The guns mounted to the assault bus swept over the crowd. The second ship halted 20 feet from the cavern floor, and dropped a rectangular platform with high railings. The platform carried a a lone enforcer decked out in reflective, but battle scarred armor. It covered every inch of his body - including an eerie relief of a face set into the front of a completely solid helmet.

  "That's F-grade power armor." Win whispered. Her body tensed like she was waiting to leap into action. "It could tear through almost everyone here like tissue paper." She paused, and gave Reid a look. "Whatever happens, don't try to fight them. Even if you have a chance to win, you'll just draw the attention of the bus."

  Reid stood, and slowly walked in front of Win and Lycra. When his small friend tried to peek his head out at the enforcer, Reid gently pushed him back with a hand. This was trouble, and even at this distance, he didn't feel far enough away.

  The inebriated crowd had started to move itself towards the ships. Some miners were curious. Others wore viper-like expressions as they sized up the enforcer and the assault bus. Many shouted with eager cries professing their innocence and claiming they were debt-free and ready to leave. A portion of the miners wore terrified expressions or had hidden themselves.

  Speakers attached to the ship crackled and whistled with feedback.

  "Thadden Wheatnick, step forward. All other prisoners, disperse or you will be fired upon."

  For a moment, no one moved.

  Since coming down to the warrens, Thad hadn't done much socializing. He spent his days recovering from a well-deserved shattered jaw, eating, and keeping to himself. Reid assumed he'd kept the same routine while they were down in the mole's den. If that was true, it meant the people who were 'closest' to Thad were Reid and Lycra.

  Heads swiveled in the crowd as everyone searched for the man. Seconds ticked by. Lycra stood on the table to peer over Reid at the ships.

  Laser-lights flashed out from the enforcer's armor and over the entire crowd in an instant. His head snapped towards Reid, and the speakers crackled and whistled as the enforcer lifted a metal-armored finger.

  "You! Lycra, known associate of Thadden Wheatnick. Come here."

  Reid's heart pounded in his chest.

  They were supposed to be free.

  Thad was the reason they were down here in the first place, and now he was responsible for Lycra becoming the target of the enforcer's attention.

  Reid flexed a hand, then turned to Lycra. His small friend's mouth trembled and he had fear in his eyes - but Lycra also had a hand inside his backpack, hiding whatever gadget he was trying to summon from storage.

  Despite his fear, Lycra was ready to fight.

  Reid took a breath.

  "I'll handle this. You just stay here, no matter what."

  By the time Reid turned back towards the enforcer, Win was already halfway to the armored man with her hands raised in the air. She spoke with a level of mixed deference and confidence higher than what Reid was used to. He sprinted forward to catch up.

  "The people here will find Thad and bring him to you! I request your patience while we complete your mandate. Thad is a loner and does not associate with others. There is nothing to be gained by-"

  In motions that seemed too quick, the enforcer vaulted over the platform, sprinted to Win, and grabbed her by the shoulder. Metal bit into flesh as the armored hand squeezed, and Win let out a grunt of pain. His helmet slid open like a garage door, revealing a blonde furry face and shining, metal-capped canine teeth. The enforcer's voice came out softer, unaided by the speakers.

  "You aren't in charge down here. I am. I told everyone to disperse. Everyone includes you." Bone snapped as the enforcer tightened his grip, and Win spasmed and shook. "Now you get to experience the price of noncompliance." His free hand rose with an open palm, ready to strike.

  There were many moments in Reid's life where his drive to action overwhelmed his logical thinking.

  Seeing Win's body spasm and flail against the enforcer's grip, then seeing him readying a blow to her head was quickly added to the list.

  Reid left behind compacted ground as he propelled himself forward towards the enforcer. Delicate strands of dexterously applied power cycled into his legs. Both the armor and Win were larger than him, and already moving. Reid planted his feet hard and skidded to a stop while he raised both arms above his head. One grabbed the hand holding Win, and the other met the striking palm.

  Pain bloomed in Reid's right arm as the impact of the too-hard metal shot through him. He'd only just started to cycle power into the muscle at the last moment, and Reid felt like his arm was going to break and shatter. It held just enough to redirect the blow up and over Win's head. He held the enforcer's other arm with a vice-like grip, and the metal let out a mild groan as Reid pushed explosive power into his left hand. A massive amount of energy forced itself out of his mana pool and blasted through his body to reach his arms. It was dense and heavy, and he could already feel the burn of his body working to keep up with it. His focus was simply to get Win away from the man.

  Down in the King's den, there wasn't too much that actually let him test his gains. He knew from Nyx's teachings and his own feeling that the increased mana pool and his improvements in other areas would stack atop one another to let him draw out more temporary strength than before. Seeing it in action was a different thing entirely.

  The wrist of the power armor compacted, and the enforcer's face flashed surprise. He let go of Win, and she fell to a knee. There was more resistance now, in the metal, that Reid could feel in the grip of his left hand. He continued to squeeze, and grabbed out for the enforcer's other arm with his still-hurting right hand. Explosive power cycled through him at high rates, and he felt the bubbling sea ready to send him into a severe rage. He fought to keep himself in conscious control as his body, reinforced by his energy, held the peak F-grade armor at bay. Reid needed to get Win out of this situation - away from man in front of them, and out of range of the assault bus still hovering above. He growled out his words.

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  "I know Thad. I'll get him for you - just leave my friend alone."

  "So you know where he is?" The enforcer arched an eyebrow, and idly pulled his arms back towards himself. Despite his attempts to hold on, the armored appendages slipped out of Reid's grip. That was alright. The enforcer was no longer focused on Win, which was what he wanted. He just needed to disengage and placate the man to diffuse the situation. Reid nodded.

  He could figure out where Thad was hiding. There were only so many places he could be. "I'll get him and bring him here." He turned and lifted Win up by her good shoulder, and made it a single step towards the clinic before a grip like iron halted his momentum. The hand didn't dig into him, but it felt like it could.

  "She stays here until you bring me Thad. Take too long, and I'll break something else on her. Or you can send the little one over - I don't really care who it is."

  Reid's body tensed as he readied himself for a fight. He didn't want to leave Win here with this power-mad asshole.

  He'd held the suit back once already, and he felt confident in repeating that feat. With the man's face exposed, he could even land a few blows and probably do some real damage.

  His hand formed a grip, and he readied himself to bring Requiem out of his storage ring.

  Then Reid realized Win was tapping his arm to get his attention.

  She shook her head, and whispered. "Don't fight. Already too much attention." Her hand pointed a trembling finger up towards the still-but-threatening assault bus.

  He knew she was right - logically. More hostile actions would probably draw more attention and trouble. Heck, Reid had already drawn more attention than needed by stopping the power armor from hitting Win. He'd left a section of one arm partially dented. People weren't supposed to be able to do what he'd just done. The enforcer hadn't made much of a reaction, but that didn't mean Reid was safe and clear. They could notice and investigate the damage later, which would bring them back down to him. This enforcer might be the same person that would be sent down to take Reid and Lycra to freedom - and if he remembered Reid, it would be trouble. He found himself hoping the drunk miners either hadn't seen things clearly, or would doubt their own memory of the incident. What he needed, more than anything, was to make himself seem... normal and forgettable.

  Win's injured shoulder was still bleeding. She hadn't healed it - not even enough to stop the bleeding. She'd spent years hiding herself and her abilities. She was experienced and wise enough to not break her crafted image just because of one conflict. And she was giving sound advice.

  Reid didn't need to start a fight - or win one. He needed the kind of control that Win had shown in de-escalating the goat man. The kind that would let him endure this confrontation instead of trying to come out of it victorious. The patience and presence of mind to value his secrets over a temporary issue. There were still options, there. Ones that would keep the enforcer's attention and anger away from his friend.

  Reid let go of Win, and slowly turned back to the enforcer. He needed to be calm - placative. He needed to not show off his strength. "She's hurt and needs help before she gets worse - I'll stay here instead, and others can bring you Thad. They're already searching for him."

  A tense, silent moment passed - then the enforcer scoffed. "Fucking stupid scum." An armored hand shot forward and grabbed Reid by the throat, then raised him into the air. He instinctively grabbed at the arm holding him, and had to stop himself from pushing power into his limbs.

  Don't stand out. Don't give away your secrets.

  The enforcer made a gesture with his free hand, and energy bolts landed a few inches from Win.

  "If I wanted her worse than hurt, she would be. Now, you're pulling the same shit she did." The enforcer brought his free hand forward and grabbed Reid's forearm. It twisted, and strained. The armor let out a series of louder and louder whirs as the force applied to Reid intensified - until his arm snapped. Reid cried out in pain as his arm was folded back so far, his knuckles touched his elbow.

  This is the fight to remain unremarkable. Just be calm. Endure.

  The enforcer tightened the grip on Reid's throat to silence him, then eased it when he saw Reid unable to breathe. He wore a sadistic smile. "None of you shits tell me what to do. None of you get to bargain."

  Reid's mouth was still open as he panted for breath. The enforcer's hand shot forward again - into his mouth. It forced Reid to open wide and scraped against his teeth, then pinched Reid's tongue between two fingers.

  Play the part. Act insignificant to prevent a greater problem. This is just another kind of control.

  "You're going to set an example for the rest."

  The enforcer's microphone switched on, and the speakers crackled and whined. The enforcer turned so the crowd could see Reid, then slowly pulled his tongue out as far as it would go. The fingers pinched down - hard. Reid gagged as his tongue was slowly crushed, and he heard his own struggles to keep himself from gagging as the sound was blasted at high volume through the speakers. The fingers kept crushing, and Reid had to swallow the blood that leaked into the back of his throat. The enforcer pinched down until his fingers connected with each other - then he pulled.

  Reid's tongue ripped apart where the fingers had pinched through it, and blood spilled out of Reid's mouth and down his chin. He let out a gurgling scream as his arms spasmed. The enforcer held Reid's severed tongue high in the air, and gasps went through the crowd.

  “Bring me Thadden Wheatnick. No lies, no bargaining, no games. I am on a schedule, and I-“ He tossed Reid off to the side, and Reid cried out again as he landed on his broken arm. “am running out of time.” The enforcer looked at the tongue, then threw it at Reid. It bounced off of him and landed in the dirt. “And patience.” He stomped back to the rectangular platform, and hopped inside.

  Reid panted through the pain and the blood. He didn't move, and he didn't heal himself. His arm and his tongue were both in awful shape, and he could sense his body starting to send out its natural responses. He stopped his energy reserves from draining themselves to repair the damage. It went against every instinct he had - but he'd accomplished the goal to be innocuous, to look as weak as he was supposed to be. This was success.

  It still tasted like ash in his mouth.

  Huh. I wonder if a regrown tongue will taste things differently.

  After the brutal display, the enforcer left him and Win alone. Neither of them tried to get up or seek help for their injuries. They bled into the dirt, and watched the action unfold.

  Miners split into groups and haphazardly moved through the cavern to look for Thad. Minutes ticked by, agonizing and slow, before a small mob returned, pushing Thad forward at its front. The purple, cheetah-like man tripped and fell multiple times as he approached the platform. Reid watched him as closely as he could in his current state, and realized Thad was falling intentionally. Every time, he'd grab and pull items from the pockets of those around him on the way down. No one had yet noticed, and Reid wasn't exactly able to say anything. Thad palmed stolen rations into his own jumpsuit, and managed to stealthily swallow three crystals the size of Reid's palm - over the course of more than fifteen 'falls'. If he didn't hate the man so much, Reid might've been impressed.

  Thad slowly and reluctantly moved forward. He looked worse than the last time Reid had seen him. His face was gaunt, and his exposed arms were bruised. Part of Reid wished the man was in for worse treatment. He certainly deserved it. When he got close enough, the enforcer grabbed Thad and hauled him over the platform's railing. He landed on his back with a coughing groan. The platform lifted as it retracted towards the ship, and the speakers crackled to life one last time as the enforcer smiled down.

  "Thank you for your cooperation."

  Character Cheat Sheet: