughout the presentation the ss had ged on their own as if directed by some unseen force, he guessed it was that ex-criminal, Amos Carter.

  A few people watg let out a gasp as something came on that he couldn’t see very well, “As you see, the rewards be rather impressive. This on was found by Firestorm’s team and he is making good use of it,” Sohused.

  He grunted and turned away, he’d heard enough and he needed some coffee. He walked around bad marched towards the table where the refreshments were waiting. A few mealking nearby, he ighem and poured himself a cup.

  “What a fasating woman,” Someone said o him.

  He gnced up a a pair of sapphire eyes framed by a pretty coif of hair. He frowned, Who let this kid in here? He thought as the young man smiled brightly at him. There was something wrong with this kids eyes. He’d seen something like them before. Whatever it was, it gave him the chills. “Who are you?”

  The kid shrugged, “I’m nobody,” He said and then snorted, ughing a little, “That was a joke.”

  “Right…” He said hesitantly, “Why are you here?”

  “Oh! I just wao listen in on the press ferehat Sonya dy is really smart. Is it true her pany is figuring all this stuff on its own?” He asked, looking genuinely curious but there was still that wrongness in his eyes that Martin couldn’t quite pce.

  “That’s how I uand it,” Martin offered, not wanting to it too much braio the versation. He must be some politi’s brat or something.

  “I wonder who her wyer is, she’s got a wyer right? I’m thinking about being a wyer one day,” He said eagerly, gng again at the path leading towards the stage.

  Martin tilted his head, who was her wyer? ht, “ Matthews or something.”

  The kid nodded again, “ Matthews, got it,” He said as if that answered several questions for him all at once. “So what do you do, mister?”

  “I’m an iigator for the Pandora ittee…” He trailed off, “Alright, where are your parents, kid?” He asked looking around for a moment and trying to spot someoh a simir look to him. He gnced bad the kid was gone. He blinked, a moment of fusion washing over him as he tried to remember what the kid had looked like to check the cameras ter. His face just seemed to dissolve in his mind, gone, and even his impression of…

  “Martin, you alright?” The Chairman asked, walking over.

  Martin blinked and looked up, “Was there a kid here a sed ago, sir?” He asked.

  The Chairman gnced around, “Mm? I didn’t see one. Do you need a day off, Martin?”

  Martin frowned, “Me? No sir,” He said and scratched his head, “That’s not necessary. It must have been my imagination.”