I could have used my powers to see exactly who it was under the mask, it wasn't something I wanted to do, but it wouldn't be difficult. No amount of covering would stop me from seeing who you are if I decided I wanted to see who you were.

  But I didn't. I didn't want to.

  There was a reason people hid behind masks—me included. It wasn't about secrets, not exactly. It was about control, about choosing when and how you revealed yourself. I wasn't going to take that away from anyone. Not even her.

  The black dressed cape got up with a grunt, and practically shooed herself away, not even bothering to introduce herself. Maybe we didn't know each other?

  "Don't worry about her," Carlos said from beside me, reading my puzzled expression. "She'll come around. Eventually. Maybe. Probably."

  I'm not quite sure if he was trying to convince me or himself.

  I shrugged. Another problem for another me.

  The team showed me around, taught me how to use some of the equipment. I found out that the green cape was Vista and that the rude one was Shadow Stalker. I wasn't really surprised. The name fit.

  Kid Win—Chris—was in another part of the building, tinkering away, doing what he did best. Apparently, he was the team's tinker, not Gallant like I'd assumed. Huh. The more you know.

  I wouldn't want to quite admit it but it was actually fun. Relaxing. Not terrible, it felt too good to be true to be honest. I wasn't clean. I was still a murderer.

  But I wouldn't let such thoughts hinder me for now. Maybe I could actually be a hero worth something. Maybe joining this team was the push I needed.

  This wasn't so bad afterall.

  ***

  I wasn't sure how much time passed before they handed me the suit. My new suit. Not the "costume" like I used to wear. No, this was the real deal. There was a big difference, and I could feel it the moment I laid eyes on it.

  "Here it is!" A neatly dressed man said as he gestured towards the racks. I shifted my gaze to my suit. I stared at it for a moment, my breath leaving my chest.

  It was beautiful.

  A pale blue that almost looked silver, with sleek white streaks running from the arms and legs, coming together to form a large S symbol on the chest. A flowing white cape connected at the back, soft and fluid like it was made for movement. A white domino mask sat neatly on top of the rack, ready to be worn. It was everything I could've imagined and more.

  This was it, time to introduce myself to the public.

  I suited up, before joining the lobby where I could see capes of varying degree, the most recognizable being Armsmaster and the wards.

  "Are you ready for this?" Aegis said. I wasn't, but I knew that it didn't matter.

  "Not really," I shook my head, "But this is happening either way so I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He offered me an encouraging nod. I was grateful for it.

  Outside I could hear a loud crowd, various people having different conversations. With my hearing I could even pick out their conversations.

  "What do you think the new wards' powers are?"

  "I hope they're good looking!"

  "The Wards' rarely get new members anymore."

  I took a deep breath.

  "Now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for, lets welcome the new ward!"

  The curtains drew back, and the room filled with applause. I stepped forward, my cape billowing behind me like something out of a comic book. I found myself standing in front of the podium.

  "Hey everyone," I pause, trying to gather my thoughts. "I'm… Steel."

  I don't think there had been a lamer introduction in existence.

  But that didn't stop the standing ovation I received.

  This really might not be so bad afterall.

  ***

  The evening felt nice. I met a lot of new people, answered some interview questions, even hung out with the wards. It felt good. Nice.

  But then I heard a voice.

  It wasn't so much the voice itself that made my heart stop, but who it came from.

  Oh no.

  The podium creaked from the stress, wood shattering into splinters. Startled shrieks filled the air as I bolted into the air, instinctively flying towards the voice.

  Please don't let it be true.

  My heart dropped into the deepest pit of my stomach. I was praying, begging, that this was some kind of illusion, some type of horrible dream.

  It wasn't.

  I landed in the ruined remnants of my house, flames licking the air around me. They didn't touch me, though. They couldn't. I didn't want them to.

  I walked, each step feeling heavier than the last. The smell of burnt wood and ash filled my lungs, but it wasn't the house that made my knees tremble. It was what lay ahead.

  My mom's body.

  No. Body wasn't the right word. The explosion had wrecked her. Turned her into something barely recognizable.

  I felt the world tilt beneath me, but I couldn't move. Couldn't think. I reached for her. I held the remains, even as the flames tried to consume me. They didn't burn. The air around me felt like a barrier, protecting me from the heat, from everything.

  The voice I had heard became clear then and there.

  The sound of her dying. Her last moments. It was like I could hear her voice, feel her pain, even now.She had died screaming.

  I could barely think. All I could feel was a raw, aching void. Grief. Anger. A million things I couldn't process.

  And only one thought rang in my mind.

  A conversation I had not too long ago:

  "There are many people who would want a go at the Lung killer—Bakuda, Oni Lee, these people are vicious. They will make sure, to the best of their ability, that nowhere is safe."

  How did they know? I thought it was hidden. They promised to hide it, to protect me and my family. And even if it wasn't, how did they know it was me? That steel was Jack Matthews.

  It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

  I'm alone again.

  This was just too much.

  It wasn't just an attack. This wasn't random. It was all just a game to them. A sick game of cat and mouse. Cop and robbers. I'd stepped too far, and they had returned the favor. They'd escalated.

  Well, that just means I'll have to even the scales then.

  I took a step forward, my mind splintering with every movement. The world was breaking apart in my head. And with it, something inside me broke, too.

  A shift. A crack.

  I couldn't keep it together anymore.

  And then-

  Something snapped.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  I would find them.

  I would find the ones responsible.

  And when I did?

  The world would burn.

  ***

  I didn't need the PRT. Not anymore.

  I was out. The only person who could have even enjoyed the benefits was dead now. Plus I didn't need them for what I was about to do. For who I needed to hurt.

  No. This was personal.

  It wasn't about the team, about the organization. It wasn't about justice or redemption. It was about retribution.

  I focused.

  That was all I needed.

  For too long, I had buried this version of myself. The version of me that could hear everything, that could track down anyone, anywhere. The world had been too much. Too loud. Too overwhelming.

  But now? Now it was different.

  I would endure it. If it meant I could find the bastard who did this, I would endure anything.

  I already had a gut feeling who might've done it. All I had to do now was find them.

  Nothing in this world could hide from me. No place, no corner, no secret.

  If I wanted to find you, I would. It didn't matter where you were.

  I focused.

  The world around me blurred as my senses expanded. I could hear everything—the hum of electricity in the wires, the murmur of conversations in Italy, the distant wind in Kenya. It all rushed in, flooding my mind, pressing against me.

  But that wasn't what I needed. Not right now.

  I focused again.

  I condensed my senses, narrowing the world down to Brockton Bay. The target was here. The one responsible for my mother's death. A particular villain who had a penchant for bombs.

  I shut everything else out—nothing mattered but finding them.

  And then… I felt it. A faint tremor in the air.

  A ripple. A shift. Like a whisper in a crowded room.

  Found you.

  The speed in which I moved was nothing short of a blur—faster than thought, faster than time itself. It was like I was leaving the world behind, streaking through space at the speed of light. My senses screamed with the overload, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to stop until I had them.

  My suit didn't burn, it was like the world itself protected it, protected me.

  I dropped down.

  Hard.

  Anything that was unlucky enough to be in my landing spot was most likely dead, but I couldn't find it in myself to care.

  All around me I could see gang members, they were all likely part of Lungs' or now that I could see– Bakuda's crew.

  "Huh? Who are you?" One of the gang members said.

  I wasn't really quite sure why dead men were talking.

  A team of what looked like villains? Heroes? I could even see the bug lady in the group. But I didn't really care. They weren't the ones I was after.

  I turned my sights to the person that they were fighting, and my vision went red.

  My eyes glowed, my lips contorting into a snarl before I moved.

  My senses were overloaded, and the voices—the screams, the shouting, the chaos—only made it worse. But there was only one voice I cared about now.

  You. You're the one.

  I don't think there was anyone that was going to like what came next. Not even me.

  Tattletale

  Super strength, super speed. Anger caused by grief. Anger caused by death of loved one. Anger caused by Bakuda? Bakuda killed loved one. Bakuda killed mother.

  Oh, oh shit.

  "We need to get out of here."

  Skitter nodded from beside her seemingly agreeing. Knows cape. Personally knows cape. Interacted before.

  She remembered the cape as well. The one that fought Lung.

  He looked to have only gotten stronger since then too. Might make escaping a little harder.

  She didn't need her powers to tell that a lot of things were going to go to shit. The cape didn't look happy, and he was strong enough to make that a problem.

  She took one more look at Bakuda. Moments before, they had almost died. Bakuda was batshit insane but it seemed like she was going to have bigger problems in a moment. Tattletale was just hoping that it wasn't going to become her problem.

  The capes eyes glowed a very unsettling white light before anger spread over his features.

  The only reason she could tell he was moving was when the screaming began.

  Yep, time to get out of here.

  Bakuda

  You were born to be the smartest and most successful in your era. Her mothers words rang through her mind.

  She wasn't wrong, as worthless as she had been, she was useful enough to give birth to her. It showed that even the most worthless trash had their uses. It was the only reason she hadn't killed off all her minions.

  She wasn't exactly sure why she was having such thoughts now. When what was supposed to be her minions were being splattered like flies into concrete. Blood, body parts and brain matter filled her vision. Like an immovable wall you were either lucky enough to not be in his way or unlucky enough to be.

  It took a moment, a second. A fragment of time before the cape was in front of her. Everyone around them was either dead or gone and if not that, wished they were dead.

  He stood in front of her before he spoke, a rumble so low you would think there was no anger, "Does the name Ashley Matthews mean anything to you?"

  Ashley Matthews?

  It hit her like a sledgehammer. This dumbfuck killed her crew, and messed up her plans because of some stupid bitch she couldn't even remember the name of.

  But then she pieced it together– Lung had died, it wasn't really said how, so she did her research, talked to the right people.

  She found out. And when she did?

  She decided to send out a message. Set a precedent. You don't fuck with her and get away with it.

  She searched and searched until she got word of who did it; Jack Matthews or as he called himself– Steel.

  She didn't think he was anything special. So, she placed a small bomb at his home while he was out. It wasn't meant to kill anyone, just to send a message. Maybe the retard would end up hurt, but she'd expected him to survive. After all, he'd fought Lung and come out alive—he'd probably be fine.

  But if someone else died in the process? That was just the risk you took when you crossed someone like her. Lung didn't stay on top for so long because of his strength alone. It was because of the fear of retaliation. If Jack Matthews had taken him down, he had to expect the same.

  The woman? She was probably related to him. If she died in the process, so be it. Bakuda had no mercy. She did what she had to do.

  She didn't even bother to answer his question.

  "I've set up bombs all over the city," she warned, trying to regain control. "You come any closer, or god forbid! Manage to kill me, they will all go off. EVERY. SINGLE. MOTHERFUCKING ONE OF THEM! And then you'll have millions dead by your hands, retarded fuck." She glared at him, daring him to try something.

  The cape, however, didn't flinch. His expression remained as cold and calculating as before. He didn't even seem bothered by her threats.

  She realized then—he wasn't afraid of what she could do. He wasn't afraid of the consequences.

  He just didn't care.

  "So that's where it is." That was the only words he got out before his eyes glowed. It took a second for her to fully comprehend it, but that was when the pain came. Mind numbing pain. Like a million fire ants were doing their hardest to tear something apart.

  Her foot– it was gone.

  The realization hit her like a wave. This wasn't an accident. The pain was deliberate. He wanted her to feel it.

  Screaming in agony, she tried to comprehend how he knew. How did he know where she had hidden the bomb switch?

  Tears streaked down her face as she looked at him, desperate. She was losing control. The panic was taking over.

  But still, his gaze remained impassive. He watched her like a scientist studying an experiment.

  "Who," he asked softly.

  She knew what he was asking. Who told you? Who told you that Steel killed Lung? Who told you that Steel was Jack Matthews?

  In a final moment of desperation, she tried to bargain. "If I tell you... will you let me live?"

  He didn't even consider it before answering.

  "No."

  His voice was unyielding. "There's nothing you can say that will stop what's coming. You're going to die, Bakuda. Slowly. Painfully."

  "Not a thought, action, or statement will stop it. You will tell me, or I will force you to tell me. Those are your only options."

  Her arrogance even at a moment like this made one final stand.

  "Then do so bitch."

  She spat.

  It wasn't much but it was all she had left.

  It didn't reach his face.

  He nodded. Calmly. Like he finally understood an answer to a question he had been searching years for. "You know, I have never tried this before." His tone had a curious tint to it, "But there is always a first time for everything."

  The cape raised his hands, glowing with an intensity that made the air shimmer around him. He seemed almost surprised that he could do that.

  The heat radiating from his hands intensified. It was like being near an open flame, only it wasn't touching her, and yet. She could feel it scorching her skin.

  She panicked, where was Oni Lee? The bastard was her second in command, he was supposed to be protecting her now that Lung was gone.

  She searched until a body caught her eye.

  On the floor was Oni Lee. He was bleeding, cut up into pieces.

  She hadn't even noticed him die.

  For an unknown amount of time, in the dark warehouse where darkness seemed to chase away the light. Screams could be heard.