I dropped onto the couch with a loud sigh. Brian and I had just spent the better part of an hour training in hand-to-hand combat—something that would let me hold my own if I couldn't use my bugs or if an enemy got too close. It had been a serious workout. Brian wasn't going all out—he was focused more on teaching than fighting—but he'd still managed to knock me around a fair bit. My shoulders ached from where he'd been jabbing them.
Beside me, Alec was fully absorbed in a video game. Brian was off to the side, running through stretches to keep his joints and muscles loose. Apparently, it helped prevent them from seizing up or something like that.
A part of me was enjoying the chance to hang out with other teens, even if they were supervillains. But another part of me was growing impatient. I needed to find dirt on them—something I could hand to the Protectorate. It might earn me recognition. Maybe even fast-track my career.
Maybe it was time to try and steer the conversation somewhere useful. But how?
"So… how do you guys get all this stuff?" I asked casually, gesturing at the room around us. Even though it was set up in an abandoned loft, it was surprisingly livable. It even had running water. "I doubt you just go out and buy all this with stolen loot."
"Actually, we steal most of it," Alec replied without looking away from his game. "We find some rich house full of crap, break in, and grab everything that isn't bolted down. It's hilarious watching the owners wake up to empty rooms. One time, Brian even stole the bed they were sleeping in."
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, asshole," Brian muttered, though his tone wasn't serious. Probably just some 'guys ragging on each other' thing.
"We do buy some stuff with our take," he continued, "but a lot of the essentials—water, power, the building itself, and our gear—that all comes from our boss."
I tried not to look too curious. "Sounds expensive. Who is this mystery guy, anyway?"
Both Alec and Brian went quiet. I glanced at them and saw they were exchanging a look.
Was I pushing too hard? Had Tattletale figured out I was undercover? Or maybe I just wasn't doing as good a job pretending to be a villain as I thought.
"Figured you might ask that," Brian said as he stood up. His tone made my stomach twist in uncertainty. "Thing is… we don't actually know who he is. Or she."
I frowned. "You've got some kind of… anonymous sponsor?"
"Yep. Really fucking weird, but I'm not complaining," Alec said with a shrug. "We get cool gear, a solid team, free cash—basically everything you'd want, with no strings attached."
"But they must be getting something out of it," I pressed. "No offense, but I can't see someone funding a team of villains just for fun."
"None taken," Brian said with a small chuckle. "We do take on jobs for him. But most of the time, it's stuff we'd do anyway. It's a win-win. And if we're not comfortable with something, we can say no. He's never forced us into a sleazy job or anything. No pressure, no issues."
I was intrigued now. How many of their jobs were actually orders from this sponsor? Could the PRT trace anything?
"What kind of jobs does he have you guys do?" I asked.
"Mostly robberies and stuff," came Lisa's voice from behind me, nearly making me jump. I hadn't even noticed her entering the room.
Brian didn't look surprised to see her—maybe he'd sensed her before. Or maybe I was just the only one who'd gotten snuck up on.
"He's got a job planned for us now?" Brian asked, calm as ever.
"Kinda," Lisa said, stepping further into the room. "He wants us to pull a big job next Thursday. Something big enough to make headlines. He's probably planning something himself that day and wants us to pull attention away from it."
Brian didn't look thrilled. "Something that big is bound to get us caught. The PRT won't sit back, and if the Wards and Protectorate get involved, we'll be hitting a wall of heroes."
Lisa shook her head. "The Protectorate's going to be out of town. Probably why he chose that day. That leaves the Wards and New Wave. Lucky for us, we'll hit during school hours."
"How is that lucky?" I asked, genuinely confused. Four or five school-age kids committing a crime during class hours? The cops would be all over it.
"Because," Lisa explained with a grin, "it means we probably won't be dealing with the entire Wards team. Everyone knows the Wards are based out of Arcadia High. And everyone wants to figure out who they are. So the school can't just keep sending the same dozen kids out every time something happens—it would blow their cover. If we're lucky, we'll face two of their stronger members, or maybe one plus a few weaker ones. Odds we can handle."
"There's still New Wave," Brian pointed out, just as Alec said, "Why don't we just rob a bank or something?"
Lisa sighed. "Bay Central Bank was my first pick. But that's out. Someone new hit it last night."
I blinked. That was news to me. I hadn't heard anything about a robbery—but then again, I didn't check the paper this morning.
Alec paused his game and turned to her. "I thought the news said it was an inside job? Like a guard did it or something?"
Lisa shook her head. "That's just the official line. But what they're not saying is that Glory Girl caught the thief in the act. Tried to stop him. Now she's stuck at home being patched up by Panacea. And New Wave is busy hunting the guy down. They're not going to drop that just for us—not when the Wards can handle us instead."
"Hold up. Glory Girl got beat?" Even Brian looked surprised. "But… she's supposed to be invincible."
Lisa gave a small shrug. "Apparently not. All I can tell from my powers is she took a hell of a beating—broken bones, internal injuries. Whoever did it? They're really strong."
"So what now?" Brian asked. "Not a lot going on in Brockton Bay that'll get front-page coverage."
"There's more than one bank," Alec pointed out. "We could just hit a different one. Two bank jobs in two nights? That'll definitely make headlines."
"Yeah, but the other banks are going to be on high alert now. They'll be suspicious of anything weird. More likely to call in the PRT at the first sign of trouble. The risk goes way up."
Alec went quiet for a moment, then looked over at me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Hey, dork. You go to Winslow High, right? Anyone there you think deserves a scare?"
I froze, stunned at what he was suggesting.
Brian's reaction was immediate. "Alec, are you seriously talking about attacking a school?"
Alec shrugged, completely unfazed. "We need something big, right? Attacking a school would definitely get us on the front page. And in case you've forgotten, Brian, we're villains. We're supposed to be bad people."
"Yeah, and pulling shit like that is a fast track to the Birdcage," Brian snapped.
Everyone went quiet. The Birdcage. Just saying the name changed the mood. A parahuman prison that no one escaped. No visitors. No mercy. People didn't serve time there—they disappeared.
"When villains go after school kids," Brian continued, "they lose all public sympathy. The Protectorate, the PRT, the Wards—they come down on you hard. Civilians are more likely to report you. It becomes a living nightmare."
Lisa stepped in before things got heated. "Okay, okay. No schools. We're just spitballing. Nothing's been decided yet." She turned to me. "Got any ideas?"
"Me?" I squeaked. I'd honestly forgotten I was supposed to contribute. What could I say that wouldn't hurt anyone but still get attention?
"Well… we could…" I hesitated, then blurted, "We could vandalize Mayor Christner's house?"
The silence was deafening.
I cringed. That had to be the dumbest idea I'd ever come up with. Vandalism? What kind of villain stooped to vandalism?
"I like it," Alec said after a moment, smirking. "Stick it to the man, cause some chaos, maybe swipe some fancy stuff. The mayor's gotta have something worth taking, right?"
"That could actually work," Brian admitted, starting to think it over. "Hit the mayor's place, mess with a few nearby houses to cause a stir. It'll make the news, and if we're smart, we won't get boxed in. Only downside is, there's not much money in it. Doubt the mayor keeps cash lying around."
"He might have valuable items," Lisa added. "Besides, the boss is paying us thirty grand for the distraction—plus covering equipment costs."
Wait. Thirty thousand? That was more money than I'd ever seen in my life. I didn't even have five hundred in my bank account.
And all for a pointless act of vandalism?
Whatever this sponsor had planned for Thursday…
I had to tell Armsmaster