“This isn’t working,” I complained, opening my eyes. “I’m really bad with like, knowing how things go exactly. Important stuff feels like it slips through the cracks, and I just hold onto crap I don’t need. Details.”

  “Details are important,” Yamada countered. “But maybe you’re right, sequential memory may not work with how your power does. Details, I wonder… Do you remember the names of any capes who were there?”

  “Skitter,” I replied quickly, then paused and scratched my chin. “Do you just want me to like...list them off?”

  “If you feel that may help,” she said. “You might be able to connect a name with an important event, or it might remind you of something.” Seemed like a stretch but…

  “Okay,” I said, taking a deep breath and shutting my eyes again. “Tattletale, Bitch, uh all the Undersiders actually. Accord was there too I’m sure, and maybe an Ambassador? Clockblocker, Kid Win, I think most of us from Brockton Bay except me obviously.”

  “Any local or foreign capes?”

  “The Chinese ones,” I said instantly. “Yangbang or something? “

  “Yàngbǎn?”

  “Sure,” I said, shrugging. “I don’t speak Chinese, sorry. Um, who else, who else… There were Indian capes obviously but no one… Actually yeah no, there was a guy named like...fursee?” I opened my eyes and gave her a hopeful look.

  “C’est tout la grec pour moi.” I frowned. “Apologies, I don’t know what ‘fursee’ might be in terms of a code name. Was there something about them that made you remember?”

  “Yeah,” I said slowly. “I think he had a bomb or something that messed up Behemoth. I remember he died in the story, not the bomb, but I’m not really holding my breath this time.” Her eyes widened.

  “Died?” Yamada asked. “How?”

  “Scion,” I said simply. “He finally did something, not sure why exactly. But again, not holding my breath. I’ve remembered wrong before, badly wrong.”

  “That’s quite incredible,” she said, a little shaky. I suppose that was fair. “I, for once, sincerely hope you remember correctly.”

  “Hey me too,” I said. “Anyway, I think that’s it for people. Not sure what else really.”

  “Alright.” She penciled a few notes. Personal, she’d promised. “We have another ten minutes, was there anything else you’d like to discuss today? Or would you like to try remembering something else?”

  “No I…” I pursed my lips and nodded. “Um, actually, sort of. It’s weird.”

  “What do you mean by ‘weird’, Lia?” Yamada asked.

  “Just, well, weird?” I frowned. “Amy and I, I think we started dating.”

  “You think?”

  “I mean we agreed to just...haven’t?” I shrugged. “It’s just, I don’t exactly know what to do.”

  “Have you dated people before?” she asked.

  “Sure, yeah.”

  “Other women?” I nodded and she offered a smile. “Alright. First, I hope that goes well; you’ve both been through a lot lately and probably understand how you both feel. Now do you mean you don’t know how to ask her on a date?”

  “No, that’s whatever.” I managed to do that stuff without even realizing. “Just, it’s weird isn’t it? Because of my memories and whatever, because...I know?”

  “I think I understand what you mean,” Yamada said. “Have you spoken to her about those memories yet?”

  “Yeah the day I told you I would,” I said. “She said it was fine but like...is it really?”

  “What is it you’re worried about?” she asked, cocking her head. “Is there a specific memory about her that you feel uncomfortable knowing?” I bit my lip and nodded. “I see. Is it something you feel discussing with me?” I shook my head. “With her?”

  “She’s…” I swallowed. “She knows I know and that it’s...bad. It’s...she didn’t actually do it, so does it matter? Should I even feel like this?”

  “I think if you feel strongly about it, it matters,” Yamada said. “As for whether you should, I find that is an unhelpful way to frame it. Can you help how you feel, change it in some way?”

  “Of course not,” I snapped. “My brain’s a miserable bitch.”

  “Lia could you try phrasing that better?”

  “Ugh,” I groaned. “I feel fine about way worse stuff all the time, so I shouldn’t feel bad about this too, right?”

  “Again should is, I think, not the best word to use here.” Yamada pursed her lips. “By and large, we cannot help how we feel about things, Lia. What you can try and help is your reaction and response, which is what we’re here to help you with.”

  “So...what?” I asked, shooting her an ugly look. “I just feel shitty about my new g-- my...about Amy?”

  “That is exactly what I’d like to try and help with,” Yamada replied. “But first it’s important to acknowledge that your feelings aren’t inherently bad. Your mind is trying to protect you, first and foremost. Sometimes, it overreacts.”

  “How do I know if it’s overreacting or just...reacting?”

  “Acknowledging your feelings and carefully examining them against what is causing them,” she said. “I know I say that as though it’s easy, but it is work Lia. I believe it’s work worth doing.” I frowned.

  “You really think it’s...just like that?” I asked, unable to keep the hope from my voice.

  “Not ‘just like that’,” she replied with a smile. “But hopefully less difficult than you anticipate. Would you like to try some exercises?”

  I hesitantly nodded my head, a shaky smile growing on my face.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “You know,” Autumn Rain said as we wandered down the street. “I heard stuff in this city was going crazy. Seems pretty chill to me.”

  “You got here what, two weeks ago?” I asked sarcastically. “Yeah gee I wonder why you think that.”

  “Things weren’t that bad,” she retorted, them frowned. “Were they?”

  “Is that like, a joke?” I asked. “We get hit by an Endbringer, then the Nine, then something they’ll throw me in the ‘cage for telling you about. We still have a bunch of literal warlords controlling territory, Nazis, and more on the way. Don’t think because the Protectorate is telling us to use kid gloves that things are peachy.”

  “But they lost their leader,” Autumn countered. “The Nazis and the Undersiders. They’re probably way weaker than they’ve ever been, and the Protectorate is just trying to keep us safe.”

  “That’s not how it works,” I said. “Like clearly it isn’t, and it really shouldn’t be. We can’t afford to hold back when the villains are off balance.”

  “Okay that like, makes some sense,” she offered. “But we’re just kids, you know? I’ve barely been a hero for a year.”

  “So?” I said. “I told you guys, I had to deal with Leviathan on day two or three of having powers. There’s footage somewhere, I saw it on 4chan.”

  “4chan?” Autumn said, sounding disgusted. “The fuck were you doing there?”

  “Uhh, browsing the heroes, villains, and rogues board?” I replied. “Ego surfing, I guess. Anyway, point is who cares if you’ve been a cape for a week or a year? Not the villains, not the Endbringers, sure as fuck not the Slaughterhouse Nine. We step back, let our enemies recuperate, and in six months whatever poor rookie is on our team is gonna be in for a hell of a time.”

  “War hawk.”

  “Sticks and fucking stones, Autumn,” I snapped. “Not going to let people forget what villains in this city are really like.”

  “That’s rich, little miss reich!” a yell came from above.

  There was a loud crash and a rush of dust just ahead of us. Another impact shook the ground behind, and I whirled on my heel, fists raised. Autumn faced the other way, and I could already see the crackling cloud of her power gathering overhead. In a few minutes, once she was ready, this was going to turn into a miserable slog of a fight. Tattletale dismounted one of the dogs, followed by Grue. Bitch remained atop the one that landed behind us, glowering.

  “Amaranth to console, Undersiders ambushed us in DC-2,” I barked. “Bitch, Grue, Tattletale, two dogs.”

  “Copy Amaranth, QRF on the way,” Kid Win came back rapidly, sounding half-panicked. “Ten mi—tes out. Do n--gage.” My radio popped in my ear, then went silent.

  “Alone at last,” Tattletale said, pocketing a remote. “Two of three, and both times for you Amaranth.”

  “Storm’s forty seconds out,” Autumn muttered. “Delay them longer, we can use it as cover.”

  “Oh please don’t rain on our parade, Autumn,” Tattletale said with a smug grin. “Not gonna make me miss your stubble any more.” I glanced over and saw Autumn’s lips tightly pinched. “I’m sort of surprised you’re associating with a degenerate like her, Amaranth.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” I spat. “And be glad Vista’s not here to close the distance so I can do it for you.”

  “Oh like you did to Skitter?” she growled, making me flinch. “Yeah you little shit, that’s on your head.”

  “You’re right,” I said tersely. “It is.”

  “So honest,” she drawled.

  “It doesn’t matter though,” I continued, shaking my head. “I can’t change the past, just try and make the future better. Or, I guess, try and prevent the worst from happening.” She narrowed her eyes.

  “What are you getting at?” Tattletale demanded.

  “Taylor was important to the end of the world,” I replied. “Now she’s gone and I’m trying to step up because no one else can. You want to come after me for someone bombing her? Fine, whatever, I know you’re a shitty bitch anyway. But you’re going to pay for it, and maybe everyone else too.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Yeah, you think so?” I took a few steps closer, drawing a growl from Tattletale’s mount. “You think escalating again, like her, is a good idea huh?”

  “You’re not as important as you think, Amaranth,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’re not the only precog who knows about the end of the world.”

  “That’s not the only thing coming!” There was a beat of silence.

  “T-thirty seconds,” Autumn said shakily. What happened to ‘forty’ a minute ago? Fuck it, no time. I began striding towards Tattletale, staring her down as I did.

  “Stop,” Grue said after five paces.

  “Stop me,” I said bitterly. His cloud of darkness began pouring out, making me wade through like it was a puddle. I halted when it reached my waist, a few steps from Tattletale. I lowered my voice before continuing. “Listen you mouthy cunt, I get that you hate me and god knows the feeling is mutual, but put your listening ears on. Behemoth is coming, a couple weeks away at best; even I’ll say we have bigger problem right now than you.”

  “Getting a weird sense of deja vu,” Tattletale said with a smug grin. I stared at her silently, and slowly her smile shrank. “Fuck.”

  “Yeah,” I said, nodding. “Somewhere in India, my best guesses are Lucknow and New Delhi.”

  “Can’t predict Endbringer attacks,” Grue said darkly.

  “Grue, shut up,” Tattletale snapped, licking her lips. “How the fuck do you—”

  “Tattletale,” I cut her off, sticking out my hand. “I hate you, and the second the PRT realizes what a mistake it is to let you guys off easy I’ll be leading the charge to take you down. But there are worse things in the world than you and me. Truce, at least til Behemoth’s dead.” She snorted and rolled her eyes.

  “You’re really trying to tell me—” She cut herself off, eyes widening slightly. “Shit.”

  “Sounds like it to me,” Grue drawled.

  “Grue. Shut up.” Tattletale ran her fingers through her hair. I noticed her hand was shaking. “How?”

  “Scion,” I said simply, taking my hand back. “And no, no idea how or why beyond he’s Scion and...he’s Scion. You know I’m gonna be there and I know you will be too; you can’t leave well enough alone after all.”

  “Fuck me,” she swore. “And fuck you too. Always some fucking excuse or disaster that stops us from stopping you.”

  “Blame Canada,” I snapped. “I don’t get to choose what happens next, Tattletale, I can just try and make sure we don’t all get blindsided.”

  “How noble.” She massaged her temple and shook her head. “Predicting Endbringers...I fucking hate precogs, you know that?”

  “We have something in common then,” I muttered, thinking back to Dinah setting Taylor up to be outed. “You’ve got about three minutes before our backup shows. Want to break this ‘peace’ that you helped make?” She glowered at me silently for a moment, then turned on her heel.

  “Let’s go,” she barked at Grue. “Like she said, we have bigger issues thanks to her.”

  “You serious?” he growled, glancing back at her, then turning his leering demon mask on me. “You forgetting she’s the one that got Taylor killed?”

  “I haven’t forgotten Grue,” she retorted, clambering onto the dog. “I haven’t forgotten what Taylor told us either.” He glowered at me for a moment, then turned and got onto the dog in front of Tattletale.

  With a thundering of monstrous paws, the Undersiders rode off, charging away from the approaching sirens. It wasn’t long before they’d vanished, long before the ‘quick’ response force ever arrived. I turned and joined a shaken Autumn Rain and waited for them to get here, trying to slow my racing heart.

  The Undersiders were after me. I knew it already, that they’d be looking for revenge, but so soon? Literally right after they convinced the PRT to get off their backs? Tattletale must have another card to play, she wouldn’t be that brash otherwise. If I was a real precog, I might even be able to figure it out.

  “Hey, you good?” I asked Autumn. “Tattletale likes getting into peoples’ heads, don’t let her get to you.”

  “F-forget what she was saying,” she replied, swallowing. “About the...s-stubble.”

  “Uh, sure,” I said with a shrug. “She just runs her mouth is all, I know it.”

  “Alright.” Autumn took a deep breath and held it for a moment before slowly letting it go. “Okay. Uh, what was all that you were saying about Behemoth and—” She was cut off by the sudden screeching of tires as our belated backup finally arrived.

  “Don’t sweat it,” I told her as I walked over to the van. “As soon as it’s something we can deal with, we’ll get a briefing okay? Til then, don’t borrow grief from the future.” She didn’t have to, after all.

  “Amaranth,” Miss Militia said as she hopped out of the van. “We weren’t able to get in contact. What—”

  “Debrief at base, ma’am?” I asked, cutting her off. “I think Autumn’s done with this patrol.” She glanced over at the other Ward, then gave a sharp nod.

  “Get in,” she said, then clambered back up.

  With a sigh, I led Autumn around the back and got strapped in. I wondered if I’d ever survive something by more than the skin of my teeth.