A triple knock, followed by a double knock at my door, signals Kai’s arrival. The display to the left of my front door shows Kai standing there, patiently waiting. He’s wearing a charcoal pea coat, and a beanie hides his colorful hair. I asked for incognito, and he delivered. I press the button to unlock the door and pull it open for him.

  “You called, and I came, Nobody.”

  “Your discretion regarding toning down your outfit is noted. Come in,” I said.

  He looks haggard in a way I’ve never seen from him before. The usual spark in Kai’s eyes is missing, and there are deep bags beneath them. Kai comes into my apartment, mumbling as he walks through. I don’t see a backpack or anything that could hold the materials needed.

  “Nice digs, boss. It's a little empty, almost like nobody lives here,” Kai laughed.

  The laughter is forced. Diminish’s piece is affecting him. I’ll need to deal with that eventually.

  “I didn’t invite you over here to socialize. Did you bring whatever you need to build my new helmet?” I asked.

  “Of course. I’m not an amateur,” he said, unbuttoning his coat.

  His coat slides off, and he catches it with his right arm. His previous prosthetic perfectly matched his skin tone, but this new one is entirely chrome. His left wrist jingles because of the charm bracelet he's wearing. Tight orange pants and a matte purple sleeveless turtleneck. Pretty tame by Kai's standards. The beanie comes off next, and I notice his hair color is fading. It’s a greasy, limp, and untamed mess. The lack of proper hygiene may be cause for worry.

  “You got a new prosthetic already? I thought you said that Tinkerer was long gone.”

  “I haven’t seen or heard from her in years. I made this. I managed to figure out my combination power,” Kai said.

  Slowly, his chrome fingers start to disintegrate, becoming glittering specks of dust. The specks form a tiny cloud, hovering around the arm. More of the arm becomes dust, adding to the denseness of the cloud. The cloud swirls around him like a flying serpent. The serpent disperses, separating into seven small orbs. One by one, the orbs morph into floating letters. Spelled out in front of me is the word nanites. Of course, shrinking plus drones would result in nanites.

  Before I can question where his supplies are, he unhooks three of the charms off his bracelet and drops them onto my floor. Each charm grows in size as it falls—clever use of the power. One of the charms is a box of tools, another is full of electronics, and the final one is full of metals and plastics.

  “Tada,” he said.

  “Impressive. It is the type of thing that perfectly embodies you, Kai.”

  “Thank you, I thought so too. I may be a genius, a surgical god, a brilliant scientist, and so many other things, but I am first and foremost a creative,” he said.

  “Alright, enough with the self-aggrandizing. Which power should I remove to give you the Tinkerer power?” I asked.

  Kai ignores my question, walking past me and stopping in front of the sleeping Aubrey.

  “So this is the one you gave the power to; the first Tinkerer made by Nobody. She's the one to blame for you looking like a goth astronaut. And why couldn't she make the new one? Is it because you appreciate my flair and fashion sense, or is this another secret I'm not allowed to know?” Kai asked.

  “Because she's a Cape and a probationary member of the Heroes' Union,” I answered.

  “How's that work with your activities as Nobody? Is she able to forgive your dark side because friendship can transcend labels?”

  “She doesn't remember making my helmet and doesn't know I'm Nobody. No one does; that's the whole point. Enough questions, Kai. Which power are you losing?”

  “Drones. I want to use the shrinking to make the helmet more space-effective. Speaking of, any requests for features?” Kai asked, grasping my hand.

  “Same as before, I don't want cameras to see me, and it needs a voice modulator. Make it compatible with the communication devices we use. And give me a separate channel that connects to Zero and Six. Besides those, you're free to do as you see fit. Kai, I am extending a tremendous amount of trust toward you. Do not make me regret asking you.”

  The transfers finish, giving me back the drone ability and giving Aubrey's ability to Kai. Kai shakes, falling to the floor as his eyes roll back into his skull. I had forgotten about that particular effect of Tinkerer's powers. Kai handled it better than Aubrey did, so I'm hoping he doesn't sleep for too long. Is that because he's more intelligent than Aubrey, or maybe it's a brain development thing? It might even take less time because it isn’t the first time his brain has had a ton of information forcibly deposited into it.

  He's proven his loyalty and his commitment to our goals. Kai will not betray my confidence in him.

  Kai doesn't stir or move an inch for over forty-five minutes. His eyes open, and he scrambles off the floor. Kai pulls another charm loose, growing a large work table out of thin air. He begins working immediately, and all I can do is monitor Aubrey and give him space. His nanites are swarming around him, and he's in the zone.

  “I'm done, and it's perfect. Nobody, you're in for a treat,” Kai said.

  “I'll be the judge of that,” I said, walking over to him.

  In his left hand is a mask similar to the one Aubrey made me months ago. But this mask is completely white, with two circles on the cheeks that look like something can be inserted into it. There are also several small holes near the mouth of the mask. Two lines start on both sides and connect to the cheek circles, continuing on to meet below the mouth holes. It's flat—far flatter than Aubrey’s was. Despite the almost alien look of the new mask, it’s more human. The smooth white finish, combined with the cheek holes and mouth holes, gives the mask a creepy smile. It vaguely looks like some sort of creature from hell without a nose, ears, or eyes. I don't see a button to transform it. Before I can ask anything, he tosses an object at me with his chrome arm. It's a black ring, almost the exact same color as my old helmet. The light of my apartment seems to disappear when it reaches the ring’s smooth, reflectionless form.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “The ring is how the mask transforms. It also allows you to switch through the available channels. One is set to Zero, and another is for Six. It also allows you to see through their eyes if you choose to. Fair warning, it'll probably be disorienting for you. There are a few unregistered channels, and you can set those up for the comms we plan to use. Try it,” he said.

  I slide the ring onto my right middle finger and hold the mask to my face. I tap the mask and it quickly transforms, encasing my head completely. The vision I have from inside is much better than my old one. I barely even feel like I’m wearing anything. I grip the ring and try to turn it. The middle moves slightly, but I can’t tell with my eyes, only the feeling of movement. It works like a ratcheting screwdriver.

  “What do you think?” Kai asked.

  “It's nice, but—” The voice coming out of the helmet isn't mine, but it isn't the group of voices it was before. It's Kai’s.

  “Mimicry, but what are the parameters for activation?” I asked.

  “It has room to store up to ten different voices and uses them to create the overlapping effect you had with the last one. You can also choose to isolate it to only one voice. But that's not all. Go take a look in the mirror,” Kai said, smiling.

  I humor the doctor and walk to my bathroom. The helmet’s face is like a one-way mirror; I can see perfectly through it. The light in my bathroom is harsh, and I haven't had time to change the bulbs yet. Instead of seeing a blank white helmet, I see a young Asian girl's face projected on the front in a translucent red. Why did he do this? Then, the image shudders, becoming a translucent blue image of an older white male with deep brown eyes. I smile, and the man smiles. I wink, and he does as well. After a minute, the image changes again, becoming a violet-tinged, middle-aged black woman with a mole on her left cheek. Over fifteen minutes, I see fifteen completely different faces, and the colors change between every possible shade of blue, red, and everything in between. It's changing every minute to a new person. I walk out of the bathroom to see Kai grinning like crazy.

  “I’m a fucking genius. Say it.”

  “I'm a fucking genius,’ I said.

  “You're an asshole, you know that?” Kai said.

  “What's the full feature list? She will be awake soon, and I need this helmet done before we meet with everyone later tonight.”

  Kai started to say, “So obviously, you've seen the face projections and the changed voice modulator. "

  “Why did you choose to do both of those?” I interrupted.

  “The point of your moniker is that you're Nobody, right? The helmet changes to a random person's face every minute, pulled from the Internet instantly. It gives you a bit more flair and adds to the theme that you're the mysterious person with no name. Because Nobody could be anybody. The voice-mimicking aspect just goes along with it,” Kai answered.

  “It’s nice. You've done well, Doctor,” I said, touching the ring to the helmet. It silently transforms back into the flat mask form.

  “You can wear it under your clothes. It is strong enough for anything smaller than anti-tank rounds. It'll protect your heart when you're out masquerading as...” Kai leaves the invitation to introduce myself hanging in the air.

  He's the third most loyal to me. Telling him will make him feel good and deepen our bonds. Having another person who knows about my civilian life can make things easier, but it could also needlessly complicate things. He’s never exposed my secrets before. Add to that that he's not a known Cowl, and I can use him to merge my civilian and Cowl lives.

  “Eryk Blakely, college freshman,” I said, holding my hand out.

  “Oh God, you're so young. Ew. I feel fucking gross. Fuck, are you a seventeen-year-old freshman or at least eighteen?” He said, walking away.

  “I am eighteen as of March tenth of next year.”

  “I'm going to be sick. I was hitting on a minor,” Kai gagged.

  “You can be sick somewhere else some other time. Continue telling me about the helmet.”

  “It does the camera jamming thing your last one did. The other addition is that I gave you a weapon. I know you aren’t a fighter; we have that in common, but Quinstin is the big leagues. Here catch,” Kai said, tossing some canisters the size of insulin bottles at me. “Fill them with a liquid, any liquid. Acid, water, alcohol, literally any liquid you can get access to can be put into those canisters. They connect and lock into the two holes on your helmet's cheeks. Then, you can choose to either aerosolize the liquid to release a mist or blast out an extremely pressurized stream of it. The liquids can be different and you can choose to combine or only use one. Again, the ring controls it. Rotate the entire ring left for mist and right for stream. It has a gyroscope in it, so it’ll know when you twist it on your finger. Blowing air from your mouth inside the helmet will activate it. I made four canisters; they’re extremely durable, but someone like Vivienne could certainly break it.”

  This is ideal for me. It’s a perfect hidden weapon. It fits Nobody to a tee. Kai, you are worth your weight in gold. You are an investment that only grows with time.

  “Exceptional. More than satisfactory. And what precautions have you taken in regard to Technologica?”

  “I did everything I could to make it unhackable. But in case that doesn’t work, the helmet will alert you if any programs are added to it,” Kai answered.

  “I understand that our enemy is extremely powerful and resourceful, so I don’t fault you for not being infallible. You did a fine job. Give me the other canisters, and you can take your leave,” I said.

  “And here I thought you’d offer me a drink before kicking me out. Frosty. You look as cold as you act.”

  You have no idea. I don’t respond to him; he’s right, after all. Kai and I swap the powers back to their rightful owners, and he gives me the remaining two canisters. He cleans up all his boxes, tools, and materials, shrinking them back into charms. The dosage I used on Aubrey was enough to keep her out for several hours, but there’s always the chance she wakes up earlier. The sooner Kai leaves, the safer my secrets will be. Kai leaves, and I’m alone with my friend and my thoughts.

  A white helmet will need a white outfit. It can’t be my civilian clothes. It needs to be something new and just for my Cowl self—a status symbol, something worthy of the real head of Momentus INC, of Nobody. I need to find a Broker and get some hyperweave for Cowl costumes as soon as possible.

  Aubrey is starting to stir, so I start cleaning up. I stash the mask and cylinders inside my bathroom drawers, beneath a bunch of folded hand towels. Aubrey's can goes in the recycling bin, and I spray the stain with floor cleaner. I scrub hard with a sponge; having a sticky floor is unacceptable. I need to get some posters or art for my walls. The scarcity of any personal effects is going to give people weird vibes.

  “Uggghh. My head is killing me. Why are you awake?”

  “Hey, sleepyhead, I was wondering when you’d wake up. You spilled some beer last night, and I'm trying to make sure it doesn't seep into the floor.”

  “Sorry. I can't believe I blacked out on your first time drinking, and you didn’t. So, what’s the verdict? How do you feel about alcohol now that you’ve finally tried it?”

  “Blacking out seems terrible, but I definitely get the appeal of drinking now. I doubt I'll ever get shit-faced, but a nice buzz isn't off the table. So congrats, Aubrey, you'll have someone to go with you to college parties.”

  “YAY! Ow, this hangover sucks. I'm just gonna close my eyes for a second.”

  “Enjoy your nap. We can go for food when you wake up,” I said.

  “I'm not taking a nap, just resting my eyes,” she protested.

  I could hear her faint breathing behind me. I knew it. She could rest; she'd served the purpose I needed. The welcoming ceremony is at noon, so I have five hours to get ready. After that, Momentus INC will have its first meeting in Quinstin.

  Current Powers/Personality Pieces Nobody has:

  1. Alter ability to choose where your center of gravity is/ Addictive personality (Froggy)

  2. Manipulator ability to absorb electricity, control and wield electricity/ Envy (Lee Daeshim)

  3. Manipulator ability to create up to three orbs of sound that can absorb all sound within and then be released all at once at a later time/ Joy (Murmur)

  4. Mentalist/Manipulator ability to see trajectories of moving objects and can make themselves and other nonliving things bouncy in a way that defies physics/ Pride (Tramp)

  5. Traveller ability to pull objects to themselves, pull themselves to objects, and swap themselves or objects through tunnels in reality/ Compassion (Callback)

  6. Caster ability to create short-range kinetic beams from their extremities/ Aggression (Punch)

  7. Traveller/Alter/Manipulator ability to separate their body into sections, dissolve said sections, clone pieces of their body, and rematerialize them anywhere in sight/ Increased libido and voyeuristic tendencies (Jeremy Swaim)

  8. Caster/Traveller/Manipulator/Alter/Ruler ability to create constructs, weapons, and objects out of different forms of energy/ Flair for drama and theatrics (Father Forward)