Published at 20th of January 2026 8:24 am

Chapter 1 You Can't Outrun An Explosion

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(Five Days Before Aubrey Releases Footage)

Emma's words echo in my head. It only adds to the mounting pressure surrounding me. Losing the Nobody drawing is a big problem. There's now a ticking time bomb somewhere out there just waiting for someone to discover it. When it rains, it pours. If I lost it at Violet's house, then one of the investigators might've found it and grabbed it to categorize as evidence. If I lost it somewhere else, like the Union headquarters, then I can only hope one of the cleaners got rid of it. The very idea of praying to some otherworldly power to save me is one that is hard to stomach. Being unable to directly affect my circumstances is never a position I want to be in, but it is what it is. I cant very well break into the Heroes Union building, and Violets house is likely crawling with police as an active crime scene. Maybe I lost it on the street, and its washed away into the sewers. Lady Luck has smiled on me quite favorably in the past, so if she is real, I can only hope she's looking out for me. Either way, it is a mistake that I cannot repeat.

I continue stripping down and head for the bathroom. A long, hot shower might be just what I need to focus on solutions instead of the growing list of problems. I need more people; both capable agents to enact my plans and grunts to handle the more basic tasks. My inner circle, Momentus, doesnt need to grow any bigger. What I need are other cells operating independently of each other, unaware of the larger picture theyre contributing to. The jets on the ceiling blast my body with water so hot that steam is flooding the room. I tilt my head back, letting the highly pressurized water assault my body, falling into an almost meditative state from the sensation.

Who could have left the message? Is it the same person who's been spying on me? Emma said someone's been watching me, and they've even followed me when I'm not home. The real question is how long they've been doing it? It would be naive to assume they only started following me recently. It's much more likely that this stalker has been doing it for much longer, and without Emma's enhanced senses, they would have continued to do so undetected. The more I think it over, the more convinced I am that the stalker and the person who left the letter are two different people. As if I didn't have enough enemies.

I hear the door to the bathroom swing open, signalling Emma's arrival. She doesn't speak as she steps into the shower with me. The only sound is the almost sizzling-like noise from the water hitting our skin. She's not moving, talking, or touching me, which might be a sign that something is wrong, but I enjoy it nonetheless. She can tell I want space and time to just think. Despite the false premises our relationship started on, she's been the one who's been the best fit for me. It's quite the turn of events, all things considered.

I'm not sure just how long weve been standing motionless in the shower before Emma finally touches me. But it isn't in a lustful way, or even a playful flirtatiousness. She wraps her arms around my abdomen, lacing her fingers together and laying the side of her face against my back. This kind of closeness, the tender embrace, isnt what I want or need, but I understand the intent behind it. It's a motion of comfort, of silent physical connection, a way to convey support without speaking. We stand like that for another indeterminate amount of time before she speaks.

Whatever you need, I'm here to help. I want to help you. No matter what it is, we can do it together, Emma said, her voice barely audible over the water.

I dont know what to say to her, so I stay silent. Maria offered me the same thing. Said she would do anything to keep me happy, to help me. But years spent with her, pretending, made having a genuine partnership impossible. With Emma, well, I'm not fond of her yet, but she is at least a possible candidate. Trusting Emma could be one of the biggest windfalls for me, or it could end up being my biggest mistake. Bringing her into the fold would make some things easier for me. Having a nigh invulnerable assassin at my neck and call is certainly not a bad thing. Still, putting all my eggs in one basket is how you get caught. Having her become a Cowl under Nobody is problematic for secret identity purposes. If I'm going to involve her in my affairs, there needs to be a degree of separation between us.

Alright, I said, accepting her assistance.

Really? She asked, surprised. Sorry, I'm very happy you decided to take me up on the offer, but I didn't think you would.

I'm working on opening my mind on certain topics. Trust doesn't come to me easily, but that doesn't mean I'm unable to change, I answered dryly.

Personal responsibility and emotional maturity? You really are nothing like my ex, Emma said humorlessly.

That should've been obvious from the beginning; I am one of one. Nobody is like me.

Forgive me for not realizing it sooner, Emma joked. So tell me, what can I help you with?

What can she help me with? Most of my problems aren't solvable by anyone but me. There's the Triad, finding out who's been watching me, discovering who left the note, checking in with Kai on his tests, and all of that doesn't even include the things that have dropped to the wayside. The vigilante has been dormant for too long, and I'm no closer to discovering who Technologicas enemy is.

I need you to kill some people, specifically Neuvohumans, I said.

I'm listening, she whispered excitedly.

I doubt it managed to get to you in Canada, but over the summer, a vigilante was going around murdering Neuvohumans who committed crimes but never paid the price for them, I said.

Tell me more, she said, her tone anticipatory.

The vigilante would then write a cryptic message in their blood and make it look like the victim wrote it themselves. Six victims in less than a month, and then nothing since. Its like theyve disappeared. As it stands, theres been no news on them; its like theyre gone with the wind, I continued.

How mysterious, she remarked. Lemme guess, youre the vigilante?

Yes, but Ive been too busy to continue the activities, I said, turning around to face her. I dont want you to think Im giving you something unimportant; this is an integral part of my overall plan. I need your help on this.

Im not exactly telling the whole truth, but her helping on this will allow me to get the vigilante back on track. The others are too busy to help with this. I cant send Tuesday, Kai still needs her help, and V and Rorschach wont kill. Miles needs to stay here to continue building his reputation. I could send Isaiah, but by sending Emma, I can keep him close to handle things here.

I love the idea of hunting down some bad guys. Ill be an angel of justice, Emma said, smiling. So when do I start, and where do I begin?

Lets finish up here, and then Im taking a nap. When I wake up, we can go over the specifics, I answered.

Okay.

I wake up from my nap to cold fingers brushing across my chest. The culprit is still asleep, unaware of the chill she just sent through my body. I'd forgotten about some of the necessary evils that come with having a partner. Emma isn't a messy person, unlike Maria; that girl was allergic to organizing. I extricate myself from her frigid tendrils, escaping winter's grasp. I slide my legs over the side, letting my bare feet hit the floor.

You aren't sneaking out on me, are you? Emma asked sleepily.

You're lying naked in my bed, in my apartment. It's not exactly sneaking out if you'll be hee when I get back.

Mhmm, she mumbled, turning over away from me.

I'm feeling stir crazy, I can't go back to sleep; I need to do something. My mind is going a mile a minute, the gears turning as I start to plan ahead. Emma will be a nice source of powers, but I need more. Which reminds me, what happened with those two Triad members that Miles apprehended? FrostWyrm and Shock&Awe dont have the flashiest or most interesting powers, but if the personality pieces arent emotions, I can always sell them off to The Merchants. I know Miles handed them over to Arbiter and the Union, but Im realizing I dont know the procedure they follow when it comes to Cowl apprehensions. Reaching into my nightstands top drawer, I retrieve my Cowl phone to send a text to Rorschach to ask her to figure out where the captured Cowls are.

Now that thats settled, I can figure out what other moves to make. Kai has finished the factory, but the Mayors favoritism has all but guaranteed we cant get the company off the ground. Its time for Heritage Construction to start having some misfortune. Tuesday can make sure all of their current jobs grind to a standstill. Itll force the mayor to use a different contractor. And we can be in the perfect position to be chosen. We might have to operate the first job at a loss to ensure future cooperation, but thats Rorschachs problem. Ill have to send Vivienne out again to cause some more property damage. Not too much, but enough to put pressure on the Mayor. Itll also let her get more hands-on experience against Capes. We still dont know exactly how much force the Heroes Union can bring to bear. If Miles didnt hate the Union with every fiber of his being, having him as an inside man would be a great source of information. Ill just need to have Rorschach increase her surveillance in order to gather information. I dont have anything to do for the next few days, so Ill just spend that time figuring out targets for Emma.

It didnt really occur to me how much I relied on the Database. No, the Tome is what Technologica called it. Ive spent the last four days trying to find potential targets for the vigilante to go after. It isnt as easy as just googling Neuvohuman goes unpunished for heinous crimes. The kind of people that Ive gone after before have been people who lie low and a cult of crazed racists. Ive had to expand my criteria from unknown monsters to Neuvohumans who either got away with their crimes or have evaded capture. To that end, Ive given Emma three targets to go after: Carbon, Michael Knight, and Alicia Spade.

The first one is a Cowl that has been on the run for a while. Carbon is an Alter who can create copies of physical items that are indistinguishable from the original, but they can only last five minutes before disappearing. He is a dangerous man who is wanted for a heist he was a part of that went wrong. The jeweler was killed in the midst of a robbery, and in the ensuing chase that followed, Carbon used his power to evade capture by law enforcement by making their police vehicle swerve off the road. Whether unintentional or not, the cop car struck a family of five sitting outside at a cafe. The family was eviscerated, bodies crumpled and crushed into the side of the store. Hes been on the run for six months now, with no sign of him. There are warrants out for his arrest and capture, but the Heroes Union hasnt gotten involved. Miles would say it isnt a big enough problem for them to help with. Emmas enhanced senses should allow her to track him down without too much trouble. And if she cant handle this, then she has no business offering her help.

Michael Knight is currently on house arrest while he serves out his sentencea wealthy older man with a habit for murdering his younger girlfriends. Allegedly, of course, just because his last four girlfriends all died under mysterious circumstances doesnt mean he had anything to do with it. The most recent one, Simone Fair, overdosed on cocaine during a party with Mr. Knight. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, but being very rich allows you to have the best lawyers who can get the prison sentence reduced to house arrest with an ankle monitor and check-ins. Hes an Alter who can transform his whole body into water, becoming a liquid avatar of himself, but he has no other powers beyond becoming a man of water. My reason for targeting him is that the online outrage was extreme following the verdict. He represents the wealthy elite who are above the law, and then you add in that hes one of the lucky few who have powers but arent using them for anything. I doubt Ill get anything worthwhile from him, but Ill never turn down free powers.

The final target is Alicia Spade, a potential causality Manipulator. Supposedly, she can absorb good luck and bad luck, choosing to use either at will. At least thats what online message boards say about her. She reminds me of Anna Lee, someone whose power allows the worst part of their personality to grow. She has never faced consequences for anything. She was the only survivor of a multi-bus crash and used the large settlement payout to fund a successful career in high-stakes poker tournaments. Shes hit enough jackpots to be banned from ever entering Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Shes made a large fortune by stock trading, crippling companies, and building up small ones that no one looked twice at. After her banishment from nearly every poker league, she retired to a large property out in Vermont. She must fall under the same umbrella that the White Knight Militia Group did, where the BNA doesn't think she's a big enough threat or just not worth the effort to deal with. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the reasons are for her not being in custody; she'll die for my cause regardless. While Emma handles those three, I can focus on more local matters.

Uhhh, Eryk? You might wanna check your phone, Emma called over to me from the bed.

What? Why? I asked, checking both phones. I don't have any notifications. What's she talking about?

Check the local news, she said instead of just answering the question. There are very few things worse than someone intentionally not giving a straight answer. I have no desire to play the question game. I type NRBC12.com into my search bar, pulling up the newspage. It loads quickly, and the top story short-circuits my brain. Local female Neuvohuman murders an innocent boy at a party. I click into the story, and a video with an NSFW pop-up warning is at the top. I don't need to watch all of it; I recognize what it is from the thumbnail alone. It's an angry still image of Violet's face. Someone released footage from the party.

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